First Generation 

While Latinas make up only 8% of workers in the STEM field, senior Celina Perez is intent on changing that. Perez will be pursuing a science driven major in the fall when she begins at California State University Fullerton’s nursing program. 

Navigating school as a first generation student has come with an additional set of obstacles, but Perez has refused to let this limit her. She takes pride in the growth she has made while a student at Fullerton Union High School and a candidate in the International Baccalaureate program. 

“I feel growing up first gen, you don’t really have exposure to many opportunities,” Perez said. “Most of the time, you have to seek out opportunities yourself.” 

Character

Perez is known on the FUHS campus for her soft-spokenness and warmth. 

Senior Nazareth Olvera says that sometimes Perez will apologize for seemingly no reason. 

“She is the sweetest person I’ve ever met,” Olvera said. “Sometimes she’ll apologize if she thinks she sounds rude, and we’re like, ‘You’re fine, that was a normal way to respond.’ ”

Scar

When Perez was in elementary school, she suffered a severe burn from an accident involving an iron that left a scar on her hand. 

Doctors had to take skin from her head to make a graft. 

While working at trampoline park Urban Air, Perez noticed a scar resembling her own on a young boy. 

“I was harnessing this little boy and noticed his hand because it looked exactly like mine,” Perez said. “When I asked him what had happened, he told me he was burned by an iron. I was just mind blown.” 

That moment solidified in Perez a desire to go into the nursing field and care for others who had weathered some of the same challenges she had. 

Nostalgia

For Perez, the experience of being hospitalized as a child was her initial introduction to the world of healthcare. She has fond memories of being cared for as a patient. 

During a tour of Cal State Fullerton’s nursing program, she was reminded of those memories. 

“At Cal State Fullerton, there was a replica of a hospital,” Perez said. “Seeing some of the tools was almost like deja vu.” 

Perez’s mother, who cared for neighbors’ children, also served as a source of inspiration. 

“My whole life I’ve seen my mom take care of little ones, and I would help,” Perez said. “Having neighbors who were younger made me very nurturing.” 

Dance 

In addition to being in the IB program, Perez is involved in Advanced Dance where she is class officer. Her older sister, Vanessa Perez, also a dancer, inspired her love for dance.

“[Vanessa] started dancing in middle school,” Perez said. “I just loved learning dances alongside her.” 

FUHS dance teacher Andrea Oberlander recalls meeting Perez before she entered high school and being struck by her gentle disposition. 

“I remember meeting Celina when she was younger,” Oberlander said. “Right away, she had the sweetest demeanor and smile and was just a gentle spirit.” 

Community Engagement 

Perez believes in the importance of giving back to her community, so much so that she volunteers with local non-profit Solidarity and its SOLFul program in the summer teaching students at Richman Elementary about the STEM discipline.

From grades second through sixth, Perez herself was a student in the program and views this work as gratifying. 

“[SOLFul] provides students with educational opportunities,” Perez said. “Being surrounded by kids who maybe needed extra support and someone to talk to over the summer, that was impactful for me.” 

“The reason why I want to be a nurse is to build deeper connections and impact others.” 

After college, Perez would like to work as a pediatrician or in traveling medicine.