By Alyssa Ayudante
President's Scholar, Biology '21
鈥淚 know I cannot change everyone鈥檚 situation, but it would mean a lot to impact at least one person in a positive way鈥 -Crystal Altman
When I logged on to our zoom call, Crystal shared how excited she was to finish up the last few courses of her undergraduate career. She is on track to graduate from 海角社区 Channel Islands this upcoming May with her Health Science and Biology bachelorette degrees. Prior to attending 海角社区CI, Crystal grew up in Oxnard, CA and attended Saint Bonaventure High School. A big motivator in choosing CI was her desire to stay local in order to support her son, Roman.
Despite her obligations to her family and as a student, Crystal currently serves as the president of Physician Assistant Student Club. When she first joined the club as a founding member, she discovered the opportunity to volunteer at Food Share. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 50,000 families received food distributions from food share. Since the pandemic, that number has doubled, and they serve about 103,000 families per week with the drive-thru pantries hosted across the county. Crystal鈥檚 struggle with poverty allows her to connect with her motivations to volunteer. 鈥淚 feel a personal connection because I know how it feels not to have resources,鈥 Crystal shares as she recalls serving families with kids. 鈥淪o many people helped me out when we were down. If I didn鈥檛 receive the help that I had when my son was first born, that could have been me. It definitely hits home. It鈥檚 important to give back to people, especially with kids.鈥
Crystal also has experience volunteering at Midnight Mission, which is a non-profit facility in downtown Los Angeles. Along with other members of PASC, she helped prepare dinner and fed about 1,000-2,000 homeless individuals a week before Thanksgiving. Crystal describes the experience as humbling. 鈥淚t definitely changed my outlook on the homeless population,鈥 Crystal mentions as she recalls a meeting a patron that graduated from Yale. 鈥淚t was unique seeing different populations of homeless and seeing that human aspect of them, as we as a society typically do not get out into the street and talk to them.鈥
After graduation, Crystal has plans to attend a Physician Assistant program in California. 鈥淚 would like to stay in California because it is such a diverse area,鈥 Crystal shares. It is her priority to treat a widely diverse population in all aspects (DACA-status, LGBTQ+ status, race, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.) Even though she has a bright future ahead of her, she looks back fondly at her time at 海角社区 Channel Islands. Crystal states, 鈥淪ince CI is a newer campus, I am very grateful that students are able to create new opportunities and connect with faculty that help you succeed and help you do the best you can.鈥