My Head Start Story: Sebastian

Story submitted by: Sebastian
Head Start Alumni

I am an alumni of UCLA’s Early Head Start Program from 2005-2006. After attending those years, I was more than prepared to tackle pre-school. My academic work ethic stuck with me since then. I became the top student in elementary school and Valedictorian in middle and high school. Currently, I attend UC Berkeley studying Mechanical Engineering.

Besides my academic trajectory, I have been impacted by the amazing opportunities to help my community. I was influenced to create more opportunities for the children in our community, so I co-fo unded a non-profit called Bivium to help youth engage in STEM through free workshops. It was through the support of UCLA Early Head Start Program that I was able to launch our first program in their center. I developed wonderful mentors within this program which have now helped me increase the overall impact.

In March 2023 I attended the R9HSA STEM Institute Conference and also led a workshop to demonstrate the engineering design method and the ways to keep children active in the design process. It was a wonderful experience that I hope to continue!

Overall, I have been introduced to lots of opportunities for personal, academic, and even professional guidance through UCLA Early Head Start’s program!