Viviana Pimental V

Class of 2021

iviana Pimental, a first-generation college student, transferred to CSUCI from Porterville College in central California. She studied human biology with a minor in Chicano Studies and graduated in Spring of 2021. Viviana is also a member of CSUCI Corps, a community service initiative that partners CSUCI, federal work study, and community partners. As a part of the program, she works as an America Reads tutor at Somis Elementary where she works part-time with 1st through 5th graders. In the future, she hopes to find a career that intersects between medicine and children.

Viviana is no stranger to volunteering. While living in central California, she volunteered with the Homeless Project and Helping Hand; two organizations that provided direct services to the homeless population. She says, “Volunteering helps to open your eyes to the world and give you a sense of purpose. I like being a person that others can go to for help.” In the Spring of 2018, Viviana helped organize an immigration rights march in Delano, California. Over 100 people, mostly young adults, marched through city for four hours. Just a year later, Delano became a sanctuary city–only the second city to do so in the central valley. Now, Viviana brings that passion to give back to her community to CSUCI. When asked what her favorite part of being at CSUCI was, she said, “I’m not a minority here. I don’t feel small; instead, I feel like my voice matters.”