MESA Fall 2025 newsletter

Fall 2025 Newsletter

Welcome Our New Staff Rachel Hi! My name is Rachel and I tutor math and chemistry. My major is chemical engineering and my goal is to transfer to UC Davis. Prior to becoming a full-time student and working at the MESA Center I had a dog training business and competed in dog sports.

Maye Hi! My name is Maye! I’m a Biology major at Solano. I’m planning to transfer to UC Davis for Pharmaceutical Chemistry in Fall 2026. The goal is to become a Medical Scientist in the future. Outside of STEM, I love music and writing. I spend a lot of my free time going to concerts with my friends and family. I’m really big on creative writing just for fun as well. I’m really looking forward to this coming semester!

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Welcome Our New Staff RJ Hello! My name is Robert or RJ. I’m studying electrical engineering here at Solano because I love math and physics, and I plan to transfer to UC Davis in 2026.

In my free time, I like to draw, produce music, and make math art.

Larry With a strong background in Health Sciences and over a decade of tutoring experience since 2011, I specialize in guiding pre-med and allied health students through the complexities of biology. My passion lies in helping students not only grasp challenging concepts but also excel in their coursework. My tutoring approach is engaging, supportive, and tailored to each student’s needs. I’m committed to helping my students achieve their academic goals and thrive in their future healthcare careers. Let’s make learning rewarding— and maybe even a little fun!

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August 8/18 - MESA Welcome Day

The MESA Center was excited to once again hold our semesterly Welcome Back Day! Almost 120 students gathered in the center to learn more about the program, get to know each other, and relax before starting the Fall 2025 semester.

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August 8/26 - UC TAG Collaboration With the Transfer Center

MESA teamed up with the Transfer Center to prepare students to TAG their dream UC! TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) is a program for transfer students to secure their spot at a UC through academic achievement. Around 30_ students joined the seminar to learn how to get in to their favorite UC. 5

September 9/09 - UC & CSU Transfer Application Workshop With the Transfer Center The Transfer Center joined us again to prepare students to complete their applications to the University of California and California State University schools.

Students who had already started their applications had the chance to ask questions to fully complete the beginning of their future.

09/25- CESC, STEM Scholarships & Internships Workshop w/ Career Center The Career Center teamed up with MESA to educate students on opportunities such as Internships, Scholarships, and other resources to succeed at Solano and a future four-year university.

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September 09/25 - Scrubs to Success with Kaiser Permanente Talk about a full house! Over 70 students gathered in the MESA center to learn more about careers in healthcare at Kaiser Permanente.

Panelists went over their roles at Kaiser and answered questions students had on how they got there and what they love about working in healthcare.

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MESA STUDY TIME

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MESA STUDY JAMS MESA Tutor Jordan teamed up with Professor Comm to hold Chemistry Study Jams every Wednesday and Thursday.

Students who needed help with Chem 160 and Chem 001 were able to get all their polarizing questions answered!

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October 10/08- UC Davis Fall 26' Workshop

Kimberly Serrano, UC Davis TOP Representative, came out to the MESA Center to give students insights into UC Applications. Students were able to learn how to make their Fall 2026 UC Davis Application stand out, ask questions, and get insider tips from a UC Davis expert. Students were able to feel confident as they prepared for the next steps in their transfer journey.

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October

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10/14-Touro University Info Session About 40 students joined us for an info session with Touro University to learn about pathways into health profession programs.

Prerequisites, admissions tips, and what to expect as a graduate student were topics of discussion.

Students gained valuable insights, resources, and guidance tailored for underrepresented students pursuing careers in healthcare.

October

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10/18- UC Davis Pre-Health Conference Eleven students joined MESA Director Ariana and Dr. Marcon for the UC Davis Pre-Health Confrence in October. These future health professionals got to obtain more information about their desired fields, network, and prepare for Med School.

10/30-11/01- SACNAS Conference

MESA Students Jordan, Kaitlin, Maye, and Taryn joined Director Ariana Martinez in Columbus, Ohio, for the annual SACNAS conference. These students were able to embrace different cultures, attend professional workshops, and network with universities around the country.

November 11/13- Breakfast with Engineers Breakfast with Engineers allowed MESA students to learn more about careers in engineering. We had 7 engineers from the Society, Hispanics, Professional Engineers Bay Area Chapter, join us to tell our students why they love what they do. Both students and engineers enjoyed a hot breakfast from Black Bear Diner.

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November

MESA’s Administrative Assistant, Eliza, organized study sessions for students in November. Students were able to come in and enjoy food while receiving help from our tutors.

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November 11/21- Campus Tour San Jose State University Seven MESA Students had the opportunity to check out the SJSU campus. They got to check out the different sections of the college, housing, dining, and even fun things to do on campus.

11/25- STEMSGIVING with the MESA Club The MESA Center was feeling thankful this year! Students gathered to enjoy food and to relax. Partnering with the reinstated MESA Club, students built paper airplanes to fly with a small plastic turkey inside.

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December

12/12- Exploratorium at SF Nine students had the opportunity to join Director Ariana and Administrative Assistant Eliza on a trip to the Exploratorium. The group got to learn with hands-on experiences, demonstrations, and 16 illusions.

December

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The MESA Center won 2 place in the campus-wide door decorating competition!

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The MESA Club is Back In the Fall 2025 Semester, President Taryn Coles, Vice President Jordan Vasquez, Treasurer Maye Bautista, and Secretary Steven Cavalli, kicked off the newly reinstated MESA Club.

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Student Spotlights

Taryn Coles

MESA Student & Student Ambassador Taryn landed an internship to start in spring 2026. She will be a community health education intern with the California Department of Public Health.

Congratulations Taryn!!!

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Student Spotlights

Nick Pitts

MESA Student Nick was given the amazing opportunity to intern at Persist AI. Upon finishing his internship, Nick was hired on with the company.

Congratulations Nick!!!

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