Wictoria Silvestre

College affiliation: John R. Lewis College

Department: Economics

What Award/ Scholarship did you receive? The Blanche McKenzie Scholarship 

When do you expect to graduate? Spring 2023

Where do you call home? Albany, CA

With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? UCSC felt more community focused due to the unique college system. It made going to a large school less daunting because you got to build friendships with people within your smaller college affiliation.

What is your field of focus? Econometrics with a specific interest in clinical trials.

What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? I would like to continue my education by attending pharmacy school where I would use my economics background to assess pharmaceutical trials

What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? Crossing the stage at graduation. It was a very surreal moment because I hadn’t truly processed that I completed my bachelor’s until I shook hands with my Provost. Until that moment I was certain that I would go back to school in the fall. 

What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? You do not need to keep the same major you came in with. Check out the required courses for various majors within or out of your declared department. Focus on the majors where you find the upper division courses to be interesting! But please make sure you do this before your third year.

How will this scholarship impact your academic life /research? I was originally planning on taking two or three gap years before pharmacy school to save up a bit of money while working full-time. However, with the scholarship I can cover the costs of the applications and a few pre-requisite courses I need to complete! I will hopefully shorten my gap period.