Student Experience
As the Pister Scholarship grows, two scholars reflect on their time at UC Santa Cruz
As the Pister Leadership Opportunity Program prepares to double in size this fall, graduating scholars Andrea Aviles Guzman and Cipriano Echezarreta look back on their experiences at UC Santa Cruz and the impact of the scholarship.
Pister Scholar Andrea Aviles Guzman (Oakes ’26, sociology with a concentration in digital justice) graduated from UC Santa Cruz in June 2026.
Carolyn Lagattuta
This June, Andrea Aviles Guzman (Oakes ’26, sociology with a concentration in digital justice) and Cipriano Echezarreta (Rachel Carson ’26, environmental studies) graduate from UC Santa Cruz as Pister Scholars.
Established by former UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Karl S. Pister in 1993, the Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Program provides scholarships and support for community college transfer students at UC Santa Cruz. Each year, approximately 13 students from 13 California community colleges throughout the broader region are selected based on academic achievement, leadership, and service. Beginning this fall, funding for the program will double, allowing UC Santa Cruz to support 26 new Pister Scholars each year thanks to the generosity of scholarship donors.
For Guzman and Echezarreta, the scholarship provided support at pivotal moments in their educational journeys.
Building community through advocacy
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Andrea Guzman immigrated to the United States at age five and grew up in Campbell, California. As an immigrant student and the daughter of a single mother, she learned how important it was to advocate for herself and others.
After graduating from high school, Guzman enrolled at De Anza College, where she began to get involved in student advocacy while balancing coursework, jobs, and family responsibilities.
“The scholarship made the transition to UC Santa Cruz easy,” Guzman said. “My first quarter here, it was almost weird. I didn’t have a job and just got to be involved in things I cared about, and I didn’t have to stress about how I was going to do it all and survive on my own.”
Over the past two years, Guzman has worked with Basic Needs at the Redwood Free Market, served as a transfer student coordinator for El Centro, and helped welcome new students to campus by connecting them with resources and community.
“Oh my God, I love my job at the Redwood Free Market. It was the first job I got here, and I know how important these resources are. Through that job, I had opportunities to get involved in efforts like Measure 88, which was really meaningful to me. Being part of this work and helping support other students is what I’m most proud of, and it’s what I’ll take with me after I graduate.”
Guzman is especially excited that one of her final projects at UC Santa Cruz reflects many of the themes that have shaped her time on campus. This spring, she joined a mural course sponsored by El Centro and helped install Dreams Without Borders, a new mural exploring immigration, belonging, and the experiences of immigrant communities.
“I really wanted to make sure I left some sort of mark before I graduated. Being part of this mural felt like a way to do that, and it will be something I can come back to and visit.”
Looking back, Guzman says one of the most important lessons she learned was believing in herself.
“Believing in myself has probably been the hardest thing to learn,” she said. “If I had listened to those people who said college wasn’t for me, I would not be here right now. I’m literally going to graduate with honors.”
She plans to earn a master’s degree in social work and pursue a career supporting children and families through child welfare or healthcare settings.
From recovery to restoration
After finishing high school in Palm Beach, Florida, Cipriano Echezarreta turned down a full-ride scholarship to attend a university in Texas because of concerns about his family’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soon afterward, he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a workplace accident that required emergency surgery and months of recovery.
“After the surgery, I had to relearn how to walk, talk, and perform basic functions again,” said Echezarreta. “It took time, but I was determined to continue my education. Returning to school and eventually transferring to UC Santa Cruz was me getting back on the right track.”
As he recovered, Echezarreta began rebuilding the academic plans he had put on hold. He resumed his studies at Gavilan College before transferring to UC Santa Cruz as an environmental studies major. The Pister Scholarship helped make that next step possible.
“It was really the Pister Scholarship that made it possible,” Echezarreta said. “It gave me an opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree, an opportunity I thought I’d never receive again, and I’m forever grateful.”
UC Santa Cruz had long been a goal because of its environmental studies program and reputation for hands-on learning.
“I always loved the environment. When I was 12, I was the kind of kid who was reading bird encyclopedias and learning about bird families from around the world instead of what most kids my age were doing,” said Echezarreta.
That early fascination eventually grew into a desire not only to understand the natural world, but to help protect it.
“I started learning about what’s happening to the environment and what can be done to change it,” said Echezarreta.
Through his senior internship at Año Nuevo State Park, Echezarreta has helped remove invasive species, restore native vegetation, and conduct independent research in support of restoration efforts across one of California’s most ecologically important coastal regions.
He also serves as a board member of Coastal Habitat Education and Environmental Restoration (CHEER), a nonprofit organization focused on improving watershed health and restoring habitat for steelhead trout in the Pajaro River watershed.
“I’ve realized how important policy is. I wanted to understand both the science and the policy side of environmental issues, which is why this was a perfect program for me,” said Echezarreta.
This fall, Echezarreta will begin an environmental consulting internship working across Singapore, Indonesia, and Borneo.
Looking back, Echezarreta is grateful he never gave up on his goals. “We all have setbacks,” he said. “But if you keep moving forward, one day you will succeed.”
The impact of opportunity
As one cohort of Pister Scholars graduates this June, another is preparing to arrive at UC Santa Cruz this fall.
“This is a big campus to come into as a transfer student. It can seem like everyone else already knows exactly what they’re doing and where they need to go,” said Guzman. “It’s good to have a community with all the resources and tools that you need as a transfer student.”
That community will soon grow as the program expands to welcome a larger cohort of scholars beginning this fall.
“For more than 30 years, the Pister Scholarship has recognized students who have already demonstrated their leadership and determination,” said Lorena Lara Rodriguez, executive director of financial aid and scholarships. “We’re excited to extend that support to even more transfer students in the years ahead.”
Guzman hopes future scholars embrace every opportunity available to them. “Learn to take up space,” she said. “Go to events. Get involved. Use your voice. Everyone starts somewhere.”
Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Program
Transfer applicants from Cabrillo College, Cañada College, College of San Mateo, De Anza College, Evergreen Valley College, Foothill College, Gavilan College, Hartnell College, Mission College, Monterey Peninsula College, San Jose City College, Skyline College, and West Valley College, are selected each year for the $20,000 Pister Scholarship, which honors students who have excelled academically while overcoming significant socioeconomic challenges and demonstrated a strong commitment to serving others.