If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong, that you don’t deserve to be where you are or go where you are going, or that you aren’t fit to provide the service you are expected to deliver, you’re definitely not alone. Star athletes, larger-than-life celebrities, and big business owners experience these feelings and thoughts from time to time. And so do pre-med students!

My cousin Trinith Radhakrishnan chats with us today about his experience through high school, college, and medical school application process. Trinith graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a bachelor's in Neuroscience and is the founder of Moorpark-to-UCLA (MC2UCLA). MC2UCLA is a mentorship program that links Moorpark Community College students with UCLA student volunteers. The program operates on a buddy system wherein participants are matched with a mentor to meet their specific needs. Students then meet with mentors weekly for support through the various aspects of their education, from transfer applications to adjusting to university. So far, the program has supported nearly 100 students. 

Upon transferring from community college, Trinith felt the weight of imposter syndrome. After his first quarter, he realized he was not alone. Nearly every transfer student he knew experienced a dip in academic performance. Surprisingly, many of those same students, including Trinith, thrived in the following quarters. Curious about this phenomenon, he approached the head of the UCLA transfer center and learned that nearly 30% of transfer students each year are at risk of facing academic probation should they have a subsequent quarter of poor performance. He realized that the proper guidance could make the difference between surviving and thriving at UCLA at this crucial moment.

Outside of supporting community college students, Trinith is deeply passionate about working with special needs and low-income minority populations. He also enjoy helping fellow pre-meds navigate the medical school application process

Connect with him at:

www.moorparkcollege.edu/mc2ucla-honors-mentorship