Richael K. Young

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“In everything I do, I remind myself that I have one chance to do it, to do it right, to do it to the best of my ability.”

  • Program: 2009 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
  • Hometown: Foster City, CA

Biography

PROFILE: As President of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, Richael Young hasn’t had a lot of time for the “fun” things that students often remember. She’s not complaining. How many 20-year-olds have the opportunity to address the California Legislature? And how many students have the opportunity to organize a massive rally in Sacramento protesting budget cuts and fee increases at the state’s colleges? Her efforts were documented in the Sacramento Bee and she’s pictured on the steps of the Capitol telling the representatives: "We are the product of the Legislature's decisions and we want to make sure you are making wise decisions." In addition to her political duties, Richael has attacked her studies with the same passion and enthusiasm. As the first member of her family to attend college, she made the most of it, noting that “life is filled with opportunities of all kinds—to help others and to help yourself— but it’s easy to overlook them when you get wrapped up in day-to-day tasks and problems. I made a conscious decision to take advantage of every opportunity that presented itself to me.”

INSPIRATION: Richael points to San Mateo Professor Jean Mach as the person “who has been alongside me the entire way, constantly available to listen, to offer advice, and to encourage me in my dreams.” Richael said Professor Mach is much more than a teacher, “she’s my lifelong friend and academic mother.”
 
ASPIRATION: Her original goal was to study Civil Engineering, but she switched to
Environmental Engineering. Richael said “rather than building on the land with bridges and buildings, I now aspire to spend my career working to protect it by creating sustainable business practices and incentive-based governmental policies.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: During her final year at San Mateo she served as President of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, representing 2.8 million students.

ACCOLADES: Richael’s accomplishment as the first female and youngest individual elected as president of the California Student Senate was the subject of an “entry” in the Congressional Record in July of 2008, the summer she served as an intern for Rep. Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto. In 2008, she authored an Op-Ed in the Carnegie Foundation’s Change magazine regarding student and community needs. She also received the Student Trustee Service Award from her college.
 

INTERESTING FACT: Richael said she “can’t see three-dimensionally.” But, obviously, it hasn’t held this Cooke Scholar back. 

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