Yefry Samael

Pathways Student Leadership Cohort Fellow

My name is Yefrymata (he/him). I'm 26 years old, a Rising Scholar, a construction management scholarship recipient and a student assistant for the outreach and recruit department at my Cabrillo College. Since the age of 16, I spent extensive time incarcerated in various juvenile hall youth centers, county jail, and the state penitentiary. I really didn’t start thinking about college until I was sitting down doing time and I had nothing else to do but educate myself. I graduated early with a GED, a high school diploma with a 3.8 GPA, and I was the valedictorian of my graduation class. Yes, I was the good kid or the kid with the good grades out of all the so-called bad kids. None of us were bad, we just didn’t know any better. We didn’t have proper guidance or leadership in our life. That’s why it is through education that I plan to change the stigma and the way people view my community. This year, I have the opportunity to serve on Cabrillo College’s student body government as the student senate trustee and as a student leader in the Youth Law Center and Rising Scholars’ Statewide Youth Justice Leadership Cohort. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you and growing together. Take care and talk to you all soon.