Jacquelyn First

Jackie has always worked hard, putting in the extra time and effort that has elevated her to leadership positions as a volunteer tutor and fundraiser, in her part-time campus jobs including Sustainability Manager for the campus housing department, and in student organizations such as Engineers Without Borders, in which she rapidly rose to president. Jackie is majoring in Environmental Engineering, a choice driven by her intent to affect tangible change in her home community in the San Bernardino Valley. Her suspicions about the effects of the smoggy air she grew up breathing – underscored by a recent diagnosis of throat cancer in her family – has informed her academic future and how she might make a difference close to home and beyond. “I plan to study at Scripps Institution of Oceanography as an environmental engineer. I believe that I can play a vital role in preventing future emissions and restoring a healthy atmosphere not just in my hometown, but across the nation.” Based on her record of rising to the top, this determined young woman is well on her way.