Angel Sambo

For Angel, bringing his mother to San Diego nearly 10 years after he’d left his home in the Philippines to pursue a better life in the U.S. is not only one of his sweetest moments, but more evidence that someone from his background can succeed. His is the classic pull-yourself-up story.

Abandoned by an abusive father, Angel and his sister were raised by their mother in dire conditions. “We lived in a pigpen modified with plywood for walls and one small, roughly sawed-out window. Even the rusty, creaky metal gate that used to keep the pigs in was left intact. Meals were limited, and having two was a good day.” With such everyday struggles, higher education seemed out of reach. “The expensive public-school matriculation was almost impossible for my single-parent mother. But she always told me to do my best in school because only with education would I be able to have a better life. I am well aware of this fact so I’ve always taken education seriously.”

Though his married sister started a job to help support her family when she arrived in the States, Angel wanted to be the first in his family to attend college. He needed a realistic path, so he joined the Navy. “I finished high school and immediately enlisted in the military in order to avoid being a burden to anyone and become fully independent.” He worked hard, was promoted to leadership positions and worked on his mother’s immigration process.

After completing his service, Angel enrolled in community college and transferred to UC San Diego with a high GPA. Though challenged by the faster, more intense pace, he nonetheless maintained a Provost Honors GPA his first quarter.

Angel has chosen to major in General Biology because he’s fascinated by how and why things work. “I greatly enjoyed working with complex machines during my time in the military, and after my service I came to the conclusion that there is one machinery system more complex than anything in existence: the human body.” Shooting for the stars, his hope is to become a surgeon. “I am aware of the great difficulties of this path but I am willing to face them head-on in order to prove to myself that I did not waste this opportunity to become somebody.”