Michelle Razo

Associate in Arts

Michelle Razo completes her high school diploma and associate in arts degree in June. Razo began attending YVC during her junior year in high school through the Running Start program, which gives high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to complete their high school diploma while earning college credit.

Razo, a first-generation college student, was raised in Grandview, Wash. She was initially attracted to YVC’s Running Start program because it gave her the opportunity to get a jump-start on her college career and attended classes at YVC’s Grandview Campus.

“I chose this program because it was a small step I needed to take in order to achieve my greater goals. With this program, I can now transfer to a 4-year university and begin my new journey towards a human biology degree. This will get me closer to my goal of entering medical school and becoming a physician,” stated Razo.

At YVC, she has also enjoyed access to a greater variety of courses that would not be offered in a traditional high school environment.

“I took a lot of classes that I would have never taken if it wasn’t a requirement for my degree,” Razo said. “These classes really opened my eyes to many new career fields that piqued my interests.”

Overall, she is thankful for the ability to participate in a program that prepares her for additional learning and future success.

“I gained new experiences that I can benefit greatly from in educational aspects. I never thought college would be different from high school, but I was completely wrong. I am glad that I had the opportunity to do Running Start and meet the professors I met because without them I would not be prepared for what lies ahead.”

She’s also thankful for the experience and relationships built with her peers.

“I felt like an important student in my classes rather than a number. You get real in class and talk about real life. I might forget the Pythagorean Theorem, but I will never forget the friends that helped me through the class, nor the funny jokes my history teacher would tell to make the classroom livelier,” she continued.

She plans to transfer to Washington State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in human biology before applying to medical school. Ultimately, she hopes to become a physician and to specialize in endocrinology.