Meet Student Kalea Velasco-Cosare

Kalea Velasco-Cosare
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Age: 17

You Are Not Alone

“If there is one thing I want others at SPSCC to know, it’s that you’re not alone. I hope you find the resources you need to feel like you belong in a community at SPSCC.”

Kalea joined Running Start during the pandemic because her family wanted her to do all online classes. “Both of my parents are high risk,” she said, “so we’ve been self-isolating ourselves since March of 2020. I never really got the chance to go to SPSCC’s campus and see people that I felt reflected me, at least ethnically.”

Kalea describes herself as ethnically Hawaiian, Chamorro, and Filipino. She lived in a multi-generational household with her extended and immediate family until she was 15.

“It was hard trying to find the information I needed to get officially enrolled in the college because the application process was new for me and my family,” she said. “The transition to college was a lot harder than I expected, but that became a lot easier as I learned to rely on my resources along with my own dedication to succeeding.”

Kalea realized that online classes didn’t offer the face-to-face interactions with classmates and teachers she was used to, so she found other ways to make those connections.

“I attended SPSCC tutoring services and the support I received really helped me transition from high school to college-level work,” she said. “I felt like I found a community from SPSCC there, even in a virtual school environment, which ultimately pushed my decision to work as a student employee.”

Kalea is earning her high school diploma and an Associate in Arts transfer degree, focusing on a future as a physical therapist.

“My dad is my biggest inspiration for becoming a physical therapist due to the work he did when he was younger and the physical determinants of it. Now it’s hard for him to move in a way that’s comfortable physically,” Kalea said. “And also seeing a doctor of physical therapy from the Asian Pacific Islander community is important.”

“In the position of being a student tutor, and especially a minority, I not only get to have conversations and build relationships with other students, but I can leverage my position as a voice and act on behalf of BIPOC and historically marginalized students.”

Learn more about:

• Tutoring and Academic Support
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center
• Running Start