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Santiago Canyon College to UCLA: Nursing student solidifies her career path

May 13, 2026

Santiago Canyon College pre-nursing student Kayla Serrano comes from a family with strong ties to the health care field, including her mother and several relatives who are nurses or health care professionals. While she initially considered a different career path, it was the challenge of her AP Biology class that ultimately inspired her to pursue a nursing degree.

Because Bachelor of Science in nursing pathways are highly competitive, Serrano chose to position herself for success by earning an Associate of Science in pre-nursing and allied health degree at SCC, an associate degree designed for students to complete nursing prerequisites before transferring to a BSN program. The strength of SCC’s curriculum and faculty made the school an easy choice.

“Overall, I had heard great things about SCC’s classes and the professors,” Serrano said. “People that I’ve known who went there have transferred to really good schools, so I think that’s what drew me into SCC.”

Determined to make the most of her SCC experience, Serrano visited the Transfer Center, where she connected with SCC counselor and Transfer Center Faculty Lead Macey Lachman, who could sense immediately that Serrano was a special student.

“The first time that I met her, I really saw that spark,” Lachman said of Serrano. “Her questions were so good, and her enthusiasm was there. She had her heart set on transferring to a BSN program, which is a tough journey. But she was ready and wanted to know all the things she could do to be the most competitive she could be.”

Serrano became involved in student leadership through SCC’s Associated Student Government, where she serves as commissioner of health. In that role, she creates health-related activities for the campus, including coordinating American Red Cross blood drives, planning the pre-health pathway fair for students interested in health care professions and hosting mental health-focused events such as yoga sessions.

Serrano also founded a campus club called the Caring for Kids Foundation, which focuses on assisting underserved populations through health-related aid, with Lachman serving as the club’s adviser. The organization recently hosted a CPR training event and provided free tutoring services at Homeless Intervention Services of Orange County.

Additionally, Serrano is a member of SCC’s Umoja program, a community for African American and Black students, one of the many programs she feels provides a welcoming campus environment and encourages student engagement.

“There are so many organizations on campus where you can just stop in and hang out with people,” Serrano said. “It makes it feel like such a second home on campus. … At the end of the day, your environment really does matter.”

On the academic side, Serrano is currently an instructor in SCC’s STEM Supplemental Instruction program, where she provides biweekly tutoring sessions in microbiology for students who need additional academic support.

Serrano also completed the coursework required to earn her Certified Nursing Assistant certificate, which has allowed her to take nursing assistant positions at local hospitals. She is currently at Providence St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, where she works in the float pool serving a number of different units. It’s an experience that has provided her a new perspective on what it means to be a nurse.

“I’ve been able to help patients in their lowest moments,” Serrano said. “I’ve been able to understand how when patients are going through the worst days in their life, they deal with pain and grief differently. And being able to navigate that and understand other people, I feel, has turned me into a more empathetic person.”

Serrano has also taken advantage of programs outside SCC that have given her additional exposure to the health care field, including the Summer Health Professions Education Program at UCLA. She enjoyed the experience so much that UCLA became one of her top choices for pursuing a Bachelor of Science in nursing, and after a competitive application process, she will be attending the UCLA School of Nursing this fall.

Serrano’s plans include working as either an ICU or emergency department nurse, with the future goal of becoming a nurse practitioner and earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree to expand her role in patient care.

In Serrano, Lachman saw a student committed to the process who did everything she could to put her best foot forward.

“What’s so amazing about Kayla is just the follow-through,” Lachman said. “It’s just amazing the things that she’s been able to juggle between her academics and all the extracurriculars.”

The support Serrano received from Lachman, along with the relationships she built with her professors and the culture she experienced on the SCC campus, has shaped her academic and professional growth.

“If I were to describe (SCC) in one word, I would probably say it’s very, very supportive,” Serrano said. “I have just honestly received the best advice and the most supportive feeling, which ultimately allowed me to do so well in my classes.”

Orange County Register

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Santiago Canyon College to UCLA: Nursing student solidifies her career path

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