UCLA Student Leyla Messian got a very early start on her college education. She began by taking Santa Monica College (SMC) courses when she was in high school. Leyla also took AP classes but didn't do as well as she did in the SMC courses. She decided that since AP classes weren't working for her and instead she would take the college courses since in the end she'd be getting the same exact credit. All while still in high school, she spent two summers at SMC taking classes on campus and online.
She enjoyed taking the classes and before she knew it, she had a enough credits to have her freshman year of college completed by her high school graduation date. Being a head by a year, Leyla was considering transferring after only one year at SMC. She received heavy criticism from classmates and counselors but applied regardless. She was discouraged by the lack of support but knew it was her time to move forward with her educational journey.
Many told her that she would not get into the schools she applied to since being a 1-year transfer is not common. Eager to prove them wrong, she applied to six schools and got into all six! Now Leyla is a proud Bruin pursuing a bachelors degree in Sociology. She is looking forward to the new school year and continuing to grow academically.
Transfer rock star Leyla proves anything is possible if you put in the hard work! You go Leyla!
