Louise Nicolei Perez had already been accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, when she joined her sales and marketing class at Castle Park High School in Chula Vista for a campus tour at San Diego City College. “The first thing I noticed was this big sign that said, ‘You Belong Here,’ so I said to my teacher, ‘Well, I guess this is where I belong.’”

It turned out to be a perfect match. Perez, who was often involved in campus life during  junior high and high school, dove right in at City, serving as an officer with Associated Student Government and – for the past year – as president of the Asian & Pacific Islander Student Alliance. She also reevaluated her career track: no longer intent on becoming a pilot, Perez is now following her family’s advice and aiming to become a registered nurse. She’s already a certified nursing assistant working at a National City psychiatric facility, she earned her Associate of Science Degree in Biology (with honors) in May of 2025 and is currently taking a few additional classes to better prepare herself to enroll in City’s highly-respected Associate Degree in Nursing program. Among those classes is American Sign Language. “Given the fact that I’m going into nursing, I’m going to have patients who are hearing impaired,” Perez said. “It’s best to be able to communicate directly with them, rather than rely on a translator.”

In a perfect world, City College would soon offer a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Nursing – at a fraction of the cost of private institutions and public universities – through legislation authorizing up to 10 such programs at select California community colleges. While the lion’s share of the state’s registered nurses earned an Associate Degree in Nursing, bachelor’s degrees have become the standard for hiring at hospitals and medical centers, choking off place-bound and income-limited students from a nursing profession pathway.

“That’s one thing I didn’t know about college in the United States when I came here,” she said. “It’s really expensive. Which is another element that makes City College so attractive. It’s so affordable.”

Originally from the Philippines, Perez spent her first several years in that archipelagic country and Singapore, and later Qatar, where he father worked with a Middle East conglomerate. She and her family moved to San Diego to be with and help take care of a grandmother.

City College has welcomed her with proverbial open arms.

“I feel like the people at City really care about you,” said Perez. “The professors care about what you’re learning, they’re accessible if you need them, and there is a lot going on.”

And she is constantly reminded about the message on the sign she spied while visiting the campus as a high school student. “I was having a hard time with a couple of my classes and studying pretty late in the library, and I log onto my computer, link up the WiFi the first thing I see on my screen is that saying: You Belong Here,’” Perez said, laughing at the memory. “You see it all the time. After a while, it becomes like a love/hate relationship, but it is very comforting. And also very true.”