By Alyssa Ayudante
“I know I cannot change everyone’s situation, but it would mean a lot to impact at least one person in a positive way” -Crystal Altman
When I logged on to our zoom call, Crystal shared how excited she was to finish up the last few courses of her undergraduate career. She is on track to graduate from CSU Channel Islands this upcoming May with her Health Science and Biology bachelorette degrees. Prior to attending CSUCI, Crystal grew up in Oxnard, CA and attended Saint Bonaventure High School. A big motivator in choosing CI was her desire to stay local in order to support her son, Roman.
Despite her obligations to her family and as a student, Crystal currently serves as the president of Physician Assistant Student Club. When she first joined the club as a founding member, she discovered the opportunity to volunteer at Food Share. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 50,000 families received food distributions from food share. Since the pandemic, that number has doubled, and they serve about 103,000 families per week with the drive-thru pantries hosted across the county. Crystal’s struggle with poverty allows her to connect with her motivations to volunteer. “I feel a personal connection because I know how it feels not to have resources,” Crystal shares as she recalls serving families with kids. “So many people helped me out when we were down. If I didn’t receive the help that I had when my son was first born, that could have been me. It definitely hits home. It’s important to give back to people, especially with kids.”
Crystal also has experience volunteering at Midnight Mission, which is a non-profit facility in downtown Los Angeles. Along with other members of PASC, she helped prepare dinner and fed about 1,000-2,000 homeless individuals a week before Thanksgiving. Crystal describes the experience as humbling. “It definitely changed my outlook on the homeless population,” Crystal mentions as she recalls a meeting a patron that graduated from Yale. “It was unique seeing different populations of homeless and seeing that human aspect of them, as we as a society typically do not get out into the street and talk to them.”
After graduation, Crystal has plans to attend a Physician Assistant program in California. “I would like to stay in California because it is such a diverse area,” Crystal shares. It is her priority to treat a widely diverse population in all aspects (DACA-status, LGBTQ+ status, race, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.) Even though she has a bright future ahead of her, she looks back fondly at her time at CSU Channel Islands. Crystal states, “Since CI is a newer campus, I am very grateful that students are able to create new opportunities and connect with faculty that help you succeed and help you do the best you can.”