UC Davis Graduate Beats Odds To Rise To Top Of The Class
DAVIS (CBS13) — A college graduate who overcame significant odds won UC Davis' top spot.
Lucydalila Cedillo's mother says her daughter always loved school but growing up in a housing project with few resources, she wasn't sure what her future held.
Most graduations include photos with family and friends, but a cow, horse or a pig typically don't make the cut.
But this is part of the college experience for graduates from UC Davis' college of agricultural and environmental studies. It's an experience Cedillo says she used to only dream of.
"There was no one who even went to college," she said.
She was raised in a Los Angeles housing project where she collected aluminum cans, cashing them in to help support her family.
"I'm so very grateful for my parents. they protected me as much as they could," she said.
Her parents, who emigrated from Mexico, always stressed the importance of education.
"They themselves never went to college. I think they went as far as seventh grade," she said.
Her family celebrated Cedillo receiving the university medal, an award for UC Davis' top graduate.
Originally interested in veterinary medicine, she has won scholarships to pursue gene therapy research.
"I'm joining Harvard University biological and biomedical program studying for a Ph.D. in genetics," she said.
Cedillo plans on earning a Ph.D. and becoming a professor to help others the way others helped her.
