Like many students before him, Nicolas Sanchez '24 has learned that finding the proper outlet can circumvent the pressure of a tough academic course load.
For Nicolas, who graduated from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences with a Biochemistry degree with an emphasis in Medical Sciences, that outlet was music.
“I wanted to include music in my life,” he says. “I started playing violin at UCR two years ago and one of my professors in the music department, Professor Frances Moore, always stressed the importance of being well-rounded. Music became my outlet.”
Nicolas says that even though he was supremely busy outside of Dr. Moore’s Chamber Music class, playing mostly classical pieces on the violin was the “breath of fresh air” he needed and led to his pairing with Professor Stephanie Dingwall, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Biochemistry and CNAS' Divisional Dean of Academic Student Affairs, on various jam sessions that included Bach’s Violin Concerto in D minor and Shostakovich’s 5 Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano.
Nicolas' musical aptitude led him to momentarily put down his violin and lead fellow graduates in singing UCR’s Alma Mater, “Hail Fair UCR”, during the CNAS Commencement in June 2024 at the Toyota Arena. According to Nicolas, the ceremony was particularly special in that he and many of his high school peers, who graduated in 2020 and then enrolled at UCR, did not have a commencement ceremony as high schoolers.
“Being selected to be the Alma Mater singer was an amazing way to close off this chapter in my life,” he says.
That chapter began four years ago when Nicolas was canvassing his hometown of Santa Ana and the surrounding area looking for a place to go to college. “I knew I wanted to enter the medical field,” he says. “I looked at the pre-med culture that existed at various schools and researched different universities when we were in COVID lockdown, so I couldn’t really schedule on-campus tours.”
Since he was unable to participate in on-campus tours during the pandemic, Nicolas dialed up different YouTube videos of students enrolled at UCR, and also read stories posted on Reddit about how they felt about the pre-med opportunities. “It wasn’t long before I got this overwhelming feeling that, at UCR, people were nicer and more willing to help each other," he says.
"That’s really why I chose UCR," Nicolas adds, "Because I got a sense that people here really love the community and the culture that surrounds pre-med here. I knew I wanted to stay near where I live in Santa Ana and I also had to consider my financial situation. UCR won out for the pre-med culture and the diversity and inclusivity...I didn’t want to feel isolated.”
Being a first generation college student is, in Nicolas’ words “no easy feat.” That’s why, in addition to finding creative outlets that take the pressure off of excelling in academia, Nicolas says finding the right balance at school is paramount.
“At the end of the day, doing well in school is why we’re at the university, but you have to carve out time for yourself – whether it’s playing Mozart sonatas or reading or going to the movies,” he says. “Having that balance – which goes hand in hand with finding outlets -- is important. I’d also add to that spending time with friends, especially a ‘go-to’ person that you can really talk to, is important.”
Having go-to friends became extra critical during Nicolas’ second year, when he was pulling all-night study sessions. “I was so focused on getting amazing grades that I was neglecting friends,” he says. “By the end of the year, I was exhausted. After that, I started to go outside my bubble and circulate more. Because of that, I feel the past two years have been the best years of my life.”
The friends he made during those years and the discussions he had with them led Nicolas to change his major from Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology to Biochemistry. “I feel like second year was where I was questioning whether I wanted to pursue a degree in Biology,” he says. “I met a friend in Physics 2A and we started studying together. She was Biochemistry major. I hadn’t considered that as a major [but] the degree program just made sense to me."
“I made the decision to switch majors because I knew I would have support going into it -- friends that I could do the degree alongside,” he continues. “Even though I hadn’t taken a Biochemistry class before, I ended up loving it! It was kind of like a leap of faith.”
A former CNAS Science Ambassador, Nicolas completed the Emergency Medical Technician Program at Moreno Valley College this past spring and has plans to work as an Emergency Room Technician in Riverside with plans to enroll into medical school by the fall of 2026.
For Nicolas, the CNAS Commencement Ceremony represented more than the conferral of a degree - his family was the reason he was up on that stage. He says that his parents have always been shining beacons to he and his brother and sisters – all of whom are either college graduates or on track to graduate.
“My dad installs tiles and does bathroom restorations,” he says. “We didn’t have the most fortunate circumstances, economically. Sometimes I would help him by cutting tile for him. He would take me to his jobs and I would see how difficult it was. Even though it was a tough job, he never wavered and was committed to doing it well; always attentive to detail…I think we all got that from him.”
CNAS STUDENT-FACULTY CONNECTIONS: NICOLAS SANCHEZ & DR. STEPHANIE DINGWALL
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