​​With her family facing financial hardship, Ciera Demi Soliz chose to attend a community college so that she could defray education costs and make ends meet. Yet, she never relented in her lifelong goal of attending a university.

Today, Ciera attends California State University, Stanislaus, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Ciera serves as the vice president of the Psi Chi Honor Society, where she participates in community service related to psychology. She is also a volunteer research assistant and works part-time as a behavioral technician at the Kendall Center, providing one-on-one applied behavioral analysis therapy to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. 

Ciera plans to earn a graduate degree in psychology so that she can help improve the lives of those with developmental disabilities.