Alumni Series: A Light that Heals
September 16, 2025
As conversations about access to health care and mental health services grow louder and more urgent than ever, Stephanie Guardado’s light truly heals.
A proud graduate of Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High School, Stephanie draws on the care she once received from counselors and teachers to guide her own path in nursing and mental health advocacy.
In the following interview, her journey from being a first-generation college student to supporting underserved communities shows how personal experience can become a force for healing:
Looking Back: What do you remember most about your time at Alliance, and how did it shape the person you’ve become today?
What I remember most about my time at Alliance is the people. In middle school, two counselors in particular really stood out. They supported not just me, but my mom and family too, through a lot of personal and mental health struggles. I’ll never forget the way they showed up for us.
High school brought more of that same care—teachers who helped me on a personal level and also pushed me academically and socially. They also prepared me for life after high school. At the time, I didn’t know anyone who had left home to attend a four-year university. But my teachers helped me envision that future, and believe I could thrive in it.
The Realization: Was there a moment during your journey where you truly felt your brilliance? What led to that moment?
I first started feeling it in college, just talking to peers.
When you meet someone in college, the first thing they ask is where you’re from, what you’re studying. When I said I was a nursing major, the reaction was always the same: “Wow, you must be really smart.” Then, as I started talking about high school, the opportunities I had, the things I was involved in, I realized just how much I had done.
And more recently, I’ve felt it during my clinical rotations. I’ll be shadowing a nurse and suddenly realize, Oh wait… I know that medication. Or I’ll find myself making connections between things I learned in class and what I’m seeing in real life. That’s when it really sinks in, like all the dots are finally starting to connect. It’s in those unexpected moments that I really feel my brilliance.
Full Circle: How are you using your education and experience to make an impact in your community or field today?
I always come back to two things: my culture and mental health. I’m a first-generation college student, a woman of color, and someone who’s seen how underserved our communities can be, especially when it comes to access and representation in health care.
That’s why I’ve focused on giving back in ways that reflect both where I come from and where I’m going. I currently volunteer for an eating disorder helpline, offering emotional support and connecting people to treatment resources. I’ve also stepped into a new role helping match people with therapists or dietitians, most of whom are navigating complex systems like Medi-Cal, where access can be really limited.
At UCI, I’m part of Flying Samaritans, a club that travels once a month to El Testerazo, Mexico, to provide free healthcare services to the local community through our student-run clinic. And I’ve been a part of a research lab since my freshman year that focuses on health coaching for middle schoolers in Orange County, particularly students with adverse childhood experiences.
None of this is random. I sought it out. Every time I get to serve someone, especially someone who looks like me or grew up like me, it reminds me: This is my purpose.
Dear Younger Me: If you had your younger self sitting here today, what would you have told her?
I’d tell her, “Stick with it because it’s going to be hard, but it’s also going to be worth it.” There were a lot of academic challenges I didn’t expect, even though I knew nursing would be difficult. It took me a while to figure out how I learned best, and there were so many times I compared myself to others and questioned if I was doing enough. So I’d remind my younger self to give herself grace. To keep going.
And I’d probably tell her to push herself more socially, to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable. That’s something I’ve worked on a lot these past few years, and it’s helped me grow in ways I didn’t know I needed.
Stephanie’s story reflects not only her resilience but also the ripple effect of an Alliance education. As she offers guidance to those navigating the same barriers she once faced, she embodies the change she dreamed of, showing future generations that brilliance grows strongest when it’s rooted in care, community, and purpose.
