The 2024 transfer class welcomed 60 students to Stanford this fall, representing 51 colleges and universities across the world. Several students shared their personal journeys and “Why Stanford” stories with The Daily. From serving in the navy to pursuing orchestral tuba, snippets from students showcased the diversity of experiences the transfer class brings to Stanford.

For some students, the decision to transfer was a matter of seeking meaningful connections.

Jinie Chon ‘26 wrote in her Common Application to Stanford that “These relationships offer invaluable chances for collaboration, disagreement, and diverse perspectives, all essential elements in effectively navigating public policy and addressing conflicting interests.”

Chon, who joined Stanford this fall, told The Daily that her decision came down to her desire to “attend an institution with smaller class sizes.” Chon previously attended the University of Washington’s Transition School following her 8th grade graduation.

Kenneth Pilco ‘27 similarly described a sense of excitement surrounding the tight student community.

“Everyone was always so excited to just share something (an experience, an idea — whatever!) with you and even more excited for you to share something with them. That sort of vibrant curiosity is, in my opinion, what makes Stanford so special,” Kenneth wrote to The Daily.

Many students pointed to academic aspirations in their transfer applications, highlighting their varying interests in the University’s program offerings.

Physics was a subject of interest for some transfer students, including Jose Ocampo ‘27, who described Stanford’s “world-class physics program” as a draw to the university, in addition to weather and proximity to home.

On a personal note, Ocampo said his parents supported him pursuing college, especially after he pushed off schooling at a music conservatory when his father was hospitalized in COVID-19 in 2020.

“My parents have always cherished education and supported me to pursue my educational endeavors, especially since they never got the chance,” Ocampo said.

Be it public policy or physics, Stanford was attractive to students for its diverse offerings in its mission of liberal education. For Thomas Poimenidis ’26, who initially applied only to local colleges in the Massachusetts area, “Stanford stood out to me for one main reason: the freedom Stanford offers its students to explore and discover anything and everything they want to do.”

“Along with the rigor of coursework and high reputation of graduates from this school, I knew that the mixture of academic challenge and personal growth from being away from home would allow me to develop into who I want to be, both as an academic and as an individual,” Poimenidis wrote to The Daily.

Jennifer Yulfo ’26 echoed a similar sentiment. Coming from a background as a music performance and chemistry major at the University of North Texas, Yulfo said she found herself “becoming bored with music, and I felt like that major wasn’t going to help me make the impact I wanted to make on the world.”

“I needed to go to a different school that gave me the chance to follow my interests and find my own path,” Yulfo said. Now at Stanford, Yulfo is pursuing bioengineering on a pre-med or pre-law track.

Transfer students’ academic aspirations also spanned the arts. For Nathan Kuczmarski ‘26, who transferred to Stanford from Loyola Marymount University’s film school, this passion was video journalism.

“I was constantly creatively inspired as I was surrounded by people who knew lines from more movies than I’d ever watched and created short films every weekend,” Kuczmarski said.

Gaining experience over two years in film sets and collaborations, Kuczmarski recounted a realization that he was “more than a filmmaker.” He decided to transfer to “learn more about what I’m telling stories about.”

Kuczmarski is now exploring storytelling with film across disciplines in political science, philosophy and economics, through which he hopes to learn “how to create tangible change in the world.”

For students from community colleges, Stanford represents a new world of opportunities and proof that hard work can pay off despite nontraditional trajectories.

Arya Shadan ’27 shared his experience from Cañada College to Stanford. At Cañada College, Shadan’s English course “transcended into a research journey” under the guidance of his professor. Shadan was accepted to present his findings at the Bay Honors Consortium symposium hosted at Stanford, which is when, “after a successful presentation and a magical day at Stanford,” he decided to apply, Shadan said.

He continued to look into Stanford’s Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies, attending weekly events  “in awe of the platform being fostered for the Diasporic Iranian community.”

“Slowly but surely, I explored the grand campus, falling in love with the idea of continuing my studies here,” Shadan said. “Stanford felt like home, long before it became home.”

Stanford’s in-depth offerings were similarly highlighted by Nicole Nguyen ’26, a transfer student from Foothill College. Nguyen grew up with limited academic support especially throughout high school, but had a turning point at Foothill College. During her two years there, Nguyen served as the elected statewide Student Trustee on the California Community College Trustees Board, which ignited a passion toward addressing educational inequities.

“I am eager to bring that passion to Stanford,” Nguyen wrote to The Daily. “I aim to deepen my understanding of systemic barriers in education, collaborate on meaningful policy solutions, and help foster an inclusive environment where all students — no matter their background — can thrive.”

Similar educational barriers were also present in Emily Nunez’s ‘26 experience, which included working in customer service jobs after graduating high school in 2017. However, when COVID-19 hit, Nunez said she was “forced to re-evaluate everything.”

Despite the fact that none of her siblings attended college, Nunez decided to transfer to a four-year university with a strong English program.

“I am proof that it is never too late to further your education and that — as my single, immigrant mother constantly reminds me — hard work really does pay off,” Nunez wrote to The Daily.

Several members of the transfer cohort have overcome incredible circumstances, and they said being at the University feels like a final homecoming.

Alexander Bilochenko is originally from Kherson, Ukraine but immigrated to Tucson when he was ten. After graduating high school, he “joined the U.S. Navy and deployed five times to high-octane theaters such as the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea,” Bilochenko said.

At Stanford, Bilochenko hopes to study political science “to better understand my experiences in Eastern Europe and the Indo-Pacific.” In the long term, Bilochenko aspires to become a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, attend the Graduate School of Business and “contribute to rebuilding Ukraine by mobilizing capital.”

The open doors at Stanford symbolizes vast possibilities, students said.

“My entire life has been full of closed doors and being actively having to search for opportunities. At Stanford there’s so many doors and they’re always open for everyone here” Carla Galaise ’27, a transfer student from Northwestern Connecticut Community College, said.

Galaise said the academic and professional choices at Stanford are endless.

“It’s not just academics, everything from learning new instruments to internship possibilities — they fight over Stanford students. And so I’m just excited,” Galaise said.