Alan Llavore | Office of Marketing and Communications | (909) 537-5007 | allavore@csusb.edu
In 2019, at age 16, Yara Hassan moved with her parents and five siblings from their home in Jordan to the U.S.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to begin the most defining chapter of my life,” she said.
She began her junior year at a Rancho Cucamonga high school one month after arriving in the U.S., an experience she described as “being dropped into the middle of a race that had started years before. I wasn’t lacking ability, I was just unfamiliar with the language, the culture and the way things worked.”
Now, the first-generation college graduate is entering UCLA’s School of Dentistry, her dream school, after earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from CSUSB in May. The first time she visited the UCLA campus in 2022, she said, “I felt a sense of belonging, and when I talked to the students there, they were very welcoming.”
Hassan also received the school’s Dean’s Scholarship and the Inaugural Harold Matheson Scholarship.
Hassan’s path since arriving in the U.S. has been shaped by her persistence. Determined to excel in school, she arrived early each day, asking questions and steadily learning the language.
In 2020, during her senior year, she enrolled in her high school’s dental assistant program. She earned her credential in 2021 and worked full time as a dental assistant for a year after high school.
“This was my first hands-on experience in dentistry and a turning point in my journey,” she said.
Focused on earning a college degree and pursuing a career in dentistry, Hassan researched programs and coursework, completed the FAFSA and navigated the college application process on her own.
She credits her willingness to ask questions and seek support as key to her success.
“I never felt ashamed of asking for help because I believe it's a strength, and it's honestly the big reason I'm here right now,” she said. “It’s difficult at first because you feel vulnerable. But we're people. We should always be working together. It is how things should work in life.”
After she began attending CSUSB in 2022, she discovered she had an aptitude for organic chemistry. She became a supplemental instruction leader for general and organic chemistry, leading group sessions twice a week and designing exam-focused practice questions to simplify complex topics for the students she supported.
“Teaching was a very fulfilling experience for me,” she said. “It not only helped me develop communication skills, it also helped me make sure that the students were feeling heard and seen.”
In 2025, while taking an animal tissue culture class, an instructor encouraged her to apply for the CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research Scholars Program.
“I was kind of hesitant because I had never done research before, but I believe it’s a very good thing to get out of your comfort zone and try something new,” she said.
She began the highly competitive program in August 2025, joining the Talbot Lab at UC Riverside and conducting stem cell research using nicotine models. Her lab mentor, George Phandthong, praised Hassan’s technical precision, scientific problem-solving and collaborative mindset.
“Through her technical mastery, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to supporting others, Yara has made meaningful contributions to the success of our research,” he said.
Hassan hopes her story encourages others who are finding their way through unfamiliar systems.
“I have had to learn how to survive and thrive in a system I didn't grow up in,” she said. “I taught myself how to study, how to apply, how to speak up and how to adapt.”
Those experiences now shape how she sees her future in dentistry.
“Dentistry, for me, is a calling shaped by my own journey from confusion to clarity, and from vulnerability to strength,” she said. “This path has prepared me to enter dental school with resilience, purpose and passion.”