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Azan Yousaf ’25 grew up only 10 miles north of campus. Now, thanks to the education and experiences he received at �鶹��Ƶ, Azan is preparing to travel more than 3,000 miles this fall to enter the Master of Healthcare Administration program at Dartmouth College.

First-generation student Azan knew little about the many opportunities available at �鶹��Ƶ until a college advisor at Marin-based college access nonprofit 10,000 Degrees suggested that �鶹��Ƶ could be a good fit.

As Azan quickly discovered, �鶹��Ƶ was the perfect fit. He came to study biology, but a first-year Service-Learning course inspired him to add a second major in social justice.

“�鶹��Ƶ gave me the space to grow as both a scientist and an advocate,” he says. “I came in figuring things out while working and supporting my family, and I’m leaving with a clear sense of purpose, deep community ties, and the confidence to lead in healthcare spaces that need change.”

Azan selected Dartmouth for his graduate studies because of the college's strong focus on healthcare leadership, policy, and equity, especially within underserved communities. 

This interest in both healthcare and social justice was nurtured at �鶹��Ƶ. Azan credits the Service-Learning program for showing him how policy gaps impact real people, as well as how to use storytelling and data to make change.

“I went into Service-Learning thinking I would just be volunteering my time, but I have learned so much from the courses,” Azan says.

Service-Learning exposes students to advocacy, public policy, and community organizing through hands-on work with a network of nonprofit partners, schools, and government agencies. The partners serve as co-educators so students can understand the larger contexts and issues the organizations are seeking to address.

“The Dartmouth application process was rigorous, but I leaned into my personal story, community-based work, and experiences at �鶹��Ƶ,” Azan says. “It was important for me to apply to a program that values not just academics, but also lived experience and a commitment to change.”

Most of Azan's Service-Learning work was with RotaCare, a nonprofit that provides healthcare services to residents who are unable to pay for primary healthcare.

Working at RotaCare, Azan says, taught him to recognize and understand the many inequities that exist in the health care system – even in wealthy communities such as Marin County – and inspired him to work toward becoming an advocate as both a healthcare administrator and a physician.

“I’ve seen how administrative decisions directly impact the care patients receive, especially at places like RotaCare,” Azan says. “That inspired me to pursue healthcare administration so I can help reform systems from the inside. After Dartmouth, I plan to work in healthcare management and eventually go to medical school, with the goal of leading initiatives that increase access to care.”

�鶹��Ƶ’s research-based science program has been equally transformative, nurturing Azan's life-long love of science while providing research skills that will be invaluable in medical school.

All �鶹��Ƶ biology and chemistry undergraduates participate in a research methodology course series early in their academic journey in which hands-on laboratory or field-based research is integrated into the majors. Working with a faculty mentor, Azan studied the impact of fire on the long-term health of amphibians living in California’s forests. He gained key skills while learning how to collect microbial samples, perform genetics analysis, and identify bacteria using DNA sequencing assays.

Azan also participated in the year-long Kaiser Pre-Med Mentor Program, which gives undergraduate students interested in healthcare the opportunity to experience firsthand a typical day in the life of a doctor. Each student is matched with a Kaiser Permanente physician mentor and meets with the mentor on a regular basis throughout the year.

“As a high school student, I had not been aware of the wide range of research options just down the road from me,” he recalls. “One of the first things I learned was that �鶹��Ƶ had a science research program that begins your first year. I liked the fact that I could work in a lab directly with professors instead of just working on one research project with a TA.”

Today, �鶹��Ƶ has become a family tradition of sorts. Iman Yousaf, Azan’s younger sister, is a second-year biology student. Azan also stays in touch with his old high school, representing �鶹��Ƶ’s science program as a STEM Ambassador at San Marin High. There he assists with class projects and provides study assistance. This year Azan worked with fourth grade students at Laurel Dell Elementary School, sharing his passion for science during visits to �鶹��Ƶ's science labs and working with the students on a project designed to help empower them to imagine their own pathways to college.

“I love �鶹��Ƶ,” he says. “The college closest to my home turned out to be the best place for me – and for my family.”

Pictured: Azan shows Laurel Dell students around �鶹��Ƶ's science labs.