Leah Balakrishnan attended two years at Las Positas College in Livermore, Calif., before transferring to Stanford University this fall. (Las Positas College )
LIVERMORE, Calif. - A Bay Area student is detailing her unconventional story as a first-generation college student who transferred from community college and landed at Stanford University, as she addressed "stigmas" often associated with junior college.
Leah Balakrishnan graduated from Castro Valley High School and went on to attend Las Positas College in Livermore for two years.
‘Nontraditional’ journey
This fall, she arrived at Stanford as part of a highly select group of transfer students accepted to the world-renowned, prestigious university.
Her journey to "The Farm" has received a lot of attention and was one she recognized as "nontraditional."
The Stanford Alumni Association last week shared her story, which Balakrishnan first posted on LinkedIn, saying the student's "unique perspective" caught its attention and reached its community "before she even stepped on campus."
In that post, Balakrishnan shared about her experience at Las Positas, acknowledging the odds she faced in getting into Stanford from community college.
"I am part of the 1.58% of transfer applicants, just 64 students globally, who were admitted to Stanford University this year," the computer science major wrote, noting her presence in a male-dominated field.
She looked back at where she started on this path and spoke of the opportunities she was given to shape her own future.
"Two years ago, I sat in my calculus 1 class at Las Positas College," she reflected.
Junior college ‘stigma’
She went on to describe stereotypes often associated with students who take the junior college path.
"There is a stigma against community college students—that we aren’t ambitious enough, that we settle, and that we don’t have what it takes to grow," Balakrishnan explained.
The student then set out to debunk those conceptions as she weaved together a moving narrative of her experience through the remarkable people she met.
"...war veterans exploring old interests, mothers of three balancing textbooks with bedtime stories, and, most memorably, a woman in her seventies reclaiming her dream of becoming a nurse after being denied a college education in an era where women were barred from attending," Balakrishnan shared.
And she offered up how she was inspired by those who were pushing themselves, pursuing something that went far beyond the "race" of getting into a good school.
"Their perseverance reminded me that success is not defined by how fast you start, but by how relentlessly you keep going," Balakrishnan shared, adding, "In those classrooms, surrounded by people rewriting their own stories, I began to rewrite mine. I learned to speak up, to ask for help, to push past self-doubt, and to see education not as a race, but as a lifelong pursuit."
Expressing her gratitude
She also praised the faculty at Las Positas, thanking the professors who helped her embrace the powerful impact that community college can have.
"They challenged me to aim higher, think deeper, and reclaim the narrative that community college is not for students who are ‘behind,’ but for those who are determined," Balakrishnan wrote.
What they're saying:
Las Positas College celebrated its former student’s resolve to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities provided to its diverse student population.
"Leah Balakrishnan’s achievement shows what happens when determination meets opportunity. At Las Positas College, students from every walk of life -- parents, veterans, returning learners, and recent grads -- find excellent teaching, high expectations, and a community that believes in their potential," Las Positas College President Dyrell Foster said in a statement to KTVU.
Foster also blasted the notion of community college as a fallback option.
"Community college is not a second choice, it’s a powerful first step," the school’s president said, adding these words of encouragement: "To every student wondering if you have what it takes: you do."
Ranked among the top
Dig deeper:
Las Positas College was recently ranked the second-best community college in California by neighborhood and school rankings website Niche, which also placed the school #4 on its list of "Best Community Colleges in America."
The Bay Area was well represented in Niche's rankings, with Foothill College in Los Altos Hills topping the list as not only the best in California, but also the best in the country.
Cañada College in Redwood City ranked fifth best in the state, the College of San Mateo came in sixth place, and Mission College in Santa Clara ranked 10th on Niche's "2026 Best Community Colleges in California" list.
Other Stanford transfers
Balakrishnan was one of two transfer students from Las Positas College's graduating class last spring, who were accepted to Stanford, which was recently ranked fourth best in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Las Positas officials said new Stanford transfer student Raza Ali also took an "unconventional path to opportunity."
SEE ALSO: New Stanford grad Ahmed Muhammad remains committed to his Oakland community
Ali, who attended California High School in San Ramon, left high school early, as a junior, to become a caregiver to his grandmother who had been diagnosed with dementia.
He took the California High School Proficiency Exam and enrolled at Las Positas College.
In an article in the local paper "The Independent," written by Las Positas Director of Marketing and Communications Chip Woerner, Raza was quoted as saying, "Potential isn’t about where you start. It’s about what you can become."
The student credited the community college for providing an environment where he could thrive. "LasPo gave me a place to contribute, to push boundaries, and to realize what I was capable of," Raza shared.
Las Positas' 2025 graduating class had students accepted to other top-tier universities, including Yale, Columbia, the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA, according to Woerner.
‘Odds don’t have to be in your favor’
For Balakrishnan, as she looked ahead to this next chapter of her academic story, she said she would not forget the road that got her here.
"I carry the voices of every professor who encouraged me, every peer who stayed late in the lab with me, and every community college student who wonders if they have what it takes to succeed," the new Stanford student wrote, adding emphatically, "You do. And when you do, you’ll prove, like I did, that the odds don’t have to be in your favor."
This browser does not support the Video element.
Off The Mic: The Community College route
KTVU anchors Mike Mibach and Gasia Mikaelian went the community college route and explain the benefits of their decision, and how they landed at their four year school.