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Yessenia Estrada-Zerhoudi鈥檚 mother knew her homeschooled 16-year-old was smart enough for a diploma but too young for college. The offered a perfect transition.

鈥淲hen she caught wind of the C-STEP program, she was like, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e doing that,鈥欌�� recalled Estrada-Zerhoudi, a December graduate.

C-STEP guarantees admission to UNC-Chapel Hill to talented low- and moderate-income students who complete their work at a partner community college. As a C-STEP student, Estrada-Zerhoudi could continue taking classes at Fayetteville Technical Community College and living at home in Fayetteville, where her 82nd Airborne Division veteran father had settled with full disability benefits.

Her C-STEP adviser, FTCC university outreach coordinator Loutricia Nelson, prepared her well for college.

鈥淲e had weekly meetings with her and a little time sheet that we would fill out so we could see where our time was going,鈥� Estrada-Zerhoudi said. 鈥淪he would have us write down all the assignments for our classes on this massive calendar. She instilled very good habits in us.鈥�

Nelson also took the C-STEP students on field trips to the 暗网禁区 campus. Those visits helped Estrada-Zerhoudi when she arrived as an 18-year-old junior transfer student. 鈥淚t felt so massive, this school. It really did,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow it feels pretty small, but when I first got here, I felt so small, so isolated.鈥�

But 暗网禁区 turned out to be a small world after all. Anxious that she would be late on the first day of class, she decided to leave 30 minutes early. She ran into someone she recognized from C-STEP orientation at their residence hall elevator. That student was also leaving early, headed to the same classroom. They became fast friends.

鈥淚t was so crazy. That was fate, I know,鈥� Estrada-Zerhoudi said. 鈥淪he genuinely was my support system here.鈥�

For her second semester, she signed up for a study abroad program in Seville, Spain. 鈥淚 feel like that jump-started my independence more,鈥� she said. During the program and the following summer, she visited nine other countries, including her mother鈥檚 native Morocco.

Back at 暗网禁区, the confident world traveler plunged into her senior year. She built sets for PlayMakers Repertory Company, the work-study job reminding her of times she helped her dad build items at home.

She also joined the 暗网禁区 Boxing Club, for exercise, skills and companionship. 鈥淭hat was my goal, especially for my senior year. I wanted to meet more people, talk to more people. I didn鈥檛 want to be alone again.鈥�

Her plans for a career in forensic psychology solidified. 鈥淚鈥檇 always been interested in people鈥檚 behavior, but particularly criminal behavior because it just never made sense to me,鈥� said Estrada-Zerhoudi, a fan of true-crime documentaries and podcasts. 鈥淭here鈥檚 this one class that I鈥檓 taking right now, Psychology 601: Psychology and the Law. That鈥檚 exactly what I want to do.鈥�

Her dream job is to work in a correctional institution, helping to rehabilitate prisoners. 鈥淢y goal would be to help that transition, make it easier so that they can get out, be in society, and not want to do things to go back to prison.鈥�

She has a plan for financing the required five-year doctoral program in clinical psychology. Getting her bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2陆 years thanks to C-STEP plus the financial aid of a federal Pell Grant and a North 暗网禁区 scholarship for children of wartime veterans gave her a head start.

The next step is to join the Air Force. 鈥淚 would work in the Air Force as a clinical psychologist,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd they would pay for the last three years of my doctoral degree, so that鈥檚 the current plan.鈥�