A former community college student from the Bay Area has gained admission to Stanford University, joining an exceptionally small group of transfer applicants accepted this year. Leah Balakrishnan, who spent two years at Las Positas College in Livermore, is now a computer science major at Stanford, a path she describes as challenging the negative stereotypes often associated with community colleges.
Key Takeaways
- Leah Balakrishnan was one of only 64 transfer students accepted to Stanford University globally this year, representing a 1.58% acceptance rate.
- Balakrishnan's journey from Las Positas College to Stanford challenges common stigmas about community college students lacking ambition.
- Las Positas College also saw two other students, Raza Ali and Katon Lau, transfer to Stanford in the same year.
- The college is highly ranked, placing second in California and fourth nationally among community colleges, according to Niche.
A Highly Selective Admission
Leah Balakrishnan, a graduate of Castro Valley High School, has begun her studies at Stanford University this fall after completing a two-year program at Las Positas College. Her admission places her in a highly competitive and select group of students.
According to Balakrishnan, she is part of the 1.58% of transfer applicants who were admitted to Stanford. This figure represents just 64 students from around the world who successfully transferred to the prestigious institution this year.
Her story first gained widespread attention after she shared it on LinkedIn. The post was later highlighted by the Stanford Alumni Association, which noted her "unique perspective" had reached the university community even before she arrived on campus.
Stanford Transfer Statistics
Stanford University's transfer acceptance rate is notoriously low. For the fall 2025 term, only 64 students were admitted out of thousands of applicants, making the 1.58% rate one of the most selective in the country.
Challenging Perceptions of Community College
In her widely shared post, Balakrishnan addressed the societal views often placed on students who begin their higher education at a junior college. She explained that this path is sometimes incorrectly viewed as being for those who are less driven.
"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 wrote.
She described her experience at Las Positas as transformative, largely due to the diverse and determined student body she encountered. Her classmates included war veterans, mothers balancing family and education, and a woman in her seventies pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming a nurse.
This environment, she explained, taught her a valuable lesson about achievement. "Their perseverance reminded me that success is not defined by how fast you start, but by how relentlessly you keep going," she shared. Balakrishnan credits her time at Las Positas with helping her develop self-confidence and a new perspective on education as a "lifelong pursuit" rather than a race.
The Role of Community Colleges
Community colleges serve as a crucial entry point to higher education for millions of students in the United States. They offer affordable tuition, flexible schedules, and pathways to four-year universities. Many students use them as a stepping stone to transfer to elite institutions, often at a significant cost savings for the first two years of their degree.
Institutional Support and Success
Praise for Faculty and Staff
Balakrishnan expressed deep gratitude for the faculty at Las Positas College. She said her professors consistently encouraged her to pursue ambitious goals and to challenge the idea that community college is a lesser option.
"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," she wrote.
College Leadership Responds
The president of Las Positas College, Dyrell Foster, celebrated Balakrishnan's success as an example of the college's mission. He emphasized that the institution provides opportunities for a wide range of students, including parents, veterans, and recent high school graduates.
"Leah Balakrishnan’s achievement shows what happens when determination meets opportunity," Foster stated. "Community college is not a second choice, it’s a powerful first step. To every student wondering if you have what it takes: you do."
A Hub for Academic Excellence
Las Positas College has a strong track record of preparing students for top-tier universities. Balakrishnan was one of three students from the college's 2025 graduating class to be accepted to Stanford.
The other two students are Raza Ali and Katon Lau. Ali's path was also unconventional; he left high school early to become a caregiver for his grandmother, later earning his proficiency certificate and enrolling at Las Positas. "Potential isn’t about where you start. It’s about what you can become," Ali was quoted as saying.
Katon Lau was part of the college's Middle College program, which allows high school students to take college courses. Beyond Stanford, the 2025 graduating class from Las Positas also sent students to other elite universities, including Yale, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and UCLA.
Bay Area Community College Rankings
The Bay Area is home to several highly-ranked community colleges, according to the 2026 rankings from Niche:
- #1 in CA & US: Foothill College (Los Altos Hills)
- #2 in CA: Las Positas College (Livermore)
- #5 in CA: Cañada College (Redwood City)
- #6 in CA: College of San Mateo (San Mateo)
- #10 in CA: Mission College (Santa Clara)
A Message of Encouragement
As she begins her new chapter at Stanford, which U.S. News & World Report recently ranked as the fourth-best university in the country, Balakrishnan said she carries the lessons and support from her community college experience with her.
She concluded her post with a message for other community college students who may doubt their potential. "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," she wrote.
Her final words were a powerful affirmation: "You do. And when you do, you’ll prove, like I did, that the odds don’t have to be in your favor."
