Spotlight on Success: Camryn Burke’s Path to Yale

Camryn Burke graduated from Las Positas College and transferred to Yale University through the Eli Whitney Students Program, where she will continue her studies in Philosophy and French in Fall 2026.

〉〉 How It Started

Camryn’s educational journey was anything but traditional. Before enrolling at Las Positas College, she pursued a career as a professional ballet dancer and believed that attending college was not part of her future.

“I set aside higher education to pursue a career as a professional ballet dancer, at the time believing that I would never attend college.”

A year after leaving ballet, she enrolled at Las Positas College. At the beginning of her academic journey, Camryn viewed community college as a necessary step in her education. 

“Since ballet had taken up so much of my time in high school, I really had not developed the skills to succeed in higher education. Community college was a necessary step for me to have the chance to be a successful college student given the fact that I had been out of high school for three years.” 

She had always enjoyed learning and exploring new subjects, but at the time, she did not see higher education as a top priority because she was working most of the time. However, her experiences in college inspired her to pursue her education with greater purpose and ambition.

 ”Community college completely transformed me as a student. I started as someone who was not confident that I was capable of being a college student at all. I had no future plans for transferring in the beginning because I was so unsure of my academic abilities and what I wanted to do with my life. Throughout my time at LPC, I was able to build the belief in myself as a student and start envisioning a future in college.”  

〉〉 Highlights and Learning Experiences from the Honors Program 

The Las Positas College Honors Program became a transformative part of Camryn’s academic journey. 

Through honors coursework and faculty mentorship, she developed the confidence to pursue research and connect her unique ballet experiences with her academic interests. 

Working alongside honors faculty helped her realize that her nontraditional background was beneficial as it brought a valuable perspective to her studies.

 “My nontraditional path was not an unrelated detour from my education, but rather context that could bring a unique perspective to my academic work.”

Her experiences ultimately led her to discover a deep interest in philosophy and prepared her to apply to one of the nation’s most selective universities. 

〉〉 What Advice Would You Give to a New LPC Honors Student? 

“I believe that many students are now aware of the opportunities the Honors Program provides. In my opinion, it is an excellent program, and I would recommend it to any student who is genuinely interested in exploring a subject in greater depth or researching a topic they are passionate about. Don’t be afraid to take more challenging Honors classes and work on research papers with faculty mentors. 

My biggest piece of advice is not to rush into taking several Honors classes or research projects at the same time. Instead, invest your time and energy in something that truly interests you. Focus on quality rather than quantity. College is a unique time to explore the subjects that truly inspire you, so make the most of each semester and choose opportunities thoughtfully.”

〉〉 Where Is Camryn Now?

Today, Camryn is transferring to Yale University through the Eli Whitney Students Program. She will continue studying Philosophy and French. Camryn is interested in gaining international academic experience and hopes to spend a semester studying abroad in France. While at Yale, she also plans to begin studying Russian, as many important historical and scholarly sources on ballet are written in Russian. She would be excited to continue exploring the intersection of ballet and philosophy, building on her academic interests through interdisciplinary research.