Four years ago Caren Royce Yap had a big decision to make. 

Yap was diligent and devoted to the process, taking every college prep workshop available and applying for every scholarship, fee waiver, or common application she could find. Her hard work paid off. She received the highest amount of scholarship money in the history of her high school. 

As she sifted through the pile of 20 college acceptance letters, she was rethinking a career in health care that seemed so clear just a couple years before. 

She would become the first in her family to graduate from a U.S. college, and UNLV would keep her close to home. “In a way, UNLV chose me,” she says. “It brought me my freedom to explore and learn about community more than any other opportunity could.” 

At the same time, it would become the place where she would discover a path different from her family’s.

She had no idea how much this decision would change the trajectory of her career. Or, that she would graduate Summa Cum Laude as an Honors College student who double majored in marketing and international business with a double minor in entrepreneurship and Brookings public policy.

An 'Ate' Role Model

Yap was born to Filipino-Chinese parents in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Soon after she was born, the family of three moved to the United States where they lived for a short time in Chicago, Illinois with a friend of her Ama’s (grandmother in Tagalog) before landing in Onaga, Kansas. There, Yap’s father began his career as the sole provider for a low income family, and her younger sister, Camille, was born.

“I always say my public service journey began at the birth of my sister, and that's not an understatement,” Yap said. “My younger sister was born prematurely in the back of a 1999 Nissan Altima. She made me an Ate, or older sister, in Tagalog, a title that comes with immense responsibility. Understanding the lived experiences of my parents, while also raising my sister, has shaped how I see the world and how I hope to contribute to making it better.”

When Caren was six, her family moved to Las Vegas, where they found a community of shared cultures and experiences. With both her parents working in the medical field, she believed following in their footsteps was the only path forward. 

She attended Southeast Career and Technical Academy, a magnet high school with programs in sports medicine and nursing. She passed her Certified Nursing Assistant exam, did her clinical hours, aced her ACT college entrance exam, was student body president, and graduated as valedictorian. 

Everyone around her thought she had her life and career path figured out, but privately Yap was struggling at home. During her senior year, she quietly began making decisions that would change her path and life forever. 

Her Rebel Story

When she stepped onto the UNLV campus at the beginning of her first year, Yap brought with her the all-in attitude that served her well in high school. She had applied for the Global Entrepreneurship Experience (GEE), a cohort-style program that provides students with immersive opportunities to better understand the world. She traveled to Italy with her cohort as well as found lasting friendships. 

And she ran for CSUN student government. Though student government in college didn’t look anything like her poster-making, event-planning experiences from high school, it would open up doors and ignite a passion for advocacy and public policy. Caren first served as the Lee Business School senator and went on to serve as CSUN president during her junior year. She spent  this past semester in Carson City as an executive secretary and legislative aide during the Nevada Legislative session. 

The list of Yap’s accomplishments at UNLV goes on: 

• Inducted into the UNLV Student Affairs Hall of Fame
• Founding two civic engagement clubs on campus with over 100 combined members
• Engaging UNLV students in student government elections – turning out the most votes in CSUN history
• Collaborating with the Muslim Student Association on an 18-month project to develop and open the first UNLV Prayer Room 

Along with these accomplishments came several awards of recognition for leadership, and she was often tapped to represent UNLV for admissions activities like The College Tour. With her strong academic record, she had the chance to participate in the 22nd Annual Harvard Public Policy Leadership Conference and was one of 129 students selected from 2,000+ applicants to attend Princeton University’s Forbes Business Today Conference.

Though Yap’s time at UNLV was jam-packed with achievements, maybe more than most people experience in a lifetime, it wasn’t without its struggles. Yap took office as CSUN president in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also admits that she faced extreme hardship asking for help when things got difficult, but has always found support from her people.

How do you follow the success Yap has had at UNLV? By going to Harvard, naturally. 

She is the recipient of the Public Policy Fellowship at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. An average of 31% of admitted applicants are awarded financial assistance for the graduate program — Yap will be pursuing a fully funded master's in public policy with an award worth over $183,000 over the course of the program.

But first, she will close her chapter at UNLV on stage at commencement as the student speaker.

When asked what advice she would offer to other first-generation students, she said this: “Try! Being first-generation means so many people will tell you no. You often feel like you're being thrown into a pool for the first time with people who have spent their entire lives training for the Olympics. However, keep asking. Keep trying new things. If someone says no, try again. Sometimes, you'll need to shove your way through the door that is open access to others, but you carry a perspective that is beautifully unparalleled.”