Written by Holly Alyssa MacCormick
James DeKloe, a distinguished professor of biotechnology and bio-manufacturing at Solano Community College, knows firsthand the importance of life sciences.
It why he’s so passionate about the CIRM program at Solano Community College known as Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, or COMPASS.
It’s personal
Speaking at a recent presentation for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s (CIRM) Closer to Cures speaker series, DeKloe explained why it’s personal for him.
When DeKloe’s son Jefferson was four years old, he developed a blood infection that caused life-threatening, body-wide blood clots. His prognosis was grim until Jefferson’s doctor suggested a treatment that might work if they acted quickly. With little time and high stakes, DeKloe relied on his training in the sciences to assess and approve the treatment without hesitation—a decision that saved his son’s life.
DeKloe told this story to illustrate the value of the CIRM-funded COMPASS program—one of several initiatives CIRM funds to help train future scientists as part of a multipronged approach to develop therapies for a range of diseases. Three former students, COMPASS graduates Jen Mayo and Joel Saenz, and Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy (Bridges) graduate Mike Silva, also joined DeKloe to share their experiences as CIRM scholars and how the program shaped their careers.
A tremendous impact
Sixteen California colleges and universities received CIRM-funded COMPASS program grants. This education program pairs undergraduate students with mentors who are experts in stem cell research and related fields to help students gain hands-on experience in the lab.
“We applied for and received a COMPASS grant, and it’s been a game changer for us,” said DeKloe. Students “go on a summer internship between their junior and senior year, and they come back transformed.”
An important feature of the COMPASS program is the range of skills, expertise, and hands-on experiences they gain as CIRM scholars. Students in Solano’s COMPASS program learn about the sciences, work in the lab, and participate in outreach opportunities, including volunteering with local K-12 and adult schools and the National Bone Marrow Donor Program.
“We also have a component that teaches the students about FDA regulations … [and] the business part of the industry,” said DeKloe. This creates “tremendous potential for upward mobility. So, it’s not a job, it’s a career.”
The COMPASS trainee experience
“I always knew that I wanted to research cancer and why it happens,” said Jen Mayo, a COMPASS trainee who graduated from Solano Community College in May 2025.
“My parents and my grandparents immigrated from the Philippines,” said Mayo. “Within two months [of arriving in California] they found out that my auntie had leukemia, and … shortly after that, she passed away. That still affects my mom to this day, losing her sister at such a young age, and knowing that the hard work that my family … [did] to be able to live the American dream was kind of just taken away from her.”
As a COMPASS trainee, Mayo interned at the CIRM-funded UC Davis Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility, which manufactures cell, gene, and drug products, including CAR-T cell therapies for cancer. After graduating, the GMP facility hired Mayo full-time.
“I’m able to give back to my family in a way that I’ve always wanted,” said Mayo. “It just really means a lot, especially with the support that CIRM has given me and Solano, so I want to say thank you.”
Joel’s story
Like Mayo, Joel Saenz graduated from the COMPASS program at Solano Community College in May 2025.
“I’m the second youngest out of seven siblings, and I’m the first graduate,” said Saenz. “So, going into this program, I was a bit fearful. I didn’t have guidance from really anybody in my family. But going into college, I pretty much knew I wanted to do biotechnology. I got introduced to the program, and just knowing that the support system was there allowed me to bridge my way to where I’m at today.”
Saenz interned at the GMP facility in the summer of 2023 and, after graduating, was hired to work there full-time.
“I’ve been working at the GMP facility as a manufacturer for about a year and a half,” said Saenz. “It has helped me to know that I have saved dozens of lives in this year and a half. Whether it’s someone’s mom, dad, brother, sister, whoever it may be, I know that I am able to help with that. And if it wasn’t for CIRM, I can’t say that I would have that opportunity and be in the position that I’m in today. So, again, I want to say thank you for that.”
Expanding the future workforce
The education, training, and experience that CIRM trainees receive not only help expand the workforce of scientists striving to create cures for diseases, but it also helps them support their families and communities.
“With CIRM support, we’re able to bring our students together to find ways to introduce science into our communities where it counts most—that’s our most underrepresented youth, from elementary school all the way to high school,” said Mike Silva, who graduated from CIRM’s Bridges program at Solano Community College and is now a biotechnology faculty member there.
“Our goal is to make sure that every kid knows that if they want to pursue something more, here is a great opportunity for them to do it, and the lives that you save won’t just be the patients that you serve,” said Silva.
Watch the full presentation below:
Closer to Cures is a speaker series that features presentations from CIRM-funded awardees at each meeting of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s governing board, known as the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC). The meetings and this speaker series are open to the public and are livestreamed via YouTube.