Fresno Student Eager to Dive into Life at UC Merced

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2026 semester.

Peyton Smith brings a love of water sports, an interest in medicine and a goal to work as a pediatrician to UC Merced. The Fresno student brings a deep resume of public service in high school to her Bobcat career.

Where I come from: I am from Fresno and graduated from Central East High School. We were originally the Grizzlies but changed to the Bengals this year.

What I've done: I played water polo all four years of high school and was team captain for three of those years. I swam on the swim team for two years, then I played badminton during my senior year and was team co-captain. I prefer water sports, though! I participated in Mock Trial, Athletes as Readers and Leaders, Interact Club, California Scholarship Federation, National Honor Society, and Spanish Club. Interact was my favorite club because I volunteered as much as I could.

Why I'm excited about coming to UC Merced: I am eager to meet new people and learn more about public health. I am excited about all the research opportunities. I want to study abroad, probably not in my first year, but after a year or two.

My academic and personal goals: My career objective is to become a pediatrician. I hope to maintain a high GPA and to finish my pre-med prerequisites in good standing. I also want to shadow frequently at a hospital.

If I could only keep three apps on my phone, they would be: My Clock app, Chrome app, and TikTok. I need multiple alarms to wake me up in the morning. I search for answers to my questions on Chrome. Lastly, I doomscroll on TikTok too much not to have the app.

My favorite food: Shrimp Alfredo pasta. My mom made it when I was little and I love shrimp, so that's why it's my favorite!

My go-to song: "Dancing in the Dark" by Rihanna. I love the movie "Home," and the song brings good vibes when it comes on.