When you find yourself stopping in front of the cafeteria waste bins to sort your trash, recycling and compost, think of Yasmin Eskandari.

When you receive free, quality tutoring from your peers in the Gateway Center, think of Yasmin Eskandari.

And years from now, when you live in a city that exists completely in harmony with nature, think of her again. Because she doesn’t just make you think twice.

Transferring to UC Berkeley in the fall, 19-year-old Yasmin Eskandari has done more in her three years at City College than many will do in their careers.

As president of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society, she created the “green theme” chapter presently in effect. Working in partnership with the Center for Sustainability she established the incredibly successful Zero Waste Program, ensuring City College’s place at the forefront of the green movement.

Yasmin has also directed the Peer Tutoring Program since she established it in Fall 2007. She describes it as an “all volunteer driven program that provides free academic assistance by Phi Theta Kappa members.”

“These two programs will continue even after I transfer,” Eskandari said.

As former president of the Eastern Studies Club, she coordinated much of the program’s conference last Spring. The two-day event hosted more than 20 speakers from all over the globe. She remains involved, currently serving as the club’s vice-president.

As a Santa Barbara local, coming to City College was “a natural decision” for Eskandari. Her father, political science professor Dr. Manoutchehr Eskandari, “instilled in (her) a love for learning,” and Yasmin became a full-time City College student at age 16.

He also instilled in her a love for travel.

In the third grade, Yasmin went to Washington D.C. for three months, and spent another three months in Paris in fourth grade. She took her first study abroad trip to Greece and Turkey with City College in Spring 2007.

“I’ve always loved Greek civilization, food, architecture, language, everything,” Eskandari said. “I must have been Greek in another life. I will definitely go back.”

If at City College for one more semester, she said she would go on the Chile and Argentina program organized for Fall 2009.

Having her goals set on a global scale, Eskandari has a natural interest in traveling the world.

She plans to major in environmental studies at UC Berkeley, and will pursue a career in environmental policy making.

“After seriously considering what I need to get done, policy making seemed like the easiest way to make the biggest difference in the least amount of time,” Eskandari said.

Her objective is to apply resources and inventions to create a city of the future.

“I would want to create a new city, efficiently and completely sustainably, in harmony with nature,” she said. “Using nature to our benefit, but not abusing it.”

With such large ambitions, Eskandari has a solid foundation of support.

“Students I’ve befriended at City College share my interests, my worldview,” she said. “I owe a lot of it to the Middle Eastern Studies Program, actually.”

She described the people she has met through the program as “true friends.”

“We’re inseparable now,” she said. “It’s really strange, totally organic.”

Her encouragements don’t end on campus. The people who feed her passion most are those at home.

“My father taught me about having a sense of yourself, knowing who you are,” Yasmin said. “Living on principle, thinking big and even being idealistic. He makes me think that my big dreams are possible.”

She described her mother as her biggest cheerleader. “She’s so encouraging of my leadership, my initiatives, but mostly my ideas,” she said.

Her mother has followed Eskandari’s eco-friendly example. “She’s become this complete environmental advocate, it’s so cute,” she said.

With all the works Eskandari has created, promoted and influenced at City College, she has already established her dream of a “positive change in human relations with the environment.”