Pitching the benefits of City College
May 5, 2021 |
As a student at San Diego High School, Jennifer Gonzales didn’t know much about San Diego City College as a higher education option.
Now wrapping up her first year at City studying architecture, Gonzales works as a Peer Mentor/Outreach Ambassador to make sure upcoming high school graduates and new students will know what the East Village campus can offer.
“It was only after I enrolled here and took part in the Summer Readiness Program that I realized how much I didn’t know about City as a high school student and how much information I wish I had known,” Gonzales said. “So when the opportunity to become a Peer mentor/Outreach Ambassador opened up, I jumped at it.”
She has been spreading the word since. “At the high school level, the focus is really on going to a university or four-year college,” Gonzales said. “They don’t really talk about community colleges, which have some amazing programs like the San Diego Promise, the EOPS program, the Puente program, and so on, programs that help new students build community.”
Gonzales is a native of the Philippines who was born in Angeles, some 75 miles northwest of Manila. When her mom joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to San Diego, Gonzales moved with her family here when she was 4. The family later moved to Aurora, Colorado, before returning to San Diego in 2015. As a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander community, Gonzales is sensitive to the hate that is reaching a crescendo as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month arrives.
“What we’ve seen during the pandemic are a lot of minorities being targeted,” Gonzales said. “Not just our Black brothers and sisters, but the Latino and Hispanic community, the Asian community, and others. It reminds us that we have to unite, no matter what community you belong to, and stand together as a society to fight this hate.”
City College, Gonzales said, offers an oasis during a time of crisis. The pandemic,
she said, was a catalyst in her decision to attend the school. “I graduated last year
in the midst of the pandemic and we really didn’t know when this would end,” she said.
“I had basically two options: I could go to a university and spend $20,000 or
$30,000 for prerequisite classes that are being delivered on Zoom, or I could come
to City College tuition-free through the San Diego Promise program and take the same
classes on the same platform.”
Gonzales is on track to transfer as an architecture major next year and she plans to transfer to Cal Poly, Pomona, in the fall of 2022 for a bachelor’s degree in the field. Her career goal: design affordable, environmentally-sustainable homes and residential communities. In the meantime, her job has her engaged in everything from supporting students in the enrollment process to helping them learn more about the programs and degrees offered at City. She also talks to high school students at outreach events, making sure they understand the benefits of attending City College.