About Me

My Journey​

I took a nontraditional path to higher education—one that shaped my deep appreciation for the many benefits of community colleges.

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After just two years of high school, I took the California High School Proficiency Exam and earned my diploma. But at that point, going straight to a four-year university wasn’t an option for me. Community college ultimately made graduating from college possible.​  I eventually transferred to UC Santa Barbara and earned a BA, and then went on the earn an MS degree from the University of Oregon.

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Since then, I’ve spent the past 25 years working in four-year colleges as a teacher and academic advisor. Through this experience, I’ve seen firsthand how community colleges open doors for students of all backgrounds.

 

In my seven years working at the University of California, I have worked with countless students who would've benefitted from first going to community college.  Frankly, many of them should've started at a community college: students who realize they cannot afford the univerisity tuition, students who have no idea what they want to major in, students who thought there was a specific major at a UC campus, only to find out the campus does not offer that major.  I'll never understand how this happens. 

 

For those and many other reasons  students end up in my office because they are stuck in a path that will not work for them. This all could've been avoided with proper guidance and better decisions.

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No matter your situation, community college can be your first step toward a successful future—just as it was for me.