Second-year student Zora Williams is using her voice to bring more mental health and nutrition programming to San Diego Mesa College. Williams was elected president of the college’s Associated Students (AS) for the 2024-2025 academic year and serves as the college’s student representative on the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees.
Sometimes, you hear a story that makes you want to know more. Kevin Gonzalez has such a story. The last time this story was updated, San Diego Mesa College student Kevin Gonzalez was a 15 year-old heading off to Massachusetts to complete his high school education. In the ensuing years, he has travelled to the other side of the world, built houses, but remained in close contact with his Mesa College professors and connections he made while on campus.
The San Diego Community College District has appointed four new student trustees for the upcoming academic year. Dalia Ramirez (San Diego City College), Zora Williams (San Diego Mesa College), Hailey Hua (San Diego Miramar College), and Haydee Zuniga (San Diego College of Continuing Education), will be sworn in during the June 20 SDCCD Board of Trustees meeting.
May 9, 2022
Spring 2022 has been a busy season for students and alumni of the San Diego Mesa Fashion Program. From being named as finalists in the Aquarium of the Pacific’s annual Trashin’ Fashion Contest, to being selected to present a garment at the Costume Society of America’s Design Symposium, and landing a job with an international premium fashion company, Mesa Fashion students are making their mark.
Several Mesa Fashion students participated in the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Trashin’
Fashion Contest 
during its annual Earth Day Celebration on April 23-24, 2022. Each year designers
and hobbyists are invited to participate in the contest by submitting original garments
made from recycled materials. Mesa students took three out of the four top spots in
the contest, with Grace Zheng’s hand-sewn white dress made of packing materials taking
first place. Jasleen Guzman’s green dress adorned with plastic bows and Eman Hashmi’s
tan and cream overalls made of cardboard, muslin, and duct tape placed in third and
fourth place respectively. The fashion show and contest is hosted by the Aquarium
of the Pacific and Macy’s to raise awareness about pollution and sustainability.
Graduates of the Mesa Fashion Program are also getting noticed. Fashion Alum Jenneva
Macias
(2021) has been invited to exhibit one of her garments at the Costume Society of
America (CSA) 48th Annual Design Symposium, which will be held in Minneapolis/St.
Paul, Minnesota on May 24-29, 2022. The dress, which was Macias’s final project for
the course, Fashion 145: Draping, will be one of only 20 garments on display during
the symposium. This honor is a significant accomplishment, especially considering
that the majority of presenters are doctoral candidates and fashion industry professionals.
In addition to including her dress in the exhibition, CSA has invited Macias to present
her garment and give a talk, titled “The Power of Cultural Movements Transcending
Through History,” in which she will discuss body inclusivity in the fashion industry
and how cultural movements have had an impact on fashion today.
Upon reflecting on her time at Mesa, Macias stated, “The Fashion Program here at Mesa has opened so many doors for me and has given me the opportunity to follow my dreams. I am immensely thankful for the department, and all of my professors, especially Prof. Jordyn Smiley, who has been one of my biggest supporters and has believed in me every step of the way.”
The sentiment appears to be mutual, because Professor Smiley described Macias an “an
extremely talented designer.” Professor Smiley went on to say, “As a student, [Macias]
was a joy to have in class with her positive attitude and open-minded approach to
every new project. She consistently went above and beyond in her work and was always
willing to help her peers.”
In addition to preparing for the CSA Symposium, Macias is currently working on commissions for private clients and building her first collection. She affirmed her desire to continue the work she started at Mesa. “Fashion is my passion and what I enjoy doing the most. Everyday I get to do what I love the most, and I consider myself the luckiest person because of that.”
Another Mesa Fashion alum, Keith Bonar, has established a flourishing career in the fashion industry. Bonar recently landed a position as a Technical Developer for Tommy Hilfiger in Amsterdam and will start working in his new role next week. After having a successful career as a City Planner for many years, Bonar decided to completely switch gears and pursue a career in fashion. That decision led him to Mesa, where he completed a certificate program in Fashion/Apparel Design. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in Fashion Design Technology in London, where he has been working as a Menswear Product Developer/Designer. For his new position at Tommy Hilfiger, he went through an intensive interview process, which consisted of four interviews on Zoom. At the third interview, he was given an assignment for which he was sent photos of four garments in fit sessions. He then had to critique and recommend amendments to the garments. During the final two-hour interview, the interview panel told him “they were really impressed by the assignment [he] did and that [he] set the standard of what they will expect from future applicants.” Bonar added that he believes the technical computer courses he took in the Mesa Fashion Program gave him an edge for the work he has been doing and will continue to do moving forward in his fashion career.
Tags: Grace Zheng, Jasleen Guzman, Fashion Program, Mesa Fashion Students, Jenneva Macias, Keith Bonar, Eman Hashmi, Alumni
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
On Monday, March 11, Mesa Dramatic Arts majors were thrilled when five Mesa College alumni came to speak with current students about their journey in the performing arts thus far. The panel, titled Life Post Mesa in the Performing Arts: Transfer and more, was organized by Drama Professor George Ye’. He explained that he wanted to show current students a “cross section of people with different pathways.”
San Diego Mesa College Alumnus Mario Romero made history as part of a team from Intuitive Machines’ whose uncrewed lander made history Thursday as the first privately owned spacecraft to touch down on the lunar surface. It was also the first U.S. vehicle to accomplish this in more than 50 years. After four years of preparations, the company’s 14-foot-tall Nova-C lander navigated to a spot near the moon’s South Pole. It was the 24th mission to softly land on the moon since 1966. And with it comes a new era of exploration.
San Diego, CA – On Friday, May 12, the San Diego Mesa College Fashion Program will host the 42nd Annual Golden Scissors Fashion Show from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in the beautiful new on-campus Quad. The event will feature a live in-person runway show, a design showcase, awards and a VIP reception including music performed by students from the music department.
