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.
September 10, 2019
San Diego, CA. - Today, San Diego Mesa College announced the official launch of their
new Resiliency Fund Campaign. With an ambitious financial goal of $250,000, the purpose
of the Resiliency Fund is to create a sustainable long-term financial reserve that could be used to assist
students in need, and thereby decrease their risk of dropping out of class or college.
Mesa College’s participation in the Hope Lab Community Colleges #RealCollege Survey, showed that nearly 50% of Mesa College students are struggling with food insecurity while another 18% lack permanent housing. For these students, one unexpected expense can put their entire education at risk.
“Raising these funds will transform our ability to provide our most vulnerable students
with the support they need,” stated Mesa College President Pamela T. Luster. “Our
goal is for this campaign to culminate in the dedication of a new resource center
on campus where students can go to get access to food, clothing, financial aid and
other needed resources to ensure that our students succeed.”
In the summer of 2019, San Diego Mesa College leaders, in conjunction with the San Diego Mesa College Foundation, embarked on an ambitious fundraising campaign. The vision was to create a “Resiliency Fund”; a source of money intended to help students with emergency or urgent expenses. Leaders and Foundation board members envisioned a scenario whereby students could have access to needed funding, without jeopardizing their college educational goals.
The goal is ambitious and visionary. Raise $250,000 to create the “Resiliency Fund”
that would provide one-time emergency loans and grants to students experiencing financial
setbacks that may put them at risk of dropping out. 100% of donations for the Resiliency
Fund will go directly to students, and the fund would provide financial assistance
for expenses such as textbooks and supplies, car repairs, such as flat tires, hotel
vouchers, and/or food.
Mesa College has been working diligently to address the most basic needs of students.
From opening up The Stand (the food and clothing pantry) in early 2017, to debuting the monthly free Farmers
Market in 2018, the weekly Pop-Up Markets in 2019, to providing emergency funds for
car repairs and hotel vouchers, Mesa has assisted thousands of students with obtaining
access to essentials such as food, clothing, transportation nod housing. Through this
work, the college identified a need to do more.
In preliminary conversations with potential donors, and when debuted at the Mesa College
Fall 2019 Convocation in August, the response to the Resiliency Fund has been positively
overwhelming. Several donors have stepped forward to provide nearly $75,000 as “match
funding” to incentivize others to give and other donors have already submitted their
donations and pledges. Due to generous match funding, the Campaign has already raised
nearly $30,000.
View the Resiliency Fund Video.
To learn more and donate, please visit www.sdmesa.edu/ResiliencyFund.
Tags: Mesa Foundation, Resiliency Fund
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
On Thursday, May 4, 2023, at the Shining Light on Generosity event, San Diego Mesa College debuted the naming of The Stand: The Pamela T. Luster Resource Center, in honor of former President Dr. Pamela T. Luster. Additionally, the event served as an intimate gathering that honored and recognized multiple donors who helped the Mesa College Resiliency Fund become a reality.
San Diego, CA. — On Wednesday, May 26th, San Diego Mesa College will honor the scholarship winners during their 30th Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on campus. 236 scholarships worth nearly $160,000 total, will be awarded to 168 students – with many students winning multiple awards.
Sacramento, CA ---- This week, San Diego Mesa College Professor Dr. Veronica Gerace received the prestigious 2023 Regina Stanback Stroud Diversity Award from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC). As the official voice of California community college faculty in academic and professional matters, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) is committed to equity, student learning and student success. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges acts to empower faculty to engage in local and statewide dialog and take action for continued improvement of teaching, learning, and faculty participation in governance.
