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.
February 1, 2023
San Diego, CA, - Black History Month celebrations begin today at San Diego Mesa College, and the annual Rosa Parks Birthday Recognition & Libation is scheduled for Thursday, February 2. Community members are invited to join Mesa College administrators, faculty, staff and students at 12:00 p.m. for a silent walk from the Osani Circle at the Humanities and Cultural Studies Building (G-103) to the Rosa Parks Transit Station, on the corner of Mesa College Dr. and Mesa College Circle, for a traditional libation and remembrance. The walk is to honor those who walked instead of riding the bus after Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat.
“San Diego Mesa College seeks to build a culture of diverse, equitable and inclusive practices that create an enriched environment for our students, staff, faculty and the broader community,” said Mesa College President Dr. Ashanti T. Hands. “We remain as committed as ever to celebrating diversity by honoring Black History Month not only on our own campus, but by involving the greater community.”
In the early 1990s a special relationship developed between San Diego Mesa College and civil rights activist Rosa Parks. At the invitation of then Prof. Elizabeth Hamilton, Rosa Parks visited the campus on February 4 and 5, 1992 and again in 1995. In 1993, the campus was named the western branch of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, which was active for several years. Following Rosa Park's death in 2005 at the age of 92, the college honored the late civil rights activist, and the Rosa Parks Transit Center was unveiled and dedicated on Thursday, February 25, 2010.
Date/Time: Thursday, February 2, 2023. 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Location: San Diego Mesa College
Humanities and Cultural Studies Building (G building) to the Rosa Parks Transit Station
7250 Mesa College Dr., San Diego, CA 92111
Visuals:
Administrators, faculty, staff, students and community members participating in the walk and libation
Spoken word and talks given by faculty and students
1:1’s with students and faculty
1:1’s with Mesa College students, faculty and administrators
Please see the 2023 Black History Month calendar of events scheduled at Mesa College, highlighted by a series of performances, exhibits, discussions, film screenings, and other celebrations. The majority of events are hosted at Mesa College (map), with several being held in the community. All events are open to the public. Most events are free (unless otherwise noted) and open to the public. For more information or to RSVP, contact Thekima Mayasa, tmayasa@sdccd.edu. Learn more about Mesa College’s Black Studies Program.
Find San Diego Mesa College on Social Media:
Facebook.com: sandiegomesacollege
Twitter.com: sdmesacollege
Instagram.com: sdmesacollege
Youtube: youtube.com: sdmesacollege
Snapchat: sdmesacollege
LinkedIn: San Diego Mesa College
Tags: Rosa Parks, Civil Rights, Black History Month, Mesa College
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
jnkearns@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2759
Thekima Mayasa
Black Studies Department Chair
tmayasa@sdccd.edu
(619) 388-2352
On February 5, 2025, San Diego Mesa College commemorated the birthday of civil rights activist Rosa Parks with its annual celebration and libation ceremony. The event served as the college’s official kickoff for Black History Month, contributing to this year’s theme of Transit Justice. A large gathering of students, faculty, and community members came together to honor Parks’ quiet act of defiance—one that changed the course of history.
San Diego, CA. On Monday, August 21, 2023, the San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery will display The Resistance of the Echo & La Eco-Resistencia: a multimedia installation by artist Francisco Eme. This multimedia installation is an urban ecology study focusing on the biological dynamics of a canyon situated in a suburb of San Diego. This work will be displayed from August 21st to September 14th, in the San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery.
Andrew reflects on how his journey was not always smooth sailing, but how it was necessary in transforming him into the person he is today.
