Chaparral 2021-2022: 30.3 Reaching Across: Building Bridges with Colleagues

How long have you been at GCC, and what do you do here?

Leticia

I have been at GCC since August of 1997, when I was hired as a full-time classified Human Resources Technician in Human Resources. When I began my employment in Human Resources, I was assigned to full-time classified recruitment and hiring, CPGUs, evaluations, and assisting potential and current employees with any questions related to their employment and contract interpretation. In 1999, I moved up to Sr. Human Resources Technician and was in charge of coordinating academic recruitment and hiring, faculty evaluations, FSAs, and training short-term and student worker personnel within the department.

In 2006 I decided to make a career change to work with students and was hired as a Sr. Student Services Technician to work with a then newly awarded five-year Title V grant to develop and support a learning community program for Latino/a and other economically disadvantaged students. With that grant, I worked with students, parents, and faculty to help students in a cohort-style program complete their general education requirements and transfer to a 4-year school to earn a bachelor’s degree. Since I began working with Title V, the college has been awarded two more Title V grants and three HSI STEM grants. Each grant has different objectives and goals, and so “what do I do here” changes from grant to grant. What I can say is that in my work as project assistant I support grant initiatives and activities to increase the number of Latino/a GCC students staying in college and achieving their educational goals.

What do you wish people knew about your department or division that you think they might not totally understand?

Leticia

This is a great question because many from our campus community might not know about Title III and Title V grants or might confuse federal Title V legislation with Title 5 of the CA Code of Regulations. (I myself did not know what these grants were until I began working with the office.) Title V grants stem from federal legislation and are administered by the U.S. Department of Education. One thing that is new at GCC is that the Title V office is now the Office of Hispanic-Serving Initiatives (OHSI). This change is to have a more descriptive office name and one that relates to the mission of Title III and Title V grants. Some readers might wonder why we are still using the term “Hispanic”. The reason is that the college is identified as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) by the U.S. Department of Education. To qualify to be an HSI, 25% or more of the institution’s credit student population must be Hispanic. The U.S. Department of Education holds grant competitions and awards five-year grants to selected Hispanic-Serving Institutions to enhance academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability. When the college is awarded a five-year grant, it is only for five years and there is no renewal. Grants are given names internally that correspond to the goals of the grant. Unfortunately, some people think grant funds can be used for any purpose and do not understand that these monies can be spent only to fulfill the specific objectives of the grant.

When you think about our movement toward a more student-centered campus, how can the rest of the campus be more supportive of your department/division? 

Leticia

We have been grateful that with past and current grants, faculty, staff and administrators have been supportive of grant initiatives. The support from faculty and staff has ranged from working on grant-projects to participating in pilot projects, to spreading information and encouraging students to participate or enroll in grant-funded programs (example: robotics, FYE). I believe that all the grant work we do contributes to GCC’s becoming a more student-centered campus. We want our Latino/a and all disproportionately impacted students to feel that this is a college where they feel welcomed, have a sense of belonging, and can find programs and services aimed toward their success. On behalf of our grants team and the OHSI office, we ask for your continued support as we initiate and implement grant-supported projects. Attend our sponsored presentations and workshops to learn more about the programs and services we develop for students and encourage students to take part!

Follow-Up Question

Now that you’ve gotten the experience in your position, where do you see yourself in five or six years and why?

I really enjoy the work I do with the Office of Hispanic-Serving Initiatives and see myself working in this office in the same role. For me, it’s great being part of a team that contributes to developing, implementing and expanding programs and services for the success of under-represented students!

How long have you been at GCC, and what do you do here?

Ali

I started at GCC in 1991 as a student worker for the Campus Safety Department. I used to work in the parking shack and check vehicles for parking permits as they came in. A year later I became a level 3 peace officer for the then Campus Safety Department until 1998. After that, I taught in an ESL lab until 2008 when I became an administrator. I’m currently the evening administrator at our Garfield Campus.

What do you wish people knew about your department or division that you think they might not totally understand?

Ali

I hope everyone knows that the Continuing and Community Education program at our Noncredit campus serves the community while also helping recruit students into credit courses on the Verdugo Campus through matriculation. We help keep student enrollment numbers on the positive slope.

When you think about our movement toward a more student-centered campus, how can the rest of the campus be more supportive of your department/division?

Ali

We have always been student centered, and I’m glad that we are collectively working on becoming more student centered, and being mindful that we are a community college and our goal should always be to serve our students better.