Miembre de Junta — Palomar Community College District

Recent Accomplishments:

New Education Centers in Rancho Bernardo and Fallbrook opened in June 2018. These new centers will serve students living in the North and South regions of the district. Enrollments are up for the Fall 2018 semester as a result.

The Palomar Promise, which provides tuition and textbooks to new students who take 12 units or more per semester and earn passing grades. Over 1,500 students are benefitting from the Promise Program at Palomar College in Fall 2018.

A Food Pantry that provides nutritious food to Palomar students in need. Palomar College partnered with the North County Food Bank to implement this program.

Vistion for the Future

Developing innovative programs in drone technology, aviation (pilot-training), cloud computing, cybersecurity, health care and other STEM-related career pathways to prepare Palomar students for high-wage careers.

Building Student/Staff Housing to help students and employees overcome the high cost of housing in the region. It is increasingly difficult to recruit new employees to North County San Diego.

Generating new revenue sources for the Palomar Community College District that will make us less dependent on funding from Sacramento. I envision using private-public ventures that will use donated land in Borrego Springs to build a green clean-energy solar farm and generate sustainable revenue. The district can also lease unused land on our Fallbrook campus to businesses that can serve the needs of nearby residences and generate revenue opportunities.

Expanding dual-enrollment programs with our high school districts so students can take Palomar College classes and earn college credit at no cost to them.

Expanding the education programs offered to adults in prison that provide a pathway to education and careers, rather than incarceration.

I am actively engaged with my community as a volunteer. My service to others has been recognized by the President’s Award for Volunteerism (Obama Administration), the Northrop Grumman Volunteer of the Year Award (2011), and the community service award at the Hispanic Engineering National Award Conference (2012). Since 2003 I have served on the board of directors for Encuentros Leadership, a 501(C)3 nonprofit whose mission is “To encourage and support boys of Latino descent to achieve optimal performance in education.”

Why Latino males? The research data shows us that Latino males have the highest dropout rates from K-12 schools in San Diego, and are the lowest recipients of college degrees. For every 3 Latinos graduating from college/university in California, 2 of them are females. For every 1 Latino male graduating with a bachelor's degree, 6 Latino males are in prison. The educational pipeline from K-12 to college is failing our Latino male population.

For over 16 years Encuentros Leadership has worked with Latino males, primarily in middle school and high school in San Diego County. We annually host several leadership academies on college campuses where the boys live on campus, and receive lessons in leadership from professionals in the field. Our Leadership Academy is hosted on the campus of the University of San Diego, in conjunction with the School of Leadership and Educational Services (SOLES). Our Engineering Academy is held at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering where leading scholars, researchers and professionals give the students an overview of pursuing engineering in their educational and career paths. Our Teachers Academy is hosted on the campus of California State University San Marcos in conjunction with the School of Education. We provide role models and mentors to students who are exploring education as their educational and career goal.

Our annual Education and Career Exploration conferences are held at various community colleges in San Diego County. These have included Palomar College, Mira Costa College and Cuyamaca College. Young Latino males are treated to a one-day conference to hear from practitioners in a variety of fields about how they overcame hurdles to go onto college and graduate with a college degree. Many local representatives from business, industry, public safety and healthcare organizations share with attendees the goods and services they provide to the community, and what educational levels must be obtained to obtain employment opportunities with them.

A specialized Encuentros  curriculum has been developed for Latino boys and is being used at middle schools in the Vista Unified School District. School data shows that boys taking these classes have high school attendance, better grades and fewer disciplinary incidents at their schools.

Another innovative program developed by Encuentros Leadership is called "Platicas." It involves fathers and their sons in a six-week series of courses where they research their family history together and share the findings with their classmates. It develops a special bond between father and son and allows both to commit to ensuring commitment for high school graduation and college attendance. A field trip to a ballgame, outdoor water sports or camping events are also offered to these families.

I take to heart a quote by Muhammad Ali, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”