Dionna Alexander

Student

“People should get the tutoring they need and develop other good study habits. This isn’t like high school where you can do everything the last minute.”

She just graduated from high school and already she’s well aware of some large differences at SMC. “I used to just do all my homework on the way to school in the morning,” says Dionna Alexander. “But things are a lot more serious now. I have to plan ahead when I’ll by studying and budget my time between two jobs and four classes.” Dionna works eight-hour days Saturday and Sunday at a grocery store. “There go my weekends!” she says with a rueful laugh. But it’s with her other job, caring for children at the Disney Day Care Center, that she’s gaining experience in what she’s mapped out as a career path.

“I’ve always liked working with small children,” she says. “So I’m planning on transferring to Cal State Fullerton where they have an excellent program in child development. I think if kids get off to a good start, then they’re not going to have a lot of problems late in life. I can see myself, 20 years from now, with four kids of my own and a child care business of my own. Or maybe even being a professor teaching child development to the next generation.”

Dionna is currently working on her GE classes and reports that competition for space in the classroom can be tough. “I’m taking music appreciation, speech and psychology,” she says. “And I’d really like to add another class, but they all seem to fill up so quickly.” Dionna says that college places a lot more demands on her and that she’s adapting well. “In my psych class we’ve already formed a study group, and I think that’s going to help us all.”

When asked why she chose SMC after high school, Dionna responds quickly. “That was a pretty easy decision,” she says. “I had a counselor who showed me a list of California community colleges and how many people they transfer to the UC system. And right there on top was SMC.”

Back