Estela Narrie

Professor

“I think we’re very student-oriented at SMC and truly try to be completely accessible to them. And we have the resources to help them excel.”

Time is money. And when you’re an SMC student, you probably don’t have much of either to waste. Be thankful, then, that you’ve got Estela Narrie keeping an eagle eye on the classes you take to make sure their credits all transfer to other colleges. “I’m the Articulation officer in Counseling,” explains Estela, “and it’s my job to make sure that SMC students will have their credits be transferable to the UCs and Cal States. But we’re not just concerned with those who plan to transfer,” she continues. “We also pay very close attention to a lot of our students who just want their AA or need to upgrade their skills. We’ve got the whole mix here covered!”

Estela reports, “It’s so much better being a full-timer after being an interim coordinator for the Latino Center. I get so much more work done, and I get to meet faculty from all departments who are preparing new classes that will be transferable. I come from a family of educators,” she adds, “and when I was doing undergraduate studies, I volunteered a lot. And because of that, I myself became mentored and found the value of student services. It’s my niche.”

Estela has some ‘tough love’ advice for anyone first setting foot on SMC turf. “Start with your English and Math classes right out of the box, because they’re the foundation for everything else you’ll ever study,” she says. “And the other thing you need to keep in mind—as full-time workers or family providers—is that you’ve got to be realistic about how much you can take on.” Now that’s… articulation.

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