I started going to SMC over 10 years ago, not really knowing what I wanted to study yet, but knowing that college was something I wanted to keep pursuing. As a first-generation college student, I chose SMC because it was a community college with a vast selection of classes to explore majors and the support systems to guide that exploration into direction. The campus was big enough to have the full college experience but still manageable enough to learn how to navigate and ask questions without getting lost. My SMC story is not a straight line. It has been a lot starting, adjusting, failing and growing but it was never in vain. What stands out most on my time at SMC is that I was not the kind of student I am now when I first started.
SMC taught me to ask for help, which became the lesson I learned there. Whether it was through my Adelante counselor, Italian tutoring, statistics tutoring or office hours with my professors, I learned that support is a strength not a weakness. Through that I discovered how I could support the next generation by getting into education as a behavioral interventionist.
Taking general education classes helped me discover interests I might not have found if I had rushed through school with just a degree in mind. My biggest turning point was taking Media 1 with professor Aimee Chen. Her class helped me realize how much I enjoyed marketing, media and communication because the assignments connected directly to real world examples. It was the kind of class that felt how I always imagined college to be: challenging, creative and practical. Professor Chen helped me connect with people in the field, which gave me a clearer understanding of what a career in communications can look like.
I want to give a shout out to Professor Aimee Chen, my media 1 professor, for being challenging, fostering creativity and providing real world experience. I also want to shout out Daniel Rocha and Dennis Funes from Adelante. They helped me establish a support system that helped me succeed in mathematics and academic planning, respectively. They all represent what has made SMC important to my growth: community that helped me move forward.
To SMC students: Don't be afraid to explore. You might find yourself.