RISING to the Next Level
Jose Rosales, who trained as an engineer in his birth country of Mexico, majored in business administration at Santa Monica College. Shortly after starting here, he joined RISING (Re-entering Incarcerated and System Impacted Navigating Greatness), which connects students affected by the justice system to vital resources for success.
He knew it was the right decision as soon as he met RISING counselor Nick Bravo. Together, they crafted an education plan to help fulfill Jose’s goals. Combined with Jose’s academic drive, the plan worked. He earned top grades and has been accepted into CSU Northridge.
After transferring, Jose wants to pursue a higher degree in Business Administration. He plans to go into supply chain management, helping goods get to consumers around the world. Since products need to be transported to those consumers, he knows the field offers numerous opportunities, and Southern California is a major hub. Jose’s future endeavors may even take him back to Mexico, allowing him to leverage his bilingual fluency. “Big Mexican companies do a lot of business with the U.S.,” he notes.
No matter what lies ahead, Jose says SMC has thoroughly prepared him —and changed his life. “I’ve faced many obstacles,” he says. But with SMC’s support, he’s no longer letting anything hold him back from the success he deserves. “Every single professor at SMC has been great,” Jose says. “Coming here has been a really positive experience.”