Priscilla Menjivar

Starting from a young age, I have called College of San Mateo home. I was privileged to enroll at CSM through the Concurrent Enrollment program in high school and connected early on with CSM's faculty and staff. However, I faced challenges transitioning to a different academic setting and location after graduation. Coming from a small private, predominantly white high school in the Bay Area to a UC campus in Southern California, I encountered academic challenges and experienced barriers in navigating a large, complex institution. Throughout my undergraduate experience at UC Irvine, my mentor and supervisor, the associate dean of student affairs, validated my challenges and encouraged me to overcome these barriers by reaching out to the on-campus community for services and additional support. With little faculty and staff support, my supervisor encouraged me to pursue internships, leadership positions, and student involvement in the Student Life & Leadership department by inviting her to implement her social and linguistic capital into these opportunities and experiences. As a result, I found a passion for establishing a supportive community on campus. Due to this experience, I had the confidence to motivate and validate my colleagues and peers to find their community, which led me to pursue my passion for working in higher education institutions.

I earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in public health policy and educational science from UC Irvine and a Master of Arts in higher education and student affairs at the University of San Francisco. My interdisciplinary education gave me the foundation to impact communities, eliminate disparities and inequities in higher education, and advocate for first-generation students of color's needs and services.

After graduating from UC Irvine, I returned to College of San Mateo to work as an instructional aide at the Disability Resource Center. Following this opportunity, I worked as a retention specialist for the Promise Scholars Program, a newly established program in 2018. I then moved into a program services coordinator position after a few years. I now have the privilege to serve as the acting program manager for the Promise Scholars Program, where I can advocate for student needs and concerns at a higher level. I strive to provide campus engagement services for marginalized student populations within a community college setting. With a program that supports up to 950 first-year degree-seeking students, who receive financial, academic, and counseling support, I ensure that all Promise Scholars feel welcomed, supported, and heard. I work to foster the growth and success of the Promise Scholars population by encouraging them to contribute their capital to the institutional setting. I do this through Promise-related workshops, on-campus collaboration events, student check-in meetings, and more. I also emphasize the importance of collaboration with different departments on campus, for example, EOPS, Multicultural and Dream Center, Learning Communities, Financial Aid, Counseling Services, etc. I connect my Promise students to support and resources on campus so they can complete their educational goals. Ultimately, my passion revolves around encouraging our students to aspire to success and supporting them in achieving their goals.

Professional Accomplishments/Achievements

• Bachelor of Arts, Public Health Policy, UC Irvine
• Bachelor of Arts, in Educational Science, UC Irvine
• Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs, University of San Francisco