By VIVIENNE AGUILAR

Special to the Ceres (Calif.) Courier

In a year when many California colleges faced the possibility of deep budget cuts, Yosemite Community College District leadership offered a brighter vision in the first-ever State of the District address Wednesday. 

Interim Chancellor Lena Tran spoke to about 200 assembled fellow administrators, staff, faculty, students and community members on the Modesto Junior College east campus in a speech showcasing the slogan “Deep Roots, Bold Futures.”

In her opening remarks, Tran recounted the barriers she faced to obtain higher education as an immigrant who was brought to America from Vietnam at 8-years-old, and connected her experience to those she hears from students of YCCD colleges. 

She acknowledged the sacrifice and struggle community college students in the region face as they work to improve themselves and ultimately, their families and communities.

“That is why I stand here, not only as your interim chancellor, but as someone who deeply understands what it means to fight for that promise. That is why this year’s theme is deep roots and bold futures,” she said.

Since taking on the role of interim chancellor for the district in May, Tran said she and the board of trustees drew on her recent experience as president of Columbia College to create the program. In that role, she held State of the College events at the beginning of each semester, so it was natural for her to continue the tradition. 

YCCD oversees MJC and Columbia College in Sonora.

Student enrollment across the district went down slightly in the 2023-24 academic year at 28,500. The year before, YCCD reported 30,000 students between the two colleges.

While the district only operates two schools, its coverage area reaches all of Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties, and parts of Alpine, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Merced and Santa Clara counties.

The district’s 2024-25 budget is more than $170 million, over $20 million more than the previous academic year. 

In the last academic year, YCCD helped 2,400 students obtain associate degrees and 83% of career program graduates found employment after graduation. More than half of all YCCD students identify as female, and just over half identify as Hispanic. The district reported 32% of all students are enrolled full-time.

While the California State University and University of California systems initially both faced the prospect of big cuts from the state budget, funding for the state’s 116 community colleges has largely remained intact. The state legislature eventually backed off the deepest cuts. 

Darin Sousa, a classified employee at MJC, said he didn’t know what to expect from an event like this, since there has never been one before, and was simply excited to learn what the district’s leadership had to say.

“I’ve worked part time with the athletics department (at MJC) for over 20 years. Now I’m a full time employee, but this is the first time I’ve seen (the district) host an event like this,” he said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent congratulations to YCCD for their inaugural program.

“The Central Valley, as you know, is the backbone of our economy and the targeted investments in agriculture, manufacturing and the trades we’re giving more Californians the skills to support their families and strengthen their communities,” he wrote in a message, read by Jesse Ryan, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Health care and agriculture are two of the most notable and necessary workforces in the region, according to Tran. In an effort to innovate and strengthen these sectors, YCCD is connecting its students with local and global experts in these fields.

The district offers students in the health care field dual-enrollment within rural high schools, like the ones in Calaveras and Sonora.

In Modesto, students studying animal husbandry, a sector of agriculture, are being connected with experts in Europe. 

This summer, the district combined over $15,000 in scholarship funds from dairies around the Modesto-area to send MJC’s dairy judging to represent the state and country in The Royal Highland Show, a global competition held in Scotland.

Matthew Gutierrez, 19, serves as YCCD student trustee and is studying plant science and education at MJC. He told The Modesto Focus that he’s a product of the district’s strategic planning, especially when it comes to their plans to integrate tools like artificial intelligence and virtual reality into classrooms.

In his agricultural courses, Gutierrez is learning firsthand how artificial technology can be used to improve genetic engineering in plant science.

“It’s not really a future thing. I think it’s already happening,” he said.

Later this year, Gutierrez will intern at Generation Growers Inc., a Modesto-based and family-owned nursery as he plans his transfer to a university.

Tran praised student leaders like Gutierrez for energizing her team and showing them why their work matters.

“Our job is to give them that gift of hope, the tools to achieve their goals, while also reminding them the importance of being humble,” she said.

For more information on career pathway opportunities at Modesto Junior College, visit the school’s “Accelerated Careers Training (ACT)” webpage.

— Vivienne Aguilar is a reporter for The Modesto Focus, a project of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Contact Aguilar at vivienne@cvlocaljournalism.org.