As Moorpark College begins another academic year, I am reminded that Ventura County community colleges never truly take a summer break from fulfilling the year-round educational needs within our service area.
I am overjoyed our campuses are awash with new activities and new, younger faces over the summer. As president of Moorpark College, I see how our campus continues to play a vital role in the lives of some of our youngest community members with our Childhood Development Center, summer camps at America’s Teaching Zoo, biotech and theatre arts programs and high school technical career workshops.
These enrichment opportunities happen because our community is eager and ready to engage with us as never before. As challenging as COVID-19 has been for all students and educators, cultivating and maintaining partnerships with community members and organizations continue to be some of the most important relationships we have. They point to how our colleges and community are stronger together.
Integral to this community-building is how Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges partner with high schools, community organizations and local industry to increase the number of young students being introduced to college programs. While community colleges consider the needs of each student, those with significant challenges benefit the most when they are introduced to our college and our programs at an early age.
At Moorpark College, we serve a wide variety of students: English learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged, disabled, foster youth, homeless, first-generation and disproportionally impacted, among others. We tailor services to these populations to address their specific needs and help them realize their dreams, whether they are transferring to a four-year institution or finding meaningful employment in our community. Read more…
