A dedicated group of faculty representatives from the Peralta Community College District recently joined colleagues from across the state at the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) 2025 Spring Plenary Session.
by Vila Phetsilasack, Merritt College Class of 2025 Graduate
This is a story of resilience, a refusal to let someone else’s prophecy become my reality.
I came to the U.S. at 13 years old, stepping into a life that was supposed to offer opportunity. But early on, someone said, "Raising someone else’s child is a bad idea." That wasn’t just a comment, it became a curse they tried to fulfill. Every barrier thrown at me felt like it was placed there to prove them right.
Nick Arata remembers watching car repair programs on TV with his grandfather when he was growing up. He always wanted to know how things work and how to fix them when they broke. He started taking Auto classes at COA right out of high school.
Peralta TV can be seen on
Channel 27: Alameda, Berkeley
Channel 28: Emeryville, Piedmont, Oakland
AT&T U-Verse Channel 99
Pauel Kniha shares his experience with the Construction Management Program at Laney College. He emphasizes that Laney is a unique college that offers classes specifically for construction management. He states that there are outstanding professors who are professionals in their fields, and great staff assistants who help students. He is glad to be at Laney, and encourages everybody who is considering coming to Laney for their education to do so.
Editor’s Note: 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of EOPS. Students and alumni from each of the Peralta Colleges shared stories with the Board of Trustees at their April 8, 2025 meeting, and we will be sharing student and alumni stories about their EOPS experiences throughout the rest of the Spring 2025 semester.
Here's a quick update and some videos from our late-season competitions.
Adam Moore competed at the Northern California Decathlon Championship at Santa Rosa Junior College on April 8-9, and qualified for the state championship at College of San Mateo, finishing 5th overall, scoring 5581 in 10 events over two days. Adam competed in the 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, and 400m on day 1 and came back in the 110 high hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, and 1500m on day 2.
Are you looking for an exciting way to serve your community? The Peralta Community College District is looking for new members to serve on the Citizens' Parcel Tax Measures Oversight Committee.
Meet David Zheng, a Laney College EOPS alum! The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) is a state-funded program designed to provide support services to low-income and academically-disadvantaged students to become successful in college. EOPS is available to assist students with support services like early registration, academic counseling, career guidance, tutoring, book grants, transfer assistance, and tons more.
At the April 8th Board of Trustees meeting, Peralta Community College District Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson proudly recognized five exceptional classified professionals as the 2025 Classified Employees of the Year. These individuals, representing Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, Merritt College, and the District Service Center, were celebrated for their unwavering dedication, professionalism, and profound impact on our district and the wider community.
