The following article is written by Brock Drazen, Athletic Director at Merritt College and Head Coach of the Merritt College Track & Field team, and is used by permission from an announcement sent to all Peralta employees on May 22, 2022.

Our season has come to an end with 2 more state champions this past Saturday at Modesto Junior College. Isela Ochoa won in the 400 hurdles making that 2 for 2 in 2022 and 2023 and Kwaku Owusu won in the 400m for his first state championship.

Dear COA family,

The Department of Ethnic Studies in collaboration with the Office of the President would like to wish our community a Joyful Celebration of the Asian Pacific Islander and DESI American (APIDA) Month.

The quote “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle” may have come from self-help author Napoleon Hill, but it certainly epitomizes the approach that Ms. Esperiza Kimble (affectionately known as Carmela) has taken to achieve her academic goals. Arriving in the United States from the Philippines at age 17, seeking a better life for herself and her daughter, Carmela had to overcome many obstacles—challenges that included poverty, depression, and self-doubt.

The National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2023 season just concluded, and Peralta would like to congratulate Merritt College’s team of students/scholars (they go by the name Merrittocracy). The mission of the NCL is to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by providing college students with an online, safe platform for real-world cybersecurity challenges. Hundreds of colleges (including four-year institutions) and thousands of teams participate every year.

Students from the College of Alameda Umoja program came together to create a sense of community and camaraderie on campus while enjoying a movie day. The students loved the event and are looking forward to even more exciting occasions in the future. Food, entertainment, and laughing were all in attendance. The event was organized by Umoja Counselor Valarie Carey and attended by students Saji Muanza, Chanceline Zannou, Muhammad, and Kholood B.

BCC Multimedia Art students are holding an exhibition in the Jerry Adams Gallery titled “Rethink Your Drink”, displaying poster advertisements promoting water of sugary sweetened beverages. This art exhibit is sponsored by CHEI, a community grantee of Healthy Berkeley, a program of the City of Berkeley’s Public Health Division. Students Jerry Hsaio and Brian Travis Williams won awards for their pieces “Water Wins” and “Don’t Listen to the Devil.”

Yumeus Taylor is an Oakland native, but everyone calls her Missy. She has been fascinated with fixing cars since she was a little girl watching her uncle and dad work on their vehicles.   After graduating high school in Oakland, she enrolled in Laney College for general studies courses and then started taking automotive classes at the College of Alameda.   Missy is a single mom with two sons, and when she isn't working part-time as a technician at San Leandro Hyundai/Kia, she is joining her mom and sister to give back to the Oakland community by volunteering at the Bay Area Mega Center in Oakland.  

The Peralta Colleges are often mentioned in news media outlets. Recently, our colleges have seen a lot of positive press from national news outlets, such as when Dr. Angélica Garcia was appointed to a presidential committee including celebrities resulting in the mention of Berkeley City College in publications ranging from InStyle (12 Million readers) to Telemundo Puerto Rico (471 Thousand readers). Here are a few other recent news items mentioning our colleges. 

Merritt College Selected to Participate in Leading From the Middle (LFM) Academies

The RP Group and the State Chancellor’s Office have joined forces to develop Leading From the Middle (LFM) Academies to provide college stakeholders an opportunity to delve into relevant research and develop new ways to lead. Using themes from the Merritt College equity plan (and at the suggestion of faculty member Lowell Bennett), VPI Denise Richardson submitted an application on behalf of Merritt College. On April 28, we were notified that Merritt was selected.