A delegation of Berkeley City College students joined other representatives of the Peralta Community College District in traveling to Washington, D.C. for the Congressional Black Caucus 51st Annual Legislative Conference. The event spanned Wednesday, September 28th through Sunday, October 2nd. PCCD’s involvement has been ongoing for the past 18 years with support from Trustee Linda Handy and Representative Barbara Lee.

Leesa Hogan, a Merritt College graduate and continuing student who serves as a Student Trustee on the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees as well as President of the Associated Students of Merritt College was recently chosen to be a part of the Advisory Committee on Educational Services for the Community College League of California (CCLC). Student Trustee Hogan sat with Mark Johnson, Executive Director of Marketing, Communication, and Public Relations on September 16, 2022 to talk about this prestigious appointment and her experiences as a student leader at Merritt College and the Peralta Community College District.

The Peralta Community College District is proud to support Undocumented Student Action Week (USAW), an initiative led by the state chancellor's office.  As the higher education system that enrolls the largest population of undocumented students, the California Community Colleges are instrumental in ensuring every student, regardless of their citizenship status, can pursue their career and professional goals free from institutional barriers and discrimination. Our annual Undocumented Student Action Week was born out of this premise: to build greater awareness of and support for policies that lead to undocumented student success.

OAKLAND, Calif., October 11, 2022 – Merritt College is pleased to announce a new partnership to advance our renowned cannabis education programming. Ms. Tanya Scott will take on an advisory role with the College, working closely with the faculty to expand the cannabis program’s curriculum in three distinct areas. The overarching goal is to support students in their preparation for high-demandcareers in this rapidly expanding industry.

Laney College Supports System-Impacted Students, Prospective Students with On-Campus Event

On Wednesday, Laney College’s state-renowned Restoring Our Communities Program (ROC) hosted a Clean Slate Clinic in the upper E-Quad on campus where our Learning Communities are located. This event is one of many derived from a partnership with the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office and was attended by roughly 30 people, both students, and future students, who learned about the College, the ROC program, and expungement opportunities.

MESA Connect Project Welcomes Its First Cohort

In October 2019, CoA received a United States Department of Education Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Grant becoming PCCD’s first HSI college. In Fall Semester 2021, College of Alameda’s MESA Connect Project received additional grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve academic outcomes for LatinX students enrolled at HSIs.

Berkeley City College Awarded First AANAPISI Grant

Berkeley City College (BCC) was awarded a $2.5 million, five-year U.S. Department of Education / Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) / Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Title III Part A Cooperative grant. The funding is granted in partnership with the Laney College (Laney) Asian Pacific Student Success/AANAPISI Project.

Merritt College Hosts Native American Health Center’s Golden Anniversary Powwow

At the end of September, Merritt College had the honor of hosting the Native American Health Center’s Golden Anniversary Powwow. Founded in San Francisco’s Mission District in 1972, and now located in East Oakland, NAHC’s mission is to “provide comprehensive services to improve the health and wellbeing of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and residents of the surrounding communities with respect to cultural and linguistic differences.”

Merritt is proud to recognize the success of one of its Alums: Ms. Brandi Howard. Last week, Ms. Howard was selected as the new President and CEO of the East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF).

College of Alameda Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) Supervisor Esther Cheng and six students volunteered to table at the Reid-Hillview Airport Aviation Career Exploration event on Saturday, September 3, 2022. The Aviation Career Exploration event was a wonderful opportunity to showcase CoA's AMT Program to the general public. Students had the opportunity to share their AMT experience and excitement about their futures in aviation.