Dozens of students, community partners, college staff and elected officials attended the official dedication of Los Angeles Mission College’s new learning facility in Pacoima, which actually opened without much fanfare in mid-October, offering free enrichment and healthcare career courses.
The 13,895-square-foot, three-story building at 13420 Van Nuys Blvd. has four classrooms and offers classes in GED preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL), and short-term Allied Health programs that include phlebotomy and electrocardiogram (EKG) technician training.
“Everything we do here is free,” said Armida Ornelas, Ph.D., president of Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC), during the Dec. 19 dedication ceremony. “Today we’re not only celebrating the grand opening of this amazing space … we’re celebrating making a difference in people’s lives.”
Ornelas said she learned from a young age that education can truly have a life-altering impact.
“I’m the daughter of immigrant parents from Jalisco, and it was in a program much like this where my father took classes at our local adult school in ESL, became a citizen, started to vote and instilled in his children the importance of education [and] the communities we serve,” she said, noting that launching the new facility was a group effort, beginning with Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), who secured $2 million in Community Project Funding for LAMC.
Cárdenas, who was born and raised in Pacoima as one of 11 children, said that despite his modest upbringing in the same neighborhood he serves, he and his siblings had educational opportunities that his parents never imagined before coming to the U.S. from their native Mexico.
“But here in the United States, their 11 children all got to go to elementary school, middle school, high school and off to college – that is the American dream,” recalled Cárdenas, who hopes the new site will inspire and support community members to continue their education, and help meet the growing statewide demand for workers in the healthcare industry in California.
“Build it and they will come – that’s what today’s celebration is about. It’s about dreams coming true, right here in this building,” he continued but noted that it’s about more than just the physical infrastructure. “The real change happens from the hearts of the men and women who give of themselves [working here] every single day. They might not speak the same language as the person that they’re teaching and helping to grow, but [they] want you to live your dreams.”
California State Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-43), who also lived in Pacoima while growing up, recalled the struggles her mom faced as a single parent – juggling the neverending demands of parenting, working and taking ESL classes, while relying on public transportation. Her mom went to the city of San Fernando to take evening English courses because “there weren’t any around here.”
“My mom wanted to learn English – she was a single mother trying to figure out how she was going to feed her kids,” explained Rivas. Thanks to the hard work and support of her mother, combined with her love of school and determination, Rivas went on to earn degrees from MIT and Harvard, despite never having any Latina teachers as role models in elementary school.
“That’s what I think about being here today – all the little girls that live around here, and their moms who are coming to classes here,” she said. “Those kids are going to learn about Mission College and the [larger] Sylmar campus, and start to think about what could be next for their future.”
Lilia Santos, a mother, wife and Pacoima resident, was among the nearly 300 students who enrolled in classes at the new Pacoima location shortly after it opened to the public in October. Santos, who signed up for a beginning ESL course, said she’s eager to learn English, adding that she’s grateful for the opportunity to attend classes for free, especially so close to her home.
“My experience here has been really nice,” Santos told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “This is a great place for people like me – I’m a busy housewife – and for other people in the community who want to do something and move forward in their lives. And all the classes are free – you don’t have to pay anything. You just have to be willing to come here and learn.”
Ornelas acknowledged the new Pacoima site is reminiscent of the origins of LAMC. She said the college is rooted in the community.
It was through the efforts of local activists who pushed for a community college in the Northeast Valley – LAMC began by offering classes in churches, high schools, shopping centers and storefront locations in the city of San Fernando and Sylmar in the mid-1970s.
“I think it’s really coming full circle. We started in the community, and now we’re back in the community,” Ornelas told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “For us, it’s all about providing access [to education] – about bringing programs to the community and being transformational.”
For additional information about LAMC in Pacoima, go to: www.lamission.edu/pacoima.