She is committed to positively impacting students’ lives to serve not only them but their families, communities, and future generations.

“I want to transform how we operate higher education institutions,” she said. “I want to make sure students feel they belong and are cared for, and, as an institution, we hold ourselves accountable to their success.” 

As the new president of Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut, California, Dr. Garcia has set her eyes on doing exactly that. She’s also in the perfect position to lead this large Hispanic-serving community college as the school’s first president of color and second female president. 

Taking the Helm

Last summer, Dr. Garcia became president of Mt. SAC, which was listed 4th among H.O.’s 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics on April 7, 2023. The new president is now leading one of the largest community colleges in California, serving almost 75,000 students from nearly 20 local communities since 1946. Mt. SAC, which offers 400 degree and certificate programs, 64 career education programs, and 9 bachelor’s degrees through university partners, is also made up of 62.45 percent Latinx and 41 percent first-generation students, with 75 percent of students receiving financial aid for the 2023-24 academic year. 

“I feel tremendous pride to be able to serve the largest single district in California,” said Dr. Garcia. “Like many of our students, I was a first-generation student and daughter of farm workers who was raised in a rural community.”

First-generation Latina

As a first-generation student and Latina—and as a single mother—Dr. Garcia understands the needs of her students only too well. She was raised in a rural community of Brawley, California, near the Mexican and Arizona border. Both of her parents had emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and worked as farmworkers. Even though the majority of her neighbors were farmworkers, her parents and others in her community were allowed to become homeowners through a community nonprofit.

“I am really proud of my parents and grateful that they came to this country with aspirations that their children do better,” said Dr. Garcia. “We had many challenges, including financial ones. But we were taught to work hard and persevere.” 

Despite their hardships, Dr. Garcia’s father often told his daughter, “Tú vas a estudiar.” (“You are going to study.”) (She was a middle child with two brothers). Later, a high school counselor who helped her complete college applications, would tell her, “You are university bound.” 

“I remember those words clearly,” said the president. “Those words gave me additional motivation and reminded me of my potential that I wasn’t aware of.”

Dr. Garcia recalled the night her counselor convinced her mother to allow her to go to college. That night, her mom was making tortillas and had placed them on the table as she shared the news with her father. His response was straightforward: “Mi hija va a estudiar y lo va a hacer aquí”. (“My daughter is going to study, and she is going to do it here.”)

Pursuing Higher Education

Dr. Garcia began her studies at Imperial Valley College, a nearby institution. After receiving her associate degree  there, she went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from San Diego State University, a master’s degree in educational counseling from National University, and a doctorate of education in educational leadership from San Diego State University.

Being the first in her family to achieve degrees in higher education had its challenges, especially since Dr. Garcia did so as a single mom raising her son. “Being a single mom and experiencing poverty were some of my greatest challenges,” she said. “I know what it’s like to ration food so it lasts.”

Making a Difference

Upon completing her multiple degrees, Dr. Garcia returned to Imperial Valley College, where she worked for 21 years. She ultimately became superintendent and president of the college. Prior to that, she was vice president of student services, acting vice president of academic services, and special projects coordinator overseeing career education programs. During that time, she was named one of the 2018 Distinguished Women of the Year by Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia.

Dr. Garcia left an indelible mark while at Imperial Valley College. There, she created a tiny housing project during the pandemic. She wrote a grant in collaboration with the El Centro City Community Development Director and built housing for students in need in less than a year.

“Initially, people didn’t think I would do it. It hadn’t been done in California,” said Dr. Garcia. “When it happened, it brought so much hope to a community of very limited resources. I committed students to paying only $200 in rent a month, and that included utilities.”

Another program Dr. Garcia developed at Imperial Valley College was a community college degree program for incarcerated men at two high security state prisons. This program sent faculty directly into the prisons to teach in person. By the time the program was fully up and running, 42 faculty members taught in person, and Imperial Valley College celebrated the highest number of state prison incarcerated students earning an associate’s degree at a single time in the history of the California Department of Corrections.   

“Initially, it was difficult creating this program, since society doesn’t want to recognize that these people will come back into society, and that we need to help them better prepare,” she said. “Yet, seeing these students transform has been one of the most gratifying experiences in my career.” 

Mt. SAC President

Now, as president of Mt. SAC, Dr. Garcia has the same opportunity to transform students’ lives. And, given her history, she’s already proven she can do so. In the past year, she’s reviewed student success data, including that of local K-12 schools, and is working to create a Mt. SAC 2035 Comprehensive Plan. This plan includes a healing-centered engagement framework that acknowledges the unique traumas, challenges, and experiences students bring to the college as assets that teach resilience and perseverance.

“Despite the challenges, we’ll thrive because we are centered on being the best we can be,” she said. “We will make sure we have affinity centers and address mental health and basic needs. We will provide wrap-around services and work with high school students as well. Last year, we served 52 high schools and about 74,000 students. Of these, 53,000 were continuing education students studying ESL, adult education, and technical programs.”

With such a large percentage of Latino and first-generation students, Mt. SAC is ideal for the new president to address student needs similar to those she faced.  

Today, an important center at the college is El Centro, The Center for Latinidad. It’s a place for academic and community support for Chicanx/Latinx students, with goals to increase educational attainment and educate the community about Chicanx/Latinx culture. Having identified lower success rates among local Latinos in K-12, the president will also address the educational needs of this cohort.

Excelencia in Education

“Status quo is complacency. When you challenge that, you do so because students will always benefit. We will never say we’ve done enough,” concluded Dr. Garcia, “One of my goals is to earn the Excelencia in Higher Education seal. I am holistically committed to doing everything we can to help students succeed so the entire community can succeed.”