Daisy Gonzales, California Community Colleges Acting Chancellor, will stop by the campus as a part of a Student Centered Listening Tour, where students can directly express concerns.
By Cassandra Nava, Editor-in-Chief
Valley students will have an opportunity to openly discuss how they can improve their experiences at California Community Colleges with Acting Chancellor Daisy Gonzales.
Gonzales will visit Valley College on Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m. as a part of the Student Centered Listening Tour. Monarchs can look forward to speaking with staff from the CCC Chancellor’s Office, Student Senate for California Community Colleges, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and members of the Board of Governors. The event was created in order to prompt a conversation surrounding equity for students, whether that is in response to pandemic-related stressors or general basic needs.
“It will be an amazing opportunity for students to interact directly with the chancellor,” said Valley President Barry Gribbons regarding the upcoming event. “She is from the [San Fernando] Valley and even attended classes here at Valley. She’s got an amazing story, I'm sure that students will enjoy getting to know her a little bit. She certainly wants to get input from students on how the system can serve them better.”
As Acting Chancellor, Gonzales worked on operational and strategic policy planning for the Chancellor’s Office since 2017, according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. The former foster youth and first generation college graduate currently focuses on tracking the progress of the office’s Vision for Success, an outline for how the state’s community colleges address student’s needs. The vision strives to increase the amount of UC and CSU transfers, reduce equity gaps and increase the skills sets needed to help prepare students for specific careers.
Gonzales’ work with students was recognized earlier this year, with the California Legislative Women’s Caucus Woman of the Year Award. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis presented the award on March 15 and stated Gonzales’ “tenacious advocacy for students” earned her this title.
The event will start with conversations with campus leaders. Student leaders will then give Gonzales a tour of the campus, concluding with the student-oriented listening session over a free lunch (for the first 25 students to RSVP). Gribbons stated that he anticipates the event will not be a structured panel, but more of a student “open mic.”
For those who plan to attend, an RSVP is necessary prior to the event. According to the reservation form, spaces are limited and details will be sent with a confirmation email.
Gribbons expressed his excitement for Tuesday’s listening tour, “It is going to be a wonderful opportunity to hear from students on what's working well and what changes they’d like to see.”