If not for the pandemic, Jennifer Gonzales might never have attended San Diego City College. 

But as a senior in high school, COVID-19 took hold and Gonzales had a hard discussion with her family about her future. They decided it was best for her to pivot to a community college rather than go to a four-year institution (she had been accepted to three universities, including UC San Diego and San Diego State). 

City College turned out to be the perfect place for Gonzales, who initially had been interested in studying civil engineering, as that had been her co-hort at San Diego High. 

She jumped into opportunities at City College soon after her 2020 graduation, taking part in the Summer Readiness Program, part of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). It had a profound effect. 

“That changed my life, and my point of view on community college and City College,” she said. “Afterwards, I felt like I really belonged here at City, because there’s always people that are looking out for me, and can help me even though I wasn’t really sure what to do as a first-time college student.” 

But that changed. She sharpened her focus during her time on campus, where she is also part of the San Diego Promise program, realizing she could combine her interest in design with the goal of creating solutions for one of our most pressing problems – lack of housing.  

The aspiring architect, who hopes one day to shape plans for affordable and sustainable housing, now is close to transferring to a four-year university. But in the meantime, she serves as a campus outreach mentor, or ambassador, happily sharing her City College experience with prospective students.  

“That was the biggest lesson that I learned during my City College journey,” she said, crediting her counselors, “to try to find, like a passion, that you have a clear goal for.” 

She took on the outreach role two years ago, and she tries to shape her message to the needs of the prospective student, whether it’s a young person like she used to be, intent on a traditional four-year university path, or someone who wants to work but might benefit from studying a trade. 

One thing she would like to dispel – any stigma they might have around community colleges.  

What she likes to tell them, she said, is how community college is “not just something that you should have as a plan B or a plan C, but something that you should think about. They offer so many opportunities that can set you off on the right foot.”