Cerritos College made the March in March available to all students for the first time and participated in the one mile march to the capitol building in Sacramento.
ASCC President Juan Ramirez couldn’t hold back how important he thought the trip was for the students that went up north.
“It’s one of the most amazing experiences during my time at Cerritos College, ” he said. “I have never seen students more empowered at that one event, since I have been at Cerritos College.”
There were different topics that were being discussed, but making education affordable and available to everyone was the universal message that was coming across.
Associate Justice, Michael Melindo, felt not only was it important for the people that went, but it was just as important for the students that are here on campus.
“Every semester there are students that are on a waitlist, they go up to a class and don’t get their class, and there are students that are struggling to get out in a timely manner,” he said. “Traditionally an AA degree is two years and lets keep it two years.”
Melindo felt that it is showcased in the nursing program at Cerritos College because only 100 people of the 500 people, that apply for program, are accepted.
He made that problem apparent when the group got a chance to meet with Assembly member Cristina Garcia.
Ramirez felt that the meeting with Garcia allowed some of the students to look past that negative stigma that comes with the word politics.
“We always talk about politicians as if they are celebrities, which they are to a degree, but it’s different to be able to sit down next to an elected official that represent the district that you are from,” Ramirez said.
Faculty Senate Liaison, Vanessa Vega, felt that the different groups of people really speak to what Cerritos College stands for.
“It was a perfect snapshot of the people that a community college in California would serve,” she said.
However, Vega also thinks that everything that has happened to education is because no one decided to speak out against the bills that have been passed.
“If you allow people to make these decisions for you then you can’t complain if things aren’t going well, because you have allowed yourself to be silenced,” she said.
While inaction have been a problem in the past, Ramirez feels that bringing awareness to events like the March in March will help students get involved with all levels of government.
