Cerritos College President, Dr. Jose Fierro, handed out gift cards, cookies, and greetings to new students at his President’s Hour in front of the library on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon.
Fierro hosts the President’s Hour as a way to improve students’ experiences by providing them the opportunity to voice their opinions and get to meet him. In this particular case, the topics focused on the start of the semester and new students.
“One of my primary objectives is to make sure the students feel welcome and part of that is being accessible to them,” Fierro remarked when asked about why he hosts these President’s Hour events.
The first student to take Fierro up on his offer was Michaela Cuevas, an education major who plans to become a kindergarten teacher and is a brand new student at Cerritos.
“I think it’s cool that he wants to get to know the people and the students in his little community. I think it’s nice that he wants to listen to our concerns and, maybe if someone does have a concern, he’ll try and change it,” Cuevas added.
Fierro handed Cuevas, as well as many other students who attended, a $125 gift card for the college’s bookstore to help them acquire equipment and books for the new semester; Cuevas also received extra credit for her communication class by getting a picture with Fierro.
Some of the other students who approached Fierro for a chance to talk were Omar Garcia, a math major, and Tori Canillas-Dufau, an older student who is working on breaking the world record for most degrees held by a woman.
Garcia, who’s from Mexico, noticed that Fierro, who’s from Colombia, had an accent; and that stood out to him.
“I think it’s really awesome to see someone come to the States, have the opportunity, and take the opportunity to be at a school and help so many people; I think it’s awesome, the American Dream, you know,” Garcia elaborated.
Canillas-Dufau, 65, said she talked to Fierro about programs to help with tuition for older students, however, he believes that is something to be brought up at the state level and that community colleges focus more on newer students.
Fierro also noted that there are few specific waivers and that someone with multiple degrees doesn’t exactly qualify for them.
On a different note, Fierro advised both new and old students to seek the aid of counselors to help develop and follow plans for their majors.
“I think it’s important for current and new students to reassess whether or not you’re following your ed plan and if not speak to a counselor so they can help you transition to a different major or bring you back onto track of completion and if you’re a new student get an ed plan so you know what classes to take…,” Fierro said.
In addition to the students that showed up to see Fierro, several staff members were also present: Catherine Lu, the public relations and communications secretary, who helped set up the booth; Cheryl Thury, an administrative assistant who works with Fierro; Sean Bonnes, a chemistry professor who briefly stopped by; and a booth full of people set up by the Office of Student Life and Leadership; among others.
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