Classified employee honored by California Community Colleges

by Shannon Carr

Silvia Gonzalez, EOPS/CARE Program Specialist with Yuba City College and member of CSEA Chapter 283, was selected as one of five Classified Employees of the Year by California Community Colleges. She was honored by the organization’s Board of Governors meeting on May 25. The board meeting summary shared the following brief biography about Gonzalez:

Silvia Gonzalez has over 15 years of dedicated experience as the EOPS/CARE Program Specialist for over 20,000 Yuba College students. Silvia's commitment to going above and beyond for Yuba College students leads to a 75% Persistence Rate for EOPS students and 88% Persistence Rate for their CARE students, with over 30% of Yuba College graduates being EOPS or CARE students each year. Silvia has a knack for bringing out the best in students and helping them utilize their strengths. Her dedication and passion in serving first-generation, low-income, educationally disadvantaged, single parents, foster youth, disabled students, and undocumented students is mesmerizing. Silvia has been nominated by hundreds of graduating students for the Yuba College “Way to Go” Award, year after year, for over ten years in a row. Silvia leaves a lasting impression on students and in the community, and demonstrates compassion, commitment, and joy through her work with students at Yuba College along with the greater Yuba-Sutter community. Students comeback or call asking for her years later after graduating, transferring, and leaving the Yuba-Sutter area to thank her for where they are today.

Photo courtesy of Silvia Gonzalez

Gonzalez shared what the recognition means to her. “Receiving this award is a huge honor because it reaffirms that the hard work I’ve put in for the last 15 years has paid off and that the difference I make in my students' lives is recognized by my peers and colleagues,” she said. “A quote that is near and dear to me is by Maya Angelou: ‘I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ I try to live my life by this motto, and it shows in the way I connect with my students.” The award has been given out annually since May 2009 to honor community college classified employees who demonstrate the highest level of commitment to the Vision for Success, the mission of the California Community College System and their local district. Other classified employees selected for the award included:

• Alicen Vera, Los Angeles Valley College
• Linda Olmos, Long Beach City College
• Amy Hunter, Irvine Valley College
• Demetria Lawrence, Contra Costa College