Courtesy image.
By the Ventura College Math • Engineering • Science • Achievement (MESA) Program
OXNARD — The staff at the MESA Program is mailing Holiday greeting cards to all their students. The project should finalize Dec. 17, with the mailing of dozens of Holiday greeting cards. Frankly, this was just a gesture of service. We later realized that it happens to tie in nicely as we conclude Final Exam Week and the fall 2020 semester.
It’s been quite an interesting semester. We care about our students and feel that every connection matters. Many students missed out on their celebratory EOY potluck(s) that traditionally take place in their respective classrooms, with fellow classmates, and at the MESA Center. The greeting cards contain a hand-written message from us staff & a pouch of hot cocoa. The idea behind this lost art is to send our students a bit of wholesome holiday cheer in hopes of making a positive impact during these most unprecedented times. It would be interesting to know how many of these students have ever received a greeting card via snail-mail vs virtually!
Here’s a little backstory about the MESA program at VC- a well hidden secret! Well, for starters, it’s unique to Ventura County, and exclusive to VCCCD. Ventura College is host to the MESA Program which is proudly celebrating its 20thyear anniversary this 2020. MESA is a State-funded program born out of the concern for the lack of opportunity for African American students. It was a grassroots movement that started on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement. It is designed to support first generation/marginalized students pursuing an advance degree in STEM disciplines. I’ve included a video clip below about the program and our IG account if you’d like to give us a follow.
As with any program that faces budgetary concerns, we would love to have you share or efforts with the community through a story or a post. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Please let me know if you have any questions.