At Merced College, education isn’t limited to lectures and labs. For many students, the most meaningful lessons come from serving as leaders, mentors, and employees on campus.
As graduation approaches, three Blue Devils reflect on how their student jobs and campus roles shaped their college journey — and their future.
Gisel Ramirez, AA Welding Technology, AS in Agriculture | Next: Fresno State
Gisel Ramirez would have loved to go straight to work after high school, except her mother insisted she enroll in college. Then Ramirez’s Turlock High agriculture teacher Joe DiGrazia nudged her toward the welding program at Merced College.
Yes, Ramirez needed some nudging, but then she found her calling.
“I love the hands-on feel of welding,” said Ramirez, 21. “I love how, at the end, I feel accomplished. Even just practicing and seeing a good weld, I feel that way. My dad and my grandpa were my first welding teachers growing up. Then Mr. DiGrazia pushed me further.”
And yes, Ramirez is now working to become a high school ag teacher.
“Mr. DiGrazia was another support system—believing in me and telling me, ‘You’re good at this,’” Ramirez said. “That’s what motivated me to continue in school.”
At Merced College, Ramirez landed in another good situation when she found out DiGrazia had taught Chad Russell and was good friends with Benjamin Scroggins, her Merced College welding professors.
“Mr. DiGrazia knew I’d be surrounded by great teachers,” Ramirez said. “Now I want to motivate students like they’ve done for me.”
Ramirez will continue by studying ag education at Fresno State. She feels ready thanks to the empathy she developed for her fellow students while working for the campus food pantry, and serving as an ag ambassador and as Associated Students of Merced College Area 3 Senator.
“Helping students get food made me see student problems from a different perspective,” Ramirez said. “In my student government role, we attended the Student Senate for California Community Colleges conference, and other schools were singing Merced College’s praises because of the amount of help we offer. I learned how to be a better advocate for students and a better person in general.”
It’s a great place for a future teacher to start.
Emerald Chandler, AA Psychology | Next: UC Merced
Emerald Chandler, 22, was ripped out of her father’s arms at age 5 when she first entered the foster care system.
“That’s when I realized how hard life would be,” Chandler said. “I realized people look at me as damaged goods. I was bullied for it. It affected my mental health. That’s when I realized I didn’t want life to be so hard for anyone like me.”
Chandler, who will graduate with honors, works organizing events in the Merced College Student Diversity and Equity Center.
“I love seeing the different groups of people we have on campus and then bringing them together and sharing with them the resources we can use to support them,” she said.
Chandler, who also volunteers with the Red Cross, will attend UC Merced and wants to become a doctor. Growing up in foster care inspired her to pursue a medical career.
“It absolutely informs everything I do now,” Chandler said. “As a foster youth, I had a lot of fears and negative experiences with doctors dismissing my concerns or discouraging me from talking. We’re trying to survive day by day so going to the dentist or a doctor isn’t a priority. A lot of our parents didn’t model the behavior of keeping up with appointments and taking care of our bodies. It’s really hard to learn that as an adult.”
Chandler wants to use more creative ways to teach children how to take care of their physical and mental health, how to choose a primary physician and how to advocate for themselves with health care practitioners.
“I feel like misinformation, not enough information, and the fact that foster youth are seen as damaged goods, create the wrong environment to develop good health,” Chandler said. “We need to shift that view and help them embrace a life of overall well-being.”
Liliana Reyes, AA-T English | Next: CSU Stanislaus
Liliana Reyes immersed herself in student government at Merced College, both as Senator 2 for language and distance learning students, and as student trustee with the Merced College Board of Trustees in 2024-25.
“I wanted to change things on campus for underrepresented students, and to make sure as many students as possible could feel encouragement,” Reyes said. “Without that goal, I never would have run for student office.”
Reyes is proud of starting conversations on a handful of issues, like pushing for students to receive free photocopies and finding other ways to help commuter students struggling to get to Merced for class. As a trustee, she spoke up for students feeling anxiety about border policies and current immigration issues.
Reyes also worked at the Merced College Student Success and Tutorial Center (SSTC) as a writing tutor. Reading reflection papers from students exposing their worries helped her understand why education is such a powerful tool.
“You can see how they’ll go on and do things in life they’d never seen as opportunities before,” she said.
Reyes, who received her high school diploma through an independent charter school, may not have returned for a second semester—or a third, or be enrolling at CSU Stanislaus to study English education, writing and rhetoric—if not for the support of Merced College and its people.
“College might have been just another thing I couldn’t afford or another thing I didn’t feel good about,” Reyes said. “But three years later, I know this college gives people like me the space to flourish and grow and find out futures. I was absolutely inspired by my time at Merced College. It changed the trajectory of my life for the better.”