News

Do you become a leader with the right job title?Or does the universe anoint you when your talent and skill combine to demand it?LaDenta Smith, Andrea Garibay, Sabrina Frias and Tzitzijank Jazmin Serrano all fit one or both of those descriptions in their daily work at Merced College. They all deserve the spotlight.

Taylor Brown has wanted to serve as an elected official since she was in elementary school.Something about watching her mother Christie bring history to life, reading books about Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. and other historical figures, has filled her with the hunger to chase public office.

Merced College has for years offered programs to specifically reach and nurture Black students, Latino students, disabled students, students who are military veterans, foster youth, homeless or anyone struggling academically.

In linguistic terms, "Umoja" is a Kiswahili word that means unity. In Merced College terms, "Umoja" is the name of a program that has been coming to life in 2021-22.

Sara Friedman completed 22 units this past semester to finish her B.A. in Psychology at Fresno State.Taking on 22 units in one semester might seem insane for anyone, but not for a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, former chef, Merced College alumnus, 40-year-old, single mother of two. Right?

Merced College students needn't go hungry.That's not a goal. That is the uplifting truth behind the student food pantry, which came to campus full time in 2017.

From customer service and conflict resolution to crafting cocktails, local students can learn all the skills they need for jobs in hotels, restaurants and more through Merced College's Hospitality Career Academy. The free, 12-week program kicks off with an event at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Mainzer in downtown Merced.

Community members and dignitaries gathered at Merced College on Thursday to celebrate a major milestone in the construction of the college's new Raj Kahlon Agriculture and Industrial Technology Complex.

When this year began, our society was still reeling from the first year of COVID-19. We were still working from home and students were still figuring out how to learn in online environments, and it was easy to slip into a mode of pining for whatever we had one considered "normal."

Hermione Isakow loved the outdoors and the arts, and she instilled in her four sons a deep appreciation for education, discipline and family.After living most of her life in South Africa, Isakow and her husband Leiz moved to Merced in 2010 to be closer to their eldest son Isaac and his family, and she grew to love the town. Sadly her golden years were clouded by a long bout with amyloidosis, a difficult and painful disease that forced her into chemotherapy and other difficult treatments, and she died in 2020.