Rosal now
serves double-duty as coordinator of Cuyamaca College’s Veterans Resource
Center and as coordinator of Cuyamaca Cares, which addresses basic needs of
students with a drive-thru food pantry, housing referrals, emergency assistance
funds and mental health resources.
At the Veterans Resource Center, Rosal’s primary role is
supporting the needs of veteran students and backstopping the work of Veteran
Student Specialist Allan Estrada. She coordinates the center’s pantry program,
which helps veterans and their families; manages book loans and vouchers; and
arranges for Troop Talks, a monthly presentation by a veteran-focused community
partner. Social media and the center’s promotion are also part of her
bailiwick.
With a quiet air of confidence and efficiency suggestive of
her military training, Rosal is a constant presence at the campus, although
during these pandemic times, it is more virtual than physical.
“Cuyamaca Cares has managed, like all of our campus, to
think outside the box and create new ways to provide services to our students,
like the drive-thru pantry in order to ensure that our students have what they
need while keeping students and staff safe,” Rosal said.
Rosal said the
pandemic has led to a massive demand for Cuyamaca Cares services and resources.
The college has hosted four drive-thru food distributions, serving nearly 120
people, far fewer than the total number of those in need.
“The huge spike can be seen in our emergency assistance funds,
where we were averaging roughly 20 applicants per semester prior to the
pandemic, compared to fall 2020 when we received 2,311 applications,” Rosal
said. “Each one of our students who is asking for help is in a very real and
very serious bind. Our campus is stretched, our department is stretched, and
our community is tapped out of resources. The need is great.”
A pre-pandemic food distribution
Rosal said the pandemic has prompted her to look for more
sustainable solutions to the ever-growing demand for students’ basic needs.
“It has opened my eyes to look for ways we can connect
students to services that will sustain them during hard times and good, and
beyond their time at Cuyamaca,” said Rosal, who first began working at Cuyamaca College as a
work-study student in 2012.
After
earning associate degrees from Cuyamaca in social/behavioral social/behavioral
science, university studies in math and science, and fine arts, Rosal
transferred to San Diego State University, where she received a Bachelor of
Science in public health. This year, she obtained her master’s, also in public
health, from the University of San Francisco.
She returned to Cuyamaca College in
2018 to take the job as the VRC coordinator. She then worked closely with
Lauren Vaknin, dean of Student Affairs, and a Student Services team to create
the Cuyamaca Cares program.
Through this difficult period, Rosal finds solace in the
caring spirit of her coworkers.
“What I like most
about my job, besides being able to help students, is getting to be a part of
such dedicated and caring teams,” said Rosal, who first began working at
Cuyamaca College as a work-study student in 2012. “It’s invigorating to be in a
room full of people with the same passion and intent as you. We feed off each
other’s positive energy. I also really love creating community relationships
and being able to bring those relationships to campus to create change.”
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