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Jonathan Reyes |
Now he’s an
outreach ambassador promoting Cuyamaca College to high school students
throughout the East County.
What does he
tell them?
“That it’s a chill place,” Reyes said. “It’s really
welcoming, it’s really easy to get along with people, the education is
excellent, the professors are really engaging, there’s a 100 percent acceptance
rate and it’s essentially free.”
Born in Oxnard and raised primarily in San Diego County,
Reyes graduated from Mt. Miguel High School in the spring of 2018. Although he
played trumpet in the marching band, took part in the theatre program and
enrolled in JROTC, Reyes said what he was really good at was procrastination –
which didn’t earn him the best of grades. “I got mostly C’s, with an occasional
A or B,” he said.
Money, too, was an issue. Reyes is one of seven siblings. His parents divorced a decade ago and his mom works as a receptionist at Sharp Hospital. Then came the Grossmont-Cuyamaca College Promise program.
“I was able to get two free years through the Promise program,
and really made the difference.”
It didn’t take long for him to get involved on campus, first
through the Cuyamaca
College Pathway Academy, a program formerly known as the
First Year Experience that is designed to build a clear and quicker path to a
student’s educational goal, then as a Cuyamaca
College Outreach Ambassador. Reyes has been working as an
outreach ambassador since the summer, visiting high schools and promoting
Cuyamaca at college fairs.
Reyes was honored with the Richard DeCrane Native Community
Leaders Scholarship by the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges –
which will help him cover the costs of books and school supplies – at a Jan. 11
awards ceremony.
Reyes has left an impression on his coworkers and
supervisors, in addition to the high school students he meets.
“He is one of the friendliest, people I’ve ever met,” said Student
Success Coordinator Jessica Murguia. “He’s always the first to step up whenever
you’re looking for someone to do something and he’s quick to take the
initiative. It’s just refreshing to work with him.”
Now he’s thinking about transferring to San Diego State
University to study mechanical engineering. He is set to graduate from Cuyamaca
College in the spring of 2021 with an associate degree in mechanical
engineering.
“Cuyamaca has opened a lot of doors for me,” Reyes said. “It
was a good choice coming here.”