María-José Zeledón-Pérez, Ed.D., communication studies professor at San Diego City College, shares stories rooted in her experiences as an immigrant to inspire her students to reach their goals and fulfill their dreams.

“My accent is an asset,” said Dr. Zeledón-Pérez, who learned English as an adult. “I did not always feel that way, but when we find our community, we thrive and our perspective changes.”

Zeledón-Pérez was born in San José, Costa Rica, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing from the Universidad Interamericana de Costa Rica. She began her master’s in Communications Studies at the Universidad de Costa Rica which provided her with the opportunity to study abroad at San Diego State University (SDSU) where she ultimately graduated with her degree.

“I took the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) three times to get into SDSU and I will never forget that I had a mental breakdown during the program,” she said. As a graduate student, Zeledón-Pérez taught first-year communication studies classes at SDSU. “It was scary, I had a language barrier, but I fell in love with teaching. I use my personal stories to reach my students who are first-generation or who have just arrived in the United States.”

After graduating from SDSU, Zeledón-Pérez decided to move permanently from Costa Rica to San Diego. Her dream in this country was to become a communication studies professor like her parents. “I came to this country as an immigrant and society made me feel less valued. I interviewed six times for the same job and was never hired, so I decided to keep pursuing my educational journey to better prepare myself and to try to open more doors.”

With determination, Zeledón-Pérez went back to SDSU to earn a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Degree with a concentration in Community College Leadership. “Some of the conversations were centered around how very few people of color succeed in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and the critical need to close the equity gap,” she said.

Zeledón-Pérez, who shared the same cultural roots as the STEM students being marginalized, had to make an impact. She examined the opportunities in STEM for Asian, Black, and Latinx students during her doctoral dissertation, Bridging Success for STEM Students of Color: Factors that Predict Interactions with Institutional Agents at Community Colleges HSI and Non-HSI. Her research helped inform the application for the HSI Title III STEM Grant at City College which was granted in 2021.

“Costa Rica is a developing country, community colleges do not exist there yet,” she said. “I was fortunate, my parents paved the way for me to pursue a college education. They taught me that education is the most important tool in life as it provides the opportunity to think critically and achieve our dreams for us and our families. This is one of the reasons why I am so passionate about being an educator. For our students, pursuing a higher education degree is a way to provide them with many opportunities to achieve their dreams for them and their communities. Education is a matter of social education.”

Zeledón-Pérez became a full-time communications professor at City College in 2018. She teaches oral communication, interpersonal communication, and intercultural communication classes at City College and is designing a new course, communication and community launching fall 2022. She has also served as the college’s co-director of the World Cultures Program. Currently she coordinates the American Federation of Teachers Mentors and Mentees Program, and is the interim Academic Senate president.

Prior to interviewing at City College, Dr. Zeledón-Pérez was astonished by the college’s vision for social justice. “I knew that this was the place I wanted to be, this is my home. I have never seen this much diversity in one college before. Cultural identity and validation are imperative for our community’s success. My students identify with me, and I identify with them as I learn from them.”

Before City College, Dr. Zeledón-Pérez taught part-time for 14 years at several community colleges in the region. She shares two children, Marco and Sofia, with her husband Jed.