Congratulations to Rafael Alvarez, director of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program at San Diego City College, for being selected as a 2022 Top 50 Latino Leaders of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ). Other district administrators to make the list: Chancellor Carlos O. Cortez and San Diego College of Continuing Education President Tina M. King.
From SDBJ: Rafael D. Alvarez is Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program Director at San Diego City College, an academic support program for students transferring to four-year universities in STEM majors. The program focuses on a “learning culture” revolution in higher education to transform student lives, especially the lives of underrepresented students of color.
Alvarez earned the 2021 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award by the San Diego County Engineering Council, a recognition that inspired him to capture the school’s learning culture praxis model in “Turning on the Lights: Using Learning Culture to Increase Student Success,” which has a website with learning culture resources for students and faculty and staff.
Alvarez founded the SDCC MESA Program in 2000 for the school, which is a Hispanic Serving Institution, and he began transforming the MESA model in 2009 by using learning culture to increase student success.
He can be reached at [email protected].
The October 10 issue of the San Diego Business Journal can be viewed here. To learn more about the MESA Program, visit https://www.sdcity.edu/students/services/mesa/index.aspx.
###
Established in 1914, San Diego City College serves as the educational cornerstone of downtown San Diego. A 60-acre urban campus, City College serves more than 13,000 students a semester, offering 200 majors and degrees and 1,800 classes. City College is part of the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), one of the largest of California’s 73 community college districts, which also includes Mesa College, Miramar College, and the College of Continuing Education. For more information, visit www.sdcity.edu.
Contact: Cesar Gumapas, Information Officer at [email protected].