You, and Everyone You Know, Can Come to Mesa Community College!

            Too often it is easy to think that certain privileges are for other people.  People who have more money, people who have the right connections, or people who have different abilities.  This thinking creates a trap that limits possibilities and minimizes success.  Break free and imagine the future you deserve.

            Everyone is welcome at Mesa Community College - everyone.  Prior education, socio-economic status, or learning difficulties will not affect your ability to enroll in our college and register for classes.  Students preparing for technical / trade careers receive the same quality instruction as those students preparing to transfer to earn multiple graduate degrees.

ALL students will be shown the respect they deserve, as proven by a letter that was published by MCC’s acting president, Sasan Pureetazadi.  Below you can read his statement:

   

I am so proud to be an employee of Mesa Community College and also the Maricopa College District.  Previously the college district fought federal laws to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates if they attended Arizona’s public schools, and now we are declaring our allegiance to student success.  This means so much to me because I have been blessed to work with such a diverse group of students.

 As an instructor my goal is to create a classroom culture that celebrates student-centered learning.  Acceptance and compassion are built through effective communication among peers.  A few semester ago, I was fortunate to teach in a classroom with the perfect group dynamic:

Sohaib is an international student from Saudi Arabia who lights up the room with his smile and his desire to interact with his new American friends, Kaylee is a single mom who openly shares her struggles with bipolar disorder, Ken is a 53 year old student who thrives on learning and sharing, Erin is a graduate of the Achieving a College Education program (ACE) and is proud of her enrollment at MCC, Travis is a deaf student who jumped into his group’s

service-learning project, Daniel is a married soldier who spoke with wisdom about his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and success in overcoming his addiction to alcohol, Alyse is a product of a group home and taught all of us about depression and the signs of suicide, Eric is a black man who was raised in the violent streets of Chicago and is now raising his son on his own, Elemedina is a Bosnian refugee who went to school in Germany before coming to America, Travis is a Navajo soldier who lost his brother to suicide during the semester, Shane is a gay man who shared how accepting his mother was when he told her, De’Shaun is a football player and the first in his family to graduate from high school, and Mark is committed to communicating with other people to overcome his debilitating social anxiety.

I know all of this information because it was shared aloud in class.  Their stories become human connections, and these connections build a community where the students support one another and then often share what they’ve learned with their own friends and family.  This peer support is so important because it can help make the students’ lives a little less frustrating and helping them achieve success.  As an instructor, I treasure the supportive role I play.

Pluralism is an amazing concept that we try to teach at Mesa Community College.  As described in an article, “Civil Society: Engaging the Differences among Us”:

Difference is a matter of perspective, and sometimes the fear of differences threatens us more than the actual differences.  A society where many religions, political ideologies, ethnicities

and worldviews coexist under one government is called pluralism. The various groups may not agree with each other, but they find ways to live together. Our crowded public square means, for example, that Christians and atheists can’t avoid one another and that conservatives and liberals must listen as well as talk. Our differences enrich our common existence as long as they harm or coerce no one.   Differences themselves matter, but engaging those differences matters more. 

Civil society creates public space for people to interact with one another and grow familiar with the unique identities around them.  Our differences have more meaning when they enter into conversation with other differences. Otherwise, we get stuck in our own social cloisters. Creativity suffers in the classroom or town hall when new ideas are barred from discussion. But when we engage with the broader community we discover that we don’t have to resemble others to respect others. A population of isolated individuals develops into a community when people think outside themselves. Tolerance then grows to understanding. Monologue changes to dialogue. In a healthy society diverse elements are in constant encounter.

Pluralism is not easy, but pluralism is a reality of modern life. The solutions to its challenges depend on the quality of our deliberation as citizens and neighbors.  Pluralism can work if we are confident enough in our own beliefs to let other people confidently express theirs.

Everyone, please come to Mesa Community College.  No matter where you have been, where you are now, or were you are headed, we want you to be a part of our campus community.  Not only do we have things to teach you, you have so much to teach all of us.