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PUMA Center
PUMA will reopen in-person services to the public the week of August 23rd. For all other Student Services, please check Counseling and Student Services for individual office hours.
Overview
The PUMA (Puente, Umoja, and MESA Achievement) Center is the home for three college access and success programs – Puente, Umoja, and MESA and was established in 2015. As a vibrant center, the PUMA Center serves students from underserved/underrepresented backgrounds by building and nurturing community through embracing and validating students' cultural identity and humanity, with an emphasis on holistic development, equity, and social justice. The Center focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating instruction and support services to address the students’ various needs, while fostering student leadership, providing mentoring, and raising cultural awareness. PUMA is a space that enables students to build community in order to achieve academic and career success, become empowered, and discover their full potential.
Services
Free immigration legal consults
The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) is still offering free immigration legal consultations virtually to ALL California Community College students, faculty, and staff. Appointments are required.
Where: Call (925) 237-8581 ext. 11 or book an appointment online
Tutoring & Workshops
We are currently holding PUMA Student life events on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvcpuma/
MESA will hold many academic support sessions the week of August 16th. See the MESA webpage for additional information
A regular event and tutoring schedule will resume on August 23rd.
Counseling
If you need to meet with your learning community counselor, please schedule an appointment using the options listed on the Counseling webpage.
Staff and faculty
Office of Student Engagement and Equity
| Marina Arevalo | Program Coordinator Student Engagement and High School Transitions |
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| Rosa Armendáriz | Dean of Student Engagement and Equity |  |
| Noha Basilious | Program Coordinator Student Engagement and High School Transitions |
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| Kristina Gomez | Administrative Assistant III |  |
| Bryanna King | Student Leader |  |
| Ada Ocampo | Manager Student Engagement and Early College Experiences |
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| Paulina Vaclav | Student Leader |
Puente
| Anthony Gonzales | Coordinator and English Instructor |  |
| Brenda Gonzalez | Coordinator and Counselor |  |
| Stephanie Razo | Coordinator and English Instructor |  |
| Justin Wembes | Coordinator and Counselor |  |
Umoja
| Eric Handy | Coordinator and Counselor |  |
| Lisa Smiley-Ratchford | Coordinator and Sociology Instructor |  |
MESA
| Maitreyee Chandra | Program Director |  |
| Danielle Odom | Counselor | |
| Brittnie Pimental | Program Assistant |  |
Counseling
| Alberto Aranda | Counselor General/Veterans |
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| Brenda Gonzalez | Counselor General/Puente |
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| Eric Handy | Counselor General/Umoja |
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| Danielle Odom | Counselor General/MESA |
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| Justin Wembes | Counselor General/Puente | |
Other resources
- The Academic Support Center (ASC) offers free tutoring and academic support also available online. Visit their webpage for more information. Need help? Just ASC!
- The DVC library offers an IM chat for continued support. Visit their webpage and send them a message.
Contact the PUMA Center
| Telephone: | 925-969-4320 - The telephone line is currently offline. Please email us instead. |
| PUMA Center's location: | Learning Communities Annex (LCA) campus map |
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@DVCPuma |