PUMA Center

PUMA is open this Spring 2022 for in-person services Monday – Thursday from 9 am - 4 pm. We will have extended hours for the first two weeks of the semester January 24th - February 3rd Monday - Thursday from 9am - 6pm. 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

MESA holds many tutoring opportunities for students. Visit the MESA webpage for additional information.

Student Programming

More 22 Spring details coming soon. For additional resource highlights and programming, visit the PUMA Instagram page @dvcpuma: https://www.instagram.com/dvcpuma/

Counseling

If you need to meet with your learning community counselor, please schedule an appointment using the options listed on the Counseling Center webpage.

Staff and faculty

Office of Student Engagement and Equity

Marina Varela	Program Coordinator Student Engagement and High School Transitions
Rosa Armendáriz	Dean of Student Engagement and Equity
Noha Basilious	Program Coordinator Student Engagement and High School Transitions
Kristina Gomez	Administrative Assistant III
Alejandro Gonzalez Rafael	Student Leader
Ada Ocampo	Manager Student Engagement and Early College Experiences
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

Danielle Odom	Counselor
Sean Rodriquez	Program Assistant

Counseling

Alberto Aranda	Counselor General/Veterans
Brenda Gonzalez	Counselor General/Puente
Eric Handy	Counselor General/Umoja
Danielle Odom	Counselor General/MESA
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
PUMA Center's location:	Learning Communities Annex (LCA) campus map
	@dvcpuma