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PUMA Center
The PUMA Center is open Monday - Thursday from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm & Friday 9 am - 1 pm for the fall session. 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.
Make an appointment here at findyourally.com.
Tutoring
MESA holds many tutoring opportunities for students. Visit the MESA webpage for additional information.
Student Programming
For programming and resource highlights, visit the PUMA Instagram page.
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
| Abraham Allison | PUMA Leader - Puente & Pride Liaison |  |
| Julien Larcher | PUMA Leader - Umoja |  |
| Dr. Eric Handy | Dean of Student Engagement and Equity |  |
| Kristen Freeman | PUMA Leader - Umoja & Pride Liason |  |
| Douce Boulingui | PUMA Leader - MESA |  |
| Kristina Gomez | Administrative Assistant III |  |
| Brianne Guerra |
Program Assistant - Puente, Umoja, PUMA Center |
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| Ada Ocampo-Pedroza | Manager Student Engagement and Early College Experiences |
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| Ramiro Ibarra | Program Coordinator First Year Experience and Student Engagement |
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| Erika Greene | Program Coordinator Student Engagement and Early College Experiences |
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Puente
| Anthony Gonzales | Coordinator and English Instructor |  |
| Brenda Gonzalez | Coordinator and Counselor |  |
| Patrick Leong | Coordinator and English Instructor |  |
| Maria Dorado | Coordinator and Counselor |  |
Umoja
| Natisha Hutson | Counselor & Co Coordinator |  |
| Evangeline Ward | Coordinator |  |
MESA
| Brandy Gibson | Program Director |  |
| Emmanuel Perez | Counselor |  |
| Sean Rodriquez | Program Assistant |  |
Counseling
| Maria Dorado | Counselor General/Puente |
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| Brenda Gonzalez | Counselor General/Puente |
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| Emmanuel Perez | Counselor General/MESA | |
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 |
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@dvcpuma |
Office Hours
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 8:30 am - 5:30 pm | 8:30 am - 5:30 pm | 8:30 am - 5:30 pm | 8:30 am - 5:30 pm | 9 am - 1 pm |