DVC DREAMers Alliance

DVC Dreamers Alliance

Mission Statement

The Dreamers Alliance is an inclusive network of allies, consisting of faculty, students, staff and administrators committed to providing a safe, supportive and welcoming educational environment at Diablo Valley College for undocumented students.

We actively work to:

Create awareness of the undocumented student experience
Educate our college about resources
Promote equitable access to services
Collaborate and partner with the larger community

so that undocumented students are empowered to pursue their educational goals.

Dreamers Alliance Members

Marina Varela

Rosa Armendáriz

Todd Farr

Kristina Gomez

Hi there! My name is Kristina Gomez. I work as the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Student Engagement and Equity. My office is housed in between the PUMA Center and Student Veterans Resource Center. I am here as a resource to YOU. If I can't help, I will connect you with who can. I look forward to meeting you!

Anthony Gonzales

My name is Anthony Gonzales. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and call Santa Cruz and Albuquerque my home towns. I received a bachelor's from the University of New Mexico in English and Spanish (double major) in 2005 and an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco in 2007. I have taught in charter and public high schools, a four-year college, and three community colleges. I have also taught for UC Berkeley and Mills College's Upward Bound programs. I have been a full-time instructor of English at Diablo Valley College since 2014. I am a proud English instructor and co-coordinator for the Puente Program at DVC.

Jesus Gutierrez

Phoebe Keesey

Shari Keller

Hello! My name is Shari Keller, and I work in the Scholarship Office. If you are in need of financial assistance and would like to receive information regarding DVC scholarship opportunities and/or external scholarship opportunities available to you as a DVC student, please stop by to see me in the Scholarship Office on the 1st floor of the Student Services Center. I can also be reached at 925-969-2094 and scholarships@dvc.edu. I look forward to meeting you!

Lindsay Kong

Hi. My name is Lindsay Kong and I am the Program Manager for EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, and START (foster youth program). These are all programs which can serve AB540 students. You can find me on the first floor of the Student Services Building in Suite 127 where my programs share an office space with Scholarships and Adult Education. Stop by our suite to learn about valuable resources and programs open to DREAMers and AB540 students.

Yvette Maruri

Jeniffer Monroy

Hi! My name is Jeniffer Monroy and I am an Admissions and Records Assistant. My office is located in the Student Services building on the first floor. Students are welcome to come in and seek our assistance at any time when the office is open. We have representatives at all times at the window to answer any questions. In addition, I provide students with assistance with registration concerns, blocks and holds on records, determining residency for in-state tuition, updates and corrections to student accounts, and how to acquire official transcripts. I can discuss and assist students who qualify for AB540 status on procedures and forms as well as offer tips on other available resources on campus. I enjoy helping all students and do anything I can to support them while they work towards their academic goals. Please feel free to call me at 925-969-2063.

Ligia Morcillo

Ada Ocampo

Frank Ortega

Albert Ponce

Hello! My name is Albert Ponce, Assistant Professor of Political Science. You can find me on the 2nd Floor of the Faculty Office Building, FO 210. Come by with any questions you may have or simply to say hi! I am here to support and mentor Dreamers/AB540 students. I teach courses on American Government, Introduction to Politics, and Political Theory. My research focuses on the politics of migration and I love working with students towards achieving civil rights for all.

Mercy Pono

Warm greetings! My name is Mercy Pono, the Outreach and Welcome Services Coordinator. I conduct presentations at high schools and attend college fairs to introduce people to our college, our stellar academic programs and the myriad of FREE resources we have available. I also coordinate campus tours and assist students with our enrollment process (application, online orientation, assessment, educational planning and registration). I believe that education is powerful and transformative, opening the doors to opportunities some would never think possible. Please feel free to contact me at mpono@dvc.edu / 925-969-2115. You can also ask for me at Welcome Services, which is located on the first floor of the Student Services Center. I look forward to assisting you with the start of your educational journey.

Lizette Ponthier

Hi there! I’m Lizette Ponthier, Supervisor of the DVC Financial Aid and Scholarship offices. It is the job of my department to ensure that students at DVC know that financial assistance is available to help you attend college. As Dreamers you may have access to state financial aid programs through the California Dream Act to qualify for tuition fee waivers and grants such as Cal Grant, Full-time Student Success Grant, and the California College Completion Grant. Scholarships are also available to help you meet your college costs at DVC or when you transfer. My team and I are here to support you through the complex financial aid and scholarship search process. The Financial Aid Office is located on the first floor of the Student Services Center. The Scholarship program is located in the EOPS/CARE, CalWorks, Scholarship, and START office suite. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email your inquiries.

Emily Stone

Hello! My name is Emily Stone and I am the Dean of Counseling and Student Success Programs and co-chair of the DREAMers Alliance. My office is located in the Student Services Center on the ground floor. I oversee many programs that directly support DREAMers, including Adult Education, Financial Aid, Scholarships, EOPS/CARE, and others. One of the best parts of my job is working with the many talented student services managers, faculty, and staff who are committed to the success of DREAMers. If you have specific questions, please feel free to call me at 925-969-2113. I’m happy to help!

Kenyetta Tribble

Greetings! My name is Kenyetta Tribble, I am a Dean at the DVC San Ramon Campus. I am available to connect Dreamers and AB540 students to resources and services to help them reach their educational goals. My office is located in the West Building room 131. Please feel free to call me at 925-551-6204 or email me if I can be of assistance. All the best!

Join us

All members of the DVC community are encouraged to join us in our monthly meetings. DREAMers Alliance meetings will be held on the 4th Monday of each month from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Meetings are currently being held via Zoom. Please contact dreamers@dvc.edu for the Zoom meeting information.

If you would like more information, please send an email to Dreamers@dvc.edu.

“ I joined the DVC DREAMers Alliance and I began to take up space in rooms where I knew I could make a difference. The DREAMers Alliance provided a sense of allyship. I remember the first day I showed up to those meetings. I was usually the only student there. Frightening at first but I began to use my voice giving them an inside look of what being undocumented was really about. I also got to network with faculty that knew where I came from like and who opened doors such as the DREAM SF Fellowship."

- Hernan Soto, DREAMer Alumni
"Although I faced many barriers as an undocumented college student, I feel fortunate to have found genuine support and guidance at Diablo Valley College. I’m incredibly thankful to all the professors, counselors, and classmates who welcomed me warmly and encouraged me to pursue my educational goals. Now that I’m transferring to a 4-year university, I feel confident in my ability to succeed academically while helping to lead efforts in making education a possibility for all students, including DREAMers."

- Cristobal Castañeda, DREAMer Alumni
“No Human Being Is Illegal On Stolen Land. Our undocumented status does not and will never define who we are as people. We are so much more than the “legal papers” this country is looking for. I know that it took some time for me to accept myself and my status, and every day I still try to find ways to accept myself especially when the country we know doesn’t accept us. We have to remember that there is nothing wrong with taking our time to feel, ask for help, and to just be. We are human beings and we should be treated as such."

- Hazel Pinon, Current DREAMer
"As a first-generation college student and an undocumented immigrant, it was always a dream of mine to pursue higher education. When coming to the United States I knew being here was a privilege and an opportunity, one I did not have in my home country of El Salvador. After I graduated high school I knew that my road to success had to include higher education but because of financial struggles, my options became limited. Finally, I took the decision to come to DVC, and I can honestly say it was the best decision I made. Here at DVC I found a community of other Latinos with goals similar to mine."

- Lilian Ventura, Current DREAMer
"Being low-income I have not had the educational opportunities that middle-class families have. All my life I attended schools with students predominantly African-American or Hispanic. We were not given the proper resources to succeed in this educational system. So in order for me to continue on my journey, I had to work twice as hard. I managed to learn and apply to scholarships and financial aid even though I am undocumented. The professors, mentors, and tutors at DVC have prepared me academically and with great perseverance and determination. I’m proud to say that I am now attending the University of California, Berkeley, and majoring in sociology."

- Maria Bojorquez, DREAMer Alumni
"Extracurricular activities sometimes take the most out of you but they're worth it. While I was at DVC I took advantage of the Latinx Student Alliance Club, Student Assistant at a Cadaver Lab, Speech and Debate team, Work Study at the Office of Student Engagement and Equity, The DREAMers Alliance, The PUMA Center, and the abundance of mentors. I faced my fears by getting involved and I met some of my best friends because of my involvement."

- Hernan Soto, DREAMer Alumni
"One of the worries I had when I started college was being able to afford it. Given that I am undocumented, I do not qualify for FAFSA. During my first semester of college I was charged as an out-of-state student, I was afraid that I would not be able to take classes due to financial inability. Luckily, California is one of the states that allow in-state tuition to dreamers known as AB540 and I was also qualified for the Dream Act, and EOPs which had been a tremendous help for me."

- Hazel Pinon, Current DREAMer