When I realized I had a passion for music and theater, I was fortunate to have a high school teacher who referred me to Modesto Junior College to study classical music with Dr. Lewis and Shirley Woodward – a true music teaching institution.

While at MJC, I had the privilege to sing with the community chorus, be part of the yearly musical, work for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, and earn a full scholarship to the University of California at Irvine.

Growing up, I never thought college would be an option for me.

My immigrant parents worked tirelessly to provide for their kids so there was never much time to discuss the importance of higher education. No one in my family had attended college so I didn’t have anyone to help guide me through the process. I felt hopeless. However, my sister convinced me to try, so I decided to go to MJC. Even if I failed, I could at least say I tried. Once I started, I learned how great the MJC community is and met professors and mentors who changed my life.

As a poetry teacher, I think in metaphors all the time. A pencil, for example, is not just graphite and wood. It can be the most powerful and influential tool in the world if you use it well. I think this way about exercise too. So, when I heard about the Goggins (ultramarathon) Challenge I didn’t think about my feet hurting or lungs exploding. I thought about it as a metaphor for students who are at the starting line of their educational journey.

I was just 12 years old when I took my first class at Modesto Junior College.

I loved acting in school plays, so someone suggested that I try a class at MJC with an acting professor named Charline Freedman (aka Jeremy Renner’s mentor around that time!). Professor Freedman’s class was so inspiring that it and MJC left a very positive impression on me, far before I was old enough for college.

According to Shelby Woodings, art and philosophy go together like peanut butter and jelly. She might be one of the few people ever to make this unusual analogy – but here’s why.

Elliott Dominguez knew he wanted to attend MJC on the way to transferring to a four-year university, and he thought he wanted to be an English major. What he ended up doing was trying out music, history and philosophy courses before committing to a degree program in … wait for it … science.

I’m a first-generation American and first-generation college student, and, even with two jobs, my single mother did not have enough to pay the bills. I learned early on that education is a great way to move up in life. Fortunately, MJC was close to home, the cost was manageable, and I was familiar with it because my sister had attended here.

Born on an American Indian reservation in Washington, Annamarie Pedroza endured a traumatic childhood that led to drug use by the age of nine. By 21, she was “fully addicted,” a condition not uncommon in her family. “Every semester I would either get low grades or quit going altogether,” she says. “Drugs and alcohol had a firm hold on my life and I eventually gave up on school.”

What makes our students proud to be a part of MJC? We are MJCProud!

We are so proud of our 202o graduates! Hear some of their success stories here.