My MJC Story - Summer 2021 Edition

Over the next 12 months, Modesto Junior College will celebrate its 100th birthday. Please mark your calendar with the dates noted on page one so you can join us as we mark a century of positively impacting and connecting with our extended community.  

Stories of our history, students, alumni, staff and retirees will play a key role in this celebration. The MJC Centennial Curriculum Project will offer several courses allowing students to explore MJC’s history and place in the community, and its role in the lives of people who have studied and served at this great college. A digital storybook will commemorate this significant milestone as well. And MJC Centennial TV, a series of YouTube presentations, will feature various aspects of our college and how it has affected our region for the better.  

Watch for additional details about these activities and more over the course of the year.

In the meantime, enjoy the stories about students and alumni in this newsletter. And please share your MJC story if you haven’t already! Just visit www.modestojcfoundation.org to tell us about your experience.

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MJC's New President
MJC's New President

Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay, after serving for 5 months on an interim basis, was recently named president of MJC. He comes to us after serving for two and a half years as president of Columbia College. Dr. Bandyopadhyay states, “I am thankful for the opportunity to lead MJC in its centennial year.” And, he looks forward to continuing the work he’s already begun by, “growing connections with our civic leadership, high schools, businesses and community. I am looking forward to working with all constituencies, both inside and outside the campus, to lead MJC to be the finest institution in the state.”

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MJC: A Path For Achieving Dreams
MJC: A Path For Achieving Dreams

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.

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The Right Environment
The Right Environment

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.

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Run For Students
Run For Students

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.

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Be Prepared For More Than You Expect
Be Prepared For More Than You Expect

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.

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