Advocating for Community College w/ Alex Torrez

Happy New Year, Transfer Nation! We’re kicking off 2023 by continuing our conversation with Alex Torrez - this time delving into community college advocacy. Community colleges have long served as a tool for transfer, and yet they are still underutilized and stigmatized. In this episode, Heather and Alex discuss how to help dispel the stigma, address and solve hidden obstacles, and educate students’ support networks on the legitimacy and benefits of a community college education.

Alexandra Torrez is currently a Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow at the University of Virginia. After transferring from Las Positas College, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of California-Berkeley in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus in International Relations and Comparative Politics. At Berkeley, she served as the Transfer Director Chair for the Mixed at Berkeley Recruitment and Retention Center, which is a part of the bridges Multicultural Research Center. Alex is also the founder and director of Traditionally Untraditional, an organization dedicated to providing resources and opportunities to neo-traditional and transfer students.

Connect with Alex on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram!

 

Resources Mentioned

• Privilege Loss: Who Leaves the Upper Middle Class and How They Fall by Jessi Streib 
• Learn more about the UVA Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship
• Explore Traditionally Untraditional

• Learn more about bridges MRC and check them out on their social media
  • bridges MRC Instagram
  • bridges MRC Transfer Instagram
• Learn more about Mixed at Berkeley Recruitment and Retention Center (MRRC) on their website and check them out on their Instagram
• For students interested in international relations and intersecting careers, find support programs at Global CC Transfers

 

#TransferRentention #TransferCommunity #TransferAdvocacy #UCBerkeley

Communities Within the Transfer Community: This episode is part of a TNTalks series focused on acknowledging the diversity within the transfer experience and spotlighting student identities through an intersectional lens.

Show Credits

Host | Dr. Heather Adams

Guest | Alexandra Torrez

Producers | Sam Kaplan, Brandon Rodríguez

Sound Editing

Show Credits
Host | Dr. Heather Adams
Producers | Rhian Waterberg, Emily Kittrell
Sound Editing | Abraham Urias

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