Jessica Robles: VCF Student Ambassador
PROUDLY SERVING AS A VC FOUNDATION STUDENT AMBASSADOR
You might now be familiar with the Ventura College Foundation Student Ambassadors Group. If not, you probably should be. For 504 reasons.
Prior to the formation of the Student Ambassadors Group, the Foundation, whose motto is “Your Dreams, Our Mission,” was not well known to many Ventura College students. In turn, they were largely unaware that the Foundation could provide invaluable resources like scholarships, grants, tutoring, and textbook lending.
Following the launch of the program in 2017, the number of scholarship applications spiked from 372 to 504 — results that were not lost on ambassadors such as Jessica Robles.
“We’ve definitely been doing a good job spreading the word and serving as resource guides to the student body,” says Jessica. “I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish in the coming year, especially since our committee ranks are growing.”
Currently enrolled as a nursing student at Ventura College, Jessica takes great pride in serving as a student ambassador. She also believes the program — along with the Foundation it helps promote — has enriched her own college experience.
“I’m very proud to say that I’m an ambassador,” says Jessica. “If not for all the opportunities and resources the Foundation has granted me, I don’t know where I would stand today. Not only have they provided me with great mentors and financial opportunities, but they’ve also motivated me and inspired me to achieve a higher education.”
Jessica cites the David Bianco Textbook Lending Library, the Textbook Reserve Collection, the VC Promise Program, and scholarships for each of the past two school years as key components in her own personal path at Ventura College. She also believes that her interaction with fellow students as an ambassador has instilled her with a greater confidence and sense of purpose.
The oldest of four sisters and a first-generation student, Jessica is now preparing for nursing school after graduating from Ventura College with three associates degrees — along with Dean’s List honors every year. She hopes that current Ventura College students will also reap the many benefits afforded by the Ventura College Foundation, the Student Ambassadors Group, and more.
“All the campus events and programs definitely made me feel more at home with the campus and the students,” says Jessica. “The tutoring center, the First Year Experience program, the Pirates Cove, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services — they all contributed to my motivation and perseverance, either financially and/or academically. They help students become more involved and learn more about the campus and its programs. It’s a very welcoming campus and community.”