Josie Padilla

I was born and raised in Ventura County, so Ventura College was always a part of my story. I would go to the swapmeet, family members have gone there so it was always in my peripheral. I struggled academically in high school and after weighing my options, I enrolled in Ventura College. Having had a hard time in high school, I was nervous about my classes, but I had wonderful professors that first semester that encouraged me and made me fall in love with school again. I was an English major and while I love those classes, I discovered a love of math, going up to Calculus on my own and helping my classmates in my various classes. I helped create the Reading, Writing, and Poets club and helped put together the first Diversity in Culture festival. I made the Dean’s list multiple times and my time at VC truly was a highlight of my academic career. I continued with my English degree and transferred to UCLA in 2016 (my VC graduation picture made the English department page!). I loved UCLA but encountered additional struggles, and despite my love of math and interest in computer programming, I maintained my path in English and finally graduated in 2021. I had begun working in luxury hospitality in 2020 and never forgot my fondness for STEM subjects as I explored new systems at my job. After a few job changes (and applying to over 20 jobs one evening), I found and was hired to the perfect job for my journey. I am now an IT Administrative Assistant at Aspiranet, with a manager and team that are so supportive of my learning the various aspects of IT, including introducing a formal training regiment to allow not just myself but others to learn beyond their roles. I definitely credit Ventura College for helping me find my passion as I used to think that I was not suited to the STEM subjects but my professors and community at the college helped me realize that I just needed the proper support.