Impact Report: Year-Ends 2021 and 2022

Kim Lopez

Kim Lopez: President of Cañada College and long-time staff donor

“It is an absolute honor to work within this District. I can’t imagine a better career.” – Kim Lopez, President of Cañada College

For the last eleven years, the San Mateo County Community College District has served as Kim Lopez’s work home. She is a true success story in the District, having worked at two of the colleges ꟷ Cañada College and College of San Mateo ꟷ in diverse positions.

Kim started on her path to a career in higher education while still a student at the University of California in Santa Barbara, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. During her time in college, she worked at the career center, helping her peers write resumes and cover letters for internships through the international internship program. “I loved talking about jobs and internships with my peers. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was starting my career,” reflects Kim. “I was also an ambassador, so I gave tours to prospective students and their families. I was already working in higher education and I loved it.”

Having discovered her professional calling, Kim went on to pursue a master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis on higher education at Cal Poly in San Luis Obisbo. She received an assistantship in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), where she successfully wrote a federal grant that focused on helping underrepresented students succeed on the doctoral level. “I had the great fortune of serving as the founding director for implementing that grant. I was able to help these students get research assistantships and join professional organizations in their respective fields so they could pursue doctoral studies. I was happily and busily pursuing what would be my career in higher education.”

Kim had her first professional experience with a community college in 1996. She was in her third year serving as Assistant Dean at the Eleanor Roosevelt College at the University of California, San Diego when she noticed an opportunity in the Chronicle of Higher Education that she knew she had to take.

Within a few months, Kim became the founding director of the Upward Bound Program at the College of Micronesia on the Island of Kosrae, a two-year position. With her children not yet in school, this was a unique opportunity for Kim to work overseas, expand her knowledge, and create a new program. Upward Bound is a U.S. Department of Education federally funded program that provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. It is part of the Federal TRIO Programs that deliver outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals who are first-generation college students and from low-income backgrounds. Indeed, during her time abroad, Kim also served as a consultant, helping establish and strengthen the TRIO programs at all four campuses of the College of Micronesia.

“My time in Micronesia was amazing and unforgettable. More than anything, it solidified my desire to stay working for community colleges. I loved the CSUs and the UCs, but my skill sets were best suited at the community college level.”

Kim and her family returned to the United States after her two-year contract ended and her daughters were ready to enter the school system. For the next 13 years at College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California, she worked as a counselor and director of the EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services), CARE, CalWorks, and TRIO Programs, serving students disadvantaged by social, economic, educational, or linguistic barriers. Fortunately, for the students and her future colleagues at SMCCCD, Kim was encouraged to apply for the Dean of Enrollment position at Cañada College. She started in that job in 2011, overseeing financial aid, admissions and records, outreach and recruitment, the Veterans and Dream Centers and, eventually, SparkPoint. The position allowed her to see work at a community college through a different lens and set her up for her future success at the District.

Following a short time as Dean of Enrollment Services, Kim became Dean of Counseling, then Interim and Permanent Vice President of Student Services. Stints as Vice President of Student Services at College of San Mateo, Acting and Interim President of the College of San Mateo and then Interim President of Cañada College ensued. After more than a decade at SMCCCD, and a variety of roles that have given her a depth of understanding about the District and the colleges, today Kim is President of Cañada College.

Since she started working at Cañada College in 2011, Kim has been giving back to her community, financially supporting student success and programs. She has long donated to Cañada College and College of San Mateo’s Dream Centers through payroll deductions “Giving to me is about supporting people and recognizing where there is need. We give to people whose efforts capture our hearts and we see our own struggles in them. Immediately when I started working at Cañada College I knew that forming the Dreamers Club [for undocumented students] and giving our students access to resources like financial aid was important. This is a group of students who, through no fault of their own, can’t access what other students can.”

Together in collaboration, Cañada College and the Foundation have big jobs ahead. The college’s goals include raising funds for a child development center, student housing, and scholarships for SMCCCD’s most underresourced students. “I always feel like I can do more, give more, support more. But I can’t do it alone and the Foundation can’t do it without the support of the entire community. I am one small piece of a community of people that care deeply for our students. I’m looking forward to working with the Foundation to provide more access and support for our students. I’m proud to be part of a community that does that.”