alumnistories - The Campaign for College Opportunity

Debra Vails-Qualters, graduate of Merritt College, class of ’73; University of California, San Francisco, class of ’75 and ‘84

Born and raised in Harlem, Debra Vails-Qualters was one of 11 brothers and sisters. Throughout her childhood years, her family always struggled to make ends meet. Debra got pregnant at 17 and dropped out of high school. She worked to earn her GED in New York and decided to move to California with her 8-month-old daughter at 18.

Debra started taking classes at Merritt College in Oakland. She learned about University of California, San Francisco’s nursing program by chance from the doctor who treated her daughter Julie’s asthma. She went to Merritt for two years, taking a full-time load, and transferred to UCSF after two years, earning a B.S. degree from there in 1975. She went on to earn M.S. in nursing in 1984.

Debra was the first and only one in her family to graduate from college, with most of her family members never even getting their high school diplomas. Many of her siblings are struggling financially in low-paying jobs while Debra, now near retirement, is making more than $100,000 a year.

“If I hadn’t gone to college, I would have been like my sister, working a low-paying job that doesn’t seem to get anywhere,” Debra said. “Being an unskilled laborer in America is really rough. You need to have higher education. I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunities that were given to me.”

Mario Marin, graduate of Mt. San Antonio College, class of ’91; University of California, Santa Barbara, class of ‘93

Mario Marin grew up in Los Angeles as one of five kids to a divorced mom. Despite having done poorly in high school and having no clear sense of what he wanted to do, Mario decided to attend Mt. San Antonio College, becoming the first in his family to go to college. At Mt. Sac he joined the college’s nationally ranked Forensics Team. A shy kid afraid of public speaking, he quickly built focus and confidence, winning a number of prestigious competitions. “I could have easily gone straight to work as the manager at Blockbuster or something along those lines,” Mario said. “Instead I was working part time, taking a full load, and traveling around the country, representing Mt. Sac.”

After Mt. Sac, Mario transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned a degree in Political Science. He also studied at Carnegie Mellon University and went on to earn a Master’s from the New School for Social Research in New York City.

After working in Washington D.C. for four years, Mario went to work as the Senior Budget and Policy Analyst in the office of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in 1998. He later served in Mayor James Hahn’s administration.

“I always kept going back to my training and college to help me get ahead,” Mario said. “All of that started with my experience at Mt. Sac and Santa Barbara, and then the policy skills I acquired from the New School.”

Mario now works for a private corporation, but is continuing to involve himself in public service. For example, Mario created LA’s BEST Friends, a group of young professionals that raises money for the LA’s BEST After-School Program.

“My number one priority at LA’s BEST is to teach these kids who come from underserved areas that getting a good education is possible, that with a little bit of guidance and financial help they can do it,” said Mario. “I believe in public institutions, especially the commitment to higher education that my state has.” He added, “I always owed to Mt. SAC and UC Santa Barbara. My college experience was the ticket, the key to my success, what made a difference in my life. All it took was a second chance and that second chance for me was Mt. Sac.”

Jennifer Johann, graduate of Santa Barbara City College, class of ‘05

Jennifer Johann, 35, had a troubled childhood during which she lived with numerous families, went to many schools, and was placed in a mental health facility in high school. It took her decades to overcome her mental illness, but in 2005 she graduated from Santa Barbara City College with an Associate of Arts degree and certificate from the drafting/CAD department, specializing in landscape drafting.

Having come to Santa Barbara for psychiatric treatment, she decided to attend SBCC to build upon child care courses she had taken years earlier at Pasadena City College. This is how she discovered drafting. Jennifer loved it and did very well, becoming a tutor for four semesters in both computer-assisted and manual drafting and working at the Santa Barbara County Architectural Archives.

She credits her teachers and the learning disability department at SBCC for her success as well as the financial aid she received from the state, both FAFSA and Cal Grants. “I am a productive member of society now and am not being paid by the government,” said Jennifer. “I was able to get off the system and actually pay back into it. It’s not that I’m rich, but I can help others when they need things now.” She added, “Without college, I would still be locked in a mental institution, have absolutely no self-esteem, and be receiving social security checks.”