ELISE DULAY

With no real separation between home, work, and school life, first year Glendale Community College student Elise Dulay finds she’s busier than ever since the stay-at-home order began, and her biggest challenge is taking a break. With no commute, Elise adds two hours back into her day to accomplish her growing to-do list, which includes advocating for inclusion and representation at GCC. Her hard work and dedication are paying off; scheduling those extra meetings and putting in the additional hours has led to the planning of successful Associated Students of Glendale Community College events even during these challenging times.

“I try my best to engage in the conversation. Not only does it help keep me focused, but it also mimics the feeling of being in a real classroom.”

Setting boundaries and staying connected to others has been critical to Elise’s success during this time of transition. “I’ve attempted to rearrange my room to create a space where I can focus to help shake off the feeling of working from home,” said Elise. “I also try to participate in class. Whether it is through a chat or on video, I try my best to engage in the conversation. Not only does it help keep me focused, but it also mimics the feeling of being in a real classroom.”

When she does take some downtime, Elise spends it playing board games with her family or walks to the nearby park for a game of lacrosse. “I am privileged to be able to look at this situation and see opportunities instead of challenges. A lot of students are struggling during this time and they cannot focus on the future of the college, or even the end goal of their education. Instead, they are forced to focus on their lack of basic needs — basic needs that I too often take for granted.”

RICHARD CANO

Richard Cano completed the nursing program at Glendale Community College in December 2018. Working as a critical care nurse in the ICU/CCU department at University of Southern California, Richard is always ready for new challenges. “I chose this career because I wanted to help others. I was born premature and while in the NICU my mother always talked about how the nurses helped my family during that hard and scary time. The NICU nurses were there day and night, making sure I was getting the best care possible,” said Richard.

During his time at GCC, Richard valued the comfort in knowing he was never alone and always supported by a team of healthcare professionals. “I developed a ton of skills while at GCC. The nursing program set me up to be comfortable as a new nurse going out in the world. The skills I learned at GCC allowed me to develop competence in providing safe and outstanding care. The staff and faculty went above and beyond to ensure my success and transition into a full-fledged nurse.

"I developed a ton of skills while at GCC. The nursing program set me up to be comfortable as a new nurse going out in the world.”

Although he is at the beginning of his nursing career, Richard is on the frontlines learning and developing his skills everyday during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking care of patients when they need it most. “Nursing is a great career with plenty of opportunities to offer care for people during a scary and dark time in their lives, and that in itself is a reward. When you see a patient who is sick, and they recover and are discharged, this brings about a great sense of fulfillment, knowing that you assisted in their recovery.” He is taking his studies further and is currently enrolled in an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at California State University San Marcos, where he has the flexibility to work full-time while completing his education to reach his personal and educational goals faster.

ANGELU LESACA

Angelu Lesaca, Environmental Science and Music major at GCC has been adjusting, as her routine and normalcy have changed, seemingly overnight. “I aspire to use this time to become better in my respective fields, and as a student active in addressing environmental issues, which is why I chose to attend GCC, created a sustainability club, and am a Senator in ASGCC.”

“I’m thankful to be active not only in academics but also in enriching other GCC students’ experiences as part of ASGCC, through virtual events and other engaging discussion on other social platforms.”

Though Angelu is making good use of her new-found free time, reading all of the books she’s
accumulated, listening to music from the classical era up to Talking Heads, and playing various musical instruments, she finds herself struggling in academics. Taking lab courses remotely through video instruction versus hands on learning is a challenge. “I am not fully engaged and can only muster little amounts of attention when listening to lectures, though Zoom meetings have eased this transition greatly. Our own internal drive to succeed is more conspicuous than ever.”

Persevering through the challenges of remote learning, Angelu recognizes that being a part of a community, both educational and personal, is more important now than ever. “I adore the stronger connections I share with my dear friends in class. I’m thankful to be active not only in academics but also in enriching other GCC students’ experiences as part of ASGCC, through virtual events and other engaging discussion on other social platforms.”

MICHAEL BARCENA

A family history of diabetes drove Michael Barcena to work toward a career in nursing. “Half my family is diabetic, my aunts and uncles are type 2 and a handful of my cousins are type 1. Growing up I thought diabetes was a part of life and everyone was going to get it including myself. I became a nurse because I wanted to understand why my family would get sick and why they needed to be in the hospital,” said Michael.

Michael attended Glendale Community College, completing the LVN to RN program in 2018. After his time at GCC, Michael transferred to Chamberlain College of Nursing and Public Health where he is currently completing his final few semesters.

“My career has led me to meet so many wonderful patients and nurses that have impacted my growth as a person.”

When deciding where to pursue his education, GCC was one of many schools Michael applied to. However, GCC stood out as there was no waitlist, and he was able to find out his admission status in a reasonable amount of time, helping him work toward completing his degree faster.

While completing his degree, Michael works as a Registered Nurse at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Prior, Michael worked as an LVN in home health, private care, clinics, and convalescent homes. “My career has led me to meet so many wonderful patients and nurses that have impacted my growth as a person. A decade after starting a career in nursing I am where I have always wanted to be, in the emergency room as an RN. I feel my career is just getting started, I have so much to learn which is what I love about this career, there is always something to learn.”