Madera college opens new multicultural and veterans centers

MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Officials with Madera Community College held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Multicultural Center and Veterans Center. College President Angel Reyna said they wanted to create a space for students to feel safe.

“I felt great because it’s been a long time coming,” said Reyna. “You know, the environment says a lot.”

The college won the Lumina competition back in 2022. The million-dollar prize money allowed them the funding to renovate their old library into the new Multicultural Center and Veterans Center.

“Without the Lumina Million Dollar Challenge funding, we wouldn’t have been able to afford to do this. So they fast-tracked our work, and here we are today,” Reyna said.

He said the Multicultural Center will act as a one-stop shop for students.

“We wanted to centralize the support because it’s challenging enough for a student to come and get help,” he said.

The Multicultural Center will also feature additional office space, new tables and chairs and private office space as well. And soon, Reyna said they want to add some personal touches.

Lainey Campos is the Veterans Counselor at the college.

“The system can be very complex,” said Campos.  “So having a space where they can come in and get some advice on how to maximize those benefits that they’ve rightly earned, either as a dependent, a survivor of or the veteran themselves is incredibly impacting to their higher educational goals, their achievements and their promotion into their future careers.”

The Veteran’s Center is geared toward the college’s military students. Campos said it’s a place where they can meet and share their experiences and challenges.

There are currently about 18 military students who will be graduating at the end of the semester from Madera Community College.