Guided Pathways
Past Guided Pathways
Ambassadors & Projects
Las Positas College Guided Pathways hires student assistants to be an integral part of the design and implementation process. Together, we worked collaboratively to include students from across our campus in everything we do.
Guided Pathways Student Ambassadors 2023-2024
- Research Student Ambassador Programs and start an LPC Student Ambassador Club
- Collaboration with Career Center to better tell about economic mobile options at LPC linked with our academic programs
- Collaboration with Cassondra in Basic Needs to better understand the needs and resources available to our students
- Support work on the LPC mobile app visual identity
My name is Hassieb Hassieb, and I was born in Oakland but lived most of my life in the Central Valley. During my first year of high school, I moved back to the Bay Area in Dublin. My passions and hobbies are technology, electronics, video games, and art. Since I was a young child, I have been tinkering around with old deceives and toys. I was opening them, seeing what was inside them, and trying to reconstruct them. I am so excited about this job because I get to help streamline the college system, help my fellow students, and, most importantly, I get to represent LPC students as an ambassador to the college.
The Academic and Career Pathway I identify with is Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Environment Pathway. My Academic Goal is to get an associate degree in computer science to transfer to San Francisco State University or EastBay to get a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. Then I might go back to university later in life to get a master's degree in business or a more specialized degree in computer science or engineering.
Hello! My name is Noor Ibrahim, I am currently majoring in computer science as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics pathway. My academic goal is to transfer to UC Berkeley after two years to major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS). Having moved to Tracy at the age of 10, my passions include electronics and listening to music. As a member of the Guided Pathways Student Ambassador team, I'm enthusiastic about making meaningful improvements in our school community and eagerly look forward to the accomplishments we can achieve in the upcoming year.
Hello everyone! My name is Tyli Tam (she/her)! I am currently studying Communications, relating to the Language, Literature, and Communications Studies pathway. After my 2 years at Las Positas, I’m looking to transfer to Arizona State University’s online program in order to simultaneously maintain my passion for travel and school. With that said, my passions are exploring new places and filling my schedule with friends and family. However when I’m winding down, I love to bake (especially banana bread), embroider, play Stardew Valley, and build Legos! Being Guided Pathways Student Ambassador is incredibly thrilling in the sense that my team and I can effectively improve the lives/ careers of our fellow classmates. Let alone, it is a wonderful opportunity to lighten the stress for future students’ career decisions whilst meeting new people with new stories! :)
Hello everyone, I am Anshika (she/her), and I am pursuing a Certificate Program in GDDM(Graphic Design and Digital Media) at Las Positas College. I aim to be a successful UX Designer ( User Experience Designer). I did a Master's in Chemistry from the University of India. When I moved to the USA, I did not get opportunities to work here because of Visa restrictions. After a long gap, It was challenging to get into that field. Being a creative person, I thought I should try to explore creative fields like Web Design, User Experience, and User Interface. I feel that if I work in the design field, it will challenge me and help me improve my current skills. In my leisure time, I love to listen to music. I am also trained in Indian Classical Music, and when I get time, I sing. I love to explore new places.
Hello! My name is Kayla Pascua (she/her), and I am a second year here at Las Positas College. I personally identify with two pathways, the STEM & Environment and Society, Culture, & Human Development pathways. I am a Cognitive Science major, planning to minor in Computer Science, and am looking into transferring to UC San Diego in the Fall 2024 semester. I was born in Orange County in SoCal, but moved to the Bay Area at around 4 years old. I absolutely love dipping my toes into unexplored areas of my life and like to make new experiences for myself! I have a great passion for music, whether that be indulging in my favorite artists’ latest songs to playing and singing music on an instrument. I also enjoy playing video games, traveling, and working out. I am super honored to be a Guided Pathways Student Ambassador, and I look forward to helping other students progress their journeys while attending Las Positas College!
Hi everyone! My name is Joanna Chiu (she/her). I’m currently a Computer Science major who identifies the most with the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Pathway. My plan is to transfer to UCLA for Mathematics of Computation or UC Berkeley for Computer Science after three years, with additional hopes of completing and getting the AI/Machine Learning certificate. I’ve been interested in AI and machine learning since elementary school, so my eventual circling from robotics to marketing and back to computer science only made sense. On the side, my hobbies are video gaming, listening to music, and drawing. As a Guided Pathways Student Ambassador, I’m excited to help bring multiple changes to our campus. I am a firm believer that community college is one of the best next-steps to your life, wherever you are in your life, and my goal is to help improve students’ experiences for the few years that they are here. I think it’s great to participate in a community so focused on supporting and building a great foundation for students!
Hello! My name is Neal O’ Conbhui Ponzanelli, and I am a second year here studying Computer Science at Las Positas College. I’m passionate about a lot of things but the main thing people know me for is my love of the arts and music. I love writing music and composing my own songs and on occasion I’ll do a little drawing or a painting to keep my mind busy. I think something that really painted my love for music in the arts is the culture that my parents instilled in me from a young age. My mom is from Mexico City so I was always learning about artists like Frida Khalo and my dad grew up in Ireland where he was greatly influenced by Soul and Rock music by Irish artists like U2 or The Cranberries. My other hobbies are martial arts, math, computer science and cooking. I am excited to be a Guided Pathways Student Ambassador and I will do my best to improve student lives while at the college!
Guided Pathways Student Ambassadors 2022-2023
Hey everyone! My name is Siraj Zahid. I am of Pakistani ethnicity and love to exercise and play basketball and cricket. I am currently a second year computer science and mathematics major at Las Positas College. I am currently within the Science,Technology, Engineering, Math, and Environment career pathway. My main goal is to transfer by next year to UC Davis or San Jose State University as a Data Science and Statistics major. I am also trying to obtain a AST-Mathematics, AA-Liberal Arts & Sciences: Mathematics and Science, AST-Computer Science, and a IGETC Certification prior to transfer. I am excited about this job and ready to put my voice out on the table by helping make the college a more engaging environment.
Hi! My name is Jadyn Orji. I am currently a part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics pathway, and I am majoring in Biology: Allied Health. My goal is to finish my prerequisites here so I can apply to a Radiologic Technology program. I have always had a love for collaborating with others and I spent many years on various leadership teams doing so in High School. I am very excited to be a part of the Guided Pathways Student Ambassador team and make meaningful improvements to the school community. I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish this year!
My name is Hassieb Hassieb, and I was born in Oakland but lived most of my life in the Central Valley. During my first year of high school, I moved back to the Bay Area in Dublin. My passions and hobbies are technology, electronics, video games, and art. Since I was a young child, I have been tinkering around with old deceives and toys. I was opening them, seeing what was inside them, and trying to reconstruct them. I am so excited about this job because I get to help streamline the college system, help my fellow students, and, most importantly, I get to represent LPC students as an ambassador to the college.
The Academic and Career Pathway I identify with is Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Environment Pathway. My Academic Goal is to get an associate degree in computer science to transfer to San Francisco State University or EastBay to get a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. Then I might go back to university later in life to get a master's degree in business or a more specialized degree in computer science or engineering.
Hello! My Name is Noor Ibrahim and I am majoring in Computer Science. This is my first year here and I am planning on transferring after three years to UC Berkeley and major in EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences). In my free time I like listening to music and solving problems and that is why I think I was attracted to this job. I am really excited about this job because I get to help students during their time at LPC and gain work experience.
My name is Tresina (Ty) Bennett. Attending Las Positas College has been wonderful. I started my journey at a local Adult Education re-entry job training program. When the pandemic occurred, I had the courage to apply to LPC as a full-time student through the Umoja Program. My academic and career pathway is Business, Economics, Entrepreneurship, and IT. Kimberly Burks is my Guided Pathway Success Coach and Umoja Counselor and her support has been invaluable. I am excited to be a Guided Pathway Ambassador and provide a voice for re-entry adult learners. My goal is to graduate from LPC in August 2023 with a degree in Business Administration and transfer to either a UC or CSU to complete a bachelor's degree.
Hi, my name is Lizzy Rager. I have been going to Las Positas for a few years now, the first two as a Middle college student, so I am super excited to get to use my experience and what I’ve learned from others to be a Guided Pathways Student Ambassador! Some of my hobbies include writing, reading, going thrifting, and sewing. I actually found my passion, journalism, at Las Positas. I’ve always enjoyed reading stories about people, so when I had the chance to create how the story looked about something or someone, it really excited me. My Academic and Career pathway would be language, literature, and communication studies. I plan to get my Communications associate degree by the end of spring and then transfer to UCSB or UCLA to get my Bachelors in Communications, and possibly double major.
My name is Tina Knutson and I am seeking an AA in Music. This is my second semester at Las Positas and my academic and career pathway is with Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Design. I am a returning student and hold an M.A. in Exercise Physiology from San Jose State. I am an army veteran, and super excited to become an ambassador and help others, especially veterans and returning students, find their way! Going back to school can be super intimidating, so I’m hoping to help make the process easier and contribute to moving the hurdles that can be in the way.
Guided Pathways Student Ambassadors 2020-2022
Student Team Updates
Each month, our student team engaged in the Guided Pathway work shares what is happening in Guided Pathways and how it affects their student experience.
5/2021 - Reflections from the Semester
Samantha Lie
Being part of the student team in Guided Pathways has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. What I liked the most about working as a student assistant is being able to provide input based on my student perspective. In addition, I have gotten to meet many instructors and staff at LPC and I feel like this experience has made me more familiar with the campus and the college environment as a whole. Among the many people I have met, I was also introduced to a wonderful student team. Even though we were not able to meet in person, I have felt a sense of belonging not only to the team but to the campus as well. Everyone in Guided Pathways is very friendly and you can tell that they appreciate our student opinions when we share out at meetings and in workgroups. I want to give a huge shout out to Kristy Woods, our student team leader who has always been supportive and appreciative of our student voice, I am so grateful to have known you! I am looking forward to the many marvelous outcome of Guided Pathways, but especially what Success Teams will look like at LPC in the future.
Brittanie North
Being on the Guided Pathways Student Team has been an exciting, and memorable experience. I truly appreciate the opportunity to share innovative ideas and my personal experience as a student at Las Positas College. I am grateful to have worked with Kristy Woods and all the wonderful people who have put forth time, effort, and their heart to putting equity at the center of everything they do. We were able to accomplish most action items during this past academic year, despite being in a global pandemic. In thinking of the next student team and academic year, what I Iook forward to the most is the development and execution of Student Success Teams; where there is more in-depth, first-hand distribution of essential information tailored to the students. My hope for the next student team is they are able to continue to share their insight and experience, as well as the areas of improvements they see that can be addressed for growth in order to better assist our students. I am truly honored to have been a part of this awe-inspiring team and project.
Rhea Panchal
Guided Pathways has been such a wonderful wholesome experience. I feel our teamwork truly helped accomplish our goals for the “Year of Action.” Since applying for the position as a student assistant with Guided Pathways, I have learned so much from my team. Kristy Woods has been such a phenomenal leader and mentor; she continuously brings cheer and optimism to our team meetings and committee workgroups. This past academic year was the first time Guided Pathways had a student team, and I am so glad I got to be a part of such a fantastic group and initiative. In reflecting on the past year, what I loved about this job the most was bringing student viewpoints; it gave me the feeling of being heard on campus. It allowed me to develop my knowledge of the functions behind the scenes and share my passion for the education system. I genuinely believe that the future student team will enjoy their role with this incredible group of people.
2/2021 – Sharing Our Work Across Campus
The Student Team was honored to author an article about the amazing collaborative work being done in Guided Pathways for the President's Newsletter!
Embracing Equity
Danielle Bañuelos, Samantha Lie, Brittanie North, Rhea Panchal
What started three years ago with sticky notes and starbursts at FLEX Day, with passionate LPC employees across campus wanting to make a difference for our students, has flourished into Las Positas enthusiastically joining the national Guided Pathways Project. For those that are not familiar, Guided Pathways, in short, is a California Community College reform that seeks to break down the barriers to success and increase the number of students who earn community college credentials. Each college participating in this wonderful movement takes the foundation of the project (its four pillars) and decides what Guided Pathways looks like on their campus. Las Positas College believes that the heart of our Guided Pathways work is the diverse student body we serve. The mission of Guided Pathways on our campus is to infuse equity into every aspect of the college experience and provide students with intentional support by offering opportunities for them to discover, clarify, and enter their “pathway,” and persist with support in achieving their academic and career goals.
We are proud to share that we are in our third year of this work and have made incredible strides in moving each aspect forward. In what we affectionately call our year of action, we would like to share some initiative updates from each pillar.
Pillar 1: Clarifying the Pathway work has engaged in researching various career exploration platforms to implement on campus, ultimately deciding on Career Coach which went live March 1st. Career Coach is a wonderful resource for students to be able to explore various career opportunities and even offers undecided students the ability to take an assessment to find out where to begin their exploration. Career Coach will provide all students with resume building supports, including assistance for Veterans in translating their skills into marketable experience. In conjunction with Career Coach, this initiative team is working on rolling out Program Mapper soon which will visually illustrate to students a program “map” detailing which courses to take in a recommended order, linked to our program student learning outcomes.
Pillar 2: Entering the Pathway workgroup has done a fabulous job with streamlining our onboarding process, to be implemented in time for Fall enrollment. Originally everyone that enrolled into the college had the same items to complete, but this initiative team has researched and identified six different student types and then created personalized steps to success for each. In addition, with the support of our President, we are happy to share that we will have a virtual Welcome Center coming soon, where a live person will virtually greet students to the college and answer any questions they might have.
Pillar 3: Staying on the Pathway has a grassroots project to increase persistence in our classes. This Persistence Project had an overwhelming response of about 40+ faculty and classified members volunteering to join their Cohort 1. This initiative team has truly done incredible work that speaks to keeping students persisting down their path and increasing the retention rate of students. Some of the actions that have been implemented are sending students a welcome letter prior to the course beginning, revising syllabi to be equity minded and include high expectations in a friendly manner, learning the names of students and encouraging students to learn the names of their peers, providing constructive feedback on assignments, holding one-on-one introductory meetings in addition to regular weekly office hours, familiarizing students with campus support resources, reaching out to students that are struggling and offering them support, and encouraging students to complete an associate’s degree or certificate of achievement.
Pillar 4: Ensuring Learning is in the foundational stage, with key work accomplished this year and to be continued in the next two. Adopted this year campus wide, LPC now has seven areas of interest. Development of these heavily relied on the student focus groups, facilitated by us, the Guided Pathways Student Team. As a college we plan to implement in these areas student success teams, ensuring that all of our students are supported in achieving their academic and career goals. As students, we are excited about the success teams including peer mentors. The intent is that these success teams will provide equitable opportunities and targeted support for students within each pathway so they can confidently achieve their academic and career goals.
The work being accomplished is absolutely remarkable and is truly an us thing. As students this work has been exciting to be a part of the change that is occuring at Las Positas! For more information, or to get involved with Guided Pathways at Las Positas College, please visit our website at https://laspositascollege.edu/gp
12/2020 – What An Incredible Semester!
Rhea Panchal - Mission Statement and Career Exploration
This year was a "Year of Action" for Guided Pathways and the team was able to accomplish a lot this semester by working on the Mission Statement, Program Groupings for Program Mapper, and various other projects to enhance the student experience. The Guided Pathways student team was introduced to the career exploration project this month. This will be an important project as career planning plays a vital role for new students and continuing Las Positas students as it will show the students the available career options, prepare them to reach that career goal, and improve their academic performance.
This month, the student team reviewed two career exploration platforms - Career Coach for California Community Colleges and VitaNavis. We completed the career assessments to get an understanding of the website. We reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the two career websites. The feedback will later be reevaluated and discussed by the Career and Transfer Project Faculty Coordinators. Our student feedback and the discussions through the Steering Committee will help bring the best possible Career Exploration Services for Las Positas students.
11/2020 – Progress, Progress, Progress
Danielle Bañuelos - The Heart of Guided Pathways
After being introduced to Guided Pathways at the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, I was constantly hearing, “This is our year of action!” and what a year of action this has been. Among the many exciting topics being discussed and great progress being made on our pillar initiatives to improve the student experience on our campus, one conversation was especially meaningful to me: the conversation about our Guided Pathways Mission Statement. During the Steering Committee meeting held in October we got together to collaboratively share ideas and thoughts about what the Mission Statement should include. There were a great number of ideas shared and in this month’s meeting we are dedicated to collaborating again to finalize thoughts on what the statement should be comprised of. Although the work we do in Guided Pathways is significant in and of itself, it is even more exciting that we will have a Mission Statement to thoughtfully reflect to anyone who comes across it why we do the work we do.
Samantha Lie - Student Panels
This month, the Guided Pathways student team have been doing a lot of interesting projects, and of them is hosting Student Panels. We spread words out to instructors, classmates, and clubs to join us in one of our meetings to learn more about Guided Pathways. Not only did we introduce what Guided Pathways is, and what our work is, we also asked their opinions about the program groupings that have been a topic of Guided Pathways team meetings. We had a great discussion and we even did some polls, which were very interesting to see the tight results. The purpose of the Student Panels is to let more students know about Guided Pathways, and to have opinions from students’ perspective, because, again, Guided Pathways’ work is to enhance students’ experience, so their voice is crucial for us. I look forward to our upcoming student panels, and to get more student’s involvement in our projects!
Brittanie North - Student Panels and Program Groups
In November of 2020, Guided Pathways was finally able to launch the student panels and surveys! A lot of extensive thought, hard work and effort went into creating these platforms. The purpose of these forums with the student body was to address the various subject groupings, clear and informative titles as well as the design of Las Positas Colleges (LPC) program mapper website. We were able to model the student panels after the surveys, so that the information presented would strongly correlate and be concise. The times and dates offered were determined thereafter. We were able to inreach LPC students through means of emailing classmates, clubs on campus, and instructors. The overall experience of being immersed with other students expressing their interpretation of the aforementioned items above, was thrilling and illuminating. The discussions from the students gave us more insight on how they thought. In short we were able to examine the point of view from a fraction of the student body. Something we learned through trial and error, was that not enough students know of the importance of their zonemail account, let alone how to access it. In addition to navigating Zoom’s technological systems, in regards to saving polling data electronically. And lastly, the distribution of information was also brought to our attention. How can we reach more students, and encourage them participation in the process of designing new academic pathways? Whether it be through surveys or more student panels.
Rhea Panchal - A Busy November
November has been an excellent month for Guided Pathways. Guided Pathways is working collaboratively with students, clubs, and student government to receive their feedback for Program Mapper. I loved the Guided Pathways decision to involve students and different committees from the Las Positas campus as it has allowed us to consider and analyze everybody’s opinions and frame a better plan suitable for all the students at Las Positas. Feedback has allowed this program to improve student experience every step of our way and involve everybody to bring the best possible plan for our college. With everybody’s feedback and ongoing discussions, Guided Pathways is progressing in the right direction this month, and we are very excited to work on the Program Groupings for Program Mapper. Program Groupings for the Mapper plays a crucial role as it will allow students to explore different areas of careers and studies, enabling them to find their perfect fit.
I am very excited about Guided Pathways and the change it will bring in the way students explore their academic and career choices when they come to Las Positas. I have hope that this program will bring a drastic change in our college’s career planning and allow students to have a clear and concise pathway for their education journey at Las Positas.
10/2020 – Off and Running!
Danielle Bañuelos - October at a Glance
October was a busy and exhilarating 31 days! What excites me most about the work Guided Pathways has accomplished this past month is the number of quality conversations that have taken place to contribute to future student's experience and their success here at Las Positas College. From discussions on Flex Day about different career exploration platforms to conversations about career and academic programs to talks about streamlining the application process and brainstorming ways to keep students persisting down their pathway, the amount of teamwork and sharing of thoughts and ideas has been incredible! I am looking forward to sharing our work with students and getting their feedback on our efforts this upcoming month.
Brittanie North - Career Exploration
During the Flex Day meeting; staff, faculty and students were able to review what other colleges, Chaffey and Bakersfield, were able to incorporate into their institution for career exploration. Some of the programs that were discussed were Program Mapper, VitaNavis, Career Coach and the Gainful Employment Disclosure section. These sites had compelling attributes that allowed students to be informed and make the best decisions from the information presented. The students would be allowed to see a career outlook, job summaries, details, and an educational description that covered some of the skills needed to be qualified for employment. Some additions to these programs discussed was a direct link to Los Positas College showing the degrees and or certificates offered to help students with their choice of major. Along with a section that funnels students into internships and jobs that help build their resumes. The programs Vita Navis and Career Coach track what careers are growing and the ones that are on the decline which reflect the industry to keep students up to date . Another potential addition also be professional conferences that allow students to meet the professionals in the industries to network, for example SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) which are geared towards STEM majors and professionals.
Samantha Lie - Importance of Student Voices
I really enjoy working with the Guided Pathways team because not only do we think about the strategies for students’ success, but we also want to make sure that our decision is based on what the students need and prefer. Students’ voice is our key in determining our work. We met with the Student Government this month and we look forward to many more discussions with them as well as other students.
Rhea Panchal - Program Mapper
When I joined Las Positas, the main challenge was finding the right major and career for my interests. Every student needs proper guidance and information for their major when registering for college classes. The program mapper can be a very efficient resource for everyone. Program Mapper is a tool that will allow students to make their career exploration process more fun and interactive. Program Mapper will allow all the incoming and existing students to complete the process by giving them all the resources in one place, from career information to a suggested course sequence. I love that this tool will make it so convenient for everyone to research different fields of studies to find the right fit.