DID YOU KNOW - Trinidad State Junior College

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Valley Campus ProspectoR Congratulations! Marta Shoman Appointed Associate Vice-President Trinidad State Junior College Valley Campus Felix Lopez, president of Trinidad State Junior College, has announced that Marta Shoman, dean of instruction and academic programs, has been promoted to the position of Associate Vice-President of TSJC’s Valley Campus. “Marta is a visionary, motivated and enthusiastic leader. TSJC’s Valley Campus will be represented well with Ms. Shoman at the helm,” said Lopez. “I look forward to initiating a deeper outreach and service to the diverse and far-flung San Luis Valley communities. I have a passion for creating partnerships between the TSJC Valley Campus and the many communities within the Valley. These partnerships serve to encourage each other to grow. Partnerships light a spark of confidence and direction for the citizens who engage in community college education,” said Shoman. Since 1994 the Trinidad State Junior College Valley Campus has served the residents of Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties by providing state-of-the-art career technical and general education studies and offering two year associate degrees and vocational certificates. Graduation Speaker Felix Lopez, president of Trinidad State Junior College, will be the honored guest speaker at TSJC’s Valley Campus commencement ceremonies in Alamosa, Saturday, May 15. Mr. Lopez is originally from Tlaltenango Zacatecas, Mexico. In 1980 he chose to attend Trinidad State Junior College because he had heard that it had one of the best English as a second language programs in the U.S. He learned English and earned an associate of arts degree in accounting and business administration from TSJC in 1983. He also met and fell in love with a young woman from Trinidad who is now his wife, Darlene. They have three children and two grandchildren. Mr. Lopez was a franchise supervisor for Colomex for numerous years. He successfully completed training as a Colorado state trooper and served Trinidad in that capacity for a short time. He joined TSJC in 1994 as director of fiscal services and director of purchasing. He continued to pursue his higher education, earning a bachelor of arts in social sciences from the University of Southern Colorado in 1999 and a master’s degree in human resources and education from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 2002. In 2002 Mr. Lopez was promoted to vice-president and chief financial officer and was promoted in 2004 to executive vicepresident. Mr. Lopez considers interacting with students to be the most rewarding of his work throughout the years. As president he continues to actively seek out students to discover what they are Marta Shoman Associate Vice President of TSJC learning and thinking and offer his encouragement to them. “The students keep me motivated and energized. I enjoy encouraging them to cultivate the good work ethic, dedication and commitment that they will need to succeed in school as well as life,” he said. Commencement is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at Ortega Middle School, 409 Victoria Ave., in Alamosa. Seating is available on a first come basis and the event is open to the public. Felix Lopex: President of TSJC 8
Valley Campus ProspectoR TSJC Welcomes David Pearse Dean of Student Services He’s been in the business for 18 years. He is a community college graduate himself. Who is he? He’s David Pearse. David Pearse, formerly employed by Doña Ana Community College of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been working in community colleges since 1992. David got his start working in the community colleges while working as a paramedic.”I was doing some paramedic work and started teaching some classes at the local hospital. I met some nurses there who said ‘come teach with us at the college.’ So I did...” But how is it that David is now our new Dean of Student Services!? While at first a part time, then full time teacher at Trinity Valley Community College, David played a crucial role in expanding the EMS training offered as college credit in the state of Texas. (EMT Intermediate and Paramedic were offered as continuing education at the time and not as a college credit.) David was involved in getting national and state approval for the Associates Degree Program and became a Program Coordinator once the program received approval in 1996. David had begun working at Trinity Valley in 1992. First as a part time faculty member, then as a full time faculty member. Once the associate’s degree program was approved, he became a Program Coordinator for Kilgore College in Longview. Coastal Bend College in Pleasanton, Texas (30 miles south of San Antonio) needed a Program Director for their EMS Programs as they served four campuses over 250 miles apart. David accepted that position in South Texas in 2002. Shortly afterwards, the college needed a Campus Director for their branch campus and David also took on that challenge while still serving as Director of the EMS Programs. Another jump would land David in Las Cruces, New Mexico as the Division Dean of Health & Public Services for Doña Ana Community College in which he served as Dean for twelve different programs in various health and safety fields. David’s final jump landed him HERE, in Alamosa. And he plans to make an impact. “My ultimate goal is that... I would love to be a Vice President of Technical/ Vocational Education. That is actually my experience and my passion. Some of my areas of specialty are things like nursing, cosmetology, health care fields, and accreditation of programs on a state and national level. We don’t have that job here at this college, but that would be my goal.” “Concerning Student Services, my job here is to help students get into their classes, to help them with their financial aid, to help them with their registration, and to help them be successful in school. If they need some help with finding tutoring, or English language, I am bilingual. Whatever we can do to help our students succeed. That is our main purpose here. We are hoping to start getting some student activities going on here. Probably do some family picnic stuff in the summer, and get people involved in the school.” “You see, a traditional college offers students dormitory and sports teams. Our campus serves the non-traditional student who has a family, who has a job, who has a life outside of the college experience and is looking to improve his life and job offers with education. We must recognize the importance of these students and focus on recruitment and retention of these valuable resources in the Valley.” David’s favorite hobby is scuba diving. “Though I don’t know how I will be able to do that around here. (laugh) I guess I will just have to find a Colorado hobby.” David Pearse claims no place as home except the place he is in. “I am homeless. Right now, I am from Alamosa!” David was born in California but was never in one place very long because of his father’s work with the Navy. “I moved to Fort Hood Texas once I joined the Army.” It was 1973 when David joined the Army and moved to Fort Hood, Texas. But it was in Temple, Texas that David would first marry. His daughter was born in San Marcos, Texas; His son was born in Temple, Texas. Finally, David would land in Palestine, Texas where he worked with the Prison System. “It was there (in Palestine) that I started my educational endeavors.” Educationally, David is currently pursuing his Doctorate degree from Northcentral University, in Prescott, Arizona. He holds a Masters Degree in Science with a major in Allied Health, and minors in Computer Science & Music: he received his Bachlors of Arts in Religion from a seminary. But before the BA came the AS. David got his start with an AS at Trinity Valley Community College, the same college where he was first employed in a community college. So don’t think college is out of the picture when you leave TSJC. Just stop on by David’s office for proof of the possibilities! Or bring your problems! He’s there to serve you. David Pearse Dean of Student Services 9
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DID YOU KNOW - Trinidad State Junior College

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