How Jenepher Zamora Found Her American Dream at PCC
Jenepher Zamora allowed herself a brief moment to reflect on her PCC experience.
“It was actually a coincidence that I enrolled at PCC,” she says with a laugh. “When I first came to the U.S., I landed with a family friend and her son happened to be attending PCC. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t understand the U.S.’s educational system. He helped me realize the benefits of community college and helped me with the application process. The rest is history.”
A Columbian native, Jenepher came to the U.S. in 2015 from Nicaragua, where she had been living.
“I didn’t speak English,” she says, “and I didn’t have any friends or family here. But I’ve always had this burning desire to have a successful engineering career, and for me, the U.S. was a place full of opportunity.”
That set Jenepher on her path.
She graduated from PCC in 2018 before transferring to Cal Poly Pomona, where she earned her degree in industrial engineering. Now, Jenepher works for Microsoft as a project manager, with her focus on Azure, a cloud-based business that deals with data and A.I.
“I am an engineer,” she proudly declares, “so whatever industry I go into, I’m inclined to use A.I. and work with tech.”
Jenepher’s road to success, however, was not without its bumps.
During her first semester at PCC, one of her math instructors informed her that she had been dropped from the class because she didn’t pay her tuition on time.
“I thought I would die,” Jenepher says. “There I was: I finally made it to the U.S., I finally made it to college, and then that happens. I mean, I was an engineering major, so my math classes were mandatory. And I had worked so hard to get into that class.”
Even as she recounts the less than certain moments of her journey, there are threads of joy and good humor that come through.
“I remember pretending like I didn’t understand her because I didn’t speak English, even though I did at the time,” she says with a cheeky grin. “I ended up talking to the dean of the department and after assuring me that I would be granted an extension, he introduced me to the MESA program.”
MESA, which stands for Math Engineering Science Achievement, helps disadvantaged PCC students find the resources to be successful in their respective science, technology, engineering and math programs.
This, Jenepher says, was the catalyst for her success.
“Because of MESA, and because of its Program & Outreach Specialist Melva Alvarez, I became the person I am today,” says Jenepher. “I got scholarships and became a math tutor. I owe everything to that program.”
In 2017, Jenepher received The Randy and Mary Heartfield Scholarship. That same year, she joined the Foundation as a student worker.
“I was helping other students, which was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had,” she says. “I love giving back to the community. After all, I’m here because of the help I received along the way. So for me it’s important to reciprocate that.”
“PCC has been so good to me,” she adds. “I can’t imagine going anywhere else to get started on my educational journey.”