Alice Robinson, a Black studies student at San Diego City College, was in a TRIO program at San Diego High when she first heard of the Umoja program.
Visiting City College for its open house, Robinson met the Umoja coordinator at the time, Erin Charlens. She encouraged Robinson to join the program if City was part of her journey.
In her first year, Robinson was treasurer of the board and eventually became student president of Umoja. She grew a personal connection with the staff and members alike.
“It’s not like we are just on campus, we are a community,” said Robinson, who is also majoring in culinary arts at Mesa College. “If they need help with anything, I will help in any way I can.”
At City College, Umoja is a program designed to help African American and other students of color prepare to transfer to a four-year university. Its mission is to highlight students’ voices and histories as well as having the space for them to create their foundation for academic success.
The students are able to prepare themselves for their futures while participating in counseling, mentoring, academic and cultural enrichment activities, according to the Umoja at City College website.
Umoja is not limited to City College. It helps students across all of California, including other community colleges.
Robinson offers a helping hand to any Umoja student who need homework help or have questions answered. She also works with the program’s cohorts, which are groups of students part of Umoja who attend classes together. This allows them to feel comfortable as they are getting started on campus or new to a college environment.
The community built by Umoja spends time together outside of class and studying. Robinson said the club hosts events like cookouts and game nights. They also plan events like Black Film Fridays during the month of February to celebrate Black History Month.
“Every time you have an event,” she said, “it’s the planning that really brings all of us together.”
Umoja hosted its first event to welcome new and previous students for the fall semester earlier this month.
Robinson and returning club members presented on the Umoja mission and passed out prizes to students who participated in trivia questions.
Umoja students aren’t just encouraged to get involved in its program, which has been at City College since 2007.
Keymuandre Abdallah, a biology major, presented a club called Edify Ebonay at the recent welcome event. Abdallah said that the club focuses on deconstructing narratives and ideologies through “reading books that talk about certain dilemmas that I think we as oppressed people face.”
As part of Umoja, Abdallah has plans to link the club and the organization to continue to educate through reading and collaboration.
The Umoja office is located in A-341. For more information, visit the Umoja page on the campus website.
