Dr. Angélica Garcia began her Berkeley City College presidency on May 7, 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. She described the environment of virtual meetings and social distancing as challenging but not insurmountable. “I feel nothing but love and warm welcome in all the virtual by phone and videoconferencing spaces that we have,” Garcia told Diverse last July. Berkeley City College (BCC) is part of California’s Peralta Community College District, which had struggled financially before her arrival and had been placed on probation by its accrediting agency. Garcia said the district had taken “monumental strides” despite the problems. Before her appointment at BCC, Garcia served as vice president of student services at Skyline College in San Bruno, California. Garcia earned a doctorate in educational leadership at San Francisco State University, a master’s degree in social work at San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in liberal and civic studies at Saint Mary’s College of California.
