MJC LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program
Mission Statement
MJC’s LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program aims to support LGBTQ+ students to thrive as their authentic selves. Through one-on-one mentoring, social events, educational workshops and connecting students to resources, our goal is to provide a safe place for our participants to grow as a whole--both inside and outside the classroom.
Are you a MJC student who wants to join our program!?Check out the mentor bio’s below and fill out this application when you are ready. |
Meet the Mentors
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Ashley Kipple Hi! And welcome. I am glad you made it to our mentorship site. My name is Ashley Kipple and I am a fulltime Instructor here at MJC. I teach Child Development courses, which helps to spread beneficial life knowledge and fulfil my passion to better the lives of children. Child Development and Early Childhood Education have been huge parts of my life, which has helped me better understand humans of all ages. My Bachelor's Degree in Child Development concentrated on young children and families and my Master’s Degree in Education Psychology focused on how humans learn and develop. This educational history has helped me be a meaningful teacher to people of all ages, and that is something I am proud of. I am also proud to be a wife to my partner of 10+ years, and the family we have created. We have been passionate “fur-moms,” but are expecting our first human child Fall 2021! My journey as a queer person has been a long beautiful challenge to completely own who I am, without fear of others judgements holding me back. When living in San Francisco for my undergraduate years, I was really able to see the possibility for communities to truly honor inclusivity and celebrate people in all forms, allowing LGBTQ+ people to thrive. And so now I bring that celebration of life to Modesto and hope to pass that along, and spread that seed of love through my teaching and through creating this mentorship program. As the Mentor Program Lead, I am here to answer any questions you may have, just shoot me an email and I would be happy to connect! My contact information can be found here. |
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Ryan Amaral Hi! I am Ryan Amaral and a Program Specialist here at MJC. I am a founding member of the MJC LGBTQ+ Advocates. As an active advocate, I work for social change at MJC and help facilitate MJC’s Safe Zone trainings. Prior to MJC, I was a founding member of the Virginia Tech Students for Cultivating Change, an LGBTQ+ and Ally organization for students involved in the agriculture industry. Outside of work, I spend my time with my five nieces, friends, and dog, Franklin. My contact information can be found here. |
Liz Camboia Hello, I’m Liz Camboia. This is my third year as a Student Success Specialist at MJC, and I primarily work with students from the School of Arts, Performance and the Humanities. I am the liaison for Foster Youth and LGBTQ+ students, and a founding member of the MJC LGBTQ+ Advocates. In my free time, I enjoy reading, binge watching Netflix or Hulu, and spending time with my friends and family. My partner and I are huge animal lovers, we have 3 cats, and a dog who thinks he is a cat. I enjoy spending time with our fur children; they make me laugh, and remind me that play is just as important as work. I grew up in the Central Valley, and I was also a student at MJC once upon a time. I may not know your story yet, but I have been there. If you need someone to listen, want guidance, or would like to connect, please reach out. My contact information can be found here. |
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Hello! I’m Alynna (Uh-Lee-Nuh) Martinez and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a Student Success Specialist at MJC and a former MJC student. I earned my AA in General Studies: Social and Behavioral Science and transferred to Sacramento State to earn my BA in Psychology and my MS in Counseling specializing in Career Counseling. I have been at MJC for almost four years now. I am one of the founding members of the MJC LGBTQ+ Advocates and some of the other programs I also work with are the Collaborative, the Re-entry Success, Network, and Latina Leadership Network. Outside of work, I like to read, go on walks, bug my two cats (Billy and Sparta), and spend time with family and friends. I grew up in Modesto and come from a huge family spread all over the U.S and parts of Mexico, but most of us are in California. My contact information can be found here. |
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Ariana Gonzalez Q-VO!/What’s up!? My name is Ariana Gonzalez and I am the daughter of immigrants from Mexico, my Pops is from Michoacan and my Mom is from Nayarit. I believe education can transform lives and I’m honored to work with students in helping them (you!) reach their academic and personal goals. I believe in the power of the people and believe the community knows their needs best. I am a co-creator of MJC’s LGBTQ+ Advocates. I earned my associate degree from San Joaquin Delta College in Liberal Arts & Sciences before transferring to UC Davis to complete my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Chicana Studies. I’m a proud Guerrera de California State University at Stanislaus where I completed my Master of Arts in Counseling Education. I have over 16 years of service to students in the California Community College system, aside from my role as Counselor I’m also a part of MJC Latina Leadership Network and UndocuAlly- both offer a yearly scholarship, so in addition to our LGBTQ+ apply if you are eligible! :) On weekends you can find me participating in an online paint parties, at a local park with my nieces in my role as Tia Yana or walking my dog on the trail. My partner and I have a soccer team of dogs and cats who love trip us! We enjoy cooking and laughing together. Coming out is different for everyone. Know that you do it on your own terms. Here if you’d like to connect. My contact information can be found here. |
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Jamie DeRollo Dr. Jamie DeRollo returned to her alma mater, Modesto Junior College, in 2016 as their Head Athletic Trainer and Faculty Member. Teaching Sports Medicine students and providing healthcare to the 21 athletic teams has been her ‘dream job’. Prior to that, Jamie was the Head Athletic Trainer at San Joaquin Delta College, for almost 9 years and has worked in the high school and clinic settings. Jamie completed her Doctorate of Athletic Training at Temple University, in August 2018 and also earned a Teaching in Higher Education Certificate. She earned her Masters of Business Administration from South University in Healthcare Administration and graduated from California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Athletic Training. Before Fresno, she played soccer at Modesto Junior College, where she was awarded MVP in 2000 and was introduced to the athletic training field. Jamie graduated with both an Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees. Jamie is an ally who regularly presents at state, district and national sports medicine symposiums on a variety of topics such as work-life balance, mental health, transgender healthcare in athletics and this summer on Debunking Race Based Medicine. Jamie married her high school sweetheart and they reside in Riverbank, CA. They have a son and two daughters who are all very active in sports, Girl Scouts and Navy Sea Cadets. My contact information can be found here. |
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Erika Buck Hi, my name is Erika. I have had the privilege of working here for the past 8 years, as an Instructor of Nursing, in our ADN Program. I graduated from the same program in 2001. I have since received my Bachelor's degree and Master’s Degree in Nursing. I really enjoy movies. Although, my family would probably state that it is just a good excuse for me to take a nap. I do enjoy a good nap, too. I have 3 children, 1 grandchild, 2 extra children, and 1 wife. My wife and I just celebrated our 18th Anniversary. We got to go to Canada to wed, due to our nations laws back then. It was a huge plus for me, because Canada is just gorgeous. I enjoying working with students. I remember all the feelings I had when I was a student. I am really proud that the college offers this program, and look forward to mentoring you. My contact information can be found here. |
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Tania Adkins I am a Mom, spouse, nurse, teaching, and advocate. I have lived in Modesto for 30 years now after growing up in the East Bay Area and living in Boston for a while. My kids were both born here. I am a strong believer that we all deserve kindness, respect, love and acceptance. I have been an ally my entire life, more so when my son found his true self. My family has been active with Modesto Pride, and even got to walk in the SF Pride Parade with our son a few years ago. As a nurse I have cared for 1000's of people over the past 37 years from a very wide spectrum of race, culture, religion, gender and identity. What I know to be true is we are all more alike than different. In my teaching with nursing students a constant theme is acceptance, self reflection of how we see, judge, and treat others, and that human kindness and connection is vital in our mental well being. For fun I like to run although I am not a fast runner, I can run distance and am proud to say I have completed three ultra marathons. I also enjoy getting outside to the mountains or the beach and trying to see more of our world. My contact information can be found here. |
Alynna Martinez
Are you a MJC Staff or Faculty member who wants to support LGBTQ+ students and join our crew as a mentor?
Awesome! Fill out this application to let us know.
