The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online
The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online
The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online
Categories:

Fresno City College Hosted Fourth Annual Men of Color Summit for Local High School Students

Story By: Ryan Anderson, Reporter
April 2, 2025
Photo by: Matthew Echavez
Madera Community College President Angel Reyna (right) looks into the crowd as Davion Baker, counselor at FCC, points to the doors of the OAB auditorium for the crowd to exit into breakout sessions at the Men of Color summit on March 21, 2025.

On March 21, Fresno City College hosted the fourth annual Men of Color Summit in the Old Administration Building auditorium. The fourth annual summit’s goal was to encourage young men of color to attend community college by bringing high school students from the Central Valley to FCC campus.

FCC, Madera Community College, Reedley College and Clovis Community College partnered for the event and brought more than 300 local high school men of color to the summit, all from around the Central Valley, according to the FCC website.

The summit opened with speeches from higher education leaders to FCC Interim President Kim Armstrong and State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Deputy Chancellor Andy Dunn.

The young men heard a speech from Daniel Moore, vice president of administrative services at FCC and Frank Harris III, a professor at San Diego State University gave the keynote address.

Each speaker urged the young men in the crowd to control their future by seeking higher education and help them successfully meet their goals. The workshops at the summit included a variety of topics designed to give the young men the skills and vital information that they can use to help them find success in education. These topics ranged from discussing financial aid, queer education, careers in tech and trades, celebrating black excellence to name a few.

Ivan Nuñez, principal of Washington Union High School said the biggest takeaway from the event was the amount of mentorship and resources there are for the young men at colleges and universities.

“The Men of Color Summit parallels with a lot of what they are doing at WUHS and when our students hear from my faculty and from the faculty at FCC and it gets these young men more focused into what they want to be when they’re in college and in their future careers,” Nuñez said.

(Left) Charlone Gonzales, counselor at FCC, and some high schoolers pose for a picture while attending the resource fair at the Men of Color Summit at Veterans Square on the FCC campus on March 21, 2025. (Photo by: Ryan Anderson)

Davion Baker, host of the event and counselor at FCC said the event was about overcoming challenges and obstacles with the focus on achieving personal goals.

“The message for the young men is about persevering through any challenge, any obstacle and don’t let anyone stop them from achieving it and there’s people on your side that support you and want you to be successful,” Baker said.

High school students eat lunch while attending a resource fair at the Men of Color Summit at Veterans Square on the FCC campus on March 21, 2025. (Photo by: Ryan Anderson)

Towards the end of the summit, the young men were provided lunch as well as the opportunity to participate in hands on activities. Among these activities, the young men were also given the chance to win prizes through a raffle. These prizes varied from gift cards to even a PS5.

(Left) Monica Armenta, Executive Assistant to the president of Madera Community College and MCC President Angel Reyna (right) stand with the winner of the PS5 that was raffled off at the Men Of Color Summit at Veterans Square on the FCC campus on March 21, 2025. (Photo by: Ryan Anderson)

Story continues below advertisement
View Story Comments
Print this Story
More to Discover
More in Lifestyle
Reporter Israel Cardona Hernández holds up the flyer for the play “Grasmere” in front of the ticket office outside the FCC theater on March 28, 2025.
“Grasmere” Review: A Stunningly Haunting Tale of Sibling Bonds That Defies Expectations
Posed photo of Opinion Editor Apollo Soto holding a paper bird, the Refold method’s mascot, as seen on their website and YouTube in front of a drawn purple background on March 27, 2025.
Two Steps to Learn a New Language
(Left to Right) Maurelle Smalls, Indy WIlliams and Maryana Flores pose for photo at the Queer Closet Exchange. All three students are a part of the Gender and Sexuality Association (GSA) club at Fresno City College.
Is the Queer Closet Exchange Benefiting the Community?
Fresno City College Comes Alive with Rhythm: Highlights from the Jazz Festival
The Fresno City College cafeteria is home to The Primo Nosh Food Court, allowing students to pick from a large variety of food items on March 10, 2025.
Want to Grab a Bite After Class?
Brenda Garcia working on a rear axle at West Fresno Campus on Feb. 21, 2025.
West Fresno Hits the Gas: a Photo Essay
About the Contributors
Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson, Reporter
Ryan Anderson is a 22-year-old journalism major in his first semester at Fresno City College and this is his first semester being part of  The Rampage. Ryan was born on April 10, 2002 in Fresno at Community Regional Medical Center. Ryan is the brother to three older sisters Aimara Chantelle and Peyton and he is the youngest out of the four of them. He was raised in Clovis California where he attended Clovis Elementary School, Clark Intermediate School, and Clovis High School. He found his love of journalism when he was in elementary school. Ryan became an uncle in December 2021 when his nephew Gavin was born. Ryan hopes to one day become a news reporter for ABC30. Ryan was part of the tech team at Peoples Church doing graphics and lights for the children’s department. He hopes to transfer to Fresno State to get his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism/ multimedia journalism. He is a huge fan of Taylor Swift and  hopes to one day go to her concert. He has been to Texas, Nevada, Washington State, Arizona, and New Mexico. Ryan is half-Mexican/half-white and is proud of his heritage. Ryan graduated from Clovis High School in May of 2020. When he’s not in the rampage newsroom you can find him  listening to his favorite Taylor Swift songs hanging out with his best friend Sean and spending time with his family. Ryan is excited to be part of Fresno City College’s award-winning newspaper, The Rampage.
Matthew Echavez
Matthew Echavez, Managing Editor
Matthew Echavez is the Spring 2025 Managing Editor at The Rampage for his final semester at Fresno City College. He is a journalism major from Fresno, though this was not his first career choice. For the longest time, Matthew juggled with various interests. His lack of direction led nowhere to a solid idea of what he wanted to do. From history to video games and sports, he developed all sorts of fads and enjoyments, but not truly anything he could see himself make a career in. This changed when he started in amateur writing. Matthew’s interest in expressing himself better and talking about topics that came to mind allowed him to realize his enjoyment of writing. He took an interest in researching and attempting to convey stories. Though relatively short, this stint nurtured an online audience that encouraged him to continue the self-expression journey. Further involvement in writing would mature with Matthew’s interests in social commentary. He has held many feelings about the world around him. Despite some initial reservations about journalism due to its implausibility as a career, he took the chance after some encouragement. In the future, Matthew would like to work independently as a freelancer, become a columnist, and or travel the world on assignment. Matthew enjoys playing video games and spending time with his friends in his spare time. He has begun to explore fashion and develop a sense of style. He has also taken to photography as a hobby and an addition to his skill set.