Jose Ibarra, second year aspiring film student at Fresno City College, says he is proud to make this prestigious place his first college experience.

Ibarra knew he would go to college after high school, and has always known the importance of higher education.

“I knew that I wasn’t going to do much if I just didn’t come to college, so college was a necessity,” Ibarra said.

“I just couldn’t leave high school and say yeah I am an awesome director,” Ibarra said. “So you have to take those steps, and I am willing to do this for a better future.”

Ibarra is one of the nearly 2,200 students who have helped raise enrollment numbers and are starting their college careers at FCC in the last couple of years.

According to an an interview with the Rampage on Aug. 31, Cynthia Azari, interim president said the enrollment rate has increased by 4 percent, which is equivalent to nearly 1,000 students.

Azari attributed the increase in enrollment to the staff of the college.

“We have an outreach program and counselors who did amazing things last year, and reached out to a lot of different populations, and encouraged a lot of people to come to FCC,”  Azari said.

To accommodate the increase in students, Azari said 206 sections were added this fall, including afternoon and evening classes.

Another reason for the enrollment increase is that the state of California is again investing in community colleges according to Tim Woods, vice president of instruction.

According to the website of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, FCC and statewide colleges will be receiving more money in the upcoming year:

“Total funding proposed for the California Community Colleges is $7.3 billion, which is an increase of 8 percent compared to the 2014-15 fiscal year.”

Also, $106.9 million will be channelled toward increased access, expanding access statewide for approximately 45,000 students [headcount].

FCC student, Rhenelyn Hernandez has been coming here off and on for several years, and said she is not surprised that more students are choosing FCC because, like her, they might not know exactly what their career choice is quite yet and city college helps you figure that out.

“This school gave me an inexpensive way to come to a college, and have always found coming here to be a positive experience,”said Hernandez.

It is still too early to know just how much more the student enrollment will continue to rise, but Ibarra says he is enjoying his experience now and encourages others to come here.
“I think Fresno City College is a good place, and it’s awesome to be here,” Ibarra said. “I can’t wait to leave here and tell people about how good it is, and what I was able to accomplish coming here and still make it in the big leagues just like anyone else.”