Dallas College News

After launching her business, Just Elope, in 2017, Jennifer Allen has done more than 600 wedding ceremonies, including officiating on the hit show “Love Is Blind.” Now, the business owner and mother of three is pursuing her dream of completing her college degree.

In celebration of National STEM Day, Raina Williams shares her story of hope and progress on her journey with Dallas College STEM and the holistic support she’s received from programs and faculty.

Jermaine Lewis is pursuing his longtime dream of becoming a firefighter. It all started back in elementary school with a visit from the fire chief who shared something Lewis never forgot: “When people call you, they’re at their worst, so you have to be at your best.”

Marisol Perez put her education on hold for decades while working in the financial field. Realizing she had a lot of work experience but no degree to back it up, she decided to return to the classroom to complete her college education.

After working in a warehouse right after high school, Cristian Castillo started thinking about his future. Today, he’s working toward earning a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Software Development from Dallas College.

Ariana Dewberry shared her journey of returning to college after losing her eyesight.

Last month, Erika Ramirez graduated with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. As one of our seven commencement speakers, she shared more about juggling school with being a wife and mother and how Dallas College’s support has helped her continue her education. 

If you want to start a conversation with Liam Dewberry, pick your language. The 25-year-old, who graduated from Dallas College on May 16 with his associate degree, is fluent in five languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin and Korean) and knows a bit of French, Norwegian, Russian and German.

On May 12, Dallas College celebrated its first graduating class of the new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with a pinning ceremony featuring student speaker Nancy Kinuthia.

Read about Dallas College Student Rod Gordon and what inspired him to return to college.

Over a 40-year career, Dr. Christa Slejko could point to dozens of memorable moments and achievements. She has championship rings from North Lake’s athletics teams winning national titles. She smiles when she walks by the big horse statue on campus that was built by Dallas College faculty and welding students to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary.

Art is a puzzle. That’s a phrase professor Tina Medina likes to share with her students, and she’s been helping them solve that puzzle since joining Dallas College as an art professor in 2006. After almost two decades of teaching students, it never gets old when she sees a student figure out a solution to the puzzle.

Lara Dodson-Tello remembers her dad telling her to find a recession-proof career. She never forgot that piece of advice even though she had to put her career aspirations on hold while she raised a young family. But, when she was ready to start college in 2008, she arrived at Dallas College’s El Centro Campus with a simple mindset: find a recession-proof career.

There isn’t a drop of oil anywhere. There isn’t one tool out of place. Dallas College alum Christopher Manning keeps his work area at the Mercedes-Benz of Plano service center as pristine as the cars in the showroom. He’s driven to end the old “dirty mechanic” stereotype as he has become a leading voice in the industry.

Elisa Ramos reflects on graduation. "I think my parents will be overjoyed, especially since I’m the first in the family to pursue college here," she said. "It’s my dad’s dream to have professionals in the family, and I will be the first of my siblings to reach that goal. My dad is my biggest inspiration to keep studying. Since I was a little girl, he always encouraged me to follow my dreams."