Dallas College

Student Experience: Rodolfo (Rudy) Salas

“I’m earning my associate degree because I think it will help me get my foot in the door and move toward my dream career as a firefighter. Although at one time I wanted to be an auto technician, I began to want to be a firefighter about two years ago. 

“I want to help out the community; I have a big heart, and I want to help people out. All of my life, I’ve helped my brother, who has cerebral palsy, and it’s just a way of life for me.  “Alvin Samples helps me out in class; he makes the subject matter exciting, and he’s a really good teacher.

In my Fire Protection classes, I’ve learned a lot about how fire administration works — the chain of command — and it’s really exciting. 

“What would I like to be doing career-wise in five to 10 years? I want to have finished my associate degree, gone to the Fire Academy and be working as a firefighter. Who knows — maybe someday I could even become a fire marshal.”  Rudy Salas has graduated from the Fire Protection Technology program.


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Vera L. Jones

Verna L. Jones, M.S.W.

Executive Director Under 1 Roof
“The most important things I learned in Eastfield’s Social Work program was integrity and making sure that you have good follow-through as well as the importance of the social work code of ethics — you rely on these ethics as a social worker.”
Sociology
Veronica Alejandro

Veronica Alejandro

Dallas College student and hopeful future police officer
“I want every day to be a new challenge and I want to help people – but not from behind a desk. My criminology classes have all been good and I like the life experience my professors bring to the classroom.”
Criminal Justice
Kristine Farmer

S. Kristine Farmer

Employment Litigation Case Manager Fish and Richardson, PC
“My paralegal classes really gave me the fundamental foundation of what it means to be a paralegal. I had always been the only paralegal in a small law firm and I got a much better understanding of how paralegals are utilized in much larger firms. I got a lot of practical information, particularly in legal research and writing, on how to write persuasively. The overall quality of instruction was really just exceptional.”
Paralegal
Sheila Grace (Isom)

Sheila Grace, M.S., LPCI

Counselor Gateway Foundation In-Prison Treatment Center Brownwood
“How did I get to Eastfield’s Substance Abuse program? To be honest, I was in recovery myself. When I got to Eastfield, I did not even know what a semester hour was — I just knew I wanted to do something that would help someone else escape the horrors of addiction.”
Social Work
Rudy Salas
Rodolfo (Rudy) Salas
Hopeful future firefighter
Fire Protection Technology
School of Law and Public Service
Updated July 28, 2026