IALS program changes lives
Luisa Rojas, a Peruvian native, works toward goals

By Chelsea Van Baalen

When 23-year-old Luisa Rojas came to Gresham from Peru, she knew three words of English: “hello,” “bye” and “thank you.”

“Before leaving my community, I was very nervous, mostly about how I was going to communicate without knowing English,” said Rojas, who has been enrolled for three months in MHCC's Indigenous Afro Latino Scholarship (IALS) program.

“I'm not sure how to explain it exactly, but how was I going to meet new people?” she said. “I really didn't know much about the people who I would live and study with, and not knowing made me nervous.”

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MHCC enrollment stagnant despite national increases

By Christina Hammett

In spite of community college enrollment increases being recorded both around the state and the country, Mt. Hood Community College is grappling with a zero growth factor.

Figures recently released show that enrollment this quarter at MHCC is virtually identical to fall quarter 2007. Two fewer students are enrolled this year.

Meanwhile, the Nov. 2 issue of Parade magazine reported that “enrollment is up about 10 percent at community colleges nationwide.”

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