A glimmer of light illuminates the piles of textbooks and homework spread across the kitchen counter as her parents study while her nose is stuck in a book. For Los Medanos College President Pamela Ralston, she has always been surrounded by learning.
After starting a family of their own, Ralston’s parents postponed their college journeys as they were “making ends meet” to pursue an education. Seeing the sacrifices made, Ralston and her sister “both knew that we would go to college.”
Ralston and her sister are very close despite being only a few years apart, and describes her as “one of the greatest heroes of [her] life.” From a young age, she taught Ralston how to read and later inspired her future studies.
Her education began in literature as she studied century texts, autobiographies and slave narratives. Ralston was captivated by the “stories that people told about themselves.”
Earning her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Oregon and her Master of Arts and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington in Comparative Literature, Ralston’s education spanned over two decades.
After graduating, Ralston held many administrative positions across university and community colleges as a professor, dean, vice president and president. Her work included curricular redesign, student services program innovation, strategic enrollment and more. Now, her career has taken her outside of the classroom, but she still prioritizes student connections on campus to give purpose to her work.
“I love teaching, and I miss it. So anytime you get a chance to spend time with students, it’s a little bit like getting to be back in the classroom,” Ralston said, adding, “If I get a chance to spend time with students seeing what’s working well, and hearing what’s not working well, it can help me be more open.”
To get to where she is today, Ralston had multiple mentors to build her skill set, and she believes those relationships were an “important part of education.” A factor she keeps in mind is to pay the advice forward.
“I keep learning that I should slow down and listen more. Those are lessons that are important,” Ralston said. “I have come to believe that you have to be the leader you want to have, and waiting sometimes doesn’t make things better.”
Stepping into the permanent president role at Los Medanos College, Ralston became the first female to achieve this milestone. She was aware of not being “quite what everybody thinks the president is going to be” and has adapted to be “seen and heard.” As cabinet leadership has become increasingly diverse across race and gender in the past years, she wants to make sure everyone has a seat at the table to set plans for the future.
“As I’ve matured in my career, sometimes I’m swayed by the strongest argument or loudest voice, and I’ve learned to slow down and spend more time digging in,” Ralston said. “I think it’s important that once you’ve come to a decision that you hold firmly, make sure that you’re able to push a big idea all the way through.”
Months after becoming president, Ralston’s work for the college has been recognized inside and outside the community. Her progress for the school was celebrated by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the 100 most influential women in the Bay Area and recognized for her new role at LMC’s welcome reception.
These experiences motivated her for the future as she was “honored” to see how her work is making an impact and showcasing “how powerful college could be.”
“I have been fortunate to walk into a great environment. I’m coming at a time when we’re working our way back after the pandemic,” Ralston said. “ So my personal investment has been to find more ways to create meaning and connection in person and to support the folks who aren’t in person to have more meaningful connections with the college.”
Ralston holds a very close relationship with her family as they claim education has always been her higher calling. Her parents, Jennifer Ralston Blare and Mike Blare admire her for being “so motivated and so darn smart” and noted she “wants to make a difference.”
“She knows [education] is important in people’s lives and society,” said wife Chris Cummings. “I just love that about her because she lives her values and she values education.”
Ralston and her wife have been together for 14 years, and what started from dances at beach bonfires to celebrating their marriage together is a special memory she holds closely.
“We waited a long time for the Supreme Court to make [same-sex marriage] legal,” Ralston said. “On the day that that came down from the Supreme Court, I asked her to marry me, and we got married almost a year to the day.”
Together, they have traveled to many areas, and given the flexibility of Cummings’ work, she has been able to support Ralston every step of the way.
There has always been a unique aspect of the community college system that has made Raston fall in love. Among the diverse perspectives that make up community college, from students who are beginning, continuing, or finishing their education, she said there is “a lot of power” in creating accessible opportunities.
“It’s a resource we should be deeply invested in,” Ralston said. “When it is out of reach economically for people, we do a huge disservice to them and ourselves in our communities. We try to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
As Ralton embarks on a new chapter, she looks forward to making LMC part of everyone’s story.
