“I want students to be in the driver’s seat.” Dionicio Garcia is a counselor at Los Medanos College who works closely with students to meet their educational goals. Through conversations, he says he’s able to better understand who his students are beyond school.
“I definitely try to build connections through conversation and talk about things outside of school. Students are more than just students.”
Garcia was born and raised in South San Francisco, before moving to Contra Costa County. His roots run deep in the Bay Area.
At first, unaware if college was part of his future, and his plans didn’t always intend to become an educator.
“I didn’t think I was going to go to college right after high school. I was just going to go work at the garbage [disposals] because my brother was working there, and that was kind of my plan.” Garcia said.
However, a program he joined in high school allowed him to experience college life.
“I was enrolled in this program in high school called the Hermanos Program, and the program was primarily for male students who were interested in potentially going to college. It was nice to be able to be in that program because it helped me to get into community college. I attended Skyline College on the peninsula, and from there it really started to kind of open doors for me,” Garcia said.
Garcia later attended San Francisco State University, initially majoring in business, before feeling that something was missing. “I went out into the field, and I felt like something was missing. That’s when I decided I’m going back to school and changing careers. I went back to SF State to get my master’s in counseling.” Garcia said.
Now working at LMC, Garcia says he is still learning more about the community through his students. “I’m new here to the area and relatively new to the school, so a part of my role is to learn from the community,” Garcia said. “I want to understand the history, the landscape, and what students need so I can be a better counselor and educator.”
Outside of work, Garcia implements running within his daily routine, whether it’s before work or at the gym after.
“I recently ran a 10k at the San Francisco Golden Gate Marathon. That was pretty cool. I’m working my way up to run a half-marathon,” expressing his personal goals that he is striving for.
In addition to running, Garcia shares a passion for visiting museums. “I’m really big on going to historical museums. A lot of times, some of our history is often forgotten. It’s pretty cool to go to our local museums to see what is actually displayed or not displayed. I think it’s important to understand our history and where we come from.” Garcia said.
His interests extend beyond fitness and museums. Garcia has a passion for low riding and cars. “I’m big into cars. So I love taking my car out and going for a drive or going to car shows.
He even incorporates that passion into his personal framework as a counselor.
“For me as a counselor, one of my frameworks is RIDE – which means realize your potential, identify your goals, develop a plan, and explore.” Garcia said, explaining how the framework helps not only him but his students to get from point A to point B, just like a car going down a path.
Garcia also values traveling and learning from different cultures. Garcia cherishes his travels to places like New Orleans, Hawai’i and New York, where he finds beauty in experiencing different cultures.
“When I visit anywhere, it’s important to me to not just take away from the experience but also to give back or at least learn,” Garcia said. “There are people who have been there before us that we often don’t necessarily get to like honor or recognize.”
“ Life is precious, be in the moment. The challenges we face might look big now, but things have a way of working out.” Garcia said.
