• graduated or transferred from Contra Costa College within the past five years
• demonstrated academic achievement, and
• demonstrated professional achievement within the past five years

The Distinguished Alumni Award 2005

Alfred Perez
and
Swanthi Samarakkody, RN, CPON

Alfred Perez

Alfred Perez of Richmond lived in 13 different foster homes in the four years he attended Middle College High School and Contra Costa College. Against all odds, he survived a system that provided little stability during some of his most formative years. Alfred credits much of his success to the stability and supports that Middle College high School and CCC gave him. The small classes and the mentoring by Emilie Wilson of MCHS and Dr. Intisar Shareef of CCC gave him the sense of belonging and motivation that he needed. "Just being around college students from the age of 14 to 18 helped model behavior and envision further education as a goal for me," he said.

Alfred graduated from Contra Costa College in 1995 and San Jose State University with a BA in Art and Social Work in 1998. He continued to advocate for foster youth during and after his four years at MCHS and CCC. From 1995 to 2001, Alfred worked with Dr. Shareef, mentoring and training new foster parents on the needs and expressions of foster children. In 1999, Alfred spoke at the White House ceremony when President Bill Clinton signed the Foster Care Independence Act that he had helped formulate.

In 2001, he received his MA in Social Work from the University of Michigan and began working as a research associate for Westat, a social research firm in Rockville, Md. He later worked at the Pew Commission on Children and Foster Care, which was charged with the mission to reform the children's welfare program through Federal funds and family courts. "My education at Contra Costa College was the beginning point of my career. My foundation came from Contra Costa College and Middle College High School, and I am so grateful." Alfred is presently a Senior Program Administrator for Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano on the Commission of Service and Volunteerism. In the fall of 2005, he will enter the University of Chicago to pursue his PhD, in Social Welfare.

Swanthi Samarakkody

Swanthi " Sue" Samarakkody is a pediatric nurse doing general pediatrics and pediatric oncology at Kaiser Hospital, Oakland. Swanthi, a native of Sri Lanka, came to the U.S. with the help of her brother and other family members to pursue a higher education. When first at Contra Costa College, Swanthi was a teaching assistant, lab assistant and tutor in biology. She received an AS in biology from CCC in 1994 and then entered the Registered Nursing Program. where she excelled academically, and also served on numerous nursing committees. She received as AS in Registered Nursing from Contra Costa College in 1997. She has received both the Clinical Excellence Award for Registered Nurses and the Service award for Registered Nurses.

While studying at CCC, Swanthi worked for several years in nursing homes in order to obtain her green card. Once that was obtained, she was hired by Kaiser Hospital, Oakland, where she cared for sick children, including those with cancer. Swanthi lives in Albany, Ca.

When the tsunami devastated Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, Swanthi was instrumental in forming a rescue team from her adopted country, the U.S., to help her native countrymen in Sri Lanka. Due to her efforts and those of the membership in the California Nurses Association, the first international Nurse to Nurse connection was made. She took three weeks of unpaid leave and self-funded her trip to give humanitarian aid to survivors of the tsunami. Many of the refugees seen by Swanthi and other medical staff were suffering from upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, wounds and rashes.

Her ability to speak Singalese and English, nursing skills and desire to help others made Swanthi a truly gifted asset to the rescue operations. She did every task one could imagine, from translating, giving first aid and other nursing ministrations, to providing basis essentials, which she had generously brought with her, to the needy. Once back in the United States, Swanthi was quoted by many newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times. Her selflessness and her description of the overwhelming needs in Sri Lanka gave the impetus to many successful fund raising efforts for the survivors of one of the modern world's most terrible disasters.

The 2005 Outstanding Recent Graduate Award

Lorraine French Wilkins

Lorraine French Wilkins was once described as a "scholarship superstar" and there is much to support this title. Lorraine graduated from Contra Costa College in December of 2002 with an AS degree in Mathematics and a 3.4 grade point average. In her time at CCC, she garnered the following scholarships: African American Staff Association Book Scholarship, the Mary Ellen Bales AAUW Scholarship, the Bert Coffey Scholarship, The Assistance League of Diablo Valley Scholarship, a National Science Foundation CSEM Scholarship, a MESA National Science Foundation Scholarship and a Kennedy-King Memorial Scholarship. During this time she also successfully raised five children on her own.

In addition to studying and raising children, Lorraine worked as a reading tutor in the WCCUSD, and at CCC where she tutored in math, English and CIS classes. She also did peer counseling, and worked with the college counseling department in coordinating and developing programs. Lorraine also co-founded the C.A.R.E. Club (Cooperative Agencies and Resources for Education), a program that assists single heads of households who are also college students.

From CCC, Lorraine transferred to UC Davis, where she pursued her studies in mathematics, eventually going for a double major in math and African American Studies. She became one of twenty members of the McNair Scholars Program, an undergraduate research program designed to assist First Generation College students prepare for graduate school. With McNair assistance, she had a faculty mentor who helped her in her research project which she titled I Hate Math: Why African Americans Don't Pursue Degrees in Mathematics which she presented at both UC Berkeley and at a McNair conference in Delevan, Wisconsin.

In the fall, Lorraine will begin her studies in the Ph.D. program at UC Davis in education, with an emphasis in mathematics in urban schooling. Says Lorraine, "I am resolved to give back to society by doing all that I can to ensure that all students, no matter what their gender, race or any other diversity, have equal access to education and that mathematics proficiency can be attained by all."

last modified, 7-28-05