Peralta Helping MHCC be ‘Student-Ready’

Mt. Hood has a new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Felisciana Peralta, who arrives after a nine-year stint at Clark College in nearby Vancouver.

Peralta, who grew up in Sandy, said taking a position at MHCC “is like coming home.” With a background in psychology and ethnic studies and a master’s in education (counseling), her career has been dedicated to helping students, she said.

“My dream was to be a high school counselor,” she said. However, once she began working in the schools, she quickly realized that school counselors actually do not provide as much counseling. Working for a high school in Yakima, Washington, she developed a college center to support high school students working to enter college. And after doing that for four years, “I decided I wanted to work in the college setting.

“I love the mission of community colleges. Community colleges are open-access and want to support their community,” said Peralta, two things she said are “very important” to her.

Located in the MHCC president’s office, Peralta’s formal job duties are to “guide and advise the college regarding equity and social justice in order to provide an inclusive environment to students and employees,” she said. She defined ‘equity’ as “really looking at our education system to see where people benefit and where there are gaps.

“For a long time, the education system thought process was to have students to be college-ready. The concept of equity is changing our view to ask (instead) if the college system was student-ready.”

The official MHCC position profile states that the director “will lead the development of a vision and effective strategy that champions the importance and value of a diverse and inclusive college environment,” in addition to “engag[ing] faculty, staff and students to build a welcoming and inclusive culture at the College.”

It’s a serious challenge, in that Mt. Hood’s administration and faculty are predominantly white, even as its student population has grown more diverse.

Peralta said she’d like “students and employees to have a sense of belonging by MHCC providing an inclusive environment for all to thrive… (a) space that people can feel they can be authentic.

 

“I feel each student and employee should complete their goal because of us, not despite of us,” she said of the college administration. “I see my role in facilitating the discussion, engaging the community as a whole and keeping an eye on the progress.”

The duties of Title IX Coordinator for Mt. Hood also fall under Peralta’s purview. They include investigation of complaints related to gender equity, Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and upholding MHCC’s “Culture of Respect,” including handling harassment and bullying related complaints.

When not on the job, Peralta said she is an avid Seattle Seahawks (football) fan, and enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She added that she likes to travel, “and I like to do that often. Right now, I am trying to find a time to visit my friend in China.”

As for everyday ways that students can bring about a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society, Peralta suggested that students “be authentic to themselves.” There are many “great resources” at Mt. Hood to learn about diversity, equity and inclusion, whether it’s checking out the Diversity Resource Center or joining a student club, she said.

 

“At MHCC we teach you to use your critical thinking skills. I hope that people would apply that to the conversation around social justice,” she said. “My best advice is to listen intently to others that are different from you.”