詹妮弗·k·森田著

2022年10月11日

Whitney Yamamura’s mentor at American River College threw him into the deep end right away.

While the other teaching interns only had to prepare one day’s lesson, Yamamura found himself teaching an entire community college course with the professor watching from the back of the classroom.

“It turned out to be the best thing for me. I got a lot of enjoyment from explaining concepts that are difficult and seeing light bulbs turning on in students’ heads,” said Yamamura, who previously worked as a financial planner selling investment portfolios.

“I was like, ‘Wow. 我是那个灯泡的发明者。 这太棒了。’ ”

Yamamura最近被任命为科斯塔梅萨海岸社区学院区校长，是2022年萨克拉门托州立校友会杰出服务奖的获得者。 他和其他杰出校友奖得主将在颁奖晚宴上受到表彰 10月13日。

“I often hear how many residents of 萨克拉门托 are 囊状态 alumni, and so to be singled out for this award is a great privilege and a humbling one,” Yamamura said. “I’m really appreciative of it.”

1989年，山村开始在美国河学院从事高等教育工作。

He says he owes his career to 囊状态, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business 政府 in 1984 and his master’s in Economics in 1991. It was while a graduate student that the community college district reached out to master’s candidates for the teaching internship program.

“I often hear how many residents of 萨克拉门托 are 囊状态 alumni, and so to be singled out for this award is a great privilege and a humbling one.” ——Whitney Yamamura，杰出服务奖获得者

在2017年被任命为福尔索姆湖学院院长之前，山村在洛斯里奥斯社区学院区的所有四个校区任职。 6月，他被选为海岸社区学院区校长。

山村也许是把美洲河换成了太平洋，但他在萨克拉门托有着深厚的根基。

他在萨克州立大学附近的格林学院附近长大。 他的父亲在埃尔克格罗夫教书30多年，一所学校以他的名字命名图书馆。

Yamamura’s great-grandparents were 萨克拉门托 County grape farmers until 1942, when they were forced into a concentration camp in Arkansas as part of the 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast imprisoned after Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor.

“My grandfather’s family originally had 120 acres off Jackson Highway and Hedge Avenue, but they weren’t contiguous. They had a 100-acre parcel and a 20-acre parcel,” Yamamura said. “When they were in Arkansas, they couldn’t come up with the money to pay the property taxes, so they lost 100 acres.”

这家人回到萨克拉门托，尝试耕种剩下的20英亩土地。

“They tried to make a go of it, but it didn’t work,” Yamamura said.

山村是洛斯里奥斯社区学院区自1916年以来第二位担任大学校长的亚裔美国人，也是海岸社区学院区第一位日裔美国校长。

Yamamura在担任Cosumnes River学院教学副校长期间，为创建苗语班提供了人脉。

He helped establish Folsom Lake College’s Equity Center for students of color, the LGBTQ community, first-generation, low-income, and undocumented students, as well as other vulnerable populations.

“I wanted to create a welcoming space for anybody who has felt unwelcome,” Yamamura said. “You don’t have to label it. … If you’re unsure about your place in the community college system, we have the Equity Center to make sure you have the services you need to support you.”

山村还与英特尔合作创建了一个人工智能项目，并推动扩大了福尔索姆监狱和穆尔克里克监狱的在押学生项目。