Student spotlight honoree Mercie Ramirez stands with an SBVC administrator in front of a college-branded backdrop during a campus recognition event.

Liberal Arts Major | SBVC Class of ’26

Scholarship recipient and 2026 scholarship awards student speaker Mercie Ramirez delivered one of the evening’s most moving moments, sharing a deeply personal story of resilience, perseverance, and the transformative impact of education.

Ramirez spoke about enrolling in school while experiencing homelessness as a teenager, carrying homework packets with her while trying to find places to stay. Years later, after surviving domestic violence and becoming a single mother, she found renewed purpose through San Bernardino Valley College and its student support programs, including CalWORKs, EOPS, and CARE.

“Little did I know Valley would be the biggest lifeline I could ever have asked for,” Ramirez said during the ceremony.

Now graduating with an associate degree in liberal arts, Ramirez currently interns at the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, where she assists immigrant communities through legal support services. This fall, she will transfer to Cal State San Bernardino to pursue a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in computer science.