Noel Chavez, a former Cañada College student and a Sequoia High School graduate, has been hired as Cañada's new college recruiter. He replaces Ariackna Alvarez who moved to Southern California in the summer.
Chavez is a 2004 graduate of Sequoia High School, where he received the Sequoia Awards Scholarship. He graduated from Cañada in 2008 with a degree in sociology and recently graduated from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont with a degree in human services with a concentration in academic counseling.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to return to Cañada," Chavez said. "Cañada has meant so much to me and was instrumental in my education."
While studying at Cañada, Chavez was actively involved in student government and worked as a campus ambassador where he recruited high school students from the Sequoia Union High School District. He received multiple scholarships and received the Cañada College President's Student Leadership Award at commencement.
For the past five years, Chavez has been working actively in the Redwood City, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto communities. He is a fellow in the San Francisco Foundation's Koshland Program where he focuses on mentoring and advocating for youth in the North Fair Oaks community.
As the college recruiter, Chavez will supervise a group of student ambassadors that will represent Cañada at various events and in the local high schools. He will also develop the school's recruiting activities in association with Cañada's strategic plan.
"I'm the perfect example of how Cañada can help our local students," Chavez said. "The support I received at the school helped me earn a college degree. That's a powerful message."
