TRiO Staff

Yolanda Vasquez

TRiO Director
yvasquez@cerrocoso.edu
(760) 379-5501

Yolanda Vasquez was the Interim TRIO Director at Porterville College.  She obtained her Master’s of Arts in Education-Counseling & Student Services, as well as her Bachelors of Arts in Business-Marketing from California State University Fresno.  Yolanda believes higher education is key to one’s success and is proof of this.  She grew up working in the fields, along side her brothers and sisters and remembers thinking to herself, she was not only going to attend college but would graduate and have a professional career.  Yolanda is the first in her family to obtain a higher education and was the first to leave home to attend a 4-year institution.  She can remember how frightening it was to move away from home, family and friends and how intimidating the whole university experience can be.  Still, she kept moving forward and realized her dream of a higher education.  In the end, her college experiences were exciting and well worth the sacrifice and hard work.  She encourages all students to go after their dreams and not get discouraged when they are faced with obstacles; the rewards are well within their reach and are theirs for the taking.

Cheryl Fitzsimmons

Student Support Services
Department Assistant III
chfitzsi@cerrocoso.edu
(760) 384-6219

Cheryl Fitzsimmons, Department Assistant III, has been working at Cerro Coso Community College since August 1998. She has been an unparalleled resource for students throughout the years, working with Special Services, CalWORKs, and TRiO. As the first one in her family to complete higher education, Cheryl fully understands the pressures students face trying to juggle the responsibilities of school, work, community, and family. She strongly encourages students to advocate for themselves, using every resource possible to reach their goals.  TRiO can be one of those resources. Please feel free to contact Cheryl with any questions you may have about the TRiO Program. A Cheryl quote: “Believe in yourself and stand for something”

Photo Pending

Bianca Kurti

Student Support Services
TRiO Counselor
bkurti@cerrocoso.edu 
(760) 384-6219

Bianca Kurti is a TRiO counselor at the IWV campus. She is the first in her immediate family to complete a college degree by working nearly full time as well as navigating the often intimidating financial aid system. She graduated with a BS in Elementary Education/Outdoor Education in 1997. Juggling the parenting of two small children and the challenges of school work, she completed her MS in Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling in 2005. Bianca grew up in Western Michigan, went to high school in Tennessee and Virginia attended college in Tennessee and Ohio, and has been in 34 of the 50 states. She’s excited to be here in the High Desert now and hopes her experience and enthusiasm will be a resource for students who are seeking to accomplish their goals through higher education.