Alumni News

Ivonne Estrella Dominguez attended college to step out of her comfort zone. "If you had met me a few years ago, I wouldn't speak to people," she said. "I was really quiet and shy." Growing up with autism and a learning disability, Ivonne had to overcome many challenges. "There's a lack of support out there for those of us who are different," she said. Upon arrival at Phoenix College (PC), she chose to find her voice, speak up, and find opportunities to get involved on campus.

Jillian Deaton, a Phoenix College alumna and ASL interpreter, was asked to interpret at Taylor Swift’s Seattle Eras Tour shows. “Interpreting for the Eras Tour was a blast. My team and I thoroughly enjoyed the hours we spent workshopping the songs together," Jillian said. "We put so much heart into our prep and we hoped it would all be well-received and enjoyed by Taylor's Deaf and Hard of Hearing fans in our assigned section."

In a podcast with PC soccer coach Dave Cameron, Zalma recalls an unexpected phone call from World Soccer Champion and PC alumna, Jessica McDonald, encouraging Zalma to attend PC. She also reminisces about her soccer career from youth-player to National Soccer Champion with Phoenix College in 2022.

Twenty-two-year-old Marcelina Regalado has an old soul. From a young age, she would sit and observe people. During those observations, she realized their environment had a lot of influence on how they acted. "I have a lot of empathy, so if someone is acting a certain way, I try to think about what in their environment might have made them that way," she said.

Jae and Nancy first met in 1991, in an English 101 class at Phoenix College (PC). Jae was seventeen, having started college early. Nancy started her journey at PC on a tennis scholarship. They remained friends through graduation and their their relationships with other people. Eventually they found love with each other in 2010.

Recently retired, Professor Villacaña remembers when Sandra came to PC. "I interfaced with Sandra in two ways," he said. "She was a student in my engineering design courses, ECE 102 and 103.