New Academic Year, New Student Trustees at San Bernardino Community College District

Meet Robert Alexander and Paul Del Rosario

School is back in session, and two students are amplifying the student voice at the San Bernardino Community College District Board meetings. Robert Alexander, 43, will represent Crafton Hills College, and Paul Del Rosario will represent San Bernardino Valley College. A vote of their peers elected them, and they were sworn in at the July 14 trustee meeting.

Student trustees speak for students at the public meetings of the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees. The trustees set the direction for financial aid, new buildings, and campus safety for a system that serves 20,000 students through two campuses, a workforce training facility, and KVCR TV/FM.

Alexander is a disabled veteran who served in the U.S. Army and has a law enforcement background. He works as an outdoor campus aide in the Moreno Valley Unified School District.

He has taken classes off and on over the years at both Valley College and
Crafton Hills, but recently about 90 percent of his classes are online. He is
the single father of two sons, ages 20 and 18. They live in Moreno Valley.

“I like public service and helping people,” said Alexander. “When my kids went through school, I was helping in the schools. I’ve been involved with the state PTA. I’ve done a lot of advocacy. I’ve served at the local and state levels of student government. I’d like to get into politics someday and make a difference.”

He said he has earned associate’s degrees in sociology and anthropology and is moving on to other subjects, including history, political science, philosophy, and religious studies. Jeff Cervantez, an assistant professor at Crafton Hills, is one of his role models. He also serves on the Calimesa City Council. Alexander said he is ready to offer a student perspective to the elected trustees for the district.

On the subject of online and in-person classes, he said the college needs both. “We need to offer in-person classes and try to transition there. But there are different kinds of learners, and there are older students,” he said. “There needs to be a balance.”

Del Rosario, 35, is a Film/TV/Media and Theater Arts major at San Bernardino Valley College. One day, he hopes to be a film director. He lives in San Bernardino and has served as the Associated Student Government president.

He has been active on campus, performing in plays, making films, and participating in student leadership activities. From March to June this year, he worked as an intern at KVCR, the public TV and radio station on campus. He worked as a camera operator to capture two concerts at the Redlands Bowl. He said the experience is helping to prepare him for a career.

“At KVCR, everything is state of the art and up to professional industry
standards,” Del Rosario said. “You learn how to shoot professional broadcast quality.”

As a student trustee, his top priority is ensuring all students — including Dreamers — have equal access to available resources to succeed at San Bernardino Valley College.

Learn more about the SBCCD Board of Trustees: https://sbccd.edu/about-sbccd/board-of-trustees/