Golden State Today

Emmanuel "Manny" Garcia Pereida, a UC Davis student from Oakland, will finally receive his Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/Chicano studies at the upcoming UC Davis Fall Commencement. This achievement comes after a five-year journey to complete his degree, following an unexpected setback in 2019 when he discovered he was eight credits short of graduating.

Garcia Pereida is among 10 students graduating this fall through the UC Degree Completion Program, which started as a pilot in 2022 at UC Davis and UC Riverside. The program assists former students who left their studies between 2009 and 2018 by helping them fulfill remaining requirements and providing partial fee waivers. Since its inception, the program has supported about 650 former UC students.

The initiative addresses the issue of incomplete credentials, which represent untapped potential for California's workforce. According to the National Student Clearing House Research Center, nearly 430,000 Californians were identified as "potential degree completers" in 2022.

Alex Armendáriz from Bay Area Community Services praised Garcia Pereida's accomplishment: “I’m so proud of Manny,” adding that it is a significant achievement.

Garcia Pereida's educational journey began at Merritt College in Oakland in 2013. Despite facing challenges such as nonresident fees and working full-time while seeking documented status for himself and family members, he earned an associate degree in health sciences before transferring to UC Davis in fall 2017.

After learning he had not graduated in 2019, Garcia Pereida focused on work and later enlisted in the U.S. Army for financial support but received a medical discharge in December 2021. He returned to the Bay Area and resumed working while caring for his grandfather.

In early 2023, Tracy Diesslin from UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education contacted him about completing his degree through their program. Encouraged by colleagues at BACS, Garcia Pereida enrolled in courses to finish his credits with assistance from the program.

With aspirations for further education, Garcia Pereida plans to pursue a Master of Social Work next fall: “I want to do more,” he said. “My community is hurting. I want to get to the root of the problems.”

The two-year pilot ended recently but continues with remaining funds to support over 100 participants while collaborating with specialists from the School of Education on future advising strategies.