Dr. Beatriz “Betty” Valencia

Opportunities for economically-challenged students to further their education beyond high school—even for honor roll students like Betty —seemed out of reach back in the 1980s. Feeling “let down by education,” Betty dropped out of high school, got a job and a scooter, and began a simple life… with no direction.

Fortunately, a close mentor recognized Betty’s untapped potential and urged her to visit her local community college to talk with a counselor. Though she went with no expectations but rather “out of respect” for her mentor, Sr. Cecilia (a Catholic nun), by the end of the meeting she had a full plan for her GED and her Associate Degree. Seven years later, not long after the Orange Campus was opened (later to become Santiago Canyon College), Betty had her AA degree.

She was far from finished. “Thanks to the inspirational faculty and staff at SAC, I came to realize how capable I was, and how much I wanted to accomplish,” she explains. Betty went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree at Cal State Fullerton, her Master’s degree at New Mexico State University, and, finally, her PhD at Chapman University in Education. The impressive arc of Betty’s educational journey led her to select a truly memorable license plate for her car: GED2PHD and the name of her scholarship fund.

Dr. Valencia notes that her experience, as with so many others, was made possible through the financial assistance she received. “We are better prepared with educational opportunities,” she emphasizes. She continues to excel and achieve, and has unselfishly given back, volunteering for multiple organizations over the past 20 years. In 2019, she was named one of 100 Top Orange County influencers and, this year, she is the newly-elected board chair—the first Latina elected President of the SCC board in its 23-year history.

In December 2022, she and her spouse established this GED2PHD Scholarship fund specifically created “to pay for as many GED tests as possible in our district for any student who wants to pursue education.” Dr. Valencia explains that earning a GED “is very symbolic, very healing.” She recognizes how important this first step was for her on her journey, and wants to eliminate any financial barrier others may face in taking that same step.

Dr. Valencia sums up her ambition for the future saying, “I am a testimony of how SCC can truly change people’s lives. If you need help, we can provide that. It’s not about handing out money blindly, it’s about impacting people’s lives.”