Courtesy photo

Mixteca Children

Courtesy Photo

Professor Mayo de la Rocha, Ventura College, hands out toys to the more than 100 Mixteca children for whom he collects every year.

Alisa Moore

Professor Mayo (Ismael) de la Rocha, department chair of Social Sciences and Humanities at Ventura College, and long-time community volunteer.

Ventura College's own Santa is Mayo (Ismael) de la Rocha. Mayo is responsible for collecting between two and three truckloads of new toys for the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project each year, which he has been doing annually for the last four years. Last year, as they will for this year, the Project distributed toys and other new items to over 250 people. More than 100 children received toys from Mayo's work. Then, he appeared as Santa to distribute the toys himself. A grandfather, he considers that one of the big perks of the job. But, this community service project is justone of Mayo's contributions to the people who live in Ventura County.

The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project is a group of English, Spanish and Indigeneous Mexican language speaking people who have come together to aid the Oaxacan immigrant community in Ventura County. Over 10,000 Oaxacan immigrants now live in our community.Many are hard working young farmworkers who have come here seeking a better life for their families. Poor land management policies in Mexico have made it impossible for them to survive in their native land. Many Oaxacan immigrants speak only their native languages, primarily Mixteco and Zapoteco. Many are unable to read or write in any language. Indigenous Oaxacan immigrants are one of the most impoverished groups in the U.S.

The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organzing Project holds monthly meetings at Las Islas Medical Group, serving hot meals and hosting educational presentations in both Spanish and Mixteco on such topics as the importance of prenatal care, pesticide exposure, nutrition and domestic violence. They also maintain a "Necessities of Life" program helps distribute clothing, diapers, blankets and other items to those in need. Their partnership with FoodShare allows them to distribute food to 100 needy families each month. Professor de la Rocha was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States with his family as a small child. His father was part of the "placero - guest worker" program of that time, and worked in the fields in this area. Neither parent had significant formal education. Mayo attended California schools, and after graduating from the local high school, went on to receive his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCSB, with a specialization in the history of Mexico, the United States and Latin America. He has done considerable post-graduate work through UCLA . Mayo is fluently bilingual in Spanish and English. He learned English as a child here in the English as a Second Language program. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1974.Mayo was born to teach and to share his love of and commitment to the glories of Mexican and Latin American history with young people. He began his professional career as a History Professor at Ventura College in 1974. Since then he has taught Chicano Studies and Chicano History at UCSB, CSUN, CLU and CSUCI as well, as an adjunct lecturer. In addition, he has lectured in Cuba and in Cuernavaca Mexico, under the auspices of the Ventura College International Education Program. His students have gone on for bachelor's, master's, professional and doctorate degrees, many staying in touch with him for years. While always maintaining a presence in the classroom, he has also moved into administration, and currently serves as the department chair for the Social Sciences and Humanities department.Mayo believes that one of the most valuable tools in a faculty's tool box is mentoring. He has been and continues to be an active, committed mentor to the students in MeCHA, in the Associated Students of Ventura College student government, to Hispanic students who seek him out from EOPS (Extended Opportunities Programs and Services), Alpha Gamma Sigma (Honor Society), MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement), SHPE (Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers - student chapter), the Women's Basketball Program at Ventura College, and other student organizations. His work with students reveals his continued dedication to providing them with the opportunities that only education can bring - enhanced job opportunities, cultural enrichment, language skills and an introduction to the world of lifelong learning. He has served as the faculty advisor to MeCHA for more than 30 years - assisting them with celebrating various Mexican holidays on campus, including the Day of the Dead, September 16 and Cesar Chavez Day. He served on the Ventura College Foundation Scholarship Committee for many years, and as Scholarship Chair for the California Association of Bilingual Education for more than a decade. In addition to his myriad professional educational commitments, Mayo has been a dedicated community servant, participating as a leader and a volunteer with Los Amigos del Pueblo in Ventura from 1974-1981, with Latinos for Better Government from more than 25 years, working with at risk youth through the Tezcalipoca Project in La Colonia from 1995-2000, with various projects at El Concilio since 1990, and has for the past several years been involved with the Mixteca Project in Oxnard, bringing his students, through the concept of service learning, to tutor children and supply them with gifts for the holidays, provide literacy training to the adults, and assist with finding housing, transportation and health care. He has done similar work through his students over the years with El Concilio. Finally, Mayo has been recognized for his contributions, having received the Outstanding Instructor award for promoting Academic Excellence twice at Ventura College, the Academic Senate award for Outstanding Service to students, the LULAC Outstanding College Educator of the Year, and the Latinos for Better Government Outstanding Service to the Latino Community award.

This is our chance to tell Mayo "Thank you" for making Ventura County a better place to live for many people, both small and grown!