Two new student representatives joined the Peralta Community College (PCCD) Board of Trustees this semester. Biology major Sophia Parmigiani and Business Administration major Pierce Byrne were sworn onto the board in July and September, respectively.

Though they come from different backgrounds, Parmigiani and Byrne have both dedicated themselves to representing the large pool of voices and diverse needs of the student body.

Sophia Parmigiani

Sophia Parmigiani grew up in the small town of American Canyon, California. Having been raised in this smaller environment, she wasn’t sure if she would like Berkeley City College (BCC).

Now a second year biology major at BCC, Parmigiani is excited to represent her fellow Peralta students as a newly-sworn student trustee at the Peralta Community College District.

“There’s a huge community there of support [at BCC], and I think the closeness of the building just makes it feel very warm and welcoming with the students who go there,” Parmigiani told The Citizen. “I couldn’t be happier to go to school in the Peralta district.”

Though she describes herself as “naturally a shyer person,” Parmigiani believes choir and theater allowed her to “get out of [her] shell” during high school. This experience inspired her direction towards leadership and service.

Soon after enrolling at BCC, she joined BCC’s Women’s Leadership Club, a club dedicated to the empowerment of women throughout the campus and community. There, she got involved with Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART)’s #NotOneMoreGirl campaign. #NotOneMoreGirl was an initiative aimed at ending sexual harassment and gender-based violence on public transportation.

“We partnered with BART, and they came and presented at my school,” Parmigiani said. “There was just an open discussion of […] how we can help.”

Eventually she realized that she could use this power not only for supporting other women, but all of her peers within the Peralta community.

“How can I give students more accessibility to resources, or help them know more about what they can do to succeed?” Parmigiani recalled asking herself.

She hopes to represent students from underserved communities with her newfound position, no matter which campus they call home.

“Each college is unique and has their own challenges,” Parmigiani said. She noted the importance of “knowing who you’re representing, and which students need that representation.”

“It’s not to uplift your position, but you’re actually trying to help real people and trying to improve […] the school district in a small way, however you can,” she added.

Last summer, Parmigiani traveled to Brazil with the organization Mission Brazil. Mission Brazil trains catholic missionaries through programs and trips in Brazil. While she nor any of her peers spoke Portuguese, they received help from in-person translators.

“This group combined two things that I love, which is evangelizing with my faith, and then also being able to live in a community, or [work] in that community,” Parmigiani said. “It was really such an amazing experience.”

She has also visited other countries such as Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Travel remains a large part of her life.

After finishing at Peralta, with a potential gap year in between, Parmigiani is set on continuing on her pre-med path at a four-year university. Her goal is to become either a pediatrician or family physician once she’s done with school.

Pierce Byrne

Growing up, third-year BCC student Pierce Byrne struggled to keep a close community around him. Born in San Francisco to two Irish parents, Byrne spent his childhood constantly going back and forth between Ireland and the United States.

“It became kind of hard to keep in touch with friends because it’s an eight-hour time zone [difference] between Ireland and California,” Byrne said.

Byrne knew that he wanted to pursue a career in the United States. For his junior and senior year of high school, he decided to move back to the United States to attend a boarding school. He has lived in the country ever since.

It was only when he decided to attend Berkeley City College that he found an established community that he could call home.

“Since I was a student ambassador, I’d always help out international students, because I understand that transition is hard for these students,” Byrne said.

“I’ve grown to love the Berkeley community,” Byrne said. “This is my home away from home.”

For Byrne, going to a school at Peralta was a no-brainer. He elaborated that his choice was in part due to the high UC transfer rates.

“I’m hoping to transfer to [UC] Berkeley,” Byrne said. “That’s what drew me to Peralta. But I love the district. It’s amazing.”

Partially inspired by his father, Byrne is pursuing a degree in Business Administration. To Byrne, business is about making connections, building relationships, and establishing community. These values, along with a lifelong ambition to help people, drove him towards student government when he enrolled in BCC.

“I was told about the position from my first day, and I’ve always wanted to get involved,” Byrne said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about the community, make new friends, and just learn [about] the system.”

When he finishes his journey at Peralta, he hopes to transfer to UC Berkeley to continue the pathway of business, and eventually become an entrepreneur.

Looking forward

Student trustees are elected for one-year terms and can serve for a maximum of two years — half the term of a regular trustee. Unlike regular trustees, student trustee votes are only advisory.

Both Pierce and Parmigiani share similar goals in what they hope to achieve before the end of their terms. In addition to addressing the lack of student housing, they also wish to bridge the gap between the four colleges and bring them closer together.

Together, they have been touring the campuses on a monthly basis in order to get a broad perspective on campus life throughout the four colleges. They have already toured BCC, Merritt College, and Laney College, with College of Alameda being the only remaining campus.

Byrne hopes that more high school students seeking enrollment in higher education will seek the opportunities that a community college can offer.

“Don’t be afraid to just give community college a try,” advised Byrne. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I think community college is the best thing I could have chosen.”