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Candice Meares

Student Spotlight (2016)

The economic downturn in the United States forced good people to make some unexpected decisions about their future. For Candice Meares, it began a new and exciting chapter, becoming both a student and employee of Norco College.

Meares, a single mother of two young sons, had a long career as an executive assistant, but in 2014, she was unexpectedly terminated due to budget cuts. Despite her experience, finding a new job in the same field was difficult. After a career assessment tool suggested she pursue a career that was technical and creative, she decided to return to college.

"Although I was feeling intimidated by the idea of returning to college after so many years (I had last attended in the late 90's), I decided to look into attending Norco College," she shared.

After reviewing the available programs in Career and Technical Education, she was pleasantly surprised to discover the Game Development curriculum perfectly fit her needs.

She enrolled in Fall 2014 and within months was offered a Federal Work Study job in the CalWorks/Outreach office at Norco College. Now, in addition to being a student, Meares is a College Amabassador, visiting high schools, job fairs, and college fairs to promote Norco College programs.

"It's like I have come full circle," she said. "Only a year ago, I was here taking a tour of the campus, and now I am reaching out to prospective students to help them take that leap as well."

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