A’kilah Smith can’t ever seem to leave Los Medanos College, a community college she seems to have fallen in love with from the moment she began teaching math decades ago to recently becoming the college’s vice president of instruction.

Smith says it’s all about the students and their success at the college, one of three in the Contra Costa Community College District, with campuses in Pittsburg and Brentwood.

“I wanted to become the permanent VPI (vice president of instruction) because I am deeply committed to the success of our students,” she said. “I was excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the dedicated LMC family to support student success, advance equity-driven initiatives and continue to build strong instructional programs.”

Smith had been in her current role on an interim basis since August 2023 and took on the job permanently on Jan. 1 after a nationwide search (www.losmedanos.edu/news/lmcnews/smith.aspx). Her role oversees more than 90 academic and career training programs, early college credit courses, more than 100 full-time faculty members, about 270 adjunct faculty and about a dozen employees who provide academic support.

Born in Oakland and raised there and in Hayward, Smith lives in Pittsburg and earned her bachelor’s of science degree in mathematics from Atlanta’s Spelman College, a master’s of science in math from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a doctorate in educational leadership from Saint Mary’s College in Morage. She says she wanted to become an engineer as a youth.

“I was always good at math and was told that was the profession I should pursue,” Smith said.

A married mother of two daughters and a son, she says her role as Los Medanos College’s vice president of instruction is about reducing academic performance disparities among different student groups.

“Most people have heard the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ While we are not raising children at LMC, I do believe it takes a village to make meaningful change,” she said. “Closing the achievement gap will require working together with our faculty, student services staff and community partners.”

To accomplish this, Smith says she will work with instructional faculty and programs to ensure they offer culturally relevant and inclusive curricula, create equitable spaces, hold all students to high expectations and offer them effective support.

“Higher education is often siloed,” she says. “My work involves communicating and partnering across disciplines and departments, from marketing and outreach to student services. As we continue to work together and with our community partners, we can ensure students receive the academic support they need to navigate college processes to enroll in the right classes and to graduate. We can live up to that vision.”

Smith says new congressional executive orders that threaten diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs across the nation are unlikely to affect Los Medanos College.

“Everything we do at LMC aligns with DEI, so it’s not likely to change,” she said. “LMC always has been devoted to serving the community and our students in a holistic way.

“For instance, from the beginning, we’ve always had an early childhood education program, which provides child care for students juggling parenting with academics and prepares future educators for the workforce. We will always be supportive of anyone and everyone who chooses to attend LMC as the place where they can pursue educational and career goals to achieve a brighter future.”

Smith recalls what Jack Carhart, the college’s founding president, said to incoming students when the campus opened 50 years ago.

“He said, ‘This college is for you. No consideration will be given to your race, religion, social class, economic status or even your past failures and difficulties in school. We will offer you no easy path to higher learning, but if you are in some respects unprepared for what we have to offer, we will help you to prepare.

‘If you are confused and uncertain about yourself and your future, we will offer you counseling services going well beyond mere academic advising. We will offer all of this to you because we believe in your capacity, because you cannot otherwise live fully and because our society cannot achieve its potential unless you achieve yours,’” Smith said.

She says from when she began teaching math at the college in 2002 (until 2013) she could thrive in her work and help her students thrive because her values aligned with those of the college. Smith also served as dean of math and sciences from 2013 to 2017.

“The principles of DEI were baked into LMC long before it was a mainstream notion,” she said. “Being part of the original task team that looked at data on how well we were serving African American students — then developing the Umoja Scholars Program and later being selected as one of the founding coordinators — I saw firsthand the college’s commitment to equitable success for all students.”

Smith also worked from 2022 to 2023 as director of curriculum development and training for Youth UpRising, an East Oakland nonprofit group.

“My role involved developing curriculum for both academic and academic support programs, including a clean air program teaching youth about environmental injustice and a career readiness program for youth and young adults in the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act program,” she said.

When she’s not working, Smith says she loves spending time with her family, running, lifting weights and traveling. She also embraces different mantras for various seasons in life.

“When things are challenging, my mantra is, ‘This too shall pass;’ when things are smooth, my mantra is, ‘Savor each precious moment;’ when I mess up, my mantra is, ‘I am worth forgiving;’ and when others mess up, my mantra is, ‘They are worth forgiving.’ ”

With a smile that lights up any room inside or outside of Los Medanos College, Smith is all about enriching the lives of others.

“LMC is a truly special place — I knew that from my 15 years here before, and after returning six years later, I know it still,” she said. “The sense of community, dedication to student success and commitment to equity make it a place like no other. I’m honored to serve as the vice president of instruction and look forward to continuing to support and uplift the LMC family.”

Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Diablo Valley college, at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.