MONTEREY PARK, CA — The East Los Angeles College Foundation (ELACF) supports East Los Angeles College students by expanding educational opportunities, strengthening community partnerships and investing in student success.
The newly revamped Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce (MPCC) is dedicated to creating a platform for growth, engagement and opportunity for the local business community while building stronger connections among businesses, educational institutions and the community.
Leaders from ELAC and MPCC gathered at the Office of the President at East Los Angeles College for a historic Memorandum of Understanding signing establishing the Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce Junior Chamber Program.
The ceremony included Dr. Monte E. Perez, President of East Los Angeles College; Dr. Reyna Trujillo of the ELAC Susan Rubio Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center; Dr. Armond Aghakhanian, Director of the East Los Angeles College Foundation; and Joleen Tu, President of the Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce, along with ELAC staff, Chamber leadership and Junior Chamber Committee members.
The collaboration represents the first formal partnership of its kind between ELACF and MPCC to establish a Junior Chamber Program and is intended to create a long-term bridge between the classroom and the community. Under the MOU, ELACF will support up to 100 eligible ELAC students, providing them with opportunities to participate in leadership development, civic engagement, community outreach, volunteerism and business-community activities.
At the heart of the Junior Chamber is real-world experience. Students will have a place to practice professional and leadership skills, receive mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals, participate in training and educational programs, build confidence, develop professional relationships, and apply what they are learning in the classroom to actual community and business projects.
The program will work collaboratively with the ELAC Susan Rubio Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, combining its training and educational programs with opportunities available through the Chamber and its business and community network. Junior Chamber students will have opportunities to participate in community service projects, workshops and seminars, networking and mentorship events, public outreach, cultural and civic activities, event planning and business-community initiatives.
The Junior Chamber will also serve as an advisory and volunteer body to MPCC’s Community Outreach Committee. “East Los Angeles College has always been about creating pathways for our students to achieve their goals and strengthen the communities they come from,” said Dr. Monte E. Perez, President of East Los Angeles College. “This collaboration gives our students another meaningful opportunity to develop as leaders, connect with the professional community and put their talents into action through service.”
The MOU establishes an initial five-year partnership, with the opportunity for the organizations to renew and continue building the program for future generations. “We are sincerely grateful to ELAC and its leadership for joining our newly revamped Chamber in this historic collaboration,” said Joleen Tu, President of the Monterey Park Chamber of Commerce. “Our mission is to bridge the classroom with the community and give young people a place to practice real-world skills, receive guidance, build confidence and turn what they are learning into meaningful experience. We hope this becomes a lasting partnership that develops generations of students who will one day become the business, professional and community leaders serving all of us.”
Together, ELACF and MPCC envision the Junior Chamber as more than a student program. It is a long-term investment in leadership, service and opportunity — connecting education with real-world experience and giving the next generation the tools, relationships and opportunities to become active participants and future leaders in their communities
