By her own admission, Amanda Atkinson was not a likely candidate for higher education. Born into a family of hardworking farmers, she has fond memories of growing up in San Joaquin County, amid tomato fields and - her favorite - cherry orchards. She began lending a hand at the age of 10, and by the age of 15, she was working on gigantic tomato-sorting machines.

"I worked with mostly family members and friends," she recalled, adding that even though the days were long (sometimes 10 to 12 hours!), she did not mind too much. "I guess it was just what we did to get by."

Because education was not a priority in her family, Atkinson opted to take the GED. With that diploma in her pocket, she began working for a large walnut processing factory at the age of 18. There, she held various jobs - from laborer to machine operator - and although she had made many friendships and excelled at her tasks, after 24 years of dedicated service, she could not help but notice that her prospects for a comfortable retirement were not very favorable.

"Like many private-sector jobs, the company outsourced work to Mexico," Atkinson explained, adding that the fear of layoffs was not uncommon. She also began observing a disquieting fact: "I noticed that as the workers matured, their value decreased." Atkinson felt that it was time for a change, but without a formal education, she saw herself at a disadvantage.

Nevertheless, her first break came when she applied for and obtained a customer service position with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). "I had absolutely no real communication or customer service skills," she recalled. "I literally had to reinvent myself."

After a couple of years at the DMV, she decided to pursue job opportunities at CalPERS. "I had visited their Web site and learned that they had everything I wanted - like diversity in the workplace," Atkinson said. "They hired students and retirees, so I knew that growing old with them would not be a problem. They really valued work and life experiences."

Atkinson came onboard at CalPERS in 2008, as part of the Customer Service and Education Division. Thanks to her friendly and jovial disposition, her manifest desire to help and her ability to learn quickly, she rapidly became an asset to her department, with customers often raving about her service.

Although she had made it thus far, Atkinson realized that her chances for advancement at CalPERS were limited. "A large majority of employees had degrees and most of the other jobs at CalPERS required you to have a four-year degree - even just to test for them."

Fortunately for Atkinson, CalPERS also had a long tradition of favoring its employees' personal growth. As part of many events designed to do so, CalPERS organized an Education Fair and encouraged all employees to participate. "There were schools from all over California," Atkinson recalled, "but only one caught my interest, and it was SCC."

"A very nice lady from Sac City College started talking to me and she was so encouraging and nice. She really made it sound like attending was something I could fit into my busy schedule. They even had a downtown annex two blocks away from my job."

Atkinson enrolled at City College's Customer Service Academy and also started taking Business classes. It wasn't long before she began reaping the fruit of her education: Exactly one year from her hire date, she was promoted to a job that she originally thought was out of reach. Two members of the hiring committee later told her that her strong interpersonal skills, but also her commitment to continuing her education, had set her apart from the other applicants.

"I can honestly say every class that I've taken here at SCC has had a direct relevance to my job and my life," Atkinson said.

From the fields and the factory in the valley, and on to a state job in the capital, Atkinson seems to already have had a lifetime of experiences. But for this eternal achiever, with what appears to be an endless amount of energy and optimism, this is just the beginning. After City College, she plans to pursue her education as far as it will take her, hoping to eventually transfer to a four-year college and major in Customer Service and Education.

Atkinson's will to succeed and confidence in her abilities are attributes that City College strives to infuse in every one of its students. With a constant focus on working together, pursuing excellence and inspiring achievement - SCC's core values - our faculty and staff are dedicated to making sure that students like Amanda Atkinson realize their full potential and are prepared for whatever the next stage may be.

And for those who think that in such uncertain economic times, there may be no next stage, Atkinson would like to offer a last piece of wisdom.

"Although the economy may have people filled with doubt," she said, "I believe now is the time for reinvention and positive thinking."