Our Inspiration

Our Inspiration

Margaret D'Arrigo
Consistency and loyalty to our mission

Hartnell College has always been an important part of Margaret D'Arrigo's life. Since her early years, she recalls playing tennis with her dad on the courts, having season tickets to The Western Stage, and taking classes there.

"Hartnell was there in my backyard and I had an affinity for the college," she said.

About 22 years ago, she recalls learning about the lack of Ag programs at Hartnell and became involved with the Ag Steering Committee as one of the founding members. It was her goal to get others on board and find out the needs of the Ag industry to build programs that would benefit students and employers.

That's when her giving began. She became a loyal volunteer, mentor, and donor. In 2004, Margaret started a scholarship program in memory of her daughter, Alexis Claire, who had passed at just a few months old the previous year. Keeping her memory alive was just one way for her to cope with the loss and help others at the same time.

"It is my goal to support those who need that extra push to get through their education, especially Latinos and Latinas who don't always have that support at home," she said. "I am passionate about educating here and keeping talent here."

D'Arrigo has been a consistent donor and supporter of the Hartnell College Foundation for many years. One of her favorite programs to support is the Women's Education & Leadership Institute (WELI). "Women's empowerment is at the top of my list," she said.

"Margaret is a force of nature, generously giving her resources, time, talent, connections, and unmatched energy," said Dr. Jackie Cruz, Vice President of Advancement and Development at Hartnell College and Executive Director of Hartnell College Foundation. "She leads with heart and purpose, setting an inspiring example of what philanthropy looks like."

Her parents instilled in her a love of philanthropy. Andrew and Phyllis D'Arrigo adopted Margaret and her five siblings. She was the last to join the family. She graduated from Salinas High School, earned a bachelor's in agricultural & managerial economics from UC Davis, and a master's in business administration from CSU Monterey Bay.

She has held various positions in business, but what she is most proud of is her time as a board member of the Hartnell College Foundation, a Trustee of Hartnell College, and a Trustee of Salinas Valley Health. Currently, Margaret holds a seat as a Councilmember for the City of Salinas.

"I feel Hartnell and SVH prepared me for this role," she said. "There is more work, time, and responsibility involved."

In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, meeting with friends, walking, and going to the gym. But her most precious moments are those with her twins, Alex and Sterling, who are now 20. Each year, they plan a big trip for the three of them.

Without question, Margaret cares about the community, and her goal is to empower youth. She serves on the boards of Harmony At Home and Girls Inc., where she continues to advocate for "the future leaders of our community."

We are thrilled to honor Margaret as the Hartnell College Foundation Distinguished Honoree at this year's National Philanthropy Day for the Central Coast.

National Philanthropy Day
Celebrating our own

National Philanthropy Day for the Central Coast ison November 14, 2025, at The Inn at Spanish Bay. The Harnell College Foundation will be honored with the award for Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation of the Year.

The Foundation is also proud to announce that Hartnell student Emily Molina, 21, has been selected as the Outstanding Philanthropic Young Adult of the Year. She was nominated for her leadership and stewardship of a fundraising project. The Monterey YWCA was looking for support to fundraise for the Women’s Domestic Violence wing. They reached out to the Psychology Club at Hartnell, and Emily took the lead. The Club sold succulents to raise funds for the YWCA.

“It was a team effort,” she said. “Under the leadership of faculty member Dr. Yoshiko Matsushita-Arao, we became the big donor for this project.”

Molina graduated from Rancho San Juan High School in 2022. She is now at Hartnell as a psychology major and plans to transfer to Sacramento State University next year.

“I want to become a clinical psychologist and work with adults, especially Latinos,” she said. “There are a lot of misdiagnoses out there, and my goal is to fix that and also take away that stigma surrounding counseling.”

She shared the struggles of generational depression in her own family. “No one could talk about it, and it was my mom who broke that cycle,” she said. “My grandparents now understand too, and grandma is going to therapy to tackle some of the trauma she experienced in her early years.”

Her goal is to return to Salinas and be involved in the community. Besides having her own practice, she plans to come back to Hartnell to teach.

“Hartnell has given me so much!” she said. “I’ve had resources, scholarships, academic support, and so much more — I am grateful.”

The Foundation was proud to nominate Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss (NHEH) for Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation at this year’s Philanthropy Day. The firm is well-known for its community service, supporting a wide array of local charitable, cultural, and educational organizations through Board service, participation in fundraising activities, hands-on volunteer work, and financial contributions. Congratulations to NHEH for being selected for this recognition.

Philanthropy Day promises to be an inspiring event honoring the good work and generosity of so many people in the community. We congratulate everyone who will be recognized at the event.

Advancing a Shared Vision

In a press conference on July 9, 2925, the Hartnell College Foundation and the National Steinbeck Center announced they have formally assumed ownership of the CSUMB Salinas City Center from Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB). The building will be renamed One Main Street. This marks a significant step in strengthening downtown Salinas through expanded educational access and regional partnerships.

The CSUMB Salinas City Center, home to the National Steinbeck Center, has served as a central hub for learning, cultural programs, and community engagement since 1998. Under the Hartnell College Foundation’s leadership, One Main Street will continue to support expanded programming, provide community and industry event space and create opportunities for nonprofit collaborations and social innovations, all while remaining an anchor for downtown Salinas.

“The Hartnell College Foundation, CSUMB, and the National Steinbeck Center have worked together for over two decades to serve the Salinas Valley,” said Dr. Jackie Cruz, vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the Hartnell College Foundation. “With this transition, we’re building on that foundation to meet the evolving needs of nonprofit organizations, students, professionals, regional economic drivers, and community members through expanded workforce development, continuing education, entrepreneurship, and short-form learning that aligns with local economic needs.”

The National Steinbeck Center will continue to operate within the building, preserving its role as one of the nation’s foremost literary museums dedicated to the life and legacy of Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. The National Steinbeck Center will continue to serve its members and expand its youth programming at One Main Street.

“We are thrilled to embark on a new chapter for our community and the Steinbeck fans from around the world who come to Salinas to visit the National Steinbeck Center,” said Steve Emerson, president of the National Steinbeck Center. “Our collaboration creates the opportunity to revitalize the National Steinbeck Center with enhanced bookstore and museum experiences, expanded programming for all ages.”

Several key initiatives will also be headquartered at One Main Street, including:

Hartnell’s K-12 STEM Programs, engaging nearly 10,000 youth annually in robotics, coding, and science learning.

Bright Futures Monterey County, the county’s cradle-to-career partnership.

El Pájaro Community Development Corporation - kitchen incubator and entrepreneurship support for local food-based small businesses.

Monterey County Office of Education- temporary relocation of meal service operations, ensuring continuity of warm meals for thousands of students.

Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce - expanded business support and reignition of community events impacted by the pandemic.

“We have big dreams for One Main Street,” added Cruz. “In the long term, we envision creating a community biotech lab, a space for local talent to innovate with tools and technologies usually only found in larger cities. We’re planting the seeds for regional economic vitality.”

“This transfer strengthens our ability to support economic development efforts in downtown Salinas and to offer more accessible education and training to the current workforce,” said Michael Gutierrez, superintendent/president of Hartnell College.

CSUMB President Dr. Vanya Quiñones affirmed the university’s support for the transition and added, “This move reflects our strong partnership and shared commitment to serve the region.”

The building purchase was made possible through the generous philanthropic support of Taylor Farms, Harden Foundation, D’Arrigo Charitable Trust, and the Hartnell College Foundation Board.

“At Taylor Farms, we believe in investing in the future of our community through education, innovation, and collaboration,” said Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Fresh Foods.

Record Number of High Schoolers See Future in STEAM

Hartnell College Foundation K-12 STEAM program celebrates the culmination of another successful NASA MAA (Murep Aerospace Academy) summer program.

This summer, the program started with more than 170 high school students who aimed to participate in the program over the course of six sessions held each week on Fridays, of interactive lessons and hands-on activities focused on acoustic damping in aerospace engineering. Students met at the Hartnell Alisal Campus daily with one cohort of 14 youth in King City.

“It has been my absolute pleasure to be part of this initiative over the past three years—a collaboration that truly reflects the shared mission of the Hartnell College Foundation, Hartnell College, and NASA,” said Ana Ibarra, director of K-12 STEAM program at Hartnell College Foundation. “Engaging students through meaningful projects and field trips has been a deeply rewarding experience.” 

Over the course of three years, students have engaged in topics of hydrology, lunar rovers, and acoustic damping. They went on field trips to Elkhorn Slough, Monterey One Water, Farm NG, Joby Aviation, and the WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca.

Hartnell College was one of only nine academic institutions selected to receive the NASA MUREP Aerospace Academy grant, and one of just two community colleges chosen nationwide. Thanks to the NASA award and the support of Chevron, Hartnell College has played a pivotal role in expanding youth exposure to careers in STEM. This grant has funded the summer program for high school students since 2023. However, Hartnell’s partnership with NASA dates back to 2011, when it first received a NASA MAA award aimed at engaging 300 elementary students in aerospace careers. Over the years, this initiative has grown to impact thousands of students.

PROVEN IMPACT TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION

This year, two student Lead Technicians participated in the coordination of NASA MAA, Michael Oliver and Celeste Romero.

“If it wasn’t for programs like this, I would not be where I am today,” said Michael Oliver, 18, UC Berkeley. “As a lead now, I can show other students what NASA MAA is and where it can take them.”

“I love it and it’s fun,” said Romero, 20, University of Phoenix. “At first it can be intimidating but once you start playing with things you start to learn how everything works – that’s how it happened with me.”

In the next five years, NASA anticipates needing one million workers to fulfill different projects and missions. With NASA MAA, the goal is to discover in youth talents they did not know existed in them and with or without a college degree, provide opportunities for hands-on control over the future.

Join us at the 2025 Gala for the Arts!

The 2025 Gala for the Arts will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Hartnell College. You are invited to enjoy a joyful evening of delicious food and drinks, a silent auction, an uplifting program, and the toe-tapping Bluegrass music of Hilltown. And the honorees are:

After the event, guests are invited to attend Bright Star, a heartwarming musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the 1920s and 1940s. You are also invited to join the festivities early 4:00 – 4:30 PM for a sneak peak of the newly renovated Hartnell Art Gallery.

Interested in being a sponsor? Learn more here or contact Celeste DeWald at [email protected] or (831) 755-6810.

He was 11 years old when he came to the United States. He had to learn a new language and a new way of life. His dad passed away of cancer soon after and it was his mom who continued strong raising nine children.

“Mom is my biggest supporter – she is always cheering me on,” said Noe Lomeli. His mom is 85 and lives with him in Santa Cruz County.

Noe entered the CSin3 (computer science in three years) program at Hartnell College and CSU Monterey Bay in 2015. He was part of Cohort 3 and earned a scholarship of $30,000 from the Matsui Foundation.

“It’s life changing to get that kind of scholarship,” he said. “I want to make Teresa Matsui proud and show her that what they do is changing lives – we want her to know their investment was worth it.”

He was 35 when he entered the program. His life had been challenging, working multiple jobs and not being able to focus in his studies. He promised himself that he would go back to college, but he never imagined computer science would be his ticket to success.

“I did not even know what computer science was!” He exclaimed. “But CSin3 was exactly what I needed.” The program provided him with a cohort, discipline, focus, fast-pace, and comradery. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2018.

He interned for Uber and worked for Heroku, a sub division of Salesforce. His experience showed him the value of networking and of determination.

“My time at Heroku changed my life,” he said. “First, I had never imagined earning the salary they offered me and second, it opened up a world of opportunities and made me think of what else I could do with my skills here in my community.”

He created a prototype of a robot with a camera that controls your pace as you jog or run. It was a project that led him to connect with Cohort 2 grad Benito Sanchez. They kept in touch all these years and Noe joined Benito’s translation and interpretation company Nurbli. In less than two years, the company has grown from two to nice staff. They provide translation services for two types of Mixteco, Triqui, and Spanish.

“Benito and I knew we had the grit to do great things,” he said. “I want to encourage Latinos to become curious about computer science – it takes work but it is so worth it.”

David Rodríguez Muñoz

Disillusioned with school as a teenager in East Salinas, David Rodríguez Muñoz dropped out and earned his GED before working at Taylor Farms, packaging salads.

One late night in the company cafeteria, David realized he didn't want to continue down that path indefinitely. Though unsure of his next steps, he knew he needed to find a career that resonated with him. This led him to Hartnell College, where, after some initial struggles, he discovered his talent for photography. His photography teacher, Eric Bosler, was pivotal in nurturing David's interest and helping him find his focus and pathway. David credits Bosler as the "glue that kept him together" throughout his journey at Hartnell.

When David graduated with an Associate in Arts degree from Hartnell, he recalls the humorous moment when his name was called during the ceremony, and his degree was announced as "Photography?"-a memory that always makes him smile. Despite the lightheartedness, David was proud of his achievement and ready for the next chapter.

David continued his education at San Francisco State University, feeling well-prepared from his time at Hartnell and becoming the first in his family to seek a bachelor's degree. However, the long commute from Salinas to San Francisco each day limited his opportunities to network or participate in internships. Nonetheless, he completed his bachelor's degree in Photojournalism, though he worried about his job prospects due to the lack of professional connections.

Fortune smiled on David when a local opportunity arose. A partnership between The Salinas Californian and Catchlight offered a fellowship to support a staff photographer. Though he wasn't selected initially, the editor at The Salinas Californian took a chance on David and offered him a staff photographer position. He spent two and a half years covering local stories in the Salinas area.

In 2022, David received an offer of employment from the Detroit Free Press, one of the leading newspapers in the Midwest, marking a significant milestone in his career. One of his most notable visual narratives, "Life After", delves into the resilience of Amedy Dewey, who survived a harrowing gun violence attack at 18 and is now reclaiming her life. David has been recognized as a Fuente Latina Media Fellow, CatchLight Local Fellow, and John S. Knight Community Impact Fellow.

David has always aimed to use his photography to raise awareness of social inequities, a mission rooted in his own experiences growing up in Mexico and Salinas. He is especially proud of a five-part series on farmworkers in the Salinas Valley during the pandemic, which led to an outpouring of support for the individuals he featured.

Inspired by the mentors and role models who shaped his journey, David regularly shares his experiences with photography and journalism students, seeing it as a way to "pay it forward." His advice to Hartnell students is to "explore and take advantage of the resources" because the faculty and staff are there to support their growth.

David's photography and projects can be found at www.davidrodriguezmunoz.com .