Angela Kong, Ph.D.
Co-Chair, Service Learning Coordinator
Dr. Angela Kong is a Service Learning Coordinator at Palomar College. She is a proud daughter of immigrant parents, a product of San Francisco public schools, a first-generation college graduate, a TRIO alumna, and self-identifies as an Asian American woman of color. She has 20 years of experience as an educator working across the California public college system to support students of color and first-generation college students. She’s worked with Work-Based Learning, Guided Pathways, Summer Bridge, TRIO Programs, Pre-College Programs, and Counseling and Ethnic Studies Departments. She believes in building community with others who are committed to student equity and social justice. As a founding member of a non-profit Hawaiian outrigger canoe club, you will find her paddling on the weekends.
Monica Diego Schmidt
Co-Chair, Senior Library Technician
Monica Diego Schmidt is a Senior Library Technician at Palomar College, working from both the Main Campus library and the Fallbrook Campus library. She earned her bachelor's in History, focusing on both Mexican and Filipino migrant labor in California, and earned her master's in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. In honoring her grandparents' and parent's vision of the value of an education, she continues to use research and teachings to educate the public about the strength and resilience of America's ethnic origins.
Gary Sosa
Member, ESL Instructor
Gary Sosa has been an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor for over 30 years, the last 16 in the ESL Department at Palomar College. He has a degree in English and in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. While he was born and raised in Los Angles, his ancestors came from Mexico and Japan. Living abroad for many years (mostly Asia) and teaching immigrant and international students for all of his teaching career have made him keenly aware of racial problems and ethnic divisions not only in the US but all over the world. Gary enjoys communicating with people from other countries and cultures and equally enjoys helping people across cultures and languages understand and appreciate one another.
Hossna Sadat Ahadi, Ed.D.
Founder, Assistant Professor
Dr. Hossna Sadat Ahadi is an Assistant Professor in Counseling at Palomar College. She is the founder of Empowered Women and the Asian Pacific Alliance in Higher Education at Palomar College. She obtained her dual bachelor's degree in history of the near east and political science from UCSD. She earned a master's degree in education—emphasis in multicultural counseling and social justice and a doctorate in educational leadership from SDSU. Dr. Sadat Ahadi is a national and statewide award winner for her work and leadership involving equity, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism in education. She continues to research, publish, and provide ongoing training related to antiracism, decolonization, and racial equity in education.
Joe Limer
Member, Associate Professor of Political Science
Joe Limer has been with Palomar College for 20 years and is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies. He has a bachelor's degree in English, a bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a master's degree in Political Science - Public Policy, JD Law. Some of his milestones include being named Palomar Distinguished Faculty - Adjunct and Faculty Advisor: Palomar Performance Poetry. Joe has also earned the National Endowment for the Humanities: Political Philosophy and Democratization and National Poetry Slam Competition, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018.
Bethany Sumiko Contreras
Member, Business Systems Analyst
Bethany Contreras is a first-generation college graduate whom earned her B.S. in Business, Supply Chain Management and M.B.A. in Business Intelligence from California State University of San Marcos. As a Nikkei (of Japanese ancestry) and having been a teen mother, she decided early-on to violate statistics, defy the odds, and reject societal skepticism and negative voices. Driven by her lived and continued experiences, her passions include helping young people, young parents, and all students externalize their dreams, recognize their potential, and actualize their ambitions. Bethany has worked in both public and private sectors with responsibilities ranging from operations and supply chain management to system and data analysis. She currently holds a position at Palomar College as a Business Systems Analyst. Outside of work, she enjoys playing video games with her family, investing in devotion, exploring different foods and recipes, and learning from and about other cultures.