Photo Credit: Michael Craig

Mayor Mark Salinas carries on a family legacy of attending Chabot College. With little guidance and feeling lost, Mark initially dropped out of Chabot, worked in construction for a year, and decided to go back to school. This time, he encountered the Puente program and met with the counselor. His experience at Chabot College changed. The academic courses in the Puente program exposed him to books such as Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, who reminded Mark of his family roots in New Mexico. Writers like Sandra Cisneros and Julia Alvarez also changed his life.

Mark was a student of Dr. Susan Sperling in her Anthology class. She introduced him to ethnography, a methodology in research and data collection. Taking her class fueled his passion for a career in higher education.

Mark transferred to San Francisco State, where he was invited to sit at a table with professors who were leaders in the Third World Liberation Front. This was a movement in the 1960s led by students who demanded institutions of higher education offer ethnic studies courses and build ethnic studies programs. At that table, Mark was exposed to a powerful conversation between the leaders and learned how education policies can be changed for the better. This motivated Mark to attend graduate school to pursue a career in teaching. Mark attended UC Riverside to pursue a Ph.D. and was recruited by a Dean at Chabot College to teach a social science class.

For several years, Mark has taught Ethnic Studies courses at Laney College, Sociology courses at Chabot College, and served as a Political Science lecturer for CSU East Bay. In 2010, Mark was elected to Hayward City Council, and in 2022, he was elected as Mayor. Growing up in Hayward and being a long-time resident, he saw the importance of connecting schools with the City of Hayward. Over the years, Mark has worked on creating an education pipeline from preschool to college. He collaborates with Hayward Unified School District, vocational/apprenticeship programs, Chabot College, CSU East Bay, and community-based organizations to increase graduation rates among students. He was also a founder of Let’s Do Lunch & Breakfast, Too!, distributing meals at 40 different sites in Hayward where families gather.

The advice Mark gives to students is: If you do not know what you want to do in your future, go to school. Higher education allows you to experience different perspectives and explore your purpose. During your time as a college student, make the most out of the opportunities Chabot College has to offer.

Interview Credit: Tomoko Roudebush

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