For many of us, community colleges are the gateway to higher education and success in life. Louis Reyes, a candidate for the Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees is a prime example. Louis owes much of his personal and professional accomplishments to the education he received at Rio Hondo College.

Louis worked in his family furniture manufacturing business since he was a teenager and did not go straight to college after high school. At 26 years old, he started Rio Hondo College during an economic downturn in order to learn new skills, begin his college education in order to get a better job. At that time, he never could have imagined how that educational experience would change his life.

While studying at Rio Hondo College, his leadership skills quickly developed and he was elected to serve as Student Trustee and President of Associated Student Body. Known for his commitment to higher education, he was again elected by his student peers statewide to serve as the Policy Director for the California Student Association of Community College representing 1.4 million students at 107 colleges.