Dondi Lawrence Dondi Lawrence, a native of the central valley, was the first person in her household to attain a college degree. She began her post-secondary journey at a local community college where she completed her coursework and graduated. She then transferred to California State University, Fresno to earn her
bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
During her pursuit of a Master of Public Administration, Dondi started working at Merced College in the outreach department as the college’s first Student Success and Support Program Technician. Encouraged by her experiences, she pursued a second graduate degree, obtaining a Master in Education. She served within the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) Department as the colleges first NextUp Student Support Coordinator for current/former foster youth and successfully filled a temporary role as Director of EOPS/CARE/NextUp and CalWORKs.
Presently, she serves as the Director of Instructional Special Projects and Services at Merced College. Leading a team of staff and student Digital Navigators, she manages two grant-funded pilot initiatives: Merced College Online and the Connecting Minority Communities Program, which aims to provide digital literacy workshops to community members. Dondi is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to a now college-going 20-year-old.
