Shattering Ceilings: Fullerton College Female Leaders Empower and Advocate
Women represent 58.4 percent of the U.S. workforce but only held 35 percent of senior leadership positions. At Fullerton College, we are proud to have female leaders in every top position across the campus, including President, Faculty Senate President, Classified Senate President, Associated Students President, and Student Trustee.
As campus leaders, they advocate for their constituents and empower their colleagues and peers. Learn about our remarkable campus leaders and their journey to assuming a leadership role.
Meet our Leaders
President
Dr. Cynthia Olivo
As the eldest daughter of an extraordinary single mother, Dr. Cynthia Olivo discovered leadership naturally, especially amongst her four younger sisters. She instinctually took on a leadership role and served as an inspiration to her sisters when she became the first in her family to attend college. Coming from a loving, hard-working, and supportive family, Dr. Olivo developed a compassionate leadership style that she brings to her work and went from Student Housing Coordinator to Fullerton College President.
President Olivo has been working in higher education for more than 28 years and wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves working in higher education and being surrounded by thousands of people working to make their dreams come true. She believes in the transformative power of higher education and can relate to Fullerton College students as she shares many traits with them. As President of Fullerton College, Dr. Olivo has cultivated an inclusive environment to support student success and continues to support the college’s efforts toward student equity.
Faculty Senate President
Jennifer Combs
Jennifer Combs is a counseling professor, who teaches career exploration and development courses, and is celebrating her 21st year at Fullerton College. Before she realized she was ready to take on leadership roles, faculty leaders encouraged Combs to take on the role of Curriculum Committee chair. For that, she is grateful because she discovered how much she loves faculty leadership. Chairing the Curriculum Committee for almost 15 years was a constant challenge yet working with committee members who staunchly represented discipline faculty and passionately advocated for students made it well worth it. As the Curriculum Committee chair, Combs was a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee where she learned about faculty leadership from many Faculty Senate presidents as well as other senators, committee chairs, and program leads. Combs ran for senate president to support the radically student-centered work of faculty and bring their voices to college and district governance as their representative.
Classified Senate President
Nichole Crockrom
Wearing multiple hats, Nichole Crockrom shifts effortlessly from Campus Safety classified professional to Classified Senate president. Crockrom has an infectious smile that lights up any room she walks in and always makes classified professionals feel heard and understood. Classified Senate president wasn’t a position Crockrom sought or even thought about. However, after multiple classified professionals recommended her for the role, she decided to step up to fill a vacancy.
If you ever see Crockrom on stage, you’ll probably hear her say that she is not a great public speaker. However, to those in the audience, it’s quite the contrary as she provides witty humor, laugh-provoking memes, and kindness. As Classified Senate president, Crockrom will do what she can to help uplift and support others. She values classified professionals for the vast contributions they make to the college and advocates for them any time she can.
Associated Students President
Chloe Serrano
As a freshman, Chloe Serrano never imagined she would be president of Associated Students during her first year at Fullerton College. During her first semester, she decided to throw her hat in the ring for A.S. vice president. Serrano was drawn to Associated Students because it would be an opportunity to work on resolutions, activities, and budgets for student-related business. She was elected to the role of A.S. vice president, and much to her surprise, after getting sworn in as vice president, her first order of business was to step up into the role of president because it was a vacant position. She did not take the immediate advancement lightly. She listened to students and advocated for them on their behalf. As A.S. President, Serrano has increased awareness to support APIDA students and even spearheaded the first Lunar New Year event on campus. Ultimately, Serrano wants to create a space for all students to feel heard, seen, and valued at Fullerton College.
Student Trustee
Paloma Foster
Student Trustee Paloma Foster joined Fullerton College as a young mom wanting to provide better opportunities for her son. As a former foster youth, she speaks candidly about her experience in the juvenile justice system and how she could have been on the school-to-prison pipeline, had she not found her way to Fullerton College.
Her lived experience overcoming many challenges is a guidepost that inspires her optimism, strength, and her pursuit of higher education. She is motivated by social justice and found a like-minded friend early on at Fullerton College in Erin Lacorte, who served as the previous Student Trustee in 2021-2022. Foster looked up to Lacorte because of their commitment to social justice and student advocacy. With support and encouragement from Lacorte, Foster decided to run as a write-in candidate. As the 2022-2023 student trustee, Foster has advocated for students and led voter registration efforts on campus. Prior to the 2022 general election, she held a voter registration drive with A Band of Voters. As a Political Science major, Foster sees the value in voting and believes strongly in democracy. She wants to encourage young voters to become educated and civically engaged. Foster is also working to revise a student club for formerly incarcerated students. Her presence on campus will be sorely missed as she plans to transfer this year.
In Her Words
Fullerton College female campus leaders share their thoughts on leadership and provide advice for aspiring female leaders.
What have been your barriers and how did you overcome them?
Fullerton College President Cynthia Olivo
“The barriers I have faced are too innumerable to mention here, I’ve faced racism, sexism, classism, and the list goes on. I am able to overcome these experiences through drawing strength from family, friends and my network of close colleagues. Relationships with people who you can trust and who offer support are the perfect antidote. I also draw strengths from students and their resilience.”
Classified Senate President Nichole Crockrom
“One of my own personal barriers has been what is called Imposter Syndrome. This was just me having self-imposed doubts about my skills or accomplishments thus creating a fear of being exposed as not being “as good as” or a fraud. One of the ways that I have overcome this, “FEAR (False Education Appearing Real)” is by keeping a file on my success so that I could reflect on my achievements and push those self-doubts aside. I also journal on who, what, and why I am grateful.”
A.S. President Chloe Serrano
“Like many young women, I struggle with confidence, acceptance of my physical appearance, and perfectionism. For most of my life, I felt secure in academia and my ambitious professional pursuits. However, despite my solid GPA, public recognition, and several Speech and Debate awards, I still never felt like I was enough or doing enough. For four years, I have struggled with an eating disorder as a way to garner control and make myself “perfect,” causing me to spend most of high school in recovery. Self-acceptance is not easy in a society that profits off of your insecurities and is something I still work towards. Although, reminding myself that my body and my mind are meant for so much more than an ornament, is a healthy reminder to prevent any self-deprecating or self-objectifying thoughts.”
Student Trustee Paloma Foster
“Some common barriers are being low-income, first-generation, a student parent, and being of non-traditional student age. My teenage years were spent between foster care and as an incarcerated juvenile and on my eighteenth birthday I was emancipated. You can’t erase or overcome a less-than-ideal childhood, but you can actively make a choice on how you want to perceive that experience. Also, don’t internalize statistics as being the finite decision in your life.”
What makes you a good leader?
Fullerton College President Cynthia Olivo
“I’m a leader that unifies people around “the why” of our work. I have found that when you tap into this- people are willing to be creative, innovative, committed to racial equity and social justice.”
Classified Senate President Nichole Crockrom
“Having and displaying integrity. Being confident, compassionate, and relatable to others. I also like to think that my word is my bond and when people see that you possess this type of trait they tend to trust and believe in you.”
A.S. President Chloe Serrano
“I often think the idea of leadership can be misunderstood as an opportunity for an individual to have power over a community. However, since I was young, I have always thought the purpose of a leader is to serve their people. Without community, there will be no leader. This is why it has always been a priority of mine to lead my community and represent them to the best of my ability.”
Student Trustee Paloma Foster
“I wouldn’t call myself a good leader, but I will say I am always willing. The willingness to be of service to others and the willingness to take on more responsibility. Leadership roles have always been appealing because I never shut up, so advocating comes naturally. Our society rewards individualistic behavior, but all the good things in my life are byproducts of collective efforts therefore I consciously contribute to goals that benefit more than one person.”
What advice do you have for aspiring female leaders?
Fullerton College President Cynthia Olivo
“Honor yourself and the talents you have. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Get a mentor- informal conversations are the best in this regard. Rely on your peer network to support your dreams and goals emotionally.”
Classified Senate President Nichole Crockrom
“Be true to yourself and others. Be confident in the fact that you belong. Additionally, figure out what you are passionate about and make strides in trying to incorporate that passion into one’s daily life or a lifelong business. Never, ever be afraid to fail because without failure there is no growth. Our fear of failure tends to hold us back from what we can become or accomplish.”
A.S. President Chloe Serrano
“I would advise female leaders to be unapologetically themselves. Too often women, specifically women of color, feel the need to assimilate or are given higher standards to fulfill and are judged on things our male counterparts would never have to endure. Women are not only judged based on their qualifications, intellectuality, and micro-manners but also on our appearance, criticized for our ambition and mansplained female issues. It comes as no surprise that this can cause a sense of Imposter Syndrome that because of our gender or how we present ourselves, we do not belong. So I would like to remind every aspiring female leader, that they do belong and that taking up space and being authentically themselves is setting a precedent for the next generation.”
Student Trustee Paloma Foster
“My advice to female leaders is to stop waiting for the right time, the right partner, the right words because I waited for almost a decade for the right something that never materialized. Also, please stop comparing yourself to others. Everyone is in different time zones of their “life.” The sun in Hawaii sets around 10 p.m., but no one complains that night is too bright, or that the morning was too dark. And the people in New York are not worried about the late sunset.”
Why do we need more women in leadership?
Fullerton College President Cynthia Olivo
“We need more women in leadership because we make amazing leaders. We are strong, focused, and committed to the cause of education to make our world a place where students thrive.”
Classified Senate President Nichole Crockrom
“The potential to have more of a diverse view as it relates to problem-solving and the possibility of higher employee engagement are key when 54.7 percent of those in the working world are women. I believe there is a motivation when young women see other women in leadership roles. We are inspiring a group of young women in believing ‘THEY CAN DO IT!’”
A.S. President Chloe Serrano
“We need more women in leadership because representation is important. It is important for young women and girls to see people that look like them in leadership roles. A sense of empowerment and inspiration can be found when young people have role models that look like them.”
Student Trustee Paloma Foster
“Honestly, ladies if we are going to dismantle the patriarchy, the act of continually advancing in leadership roles grants you more opportunities to carry out a feminist agenda. I think Shirley Chisholm said, “Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society, just because that talent wears a skirt.” No disrespect to Mrs. Chisholm but we can wear pants now, we can wear anything! I encourage you to challenge the status quo and prove that women can do anything.”
