Mission College President

To Our Students, Campus, and Community: You Belong Here and We Will Fight for You.

At Mission College, you are the reason we lead. If you’ve ever felt like higher education wasn’t built for you—because of your race, your income, your language, your identity, your immigration status, your neurodiversity—you are exactly who we are building this college for. You belong here. Fully. Unapologetically.

This is a place where your story matters, where your voice shapes decisions, and where your success is not negotiable. We are here to dismantle the barriers that have kept far too many of our students on the margins for far too long. That means standing up, not just speaking up, against racism, ableism, classism, transphobia, and every system that undermines justice.

As your President, I am deeply committed to transforming this college into a space where equity is lived, not just promised. That means leading with love. That means working hard, every single day, in service to you. And that means being bold enough to reimagine the systems that were never built with our most minoritized students in mind.

We are not perfect—but we are relentless.

We are not finished—but we are all in.

And we will not stop—until every student has the resources, the support, and the freedom to succeed on their own terms.

This is your college. This is your community. And I am proud to fight alongside you.

In justice, love, and solidarity,

Dr. Seher Awan
President, Mission College

Dr. Seher Awan is the proud daughter of immigrants, a first-generation community college student, and the youngest sitting college president in the California Community College system. She currently serves as President of Mission College in Santa Clara, where she is leading a bold institutional transformation grounded in equity, shared power, and student-centered decision-making.

Dr. Awan holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, where her research focused on rebuilding trust in community colleges. She also earned both an MBA and an MPA from California State University, Northridge, and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus on Management.

Her professional journey spans nearly two decades and multiple regions of California, with leadership roles at Los Angeles Southwest College, San Diego City College, and now Mission College. She has served as faculty, vice president, and president, carrying her values with her at every step. Dr. Awan has led major transformations in governance, enrollment, strategic planning, equity, and student success – always with one unwavering truth at the center: students deserve more, and we have a responsibility to deliver.

She is especially committed to dismantling systemic barriers that impact historically marginalized students, including those who are low-income, first-generation, housing- or food-insecure, justice-impacted, parenting, undocumented, LGBTQIA+, and students of color. Her work has secured millions in funding to directly support these students and reimagine what’s possible when leadership is rooted in community, care, and courage.

Dr. Awan continues to teach, mentor, and speak nationally on love-based leadership, wellness and belonging, and equity-driven institutional redesign. But at her core, she remains a community college student who never forgot how hard it was to get here, and how many more brilliant students deserve the chance to make it, too.

Learn More About Dr. Awan

This is where vision becomes reality. As President of Mission College, I am committed to leading with transparency, purpose, and urgency, focused on transforming systems, closing equity gaps, and ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive. My President’s Priorities reflects the ongoing priorities and initiatives our campus has taken on together: from institutional redesign and enrollment management, to community partnerships, facilities planning, and equity-centered governance. These are not just plans, they are the work; the hard, necessary, student-centered work of reimagining what a community college can be. I invite you to explore our progress, hold us accountable, and be part of what we’re building, together.

President's Priorities