Sadly, the VCCCDRA has learned of the passing of Carmen Llanes, on March 24, 2023. Carmen worked at and retired from the Records Office at Oxnard College. Carmen was loved by all who knew her, especially students.
The Vigil was held on April 11th and the Funeral Mass was on April 12th.
No obituary for Carmen has been published. Below are recollections from Harry Culotta and David Magallanes.
Harry: I’m so sorry to learn of Carmen Llanes‘s passing. She was a superb A&R tech at Oxnard College for many years. Carmen was the go-to person for all military veterans on campus. She had a keen knowledge of the federal regulations regarding veterans’ educational benefits. Congress periodically has enacted new G.I Bill legislation that applies to veterans serving in specific wars (e.g. Vietnam, Gulf War I, Gulf War II, Post 911) and/or specific dates of service.. Accordingly, the regulations implementing the federal laws affect veterans differently, impacting the dollar amounts veterans receive each month in educational benefits. This was no problem for Carmen because she was intimately familiar with all the regs, and OC’s students benefited from her knowledge. She was also very upbeat and positive with all (students, faculty, and staff) who were in contact with her. She is definitely missed!
David: My recollection is that when Carmen Llanes interacted with younger Hispanic students at the registration windows, she would often address them as “mija” (pronounced “ME-ha”) and “mijo” (“ME-ho”), contractions for “mi hija” and “mi hijo,” which in Spanish literally mean “my daughter” and “my son.”
To the Hispanic ear, these are acceptable terms of endearment, conveying to them that she cared about helping them. It would make these students feel as if someone from “home” was wanting to help them with their paperwork and questions.