Janice Gonzales
Janice Gonzales, a proud California native, has long been a champion of MiraCosta College and the students we serve. Her connection to the college began in 2016, when she surprised the MiraCosta College Foundation with a generous major gift to support scholarships, an act that reflected both her lifelong commitment to education and her belief in the power of opportunity.
Born and raised in Glendale, Janice began her own educational journey at Glendale Community College before transferring to Occidental College. It was during her community college years that she discovered her passion for English. Working closely with a German classmate, helping him strengthen his English while improving her own German, Janice found not only her academic calling but the spark that would ignite a decades-long career in teaching.
Janice went on to teach English at La Puente High School for two years and at South Pasadena High School for eighteen years. It was in Pasadena that she met her husband, José María “Joe” Gonzales (later José Salcedo Gonzales). Joe, an immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen, served in World War II in Japan as a Signal Corps operator. After returning home, he held a series of humble jobs, including working as a cherry picker and in a laundromat, before establishing a successful machine repair business that he operated for 20 years in Pasadena. His machining skills, first acquired during his military service, laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial success.
After Janice retired from teaching and Joe sold his business, the couple moved to Southern California in 1984. They shared 25 years of joyful marriage until Joe’s passing.
Janice was recognized as the 2020/2021 Philanthropist of the Year by MiraCosta College for her generosity and planned gift of a charitable gift annuity, which was named the Joe and Jan Gonzales Hall at the Community Learning Center. Funding from her gift will provide programmatic support to the Community Learning Center programs and the MiraCosta Community Education and Workforce Development department, with an emphasis on job training at the Technology Career Institute.
Having spent her entire life in California, Janice carries with her a deep sense of the state’s history and an unwavering belief in the transformative power of education. Her legacy as an educator, and now as a generous supporter of MiraCosta College, continues to open doors for students and strengthen the programs that help them thrive.