Student Highlights

About Norco College

Jocelyn Yow

Norco College Alumna of the Year 2019
Commencement Student Speaker 2014

Jocelyn Yow, a San Jose native, moved to Malaysia at a young age and graduated from high school before her return to the United States.

In 2011, Jocelyn and her family settled in Eastvale. She quickly enrolled at Norco College and became the youngest serving Student Body President. She also joined the Honors Program and became a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma.

Jocelyn earned her associate degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Norco College in 2014, and transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained her bachelor's degree.

She has served as a district representative for California State Senate and for the United States House of Representatives, where she worked tirelessly to help seniors, families, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and children to access valuable government services.

Jocelyn grew up in a working-class family, where she learned the value and importance of giving back. In fact, the Yow family established a scholarship to provide financial support for high achieving Norco College students with financial need. Yow credits part of her success to Norco College and wanted to establish a scholarship that would highlight her and her families deep commitment to community service and to assist students in need.

She was recently elected to the Eastvale City Council and is currently pursuing a master's degree in government at Harvard Extension.

Congratulations to our 2019 Alumna of the Year and scholarship donor, Jocelyn Yow for being sworn in as Mayor for the City of Eastvale. Yow, 25, is the youngest woman of color to be appointed to serve in this capacity in the history of California.

“I am proud to see Jocelyn break barriers and come full circle, from alumna, donor, councilmember, and mother,” said Norco College President, Monica Green. “This is what community colleges do. We provide opportunities for students to follow their dreams and create a bright future. I look forward to working with Mayor Yow and our newly elected and current officials in our community.”

Yow was elected to the Eastvale city council in 2018 and served as Mayor pro tem for the past year. She graduated from Norco College in 2014 with an associate degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences before transferring to UC Berkeley. While at Norco College, she became the youngest student body president and joined the Honors Program where she became a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma.

Mayor Yow grew up in a working-class family, where she learned the value and importance of giving back. In fact, the Yow family established a scholarship to provide financial support for high achieving Norco College students with financial need. Yow, credits part of her success to Norco College and established a scholarship that would highlight her and her family’s deep commitment to community service.

Yow is currently the policy manager for IGNITE, a national nonprofit to elect more women to positions of power, and has previously worked as a district representative in the California State Senate and an aide for the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the mayor of Eastvale, the city I am proud to call home. Being a new mom to a six-month-old further fuels my passion to serve my community,” Yow said. “Local government makes decisions that affect our daily lives and is where we can directly see democracy in action. I am serving the city to ensure a better future for my son and the next generation of Eastvale residents.”

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