DELANO Calif. – BC announced the expansion of its Delano campus March 11. Jaime Lopez spoke about how this will be a special year for the campus. He explained that this year it will not just mark 50 years of the BC Delano campus being open but, in 22 months there will be a new building that will benefit future students should be completed

“This will change the life of thousands of students,” Lopez said.

The building in Delano will hold new classes and labs that will provide aid for students and enable them shorter commutes to school. Lopez said “Where’re community; we serve the community. BC is for you; College is for you.”

California Assemblyman Rudy Salas was at the event and said, “Small cities think they’re forgotten; you are not forgotten.” “If the campus wasn’t here life would be really different,” students would have to travel and many students would simply say college isn’t for me.

The Delano campus gives opportunities for students who live in the area to be able to go to college and be able to work a job while staying in their hometown. Now students have a higher chance of perusing their education

Joanna Aguirre is a current student who attends the BC Delano campus who was always thought the importance of education growing up. She’s an example of the importance of bringing education facilities to rural communities. The Delano campus has helped her get education while being able to work a part time job.

Aguirre said, “I think it’s the expanding of the BC Delano campus it gives better opportunities to the Delano community and many communities surrounding.”

Speakers of the event said that this expansion project will not only benefit current students but also the future generation of students that are yet to come.

Salas used the words in several of the school and Central Valley communities’ campaigns: “We are BC, We are valley strong.”