PCC Geography Faculty

The story of the PCC Geography Faculty Award is, at its heart, a story about four educators who have made student success their highest professional and personal priority.

The award was the brainchild of Dr. Rhea Presiado, who envisioned a way to create immediate, meaningful financial support for geography students. In 2024, she joined colleagues Dr. Hector Agredano, Brennan Wallace, and Dr. Nikita Prajapati to establish and fund the PCC Geography Faculty Award from their own paychecks. Together, they acted after recognizing a surprising and long-standing gap: although the Geography program at Pasadena City College is more than 100 years old, geography students had no dedicated scholarship support. Rather than waiting years for external funding to materialize, they chose immediate action, contributing their own funds to ensure students had access to direct financial support.

Known among colleagues as the “Dream Team,” the four faculty members are widely recognized as one of the most active groups of community college geographers in the state. Their collaboration helped build the program into the #1 program in the state in 2025—an achievement rooted not in competition, but in collective effort and shared purpose. This award is more than a scholarship. It is a statement of values. It reflects the belief that faculty leadership extends beyond the classroom—into mentorship, advocacy, and direct investment in student futures.

Through initiatives like this award, the PCC Geography Dream Team continues to demonstrate that the strongest programs are built not only on curriculum and outcomes, but on people who are willing to invest in students in every possible way.