Los Medanos College is pleased to present the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Celebration,
recognizing community civil rights and social justice champions, and students whose
activism sets them apart as emerging leaders. The event also raises support for LMC
Foundation African American Student Scholarship.
LMC’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon is at 11 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2025,
Student Union Conference Center at the Pittsburg Campus, 2700 E. Leland Road.
Keynote Speaker
Kolette Simonton
Director, Department of Recreation for the City of Pittsburg
Lifelong Pittsburg resident Kolette Simonton is committed to her community. A product of Pittsburg High School (Class of '96, Student Body President), she honed her communication skills at CSU Sacramento, graduating in 2001 with a degree in Communications/Public Relations. Her early career included roles with the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, Contra Costa and San Jose Newspapers, KRON 4 News, and Changed Life Church, providing a strong foundation for her 18-year tenure with the City of Pittsburg. Today, she serves as the Director of Recreation.
Kolette's leadership touches all aspects of Pittsburg's recreational offerings. She oversees the Marina Community Center, Pittsburg Senior Center, and the city's extensive park system, including Small World Park and Buchanan Swim Center. She spearheads popular events like the Old Town Car Shows, 1st Friday Music Series, and the Pittsburg Jazz, Blues & Funk Festival. Kolette is passionate about providing diverse programs, from youth and adult sports leagues to adaptive sports and fitness, the My Brothers Keeper Initiative, and the Pittsburg Youth Commission.
Kolette was honored as the 2025 recipient of the Los Medanos College Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Community Award and was added as a member of LMC Foundation Board.
Kolette's commitment extends beyond her professional role. She serves on the board and coaches for Full Stride Track Club and is active in the Pittsburg Kiwanis. She is grateful for the support of her husband, Ken, and children, Nayelli and Kenneth IV, in her community endeavors. Kolette's daily focus is on expanding accessible, engaging, and inclusive opportunities for Pittsburg residents to connect and thrive.
Emerging Leadership Award
LMC student Mina Jobe
Mina Jobe is a student leader and youth activist passionate about social justice, especially women’s and Indigenous rights. Drawing from her Irish, Japanese, and Yaqui heritage, she uses writing, art, and advocacy to raise awareness and uplift her community.
Through school projects and outreach, Mina works to create positive change and hopes to pursue a future dedicated to helping others.
Jobe also is an IMS Alumni Artist in Residence, BNV Alumni, and former PHS SLAM Club President. She has poured love, leadership, and selfless service into the Pittsburg Community for over 2 years. Jobe has participated in countless community open mics, been a community spokesperson at the Prodigies Youth Arts Showcase in 2025.
She has been a featured performer at the LMC Umoja / IMS Say it With Youth Chest Open Mic, and most recently was crowned the Prodigies Grand Slam Champion for 2025. Mina's greatest contributions are the advice, agape love, and presence she offers Pittsburg youth.
Emerging Leadership Award
Chijioke Onyeagucha
Chijioke Onyeaguch was born Antioch California, the fifth of five siblings. His parents both immigrated to the Bay Area from Nigeria and always taught their children to work hard to achieve their dreams. In 2007, Onyeagucha says he was, “raised in the LMC Child Study Center for a little while.”
He returned to LMC in 2023 after graduating high school and competed in track and field for Diablo Valley College. He joined the Honors Program his first year and has served as an officer with the club for three years. Through his involvement with the program, he had the opportunity to study abroad in Paris in 2024.
At LMC he discovered his passion for writing and worked for LMC’s student-run news outlet, LMC Experience. As a journalist, Onyeagucha aims to bridge narrative with strategy, producing ethical journalism while understanding how media institutions evolve and influence public discourse. As a black journalist, he is committed to reshaping narratives that have historically misrepresented and marginalized communities of color. He is completing two associate degrees for transfer in journalism and business administration, while finishing his Honors Scholar Badge.
He recently presented research on modern forms of colonialism in Nigeria at the statewide Honors research symposium at UC Berkeley, which his parents were able to attend. His career goal is to create spaces within the media industry where strategic innovation coexists to uplift and support culture, so future generations can see themselves represented with depth. He also plans on a career in law.
Beloved Community Award
Tianna Hicks
Vice President, Da Bigger Picture Non-Profit Foundation
Tianna Hicks is a founder and vice president of Da Bigger Picture Non-Profit Foundation in San Fracisco, which aims to create access and opportunity for youth through community programs, school partnerships, and events that build confidence. The organization works to support families facing hunger and homelessness, provides resources to families in need with food giveaways, backpack and school supplies giveaways, toy drives, free youth camps, and a clothing closet to support the Antioch Unified School District students in need of interview, prom, graduation, or special event attire.
Born in San Francisco, Hicks attended Philip and Sala Burton High School in San Francisco, and Fremont High School in Oakland. She graduated from P.I.M.A Medical institute in Seattle, Wash., with a certificate of completion in medical assistance. Hicks then worked at Kaiser Permanent as a business representative from 2010 to 2016. She left Kaiser and moved to Birmingham, Ala. to support her youngest son through college. She worked as a front desk medical receptionist for Dr. Michael S. Beckenstein M.D. plastic surgeon from 2016 to 2020. After her son graduated from college the pair moved back to California where she and her son formed Da Bigger Picture Non- Profit Foundation. The future goal for Da Bigger Picture is to expand services throughout the community, offering resources for families in need of mental health support groups for men and women.
Visionary Leadership Award
Dennisha Marsh
Executive Director, Parent of African American Achievement Collaborative Team
Dennisha Marsh is the executive director of the Parent of African American Achievement Collaborative Team (PAAACT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to aligning essential educational and economic resources with underserved families in Contra Costa County.
She serves on several city and county commissions and advisory committees. She is a member and past chair of the Pittsburg Community Advisory Commission, which advises the City Council on community services, including parks, recreation, and public safety issues. Marsh has chaired the Pittsburg Measure M Oversight Committee and the Pittsburg Community Block Grant. She has served as an advisor for the Youth Advisory Commission and Public Safety.
Marsh serves on Los Medanos Health Advisory Committee for Contra Costa County, following her tenure on Los Medanos Health District elected board prior to its transition to county oversight, Library Commission, Measure X, East Bay Regional Park District Advisory Committee and Educational Chair for East County NAACP.
In the Pittsburg Unified School District, Marsh participated as a member of the District Advisory Council, the Bond Oversight Committee, and the Student Attendance Review Board. She was a member of the Economic Opportunity Council and the Racial Justice Task Force.
Marsh has played a crucial role in fostering communication among community stakeholders, leading to the reconstruction of educational facilities and the development of community gardens throughout the Pittsburg Unified School District. She has worked on summer STEM programs for youth and secured new equipment and signage for local schools. Her advocacy has also spurred local road repairs and policies aimed at enhancing community safety, including the installation of street speed bumps and the development of a skateboard park in the City of Pittsburg.
Marsh participated in community advocacy for the name Thurgood Marshall Regional Park, home of the Port Chicago 50, and took part in the Contra Costa Bar Association’s Task Force for the exoneration of the Port Chicago 50.
Marsh and her husband live in the City of Pittsburg, where they have a son who is in college.
2025 Inaugural Honorees
Emerging Leadership Awards
LMC student Annisha Geran
Beloved Community Award
Director Kolette Simonton of Recreation for the City of Pittsburg
Visionary Leadership Award
Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton