Sierra College President Willy Duncan remembers the days when he’d buy a bag of potatoes at the supermarket, in hopes that it would last an entire week. “I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, month to month,” he shares. “I come from a background where you had to work for everything you had.” Duncan grew up in Bakersfield, part of a working-class family who instilled in him the importance of a college education. He paid his own way through school, and as a graduate student, found himself both working and attending school full-time—all while he and his wife were raising two young children. “That was rough,” he confesses, “but we made it.”

Duncan’s background has given him special insight into the challenges facing college students today. Since taking the reins at Sierra College, he’s worked hard to make college a realizable goal for students from all walks of life. He was instrumental in the creation of Sierra College’s Veterans Support Center and is a strong advocate for students with disabilities. He also volunteers with numerous local boards and chambers of commerce, in addition to being a member of the Rotary Club for over two decades. “I’m very, very blessed to have a great job [and] a great family,” Duncan explains. “I feel like I owe it to the community to give back.”

 — Amber Foster // Photos by Dante Fontana

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