At a time when adults over 55 are more active and engaged than ever, EPCC has been dedicated to helping facilitate lifelong learning through their personal development and enrichment courses. To learn more about this one-of-a-kind program, we sat down with Mary Yanez, who has been the coordinator of the Senior Adult Program at El Paso Community College for 33 years. Here’s what she told us.

When did the Senior Adult Program start, and how did you get involved in it?
I started with the college as the Duplicating Center Supervisor in 1973. As the college grew, the

department became an In-Plant Print Shop that I managed for 17 years. The Senior Adult Education Program was initiated in 1981 with a few music, art, and dance courses.

In 1989, I was transferred to the program to coordinate classes, events, and activities. Since then, we’ve continued to grow and now offer over 60 classes with three semesters and over 800 students enrolled per year. We also host events and produce the Mature Living show.

Our mission is to provide and promote educational and cultural opportunities and support services to improve the quality of life of senior adults in our community. We strive to create lifelong learning opportunities. We help seniors experience it, too, by helping them apply what they learn in practical life to maintain an active lifestyle.

Seniors 55 and older can enroll in person at any EPCC campus or online at no tuition charge. We have a wide variety of interesting classes, over 60 total, in the arts, music, technology, dance, and exercise. We also offer many language, personal enrichment, and wellness courses.

A few examples of class titles include Painting, Clay Making, Computers, Chorus, Guitar, Mariachi, Gardening, Herbal Medicine, and Meditation. Dance and exercise classes are popular and fill up fast. We also have a Getting Old Does Not Have To Be Hard class that provides information and tools to assist older adults and caregivers in dealing with important matters as they age. The History of Mexican Traditions is a popular lecture class exploring iconic cultural traits of Mexico.

The Seniors Love Conference, coming up on February 11th, is in its 26th year. It is a free event where we have speakers to present to seniors and their families on several topics of interest and relevance, and over 40 exhibitors. We also have different entertainment programs conducted by our students and provide plenty of snacks.

We host two other large community events throughout the year and usually have 500 or more attendees per event. The Grandparents Day Celebration in September and the Navidad on the Border in December. All our events are open to the public, and we can always use volunteers.

Our message to seniors is to stay active and engaged in the community and learn about the services available to them. Volunteer when they can for things or causes that interest them. Learning as you age will lead to a vibrant and healthy lifestyle because knowledge is ageless.

Find out more about the program here: