Skyline College Administration of Justice student, Nicole Ruggiero, received top honors during the 78th Peninsula Law Enforcement Explorer Academy graduation ceremony held on Thursday, April 10th, at the South San Francisco High School auditorium, in South San Francisco. In addition to studying criminal justice at Skyline College, Nicole is also a member of the San Bruno Police Department’s Police Explorer Program, a co-ed division of the Learning for Life program, which is a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America. The program is open to youth between the ages of 14 and 21 years old. The program emphasizes leadership, civic responsibility, values, and social interaction.

Police Exploring, founded in 1972, is a career-oriented program that gives youth the opportunity to explore careers in law enforcement and criminal justice by working with law enforcement agencies in non-enforcement capacities as they learn about the profession. Explorers must attend the Explorer Academy within one year of joining. The academy meets on nine consecutive weekends where they receive over 100 hours of classroom and practical training in such areas as first aid, patrol procedures, criminal law, juvenile procedures, report writing, crime scene investigation, traffic laws, and more. This is in addition to many hours of rigorous physical training, including pushups and long-distance running.

During the academy, students must do well in their classroom studies and other training and are given points for their daily achievements. Nicole earned a perfect score of 1,000 points out of a total possible 1,000 possible points. She was at least 25 points ahead of her closest male and female competitors.

“My classes at Skyline College really helped me excel at the Explorer Academy because I already knew much of the subject matter they were teaching from my Administration of Justice classes.”, said Nicole. Nicole is pursuing her degree in Administration of Justice with the goal of becoming a police officer.

The graduation ceremonies were attended by graduates’ family members, police chiefs and command staff, police explorer post advisors, and by Nicole’s Administration of Justice Professor Steve Aurilio.

Article by Steve Aurilio | Photo by Ana Ruggiero

Goodwill Industries celebrated their graduation on March 27, 2014 and presented Skyline College Warehousing Certificates at their San Francisco headquarters. Alpha Lewis, Warehousing Instructor presented the certificates to our spring 2014 cohort. Skyline College’s Business Division and Workforce Development partnership with Goodwill Industries awards certificates in Warehousing and Logistics to students wishing to reenter the workforce. For many of the Goodwill students, this is their first time entering a college environment.

As a result of the partnership, graduates are encouraged to enroll in the Career Advancement Academy. Students are currently enrolled in the Allied Health Bridge Program and the Entry Level Automotive Career Advancement Academies. Career Advancement Academies (CAA) provides stackable certificates on Auto Entry Level Technician and Allied Health (EMT, Medical Office Assistant, and Sterile Processing, Early Childhood Education and Paralegal).

For more information about Career Advancement Academies or our Goodwill Partnership, contact, Soledad McCarthy, mccarthys@smccd.edu

Pictured from left to right: Joshua Lachs (VP of Workforce Development), Megan Kenny (Director of Operations, People Services), Alpha Lewis (Instructor), Nichelle Scott (Career Advisor), Kevin Chavez,  Soledad McCarthy (Program Services Coordinator), Angello Mallamo, Orlandes Murphy, Jimmie Hickman, Ricky Jackson, Alina Varona (Faculty Coordinator),  DeArmand Ellis III, Matthew Giles, Jeremy Evangelista (Office Assistant II), Maurice Villatoro, Lusa Wilson-Afalava, Mirsada Causevic (Processing Manager), Leche Nubie, Clemence Casperian (Director of Retail Operation, Value Recovery)

Our 2014 Spring Career Networking Night sponsored by the Career Services Center was a success! Over 30 career professionals representing a variety career clusters including the following areas: Engineering /Technology Science, Arts/Communication, Business/ Office Administration, Education/Human Services, Health/Medicine, and Law/Public Service participated in this year’s event. The purpose of the Career Networking Night is to inspire and encourage students to explore a variety of career choices. Over one hundred and fifty students attended the event with an opportunity to hear viewpoints from a myriad of experienced professionals. This event engaged students in exploring future career options. Our students response was positive and enthusiastic, and the event itself was very energetic and vibrant. “Pizza with Professionals” at the end of the evening provided students opportunities to network with representatives from the six corresponding career clusters.

The Skyline College Career Services Center would like to extend its appreciation to the visiting professionals, student volunteers, staff and faculty who contributed hours of energy. When the college works together it forges an even stronger partnership and become a more transformed community.

Career Counselor/Instructor Lavinia Zanassi pictured with Jefferson Adult School students, presented two workshops on “Career and Academic Choice Success Begin With Self Awareness”. This collaborative effort between Career Services Center and Leigh Ann Shaw, Associate Professor of English Speakers of Other Languages and Coordinator of the English Language Institute, is a result of a grant to expose Adult School English Language Learners to Skyline College lectures, programs, and services. Co-coordinator, Francisca Wentworth, ESL Teacher/Instructional Technology Coordinator and Jim Vogt, ESL Teacher were on hand to participate and share perspectives.

During April, the Career Services Center will be offering 48 career assessment workshops for Skyline College Students. Whether students are undecided about their major or unsure of what career to pursue, career assessments can be a valuable tool. The Career Services Center offers assessments throughout the year, but during Career Assessment Month, we dedicate ourselves to promoting and offering this wonderful service to our students. Assessment month began with students taking both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory assessments. In the following weeks, students will have the opportunity to meet with a career counselor for group interpretations of their results. Students needing more additional one on one career counseling services can set up a follow-up counseling appointment with a career counselor.

Article by Brian Jenney

Skyline College Art Gallery is proud to present our annual Juried Student Art Exhibit, a group exhibition featuring artworks by our very talented students here at Skyline College. The exhibition will be on view in the Gallery through May 9. A reception for the Artists will be held on Wednesday, April 30, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Refreshments and music will be served.

For more information, including hours, please visit the Gallery Website
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Collaborative project by students in our new ‘Introduction to Digital Arts’ course at Skyline College (Art 430)

‘Snoog Trooper’ by Tom Byrne

Digital Inkjet print by Kenny Ma

Article by Paul Bridenbaugh

The Global Mentorship & Leadership Project is actively recruiting students to participate in its pilot mentorship program: Education Across the Miles-Liberia.

The Global Mentorship & Leadership Project is designed to expose Skyline College students to mentorship and leadership through the African Diaspora. This is done through face to face mentoring sessions with local professionals, networking events and interacting with students from around the world, via international video-conferences. Education Across the Miles– Liberia, focuses on young women. All young women in the program are mentored by members of the SF Links, a professional service organization that’s committed to improving the lives of underserved youth. Five Skyline College students have been selected to participate in the program, all of whom interact with nine students from Liberia on a monthly basis.

The Global Mentorship Leadership Project is an initiative developed in partnership between the African Diaspora Program at Skyline College, the African American Success Though Excellence & Persistence Learning Community (ASTEP), and Grand Bassa Community College in Liberia and the San Francisco Chapter of the Bay Area Links, Inc., (SF Links) an international professional service organization primarily composed of professional African American women.

To refer students to the Global Mentorship Project or for more information, please contact Pcyeta Stroud. Email: stroudp@smccd.edu

Article by Pcyeta Stroud

Skyline College is committed to continuously improve its offerings. To provide campus leadership insights about how Skyline College can best serve student needs, please encourage students to take the Campus Climate Survey which is accessible now – Friday, May 9. This survey will take about twenty minutes to complete.

At the completion of the survey, students are welcome to submit their name to enter to win one of three $100 gift cards to the Skyline College Bookstore/World Cup Cafe. The results of this survey will not be connected to any individual; only summary data will be provided.

Take Survey the here!

If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Karen Wong in the Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness Office at 4369 or wongk@smccd.edu

YEP’s Spring 2014 Business Plan Competition is currently underway! The Youth Entrepreneurship Program at Skyline College (YEP), has officially kicked off this semester’s bi-annual competition with a series of exciting orientations and workshops.

On March 11th, YEP held its second Orientation & Workshop for the Business Plan Competition. The orientation was designed to give the students an in-depth view of the competition and an opportunity to ask questions. The orientation will be followed by a public speaking workshop led by renowned public speaking expert and local business owner, Mike Neuendorff. All students enrolled any other the District’s three colleges are welcomed to participate. Students participating in the competition are eligible to receive one-on-one coaching and mentoring from business owners, CITD representatives and faculty to refine and perfect their business plans. Cash prizes will be awarded to three winning business plans to help support their start-up business ideas.

The competition will culminate in a Final’s Round. Students will have the opportunity to present or “pitch” their business plans to a panel of industry judges from various business backgrounds, and a chance to receive immediate feedback and suggestions to include in their plans. All plans that advance on to the finals round will be in the running for cash prizes totaling $3500!

We would like to invite all faculty, students and staff to attend the Finals Round & Awards Ceremony.

Please come out and support the students!
Date: May 7th, 2014 
Time: 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Building 6, Room 6204

For more information on the Business Plan Competition or on how to be involved in YEP, please contact Pcyeta Stroud: stroudp@smccd.edu.

Article by Pcyeta Stroud

The Phi Theta Kappa Spring scholarship application, is now open for continuing students. The scholarships administered on this application are for students who plan to continue their education at a two-year college in the fall. More than $260,000 will be awarded through these scholarships:

• The Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship for Nursing and Respiratory Therapy students.

• The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship.

• The GEICO Pathway to Completion Associate Scholarship for Business majors.

• The Richard L. Resurreccion Public Safety Scholarship for ADMJ and EMC majors.

Please encourage your students to apply. Skyline College student Gilbert Arellano won the 2013 Resureccion Public Safety Scholarship for Public Safety Leadership and Skyline College student Jamela Brown received the 2012 Leaders of Promise Scholarship. Applications are due April 30.  Download the application now at ptk.org

Article by Dr. Christine Case

Friday, April 18, 2014

• 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Transfer Center – CSU East Bay Rep Visit, Skyline College, Building 6, Fireside Dining Room
• 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.,  LASO (Latino-American students ) Club Meeting, Skyline College, Building 4, Multi-Cultural Room

Saturday, April 19, 2014

• 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, Mental Health First Aid, Skyline College, Building 6, Room 6202
• 12:00 p.m., Baseball vs. Gavilan College, Gavilan College

Monday, April 21, 2014

• 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., The Conservation of Sharks – A Talk by Dr. A. Peter Klimley, Skyline College, Building 6, Room 6202
• 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Science in Action Lecture Series, Skyline College, Building 7, Room 7106

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

• 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Transfer Center- UC Davis Rep Visit, Skyline College, Building 1, Transfer Center
• 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Transfer Center- John F Kennedy Rep Visit, Skyline College, Building 6, Fireside Dining Room
• 12:10 p.m. -1:10 p.m., Intro to the UC Transfer Admissions Guarantee, Skyline College, Building 2, Room 2117A
• 12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m., Transfer Center- UC Davis Rep Visit, Skyline College, Building 1, Transfer Center
• 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Financial Aid Application Labs, Skyline College, Building 2, Room 2117-B
• 1:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m., Gay-Straight Alliance Club Meeting, Skyline College, Building 7, Room 7-307
• 2:30 p.m., Baseball vs. Hartnell College, Skyline College
• 3:00 p.m., Badminton vs. Fresno City College, Fresno City College

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

• 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Transfer Center- Academy of Art Rep Visit, Skyline College, Building 6, Fireside Dining Room
• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Transfer Center- Notre Dame De Namur Rep Visit, Skyline College, Building 6, Fireside Dining Room
• 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Inequality For All Film Screening, Skyline College, Building 4, Room 4180
• 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Financial Aid Application Labs, Skyline College, Building 2, Room 2117-B
• 5:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., YEP Business Plan Competition Workshop, Skyline College, Building 8, Room 8226

Thursday, April 24, 2014

• 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Lecture with Tim Wise, Student and Community Center, Building 6, Room 6202
• 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Financial Aid Application Lab, Skyline College, Building 2, Room 2117-B
• 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Inequality For All Film Screening, Skyline College, Building 4, Room 4180
• 2:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Baseball vs. Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey Peninsula College
• 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Admissions to Nursing Programs at Private Colleges & Universities, Skyline College, Building 6, Room 6202

Friday, April 25, 2014

• 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., KinderCaminata Program, Skyline College
• 11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., 2nd Annual Skyline College Research Symposium, Skyline College
• 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m., LASO (Latino-American students ) Club Meeting, Skyline College, Building 4, Multi-Cultural Room
• 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Avenue Q — Spring Musical 2014, Skyline College, Theater

Saturday, April 26, 2014

• 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Tournament of Champions – 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, Skyline College, Gym, Building 3
• 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., High School Invasion, Serramonte Center, Daly City, CA, United States
• 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Avenue Q — Spring Musical 2014, Skyline College, Theater

For the latest information on events and activities happening at Skyline College, please view our calendar.

If you would like to include your college event or activity on the calendar, please submit the event, date, time and location to Cherie Colin via email at colinc@smccd.edu.