The Bay Area Entrepreneur Center (BAEC) on San Mateo Avenue now has nine tenants renting office space and receiving assistance with their small businesses. Jarod Ruffo with 5^th Estate Virtual Vineyard, Inc. is a BAEC tenant focusing on virtual reality.  Have you ever wanted to explore the solar system but know it would take too long to get there? How about hanging out in a Tuscan Villa or flying a helicopter? If any of these are of interest to you, drop by the BAEC and take a tour in virtual reality.

Jarod Ruffo’s company creates content for the VR world in areas that will blow your mind. Here’s what he had to say about BAEC, “I really like it here – I’ve got room to explore my creativity and the staff is really helpful. I needed to find assistance in areas I’m not good at in order for my company to get off the ground and they’ve introduced me to lawyers and financial people.”

Jarod’s company not only benefits from BAEC but has helped to improve the services we’re able to provide to the community. Jarod was instrumental in asking Autodesk to provide the BAEC with free licenses for software that will assist students in learning 3D technology, in addition, he will be teaching the latest in 3D Technology at the BAEC too!

Anyone interested in the 3D world should inquire for more information.

If you are interested in learning how to create in virtual reality, or for more information on BAEC come visit the center at 458 San Mateo Avenue, call 650-825-6840 or visit the website at http://skylinebaec.org/.

Article and Photo by Catherine Fraser

Please welcome the fall 2014 class of interns into our Internship Job-Shadow Program here at Skyline College. The Internship Program, is a job-shadow and career program that provides an opportunity for Skyline College students to receive training and exposure in real-world business environments. The program is a collaboration between the Skyline College Career Resources Center, the Global Learning Programs & Services Division (GLPS) and the Retail Hospitality & Tourism Program (RHT).  Through our job-shadow program, students interested in business, international trade, international tourism and other related industries are exposed to professional development and networking opportunities. Our interns are also eligible to receive up to three units of college credit through the Cooperative Education Program.

On Tuesday, October 7, the GLPS Division held an orientation and workshop for the new internship class.  Interns were given a handbook and assessments to determine specific areas of interest and were treated to a presentation on the importance of obtaining and updating job skills.  Via the Internship program students are exposed to valuable experiences such as:

• Networking events
• Business Seminars
• Trade Conferences
• International Delegation Events and Meetings
• Campus events
• In-bound Trade Missions
• And more!

The GLPS division provides internship and job-shadow opportunities each academic semester to all Skyline College students regardless of their field of study.  We congratulate our new class of interns and welcome them to the GLPS family.

Article by Pcyeta Stroud | Photo by Brittney Sneed

Skyline College has a new division: Global Learning Programs and Services (GLPS). The GLPS division is now located on the third floor of Building 2, Room 2-352, the office is just around the corner from the Veterans’ Services Center. Please come visit our new space!

This division is led by the Dean, Richard Soyombo and is staffed by new and familiar faces, including, Ms. Catherine Fraser, Mrs. Pcyeta Stroud, Mr. Raul Guerra, Ms. Troy Barros, Mr. Wissem Bennani, Ms. Chikako Walker, Ms. Liezl Madrona and Ms. Alessandra Zanassi.

Reflecting Skyline College’s mission “To empower and transform a global community of learners,” the GLPS Division works with numerous programs to further the cultural awareness and interconnectivity of those within the Skyline College community, both locally and internationally. Within our multidimensional division, the following programs are offered to assist and engage students and faculty alike: International Students Program, Global Trade & Logistics Program, Center for International Trade & Development, Study Abroad and Exchange Program, African Diaspora Project, Global Innovation Program, Youth Entrepreneurship Program, Internship Job-Shadow Program and the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center – our off-site location.

This fall, the division is pleased to host 71 students from Mexico under the Bécalos Program through a partnership with the Mexican Government. These university students are all from low-income areas and have been awarded the academic opportunity to improve their English and gain exposure to American culture through the Bécalos Program.  We are proud to have the Bécalos students here at Skyline College.

For more information on any of the programs mentioned above, and to participate please contact Ms. Pcyeta Stroud at stroudp@smccd.edu.

Article by Alessandra Zanassi | Image by SMCCD Facilities

The Skyline College Ceramics Club invites students, staff, faculty and community members to attend a lecture and demonstration by visiting artist Shannon Sullivan on Wednesday, October 29 from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the Ceramics Studio, Building 1, Room 1103. Please scroll down or see the attached flyer for more information.

Sullivan creates sculptures, wall pieces and installations using a core visual vocabulary rooted in the prevailing ways of nature. Her work maintains a seductive, mysterious quality as she explores the nuances present in the living world.

Shannon Sullivan earned an M.F.A in ceramics with a minor in sculpture from the University of North Texas School of Visual Arts in 2005. Currently, Sullivan is a Professor of Art at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka, CA. Sullivan’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums nationally and internationally and her work has been reviewed in Ceramics Monthly, and was curated into the book 500 Ceramic Sculptures.

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick

Skyline College CTTL is proud to host “Cultural Competency: A Cross Race/Gender Conversation” facilitated by award-winning filmmaker Lee Mun Wah. Diverse institutions offer tremendous potential for learning and enrichment, yet there are also moments of conflict and tension over differences in perspective. Using a combination of films, personal stories, experiential exercises, discussion and lectures, the program will offer:

• a deeper understanding of how gender and race can enhance and stimulate a stronger sense of community and cooperation
• a deeper understanding of divergent communication styles, perspectives, and expectations
• ways to mediate gender and race issues cross-culturally
• strategies for beginning conversations about gender and race

Lee Mun Wah believes when we value others for their uniqueness and differences, then we enhance the possibilities for our children and ourselves.  Lee Mun Wah is the Executive Director of Stirfry Seminars & Consulting, an agency that provides educational tools and workshops on issues pertaining to cross-cultural communication and awareness, mindful facilita­tion, and conflict mediation techniques. Lee Mun Wah’s award-winning films include The Color of Fear, Stolen Ground, and Walking Each Other Home. Other films include Last Chance for Eden and, most recently, If These Halls Could Talk.

Title: Cultural Competency: A Cross Race/Gender Conversation with Lee Mun Wah

Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Time: 9:00-12:00 p.m.; lunch to follow from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Where:  Bldg. 6, Rm. 6202

RSVP at https://culturaldialogue.eventbrite.com  by Monday, November 24.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage month Skyline College Biology Professor Carina Anttila-Suarez and two Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space Docents Lina Mesa and Ann Reisenauer are inviting the campus community to hike at Windy Hill Preserve in Portola Valley this Sunday, October 12. The five mile hike will be led in Spanish and takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring a sack lunch and water.  The Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District is our local greenbelt system and compromises over 62,000 acres of land in 26 open space preserves. The open space hosts many of our college field trips and is a valuable teaching tool formed by diverse ecosystems that are free for our community to enjoy.

For more information contact Carina Anttila-Suarez at anttilasuarezc@smccd.edu. Please see www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_windy_hill.asp for more information on Windy Hill.

Article by Carina Anttila-Suarez

Phi Theta Kappa‘s Fall Scholarship Application is open now through December 1. There is approximately $520,000 in scholarship funds available. All of the scholarships do not require Phi Theta Kappa membership. Students should be encouraged to apply.

The Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship and the GEICO Pathway to Completion Master’s Degree Scholarship applications are also open now through October 31.

The deadline for the All-USA, All-California, and Coca-Cola scholarships is November 3.

Skyline College students regularly win the All-USA, All-California, and Coca-Cola scholarships. Additional, Skyline College students have won the $10,000-Hites, Guistwhite, and Public Safety scholarships.

Contact Joyce Lee or Christine Case for the Phi Theta Kappa scholarships

Contact Stephen Fredricks about:

• The Jack Kent Cooke transfer scholarships are up to $40,000 for community college students. Due in early December.
• The Barry Goldwater (STEM) Scholarship application is due in February.
• The Udall Scholarship for American Indian Tribal Policy, or Environmental Science, due March 4, 2015.

Article by Christine Case

Skyline College welcomed Rosa Lee Timm to campus on October 1^st to help kick off Disability Awareness Month and celebrate Deaf Culture Awareness Week. Rosa Lee Timm is a deaf artist whose performance features a unique blend of American Sign Language (ASL), music, video, and lots of humor. Rosa Lee also encouraged some fun audience participation – she welcomed an ASL instructor, student, and deaf community member on stage to demonstrate how expressive ASL can be. Rosa Lee also shared her personal experiences as the fourth generation deaf person in her family and what it was like for her to dream of being a performer. She wowed the audience with her beautiful signing to popular music and brought them laughter during her humorous skits. The Rosa Lee Timm show was co-sponsored by the Language Arts Division and Associated Students of Skyline College.

Disability Awareness Month continues throughout October. The DRC will be presenting Learning Disabilities Demystified on October 21^st and 22^nd from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in Building 6. The DRC table will feature a learning difference simulation and a celebration of successful individuals with learning disabilities.

On October 29^th from 12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m., the DRC, Language Arts Division and Business Division will be hosting Colors of the Wind. Author and Skyline instructor, JL Powers will be reading from her powerful children’s book about blind artist and Champion Runner, George Mendoza. Participants will also be able to experience George Mendoza’s amazing art.

Article by Melissa Matthews | Photo by Maryam Ali

On October 6, 2014 members of Fundación Televisa, a non-profit in Mexico, interviewed five of our 71 Bécalos students here on campus.  The students were given the opportunity to talk in-depth about their experiences here in the United States and at Skyline College. The students were also filmed during their daily activities like studying at the library, heading to class, and mingling with their peers.

The Bécalos students arrived at Skyline College in early August and have been attending classes and participating in events on and off-campus all semester.  They are here under a semester-long scholarship program, SEP-Bécalos.  The Bécalos initiative provides need- and merit-based scholarships to Mexican students in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) programs at the Universidades Technologicas (Bilingual Technological Universities in Mexico).  These scholarships are awarded to low-income, top-performing students, to study at community colleges in the United States.  Bécalos offers an intensive, semester-long program that’s designed to improve English skills in core study areas and to enhance intercultural competence.  As a stand-out, Skyline College was the only community college in California granted the Bécalos proposal.

Fundación Televisa is a social enterprise, who assists Latin communities in the U.S. via innovative cultural and educational programs.

The Bécalos students will be here until December, so please give our students a warm welcome! They are all great students, and are very excited to meet new people.

Artice by Liezl Madrona and Pcyeta Stroud | Photo by Liezl Madrona

Skyline College students Jashwin Sagoo, Jackson Womack, and Keefah Khalil presented their original scientific research at the Northern California Branch of the American Society for Microbiology Fall meeting on October 4, 2014 at Santa Clara University. At the meeting, they also participated in sessions on “Vicious Viruses in the News: Oncogenic viruses, MERS, Chikungunya, Dengue, and, Ebola.”

Jashwin presented his work on “Antibacterial Activity of Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica), a Traditional Native American Herbal Medicine” and Jackson and Keefah presented “Antimicrobial Effects of Mimulus aurantiacus.” These students did their research during the summer of 2014 with Christine Case. Jashwin is beginning his first semester at UC Santa Cruz and Keefah has transferred to SFSU. Jackson is continuing at Skyline College.

Article by Christine Case | Photo by Jashwin Sagoo