Margo Feldman is the 2016 recipient of the ACBSP Student Leadership Award at Skyline College.

The ACBSP Student Leadership Award program is the only award of its kind by an accrediting body for business schools.  Just as the ACBSP accreditation standards are global, so is this Student Leadership Award. With this presentation, Feldman becomes part of a global community of student leaders recognized for their achievement.

Feldman’s name will be added to the perpetual plaque on the wall in the Business, Education and Professional Program (BEPP) Division office as visible evidence to all visitors that the business program fosters and supports leadership within the student body, and allows high achieving students to be recognized long after they have departed the college.

Skyline College became the first California Community College to be granted Business Program Accreditation for associate degrees in 2012.

Article by Linda Whitten

Over Spring Break, March 30-31, eight students from the Guardian Scholars Program attended a 2 day overnight trip to visit UC Santa Cruz. In addition to discovering the amazing academic opportunities and becoming immersed on campus, the students were able to connect with current UCSC students from the Smith Renaissance Scholars Program. Students were able to learn the additional resources offered to them to succeed on campus. While many students expressed how large the campus is, current UCSC Smith Renaissance Scholar students reassured the students they have a safe community to support them when they transfer as well as support their dreams and aspirations once they have received their Bachelor’s degree. Students were also able to enjoy local attractions such as the infamous Santa Cruz Boardwalk, explore downtown Santa Cruz and eat at local restaurants.

Traveling to Santa Cruz and UCSC was a first time experience for many of our students and was well received! Some students began to envision themselves attending UCSC, while others discussed their interest in applying for other 4-year universities including UCs and CSUs. Many were shocked by the sheer size of the campus, but the amount of resources and support they can find at the 4-year universities. The Guardian Scholars program looks forward to future college visits in the future!

The Guardian Scholars is a program at Skyline College that provides resources and services to foster youth on campus.

For more information, please contact skygsp@smccd.edu or (650) 738-4185

Article by Tia Holiday | Photos by GSP staff

 

Students in Social Psychology (Psyc 300) have been working with Marta Cuellar in the Skyline College Bookstore to promote clothing made by Alta Gracia Apparel, a fair trade clothing company and the only apparel company in the developing world that is independently certified in paying a living wage.

Because they pay their employee’s a living wage, Alta Gracia clothing is more expensive than other clothing options in the Skyline College Bookstore. Since Spring 2014, when the collaboration between students and the Skyline College Bookstore began, students enrolled in Social Psychology have used concepts learned in class to market Alta Gracia clothing on campus. This has included developing a slogan (“Change Clothes, Change Lives”), choosing the clothing they would like sold in in the Skyline College Bookstore, and creating posters and flyers advertising Alta Gracia clothing.

The Skyline College Bookstore is currently offering 25% off Alta Gracia clothing. This sale will end May 6, 2016. Get yours today!

Article by Jennifer Merrill

The Associated Students of Skyline College have been hard at work putting on events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), College Lecture Series, the Glide Memorial Tupperware Drive and the kick off to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI). Coinciding cultural competency and diversity and equity awareness, April is loaded with events.

Hitting the ground running upon returning from Spring Break, the ASSC kicked off the month with the nationally recognized Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action on Tuesday, April 5. Students, faculty and staff received information pamphlets and other SWAG to show their support and raise awareness to sexual assault. On Wednesday, April 13 an event called “Shine the Light” to end Sexual Violence was geared towards men taking a stance to end sexual violence against women. A petition was available for men to sign and white ribbons were given out to support the White Ribbon Campaign and luminaries lit the Fireside Dining Room and the Quad to cap off the evening event. The ASSC participated in an Escalation training and will be facilitating an Escalation Workshop open to the campus on Thursday, April 28 at 11:00 am in room 6202 to wrap up SAAM.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’s film Documented premiered on April 6, the day before we had the honor of hosting Jose Antonio Vargas on campus for the annual College Lecture Series. Conference rooms packed with people from Skyline College, San Francisco State and San Francisco’s International High School were enthralled by Vargas’s words as he spoke about his experience as a person who’s family came from the Philippines, being undocumented and living in America.

Islam 101 took place on April 11 and included Arabic calligraphy, hijab wrapping demonstration with a free scarf for students, trivia questions and free crispy Pakistani chicken and vegetable pakoras. Later in the week was an Islamophobia Panel with guest panelists from the San Francisco Islamic School and Council on American-Islamic Relations where students engaged to discuss misconceptions of the Islamic faith, stereotypes around terrorism, and to think critically of media portrayal. Islam 101 was a success in getting the campus to think critically and break down the stereotypes surrounding Muslims in America and increase the visibility of Muslim-American students on campus.

The AAPI Kick off was a smash! Guest ‘ukulele artist Ben Ahn took the audience away showcasing his versatile ‘ukulele skills. The Pacific Islander Cultural Association (PICA) stopped by with scholarship information and in search of volunteers for the PICA’s annual Aloha Fest in San Mateo. What else is missing? Food! The Hula Sistahs served up a mean plate of Kalua Pig Nachos that were onolicious.

The following day we calmed it down with Asian Wellness Day featuring sister artists Yangqin and Gangqin Zhao from Melody of China who enlightened us with their music during the tea tasting ceremony. After filling up with tea, students were encouraged to visit the Asian American Donor Program table to register as a bone marrow donor. Dr. Ronda Wimmer wrapped up the day by conducting a workshop for students to engage in meditation and Tibetan Singing Bowls.

There is still more! Join the ASSC on Tuesday, April 26 in room 6202 for a Tattoo Lecture featuring Seymour Kaniho of A-Town Tattoo who will be discussing the art of traditional Pacific Islander tattooing. There will also be a Tattoo Photo Gallery featuring students and faculty. There is still time to drop off your new and lightly used food storage containers to be donated at the end of the month to San Francisco’s Glide Memorial.

Article by Anjelica Gacutan

With friends and family in attendance, 79 Skyline College students, 20 Cañada College students, and 50 CSM students were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for the Spring 2016 semester.

On April 15, Beta Theta Omicron hosted the Induction Ceremony for new members at Skyline College. It is the tradition of these three chapters to rotate hosting the induction. Professor Tadashi Tsuchida gave the keynote address to introduce the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Study Topic, How the World Works: The Global Perspective, to new members. Mr. Tsuchida talked about education in South Asia and encouraged the audience to contribute to the betterment of their communities, country, and beyond. Professor and Phi Theta Kappa advisor, Paul Spakowski, called each inductee to the stage to sign the roster.

Did you know:*

• Phi Theta Kappa member is four times more likely to complete college than an average student.
• A member is 44% more likely to complete when compared to students with similar GPAs (3.5 or higher).
• Data from National Center for Education Statistics Completion Survey for the Integrated Post and Secondary Education Surveys and National Student Clearinghouse Degree Completion/Transfer Verification.

Article by Christine Case

Skyline College ESOL faculty were honored and excited to host a very brief visit by a group of English teachers from Indonesia who visited our campus on Thursday, April 14, 2016.  As part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Worldlearning), this delegation of twelve teachers had already visited a high school and a university; at this visit, they were able to learn about the important role that community colleges play in California education and about ESOL at Skyline College in particular.  ESOL faculty Garry Nicol and Leigh Anne Shaw met the group and coordinated a lively, informative exchange.

Vice President of Student Services Dr. Angelica Garcia greeted the group and presented information on Skyline College alongside Vice President of Business Services Eloisa Briones.  Wissem Bennani of the International Students program joined to talk about the ISP and its services to international students in helping them study at our college.  The teachers, mainly of middle school, high school, and university English, had many questions about how international students are able to come to Skyline College and how the transfer process works, but there was also a little time for some “ESL shop talk” with the ESOL faculty.   Sadly, the visit was too brief, and all agreed on a desire for a future, longer visit.

Many thanks to Sherrie Prasad, Mary Gutierrez, and Belinda Chan for their help in facilitating this meeting.

Article by Leigh Ann Shaw

On Wednesday, March 23, Skyline College hosted a Day of Action Honoring Cesar Chavez.  This event offered Skyline College students the opportunity to learn about local community and campus resources that support the Latino Community in the Bay Area.

Over 300 students interacted with community organizations such as Arriba Juntos, Big Brothers Big Sisters of SF, E4FC, The Latino Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, Notre Dame de Namur University, Standing Brown, and ZIA SF.  The following on-campus resources were also present: EOPS/CARE and CalWORKS, Honors Transfer Program, International Students Association, Latin American Student Organization (L.A.S.O.), Puente, SMCCD Study Abroad, SparkPoint at Skyline College, TRiO Student Support Services, and the World Languages Department.

The event opened with a march around campus conducted by our Hermanos y Hermanas students from South San Francisco High School and Westmoor High School.  Following the march, attendees heard encouraging words from Dr. Angélica Garcia, Vice President, Student Services.  Guest speaker, Hector Camacho, San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee, shared stories of his own experience as a community college student.  He encouraged students to utilize the resources on campus to help them achieve their goals.

Attendees of the event were also treated to sunshine, delicious tacos, and amazing musical selections by Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeño Band featuring our very own John Ulloa (Honors Transfer Coordinator, History Professor)!

Special thanks to all of the faculty, staff, and student ambassadors that worked tirelessly together to ensure the success of this event.

Article by Lauren Ford | Photos by: Grace Beltran and Claudia Paz

Skyline College’s Beta Theta Omicron Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society was named in the top 24 Distinguished Chapter at the 2016 Phi Theta Kappa Conference in Washington, DC on April 9. Distinguished Chapter is an international award and the highest honor given to a Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Skyline College earned the Continued Excellence Award for being a Distinguished Chapter for three consecutive years. Nearly 4,000 community college students participated in the three-day conference that was filled with scholarship and leadership forums. Keynote speakers included Lord John Eatwell, economist and president of Queen’s College Cambridge, and Katty Kay, lead anchor for BBC World News America.

“The breadth and depth of activities undertaken by our Phi Theta Kappa members is amazing. The members should be very proud of the recognition they have received,” said Christine Case, Phi Theta Kappa Advisor. “Phi Theta Kappa offers so many opportunities for our honor students to extend their education and experiences far beyond the classroom as they prepare for their futures.”

Skyline College’s chapter also received the 2016 College Project Award for their outreach efforts with senior citizens and children and earned honorable mention for their Case Study Challenge. The chapter has consistently earned national recognition since it’s chartering in 1999. And has earned the Nevada/California Regional Distinguished Chapter award five times.

The awards were the result of competitive essays documenting the chapter’s multiple projects this year, including a year-long service project that taught computer literacy to local senior citizens called Together We Thrive and a project that brought science labs to middle schools.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,280 chapters at two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States and Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates, and U.S. territorial possessions. There are 94 chapters in California.

Article by Christine Case

Members of the Administration of Justice Club helped bring good cheer and joy to some needy and less fortunate children by visiting two community action and service agencies located in San Mateo and in San Francisco.  Club members worked hard for several weeks planning and putting together over 40 colorful and age-appropriate Easter holiday baskets filled with goodies such as chocolate eggs and toys donated by club members’ own funds, and they were delighted to have an opportunity to help put a smile on the faces of the children they contacted.

On Friday, March 25, the group first caravanned to Samaritan House located in the City of San Mateo.  There they were welcomed by the staff who directed the group to the children and their families who came there to obtain various types of community services.  The children were thrilled to receive the Easter baskets, and the parents were very grateful for the club’s efforts.

Next, the group traveled to San Francisco and visited Hamilton House, another social services organization for families.  Again, the group was well received as we handed out the colorful Easter baskets to the children.

At the heart of the AJ Club is a commitment for taking opportunities to do meaningful work in the community, serving others, and making a difference in our world.

Article by Steve Aurilio | Photo by Joanna Sedillo

On Friday, April 8, the Administration of Justice Club arranged a tour of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Offices at the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street, in San Francisco.  The tour was arranged by AJ Club member Robert Martinez and was attended by ten of the club members.  The tour of the D.A.’s Office was helpful in complementing what the AJ students learn about in the classroom concerning the inner workings of the criminal justice system relating to the filing of criminal charges and investigation and prosecution of crimes.  The group was also pleased to have the rare opportunity to meet with San Francisco’s District Attorney, George Gascón, who took time out of his busy schedule to pose with the club members for a picture.

Article by Steve Aurilio