Daily Archives: April 13, 2017

Skyline College Hosts its Annual Connection to College (C2C) Student Conference!

Group PicConnection to College (C2C), formally known as the Middle School Outreach Project (MSOP) was founded five years ago with the goal of exposing middle school students to college and careers at a young age.  C2C also seeks to provide information about college and resources, including financial aid, to parents in order to foster and support their development as educational advocates for their child.

Throughout the 2016-2017 academic year, the C2C team has worked closely with a group of approximately eighty students currently in eighth through twelfth grades from Parkway Heights Middle School and South San Francisco High School.

On Thursday, March 16, 2017, Skyline College welcomed our forty participating middle school students and staff from Parkway Heights Middle School for the fifth annual C2C Student Conference.

During the conference, students toured the campus and visited our various CTE labs, including surgical technology, cosmetology, and automotive technology.  They also had the opportunity to experience a college class firsthand and attended a financial aid presentation led by Jenny Yang.

The conference concluded with a dynamic college panel comprised of current and former Skyline College students who eagerly shared their personal experiences in college and offered words of encouragements for our middle schoolers.

The conference was a tremendous success, which served to instill motivation and the desire to attend college among participants.

Article by Jessica Lopez

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover: The Human Library at Skyline College

human library“I learned that people and subjects have a lot more in common than we think. This has been a very eye-opening experience,” said one visitor to the first ever Skyline College Human Library event hosted by the Library on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

The Human Library Project is an international movement that began in Denmark to combat prejudice and stereotypes by creating dialog and fostering understanding among people of different backgrounds and experiences. At Human Library events, the books are people and it was set up just like a normal library: You check out a “book” on a certain topic and have twenty minutes with that specific book. However, at the Human Library, the “book” is human, and you can have a conversation with that person about important issues such as ethnicity, religion, gender, identity, family history, and more. “Readers,” or event participants, are encouraged to ask questions freely for honest answers in return. Books are willing to share individual stories, challenges and life experiences.

The library offered 18 diverse “Human Books” including immigrants to the U.S. from Afghanistan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Algeria, Israel, and Nicaragua; people of different religious faiths, sexual orientation, gender identity; local community leaders, SMCCCD Board of Trustee President, Thomas “Tom” Mohr, and Skyline College president, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud. There were over 50 unique conversations, or “check-outs,” by students, faculty, staff and community members at the Human Library event at Skyline College and many requested to extend their time.

The feedback for the event was overwhelming positive from “Readers” and “Books.” Many participants suggested that the Human Library event be offered every year, every semester, or every week.  One Reader shared, “My book was awesome! I had an amazing chat about religion and about her experiences as an immigrant.” Another Reader commented: “I learned about my book’s obstacles and that they can be overcome and you can still succeed.” One student said of Dr. Stanback Stroud: “I spoke with the College President, and learned about the nature and extent of racism in the Deep South in the 20th century.”

The Human Library event was supported by the Skyline College President’s Innovation Fund.  For further information, and to see biographies of our Human Books, go to Skyline Human Library Event 2017.

Article by Mary Torres Volken and Pearl Ly | Photos by Pearl Ly

EOPS Southern California University Tour

UCLA Group PictureThe Extended Opportunities Programs and Services (EOPS) Program at Skyline College sponsored its annual southern California university tour during Spring Break.  Over twenty-five EOPS students participated in this year’s trip.

As part of the southern California university tour, EOPS students visited UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, and CSU Northridge.  At each university, students toured the campus and learned about the various academic departments as well as resources designed to help them accomplish their educational goals.

At UCLA, EOPS students interacted with transfer students, including a Skyline College alumna who is currently in her final year at UCLA.  They shared valuable information about transferring as well as their personal experiences being a transfer student at UCLA.

This year, EOPS students also had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Tolerance (MOT), where they toured various exhibits, including the Holocaust and Tolerance Exhibits.  During the visit to MOT, EOPS students and staff also heard a Holocaust survivor speak and share his story as a young child during the Holocaust.  Truly an emotional and powerful experience!

The EOPS southern California university tour was a tremendous success, which helped promote the goal of transferring to a four-year university among EOPS students!

Article by Jessica Lopez

International Student Program Hosts Employment Workshop

ISP employment workshopThe Skyline College International Student Program and the Career Services Center hosted an employment workshop for international students. More than 30 international students attended the workshop. The event was held on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 in the Multicultural Center.

Chikako Walker, the ISP Program Services Coordinator, advised the students on the differences between on and off-campus job opportunities and internships. International student panelists who currently have jobs on campus were able to offer further insight. The student panelists shared how they were able to find jobs and went into detail about what their current positions entail.

Representatives from the Career Services Center, Michele Haggar and Lavinia Zanassi, spoke about the services offered and provided to Skyline College students. They explained how students are able to receive assistance in choosing a profession and the steps they can take toward success in their individual career paths. Skyline College alumnus and current professor Andrew Dai closed off the event by providing information about an H-1B application, a type of visa international students can apply for after schooling is complete. This workshop assisted in clarifying employment processes for our international students and equipped them with the information they needed.

ISP will continue to provide international and cultural programs and events for Skyline College students, faculty, and staff members as well as the greater Skyline College community. Please refer to the ISP website for the most up to date information regarding upcoming events: www.skylinecollege.edu/international/

Article by Naledi Mthembu | Photo by Chikako Walker

Detroit-based Poet and International Icon jessica Care moore Comes to Skyline College

Jessica Care MooreOn Thursday, March 30, in celebration of Women’s History Month, Skyline College hosted, “jessica Care moore: Art, Activism and Social Justice”. This program was co-sponsored by the Women’s Mentorship and Leadership Academy and the Division of Student Equity and Support Programs. The program began with welcoming remarks from dean Lasana Hotep. Kim Davalos, a counselor and faculty member at Skyline College, performed a poem as the opening act. Davalos was followed by King Thomas Moore, an artistic prodigy who performed three poems from his book, A Peace of a Poem. King is also the 10-year-old son of the main speaker.

jessica Care moore is a poet, writer, performance artist, producer, entrepreneur and international icon from Detroit, Michigan. During the program, moore shared that it was during her college years as a student activist at Wayne State University that she found poetry as a platform to get folks to move and act for social change. She stated that it was important to build an institution around her work instead of waiting to be given an opportunity to have her writing published and recognized. In 1997, moore started her own publishing company, Moore Black Press, where all of her books and the work of poets such as the legendary Saul Williams have been published.

moore performed published and unpublished works addressing misogyny, racism, white feminism, and how these systems exclude the voices and experiences of black women and women of color in the United States. Between each poem, moore provided commentary about the personal experiences, social justice issues, writers and artists that inspired each piece of writing. Her poem, We Want Our Bodies Back, was written for Sandra Bland, a black woman who committed suicide in a Texas jail cell three days after being arrested for a traffic stop. This poem talked about how black girls and women suffer, resist and try to survive the midst of racism and police brutality. She also performed the poem Petition for a National Holiday, an homage to black women whose physical, emotional and mental labor helped build the United States. However, there is still no national holiday dedicated to any woman in history. In the poem she states, “On this day this country will reflect on the sacrifices of Africa’s daughters who by force, have birthed your sons. This is just the beginning of my demands. This poem is a petition for a national holiday to acknowledge African-American women for the systematic use of our backs. Tell me, will you sign up?” moore’s intelligent, bold, brutally honest and powerful voice stunned a crowd of 130 Skyline College students, staff, faculty, administrators and community members.

moore’s closing performance was a poem from her debut album, Catch Me If You Can featuring Talib Kweli. The performance was followed by a brief Q& A session and book signing. Event participants received a free signed copy of moore’s books, Sunlight Through Bulletholes and God is Not an American. Jane Arias, a member of the Women’s Mentorship and Leadership Academy stated, “jessica grabs your attention as soon as she walks into the room. Her confidence, raw material and truth makes you feel empowered and gives you the strength to believe in yourself. As a woman, I walked away feeling lifted and motivated to push myself beyond the standard.” This program provided an invaluable forum for students, staff, faculty and administrators to engage with an artist and activist who could speak to women’s experiences and history. This program was also the culmination of various events and activities celebrating Women’s History Month at Skyline College.

Article by Katrina Pantig | Photos By Rossmia Coo

Technology Education and Literacy in Schools Bay Area 2017

TEALS studentsOn March 10, 2017, the Center for Career and Workforce Programs at Skyline College participated in the Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) Computer Science Fair hosted at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. This event brought together 800 students from 15 high schools around the Bay Area who have been learning advanced placement computer science (CS) courses as a result of participation in the TEALS program. The TEALS Computer Science Fair is a capstone event that provides a site for students to learn more about college and career paths in the computer science pathway. Student participants were able to attend panel discussions and presentations that spoke about traditional and nontraditional CS careers, high school internships and CS in higher education. Students also participated in interactive workshops put together by Code Day, LinkedIn and Microsoft’s Garage.

Skyline College staff Claudia Paz and Elizabeth Tablan hosted an informational and engaging booth promoting Skyline College’s programs in Network Engineering, Computer Science, and Engineering.  Other educational institutions that also joined included UC Berkeley’s EECS Department, Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford. In addition, students were able to speak with top Silicon Valley technology companies to connect their CS knowledge to real life careers. Companies in attendance were CodeHS, Meyer Sound Laboratories, Mission Bit, YouTube, Google, Twitter, Zillow, Hacker Fund, HERE, and Electronic Arts.

Skyline College Engineering Professor Nick Langhoff joined our efforts at the fair by being part of the CS Higher Education panel session and sharing his expertise in electrical engineering and computer systems. He was also able to share information about the Engineering and Tech Scholars Program and the Fabrication Lab at Skyline College. Langhoff also shared his experiences being a Skyline College alumni with the high school students who visited the Skyline College booth.

The TEALS program helps high schools throughout the United States gain exposure to CS and creates literacy to advance technology. TEALS pairs trained CS professionals with high school teachers to co-teach CS courses. TEALS was started in 2009 by Microsoft employee Kevin Wang, who developed and ran the program in his spare time, and is supported by Microsoft Philanthropies.

For more information about the TEALS Computer Science Fair, please contact Director for the Center for Career and Workforce Programs, Andrea Vizenor at vizenora@smccd.edu

Article by Elizabeth Tablan | Photo by Claudia Paz

Welcome New Library Support Specialist Cody Baker

cody bakerThe Learning Commons would like to introduce our newest team member, Cody Baker. Cody will be serving as a Library Support Specialist at the check out and reserves desk. Cody comes to us with strong experience as a Library Assistant at different San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) branches and with Burlingame Public Library, a PLS library. Cody previously gained experience with academic libraries and Library of Congress as a student clerk at SFSU. He is currently pursuing a Library Technology Certificate at City College of San Francisco and has a BA in Cinema Studies from San Francisco State University (SFSU).

Cody is excited to work with students and be part of the Library Reserves program, the Skyline College Promise Scholarship Lending Library, and other textbook affordability initiatives.

Article by Pearl Ly

Classified Senate helps Keep Beaches and Oceans Clean for Future Generations

classified staff volunteeringAs of February, the Classified Senate has organized opportunities for staff members to support beach clean-up efforts. Members joined the Pacifica Beach Coalition over the past two months at Mussel Rock Beach and Linda Mar State Beach. Both opportunities were extremely fun and collectively participants were able to haul off about 50 pounds of trash and recyclable material off the beaches! Staff members were greeted at the start of their shift with coffee and pastries donated my Michele Haggar and Christina Truijo. A special thanks goes to Sandra Hatzistratis, Gretel Barreto, Timurhan Vengco, Christina Truijo, and Ricardo Flores for participating and supporting the initial efforts!

Beach clean-up efforts have been a great way for Classified Staff to continue to contribute and show support for Environmental Sustainability and if you are interested in volunteering you can join for another volunteer opportunity on Saturday, May 13. Participants will be joining the Pacifica Beach Coalition again from 9:00 am- 11:00 am at Sharp Park Beach, just down the hill from Skyline College. You must RSVP in order to ensure there are enough supplies.

If you do RSVP, check out the MAP for directions and contact Michele Haggar for more information.

Article and Photo by Michele Haggar