Over the next few weeks, Skyline College will offer a rich variety of events to celebrate student success and achievement at the end of the academic year, including the Student Scholarship Awards Ceremony on May 11 and the 47^th Annual Commencement on Friday evening, May 26.

47^th Annual Skyline College Commencement
Friday, May 26
5:00 pm
Skyline College Gymnasium 

Student Scholarship Awards Ceremony
Thursday, May 11
4:00 pm
Skyline College Theater

END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATIONS and OTHER EVENTS

In addition to Commencement and the Student Scholarship Awards Ceremony, many of our learning communities, cultural groups and other organizations are celebrating in their own special events. Here’s a list of events as they’re happening (please note some events are invite-only).

Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Academy Year-End Celebration
Tuesday, May 9
3:30 pm
Building 6, Room 6202

EOPS/CARE and CalWORKS Graduation
Friday, May 12
5:00 pm
Building 6, Room 6202

TRiO Graduation
Monday, May 15
5:00 pm
Building 6, room 6202

Hermanos & Hermanas 10^th Year Celebration
Tuesday, May 16
6:00 pm
Building 6, Fireside Dining Room

CIPHER/GSP Graduation Celebration
Wednesday, May 17
5:00 pm
Building 6, room 6204

International Students Program End of Year Celebration
Thursday, May 18
2:00 pm
Building 4, room 4240

ASTEP Graduation
Thursday, May 18
4:00 pm
Building 6, room 6202

Puente End of the Year Celebration
Friday, May 19
4:00 pm
Building 6, room 6202

Kababayan Graduation
Thursday, May 25
3:00 pm
Building 4, Hosting Gallery

Middle College Graduation
Wednesday, May 31
5:30 pm
Skyline College Theater

Given the incredible volume of readily available data on the students and communities we serve, how can Skyline College leverage visual platforms to inform equity and outreach efforts? The College’s Outreach Office, in collaboration with the Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE) Office, took the plunge. The Outreach Office seeks to ensure that prospective students are fully informed about Skyline College as a viable option for reaching their educational goals. Student Equity Plan data provided further insight about students with whom the College can conduct more intentional outreach. The challenge was in how to present available data in a readily accessible format to help inform and support equity and outreach work. This effort resulted in three types of maps being created via geographic information system (GIS) software through collaboration with Dynamic Planning + Science.

While GIS is frequently employed across a wide range of industries including urban planning and environmental sciences, it is less often brought into play in institutional research at the college level. Last month, the PRIE Office was selected to share Skyline College’s recently created maps through a well-attended poster session at the Research and Planning Group’s annual conference (RP Conference is the largest gathering of institutional researchers and planners in the California Community College system). Skyline College received many accolades from an enthusiastic audience for the design of the maps, as well as the intentionality behind the types of local community, high school, and student equity data displayed.

Of course, maps are only as useful as we make them! While the maps have made their way through various campus committees, events, and district-level meetings, we are eager to hear from you! Do you have any ideas for upcoming events or conversations that may benefit from the visual information that maps provide? If so, please reach out to Zahra Mojtahedi in the PRIE Office (mojtahediz@smccd.edu).

To see the maps and learn more about ongoing and forthcoming high school outreach activities, keep an eye out for the upcoming poster session at Skyline College’s Fall 2017 Opening Day in August (the Outreach and PRIE Office will be co-presenting).

Article by the Office of Planning, Research & Institutional Effectiveness

On Saturday, April 29, 2017, the English Language Institute hosted its bi-annual ESL Registration Event. The event welcomed 41 new ESL students.

The ELI has been heavily promoting Skyline College to the ESL programs at the adult schools and high schools highlighting the strengths of Skyline College as an educational institution. Many of the new students came from the local high school, adult school and referrals from current students.

The new ESL students received step-by-step assistance with the Skyline College enrollment process all done in one day. The event was successful due to the team effort of the staff, student’s assistants and volunteers.  Based on the evaluation surveys, 98% of the attendees found “all the staff at the event very helpful and friendly”.

Special thanks to the staff and student volunteers for the excellent teamwork! Leigh Anne Shaw and Erinn Struss provided support in the application station. Minerva Velasquez and Adriana Johnston efficiently handled the student applications to generate student ID numbers for the applicants.   Counselor Virginia Rosales facilitated an informative orientation and hosted a Q & A table during the break, which the new students appreciated! Stacy Nojima assisted with the front desk registration and student traffic. Goldie Lee, Jacky Ip and Ursula Racca expertly managed the testing center. Lesley Bode from Financial Aid provided in depth information on financial aid processes and opportunities. We are also grateful for Jairo Barreto for the IT set-up and support.

Thank you also to the multi-lingual team of student assistants and volunteers who warmly welcomed and helped new students with the enrollment steps and to our adult school partners at Jefferson and South San Francisco for providing a warm handoff of their students to Skyline College.

Article & Photo by Mylene Foo

On Thursday, April 27, over seventy students gathered for Skyline College’s second ever Legal Careers Night.  The event featured three panels: Pathways to Law School, Getting Started as a Paralegal, and Life as a Paralegal, all aimed at informing current and former Paralegal students, students in the exploratory stage of their major, and those interested in pursuing Law School, about two key areas of the academic and career development process for the Legal field.

Throughout the evening, attendees had their resumes reviewed, networked with fellow students, legal professionals, and Legal HR representatives. After each panel, students connected with the panelists individually, asked questions, and gathered valuable information and insights for their current and future legal pathway. In total, the event hosted nearly 100 attendees.

The diverse panels included practicing lawyers and paralegals, legal recruiters, hiring managers, and legal educators. Each panelist graciously gave of their time, generously shared their personal stories with the audience, and ensured that our students experienced an engaging night. Panel moderators Lavinia Zanassi, Maria Segarra, and Jesse Raskin expertly facilitated these remarkable panels.

Legal Careers Night was made possible by Skyline College’s support for innovative work and by the hard work and dedication of the Legal Careers Night Planning team: Jesse Raskin, Maria Segarra, Michele Haggar, Jeremy Evangelista, and Alina Varona. A special thanks to the facilities team who did a great job setting up and tearing down the event, Roger Marcelo in Multimedia Services for ensuring excellent sound and lighting support, and MCPR for their marketing support.

The Career Advancement Academy connects students to higher wage careers and opportunities in higher education by integrating accelerated and contextualized English and math, career technical education, and integrated student support. Currently, the Career Advancement Academy has programs in Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Biotechnology, and Legal Careers with additional bridge programming at Baden High School and Goodwill Industries. For more information about the Career Advancement Academy or related programs, please contact Jeremy Evangelista, evangelistaJ@smccd.edu or visit http://www.skylinecollege.edu/caa/ .

Article and Photo by Alina Varona

 

 

 

On Friday, April 14, 2017, Middle College students at Skyline College along with Middle College faculty and program staff had an exciting opportunity to learn about the clean energy and sustainability sector from a stellar, all-women, industry panel and about the innovative Energy Systems Technology Management program from Professor and ESTM Faculty Coordinator, Bruce Greenstein.  Dr. Regina Stanback-Stroud welcomed the Middle College students, faculty, and program staff to this insightful and informative event and spoke about the importance of sustainability and the College’s leadership in this space.  Professor Greenstein engaged students with hands-on activities in the Center of Sustainable Construction’s Test House as well as outdoor activities which included demonstration of solar energy kits.

The all-women panel forum was moderated by Professor of Environmental Science, Dr. Carina Antilla-Suarez.  The panelists included Adrienne Etherton, Executive Director of Sustainable San Mateo County; Ann Edminster, net energy consultant and founder of DesignAVEnues; Carolyn Raider, Resource Conservation Specialist,  San Mateo County Office of Sustainability; Daisy Meyer, Workforce Development Manager, GRID Alternatives;  Kirsten Andrews-Schwind, Communications and Outreach Manager, Peninsula Clean Energy;  and Marjan Javanmard, Permit Specialist, City of San Jose.  The women all shared their wealth of knowledge of clean energy and sustainability to the Middle College students and talked about how they began their  careers in this sector and how exciting it is to work in a sector that is growing and innovative due to new technologies and public policies.

At the conclusion of the panel discussion, Lavinia Zanassi, Faculty Coordinator and Counselor for Career Services, shared various resources available in the Center for students to develop their own self- awareness and characteristics that align within the clean energy and sustainability sector.

This event was supported in part by The California Community Colleges Doing What Matters for Jobs and the Economy Initiative, and the Deputy Sector Navigator for Energy, Construction, and Utilities.

Special thanks to Dr. Raymond Jones, Director of Middle College, Sindy Soto, Middle College Office Assistant, Assistant Professor, Joan Connolly, Professor Bruce Greenstein, Professor Carina Antilla-Suarez, Faculty Coordinator and Counselor, Lavinia Zanassi.

Article written by Rita Gulli | Photo by Anasanique Fountain

 

 

The Skyline College International Student Program hosted a “Skyline College Day” event where six different English Schools in the bay area came to learn more about life at the College. This event took place over the span of two weeks.

More than 40 students from various countries visited Skyline College to get the experience of college in this environment. The students were given an informative presentation where they were advised about application requirements and student life at the college. They also took part in a campus tour to familiarize them with the atmosphere. The students left with a favorable impression of the college. The students were astonished by the multiple services that the college offers. They commented on the beauty of the campus, with a special affinity for the view of the Pacific Ocean that the school offers. Overall, the event was successful and is sure to attract more international students to Skyline College.

ISP will continue to provide international and cultural programs and events for Skyline College students, faculty and staff members and the greater Skyline College community. Please check future events on the ISP website at: www.skylinecollege.edu/international/

Article by Naledi Mthembu | Photo by Chikako Walker

The Center for Career and Workforce Programs hosted a two-day career exploration event titled the ‘College and Career Connection’ through a newly formed partnership with Sequoia Union High School District and Junior Achievement. The purpose of the College and Career Connection is for students to gain practice in relevant career skills and to discover career pathway options available after they graduate high school.  It also acts as a capstone learning experience for students by preparing them to write a personal resume, practice job interview skills, learn proper business etiquette, and the exploration of expanded career education pathways. This event took place on April 5 and 6, 2017 at Skyline College and engaged over 250 students across Sequoia Union High School District.

Sequoia Union High School District offers career technical education academies in health, biotechnology, computers, digital arts and green construction at their four high schools: Carlmont High, Menlo-Atherton High, Sequoia High, and Woodside High School. High school students experience general education courses that are contextualized and taught in the lens of one of the above career academies.

The “College and Career Connection” Event was composed of a keynote speaker, employer/student panel discussion, mock interview session, and a career education simulation. Each day started with a welcome from Andrea Vizenor, Director for Career and Workforce Programs, Laurent Ford, College Recruiter at Skyline College, and Gregory Stein, Industry Outreach Coordinator from Sequoia Union High School District. Following the welcome, special guest speakers provided inspirational keynote presentations – Ray Edwards from Aeris Communications on April 5 and Danny Allen from SAP Corporation on April 6.  The students took part in an engaging panel session that highlighted Skyline College Promise Scholars and speakers from various industries such as Cisco Systems, California Pacific Medical Center, Genentech, Marriott, iQ360 Inc, and KRNV.  In addition each student was able to engage in hands-on activities through simulations that highlighted CTE pathway programs at Skyline College career education pathways from the following areas: Biotechnology, Center for Sustainable Construction, Digital Arts, Health Careers, Entrepreneurship and Journalism.

This event was a valuable experience for high school students to not only learn about the many opportunities Skyline College offers but also serve as a guide and preparation for the students to expand their journey into college and careers through learning from others and hands-on learning.

The Center for Career and Workforce Programs would like to thank the leadership from Sequoia Union High School District and Junior Achievement for the high school student outreach and bringing them to experience Skyline College. We would also like to extend our thank you the Skyline College faculty and students who conducted the career simulations and the 120 mock interviewers who participated each day to interview the high school students and to the Skyline College Outreach and Counseling Student Ambassadors in helping with the event activities and logistics.

To learn more about this event and to get involved in a similar event, please contact Andrea Vizenor, Director for the Center for Career and Workforce Programs, at vizenora@smccd.edu

Article by Elizabeth Tablan | Photos by Claudia Paz

Terri Wade has been selected to be the Interim Project Director of the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center.  Terri is not new to Skyline College. She has been working at BAEC as an Adjunct Faculty member leading special projects in marketing and teaching the pilot class for the Base 11 STEM Entrepreneur Program.

Terri also serves as the Global Learning Programs and Services representative on the Academic Senate. She was born and raised in San Mateo, California. Terri received her B.A. in Business from the University of California, Riverside, and her M.B.A. from Notre Dame de Namur University.

During Terri’s time at BAEC, she has helped many entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. She continues to be very excited about working with new entrepreneurs and helping Skyline College students as they work to reach their goals. In her new role, she will work closer with the business community and the entrepreneurs who come through BAEC as they become aware of the framework needed to succeed in their business endeavors.

One of her favorite quotes is: “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do.” -Richard Branson

Skyline College welcomes Terri to this new role.

Article by Alessandra Zanassi

Professor Danielle Powell has been selected as the Coordinator for African-American Success Through Excellence and Persistence (ASTEP). ASTEP is a Learning Community at Skyline College. Learning Communities (LC) allow students to enroll in a preset group of classes with other students who share the same passions, interests, or specific field of study. Students take classes together and work closely with specific faculty and counselors.

ASTEP assists students of all ethnicities in identifying their abilities, strengths and talents. The program is designed to aid, support and encourage students to fulfill their academic and educational goals of transferring to a four-year college, university, or earning an Associate’s degree or vocational certificate. ASTEP also creates cohorts where students take linked classes such as English, math, communication, and biology with ASTEP professors whose curricula has a common focus on themes from the African-American and African Diaspora experience.

Professor Danielle Powell is a native of North Carolina. She has lived and worked in diverse communities on both coasts of the United States. She earned a B.S. in Speech Communication from James Madison University, an M.A. in Communication and a Master’s of Divinity degree from Wake Forest University. She also earned a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Professor Powell’s leadership shines through and she will be a great asset to ASTEP. One of Danielle’s greatest joys at Skyline College has been coordinating the Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Academy. The mission of the Skyline College Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Academy (WMLA) is “empowering and transforming women at Skyline College to achieve personal and professional growth.”  This mission has been accomplished by providing women from disproportionately impacted groups with social and academic support, mentoring, and leadership development opportunities.  WMLA has provided contextualized and experiential learning that has fostered intellectual, cultural, social, economic and personal fulfillment for women who participate in the academy.

We welcome and support Danielle Powell as she prepares to take on her new role as ASTEP Coordinator at Skyline College in fall 2017.

Article by Dr. Tammy Robinson

With friends and family in attendance, 127 Skyline College students, 105 Cañada College students, and 85 CSM students were inducted into their college chapters of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for 2016-2017.

It is the tradition for the three SMCCCD Phi Theta Kappa chapters to rotate hosting the induction. On April 29, Beta Xi Eta of CSM hosted the Induction Ceremony for new members at CSM. Professor Bruce Maule gave the keynote address. Mr. Maule talked to students about playing to their strengths when choosing a major, transfer school, and career.

Did you know:

• A 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 Dr. Christine Case