Skyline College is proud to welcome Ellen Murray as the new Promise Scholars Program Director. In this position, she will help to guide the continued development of the Promise Scholars Program.

Ms. Murray has over seven years of experience working in the City University of New York system, where much of her work focused on student engagement, leadership and retention. At Hunter College, she served in multiple roles at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, working to create stronger ties between faculty, community organizers, and government officials to drive evidence-based policy making and share best practices. She also worked with students to host conferences, workshops, and event series to increase civic engagement across campus.

At City College, she directed fellowship and leadership programs for students committed to pursuing careers in public service, and worked with the college’s Office of Student Success on efforts to increase student retention.

Most recently, she served as the director of programs at Meritus College Fund, a Bay Area scholarship and college success non-profit organization.  Having recently moved to the Bay Area, Ellen spends most of her free time exploring San Francisco, hiking throughout the region, and generally wondering why she didn’t move to the West Coast sooner

Ms. Murray holds a Master of Science in Urban Affairs from Hunter College, City University of New York, and a Bachelor of Arts from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

 

The new ‘Japanese Culture Link’ club hosted its first major event on Friday, October 16, 2017 in the Multicultural Center. The event was sponsored by the International Student Program.

They invited guests to come together and watch the critically acclaimed Japanese anime called “Your Name” (also known as “kimi no na wa”). This is a movie about two high school students, a girl in rural Japan and a boy in affluent Tokyo who swap bodies.

Before the film started, the organizers of the event taught the spectators a few Japanese words and phrases so they could better understand of the movie. They also gave them a brief explanation of the movie’s message and its origins. The students enjoyed some Japanese snacks and watched the movie picnic-style. This was one of the many ways that this club will try to get students to learn more about Japanese culture.

Japanese Culture Link was formed with the intention of expanding knowledge about Japanese culture at Skyline College. Kae Yoshii, the club’s president and founder, is an international student from Japan. She feels that there’s a need for this club on campus and believes that the students do not know enough about Japanese culture.

Kae aims to add many new members to the club. She emphasizes that membership is not restricted to just Japanese students, but anyone who is interested in the culture.

“I want to connect different people who are interested in Japanese culture to form a community”, she said. “There is no Japanese language class so there is no opportunity to learn Japanese culture. The club is a doorway to that.”

She hopes that people will gain interest in learning about the Asian country and hopefully even travel to Japan themselves.

Club meetings are held every second Wednesday from 12:10 to 12:40 in the Multicultural Center Conference Room, Building 4. The next meeting is on Wednesday, October 25.

If you are interested in joining, you can attend the meetings or send them an email to jculturelink@gmail.com. Keep up with the club’s events and announcements by following them on social media: Facebook: Japanese Culture Link, Instagram: jculturelink.

Article by Naledi Mthembu | Photo by Chikako Walker

On Thursday, Oct. 12, and Friday, Oct.13, the Career Advancement Academy (CAA) and Career Ladders Project (CLP) presented to over 60 California educators at the 2017 Strengthening Student Success Conference (SSSC).

The conference gathers California Community College professionals and educators from across the state to engage in discussion and highlight strategies for building institutional effectiveness, supporting student learning, and increasing equitable outcomes. The Skyline College team, Dr. Jennifer Taylor Mendoza, Interim Vice President of Instruction, Lorraine DeMello, Counselor, Alina Varona, Faculty Coordinator for the Career Advancement Academy, Program Services Coordinator for the Career Advancement Academy Jeremy Evangelista, along with Career Ladders Project’s Amanda Amal Issa and Luis Chavez, led sessions which highlighted best practices that influence successful student transitions from alternative high school to community college.

In California, “alternative school” refers to seven types of schools and programs that provide different educational settings for students who are behind in school. In California approximately 500 public alternative high schools serve more than 15% of high school students but account for more than 50% of high school drop-outs. Evaluation of the most successful alternative high schools finds that programs maintaining strong partnerships with local community colleges are more successful in ensuring students complete high school and start postsecondary education.

By creating a “bridge to the bridge,” the Career Advancement Academy aims to scale their most promising and effective practices and increase alignment and collaboration with education feeder partners—especially adult education, continuation high schools, and alternative high schools.

The “Exploring and Expanding Alternative High School and Community College Partnership” session was featured under the conference’s Creating Coherent Pathways strand, which showcases practices and programs aimed at rethinking and restructuring how students enroll in, progress through, and successfully complete their goals.

Friday’s post conference workshop “An Inclusive Front Door: Strategies for Ensuring Smooth Transitions and Early Success in Community College for All Californians” was an interactive half-day intensive workshop that presented strategies used by colleges across the state to improve transitions and success for alternative high school students. Attendees learned from high school and community college practitioners about existing models, exchanged ideas, created action plans for their sites, and discussed how to best structure supports for alternative education students.

A special thanks to the entire Alternative Education presenting team, including: Dr. Elisha Arrillaga, Amanda Amal Issa, and Luis Chavez from CLP, Dr. Jennifer Taylor Mendoza who shared her expertise as a panelist and provided a critical lens as an administrator supporting good work in alternative education, Lorraine DeMello, lead counselor and faculty for our Skyline College’s alternative education pilot bridge programs, and Jeremy Evangelista, who provides critical student, family, and programmatic support for all of our alternative education students.

The California Alternative Education community of practice will continue to engage in idea and resource exchange via an online community of learning for folks deeply involved in the important work of connecting alternative high school students to college and career. You can read our forthcoming blog about the May 12th 2017 Community of Practice that convened over 50 practitioners to discuss successful alternative high school-community college partnerships at: http://www.equalmeasure.org/ideas/impact-blog/, and please keep an eye out for the Skyline College Career Advancement Academy, Equal Measure, and Career Ladders Project pending publication on best practices for alternative high school and community college partnerships due out this winter!

Article by Alina Varona | Photos by Alina Varona

On Friday, October 6, 2017 the Outreach Office at Skyline College held its fall High School Partners Breakfast.

The 35 attendees were comprised of high school principals, vice principals, counselors, transition specialists, social workers, district representatives, and parent liaisons. Additionally, 16 schools, four school districts, and three community organizations were represented.

The goal of this semester’s breakfast was to inform our high school partners of the campus redesign and how it might impact most of our students.

After a warm welcome by Will Minnich, Dean of Enrollment Services, the audience was greeted with a short video created by Jessica Hurless to explain the college redesign and the purpose behind Meta-Majors and guided pathways.

After the presentation, attendees were asked to voice their opinions regarding potential Meta-Major names through participating in a similar activity that faculty and staff were asked to participate in during a recent forum. Large post-its were posted around the Building 6 conference rooms for the high school partners to contribute to the list of potential Meta-Major names.

After the activity, attendees heard from a variety of campus partners as they provided insights as to programs and services available to incoming students. The Skyline College speakers who presented included: Michael Stokes, Summer Scholars Institute; Kim Davalos, Promise Scholars Program; Suzanne Poma, Counselor Liaison Program; Andrea Vizenor, Career Education; Martin Marquez, Concurrent Enrollment; Melissa Matthews, Disability Resource Center; and Wissem Bennani, International Student Programs.

Attendees were provided annual reports in order to review the amazing work that Skyline College has accomplished thus far, as well as posters with upcoming events geared towards high school students. With a 75% response rate, the final evaluation showed that 96% of respondents rated the overall event as Excellent or Good, with 85% ranking the event as “Excellent”. One respondent event made a note on the evaluation that they were “glad I could come I will be sending kids your way.”

Thank you to everyone who helped to make the event a success including: Eric Imahara, Angelica Alvarez, Rex Chow, Sarina O’Gilvie, Jessica Hurless, and Lauren Ford. Additionally, many thanks are given to Vinesh “Vinny” Samujh and Christian Heredia from Facilities, Planning, and Operations, and Paul Johnson from Pacific Dining for your tremendous help and assistance.

The next High School Partner Breakfast will be held on Friday, February 9, 2018.

Article by Lauren Ford | Photo by Kevin Perez

Tuesday, October 10, 2017 was a day for exploration and Skyline College students certainly took advantage of it!

The Career Services Center hosted their now annual Meet Your Majors fair to assist students in major and career exploration as part of our work to assist students with major declaration. Students had the opportunity to directly engage with instructional faculty and staff members about the many opportunities within majors that lead to careers.

With over 25 majors represented by our colleagues, students had the unique opportunity to explore the myriad of majors such as Accounting, Anthropology, Allied Health Science, Art, Business, Biology, Dance, Fashion Merchandising, Geology, History, Journalism, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and many more. The event gave students a first-hand look at majors within careers such as Bio Tech, Network Engineering, Respiratory Care and Surgical Tech, International Trade Development, Digital Media, Cosmetology, Construction Management, and Kinesiology.

Additionally, as part of the event’s goals, representatives from various learning communities and student service programs—the Bay Area Entrepreneurs Center (BAEC), Career Advancement Academy (CAA), Study Abroad, CIPHER, Global Learning Programs and Services, the Transfer Center, and Career and Workforce Development program, which provided information in Career Technical Education, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Career Pathways—attended to highlight the resources and support services available to students as they continue to work towards their academic and professional goals.

Truly, the event led to major exploration as some students shared that, “I found a career to major in. it was awesome!” and that “there are more majors in my field than I thought!”

Others discovered that “…connections are important” and that “…Skyline College offers many opportunities to help with your education”.

For some students, the event gave them the chance to engage with faculty and even their peers who attended the fair as representatives of their programs. One student shared that they learned the “…foundation needed for…” their career, and that “there are a lot of classes that overlap within in careers.”

The event also served as a tool to confirm what some students had an idea of in terms of their career choice. For example, one student shared that the event helped confirm “the path I am on is so far correct and that I should meet with a counselor.”

Student participants in the event were also provided an opportunity to participate in a drawing for three backpacks full of school supplies generously donated by Chad Thompson, Director SparkPoint and Career Services and gift certificates and USBs donated by Kevin Chak, manager of our Bookstore.

Overall, the event was well attended and a success!

Special thanks to Pacific Dining, SparkPoint, Marketing, Career Services staff, faculty, and student assistants for supporting every part of the event.

Article by Michele Haggar | Photo credit: Kevin Perez

The Skyline College Science & Research Club in collaboration with the Cañada College Pre Med and Biomedical Club attended the UC Davis Pre Health Conference on Oct. 14.

The UC Davis Pre Health Conference aims to provide attendees with the necessary information and skills needed to succeed in applying and getting into health professional schools, such as medical school, dental school, pharmacy school, physicians assisting programs, nursing programs, etc.

The conference started bright and early at 8:00 in the morning with a complimentary breakfast and networking session. There, students were able to introduce themselves and get situated before the welcoming ceremony.

The keynote speaker was  the Interim Dean of Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine, Lars Berglund M.D. Ph.D.

Dr. Berglund gave an excellent speech on the importance of medicine and how certain medical innovations have helped society live longer and healthier lives. He touched upon recent advancements in medical technology such as cancer treatments with high mortality rates and emphasized the importance medical research. He emphasized the need for more doctors by 2025 because of a recent study by the Association of American Medical Colleges, it states that the demand for doctors will increase drastically due to the aging and growing population. There expected to be a shortfall of doctors by at least 46,000 to 96,000. His final remarks gave conference goers enthusiasm and the drive to continue on their day to learn as much as possible.

Hundreds of pre-health professional representatives came to this conference in hopes of recruiting students to apply for their programs which includes schools from all over the United States as well as the European and Caribbean schools. There students were able to receive helpful resources such as how to apply to these schools, what each school is looking for in an applicant and little tips and tricks on how to stand out in your application. Also, there were fun health games to play such as a life sized operation table and a simulation center with a robot giving us a mock stimulation of emergency situations.

Throughout the entire day, we were able to attend 3 different workshops from a list of over 30 different topics. Topics include health care justice, women in healthcare, different panels for different careers, health entrepreneurship, how to finance your education, and many more. These workshops are great for students and advisors who are relatively new to the field. The information learned from this conference is a way for any individual to get their feet wet into a Pre-Health Professional school and gather as much information as they can to plan their next steps. If you are a college freshman or someone new to the field it would be a great learning experience for you to attend this conference.

We would like to thank the Canada College STEM Center for fully funding the tickets and the transportation to UC Davis and the advisor of the Canada Pre-Med and Biomedical Engineering Club for planning and inviting the Science and Research Club to go to this conference.

Article by Vivionna Tran | Photo Courtesy of ucdprehealth

The Skyline College Biotechnology Manufacturing program, Science and Research Club, and the Mathematics Engineering and Science Achievement program (MESA) have partnered with Dr. Steven Weinstein of Cal State San Francisco’s Bridges to Baccalaureate program to welcome an engaging set of speakers for Skyline College’s fall 2017 semester.

Join us for the Science in Action Series, held on select Mondays throughout the fall 2017 semester in Building 7, Room 7-106 from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. This speaker series welcomes scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, Skyline College alumni, and employers in STEM who share their academic and professional journeys, their passion for their career in science, some critical tips and insights, along with their current work and research. Light refreshments will be served, and all student attendees are entered to win a raffled $10 Skyline College Bookstore gift card at the end of each session.

On Sept. 25, we welcomed Dr. Tim Tian who runs a biopharmaceuticals consultant business in the bay area and who shared opportunities for entrepreneurs in science.

The Science in Action Series also welcomes several Skyline College Alumni who are now pursing their bachelor’s and graduate degrees. Former student and past guest speaker Daniel Bravo shared his first-hand experiences from working at Genentech and advised students on how to apply for science-related internships in marketing, accounting, and human resources at gene.com.

On December 4, local author Kirk Lombard will discuss how he makes a living from our local coast biology. His book The Sea Foragers Guide to the Northern California Coast has been featured on NPR and highlights sustainable coastal fisheries.

The final Science in Action meeting will be held on December 11th. Our Climate Corps Fellows will share their environmental report, what they learned about Skyline College, and how we can be greener as a college community.  For more information about the Science in Action Series, please see the Science in Action website at http://skylinecollege.edu/scienceinaction/

Article by Nick Kapp |Photo provided by MCPR

On Sep. 6, Professor Nick Kapp, lead instructor for Skyline College’s Bio Bridge Program, attended Solano College’s Biomanufacturing facility opening ceremony held on the Solano College Vacaville campus.

Students in the Skyline College Bio Bridge Career Advancement Academy gain a broad foundation of scientific education and benefit from hands-on instruction along with contextualized math and English courses in a highly supportive learning environment.

After completion of this two semester program, students receive a Certificate of Achievement in Biotechnology and are prepared for entry-level employment in bio-manufacturing. Skyline College also offers an Associate Degree in Biotechnology for students looking for a clear biotechnology transfer pathway to four-year colleges and universities. Students who receive an associate’s degree in Biotechnology Manufacturing at Skyline College will be prepared for successful transfer to the Solano College’s Biomanufacturing Baccalaureate Degree Program.

Professor Kapp has been working with other faculty around the state to standardize biotechnology and biomanufacturing courses, requirements, and certificates across multiple colleges and ensure students have a seamless transition to a 4-year degree in Biomanufacturing at Solano College. Professor Kapp and his colleagues leverage the California Community College course identification (C-ID) program, which supports ease of transfer and articulation within California’s higher education systems and supports student success at all levels: entry-level certificates, Associate Degree, and transfer/Baccalaureate Degree.

On Oct. 27, current and former Skyline College Bio Bridge Career Advancement Academy students will visit the Solano College campus and tour the Biomanufacturing facilities and four-year Biomanufacturing Baccalaureate Degree Program.

Skyline College’s Career Advancement Academy Biotechnology program—BioBridge—is supported by grant funding from the National Science Foundation, grant #1502042. 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 Bio Bridge Career Advancement Academy or related programs, please contact Jeremy Evangelista, evangelistaJ@smccd.edu or visit http://www.skylinecollege.edu/caa/.

Article & Photo by Nick Kapp

The 2nd Discover Puente Day took place on Wednesday, Sept. 27. In collaboration with the Puente Project, the Outreach department hosted the Herman@s C2C program at Skyline College.

The Hermana@s C2C program serves Latino and Latina youth who are juniors and seniors from South San Francisco High School. This year 53 students from South San Francisco High school were transported to Skyline College to shadow the life of a Puente college student for the day.

Students started their day with a nice breakfast from Panera bread and a motivational welcome from Jorge Murillo, EOPS Program Coordinator, and former Hermano and Skyline College Puente student.

Students then shadowed the Puente English 105 classes. During this time they were able to interact with Puente students, discuss stereotypes, as well as share insights about college expectations.

Students then attended Dr. Rios’s Call to Consciousness College Lecture Series where they learned more about his personal educational journey and received motivational advice on setting and achieving goals.

Herman@s C2C students were then given some time to eat lunch at the Sky Café, walk around, and visit the Low Rider Exhibit in the Skyline College Art Gallery. At the end of the day students were entered in a raffle and took home Skyline College gear from the Bookstore.

Students who attended Puente Shadow day enjoyed their experiences, and went back to South San Francisco High School excited about their memorable experiences.

Students provided feedback that, “I learned to strive instead of being a dreamer” and “These types of events are very inspiring and give you a lot of insight into new topics.”

The outreach department at Skyline College has hosted the Puente Shadow day for the second year in a row to create a space where high school students can envision themselves in a college setting. This event would not have been possible without the support from Lasana Hotep, Dean of Equity and Support Programs and leadership from Lauren Ford, College Recruiter.

Thank you to the Puente Project team for your continued support and collaboration with the Herman@s C2C program.

Article by Lauren Ford and Liliana Rivera |Photo Credit: Liliana Rivera

The SMCCC Alumni Association proudly presents a FREE professional development opportunity: Taxes and Your Retirement Planning, an interactive presentation.

Register at 171026.eventbrite.com.  The San Mateo County Community College District’s Human Resources Manager will be available at the session to provide additional information. The event is open to the public.

Article by Prusela Phillips