SparkPoint would like to highlight an amazing Latina, mother, scholar and advocate. Marjourie Quintanilla balances the duties of being a single mother, full-time student, public benefits specialist and active San Bruno community member with grace and commitment. She is always smiling and helpful and she inspires us all. An alumna of Capuchino High School who will graduate from Skyline College this Spring, Marjourie assists students and community members with obtaining and maintaining public benefits at SparkPoint, Skyline College. Marjourie also has spoken to underrepresented minorities at numerous public engagements, including teen mothers from Hilltop High School, PUENTE and La Rasa scholars. She assisted patrons of Skyline College’s library, facilitated a classroom of first graders as part of the Big Lift Summer Camp, and worked with second graders through the Reading Partners program. Marjourie is a recipient of numerous scholarships including the Grove Scholars, Len Herzstein, San Bruno Community Foundation Crestmoor Neighborhood Memorial scholarships.

Marjourie self-identifies as a Latina who wants a better future for her family and for those who do not know their full potential. She believes that “sharing is caring” and that she can reach higher success with an optimistic mindset that encourage and motivates.

In her own words, Marjourie explains how education, resilience and advocacy provide opportunities to shape society for ourselves, for our community and for future generations:

“My story begins with coming to America at the age of 2 years old. I was brought up in a society where as long as you can speak the language, you were welcome. I failed to find my voice until I arrived at Skyline College the second time. I now see how I was part of a system that was broken where instead of helping you succeed, it kept you stagnate. It took living a life without a college degree for me to wake up and start setting goals for myself. I have grown to realize that I can open communications to pave the way for young girls, single mothers, and anyone who feels like they are struggling through life. It’s okay not to have all the answers as long as we keep searching for meaning and practice resilience. As I continue my education I will continue to work with and for my community. I am a strong believer that a sense of community will benefit our future generations.”

This fall Marjourie will transfer to San Jose State University and pursue a degree in social work. We will miss having her beautiful smile and powerful kindness!

Article written by Valerie Higgins

 

The Student Recognition and Awards Ceremony was held on Thursday, May 10, 2018 in the Theater from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Over 321 scholarships were awarded to Skyline College Students totaling more than $230,370. The students waited with excitement to open their scholarship envelops in anticipation to discover the amount of their scholarship award.

Dr. Angélica Garcia, Vice-President of Skyline College Student Services served as the Mistress of Ceremonies to honor individual student achievements. Interim Executive Director, Tykia Warden, of the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation recognized the generous support from all of the foundation members. Without their support many of the scholarships would not be possible.

Name readers Tia Holiday, Program Services Coordinator, Professor Melissa Komadina and Professor Nate Nevado announced the honorees. Many of the students that were recognized ranged from working mothers and transfer students, to those returning to workforce and veterans.

Highlights of the evening included the distribution of the local community awards:

The San Bruno Community Foundation honored Majourie Quintanilla, Martha Marquez Ramirez and Vincent Ramsay with the Crestmoor Neighborhood Memorial Scholarship. This award honored those affected by the gas pipeline explosion in 2010.

The Karl S. Pister Leadership Opportunity Award from University of California, Santa Cruz is only given to 13 recipients’ annually. This year’s award winner was Rachelle Lamb who gave an inspirational speech about her family as well as her time here at Skyline College.

Leandro Torres Mantilla, ASSC President gave closing remarks. The ceremony was followed by a beautiful reception held in the Fireside Dining Room where award recipients and their families got to thank donors for their kindness and generosity. We would also like to thank everyone for their continuous support to help students succeed in their endeavors.

Article by Eric Imahara | Photo by Zaw Min Khant

The Board of Directors recently announced that four Skyline College students were awarded Kappa Beta Delta International Andrew V. Stevenson Merit Scholarships for 2018.

This recognition is a strong validation of their outstanding efforts as students at Skyline College. The board commended their academic achievements, community service and enthusiasm.  The names of the scholarship recipients will be announced during the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) annual Conference which is June 8-11, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. Congratulations to Michelle Huang, Lay Min Saw, Vincent Ramsey, and Thanh Nguyen.

Article by Linda Whitten

Six Guardian Scholars were honored at the John Burton Advocates for Youth Graduation Celebration held on May 7, 2018 at San Francisco State University.

Skyline College Guardian Scholars Devontae Young, Marikina McConnico, Eileen Paguio, Sarina O’Gilvie, Erlinda Ojeda Marques and Mercedes Henry were honored at this event. This event honored 50 graduating and seven continuing former foster youth from Northern California.

“These remarkable young men and women should be applauded for what they’ve accomplished. Foster youth must often overcome significant educational challenges. By working through those challenges, they have placed themselves on the path towards a successful future. They are truly shining examples of the strength and endurance of the human spirit” John Burton said.

Article by Linda Allen

 

Hermanos and Hermanas Connection to College (C2C) held their annual end of year celebration to honor the graduates in the program on May 15 2018.

This year Herman@s C2C honored 22 hermanas and 21 hermanos who are current seniors from South San Francisco High School. Students and families were welcomed and began their evening with dinner.

Pablo Gonzalez, former EOPS Skyline counselor kicked off the celebration with a warm welcome to students and families. After, student speakers Fernando Hernandez, Jessica Escamilla and Annette Salgado shared their positive experiences of being in the Herman@s C2C program. Karla Enedina Gomez-Pelayo followed by thanking the parents for their support in their student’s education. Karla then spoke to the graduating seniors, and shared her story.

Furthermore, the Herman@s C2C program would not be possible without the support of Skyline College and South San Francisco High School. Students came to the podium and thanked Skyline College and South San Francisco High staff for their commitment to the program.

Specifically, students thanked Jane Arias, Kalia Chavez, Margarita Astudillo, Daniel Flores, Maria Gonzalez, Pablo Gonzalez, Yolanda Gonzalez, Valerie Higgins, Eric Imahara, Lucy Jovel, Gustavo Lopez, Christian Navarro, Yuffita Palacios, Danielle Powell, Dr. Cynthia Rapaidio, Guadalupe Ruiz, Alberto Santellan, Marion Shine, Nelly Salgado, Julissa Vergara, and Women of SWMLA.

Next, the program was able to give two scholarships to one hermana and one hermano. The Kiwanis Club of South San Francisco donated funds to provide two students with a scholarship award. Yolanda Gonzalez, representative of the Kiwanis Club, was present that night and was able to give Brianna Toney (Hermana) and Diego Gomez-Lara (Hermano) their scholarship personally.

Finally, Herman@s C2C graduates received a Certificate of Achievement along with a Herman@s graduation stole.
The celebration concluded with a group picture, cake and music!

Article written by Liliana Rivera | Photo by Kevin Perez

Around 120 students and staff participated in the first annual Skyline College Common Day of Action on May 5, 2018. Participants engaged in service learning projects at four different sites: SF-Marin Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Pacifica Beach Coalition, and Glide Memorial Health Clinic. The purpose of the Common Day of Action is to connect learning in the classroom with civic engagement, offering students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and become participating members of society.

The day began at Skyline College with breakfast and opening speeches from ASSC student leaders Amirah Tulloch and Alfredo Olguin, who got the energy flowing first thing before students took off for their respective sites. Two student leaders were responsible for each site, facilitating email communication, pre- and post- reflective activities, and providing support during the experience. The participants served in the following projects:

* At SF-Marin Food Bank, students sorted oranges and boxed canned foods, reflecting on issues of food shortage, poverty, and resource distribution of our society.

* Students at Habitat for Humanity removed weeds and spread mulch as part of a park beautification project in Hunters Point to expand community parks and gardens to make them cleaner, safer, and more accessible for everyone.

* The crew at the Beach Cleanup at Rockaway Beach focused on cleaning the beach and reducing cigarette butts, which connected to the concepts of reducing waste, buying habits, and attitudes about consumerism.

* At Glide Memorial Health Clinic in the Tenderloin, students assembled harm reduction kits with safe injection information and equipment to prevent repeat use and cross-contamination of injection equipment.

The day ended with all groups coming back to Skyline College for lunch and a post-experience activity, where students reflected on their service learning projects, the root causes of the social issues, and their role in the community as agents of change. Student Kristen Ersando, who participated at SF-Marin Food bank, emphasized that “this experience provided a way for students to critically think about these issues on another level and helped us realize how we can all contribute to our community.”

The Service Learning Community of Practice, which organized the event, would like to thank Amory Cariadus and ASSC, Alfredo Olguin, Jim Houpis, Tom Broxholm, and the Equity and VPI offices for their support and funding in making this event a success.

Here is a link to photos from the Common Day of Action: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkiLNwv

Article by Serena Chu-Mraz, Rika Fabian, Carla Grandy, Jennifer Merrill, Mustafa Popal, and Paul Rueckhaus | Photo by Zaw Mint Khant

Please welcome Sherri Wyatt, the new Instructional Aide II for The Learning Commons (ASLT).  In her new role, Sherri will collaborate with faculty and staff to create events for building community with our students.

At the University of California, Riverside, Sherri earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Creative Writing, making her the first generation in her family to earn a degree at a University of California educational institution.  Sherri worked at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) as an instructional aide for Disabled Students Programs and Services in the noncredit High School/ GED Strategies Lab, where students prepared for the GED or earned their high school diploma.  Her last role for CCSF was the Mathematics Department’s instructional aide under retention services in basic math — having one-on-one tutoring sessions and conducting workshops for math homework completion or test preps.

Sherri is excited to make Skyline College her home.

Article by Ramon Calhoun

 

 

The Skyline College Learning Center has renewed their College Reading & Learning Association’s (CRLA) International Tutor Training Program Certification through May 2023.

Recertification requires an intensive application process resulting in a review of all aspects of the Learning Center’s training structure. Documentation of relevant materials, such as training agendas, orientation guidelines, observation forms, and interview structures were compiled, submitted, and evaluated for quality standards through CRLA’s recertification team.

Successful recertification was the result of long hours dedicated by Interim Learning Center Manager Chelssee De Barra and Instructional Aide II Christina Trujillo, assisted by LSKL 110: Tutoring and Practicum instructor Nina Floro.

In response to The Learning Center’s program, CRLA highlighted the following:

“This is a very nice program that provides a hybrid of course-based and online training that is available year-round to advance new hires. Of special note is that the training is conducted by both faculty and [tutoring] lab personnel.”

CRLA certification awards Skyline College Learning Center tutors with an internationally recognized certification that they can add to their resumes for future employment. This certification does not expire and, in addition to training students in the best practices and approaches to tutoring, provides Skyline College tutors with a means of transitioning to tutoring employment outside of Skyline College after they transfer

Article by Christina Trujilo

Each semester the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center (BAEC) recruits a new cohort of students to join the Internship Job Shadow Program. BAEC recently concluded our spring 2018 Internship Program, on May 17, 2018 with a class of six Student Interns for a semester end celebration.

Students are placed in a number of participating offices and divisions on campus such as Career and Workforce Programs, Study Abroad, Marketing and at BAEC just to name a few. Throughout the semester these students are exposed to a variety of career options and are encouraged to explore their career and educational interests.

Students in the program are provided the space to engage in real-world career experiences. Students also enhance their soft skills, learn how to improve their resume, develop their professional network and are referred to other career and educational opportunities. To date, ten students have been placed in jobs as a result of the Internship Job Shadow Program.

The program was created because of increased difficulty for students to find jobs after completing their education. Companies ask for years of experience for entry level jobs and expect students to know how to work and conduct themselves outside of an educational environment. For three years, the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center has been working at rounding out this aspect of students’ lives.

This Internship Job Shadow Program, funded by the President’s Innovation Fund, has proven that students benefit from experience in an office and entrepreneurial setting before their education at Skyline College is completed. The Internship Job Shadow Program is a real world solution that can provide students with valuable work experience, soft skills, and networking capabilities. The program aims to help students develop the tools they need to enter into the career of their choice.

If you know of any students interested in applying for the Spring Internship Job Shadow Program, have them complete this application. Summer Applications Due: Friday, May 25, 2018.

For more information email baec@smccd.edu, visit the website at skylinebaec.org, give us a call at (650) 738-7992 or come in for a tour, we are located at 458 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066.

Written by Eva Liang | Photo by Linda Truong

In collaboration with the Divisions of Academic Support & Learning Technologies (ASLT) and Student Equity and Support Programs (SESP), the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL) is excited to announce that Skyline College will be sending 9 delegates to the 2018 National Conference on Race & Ethnicity (NCORE) in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the end of May.

NCORE is the leading, most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in American higher education. “The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change designed to improve racial and ethnic relations on campus and to expand opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations. NCORE is designed to provide a significant forum for discussion, critical dialogue, and exchange of information as institutions search for effective strategies to enhance access, social development, education, positive communication and cross-cultural understanding in culturally diverse settings” (https://ncore.ou.edu/en/about/).   

This year’s delegates include five faculty and four classified staff. Conference delegates were to selected by the Advisory Committee on Employee Development (ACED) to represent Skyline College as a team engaged in professional learning activities intended not only to transform and inform their own personal and professional practices, but also to encourage transformative dialogue and to engage in equity-based practices at Skyline College.

This year’s faculty delegates include Rika Fabian (Sociology), Nathan Jones (English), Pia

Walawalkar (Librarian), Tammy Calderon (Cosmetology), and Mustafa Popal (History). Classified staff delegates are Jeremy Evangelista (PSC, Financial Aid), Karen Dimalanta (Division Assistant, ASLT), Golda Margate (Executive Assistant, VPSS), and Mitchell Xiong (Staff Assistant, Library).  

NCORE 2018 will engage our delegates on nearly every social justice topic affecting higher education and the world today with more than 300 sessions and keynote speakers such as Dr. Joy DuGruy, Simone Sanders, Denise Juneau, Dr. Michael Benitez, Jr. and D’Lo. Additionally, while at the conference, each faculty and staff delegate will participate in a full-day, pre-conference institute on a topic each has selected:    

• “Navigating Triggering Events: Critical Competencies for Facilitating Difficult Dialogues” (Calderon)
• “Internationalization, Globalization, Multiculturalism, and White Supremacy: Examining Both Our Intentions and the Impacts of Our Programming” (Walawalkar)
• “The Complexity of Student-Centered Work, Race, and Inclusion in the American Academy” (Margate)
• “Intersectional Interventions: Supporting Queer & Trans Students of Color” (Evangelista)
• “Fundamentals of Social Justice Education” (Jones)
• “Not in My School! How White Supremacy, White Privilege, and Other Forms of Oppression Undermine Best Intentions” (Popal)
• “Asian and Asian American Students, Faculty, and Staff Rising to the Challenge: Being Seen, Heard, and a Presence in Higher Education” (Dimalanta, Xiong, and Fabian)

In the 2018-2019 academic year, delegates will lead a number of CTTL Power of NCORE Series workshops and activities; facilitate ongoing discussions on NCORE-related issues specifically relevant to Skyline College; and apply NCORE concepts to campus and/or District-wide equity-related activities. We look forward to what Pia, Mustafa, Karen, Mitchell, Golda, Nathan, Jeremy, Tammy, and Rika will have to share with the Skyline College community upon their return. Let’s wish our 2018 Delegates well as they prepare for their NCORE experiences.  

Article and photo by Nina L. Floro