Classified, Academic Senate and the Administration hosted this year’s annual End-of-Year Celebration to the theme of “Into the Woods” on May 8.

Guests were treated to a fantastical hour and half of magical fun by their hosts, the ever loyal unicorn Amber Steele and the frightfully captivating Michele Haggar. Entertainment was provided by two extraordinary singers from Amber Steele’s courses.

In addition to the beautiful performances, the celebration featured a drawing for baskets donated by various divisions, programs, and departments on campus! The proceeds, totaling $1,366 dollars will be going the Classified and Academic Senate Student Scholarships for 2019 for Skyline College students. This was over $200 dollars more then what we made last year.

This was a alo a time for us to recognize, say thanks, and congratulate our Classified Staff Retiree Lygia “Gigi” Isaacs, Office Assistant II for Center for International Trade Development. Her supervisors, Tammy Robinson and Delisle Warden, her current supervisor, shared some kind words and that she will be sorely missed. Aileen Conmigo, Financial Aid Technical Support Specialist, and Wendy Lum, IT Support Technician II, received this year’s Classified Staff Special Recognition Award for their dedication and sincere efforts to support students and their colleagues. Both these individuals are exemplary in what they do and are excellent representations of just how dedicated Classified Staff members are to the success of this college on all levels. Thank you again, to Aileen and Wendy.

The celebration did not stop there. Academic Senate President Kate Brown took time to recognize and announce the retirement of Eric Brenner and Paul Spakowski. Both of these individuals dedicated years of their lives to students and worked diligently and with heart to meet the needs of the faculty and staff around them. It was also announced that Eric would serve as this year’s Faculty Marshall for the 2018 Commencement Ceremony. Kate also announced that Mustafa Popal and Carla Grandy were this year’s winner of the Meyer Excellent in Teaching Award. This award recognizes the contributions of a faculty member in their first five years of hiring who demonstrate excellence in teaching, on/off campus activities, and overall collegiality. And Danielle Powell received this year’s State Academic Senate California Community College Regina Stanback Stroud Diversity Award, an honor given to faculty who have made special contributions addressing issues involving diversity. All three instructors represent at the core the mission, vision, and values of Skyline College. Again, congratulations instructors! Kate also announced the Academic Senate’s Election results:

General Election Results (Executive Council [2-year terms])

President – Kate Williams Browne, Vice-President – Jesse Raskin, Secretary – Terrence Chang,

Treasurer – Mustafa Popal

Academic Senate Officers [1-year terms]

Standing committee chairs: Curriculum Committee – Adam Windham & Jessica Hurless; Ed Policy – Nathan Jones;

Professional Personnel – Rika Fabian

Representative Groups

Adjunct- Barbara Corzonkoff & Lisa Cresson; CTE- Ronda Wimmer

Division Election Results:

ASLT—Bianca Rowden-Quince; BEPP—Richard (Dick) Claire and Dan Ming; Counseling—Courtney Mogg and Richard Torres; Language Arts—Chris Gibson and Jarrod Feiner; KAD—Amber Steele and Gabe Saucedo; SSCA—John Ulloa and Bridget Fischer; SMT—Jing Folsom and Carla Grandy.

Last but certainly not least, our esteemed president, Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud presented the President’s Excellence in Leadership Award to Andrea Vizenor, Director of Career and Workforce Program for the significant impact she has made at Skyline College.

The event was well attended and a great success! The organizational team would like to thank the many hands that assisted in putting together this fun celebration. Thank you to EVERYONE that put efforts toward the donation baskets, to those who assisted in the selling of the drawing tickets, and to those that purchased them. This event would not have been as great as it was without everyone’s participation and support. Thanks also goes to our Pacific Dining Services for arranging the catering for the event, to Annie Trinh and Linda Bertellotti for scheduling the rooms, and to facilities for room setup/ cleanup. A special thanks to Theresa Tentes for also ensuring our program stayed on track.

Again, thank you to all!

Article by Michele Haggar

As part of the Classified School Employee Appreciation Week (CSEW), the Classified Senate and CSEA (California School Employees Association) hosted their annual Classified Staff appreciation breakfast On May 23. The event was well attended with over 60 Classified Staff members stopping by between 8:30 am and 10:30 am.

Staff members enjoyed a delicious yogurt bar, pastries, donuts, coffee and tea service, and warm connections with other staff members as we took a quick but much needed break in our day.

Both the Classified Senate and CSEA worked together to donate funds for the event. This is a way to highlight and show our appreciation for the tremendous amount of work the Classified Staff does to support our colleagues, faculty, administrators, and of course our students.

Special thanks to Maggie Li, Ellen Lee, Lori Fisher, Carol Driscoll, Michele Haggar, and Karen Dimalanta with all their help with our breakfast and Marisa Thigpen for her coffee styling.

Thanks to Tom Bauer, Vice Chancellor, Auxiliary Services and Enterprise Operations and Kevin Chak, Skyline College Bookstore Manager for donating our coffee, pastries and donuts for our breakfast.

It was a great breakfast and a good way to end the spring semester!

 

Article by Chris Weidman | Photos by Karen Dimalanta and Michele Haggar

The reception and awards ceremony for the 19th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition was held at the Skyline College Art Gallery against a festive backdrop of music, food, and beverages on April 25.

The reception was very well attended with over 200 in attendance, and Dr. Tammy Robinson presented awards to this year’s winners. The exhibition featured over 150 artworks in all media, and was a great place for students, their families, faculty, staff, and others to enjoy the creative talents of Skyline College students.

Two student artworks from this year’s exhibition have been selected for purchase awards for a new collection of student artworks that will be displayed in the Skyline College Library. The purchase award winners are Sunrice, by Teresa Nham, and Rainbow USA Flag, by Armando Cedillos. Congratulations Teresa and Armando!!

The Student Exhibition was on view in the Art Gallery from April 23 through May 11.

Skyline College’s Art Gallery is an educational and community oriented exhibition space, with programming that reflects our College Mission and Values. We exhibit a mixture of student shows, faculty exhibits, and curated exhibitions featuring local, national and international artists.

#skylinecollegeartgallery

Article by Paul Bridenbaugh| Photo by Zaw Min Khant

 

 

The Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Academy (WMLA) culminated their special project with poet, Jessica Care Moore, at the Black Women Rock Community Forum and Concert on May 12, 2018.

The community forum was titled “They Say I’m Different” and was hosted at the African American Art and Cultural Complex, and the evening concert was held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Black Women Rock, according to Moore, “is a tribute to pioneer rocker, Betty Davis and features some of the most progressive vocalists and women musicians in the country. A multi-generational performance, the show is a beautiful and necessary response to the void in music concerts and education around women in the rock and roll genre.”

On Saturday morning, WMLA participants attended the “They Say I’m Different” community forum and had the opportunity to converse with artists featured in the Black Women Rock concert. Panelists included vocalist legend, Nona Hendryx, singer, songwriter, and producer JOI, renown bass-players and vocalists Divinity Roxx (who has performed with Beyonce) and Nik West (who has performed with Prince), Steffanie Christi’an, Tamar-Kali, Kimberly Nichole, and local bay area artist, Sh8peshifter just to name a few. That evening, WMLA participants and family members rocked the night away at the Black Women Rock Concert at YBCA. The events were a powerful display of talented and empowered women, artists, activists, poets and rock stars.

WMLA thanks Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, Dean Lasana Hotep and support staff, and Jessica Care Moore for making this opportunity possible.

Article by Danielle Powell

Skyline College hosted the second annual Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship: Business Expo Week on April 16-19, 2018.

Business Expo Week’s Kickoff Event began with special bay area guest speaker Devin Lars, CEO of Kurieo Media and Doing Everything Different clothing company. After starting up from his garage in Richmond, CA, Lars now has clients which include the hit show Criminal Minds, Nike, Chris Brown and Tesla.

On Tuesday, students were invited to the multicultural center for some treats and a talk by from the founder of “Whipt” baked goods, Krizy Osada, as she spoke about her experience finding success through passion. Following her talk was a screening of “Piece by Piece”, a documentary about graffiti artwork in San Francisco.

Wednesday was filled with a “Ted Talk” style forum called “Rap Chats” where celebrity barber JayR Mallari (known for styling the Golden State Warriors very own Stephen Curry) spoke on how he started his celebrity barber shop in Vallejo, CA. Following the forum, JayR hosted a barbering workshop for Skyline College’s cosmetology students. Lunch was provided by Lokma, a Turkish restaurant owned by Skyline College student, Emre Kabayel.

To wrap up Business Expo Week, small businesses were invited to vend at the Skyline College Vendor Fair. Vendors ranged from clothing companies to artwork, food sales to pet supplies. Many of the vendors were Skyline College students who own and/or operate their own business.

This week would not have been possible without the support of the President’s Innovation Fund, the President’s Council, Dr. Regina Stanback-Stroud, Skyline Administration, and, of course, the students.

Article by Sarina O’Gilvie | Photo by MCPR

 

 

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