Last Tuesday October 9 in the Fireside Dining Area, Skyline College’s Education and Child Development (EDU/CD) Program hosted its second annual, “Careers with Children & Education” Job Fair. Twenty programs that serve children and families attended including representatives from San Mateo County Office of Education, South San Francisco Parks & Rec Department, and the Bay Area Down Syndrome Connection. These programs were invited because of the teacher shortage and overwhelming need for teachers, teacher’s aides, and qualified staff to work with children. This fair gave

Students had the opportunity to interview employers and learn about the educational requirements for the various positions. They also received resume and interview advice from Skyline College’s Career Center and spoke with local universities that provide bachelor’s and credential programs in education and child development.

Due to the overwhelming positive responses from both students and employers, the EDU/CD Program plans to repeat this event every semester, alternating day and evening, thus allowing all students an opportunity to participate.

Article by Kristina Brower

Do you use Canvas to support your face-to-face classes or online courses? Need to log some Flex hours? Enjoy free food? Join the Skyline College Hybrid/Online Community of Practice on Friday, October 26 in Building 6, Room 6-203. From 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m., we’re streaming @ONE’s free CanInnovate conference, a series of webinars for community college Canvas users.

You’re welcome to join us for any portion of the daylong conference, which includes sessions on building an equity minded syllabus, adding video to a Canvas course, previewing the new Canvas gradebook, and more. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. So that we can plan appropriately, please use this link to register for our on-campus viewing party: bit.ly/skylinecanninovate

Go to @ONE’s website (onlinenetworkofeducators.org/caninnovate18/) for the full program, and to register online if you can’t make it to Skyline College that day. No matter how you attend CanInnovate, you will receive verification of attendance—and you can count CanInnovate sessions as Flex time.

Questions? Contact CoP co-facilitators Christopher Collins (collinsc@smccd.edu) or Kim Saccio-Kent (sacciokentk@smccd.edu).

About @ONE: The Online Network of Educators is a collaborative, system-wide network of California Community College faculty, staff, and administrators coordinated by the CCC Online Education Initiative (OEI). @ONE provides training and professional development to support the effective use of digital tools and platforms to make California Community Colleges a nationally recognized leader in online teaching and learning.

Article by Kim Saccio-Kent

On Flex Day, October 10, 2018, nearly 200 staff, faculty, and administrators joined together to enhance connections across the campus and reconnect to our zest for transformative teaching and learning. Beginning with a keynote by Dr. Darrick Smith, the CTTL sponsored program focused on fostering student success. As Dr. Smith made clear — in his signature impassioned and approachable way — community college educators have the unique opportunity to “incite learning like a riot … for anyone capable of profiting from the instruction offered.”

Early feedback suggests that the message resonates at Skyline College. In the words of Barbara Corzonkoff, Academic Senate Co-Representative for Adjunct Faculty, “the keynote speaker was enlightening and the sessions were all so inviting it was hard to pick just one.”

Nicole Porter, ECE Instructor, agrees: “I enjoyed the speaker and session on ‘Being Student Ready’. I was inspired and left with tools and strategies to continue being a reflective practitioner and to engage my fellow educators”.

Other highlights included a focus: on undocumented students; highly effective educational practices in and out of the classroom including grading, affective pedagogy, and themes in general education; and understanding the new student experience. Thanks to a generous donation from bookstore manager and Skyline College alumnus, Kevin Chak, the day ended on a sweet note with dessert and a raffle. Congratulations to professor Hellen Zhang who won the grand prize – a brand new Chromebook!

Throughout the event, the strong presence of classified staff and adjunct faculty was a welcome occurrence. As Classified Senate President Michele Haggar points out, “Closing the campus made it possible for staff to engage in critical conversations that enhance our ability to serve students in the best possible way.” When asked about flex day, Jesse W. Raskin, CTTL Coordinator, replied, “We know that effective instruction leads to more student success. Today was all about investing in educators as a way to support students. I hope that everyone had an ‘aha’ moment and I’m eager to see how we develop these ideas, together.”

The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL) aspires to advance student success, equity, and social justice through offering opportunity for professional development. The CTTL is available to faculty, staff, and administrators for consultation on all things teaching and learning. For more info or to make an appointment to enhance your practice as an educator, link to http://skylinecollege.edu/cttl/about.php.

By Jesse W. Raskin and Rika Yonemura-Fabian

Skyline College was recently invited to participate in a regional discussion surrounding CA Guided Pathways. The California Guided Pathways Project (CAGP) requested the opportunity to hear from Skyline College students and alumni in order to learn more about their transition into and through community college at the Institute #4 – Redesigning Student Intake and Ongoing Student Support on Thursday, September 6, 2018. Athena Mendoza, David Lokotui, Damani Williams, Semaj Payton – all current students – and Steve Marquez (’18) represented Skyline College on the panel.

Moderated by founding partner of higher education consulting firm Sova Solutions, Alison Kadlec, students shared their stories and experiences navigating postsecondary education. Athena and David shared their experience as fall 2017 Promise Scholars, and Damani and Semaj provided insights into their experiences as fall 2018 Promise Scholars. Steve highlighted the beneficial impact of networking as a method of major exploration and discovery. Semaj discussed her previous challenge in staying motived in high school but noted that the warm welcome she received at Skyline College, in addition to the various supports, have encouraged her to stay motivated and on track during her first year. David also expressed concern regarding his educational confidence as he transitioned from high school into college. He credited the Promise Scholars Summer Institute with encouraging him to have a “growth mindset” in order to take advantage of the various opportunities that were available to him at Skyline College. Participating in this panel was one of those opportunities in which he was eager, though nervous, to share his story in order to help colleges identify ways in which they could better support students.

Reflecting on the panel, moderator Alison Kadlec stated:

“The student panel was one of the best I’ve ever been a part of (and I’ve been doing this work for 15 years)! The students were so thoughtful, and poised, some of them overcoming shyness in order to share their perspectives and experiences in eloquent and moving ways. I was especially struck before the panel by how curious and interested the students were about the conference in general, and how clearly important it was for them to represent themselves and their college well. They had clearly put significant thought into the questions provided in advance, and they had powerful things to say about what makes it easier and harder to persist in achieving their goals. The importance of feeling truly valued by faculty and staff, and of having access to the range of supports available at the college came through clearly in their comments, and were good reminders about why we do the work we do. The audience was moved not only by the stories students told about the challenges of balancing work, family responsibilities and school, but also by the way they talked about their determination to reach their goals despite the obstacles. Hearing a student talk about Carol Dweck’s research on ‘growth mindset’ and the personal relevance of that research was a powerful reminder of the difference that college faculty and staff make in the lives of students every day. In hearing participants commenting on the panel afterwards, I believe that all present were inspired, and humbled, by these students. I believe that the audience members listened deeply to the students, and it’s my hope that everyone present came away with an even stronger sense of urgency about the importance of student-focused institutional transformation efforts, and of the role that Guided Pathways reform efforts can play in extending genuine opportunity for success to all students.”

Thank you to the California Guided Pathways Project and Center for Community College Student Engagement for inviting Skyline College students share their stories and experiences to the Institute #4.  The Center for Community College Student Engagement, located at the University of Texas College of Education, is a leading organization for survey research, focus group work, and related services for community and technical colleges interested in improving educational quality through strengthened student engagement and student success.

Article by Lauren Ford | Photo by Alison Kadlec

At the SACNAS (Advancing Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) Conference on October 11-13, Skyline College student, Megan Scott, presented her original scientific research alongside 800 students from several University of California campuses, the University of Texas, Yale University, Brown University, Stanford University, several CSUs, and many other universities. The conference was held in San Antonio TX and sponsored by the USDA, Genentech, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Over 4,000 graduate and undergraduate students from across the country attended the conference.

Papers were selected for the conference in a competitive judging from abstracts submitted in July. Megan started her research last spring with Christine Case in BIOL 230 and continued in the summer in BIOL 695.

Megan’s presentation won the Microbiology Award and she now has her first publication: Antimicrobial Activity of Grindelia stricta var.platyphylla, a Native American Medicinal Plant.

Article by Dr. Christine Case

Do you remember going to your first conference in the field that you were studying? Do you remember the excitement of meeting people who are doing what you want to do? On Saturday, October 6, 2018 over 20 Skyline College students attended what may well be their first scientific conference. For the past 5 years, Skyline College faculty has worked with the Chinese Bioscience Association (CBA) Conference to provide attendance to Skyline College students at a low cost. The conference takes place at the Crown Plaza in Foster City.

The Chinese Bioscience Association (CBA) is a nonprofit organization founded in San Francisco Bay Area in 1997. Its mission is to promote education, networking and community building for life science professionals. This year’s conference focused on building bridges to biotechnology innovation. For our students, being aware of new technologies and innovations is key to transitioning from being a student to being employed in the field.

Students from the biology, microbiology, and biotechnology programs joined their instructors Dr.’s Kevin Davis, Jin Folsom and Nick Kapp to network with Bioscience industry leaders, CBA board members, and CBA board President Mark Chen. Our Skyline College students deftly shared their educational and professional accomplishments and practiced their networking skills in an effort to cultivate relationships and contacts for future internship opportunities and employment.

Skyline College’s Biotechnology Career Advancement Academy BioBridge program hosted a table and showcased their “Skyline Altoids,” a product the biomanufacturing students created as part of their biotechnology class company project. Next month, students from the biology, microbiology and biotechnology programs will be attending the 7th Annual Discovery Day at AT&T Park on Saturday, November 3, 2018.

Skyline College’s Career Advancement Academy Biotechnology program, BioBridge, is supported by grant funding from the National Science Foundation, grant number 1502042. The BioBridge Program provides a broad foundation of scientific education, 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 biomanufacturing. Skyline College also offers an Associate Degree in Biotechnology for students who are looking for a clear transfer pathway to four year colleges and universities. For more information on the Skyline Biotechnology program, please visit http://www.skylinecollege.edu/biotechnology/.

For more information about the BioBridge program, Career Advancement Academies, and upcoming events, please contact, Nick Kapp at kapp@smccd.edu or (650) 738-4415.

Article by Nick Kapp | Photo by Jing Folsom

Three faculty members who work with the Engineering and Tech Scholars, in an ongoing effort to continuously learn new or old things tech, toured the Kinetic Steam Works (KSW) facility in Oakland. Kinetic Steam Works is a group of enthusiasts of steam powered machines. They strive to keep the skills to perform early steam technology alive, by offering education, entertainment and demonstrations. The members of the KSW group, meet up to preserve, build and create various period technologies. They have an extra bonus because their facilities are located next to a scrap yard, where they can scavenge or preserve this technology as it goes on its way to the melting pot.

The faculty was introduced to the KSW’s cavernous facility in Oakland and were treated with a tour through their vast hall and a presentation of their amazing tool park that included very exotic lathes, gear cutters, printing presses and many other pre-computer metal shaping tools. The highlight of the visit was a demonstration of how to make a sand cast mold. The faulty melted aluminum out of scrap which comes from the production of Tesla pouring and casting an aluminum pulley. The faculty is hoping to bring some of these techniques back to Skyline College to show our science and engineering students how to create molds to produce metal parts. Something quite old is coming to our new Fab Lab.

Article by Nick Kapp | Photo by Tadashi Tsuchida

The San Mateo County Community College District’s financial aid offices will be hosting its 2019-2020 Cash for College event on Saturday, October 20, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. The districtwide event will be promoting the new roll out of the 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act application which opened to applicants on October 1, 2018. Colleges across California host various iterations of Cash for College workshops and events to promote and increase awareness of financial aid to eligible students.

The event will include presentations and labs offered in both English and Spanish and will share information on the types of aid that are available to students, steps to applying for financial aid, important deadlines, and to assist students and their families with completing the FAFSA and Dream Act application. In addition, a resource fair will also highlight our campus programs such as the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), the Dream Center, the Guardian Scholars Program, SparkPoint, and our Promise Program to first time, full-time students attending Skyline College Fall 2019. The event is open to everyone and will include breakfast and lunch for all attendees. To register for the event, please visit: goo.gl/cGCnoo.

For more information regarding the Cash for College event or financial aid please contact the financial aid office.

Article by Jeremy Evengelista-Ramos

On Thursday, October 4, the financial aid office hosted its fall Financial Aid Awareness Day attracting over 150 students. The event promoted the new 2019-2020 FAFSA and California Dream Act application which opened for students to apply on October 1, 2018. Students were invited to learn some of the new changes and features that rolled out with the 19-20 applications such as the myStudentAid mobile app which allows students and their families to complete the FAFSA on their smartphones. Free Costco Hot Dogs were provided to students after completing a brief survey regarding their current use of financial aid which includes the California College Promise Grant (CCFG) fee waiver, grants, scholarships and the Federal Work-Study program.

Students were also exposed to the fall financial aid workshops and the upcoming scholarship season. The financial aid office will be hosting a Scholarship Kickoff event on November 5, 2018. For more information or questions regarding financial aid, please visit the website: www.skylinecollege.edu/financialaid.

Article and Photo by Jeremy Evangelista-Ramos

College can be confusing, and students often find themselves overwhelmed. Peer Mentors are here to help ease the adjustment to college life!

The Learning Center Peer Mentoring program at Skyline College has served over 150 students in September by leveraging the skills of experienced Skyline College students to help their fellow students succeed. Our eight peer mentors are trained to facilitate academic and personal success for their fellow students through practical skill development by:

• Building mentee’s knowledge of college resources
• Promoting development of educational, leadership, career, and learning goals
• Fostering social engagement and a sense of belonging to large and small campus communities
• Increasing student engagement with their academics

The Peer Mentoring program works closely with Promise Scholars, Counseling 100 Faculty, Middle College, and other programs across campus to provide workshops customized to student needs. Workshops planned for Fall 2018 include:

• Navigating Your First Year in College
• Introduction to Microsoft Word
• Be Web Savvy: Tips & Tricks
• How to Connect to Your Professor
• Time Management & Organization

For additional information about Peer Mentoring, our current mentors and workshops, or how to schedule an appointment, please visit our website at https://skylinecollege.edu/peermentors/

Phone: (650) 738-7136

Article by Raymon Gutierrez and Chelssee De Barra | Photo by Zaw Min Khant