On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, the Skyline College Learning Center (TLC) welcomed hundreds of students for our first bi-annual TLC Open House! Students, staff and faculty were invited to learn more about Learning Center programs and services as well as meet staff, faculty and student representatives. Student groups and classes received personalized tours of the Learning Center offerings and were invited to have a pastry and coffee or tea on us! We were honored to host students from local Bay Area high schools for Skyline College’s Discover ASTEP Day as well as our district students from the Silicon Valley Intensive English Program. Thank you to the faculty members who brought their classes to take part in this special event!

If you missed the Open House, please stop by the Learning Center to learn more about the programs below:

Learning Center:

• Tutoring (Writing/English/ESOL/Math/Science/Business/Social Sciences)
• Supplemental Instruction Labs
• Peer Mentoring (workshops and one-on-one support)
• Student Success Lab
• Group and quiet study areas
• Computers and printing
• ReUSE Hub (FREE school supplies!)

Meet & Greet / Tours:

• BAM (Brothers Achieving Milestones)
• WMLA (Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Academy)
• Honors Transfer Program
• Human Library and Poetry Corner
• Learning Communities
• Library and Reference / Research
• TRiO Student Support Services
• Zero Textbook Cost

This event was made possible with the financial support from the Honors Transfer Program, Learning Communities and the Academic Support & Learning Technologies Division! Thank you to the Skyline College Bookstore for the generous donation of coffee and hot water and the World Cup Coffee & Tea student staff for keeping the coffee flowing for our visitors!

To view all photos from the event, please visit: bit.ly/SkylineCollegeTLCOpenHouse

Article by Chelssee De Barra and Marisa Thigpen | Photo by Marisa Thigpen

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2019 cosmetology students dodged raindrops running from one office to another to deliver custom-made Valentine candy grams. At five dollars each, sending a Valentine was an easy way for Skyline College staff and faculty to express their appreciation for one another with a hand-delivered card and chocolate. Wet and tired at the end of the day but glowing with accomplishment, the students raised $560 towards their summer service learning trip to Jamaica.

A PIF-winning collaboration between cosmetology, esthetics and the office of workforce development, “Negril, Jamaica: A Service and Cross-Cultural Learning Experience” combines work experience, international travel and cultural fluency. Cosmetology students will learn techniques for natural haircare from Jamaican professionals while esthetics students study facial treatments made with local ingredients like coffee and tropical fruits. In return, Skyline College faculty Cassidy Ryan and Andrea Vizenor and classified staff member Lynsey Hemstreet will teach workshops on eyelash extensions, manicure techniques and excellence in customer service to students and industry professionals based in Negril, Jamaica.

As each student saves towards their $3,000 individual goal to cover trip expenses, scholarships and family contributions will only go so far. If you missed the opportunity to send a Valentine, you can still support the trip! The cosmetology department is hosting a VIP event on March 20, 2019 from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. This event will sell out! A $50 ticket includes two salon or spa services, mocktails and appetizers, a raffle ticket to win a gift basket with products from Wella and Sebastian and a commemorative T-shirt.

If you miss the opportunity to get a ticket, you can make a direct donation at www.plumfund.com/community-crowdfunding/service-learning-negril-jamaica or by stopping by the reception desk in cosmetology to show your support with a cash donation of any size, big or small.

Article by Lynsey Hemstreet | Photo by Tammy Calderon

Promise Scholarship Counselor Ivan Silva was chosen as one of the winners of the Board of Governors Hayward Award.

This state-wide award in excellence in education honors four faculty members who demonstrated a commitment to the principles of the California Community Colleges. Ivan’s commitment to serving and empowering students from diverse backgrounds and his devotion to community college as an open-access education system was amply evidenced in his application and the support letters from his nominators.

Some of the evidence of educational leadership that earned Ivan the recognition include the group counseling curriculum for the Promise Scholars Program that focused on high-needs students he developed with his team of counselors in Spring 2018. Ivan’s contributions to the College Comprehensive Redesign was also a winning factor, which resulted in the development of a redesigned Counseling “Getting In” process for all new-incoming Skyline College students.

The Counseling Division showed strong support for the nomination of Ivan throughout the selection process. This comes as no surprise when his colleagues describe him  as a collaborator, a joy to work with as a colleague and the first listener to his team.

From Skyline College, Jude Navari from the Music Department was nominated by the local Academic Senate as the full-time nominee and Ivan Silva as the part-time nominee.

Article by Rika Yonemura-Fabian