On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, Skyline College Interim President, Dr. Jannett Jackson, welcomed Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Consul General of France in San Francisco, and Caroline Jouanin and Monica Medina, representatives from the Rennes School of Business in France. The luncheon and reception, with over 80 attendees, was a celebration of international education and its role in empowering and transforming a global community of learners. The luncheon was also a part of Skyline College’s Meta Major Week Events under Business, Entrepreneurship & Management.

Dr. Jackson, shared some of the milestones that the Study Abroad Program has achieved in the last several years, including recognition by the U.S. Department of State as the number one top-producing community college in California of the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship; raising $20,000 in Study Abroad scholarships through the Community Travel Program; launching the Global Internships Program; opening the Skyline College Passport Office; and receiving a grant from the Embassy of France in Washington D.C. to implement Campus France, a new transfer abroad opportunity for SMCCCD students to transfer to the Rennes School of Business in France to complete their Bachelor’s degree.

The Consul General shared his own experience studying abroad and spoke about the importance of building intercultural competencies in today’s global economy and workforce. Ms. Jouanin spoke about the new Campus France Program* and opportunities for SMCCCD students to transfer abroad to the Rennes School of Business in France.

A highlight of the event was hearing from SMCCCD Study Abroad alumni about their experiences abroad. College of San Mateo alumna Elizabeth Ramirez joined on a video call from Southern California to share how her experience studying abroad in Florence in 2016 shaped her career path and led to her current position at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Skyline College alumni and current Rennes School of Business students Angelo Domagas and Laurel Lujan joined the reception on a video call from France and spoke about their adjustment process and classes in France. Current College of San Mateo students Aaron Wilson and Malik Griffin spoke about their experiences participating in Global Internships in Hong Kong over the summer and the process of applying for scholarships, and Skyline College students Ms. Fountaine and April Hubert shared their experiences studying abroad in Brazil and South Africa as STEM students.

These opportunities blend with Skyline College’s mission to empower and transform a global community of learners and its goal to make high-impact practices and transformative educational experiences like studying and interning abroad accessible for all students who wish to participate.

SMCCCD Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. For more information about studying or interning abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, community travel for lifelong learners, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at ghoriz@smccd.edu or (650) 738-7088 or Stephanie Wells at wellss@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.

*The Campus France Program is a recipient of the 2019-2020 Skyline College President’s Innovation Fund.

Article by Stephanie Wells | Photo by Zaid Ghori

Skyline College received a request from Dr. Laura Metune, Vice Chancellor of Government Relations from the California Community College State Chancellor’s Office, to host a legislative staff site visit. Skyline College was selected because it is considered a leader within the community college system.

The Chancellor’s Office made the commitment to legislative staff that these visits observe how colleges operate. The day started with a campus tour by three students from the Promise Scholars Program followed by a six hour meeting focusing on the Promise Scholars Program, the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model, Guided Pathways, the Strong Workforce Program and AB 705 Implementation within the rubric of the Skyline College’s Comprehensive Redesign.

The team of 17 consisted of various legislative offices that include members of the Chancellor’s Office, the Foundation Success Center, the Legislative Analysts’ Office, the Governor’s Office and the Department of Finance.

We received a letter of thanks from Governor Gavin Newsom based on the feedback he received from those in attendance. I also want to thank District Office staff who participated, Chief of Staff Mitch Bailey and Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Planning Aaron McVean and Project Director, Promise Scholars Program Replication Lauren Ford; and the 23 Skyline College faculty, staff, and administrators who shared their passion and experience on program implementation and replication efforts.

Article by Jannett Jackson | Photo by Mia Coo

On Wednesday, October 16, 2019, a very special green RV made an appearance at Skyline College to share a career exploration resource: Roadmap to Careers by Roadtrip Nation. Over 130 students attended and were empowered to identify their interests and discover which career pathways align with their unique ambitions and skills. Skyline College was one of the two Bay Area colleges to be selected thanks to the collaborative efforts of Lavinia Zanassi, Career Counselor.

For 15 years, Roadtrip Nation has made it their mission to meet with professionals of every kind and ask the questions that no one is asking—honest questions about their struggles, successes, and how they figured out the age-old dilemma: “What should I do with my life?” Students have access to a digital product that combines labor market data with Roadtrip Nation’s library of thousands of candid video interviews.

The four “Roadies” that arrived with the RV said, “This has been one of the best stops on our tour”. They also commented on the wonderful diversity of the students, faculty and staff. One student commented, “Wow, there is actually a list of people in the industry and it shows how they got to where they are. I found it to be very different and helpful. I will definitely look more into this website!” Congratulations to student Cosette Claybaugh who was selected as the winner of a $100 Bookstore gift card.

If you are working with a student who is still exploring career options and could benefit from this tool or from a one-on-one career counseling appointment, fill out a referral form. If you would like see the Roadtrip Nation website, use the special code: SKYCC19.

It took a village to make this day happen and special thanks goes out to the event organizers and everyone involved: Lavinia Zanassi, Kenny Gonzalez, Jose Milan, Luis Escobar, John Doctor, Jim Vangele, Cherie Colin, Connor Fitzpatrick, Annie Trinh, Soe Hlaing, Paul Cassidy, Tom Bauer, Roxanne Brewer and Kevin Chak.

Article by Kenny Gonzalez | Photo by Soe Hlaing

Kappa Beta Delta International awarded 13 Dr. Andrew V. Stevenson Scholarships for 2019. Skyline College students included John Aguas, Paul Dzul, Sophie Huang and Justin Yu. Giller Asuncion also won the Region 7 scholarship. Kappa Beta Delta International is the Business Program Honor Society for Community Colleges accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Skyline College is the first California Community College to achieve ACBSP accreditation.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2020 scholarships at kbdhs.org/scholarships. Kappa Beta Delta and Alpha Gamma Sigma are hosting a Scholarship Workshop at on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 in Building 8, Room 8-209 from 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Patricia Flores from Financial Aid will facilitate the workshop.

Article and Photo by Linda Whitten

Skyline College’s Sigma Omicron Chapter of Alpha Gamma Sigma attended the Northern California Fall Conference at Chabot College. Alpha Gamma Sigma is the California Community College Honor Society.

200 students and faculty advisors attended breakout sessions on “Tools Against Speech Anxiety”, “Conflict Resolution”, “Alumni Panel-Bachelor’s Degree in Progress”, “Officers Roundtable”, “Shift to a Growth Mindset”, “Scholarships”, “Success Through Failure”, “Learning How to Bounce Back”, “Mastering the Cost of Higher Education” and “Resume Review & Interview Prep”.

The attendees also worked on developing a Statewide Service Project focusing on student homelessness. Alpha Gamma Sigma at Skyline College will start their local project by participating in the Second Harvest Food Drive on campus on October 22, 2019 through November 22, 2019. A clothing drive will follow.

Skyline College was represented by Justin Cabrigas, Zhijian Cai, Erik Ferroggiaro, Timothy McMillian, John Uperesa, Chris Wardell, Hermia Waxner, Jingui Xiang, Raghad Bader and faculty advisor, Linda Whitten.

Article and Photo by Linda Whitten