Monthly Archives: December 2019

Watch Our 50th Anniversary Commemorative Video!

In celebration of Skyline College’s 50th Anniversary, the marketing team spent many hours working with New Vision Media to create a commemorative video that highlights the past, present, and future of Skyline College. For 50 years, Skyline College has been a beacon for its community. Check out how we’ve established our legacy of achievement in this incredible video…trust us, it’s worth your time. Watch it now!

50th video

The San Bruno Chamber Launches Student Ambassador Program in Partnership with the BAEC!

studentIn partnership with the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center, the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce welcomed their first Student Ambassador, Madeleine Hayes.  In a continued effort to connect the local business community to Skyline College students, the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce has developed a program meant to encourage more participation from students interested in their local economy. As Chamber Ambassadors, students will learn and participate in, the basics of online marketing, events and community outreach and relations; they will also have the opportunity to shadow directly under the Board President & Interim CEO of the Chamber, Pcyeta Stroud.  We are excited to collaborate with the Chamber on this project and to introduce Madeleine to the team!

For more information on the Student Ambassador Program for the San Bruno Chamber, please contact: stroudp@smccd.edu or sanbrunochamber@gmail.com.

Article by Olivia Vialau | Photo by Sam Panganiban

Energize Colleges, Sustainability Blitz and more!

growsphereWith the Energize Colleges student internship program in its fourth year, a new set of nine interns are working hard on their individual sustainability projects on campus! Some of these projects address zero waste on campus, energy auditing on the new Environmental Science building, environmental education with Rollingwood Elementary school, plug load capacity, construction of a solar powered charging station and continued work on the growsphere on the third floor of building seven. Pictured is the growsphere advancement, championed by Krishan Ram, Christal Nevarez and Francis Manansala as well as a group of amazing volunteers. Be sure to check it out as it progresses next semester!

As Skyline begins the implementation of it’s new curriculum redesign, some faculty will be participating in our Spring 2020 Sustainability Blitz. Faculty such as, David Hasson in Math, Kristina Brower in Early Childhood Education, Bridget Fischer in Art, and many more, will be working with Climate Corps fellows to design lesson plans that bring sustainability into the classroom with a hands-on learning approach.

Additionally, we have recently rebooted the Sustainability Ambassadors Network (SAN) to bring the conversation of sustainability at Skyline to an open space for discussion for students, staff, and faculty. There will be three more meetings of SAN in Spring Semester of 2020, so keep an eye out for posters that will be going up and mark down the dates on your calendar.

Lastly, Earth Week is happening from April 20th-24th. 2020 will mark the 50th year anniversary since the beginning of Earth Week so we hope to bring a week of sustainability, learning, and fun, that lives up to a 50 year celebration. If you would like to input ideas for Earth Week, come by the SAN meetings and share them as we start to plan it. As the Spring semester begins, make sure to look out for future Sustainability Ambassadors Network (SAN) meetings and activities for Earth Week (April 20-24)!

We hope you have a wonderful break filled with sustainability and fun! Happy Holidays, and see you all next year!

Article by Kayla Belich and Landon Smith

Students Shine at Mock Mixer

The Internship Job Shadow Program wrapped up the fall semester with their first-ever mock mixer for their End-of-the-Year Celebration.  The student mixer was held on Thursday, December 5, at the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center (BAEC). The cohort of student interns were all recognized for their work and accomplishments, and they had the opportunity to experience the art of networking with other Skyline College students, administrators, faculty, staff and members of the community.

This semester’s fall cohort consisted of nine student interns who shadowed under different programs (job shadow sites) throughout the campus and off-site at the BAEC. Throughout this Job Shadow, students learned industry-related skills and provided solutions to improve different aspects in their program area.

The Internship Job Shadow Program is actively seeking students looking to contribute to a team, build their resume and enhance their soft skills for the spring 2020 cohort. It will allow students to experience hands-on learning in a professional environment based on their career and educational interests.

To apply, visit: https://smccd-czqfp.formstack.com/forms/baec_internship_application

Applications are open until Monday, January 20, 2020, at 12:00 p.m.  Please share with you students and divisions.  This is an unpaid internship experience.

Article and photo by Sam Panganiban

Library Honors World AIDS Day for First Time through Dialog & Display

students in libraryHIV/AIDS awareness and prevention was the deep focus of last week’s events at Skyline College Library as students voiced questions and found answers in a safe and comfortable learning space. On December 3, for more than an hour, Skyline College psychology student and AIDS survivor Chris Hollingshead led more than 25 students in open honest dialogue about the disease and it’s associated stigma. Additional details were reported in the Skyline View’s recent article, “Stigma ends with ME” (December 5, 2019). Another session brought students to the library for a conversation with Skyline College Health Center leader Dr. Walter Cheng on December 5. Through both events, students learned about the history and impact of the disease, it’s symptoms, screening and treatment options.

Throughout the week, the library displayed a beautiful hand-crafted panel from the massive AIDS Memorial Quilt created in memory of those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. According to the National AIDS Memorial,

The quilt is a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic and continues as the largest ongoing community folk art project in the world. More than 50,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels – commemorating more than 105,000 individual lives of people who have died of AIDS – have been sewn together by friends, lovers and family members and has transformed into a national treasure.

Find more images at the Learning Center’s photo gallery on Facebook.

World AIDS Day events in the Library were made possibly by collaboration with student club Sexuality & Gender Alliance (SAGA) and the ASSC. Questions? Please contact Pia Walawalkar, Outreach Librarian <walawalkars@smccd.edu>.

Article and Photo by Jessica Silver-Sharp

Meta Majors Week Was a Big Success!

meta majors weekThanks to the campus community, Meta Majors Week was a huge success! October 21-25, the campus came together to build relationships and give students opportunities to explore each of the four Meta Majors. The goals for the week were to:  1) Create community and a sense of identify within each of the Meta Majors; 2) Provide opportunities for students to explore career options and skills needed in each of the Meta Majors; and 3) Connect students to resources that exist on campus and can support their educational goals.

Throughout the week, more than 500 students participated in over 30 events. Faculty leads in each of the Meta Majors helped to organize a range of events including: poetry readings, a virtual scavenger hunt, mindfulness exercises, STEM labs open house, math and physics games in the quad, anthropology bones exhibit, and many, many more. For students who are exploring or in need of career support, Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development hosted a range of activities to help to connect students to career related resources and opportunities to develop career skills. Various events held in the library throughout the week, connected to the range of Meta Majors and, finally, Meta Major Counselors tabled in the quad all week to connect with students and schedule counseling appointments for students to complete their Comprehensive Student Educational Plans.

Students were entered to win one of ten prizes at each Meta Major Week event that they attended, thanks to generous donations from the Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development Division as well as the Skyline College Bookstore. Overall feedback from students as well as faculty and staff participants was very positive. In a survey sent to student participants, 80% of respondents said that they made new connections during the week and students expressed that they would like to see more Meta Major related events in the future.

We hope to make Meta Majors Week bigger and better next year. If you are interested in helping to plan the week or in organizing an event, contact Carla Grandy (grandyc@smccd.edu) to get involved.

Article by Carla Grandy | Picture by Christopher Branco

50th Anniversary Barbecue Celebration

students at bbqThe students, faculty and classified professionals of Skyline College gathered on Tuesday, December 3 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary at a campus-wide celebration barbecue. The event featured five food trucks parked throughout campus with a variety of awesome free food to choose from including chicken and waffles and Filipino Burritos – participants lined up for free lunch tickets that they could spend at any truck of their choosing.  Many people also walked away with some free 50th anniversary swag from the marketing table to show their Skyline College pride.

students at bbqOn top of all that, radio station 99.7 hosted a booth where they blasted music and radio DJ Saint John was there to get people hyped up. The station also raffled off two tickets to 99.7’s Poptopia concert featuring Normani, Halsey and headliner Lizzo! The winner received tickets and an opportunity to meet their choice of artist prior to the concert.

The event was an opportunity for the campus to come together and celebrate this incredible milestone. For 50 years, Skyline College has been empowering and transforming the people of this community – this barbecue was a small opportunity to give back and give thanks to the people who make that possible every day: the students, faculty and staff of this college. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this event possible!

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick | Photos by Ricardo Coronado

Sharing Stories in Real Time: Human Library Concludes Fall Season

Human LibraryOn the November 21, the Human Library drew Skyline College another step closer as a community as more than 20 participants — including staff, faculty, students and administrators — shared personal stories as part of an international movement to “unjudge.”

At Human Library sessions at Skyline College, “human books” are “loaned” to readers just as libraries loan physical books to library visitors. Continuing the theme, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” readers are encouraged to ask questions freely for honest answers in return, as books and readers sit down together to engage in conversations.

This month’s roster of human books was wonderfully varied, including The Accidental Activist: A Caterpillar’s Journey, Learning who you are by Learning who you are not, I Really Do See Things Differently, Being Global, Navigating Life’s Series of Firsts, and last but not least, An Akon Storya: Narratives of a Filipino Fulbright Scholar in the US.

Both readers and participants have continued to report back powerful and positive experiences of their time together. For one reader in particular, the impact was especially heartfelt: “I get inspired by the stories; they create new perspectives! [Through stories, we] interpret the meaning of life. I feel like Human Library is a way to give people hope.”

Visit the Human Library photo gallery on Facebook and mark your calendars for our next session on Tuesday, March 10, 2020! Questions? Contact Pia Walawalkar at walawalkars@smccd.edu.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp | Photo by Marisa Thigpen

BAEC Thanks for Giving Mixer

chamber mixerOn Thursday, November 21, The Bay Area Entrepreneur Center (BAEC) co-hosted a very special event in conjunction with the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce – the Thanks-for-Giving Mixer & Food Drive.  This mixer gave members of the community an opportunity to spread their generosity and network with local professionals, all at the same time. Guests were encouraged to bring canned goods and other shelf-stable food items, to help impact food insecurity here in San Bruno.

Community members, small business owners, the Chamber Board of Directors, the Mayor of San Bruno, Rico Medina, and City council member, Laura Davis, attended. Thanks to all of the donors, we were able to over-fill two large 30-gallon bins!  Donations went to benefit those served by the Catholic Worker Hospitality House, a local food kitchen and homeless shelter resource, right here in downtown San Bruno.

The BAEC opens its doors to the community to create a space for people to come together to create bonds over common interests and goals. It was great to see so many people from the community come together around being thankful and to collect food for others.

A big thanks to the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce, Downtown San Bruno Merchants Association, and Catholic Worker Hospitality House for making this happen!

For a list of upcoming events at the BAEC, visit our website at skylinebaec.org

Interested in hosting a community event at the BAEC? Contact us at baec@smccd.edu

Article by Chad Burnaw and Pcyeta Stroud | Photo by Olivia Vialau