Hello Campus Community!

I am excited for our inaugural Skyline Shines of this academic year. This newsletter is more important than ever to keep us connected and emphasize our great work. I am so proud of all of you for hanging in there as challenges continue to pile on. This last week, in particular, threw us over the edge with the fires and poor air quality atop a pandemic. We had students and employees face the challenge and stress of evacuations. We thank our District and our Foundation for playing a critical role in providing emergency relief for so many.

And on top of that, the ongoing and unrelenting social injustices occurring across our country continues to grate on us. I saw this special report in the news that was so powerful in highlighting the ongoing grip of white supremacy in our nation.

The senseless murder of Black Americans by law enforcement across this nation must end, and we will not let up on our efforts to battle racism and white supremacy here at Skyline College, in our District, and in our communities. Another father, brother, son, uncle – shot in the back in front of his kids. Jacob Blake is alive. I hope we have the chance to get to know him.

Where we shine is with our own programming created with intrinsic urgency and powerful understanding. This semester, Health & Wellness Services will be offering a “Connecting Point” twice a month, on the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month. This meeting serves to offer space, grounding, and connection for you and your colleagues – a place where it’s okay to not be okay.

Please register online in advance for future meetings.

For more information, email Director of Student Support, Michelle Batista: batistam@smccd.edu

I deeply thank our colleagues for developing these important meetings for our Skyline community.

Please be kind to yourselves – try to stay nourished in every way, seek help if you need it, and be mindful of the work-life balance so critical to surviving this profound time of isolation.

Melissa

President, Skyline College

Ten students from Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College were awarded a total of $32,000 from the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad. The program is committed to reshaping study abroad to make it more accessible and inclusive for students who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise participate. Its goal is to increase opportunities to live and learn abroad while building mutual intercultural understanding between students and their host communities.

For the last application cycle (deadline March 2020), 20 SMCCCD students applied, and 10 students were awarded the scholarship—an award rate of 50%. The list of all colleges and universities awarded the Gilman Scholarship is listed on the Gilman Scholarship website.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these scholarships were delayed, the recipients notified several months later than usual. Students who applied last March had been planning to participate in study abroad or global internship programs during the Summer 2020 or Fall 2020 sessions. However, in light of the pandemic and the suspension of most study abroad programs across the country, the Gilman Scholarship Program has allowed students to defer their scholarship award to a future study abroad or global internship program, or to use their award for a virtual global program.

The next round of the Gilman Scholarship application is now open! The deadline is Tuesday, October 6, 2020. Students can work with the SMCCCD Study Abroad staff for assistance in applying for the Gilman Scholarship as well as to learn about future study abroad and virtual global learning experiences. Email studyabroad@smccd.edu or visit smccd.edu/studyabroad to connect with the Study Abroad team.

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.

Article by Stephanie Wells

We understand that many students and our community members may have lost their job due to the  unprecedented times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It is our commitment to continue to offer information regarding paid internships and quality job opportunities that are available along with support in design or update of a resume, preparing for an interview and expanding one’s network to secure employment during these uncertain times.  The Career Readiness & Job Placement Team looks forward to doing all we can to ensure students and our community members have what they need to get a job and continue to offer remote services and resources while the shelter-in-place order is in effect.  If one of the jobs shared does not meet your needs or interests please complete this form and we will reach out to you directly to assist!  Please stay safe. 

Expand your network in ways that will lead to your dream job. The Career Readiness & Job Placement team is excited to share the following paid internship opportunities with you. Check them out—

• Science Technology & Health Internships_8-21-20

• Society & Education Internships_8-21-20

We understand that many students and our community members may have lost their job due to the  unprecedented times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It is our commitment to continue to offer information regarding paid internships and quality job opportunities that are available along with support in design or update of a resume, preparing for an interview and expanding one’s network to secure employment during these uncertain times.  The Career Readiness & Job Placement Team looks forward to doing all we can to ensure students and our community members have what they need to get a job and continue to offer remote services and resources while the shelter-in-place order is in effect.  If one of the jobs shared does not meet your needs or interests please complete this form and we will reach out to you directly to assist!  Please stay safe. 

How may we assist you in landing your dream job? The Career Readiness & Job Placement team is excited to share the following job opportunities with you. Check them out:

• Arts Language & Communication Jobs_8-21-20
• Business, Entreprenuership & Management Jobs 8-20-20
• Society & Education Jobs_8-21-20
• Science Technology & Health Jobs 8-20-20
• Just In Time Jobs_8-21-20

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced our district and our community to shelter in place.  Unfortunately, his unprecedented situation forced the Skyline College Free Community Market and SparkPoint Food Pantry to close in order to protect the health and safety of our students, community and employees.  In April, the San Mateo County Community College District was able to partner with Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley to launch the SMCCCD Emergency Grocery Distribution located at College of San Mateo every Friday.  After consistent growth and success at the CSM location, we are proud to announce Skyline College will be launching its own grocery distribution event to provide food resources to our students and local community.

The Skyline College Drive-Thru Community Market will launch on Wednesday, September 2^nd. This weekly event will be held at Skyline College every Wednesday, 11:00am-1:00pm.  SparkPoint, public safety, and facilities staff will work along side volunteers from Skyline College, SMCCCD and our local community to distribute pre-boxed groceries while adhering to all COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols.

• Only drive-thru pickups will be served
• Open to students and the community
• No I.D required to pick up food
• Please call 650-738-7970 for weather and air quality closure updates
• Please use Skyline Blvd entrance

If you have any questions about the Skyline College Drive-Thru Community Market, please email skylinesparkpoint@smccd.edu.

Article by Chad Thompson

SparkPoint at Skyline College is currently accepting scholarship applications for 25 Career and Technical Education (CTE) students for the fall 2020 cohort. Grove Scholarship applications are available online at skylinecollege.edu/sparkpoint and are due by 3:00 p.m. on September 9.

Eligible students will be selected for the program based on three short personal statements that describe who they are, why they have chosen their career path and why financial literacy is important to them. Academic standing and GPA are not a factor in selection, as long as the student meets the minimum requirements of a 2.0 GPA and a 75% completion rate. Once selected for the Grove Scholars Program, students will receive individualized financial coaching and career counseling, as well as a $2,000 scholarship for the semester.

If you would like to refer a student to the Grove Scholars Program or if you would like a SparkPoint staff member to share scholarship information or other SparkPoint Services with your class or program, please call (650) 738-7035, or send an email to grovescholar@smccd.edu.  Additional information and support can also be found through the SparkPoint website.

Article by Chad Thompson

The Kappa Beta Delta Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society will be co-hosting the inaugural CollegeLeap National Business Plan Competion! This is a FREE competition open to students from ALL majors . The only requirement is that one of the (up to five) members of your team is a full-time community college student.

CollegeLeap is also providing completely free workshops to teach students how to design a business plan from scratch — all dates are listed on the competition website . Students do not have to be registered for the competition to participate in the workshops, but they must register for the workshops themselves via the provided registration links to attend. We’re excited to help bring this opportunity to Skyline College and help to boost the profile of our transfer students in addition to giving our adult learners the opportunity to gain new business skills.

The date of the first round of the competition at SMCCCD has been set for Saturday October 10, 1:30p – 3:30p and will be judged in part by the wonderful Pcyeta Stroud, Director of the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center and also our beloved Dean of Business Michael Kane. This competition would not be able to take place without their commitment and we thank them wholeheartedly for their participation. Again, this competition is FREE, open to all SMCCCD students, and registration opens September 1 (scroll to the bottom of https://collegeleap.cc/nbpc ).

We look forward to seeing your ingenuity and creativity; if you have any questions, please contact skykappabetadelta@gmail.com or team@collegeleap.cc

Article by Chris Wardell

The Skyline College Library is pleased to present Antiracism: A Resource Guide, a collaborative community resource. The impetus for this guide was our collective response to the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May. We recognized the need to educate ourselves and our community on the complex topic of racism against Black people in America and to show solidarity with those in our community–especially students and staff–who have been harmed by racist ideas, policies and practices.

This online guide curates, compiles and provides access to high quality resources for battling racial bias. While the primary audience for this guide is our students, we’ve also included resources for instructors, staff, and those of us who are actively parenting.

Guide content includes:

• Terminology of racism
• How to be an antiracist
• Recommended reading lists
• Faculty resource recommendations by Tamara Perkins, Nathan Jones, Jesse Raskin and Tasia Scott (Please contact the Library to include yours, too)
• Media: podcasts, radio, film and television
• Primary sources
• Organizations and events
• Teaching resources & resources for parents
• A range of special topics: Activism & Sports, Black Lives Matter, The Crown Act, Gender & Feminism, Race & Criminal Justice, Racism against Asian-Americans during the 2020 Pandemic, and coming soon, Voting Rights and Voter Suppression.

As this new resource grows, we seek to continue authentic collaboration with the Skyline community. An easy way to provide feedback or suggest resources is to submit a Research Help Form. Please include any links to sources you’d like us to explore.

Thank you for being a key part of the Library’s active work to build racial justice. https://guides.skylinecollege.edu/AntiRacismResources.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

Sophomore Noah Haynesworth was named the top male student-athlete in Northern California by the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association.  Noah graduated from Skyline College Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology.

This season’s team captain, he was also named All-Conference. Noah is headed to UC Davis to continue his academic and athletic careers.

This is the second year in a row a Skyline College player was recognized for this award. In 2018-19 Jacob Salinero received the honor. Jacob is now playing at Sonoma State University.

Noah was also named to the Academic All-State team. He was joined by Colby Vazquez, Walter Lum, David Avak and Callum Spurlock. Skyline College ranked second in California in its representation on the All-State team.

Article by Justin Piergrossi

Julian Merryweather, a 2012 Skyline College graduate and member of the baseball team, made his major league debut this week as the 6’4” right- hander was called up to the Toronto Blue Jays active 28-man roster on Tuesday afternoon.

Julian was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cleveland Indians. The Berkeley, California, native was acquired by the Blue Jays via trade in 2018.

He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, starting a long road of recovery that saw him pitch a combined 12 innings between the minors and the Arizona Fall League.

Julian made his debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug 20 pitching 1.1 innings and striking out 3. After graduating from Skyline College, Julian had an outstanding career at Oklahoma Baptist University with a 22-5 record over two seasons. The All-American had a career ERA of just 1.73 in 182 innings pitched after tying the second-lowest ERA in program history with 1.07 in 2014. He registered 208 strikeouts with the Bison.

Article by Joe Morello