From October 19-23, Skyline College held its 3rd annual UndocuWeek of Action, this time in a virtual setting. Without tasty snacks and therapy dogs – and with the stress of the November 3 election looming – there was a decidedly more serious tone to this year’s events.

New Student Club Formed: F.I.R.E. Significantly, Skyline College students met and established a new club, FIRE – Fighting for Immigrant Rights & Equity – and elected their first president, Oliver Eliastinoco. He explained:

“More than a club, our goal is to establish real tangible resources for students at Skyline, especially as we’ve moved into a virtual environment, and to see to actively reaching and encouraging undocumented students. FIRE will be inclusive of allies, undocumented and immigrant students, working to highlight the true diversity of students on our campus living with an undocumented status  – these include Asian, Filipinx, African and Middle Eastern students as well as Latinx. These are voices not traditionally spotlighted, however these stories must be told.”

UndocuWeek Webinars – A Rich Source of Information. The California Community College (CCC) system and its partners sponsored daily webinars. Adjunct faculty member and Grove Scholars Counselor Trisha Tran shared her experience participating in a webinar for counselors.

“Things really resonated. The talk provided a gentle reminder for counselors to be active advocates for Dreamers, to be “hope drivers.” The webinar explained that the language to use with students is that their top career choice may not be available now, however, so much may change by the time they’re ready to join the workforce, it may be possible then. The webinar concluded by asking counselors and allies to decide: what actions will you take to make a difference?”

If you weren’t able to participate, all webinar recordings are available here.

Allies Came Together. At last year’s UndocuWeek, allies and students came together and built a “Wall of Support” in the Library that included personal immigration stories, students’ ICE protest posters and pictures of Skyline employees displaying “I am an unafraid educator” signs. This year, more than 25 employees posted their photo statements to create a virtual wall of support on the Dream Center’s Instagram page.

Change the Subject. If you missed the Library’s screening of Change the Subject, A Documentary about Labels, Libraries and Activism, featuring undocumented student activists at Dartmouth College, you can watch it here. The film is also available for you to show in class as long as you request permission from the filmmakers ahead of time: changethesubjectdoc@gmail.com. Stay tuned for information about future screenings by FIRE as well as the Library.

Here’s What Allies Can Do. If you’d like to become a more involved ally for our undocumented community, here are some ideas.

• Join us for the Dream Center Task Force’s next November meeting by emailing your interest to Jessica Silver-Sharp <silversharpj@smccd.edu>
• Contact Dream Center Coordinator Pamela Ortiz Cerda to subscribe to the Dream Center Newsletterof upcoming events and resources <Ortizcerdap@smccd.edu>
• Make a donation to the Skyline College Dream Center Fund, an emergency fund just for Skyline College students and Dream Center programs.
• Find an hour to watch the webinarthat best pertains to your role on campus.
• Support students with direct referrals to the FIRE Club, to Personal Counseling, to Skyline’s freeImmigration Legal Clinic, and of course, to the Dream Center.

Thank you for your continued support!

-The Skyline College Dream Center Task Force.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

Skyline College Library is pleased to announce that our Curbside Pick-up service has launched! You can now browse the Library catalog, request items, and make an appointment to pick up your item/s on campus.

Students, faculty and staff can borrow the following items:

• Books
• Course Reserves
• Graphic Novels
• Oversize books
• ESOL Readers, and
• DVDs

Find easy to follow instructions for requesting what you need here: Library Curbside @ SKY. Staff will process requests twice a week. You can keep what you borrow for the entire semester. 

Although we’re not currently able to request items from other PLS libraries, you can use curbside pickup services to request items from Cañada College Library (click here) or College of San Mateo Library (click here). Library cards are no longer required by any of our three colleges.

Please help us spread the word to your students — and remind them to plan ahead for their research. Questions? Use the Library Chat service to Ask a Librarian or contact Lori Lisowski <Lisowskil@smccd.edu>, Library Support Specialist.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

The Classified Senate is excited to kick off its 2^nd Annual Skyline College Classified Senate Student Scholarship Drive. With the generous contributions of our Skyline College colleagues, our first Annual Scholarship Drive raised over $1,500 and awarded $500 scholarships to three deserving students – surpassing our initial goal! This year, we recognize the significant impact this pandemic has caused for our students in accessing and achieving their educational goals. Through this drive and our combined efforts, we hope to exceed last year’s goal and award even more students with this scholarship. One hundred percent of raised funds will directly go towards students’ tuition, fees, textbooks, course materials, and other educational related expenses. We understand that some of us can offer more than others right now, however any amount counts – our goal is to lessen the financial burden for our students.

This five-week Scholarship Drive will kick off on November 1^st through November 30^th. We are asking a one-time donation of $25.00 (minimum) to help achieve our fundraising goal of $1,500 (and we only need 60 of us to get there!). All those who donate $25 or more will be entered to win a Chromebook from the Skyline College Bookstore. Each $25 donation = 1 ticket in the raffle prize drawing. We’ll be providing updates each week as we work toward our goal… help us blow it out of the water!

If you are able to donate towards to our 2^nd Annual Skyline College Classified Senate Student Scholarship to help provide students a better access to higher education, please DONATE ONLINE.

Your generous contribution to support our students is greatly appreciated!!!

Questions? Contact Sherrie Prasad or Belinda Chan.

Article by Sherrie Prasad

The 2020 Virtual Food Drive at Skyline College is an effort to support local communities to gain access to fresh, nourishable groceries and meals provided by Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. Normally, we would be hosting this event on campus with the support of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, SparkPoint, the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the Kappa Beta Delta Honors Society, and the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society, along with many other clubs and organizations; but, due to current circumstances we are asking that you donate money virtually through the link provided. Any amount donated will help to make a difference in the life of somebody in need in Silicon Valley.

Through our community partnership with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, SparkPoint at Skyline College has been hosting a weekly drive-thru community market, wherein individuals or families in need can arrive and receive groceries, at no cost. Since its inception earlier this semester, the drive-thru market at Skyline College has distributed thousands of pounds fresh produce, milk, eggs, canned goods and other items, offsetting over $350,000 in grocery expenditures for families in need. These figures do not account for the several thousands of pounds of food and the families who have been assisted by the efforts of our SMCCCD compatriots at the College of San Mateo over the summer and through this fall semester. Your donation will make it possible for programs such as this to continue and thrive. Please consider donating to help provide this resource to additional families and advise anyone who may need additional support to take advantage of this incredible resource.

The Skyline Drive-Thru Community Market takes place on Wednesdays, from 11a – 1p; additionally, if you do not live in San Bruno or can’t make it on Wednesdays, there is an additional event that takes place at the College of San Mateo on Fridays, from 11a – 1p. Please donate what you can by following this link: https://impact.shfb.org/fundraiser/2993067

Article by Christopher Wardell

The Transfer Center had the honor to host the first Skyline College Virtual Transfer Day on, Monday, October 26, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We welcomed over forty universities to our annual fall event. The representation of universities was excellent, as many UC, CSU, and Private/Independent campuses attended the virtual event. Each university provided their own admissions presentation followed by a Q&A session for attendees.

The event was well-attended by our Skyline College community of students, faculty, and staff. It is estimated that about two hundred students attended the virtual Transfer Day. Through our student evaluations, it was apparent that students enjoyed the event and gained an understanding of university and program options that are available for transfer. One student commented, “I learned about the specific dates that were crucial to planning my transfer to my university of choice.” It was an incredible experience for students, as they met with university representatives, and gained insight into admission requirements and opportunities available.

Hosting a virtual Transfer Day would not have been a success without the support of university partners. Many shared that they were impressed by student’s level of understanding around transfer and about the transfer culture, one wrote, “students who showed up were engaged, the questions they asked made them seem very prepared.” Another shared that they had, “been a part of many community college fairs thus far and this fair was very well done.”

The Transfer Center is grateful to all the faculty that encouraged their students to attend this event. We are thankful that our community continues to foster a transfer culture.

With that said, we are now in the month of November, and we encourage all staff and faculty to constantly remind their students of the UC application deadline November 30 and CSU application deadline of December 4. We also want all of our community to continue to recommend Transfer Center services to all of our students, as we get closer to the application deadlines.

Article by Lucy Jovel & Jackie Flores

There is still time to apply for the Spring 2021 Global Virtual Internship Program! The final deadline has been extended until Friday, November 13, 2020.

To learn more about the program, watch an info session, access the program application, and apply for a program scholarship, please visit the Spring 2021 Virtual Global Internship page.

Possible internship placements range from interning with a fashion researcher or art historian in Florence, Italy, to interning with a political lobbying group, environmental non-profit, or advertising agency in London, England, to interning with a nursing home or an NGO working to promote peace and justice, environmental conservation, or human development in San José, Costa Rica.

For questions, please contact studyabroad@smccd.edu. Student may also schedule one-on-one Zoom appointments at smccd.edu/goabroad.

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

Eduard ‘Eddy’ Cruz is a student, a learner, a son and a friend who is constantly aiming for personal improvement.  Eddy is currently studying Allied Health and plans on receiving his Associates of Science degree in Allied Health soon, with the goal of pursuing a career in radiology and as a surgical technician.  In addition to being a full time student, Eddy is also Student Intern as part of the Internship Job Shadow Program hosted by the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center.  In this role as a student intern, he serves as a member of the Operations Team for the Small Business Recovery & Assistance Program.  With every project and task, Eddy brings his innovative perspective and drive, to make the team better.

Eddy is multifaceted and has a love for the work he does. He believes that education never stops and that we must always keep adapting.  In his spare time, Eddy enjoys food blogging and perfecting his recipes to share with the world.

Eddy is one of the reasons Skyline College continues to shine!

Article by Pcyeta Stroud and Sarina O’Gilvie

Image by Eddy Cruz

On Thursday, October 29 at noon, the Human Library welcomed our community of staff, students and faculty to share personal stories as part of an international movement to “unjudge.” This was a virtual event organized by Skyline College Library.

For the first time since Skyline College began facilitating Human Library sessions, all “human books” were fully reserved ahead of time – with many “readers” on a waitlist – as Librarian Pia Walawalkar shuffled books and readers to and fro between private breakout rooms on Zoom. This allowed for readers to check out multiple books during the two-hour event, and for books to share their stories several times as well.

The seven human books of the day included:

• Critical Kalokohan
• Finding Myself in the Transition
• From Ashes to Phoenix
• Legend of Latin Rock’s Rise from Darkness into the Light
• Never Tell me the Odds
• Teen Dating Survivor
• Writing in Silence

(Full descriptions of each book appear here).

Many of the day’s student participants came from Prof. Rob William’s English course. They relayed positive experiences in learning from the stories of others. From one student, a former Air Force officer honorably discharged following a traumatic brain injury:

“As soon as I saw the posting for the Human Library, I knew I’d be interested. I thought the event would feature people who had written books, but it was more like telling stories around the campfire. Before my own accident, I belittled my own emotions, focusing on the external. Hearing about others’ lives today, reading “human books” where people described their internal struggles – it was eye opening, most definitely. 

Another reader took time to explain the impact of reading Writing in Silence:

“Firstly, it was really cool to learn how [the book’s] community in the Mission District was full of Aztec art that gave him a sense of pride and passion. In sharing his experiences about his sense of belonging in college, I learned how there can be so many insults to minority students, from aggressive comments by other students to the choice of literature taught in class. 

I could also tell that [the book] finds such power in writing; he radiated so much passion …, and his poem had so much thought and emotion in its words. It was also interesting to hear that while he spent a long time Writing in Silence, there is also a time for his voice to be heard. It’s so important for people to understand the stories of others and for people to be willing to listen!”

You can find the complete archive of human books here. If you missed the Human Library this time around, you’ll have an opportunity to participate in Spring 2021. Please stay tuned for upcoming details.

Would you like to share your story as a human book in the future? Have other questions? Please contact Pia Walawalkar <walawalkars@smccd.edu>.

The Human Library at Skyline College is supported by a President’s Innovation Fund (PIF) award.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

The Bay Area Entrepreneur Center of Skyline College is now offering micro grants of $3000 each, to San Bruno-based businesses to help aid in their recovery from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant applications open on November 20th and close on December 4th. The Small Business Recovery & Assistance Program is here to help businesses with coaching, workshops, business tools and now with funding. All applicants must attend a Micro Grant Info Session to be eligible. To learn more and help qualify for a micro grant, attend our virtual Info Sessions. Sessions are scheduled for Thursday, November 12 and Tuesday November 17th at 6pm. Register here!!

These grants are made possible with funding from the San Bruno Community Foundation. For more information, contact Pcyeta Stroud at stroudp@smccd.edu.

Article by Pcyeta Stroud and Gisel Martín
Image by Olivia Vialau

Have you heard about the Career Readiness & Job Placement Team’s Get Work Wednesday Webinar Series? These webinars have been happening since Spring 2020, throughout Summer 2020 and now into the Fall 2020 semester. This live virtual event has provided students, alumni, and community members the opportunity to hear about job and internship opportunities within their Meta Majors that are hiring now in the Bay Area!

Throughout the Get Work Wednesday Webinars, the Career Readiness & Job Placement Team have consistently provided a space for four representatives from different industries to come and share out the available opportunities within their company. Although the pandemic has caused many individuals to lose employment, we are steadily working to get these open positions out as many continue their search for work.

In addition, the Career Readiness & Job Placement Team have provided Career Preparation Sessions prior to each webinar to ensure attendees get their career needs met but most importantly feel confident when engaging with employers during the Get Work Wednesday Webinar!

The Strategic Partnerships & Workforce Development Division will continue to provide support and resources to continue these essential engagements. For those who can’t attend the live webinar sessions, we have uploaded recordings directly to the Career Readiness & Job Placement website at Skylinecollege.edu/careercenter for everyone to access the amazing opportunities that were presented.

The most recent webinar took place on October 28, 2020 from 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. and included the following companies:

Child Care Careers offering safe opportunities for educators to support children’s learning in both a virtual and in-person space following all CDC and state protocols.

Ace Charter Schools providing opportunity for administrative work in an office setting following protocols for CDC and state standards to ensure a safe environment at all times.

City of San Bruno highlighted essential health and safety screeners to support with maintaining everyone’s safety where needed while maintaining safety of employees as well.

Madison Reed has slowly re-opened which comes with two new Bay Area locations all while meeting the safety requirements so that those who need to get to a salon can do so and those who love to do hair can do so too!

There are two more Get Work Wednesday Webinars left for the Fall 2020 Semester so don’t miss out and please spread the word out to anyone you think will benefit from this engagement.

Stay tuned Skyline College and join the Get Work Wednesday Webinar Series!

Article by Alexa Moore
Photos by Members of the SPWD Division