Due to the emergence of COVID-19 early last year, Skyline College did not hold a 2020 commencement ceremony but promised our 2019–2020 graduates one at a future date. On Friday, May 28, 2021, we will follow through on that promise by premiering the 2020 Virtual Commencement ceremony on YouTube at 5:30 pm. That event will be followed by the 2021 Virtual Commencement at 7:00 pm. Both ceremonies will be available to watch any time after the premiere and links will be shared with the campus in May.

Students who earned degrees and/or certificates over the last two years are currently being contacted with details on how to participate. If you are one of those students, please keep an eye on your email for details. Until then regalia, diploma covers, and other commencement items can be ordered from the Skyline College Bookstore.

The pandemic has been a monumental challenge but our students persevered and achieved their academic goals. While a virtual commencement is not what we originally envisioned when we postponed the 2020 event, we are excited to celebrate the past two years of our graduates’ successes.

April 22 marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day! During Earth Week, Skyline College Library invites you to explore up-to-date resources on sustainability and the environmental movement including a virtual book display with direct links to the library catalog for easy access (log into OneLogin using your SMCCD credentials).

For students, an updated library research guide on the topic of Sustainability highlights library article databases related to the green movement and sources in a range of formats to fit different learning styles.

College faculty can also import a new Canvas module Earth Day 21 into their Canvas course. The module includes the documentary Beyond Recognition: Women Preserving Native Culture (see trailer) among other videos, articles, an assignment, and a Padlet activity.

To import the Earth Day 21 module into Canvas, search for Earth Day 21 or Pia Walawalkar in Canvas Commons. Faculty who prefer to provide direct links to film and Padlet exercise can find them here:

Padlet: https://padlet.com/sanjyotpia/earthday21

Documentary film (on Kanopy): https://skylinecollege.kanopy.com/node/173917 (Click the “Watch Now” button to login using OneLogin and their SMCCD login credentials)

All members of the Skyline College community are welcome to drop a note in the library chat service for help or contact Pia Walawalkar with any questions.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

 

The Intercultural Center invites you to another Meditation Mondays session, happening on April  26^th!

Meditation Mondays is a space to embrace, embolden, and embody Indigenous practices and non-binary spiritual healing.

We will have 2 sessions on April 26^th @ 8AM & @ 4PM. Hope to see you there!

Join Zoom Meeting:

8AM Registration

4PM Registration

Please contact Allen Ocampo at ocampoallen@smccd.edu if you have any questions!

Article by Allen Ocampo

The Transfer Center had the honor to collaborate with our sister colleges to host the first district wide Virtual Transfer Day on, Thursday, April 15, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Transfer Day also included various Transfer workshops from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. We welcomed over 30 universities to our annual spring 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 SMCCD college community of students, faculty, and staff. It is estimated that close to two hundred students registered to attend the virtual Transfer Day. Based on a student’s survey provided at the end of Transfer Day, students expressed that the event helped to increase their transfer knowledge. University representative that attended were impressed by the student interest and commented that, “students were asking good questions” during their admissions presentations.

Transfer Day also included a series of workshops that included, Am I ready to apply, I’ve been admitted, denied, waitlisted, now what? and Nursing Basics provided by Skyline counselors. The workshops were designed to meet students at different points in their transfer journey. A student that attended the Nursing Basics workshop shared their appreciation stating, “Thank you so much for all the information. This workshop is incredible.” Students stayed engaged in each workshop asking questions as they related to their transfer goals.

Hosting a virtual Transfer Day would not have been a success without the support of university partners. 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 encourage all staff and faculty to constantly remind their students to reach out to Transfer Center and to their academic counselor to prepare them for transfer. We also want all of our community to continue to recommend Transfer Center services to all of our students.

Article by Jackie Flores & Lucy Jovel

The Bay Area Entrepreneur Center of Skyline College (BAEC) is an off-campus small business resource center, located in downtown San Bruno serving all of North San Mateo County.  With local partners and engagement, the BAEC provides resources and assistance for local and small businesses and supports the development of ideas from our community of entrepreneurs.  Last summer, the BAEC spearheaded the Small Business Recovery & Assistance Program (SBRAP) and the Micro Grants initiative, to support San Bruno businesses as they worked to navigate all of the challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic.  This program was made possible with a grant from the San Bruno Community Foundation and with support from local and regional partners. In the past year, the BAEC hosted online workshops, coaching sessions, tutorials and webinars, and utilized online spaces to provide resources, assistance and business tools. If you’d like to be a part of our upcoming workshops, register here.

To learn more, contact us at baec@smccd.edu.

 

Article by Ling Chien

Image by Ling Chien

The Bay Area Entrepreneur Center of Skyline College (BAEC) is relaunching the Micro Grants as part of the Small Business Recovery & Assistance Program (SBRAP), an initiative to support businesses as they recover from the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.  SBRAP provides local and small businesses with resources and tools to navigate the changing business climate and provides intentional support for their various stages of reopening.  To learn how the BAEC can assist you, contact baec@smccd.edu.

The Small Business Recovery & Assistance Program is made possible with grant funding from the San Bruno Community Foundation.

 

Article by Pcyeta Stroud

Image by Nicole Moreno-Deinzer

On Wednesday, April 28 from 12:00 -2:00pm, Skyline College Library welcomes all members of our community interested in connecting virtually with a “human book.” Skyline community members who volunteer as “human books” will make their experiences available to “readers,” usually on issues that can be difficult to discuss.

 

How does this event work?

The Human Library is a place where real people go on loan to readers such as yourselves. The event takes place virtually in real time in breakout rooms on Zoom, hosted and facilitated by Skyline College staff and faculty.

Books are encouraged to meet with multiple readers, usually one at a time, over the course of the two-hour event. Books make their experiences available through one-on-one discussions, usually for 20-30 minutes, while readers ask questions freely and get honest answers in return.

 

Which “human books” can I read?

Human Library is a popular event! Visit the Sign up page for a full description of each human book and to reserve your spot:

• Always a Student
• An Intentional Tumbleweed: the Power of Surrendering to Organic Connection & Transformation
• Lifetime of Impact
• Legend of Latin Rock’s Rise from Darkness into the Light
• Writing in Silence

 

Want to know more about The Human Library?

The Human Library Project is a worldwide movement that began in Denmark to help create dialog and foster understanding among people of different backgrounds and experiences. Human libraries remind us: There is much more that unites us than divides us.

The Human Library at Skyline College is supported by the President’s Innovation Fund (PIF). You can learn more here: https://guides.skylinecollege.edu/TheHumanLibrary

Questions? Interested in assigning Human Library participation to your students for credit? Please contact Pia Walawalkar at walawalkars@smccd.edu.

Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp

 

Skyline College Social Science and Creative Arts, in conjunction with the Honors Transfer Program, Psi Beta the Psychology Honor Society, and Skyline College Geography will host the 1^st Annual uSOAR virtual event on Wednesday, April 28^th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

uSOAR provides a multidisciplinary forum to facilitate the exchanges of knowledge that drive intellectual engagement in every field of study and promotes transformative learning through research. This is a free event, available to the public. All are welcome and invited to come to learn about research.

Register for uSOAR at: bit.ly/3uBICnY

The 1st Annual uSOAR program will highlight:

• The Research Process
• Faculty Research Experiences
• Skyline College Research Opportunities
• Exemplary Student Research Projects from 2020

Skyline College faculty researchers will share lessons learned from their personal research experiences and student leaders will discuss how research has impacted their leadership roles on campus. Faculty panelists for the event include:

• Liza Erpelo (English)
• Tony Jackson (Psychology)
• Kaylee Matheny (Sociology)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Shaun Perisho (Psychology)

Along with spotlighting the research process and student research, uSOAR will act as a springboard for future student research projects. The symposium is designed to educate, nurture, and inspire Skyline College students to grow and challenge themselves in academic commitment and pursuit of rigorous, creative, community-based, and culturally relevant scholarship in Social Science and Humanities.

uSOAR is designed to promote excellence in Social Science and the Humanities. Social Science & Creative Arts Dean, Danni Redding Lapuz says, “Our vision with uSOAR is the creation of a symposium to raise our undergraduate research scholar voices and demystify the research process.” We look forward to sharing these research scholar voices with the campus community on Wednesday, April 28^th beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Article by Chris Burwell-Woo

Janet Velasco is a student at Skyline College, studying business management under the Business Entrepreneurship and Management Meta Major.  Janet is also a student intern in the BAEC Virtual Job Shadow Program for the spring 2021 semester.  Janet has always been interested in business and entrepreneurship, and demonstrates this passion through her work on the team.  As part of her internship, Janet serves as a staff-support volunteer for the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce.  In her role with the Chamber, Janet uses her language skills and expertise to support the business community.  Janet is originally from Oaxaca, México and immigrated to the United States over a decade ago, to provide a better life for her family.  Janet is a proud mother of two, and a determined student.  Janet hopes that this internship experience will provide her with opportunities to learn and grow as both a person and a professional, so she can develop her career and continue giving back to her community. When she’s not studying or working, Janet enjoys exercising, spending time with her family and volunteering with the Skyline College Dream Center.  Janet is a wonderful example of how Skyline College continues to shine.

 

Article by Pcyeta Stroud

Image by Janet Velasco