Daily Archives: April 8, 2022

Masking Remains in Effect 

Employees, students, and visitors must continue to mask regardless of their vaccination status unless actively eating or drinking in designated areas.

Surgical masks and N95 respirator masks are available at the entrances of every occupied building throughout the District. 

 

To learn more about different types of effective masks, click here

Get Your COVID-19 Booster

COVID-19 booster vaccinations increase the effectiveness of normal waning immunity over time. If you haven’t received your booster vaccination yet, maximize your protection against COVID-19 by making an appointment today.

Where can you get your booster shot?

You can also visit MyTurn to get a full list of booster/vaccination providers.

An Interview with Anny Gabrielly Moreira DaSilva, Honors Transfer Program Student!

The Skyline College Honors Transfer Program recognizes and celebrates current student Anny Gabrielly Moreira Da Silva, who recently received a 2022 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-California Award.

 

Anny is an excellent student who is majoring in Cognitive Science, works at The Learning Center as an embedded tutor, and comes to Skyline College after moving to the United States from Brazil two years ago.

 

Anny will be presenting her research project, “Are the Correlations in Myers-Briggs Supported by Empirical Evidence?” on Day 1 of  the Undergraduate Symposium of Academic Research Conference (uSOAR), which will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 and Thursday, April 28, 2022 from 4:00pm-6:00pm (on both days) in the Skyline College Library. She is completing this project under Psychology Professor Dr. Shaun Perisho.

 

Learn more about Anny here:

 

What is your major, and what programs at Skyline College would you like to shout out? (Which programs shaped you into the student you are today?)

I am majoring in cognitive science. When I started studying at Skyline, I was a pre-law major. Thanks to the counseling services, office hours, and tutoring, I was able to embrace my interest in the human mind and choose the right major for me. These resources mostly helped me build the confidence to pursue a STEM major. As an English tutor at the learning center, I was also able to develop my communication skills.

 

Can you describe your educational journey?

Before I moved from Brazil to the US two years ago, I was in law school. However, instead of focusing on how to apply the law, I would constantly question why the laws are the way they are. This made me discover my passion for investigation and research. During my second semester as a student at Skyline, I was introduced to the cognitive science major. Since then, I’ve been furthering my interest in research through the classes I take.

 

What research projects from Skyline College are you most proud of?

As an honors student, I’m particularly proud of two projects: 1) the consequences of English as the mono language of academia 2) investigations of the empirical evidence of the Myers-Briggs personality theory. I am attached to these projects because they represent my immigrant perspective and my deep interest in personality theories. As a VP of one of the chapters of Phi Theta Kappa (honors society), I have also collaborated with my peers in writing research on California wildfires, which was awarded the best chapter research in the states of California and Nevada.

 

How did faculty and staff help you as you did your research?

Before Skyline, research seemed to be beyond my capabilities. When I took the Honors Seminar class, I was told that any research questions that I had were valid as long as I followed the research structure when developing my project. This motivated me to refine my research; after all, I really wanted to find answers to my questions. The professors who mentored me in each of my honors projects made sure to address my concerns and guide me throughout the research process without invalidating my preferences. I’m mostly thankful that such professors pushed me to continue researching even when I hit a wall during the research process.

 

What research are you working on now, or what would you like to research in the future?

Currently, I am working on organizing my honors research on the (lack of) empirical evidence of the Myers-Briggs personality theory to present at the Undergraduate Symposium of Academic Research. In the future, I would like to continue researching personality theories until I find one that is corroborated by enough evidence.

 

What were the most important steps you took to start your transfer journey?

Planning ahead! Starting to plan my transfer journey one semester before the transfer applications became available allowed me to have enough time to work on my personal statements. Also, because I started early, I was able to get help from counselors and professors on what to include in my transfer application. Keeping an eye out for emails from the honors project coordinators about transfer resources also helped me get into transfer assistance programs at the universities that I applied for.

 

What valuable piece of advice do you have for current and future transfer students?

As overwhelming as a college student’s life may seem, embrace as many opportunities as you can. Having a college experience filled with extracurriculars and research helps with identifying your interests and building your confidence. Also, if you can, work on campus. Being part of a community that prioritizes growth can help you become an agent of change.

 

What do you want to do as a career, and why?

After I obtain my degree in cognitive science, I want to work as a user experience researcher. This means that I will be the person who guarantees that people’s expectations about how to navigate a website are being met. Combining my passion for research with my inquisitive nature, I believe that I can help make websites more user-friendly.

 

If you are interested in joining the Honors Transfer Program, you can find the application and other important program links on our Linktree. Students have until Week 5 of each semester to apply to become an Honors Transfer student for the current semester. For more information, please email English Faculty member and Honors Transfer Program Faculty Program Coordinator, Janice Sapigao at sapigaoj@smccd.edu

 

Article by Janice Sapigao | Photo provided by Anny Gabrielly Moreira Da Silva

 

Skyline College Students on the All-California Academic Team

Two Skyline College students were selected by the Community College League of California for the 2022 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-California Academic Team. PTK recognizes the academic achievement of community college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders.

 

Grades, leadership, and community service determine selection to the All-California First, Second and Third Teams. The students selected represent some of the best of the two million students enrolled in California’s 116 community colleges. Students have undoubtedly faced many additional and unprecedented challenges over the last two years. The 2022 winners should be exceptionally proud of their achievements during these difficult times.

 

The Skyline College winners are members of the Beta Theta Omicron chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

 

Jack Ambrose grew up in Pacifica, working to strengthen his community while being employed at a summer surf camp and volunteering at various surf events. He has recently acquired a love for live music, and plans to take his talent for photography to become a photographer with an emphasis on the music industry. After struggling with his academics in high school, Jack decided to make school a priority during his time in community college and is proud of what he has been able to achieve academically. He is planning to continue his educational journey and transfer to the University of California, Los Angeles for a bachelor’s degree in Communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 Amanda Sayaseng is a first-generation college student studying Computer Science at Skyline College and works as a Peer Instruction Leader. In addition to being a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Amanda is also a part of the Engineering and Tech Scholars cohort, Honors Transfer Program, and is the president of the Women in Science and Engineering Represent (WiSER!) club on campus. While her interests revolve around computer science and engineering, she is passionate about medicine and research. She would like to work at the intersection of medicine and engineering, finding ways to improve medical technology to make quality health care more affordable and accessible

Biotechnology Students/Student PDA Club Members Tour Genentech Campus

On March 24, 2022, faculty members Dr. Nick Kapp and Dr. Jing Folsom organized a walking tour of the Genentech campus in South San Francisco for Skyline College’s Biotechnology (BTEC) students and Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) club members.

The tour started at the Wind Harp overlooking the Genentech campus as the “singing” metal sculpture harmonized with the blustery wind. Pam Rood, a member of Genentech’s Protein Analytical Chemistry Quality Control Department and PDA volunteer, pointed out the various buildings and their purposes. Dr. Kapp, who formerly worked at Genentech, also spoke about the changes on the Genentech campus, relying heavily on Genentech’s 20-year master plan. This plan provides a vision for the company’s growth to meet the continually evolving needs of its research and development and business models in partnership with the city of South San Francisco. Most companies have a planning document, even Skyline College.

On the tour, students walked through Genentech’s public spaces and had the opportunity to speak with Rood about projects she has worked on, employment opportunities within Genentech, and the future of biotechnology in the Bay Area.

At the Founders Research Center sculpture, students learned about Genentech founders Bob Swanson and Herb Boyer and how they created one of the most successful partnerships between research and business. With its prime location between Silicon Valley and San Francisco and surrounded by academic institutions, Genentech is at the heart of a biotechnology innovation hub. Students understood the value of having such a company within their own backyard, and they enthusiastically raised their hands when asked if they wanted to work at Genentech after they graduated.

To capitalize on the inspiration provided by this tour, Dr. Folsom encouraged students to seek out learning and growth opportunities to network and engage in the field, as well as to prepare themselves professionally by updating resumes and taking advantage of resources such as the Stem Center and the MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) program.

Skyline College’s BTEC program thanks Pam Rood and the West Coast Chapter of the PDA for hosting our students. In addition to working for Genentech, Rood is also a volunteer for PDA, a group of professionals who work in Biopharma whose goal is to inform and foster communication with students who wish to have careers in biotech. For more information on Skyline College’s BTEC program, please visit https://skylinecollege.edu/biotechnology/index.php.

 

Article by Tammy Wong and Nick Kapp | Photo by Tammy Wong

Host an International Student & Be Part of a Global Community!

San Mateo Colleges of Silicon Valley is proud to offer a safe, affordable, quality homestay placement service for our international students. Families participating in the San Mateo Colleges of Silicon Valley Homestay Program can create friendships that last a lifetime. You are giving international students an opportunity to fully immerse in the American culture by opening your home, and your heart, to them. For more information, please visit https://www.smccd.edu/international/housing.php or e-mail housingcoordinator@smccd.edu.

 

Article by Julnar Msalam | Flyer by Cindy Nguyen