We would like to remind you to finish our Student Voice Marketing Survey before our survey comes to a close. There is still an opportunity to win a $50 and $100 Amazon Gift Card!

Let your voice be heard! At Skyline College, we believe that the best way to improve our services and programs is by listening to your voice. As a valued student of our community, we would like to invite you to participate in our Student Voice Marketing Survey!

This survey is designed to gather your thoughts and opinions on the current state of our college and to help us understand what is important to you when it comes to succeeding on your educational journey. By completing this survey, you will be helping us to make important decisions about how we communicate with our community and improve our overall services. 

Survey Information

 • Is voluntary, anonymous, and 100% confidential and non-identifiable

 • Takes ~20-30 minutes to complete, and can be done in multiple sittings

 • Is available on a computer, tablet, or smartphone

 • Is for currently enrolled students only

 • Concludes with an option to enter a drawing and win a $25 Amazon gift card from the college each week with a grand prize of $100 and two $50 Amazon gift cards at the end

We value your feedback and appreciate your willingness to help us improve. To participate in the survey, please visit our Survey Page or scan the QR attached in our flier. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and opinions with us.

As a thank you for your time, we are offering a chance to win one of several Amazon gift cards. All participants will be entered into a drawing, and the winners will be selected at random through your G-Number

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please do not hesitate to email us at Skypio@smccd.edu 

On Wednesday, March 10th, 2023, the 150 C-SPAN StudentCam national student documentary competition winners were announced. Over 3000 documentaries were submitted by students from 43 US states, Kenya, and the UAE. This year, CSPAN asked all student participants to create a short (5-6 minute) video documentary on a topic related to the competition theme, “If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why? 

Skyline Middle College 12-grade students Jizelle Oliva, Mia Tolentino, & Lori Huang were among the winners. Their documentary, titled “Health is Wealth”  was awarded the Honorable Mention prize, earning the student’s recognition on the CSPAN Student Cam webpage, social media platforms, and a monetary cash prize for their hard work. 

The students began working on their film in October 2022 and submitted their final cut to C-SPAN in January 2023. Skyline Middle College Seniors have participated in the StudentCam competition for three years, beginning in the Fall of 2018. Jizelle, Mia, and Lori are our 3rd group of students to be part of the winning selections.

In response to their victory, I asked the student filmmakers Jizelle, Mia, and Lori  the following question: “What did you learn from participating in this competition?”

Jizelle: “C-SPAN has taught me that you don’t have to be in government or politics to share your voice. With knowledge, we can empower ourselves to start the conversation and recognize issues that threaten our own communities. This documentary has been our small step in becoming the change that we need for generations to come.

Mia: “I am proud to have worked and researched an ongoing topic citizens face daily around ensuring a healthy life for everyone. It is our time to help all generations supplement a safe and affordable healthcare system for all of us before it’s too late.” 

Lori: “It has been a great experience to create a documentary and contribute to an important topic of discussion. Participating in the C-SPAN competition gave me a platform where my voice could be heard and make a difference through our documentary.” For me, as one of the advisors that helped oversee the completion of these documentaries, it has been an exciting experience watching and helping our students do a deep dive into such culturally relevant and critical topics that allowed them to have a voice, a platform and share their view from a young adult perspective.

On Wednesday, March 22^nd, 2023, the Skyline College Transfer Center hosted a Transfer Fair during College Hour. University representatives from approximately 15 campuses including UCs, CSUs, and private colleges and universities were present to engage with students and answer questions about transfer admission, campus resources, next steps for admitted students, and more!  Several academic departments from CSU East Bay also attended including Business & Economics, Kinesiology, Psychology, and the College of Science. Students were able to learn more about their majors of interest and gain in-depth information on major-specific requirements and opportunities. Despite an unexpected power outage mid-event, we had a strong turnout, and the university representatives noted the high level of student enthusiasm and engagement. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this event! Stay tuned for more information on our Fall Transfer Day planned for October 2023.

Article by Alexandra Kaplan and Ernesto Hernandez

Phi Theta Kappa recognizes outstanding student leadership and scholarship. This spring two Skyline students are being recognized on the regional and international level.

May Myat Chel Myint, Biology major and active PTK member will be recognized as PTK 2023 Distinguished Chapter Member at the international conference in April. Chel was nominated by the Beta Theta Omicron chapter at the end of the fall semester. The nominating BOO officers wrote in their nomination: Chel has a great eye for identifying where support is needed and goes out of her way to lend a helping hand to anyone. All in all, Chel supported many officers and chapter events in an open, proactive, and calm way, which in turn made the chapter more successful overall.

Distinguished Members are selected based on a student’s embodiment of the Hallmarks of the Society, leadership, scholarship, service, and fellowship, through active participation in their college chapter.

Jerry Hnin, Biology major and VP of Scholarship of the Beta Theta Omicron Chapter at Skyline,  will receive the Salvatore Addotta Award of Distinction from the Nevada/California Regional Alumni Association. The award recognizes students’ achievement in overcoming personal obstacles to succeed and their outstanding contributions as a student and member of their college PTK Chapter. Every year each chapter in the Nevada/California Region is able to nominate a chapter student for the recognition. The Beta Theta Omicron officer team unanimously voted for Jerry’s nomination and summarized in their nomination: Mr. Hnin stands out as an exceptional student not only for his academic achievements, but also for his deeply caring and motivating personality, which he displays every day toward his peers, college staff, and faculty.

Article by Susanne Schubert

The Skyline College Employee Voice Survey closes in 2 days!  So far, 37% of Skyline College employees have completed the survey.  Thank you to all who have participated!  The survey results will be shared with the entire campus community, and will be used to identify areas of strength, opportunities for improvement, and areas for further study. 

It is critical that all college constituent groups be well-represented, but response rates vary widely across groups.  For example, currently, 53% of full-time faculty members have completed the survey, compared with just 16% of part-time faculty members.  If you haven’t yet participated, now is the time to take the survey.

The Skyline College Student Voice Survey was conducted in Fall 2022, and the RP Group is close to completing its analysis.  Here is a preview of the findings related to student’s sense of belonging.  Of the 1,170 students who responded to the survey, 83% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I feel that I belong at Skyline College,” 6% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 11% were not sure.  Below is the breakdown by student race and ethnicity groups with at least 50 respondents (race/ethnicities with fewer than 50 respondents have been combined into the “other” category):

Among race/ethnicity groups, Latinx students reported the highest sense of belonging (88%), with White students and those of more than one race reporting the lowest agreement at 79%.  These and other findings will be explored further in the weeks to come. The complete survey results will be posted to the PRIE website, and also shared-out via a campus-wide town hall planned for later in the Spring semester.  Please stay tuned for student climate survey results!

On March 6, 2023, Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) hosted their first Maker Monday event of the semester. Students that stopped by the Fabrication Lab, were able to make their own flashlights under the supervision of Lab Coordinator Marco Wehrfritz. A good turnout of students gained experience with soldering connection joints for their flashlight kits. To some of the 15 in attendance, it was their very first hands-on opportunity to learn a new skill working with circuits. They were excited, holding their own flashlight after succeeding the course.

Maker Mondays will be held at Skyline’s Fabrication Lab (FAB Lab) within Building 7 Room 7-310, every first Monday of the Month. Each event will help teach students hands-on learning with equipment the FAB Lab has to offer for student use. Lab Coordinator Marco Wehrfritz will be the advisor during these events, to help show students proper techniques and usage of equipment. The next event will be held on April 3rd, once students return from Spring Break. The focus of the upcoming event is teaching students how to make a 3D design in Tinkercad and how to print this on the 3D printers. 

Article by Aaron Torres Mendoza, Sean Ruiz, Marco Wehrfritz, Denise Hum, Emilie Hein | Photos by Marco Wehrfritz

Last month, the International Student Program (ISP) hosted its semi-annual field trip to the iconic and well-known Golden Gate Park as well as the breathtaking Ocean Beach. More than twenty students, all coming from a variety of nations, participated in the tour.

At 3pm, students met ISP staff at the Skyline College shuttle bus stop to get a ride to the Daly City BART Station. At the BART station, they caught Muni Bus 28 to 19^th Ave and Lincoln in San Francisco, right on the western edge of Golden Gate Park. After a quick pit stop for coffee, students headed for Stow Lake to see the famous Stow Lake bridge, Golden Gate Pavilion, gift shop, and the beautiful Strawberry Hill Waterfall. Then, they passed by Spreckels Lake, the Bison Paddock, before finally ending up at the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden to see the colorful tulips and windmill.

The tour concluded with students and staff going to Ocean Beach to watch the panoramic sunset. Students collaborated to build a bonfire and then learned how to make smores, a popular American snack consisting of a melted marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers. Over sandwiches and smores, students bonded over their shared experiences. Soon, it was time to head back. Overall, the event was a huge success because it was the students’ first time visiting the location, and they were able to have fun and meet new people along the way.

The International Student Program is part of the Global Learning Programs and Services Division. ISP will continue to provide services and programs for international students as well as for the entire Skyline College community. If you are interested in learning more about future ISP programs and events, contact ISP office at skyinternational@smccd.edu.

Article and photos by Lasheana Dilian Husni.

It has been a busy few week for two of our biotechnology Biomanufacturing coordinators, Shabnam F. and Khaledh Tahan. First, they traveled to the brand-new Smart Labs building in South San Francisco on March 3, 2023, at 750 Gateway Blvd. According to them, the tour was “thrilling!” The Smart Labs new building as at the epicenter of biotechnology in SSF.  Khaledh and Shabnam attended the inauguration event for the new building and represented Skyline College Biomanufacturing. Smartlabs is a business that creates various labs for the life science industries. They have a modular set up that can be altered according to the requirements of that individual lab in terms of size, area, and service needs. The company, Smartlabs,  is national and has facilities on the East and West Coasts, Smartlabs promotes itself as a laboratory and as a service provider. It offers adaptable lab rooms customized to house research groups of less than 10 or more than 200 individuals. “We create and operate laboratories in previously unheard-of methods to aid research in overcoming the most challenging problems of the day.”Smartlab’s mission is to benefit health and humanity, they radically transform how the world uses lab spaces by delivering customized labs that can deploy within weeks and can grow and change as quickly as the research needs evolve for a company or startup. Their vision is to accelerate the pace of science for everyone, everywhere. Their purpose is to expedite the number of effective therapeutics available in the market when we need them and when our loved ones need them. 

Khaledh and Shabnam thought this was a great networking experience and a way to see possible employers with local companies. Attending the opening gave us great insight into how it feels to work in a biotechnology company. The new labs had equipment similar to ours and we felt at home. It also helped that we were treated to great food and were able to interact with a diverse range of people who are also within the field.

Shabnam and Khaledh braved the wind and the rain to attend the Career Expo at San Mateo High School. High School students from as far away as Modesto came to hear about all the possible career training, they can do in San Mateo County. Skyline Biomanufacturing showed the prospective students how to make “MOss” bioreactors. We also discussed the Biotechnology Manufacturing Certification and AS degree. Many students and their families liked to hear that our Biomanufacturing program can lead to local jobs like in “SmartLabs” above or that students can also transfer with the degree and work towards their bachelor’s and beyond. Professor Kapp really appreciates that that the students not only do their classes, projects and homework but that they give back and interact with our local community.  

Article and Pictures by Khaledh Tahan

Let your colleagues and students know!  Our furry friends from the Peninsula Humane Society Volunteer Program are returning to the Skyline College Library!!  As part of the Learning Commons & STEM De-stress Week, the Library will host therapy dogs and a PAT cat on March 21^st and 22^nd, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., in Building 5, second floor.  De-stressing with furry friends has been clinically proven to make one feel better.  So come and relax with or just say “hello!” to therapy dogs Cate, Cooper, Rusty and Slater on Tuesday, March 21^st or Pumpkin the PAT cat on Wednesday, March 22^nd.  Please visit the Library’s Events & Outreach webpage for more information.

For information about other Learning Commons & STEM De-stress Week activities and events, please scan the QR code or visit https://bit.ly/skylineDe-stressWeek.  We look forward to you de-stressing with us during midterms!

“We know that a peaceful world cannot long exist, one-third rich and two-thirds hungry.” – Jimmy Carter

Empty Bowls is a worldwide movement by artists to lessen food insecurity. Empty Bowls events cultivate social responsibility through creative service and encourage participants to – Think Globally – Act Locally.

Join us for the Skyline College Empty Bowls Event.

Monday, March 20^th, 2023

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Fireside Dining Room – Bldg. 6

TICKETS @ bit.ly/EMPTYBOWLS2023

All Ticket Sales will be used to lessen food insecurity locally at Skyline College.

Empty Bowls attendees will enjoy

• A Soup Dinner
  • Student Performances – Featuring entertainment from Skyline College Dance, Drama, and Music
  • Campus & Community Organizations dedicated to lessening food insecurity

Take home a handcrafted ceramic bowl!

• Bowls $15
• Soup FREE
• Open to All

MORE INFORMATION @ https://skylinecollege.edu/art/index.php

Artistic expression is at the foundation of who we are as a global community.

It has the power to transcend and transform. Transcend and transform with the Skyline College Creative Arts community at Empty Bowls!