On April 20, 21, 22 and 23, 2023, the Dance, Drama, and Music Departments presented HEATHERS, THE MUSICAL at Skyline College in six sold-out performances. Adeptly adjusting to supply chain delays with the main Theater rigging retrofit project, the musical team moved the production into the Art Gallery, which was transformed into an intimate 95-seat black box space by Josh Harris, Theater Events Manager and production Technical Director. The staging and musical accompaniment were modified to fit in the temporary theater space by Director and Choreographer Gary D. Ferguson and Music Director Jude Navari. The exceptional cast of 28 students (lead roles were double-cast) roused audiences with a pop-rock score featuring energetic production numbers and heart-wrenching ballads. The production was enthusiastically received by appreciative audiences.

Due to the timely and difficult issues the show depicts, such as teen violence, bullying, suicide, and sexual assault, the show directors collaborated with Perry Chen, Skyline College Personal Counselor and advisor of the Active Minds Club, to host an event on April 12, 2023 titled “Weaving and Watching Difficult Stories: A Conversation about Bullying, Suicide, Sexual Assault, and School Violence as depicted in HEATHERS, the Musical.”

This event featured a ’sneak peek’ of a challengingly-themed number from the show, followed by a panel discussion with student performers, the production director Gary D. Ferguson, Active Minds student president, Jewel Ocampo and Perry Chen, campus mental health professional. Psychology Professor Jennifer Merrill, advisor for Psi Beta the Psychology Honor Society, led the discussion with students, staff, and guests. Special thanks to Perry, Active Minds, Jennifer, and the Psi Beta Psychology Club for assisting with refreshments at the weekend shows.

Extra special thanks to the amazing Chris Woo, SS/CA Program Services Coordinator, for setting up and running our front of house/box office and for organizing and directing the 2 opening night gala receptions in our newly-renovated Music Hall (Rm. 1-111)! Spring musical information and updates can be found at https://skylinecollege.edu/music/springmusical.php



Article by Chris Woo | Photos by Yesika Wong-Sanchez and Chris Woo

Strategic Partnerships & Workforce Development (SPWD) and partners from Skyline College hosted a successful College and Career Day on May 10, 2023. This event was designed to engage Culinary and Health Science students from Woodside HS, Menlo Atherton HS, and Sequoia HS.

The event began with a welcoming message from Dr. Lauren Ford, Interim Dean of SPWD, and a keynote presentation by Jenem Martin, Director of Bon Appetit Management. Martin shared valuable insights into the food industry, captivating the audience. Other engagement included culinary students experiencing plant-based cooking from The Vegan Hood Chefs, Ronnishia Johnson and Rheema Calloway, and getting to explore their food truck. Health Science students gained practical training in surgical and respiratory care from Professor Franciosa Deal and Heather Esparza, Director of Allied Health.

The high school students also participated in mock interviews and received constructive feedback from professionals. A panel discussion featuring six accomplished Skyline College students – William Hernandez, Sara Morrison, Daniel Giraldo Aristizabal, Armand Benedicto, Serena Ng and Nina Kelley – provided insights on college life and career preparation. Rouding out the event, approximately 80 students left with renewed excitement for their career paths. Skyline College remains committed to bridging the academic and the professional worlds together to enhance student success.

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Lauren Ford, Jenem Martin, Ronnishia Johnson, Rheema Calloway, Faith Velschow, Heather Esparza, Franciosa Deal, Robert J. Lopez Jr., Alexa Moore, Brittney Sneed, Jasmine Jaciw, Angelique Fuentes, Derek Allenby, Jeremy Evangelista, and our six student panelists—William Hernandez, Sara Morrison, Daniel Giraldo Aristizabal, Armand Benedicto, Serena Ng and Nina Kelley. This event empowered the visiting high school students with valuable knowledge.

Article by Walter Manuofetoa and edited by Christopher Wardell | Photos by Angelique Fuentes, Jasmine Jaciw and Walter Manuofetoa

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!

Whether you’re interested in short- or long-term career planning, the Career Readiness & Job Placement team offers a variety of services and career readiness experiences to assist you with your specific career needs. If you want to work with a Job Placement Coordinator, please fill out this brief welcome form and someone will contact you soon to schedule an appointment!

• Arts, Language & Communication Jobs
• Business, Entrepreneurship & Management Jobs
• Science, Technology & Health Jobs 
• Society & Education Jobs
• Just In Time Jobs

Article by Alexa Moore

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!

Whether you’re interested in short- or long-term career planning, the Career Readiness & Job Placement team offers a variety of services and career readiness experiences to assist you with your specific career needs. If you want to work with a Job Placement Coordinator, please fill out this brief welcome form and someone will contact you soon to schedule an appointment!

• Arts, Language & Communication Internships
• Science, Technology & Health Internships
• Society & Education Internships

Article by Alexa Moore

On May 4, 2023, the International Student Program (ISP) hosted a campus tour of Stanford University. The tour had eight students and staff participate in the event.

The group began the tour at Bechtel International Center, the ISP counterpart for international students at Stanford University. Students got a quick tour of the center and information on how many students the center serves for its undergraduate and graduate school. In addition, the group could hear first-hand testimonials from international undergraduate and graduate students (one of whom was from Cañada College).

Next, the group was taken on a tour of the beautiful campus by two current students at Stanford University who shared valuable insights on the application process, courses, student life, and insight on the graduation process. The students vividly enjoyed the tour; they could ask questions, exchange social media information, walk around campus, and make memories that would last a lifetime.

For many students, this was their first visit to Stanford University, and they left feeling inspired about the future. Likewise, we hope those who attended feel more confident about their journey for the future!

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

Article by Sirreck Brown | Photo by Sirreck Brown

The Beta Theta Omicron Chapter celebrates the end of every academic year with a mini convention, BOO-Con. On Friday, May 12, this year’s convention was opened by outgoing co-presidents Lasheana Husni and Kaitlyn Widjaja. They welcomed the attending students, faculty, staff, and administration who supported the BOO chapter in the past year. Acting President Joe Morello delivered a passionate keynote address on the “Art and Science of Play” , which will continue to be the Honors in Action research topic in the next semester.

Following the keynote address, VP of Records Hnin Thandar Win presented the BOO yearbook, a review of the activities and achievements of the chapter during the 2022/2023 academic year. To put the chapter involvement into numbers; BOO members participated in 7 volunteering events with off campus organizations and schools, organized 10 workshops for the Skyline community, organized and contributed to 7 social events on campus, and attended 3 conferences.

Following the yearbook presentation, officer candidates presented 90 second speeches in which they talked about what PTK means to them and shared which position they would like to fulfill in the upcoming year. Each candidate then answered 2 caucus questions from the co-advisors Thanh Nguyen and Dr. Susanne Schubert.

While the conference attendees voted electronically for the new officer team, they also listened to the outgoing officers as they shared their PTK wisdom and review of their very personal PTK journey. The convention ended with the new co-presidents Me Me Hlaing Oo and May Myat Chel Myint thanking the attendees for their participation and engagement during the conference.

The new officer team will consist of:

● Me Me Hlaing Oo & May Myat Chel Myint: Co-Presidents
● Mowen Tan: VP of Honor in Actions
● Thet Mon Kyaw: VP of College Project
● John Michael Rada: VP of Leadership
● Megan White: VP of Records
● Abby Alfonso: VP of Membership
● Codie Lai: VP of Scholarship
● Princess Eusantos: VP of Fellowship
● May Han Hnin: VP of Community Relations
● Lareytha Dilian Husni: VP of Service

Over the summer, their main focus will be to develop a new Honors in Action research question and engage in rigorous academic literature review, create a timeline and distribute responsibilities for workshops in the Fall semester, and get creative by working on a new campaign to fight community college stigma and promote student success and engagement on campus.



Article by Dr. Susanne Schubert

Skyline College students Julio Lau, Dunhoja Robbins-Bishop, and Julia Rogers presented their original, undergraduate research at this year’s Bay Honors Consortium Symposium, which was held on Saturday, May 6th, 2023 at Stanford University. The Bay Honors Consortium (BHC) is made up of Honors Directors and Counselors from 16 Northern and Central California Community College Honors Programs. The BHC’s mission is to promote and support Honors Programs and host our annual Honors Research Symposium.

The day began with an inspiring keynote speech from Dr. Lerone Marin, Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute and Associate Professor of Religious Studies, who illustrated his journey to and through higher education. Dr. Martin emphasized the importance of allowing the power of curiosity and questioning to propel student-researchers through their intellectual pursuits. His research focuses on the intersections of race, politics, and religious traditions in the United States. 

The day continued with a first round of student presentations from Dunhoja Robbins-Bishop, a student in the Guardian Scholars and Honors Transfer Programs, who presented her research project on the Black Maternal Advocacy Project. Her mentor, Psychology Professor Jennifer Merrill expressed pride in witnessing Dunhoja’s research. Dunhoja’s work was in conversation with students from Irvine Valley College and Glendale Community College on a panel about the realities and difficulties of motherhood. Dunhoja’s Honors faculty-mentor, Psychology Professor Jennifer Merrill said of her mentee’s presentation, “It was a true pleasure to watch Dunhoja present. Her presentation was both visually appealing and engaging as evidenced by the enthusiastic audience response.”

Honors Transfer Program student Julia Rogers presented on health disparities within the African American community–a research project that began with her Communication Studies Professor, Lindsey Ayotte. Julia’s project was presented with research by students from West Valley College and Las Positas College, on a panel about the intersections of race, health, class, and gender, and ability. English Professor Janice Sapigao moderated the panel to an audience of student-researchers, families, and students’ mentors.

Honors graduate and future UCLA transfer student, Julio Lau, presented his literature review on the trickster figure. This project and paper began in his English 110 class, with his faculty-mentor, Dr. Michael Cross.

Julio presented on this panel with students from Saddleback College and Cañada College.

Article by Janice Sapigao | Photos by Joyce Lee and Janice Sapigao

On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the Honors Club and the Honors Transfer Program sponsored a trip and campus tour to UC Berkeley. Students who attended the tour are gearing up to apply for transfer, and others were considering their options for transfer.

The campus tour was led by two of our Honors Transfer Program alumni, Megan Chan, a Mechanical Engineering major, and Andrea Hernandez, a Business major at the Haas School of Business. Andrea and Megan started the tour for a group of Honors students at a transfer housing building, where they pointed out several other housing buildings. They shared information from their own experiences, and they shared stories and knowledge from their fellow transfers.

Andrea and Megan created their own tour tailored to Honors students’ requests. They showed the group the transfer center, the athletic recreational facilities, and Sproul Plaza. They also pointed out the UC Berkeley seal imprinted into the cement pathways on campus, and they shared student lore about how most students avoid stepping directly onto it, in hopes of avoiding a low grade point average or low test scores. In the first image, Skyline College students encircle the seal.

Students posed for a photo at the Sather Gate and the Campanile, the third-largest bell and clock-tower in the world, which is are iconic parts of the UC Berkeley campus. In addition, the students also spent time seeing the Chemistry Department, the Doe Library, and the Haas School of Business.

Many thanks to the Office of Student Life, ASSC, Vice President of Instruction Dr. Newin Orante, Vivian Paw, Dean Danni Redding Lapuz, Angelica Mendoza, Dean Dino Nomicos, Sandra Hatzistratis, Jessica Esclamado, Dr. Susanne Schubert, Professor Lindsey Ayotte, Joyce Lee, and Honors Club President Alysia Tanimura, and others for all of your efforts to make this trip a success.

Article by Janice Sapigao | Photos by Janice Sapigao

It’s that time of year! Please return books and borrowed technology to the Library by Friday, May 26. Skyline College Library resources including technology items checked out from the Skyline campus can be returned to any SMCCD campus.

Good news! Similar to the New York Times digital pass, free digital subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal digital will be available to all employees and students soon. A multi-year contract is being negotiated, so stay tuned! 

Swing by to pick up books for summer reading! No library cards are required. The Library will be closed beginning Saturday, May 27 and reopen Monday, June 12.  In-person hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.  For further information about Skyline College Library in-person and online hours and other resources, please visit https://skylinecollege.edu/library/.

Questions? You can reach us at (650) 738-4312 or use the live Library chat service. 



Article by Jessica Silver-Sharp