Skyline College hosted a 50th Anniversary Gala on Friday, November 15, 2019 wit
h over 200 guests in attendance in the beautiful new Farallon Room located inside the new Environmental Science Building. Guests included students, faculty, staff and community and business members from across the county. The night was a success in raising more than $100,000 for students. These funds support the Promise Scholars Program and continue to support the innovative projects and initiatives of the President’s Innovation Fund – a mini-grant process that allows faculty and staff to launch creative and effective approaches to achieving Skyline College’s mission, vision and values. These projects continue to shape the landscape of Skyline College.
The event consisted of a cocktail hour for VIP ticket holders, a four course-meal, a program including a commemorative video, award presentations, a silent auction and dancing. Lloyd LaCuesta, retired broadcaster from KTVU served as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Supervisor David Canepa gave an inspirational keynote address advocating for free college and using his platform as an elected official to make a difference in the county.
Several individuals who have been instrumental in the success of the college over its 50 years were presented with the first ever Skyline Stars award. Awardees included:
- David Canepa
- Dr. Christine Case
- Greg Cochran
- Ray Hernandez
- Carolyn Livengood (posthumously)
We want to thank our headlining Gala sponsor for the evening YouTube who providing $20,000 in support and provided all 20 tickets to students so that they could attend the festivities. We’d also like to thank Supervisor Canepa who has committed $50,000 of Measure K funds to support the Promise Scholars Program, making our gala a smashing success. Other sponsors include Local Union 467 and Associated Students of Skyline College.
It is absolutely true that it takes a village to pull off a beautiful event of this scale. First we’d like to thank our partners, the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation under the leadership of Tykia Warden and Leila Perreras with Circle Communications who were with us every step of the way. We’d like to thank President’s Office Staff Theresa Tentes and Becky Threewit who were instrumental in the last two weeks leading up to the gala, and the incredible Marketing, Communications and Public Relations team for all their incredible work, including Connor Fitzpatrick, Brittney Sneed, Mia Coo, Soe Thura Hlaing, Mario Guzman, Marie Kyla Perez and Ricardo Coronado.
A sincere thank you, on behalf of the college to all the attendees of the gala, sponsors, donors, silent auction donors and staff that helped make the night one that will go down in history, all in support of students. Over $100,000 in funds raised and a night to celebrate the incredible opportunity we have each and every day to make a difference in a student’s life is unforgettable.
Article by Cherie Colin | Photo by Zaw Min Khant
