On Friday, November 22, students from the CIPHER Counseling 100 class produced and hosted their final event, “Love & Hip Hop,” at One Love Cafe in San Bruno, CA. As part of the Counseling 100 final, they produced the event while integrating many college success skills they learned in class, including goal setting, time management, communication styles, teamwork, and civic engagement. They all had roles in social media marketing, flyer design, event production, live event interviews, fundraising efforts, community engagement, and event hosting. The event is intended to raise funds for CIPHER educational scholarships and to support local businesses in the area.
The evening was filled with live music provided by DJ Bitesize and live performances by some former and current students, such as 650 Francis, Versoul, Allen Bustos (AB), Kung Fu Kap, and Osada3. We also had a live art drawing by Smurks1, a local community artist. The attendees were treated to food, coffee, and desserts from our local vendors, One Love Cafe, Los Bayuncos, and Semaj’s Cookies.
The students organized a fundraiser where attendees were eligible to win raffle prizes when they donated to the CIPHER Scholarship Fund. We wanted to thank our donors for providing the fantastic items – Kababayan Learning Community, Career Technical Education – Business Division, Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development, the Barbering, Cosmetology, & Esthetician Program, RIDE Conference, Rock The School Bells, Stacks Record Shop, Whipt Baked Goods, Merasil Academy, Stacemade, One Love Cafe, and CASA of San Mateo County.
We wanted to thank all the faculty, staff, and students who could attend and support our CIPHER students despite the rainy weather. We also thank Acting President Newin Orante for sharing a few closing remarks highlighting the importance of creating innovative and transformative spaces for our students. We also wanted to thank Alex Urbina, Joseph Jaballa, and our counseling interns, Crystal Afuang and Chris Avalos, for supporting our students throughout their final production. Lastly, we thank our CIPHER students for trusting and believing in themselves in producing such an amazing and transformative class event.
For more information about CIPHER, please email Nate Nevado at nevadon@smccd.edu. If you are interested in donating to the CIPHER Scholarship Fund, you can donate here.
Article by: Nate Nevado
Photos by: CIPHER Students
