On Friday, May 8, 2015 TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) held its annual “End of the Year Celebration” recognizing 61 TRiO graduate and transfer students, also known as our TRiO All-Stars! A total of 61 TRiO students were acknowledged for their academic accomplishments and active participation in the program. Our transfer students were accepted at institutions such as UC Berkeley, SFSU, CSU-East Bay, SJSU, USF, UCLA, CSU-Long Beach, and UC Santa Cruz. Students, family members and Skyline College administrators, faculty, and staff enjoyed a wonderful dinner catered by La Tapatia while they enjoyed a TRiO slideshow that recapped events that took place during the past year. The event brought out more than 150 attendees.
Nate Nevado, Interim TRiO Director, welcomed the TRiO SSS students, family members, friends, administrators, faculty and staff with a fun and engaging speech that provided an energetic spirit throughout the night. Dr. Angelica Garcia, Dean of Counseling, Advising, and Matriculation also addressed the audience with an inspirational welcome. Brianna Clay, TRiO Counselor, and Miranda Wang, TRiO Math Coordinator, provided words of encouragement to our students as they enter their new academic journey.
We also took a moment to provide a special recognition for Eugene Garcia with a Game of Thrones themed video illustrating his work over the years. Students also provided quotes that expressed his impact on their academic endeavors. He has served Skyline College students for 20 years with dedication and commitment.
Vanessa Aragon and Naing Aung Min, were both recognized as “TRiO Students of the Year” for demonstrating academic excellence, perseverance in the face of emotional and financial challenges, strong participation in TRiO, and graduating with an Associate Degree as well as transferring to a four-year university. In the fall semester, Vanessa will be attending UC Berkeley to pursue her degree in Psychology and Naing will be transferring to UCLA to pursue a B.S in Computer Science.
In addition, 32 TRiO students were recognized for receiving Grant Aid financial support. We also would like to acknowledge the Financial Aid Office and Sparkpoint for their support in this endeavor. TRiO Graduates and Transfers were recognized with a “Certificate of Completion” and a TRiO stole. Throughout the evening, there were photo opportunities at our Photo Booth for students and families to capture these moments of academic achievements.
We would also like to acknowledge Carsbia Anderson and Dr. Angelica Garcia for their support in providing plaques and stoles for our students as well as Kevin Chak of the Bookstore for donating tablets for our TRiO Student of the Year recipients. You all have been very instrumental in making this celebration a huge success!
Article by Nate Nevado | Photos by Claudia Paz
