I am always excited when I receive an email from a student celebrating our faculty and staff here at BC.

I wanted to share a few more of the good notes I’ve received lately.

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Sue Granger with Shohreh Rahman

Sue Granger

Dear Ms. Granger,

In case you don’t remember me my name is Ian Stevenson and you helped me earlier in the semester when I couldn’t make it in to the PHIL B9 class I had registered for. You were instrumental in helping to get me opportunity after opportunity to try and keep the doors open for me. If I had not gotten in to the online ENGL 1600 late start class that you recommended, I would be waiting another year in Bakersfield to take one class to qualify me to apply at UC schools. Well Ms. Granger, I got into that online class and I am doing great. I was accepted to UCSB, UC Davis, and on April 25th i was accepted to the school of my dreams: UC Berkeley. It is largely because of you that I am able to even enjoy such an achievement. I absolutely cannot put into words my gratitude and only have to say that it is great educators like yourself who go the extra mile for their students to make a world of difference. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it the most. I will never forget your help and kindness.

Sincerely,

Ian Gene Stevenson

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Liz Rozell

Liz Rozell

Hello!

I know it’s been a long time since we last spoke, but I wanted to give you an update on my life and to thank you.

In May, I finally graduated from The University of Utah, with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering, as the third generation in my family to graduate from the U.  As you can see from my email signature, I am now a process engineer for the ceramics company at which I have been a co-op for the past 2 years.

As cliché as this may sound, I would to say thank you for believing in me, even when I thought my academic goals had been lost.

You said to me  one day “ Liz, you’re tough as nails”. And that has stuck with me. On the days that felt especially hard, I would remind myself that Liz Rozell, the toughest lady I know, thinks I am as  tough as nails.

I would have preferred to tell you this in person, but I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Bakersfield.

Thank you for everything you have taught me, inside the classroom and out,

From one nail to the other, keep being tough!

Sincerely,

Liz Smith

Elizabeth Smith

Process Engineer

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Robert Boyles

Robert Boyles

To Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian: Hello my name is Martin Martinez, a returning student at Bakersfield College. I would like to commend the teaching abilities and give special recognition and thanks to my physical education instructor, Robert Boyles for all that he has done. I am currently attending his summer co-ed course in physical education, which will be ending on 08/07/14. The class is a pass or fail, worth 1 unit in credit, but worth so much more to me. Instructor Boyles made the class fun, challenging, and interesting, while providing both mental and physical positive results. If I could attend the same class a second time, as opposed to joining a private gym, I would. What I have gained physically from the course is the loss of body weight and fat, an increase in endurance, along with a reduction in core size. All the running and cardio we were exposed to throughout the course is responsible for lowering my heart pulse and increasing my levels of energy. I never missed a day of class, and participated in every drill and exercise, always having an open mind, and eager to face the next challenge Mr. Boyles would present. As a result, I feel stronger mentally and physically, all due to the teachings of Instructor Boyles. He provided the class with exercises that private trainers or gyms should be utilizing but do not. A great deal of the exercises the instructor presented to the class was good old fashioned drills that reminded me of my days in elementary school. Although these drills required work and effort, they would always put a smile on my face and make me laugh.  I also learned a great deal of field exercises, which assisted my core and leg muscles, which help rid of fat and assisted in building strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility. I’m a health conscience individual and being and staying in shape means a great deal to me. It’s no secret that by exercising you decrease the risk of unnecessary illness or disease, and increase the quality of life and lengthen your life span. Being in shape also increases your confidence and makes you a better student in the classroom, and just makes life more pleasant altogether. It takes a distinctive person to be a responsible effective leader and instructor like Robert Boyles. He created an atmosphere of unity and friendship, regardless of being indoors or outdoors, and was always available to assist student with answer to their questions. Being in his role requires patience, understanding, creativity, compassion, passion, and the ability to adapt to a wide range of personalities, and levels of fitness. Instructor Boyles has excellent people skills, and has a personality that is approachable regardless of whom you are. I have already begun to incorporate the workouts I have been exposed to, into my own training, and I will continue utilizing these training methods to maintain my health. Thank you Instructor Boyles for all of your efforts, for being a great coach and trainer, for inspiring and pushing students to achieve a higher standard of physical fitness and knowledge. I took the time to type this letter, because a simple thank you did not seem adequate enough for his contributions and dedication to the students. I can only pray that my instructor gets the fair recognition and praise he deserves for being passionate about his role as a physical education trainer.

Martin Martinez

Tagged: Bakersfield College, emails, Liz Rozell, robert boyles, student success, students, Sue Granger-Dickson, testimonials