Steve Watkin, Lisa Kent, Jeannie Parent, Paul Beckworth, Anna Poetker, Corny Rodriguez

Really enjoying BC being visible in the community and in Social Media.  Here are some tidbits for you to enjoy as much as I did.

Latino outreach

I enjoy seeing colleagues out and about in the community.  Here is a photo that Corny texted me from the Latino Mixer this past Wednesday.

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Randy Beeman on Facebook

Came across this Facebook post from Randy Beeman about one of his students, one of our students, a Renegade.  I kept going back and reading it as it weighed heavily on my mind and heart.  So I thought I would share an excerpt from the post.

Randy Beeman

“Being a college professor is usually on the list of the most rewarding jobs. The pay is nice, the hours are great, and there is atmosphere of freedom. Yet with that freedom and cushy lifestyle comes responsibility, not just to educate but also to inspire. In the last two weeks I have been tasked with one of the more sad aspects of the job. As was reported in the paper, a young man, my former student, was sentenced to two years in federal prison. Of the 16,000 plus students I’ve taught this guy was someone I thought for certain had (has) the potential to be a major success. He asked me to write a letter to the judge but it obviously didn’t help lighten the sentence. (They were stealing expensive electronic equipment from the oil companies.) Also reported in the paper was the story of another young man, (also a former “A” student of mine), who plea bargained a First Degree murder charge down to an Involuntary Manslaughter charge. This young man is a decorated veteran who represented this country in a dangerous combat role in places many Americans don’t even know we have a military presence, let alone Iraq. There was a fight and he shot and killed another young man. I really don’t know what happened – it’s just a tragedy all the way around. His wife asked for letters of support in preparation for his sentencing. I gladly wrote a letter because I remember his heroism, his intellectual gifts, and his humor. I am in no way trying to apologize for these young men, but what is striking is that they both hail from good families, they both possess immense talent, and they both made life changing mistakes that were harmful to society, and, in the second case, a life. It makes one realize the challenges kids who don’t have these assets must face on the path of life. Their stories also are cautionary – there is no easy money”

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A letter that was sent to Cindy Collier

Nursing team after BRN visit on Sep 11, 2014

Hello Cindy,

I would like to take a moment of your time and respond to your very wonderful post that you left me while I was traveling. You caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to say, but with a little time I have a better response for you.

Thank you for believing in me. I have an amazing career and it all started with you taking a chance on me. I want to make sure you know that you make a difference in so many lives! Mine is only one example. I understand, now more than ever, how our day-to-day interactions can seem to be bogged down with meetings, politics, and mundane task. Please know that you still have the power to effect change!

Thank you for allowing me to show you that I could succeed. When I applied for my first job in Oceanside, CA the assistant manager who interviewed me he had you for his critical care instructor. He said, “I know the kind of nurse that BC turns out and we would be happy to have you join our team.” I was the first and only interview that I went on after graduating from BC. Really, who could have asked for a better end to a first interview?

Today, I have been a clinical instructor for California State University San Marcos, co-presented my research on The Impact of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit on Patient Length of Stay (LOS) and Mortality: A Multi-Center Epidemiology Study and finished my first year of my doctorate program. With the risk of sounding conceited this is only the beginning for me. I promise that I will do so much more.

…

I can’t wait to send you the graduation announcement from my doctorate program. It is still 3 years away, but it will be here before you know it.   Thank you again. I know I keep saying that, but honestly there is no other words to convey my appreciation.

I hope that I have been able to explain the effect you have had on my life… You not only gave me a career. You gave me the tools to change my whole. It has been an amazing journey and I can’t wait for the next chapter.

Thank You

Timothy Horttor

Tagged: Bakersfield College, Cindy Collier, latino, letters, randy beeman, students, success