There was so much to discuss in my last post from the phenomenal President’s Breakfast event that I wanted to stop and revisit one of the highlights from the morning worthy of its own separate recognition.

Among the stellar speakers at the Breakfast, Salvador Gochez from the Kern High School District Regional Occupational Center delivered a remarkable speech about the amazing work going on at the center as well as their partnership with BC.

For those unfamiliar with ROC, it’s a one-stop career jump-start, a public education and technical training center offering courses aimed at molding both high school students and adults into entry-level employees in dozens of fields.

While some use their new-found skills in computer technology or fashion merchandising or graphic arts to jump directly into the workforce, others discover their personal next step is higher education. BC personnel regularly counsel ROC students, leading many to decide on becoming full-time Renegades.

One of the highlights of the breakfast came when Salvador read a message a group of ROC students (pictured below) wanted to pass on to everyone at Bakersfield College:

“On behalf of my classmates and myself, I would like to thank the Bakersfield College staff for the college support they have given us at ROC. Receiving academic counseling from you motivated all of us to attend college. Indeed, we can say the assistance from the BC staff ratified our choice in attending BC. Staff such as yourselves are very few in our community, willing to take the time needed for the students. We hope you continue visiting our campuses to assist future students with their career goals. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. My classmates and I are confident that we couldn’t have made a better choice than attending BC. Certainly, we know that Bakersfield College will help us achieve both our personal and professional goals.  Once again, thank you for your time, your patience and dedication to our education and we look forward to becoming part of BC’s family in the fall.”
In addition to feeling heartwarming gratification from that message, I’m also so pleased we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a resource like the ROC here in Kern County. While I’ll always counsel on the benefits of going to college and achieving a degree, some people have compelling reasons for wanting to immediately get a job and get to work.  In those cases, no one in our area does a better job at getting those men and women ready for the labor market as the ROC.

Tagged: Bakersfield College, ROC, Salvador Gochez