Good morning Bakersfield.  It is Saturday, May 21st…and another wonderful day to be a Renegade.

The weeks leading up to graduation I kept telling everyone, just wait till after May 13th and I am going to have plenty of time.  Well “after May 13th” came, and went ….wow …it was one crazy week.

I, and others at BC, had a number of speaking engagements that gave me the opportunity to get connected or reconnected with some wonderful Bakersfield organizations: the Boys and Girls Club, Bakersfield City School District Foundation (thank you Dee Slade), The Boy Scouts annual dinner at Tejon, and the Dong Hae Lions Club.

This morning, BC hosted the first class for the Energy Academy, a project of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Chevron.

This is the second year of the program and is being facilitated by Lauren Skidmore, Director of Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government whose mission is to promote economic, fiscal, and public policies that keep Kern County on a sustainable path to prosperity.  For more see www.kerncitizens.org.  The Academy has a great list of speakers that include Richard Chapman, CEO KEDC; Christina Sistrunk, CEO Aera; Robin Fleming, Chevron and many others.  The Academy will end with a tour of the San Joaquin Refinery and the Mt. Poso Biomass Cogeneration Plant.  The students are BC students many of whom are from our MESA program.  Thank you Jay Tamsi and Adam Alvidrez and BC’s Lisa Kent for making this happen.

Sonya Christian. Photo by Tom Moran

Steven Holmes, Clayton Fowler. Photo by Cara Jackson

On May 6, 2016, in the BC gym, the Honor’s Celebration was held to recognize student’s scholarships and achievements. Each year, businesses, organizations, individuals in the community, and the Bakersfield College Foundation, sponsor students to go out and achieve their dreams.Recipients and their families lined up outside the doors, eagerly waiting for the program to start. Once inside the doors participants found their name tags and sampled the refreshments. It was so nice to hear a reflection speech from outgoing BCSGA President Clayton Fowler.

Sonya Christian, Roberta Ayala

Many students were singled out and introduced by BC professor’s to highlight their particular scholarships, GPA achievements, and future education goals.

A quick shout out to Roberta Ayala, Financial Aid Tech, with whom I had the pleasure of working the check-in table to expedite the long line of students.  It was also a treat to sit by Michael O’Doherty, chair of the BC Foundation and a big supporter of the college.

Thank you Tom Gelder for making this happen.

Delano Campus Pre-Commencement Celebration

“Magtiis ka muna”

“All your sacrifice will be worth it”

Emmanuel Espanola recalled how his family encouraged him with these words when his studies interfered with his attendance at family functions during his brief acceptance speech at the BC Delano Campus Pre-Commencement Celebration hosted on Friday, May 13.

This theme—loving and supportive faculty, friends, and family as being vital to success—was echoed by fellow graduates who each took a couple of minutes to address attendees. I am continuously impressed by students’ deep appreciation.

This is Delano campus’s second pre-commencement ceremony, and it was a success. The complementary luncheon catered by Janitzio was plentiful and delicious; the Delano High School drum line rousingly entertained the crowd before the formal ceremony; keynote speaker Danny Ordiz shared experiences from his life and offered practical advice for the new graduates; student guest speaker Yanelie Ponce spoke convincingly of the transformative effect that her involvement with other students and with WECOMM, a communication and service organization, have had upon her life. Program Manager Raquel Lopez offered inspiring opening and closing remarks.  Many proud students gathered after the ceremony for a group picture. The cameraman prodded, “Smile!” After the many years of hard work, that was the easy part.

Lost Hills Article

Sonya Christian, Lynda Resnick Jan 2015

On Tuesday morning, Trustee Agbalog sent me an article by David Brooks in the New York Times.  Those of you who know me know that I am a fan of Brooks.  This particular piece, One Neighborhood at a Time, calls for recognition to the wonderful things happening in the close by community of Lost Hills, CA.  Brooks says that, “we’re beginning to see the rise of intentional community instigators” on the heels of a statement that generally says, social isolation is…. well, scary.

He states that social isolation is a catalyst for trends like rising suicide rates, drug addiction, inequality, and depression, among many other things. To put this simply, people need other people – which brings us to what’s going on in the small nearby community of Lost Hills.

“In Lost Hills there are new health centers, new pre-K facilities, new housing projects, new gardens, new sidewalks and lights, a new community center and a new soccer field. Through the day, people have more places to meet, play and cooperate with their neighbors.”

These improvements are all because of the philanthropic efforts of Lynda Resnick, owner of The Wonderful Company, whose efforts are not going unnoticed. I encourage you to read the article in its entirety, located at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/opinion/one-neighborhood-at-a-time.html

Black Graduates Recognition Ceremony

On May 10th, the Black Graduates Recognition Ceremony was held in the Indoor Theater.  It was a fabulous event with students and families celebrating education.

Manny de Los Santos has put together this overview of the event in a very Manny style.  I love the singing voice of our student  Austyn Williams in the background. Check it out at https://youtu.be/uX4SVBOo9hI.

Gwendolyn Turner the student speaker was phenomenal.  She started in 1980, graduating in 2016. A Theater Arts major and veteran, she overcame many obstacles. BC improved over the years she said. They knew they had to do better to be better. She gave a special thanks to Paul Beckworth, Joyce Kirst and Kimberly Chin. All went the extra mile to be supportive.

Dr. Oscar Anthony was the keynote and was inspiring in his remarks.  Pastor Anthony is someone who says it as he sees it.  He is a former former Renegade who graduated in 1974 after coming back from the service. He is a good friend of Bakersfield College.  He said: We are turning a chapter in your book. Be the best you can be and better than everyone else. God has a plan for you. Follow your passion.

Paula Parks emceed the event with the consistent message ……you didn’t come this far, just to come this far.

We also have a photo gallery at
https://bakersfieldcollege.smugmug.com/Black-graduation-2016.

Latino Celebration

Drum roll! Here comes the twenty-second Latino Celebration on Thursday, May 5, 2016! Guests not only enjoyed receiving their awards, but also seeing the festive and colorful entertainment. The car show, mariachi band and cultural dance performances kicked the event off to a great start. Despite a thunderstorm, which darkened the gym for a short few seconds, the ceremony began.

Dolores Huerta (photo by Cara Jackson)

Key Speaker Dolores Huerta, one of the leaders in founding the National Farm Worker’s Association, congratulated the students on their achievements so far and encouraged all “to pursue a passion each person loves.” She in turn said that she quit teaching grammar school after she “couldn’t stand seeing kids come to class hungry and needing shoes,” and thought she “could do more by organizing farm workers than by trying to teach their hungry children.” She said that she pursues her passion of changing laws and standing up for the rights of her people and that everyone should pursue their dream.

The crowd responded to her speech with applause and then the students were invited to step up on stage to receive their diploma. Everyone had the opportunity to voice their appreciation to family and teachers for helping make their goals a reality.

I want to thank Victor Diaz, Lisa Kent, Vanessa Bell, Jo Ann Acosta, Isabel Castaneda and Corny Rodriguez for all their efforts in organizing such a great event to celebrate our students.

Check out our 4:49-minute overview video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPm_UIud3Hc.

Also, I briefly introduced this event in a previous blog. http://tinyurl.com/heu6mmk

Photo by Cara Jackson

Radiologic Technology Certification & Pinning Ceremony

On May 12, in BC’s Indoor Theatre, family and friends gathered to watch the

Photo by Cara Jackson

Also on May 12th, in the Fireside Room a dinner was provided by MESA and was held in honor of students who were recognized for their outstanding work and effort in Physical Science.

Many of our faulty had the chance to speak about how diligent students were and why they deserved to be honored at the dinner. Overall, students

enjoyed an elegant dinner, while celebrating their accomplishments for the year.

Photo by Cara Jackson

The 12^th Annual Awards Banquet for MESA was held on May 5^th in the Renegade Room. The MESA program is dedicated to providing academic support to educationally disadvantaged students so they can pursue higher education.

Students who are enrolled in the program have the goal to graduate with degrees in engineering, science and technology.

The night began with a delicious dinner, followed by humorous speeches given by keynote speakers Skylar Pane, Alex Marquez and Javier Flores.

Skylar Pane, a Software Engineer at Google, highlighted that one thing he wants future students to know is that, “failure is a pre-requisite for success.” He mentioned the reason he has come this far in life is simply because he kept trying and that everyone can achieve their goal if they work hard for it.

Bakersfield City School District Foundation meeting

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and the hard working people at the BCSD Education Foundation are doing the groundwork to see this positive change through.

Bakersfield City School District’s vision is to create a collaborative and supportive learning community that ensures all students are inspired to achieve academic excellence and become life-long learners and productive citizens.  I had the delightful opportunity on Monday to present our BC Facility Needs to the BCSD Foundation and was overwhelmed by the positive response. Thank you Dee Slade for opening up the door for BC.  You are such a powerhouse and you just make things happen.

Delano High School District–a great partner.

Have I mentioned recently that I love BC’s campus at Delano….I love the Delano community.  This is a community of passinate people who are willing to do what it takes to make their community better.  Dr. Terri Nuckols, Superintendent of the Delano High School District is one such individual. Terri visited our campus this week to discuss the planning for dual enrollment at Delano High Schools. Thank you Terri.  You are a fabulous partner of Bakersfield College

Check out my previous post on the Delano Prayer Breakfast http://tinyurl.com/heu6mmk

WESTEC Partnership

Corny Rodriguez, Sonya Christian, Bill Rector

I had the opportunity to spend Wednesday afternoon speaking with previous Bakersfield Police Chief, Bill Rector, who now serves as the executive director at WESTEC. This fantastic program works together, with BC and Taft College, to provide specialized training for those interested in certain careers.

These programs are giving our students the necessary skills to succeed in an ever changing and evolving workplace. Some of the training areas are as follows: oilfield/agricultural safety, general industrial safety, corrections/law enforcement training, court report writing classes and a program that prepares people for general industry jobs. For more about WESTEC and their program offerings, visit www.westec.org.

American Lung Association Luncheon

Recently BC was a sponsor of the American Lung Association Luncheon.  BC Nursing students were present taking blood pressure and basic vital signs.  We received a lot of positive feedback about their presence at the luncheon. Everyone loved them! Thank you Pearl Urena for making this happen.  Pearl is the educational advisor for BC’s Pre-Law Program.  You may enjoy my April 30th blog that included our Pre-Law program at http://tinyurl.com/gldggc5

Korean Cultural Club:

Thank you Andrew Bond, first year English faculty in starting a Korean Cultural Club. Here is a picture of them at the end of the semester celebration at Tofu House.

So much diversity….and We Are BC!  

Tagged: Adam Alvidrez, Andrew Bond, Andrew Bonds, Bakersfield College, Bill Rector, Cara Jackson, Christina Sistrunk, Clayton Fowler, David Brooks, Dee Slade, Dr. Oscar Anthony, Jay Tamsi, Korean Cultural Club, Lauren Skidmore, Lisa Kent, Lynda Resnick, Michael O'Doherty, Nancy Perkins, Pearl Urena, Richard Chapman, Roberta Ayala, Sonya Christian, Steven Holmes, Trustee Agbalog