Good morning Bakersfield.

 

What a great week at the college.  Felt the life of BC every minute of every day……summer bridge, visit from a senator, summer academies for middle and high school students…… ended Friday night at the Memorial Stadium with sound, color, and creativity of the Resound Drum and Bugle Corps competition…. and woke up to an article about Summer Bridge by Joseph Luiz on the front page of the Californian with photos by Felix Adamo.  A great week to be a Renegade!

Check out the full article: tinyurl.com/ybouhqfo 

Check out the video:

 

I’m proud of the work of Tim Heasley and our students who practice countless hours to prepare for the competition.  So thankful for all the volunteers who support this program.  Check it out.

And then Telemundo had Norma Rojas Mora and Abel Guzman discussing BC at various cities

https://www.kget.com/telemundo/nuestra-comunidad/colegio-de-bakersfield-en-varias-ciudades-del-condado-kern_20180717232317/1308349282

Dolores Huerta Day

Have you heard the news that April 10th has been designated as Dolores Huerta Day by Governor Jerry Brown? An article on turnto23.com states,

Dolores Huerta Day is a day to recognize Huerta’s lifelong work from being a civil rights activist, community rights activist and community organizer as well as the co-founder and vice president of the United Farm Workers union. The state law is implemented to encourage schools to teach the students about Huerta and her life.

Dolores Huerta is a supporter of BC Renegades, and she visited campus last March as we premiered the film, “Dolores: Rebel. Activist. Feminist. Mother.” I shared photos and a description of the event in my blog on March 17th earlier this year.  If you have not had the opportunity to see the film, you must. “Dolores” tells the story of how Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez to advocate for the rights of immigrant laborers, rekindling a nationwide sense of pride and identity in the American Latino community in the process.

Senator Andy Vidak at BC

Bakersfield College is fortunate to be supported by local and statewide leaders who believe in the power of higher education. On Thursday afternoon, Senator Andy Vidak visited the Panorama campus accompanied by a tremendous supporter and enthusiastic friend of BC, Michael Bowers who wanted to make sure our Senator had a chance to meet “the legend” Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg and BCSGA President, James Tompkins.

During his visit, Senator Vidak wanted to see the campus, but most of all the students. His first stop was to visit BC’s Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps who were busy practicing on the field. Faculty Director, Tim Heasley was onsite to share a little background on the extreme dedication and commitment made by these young men and women. Each day this week they have been out on the field rehearsing and practicing their routines in preparation for the competition on Friday night.

After the Senator cheered them on and shared that he was a trombone player, we visited the Veterans Resource Center to hear from Paul Beckworth about the growth of out student veteran population, what our veterans have been up to, and the plans for the new Veterans Resource Center coming soon to the Panorama campus. Senator Vidak heard directly from the 3 men studying in the lounge about their plans, what the new VRC means to them, and what they’re most looking forward to after finishing their education.

Across the way, outside of the Science and Engineering building, Dean Stephen Waller, Dean Rich McCrow and Vice President Liz Rozell shared with Senator Vidak that the very building next tothem was a hub of activity.

From STEM camps to robotics labs, summer chemistry classes and more, the Science and Engineering building at BC was full of energy. We headed inside to escape the heat, where Senator Vidak met with more students, alumni, and faculty to see what was taking place.

In the robotics lab, a number of students shared that their experiences this past summer at Bakersfield College have sparked their interests in STEM related careers and professions. Meanwhile, alumni and faculty shared the various tools and hands on learning experiences available within the robotics lab and how these technological advances are contributing to local industry.

Across the hall, we stopped in to Professor Ximena De Silva Tavares’ Chemistry course where Senator wanted to know what career fields everyone in the room was interested in. A young man spoke up saying he was interested in medicine and was looking forward to attending medical school after Bakersfield College.

Renegades all along our visit were thrilled to see Senator Vidak on campus and it was great to see our students approach this strong, yet quiet spoken statewide leader. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the afternoon.

Thank you Senator Vidak for visiting BC!  #WeareBC!

Celebrating the Success of Rural Renegades

Abel Guzman, BC’s Director of Rural Initiatives described the work being done at BC through the 1+1+2=Game Changer program, which is changing the course of education for Kern County. In the piece, he explains the intentional work being done by faculty and staff to bring college closer to home and make college education a reality for our rural communities. “With the support and collaboration of both Supervisor Leticia Perez and Kern Tax CEO Michael Turnipseed,” he said, “Bakersfield College and the Kern High School District partnered to develop a game changing proposal.”

This “wise investment” as Abel says, is changing lives in our rural communities.

 

Purple Ribbon Safety Awareness Event

On Wednesday morning, the community came out to join Kern County Department of Human Services, First 5 Kern, California Highway Patrol, Kern County Sheriff’s Department, Bakersfield Police Department, District Attorney’s Office Community Connection for Child Care, and BC’s Child Development Center team for a small program and safety demonstration.

BC’s Sea Turtles class of five-year-olds opened the program by singing “You are my Sunshine” and BC’s Child Development Center Director, Sue Vaughn welcomed all guests to our campus on the hill. BC’s Child Development Center is proud to be the host location for this years event. We are committed to being Bakersfield’s college and are happy any time the campus can serve as a location for uplifting the community through education and prevention. Cindy Uets, Deputy Director of the Department of Human Services spoke about the tragedies of child heat stroke deaths that occur every year in the US.

Sheriff Donny Youngblood described how difficult it is to be called to the scene of such a tragedy, but it happens nearly every year in Kern county. And Fire Chief, Anthony Galagaza shared similar comments. District Attorney-Elect, Cynthia Zimmerman was also present and it was great to see all the support for such a worthwhile cause.

 

During the demonstration, a thermometer was placed inside a closed and parked car in sight. After watching the thermometer inside the closed vehicle rise dramatically, Robert Rodriguez of the CHP lead a demonstration of how many children could be lined up behind an SUV before the driver could see them in her rearview mirror.  We had 25 three-year olds from the Seashells, Sea Horses and Starfish classrooms arranged behind the SUV before they were spotted.

After the demonstration, the police, sheriff’s deputies, Fire Chief and CHP officers talked with the children about safety. Special thanks to Heidi Carter and Sarah Morales-Ross from Kern County Human Services for their planning efforts. And thank you to the media contacts from 23, 17, and KBAK who also attended.

KGET posted an informative clip of the event on their website. See it on KGET.com! or See all the photos at BC’s Smugmug!

Football Season Ticket Sales and Media Day

Football season tickets are on sale now!  Prices range from $25 to $60 and can be purchased online at Vallitix.com (click the link), by calling 1 (888) 825-5484 or in-person at the Bakersfield College business office.  The Renegades will scrimmage with Antelope Valley on Wednesday, August 22nd at 6 PM in Memorial Stadium. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.  This will be your first chance to get a look at your 2018 BC football team.

Congratulations to Aryka Chavez

We are proud to announce another Renegade who is moving on to continue her academic career and playing career at a four-year school. Aryka Chavez signed to play softball for Arizona Christian Univeristy located in Phoenix, AZ this week. Aryka is now the 35th Renegade student athlete from the ’17-’18 year to sign to continue their student-athlete career at the next level.

Summer Youth Football Camp Recap

This last month the Bakersfield College football team hosted over 1,100 youth, families and staff for their annual football summer camp. Over 600 youth participated in the event which was put on by Golden Empire Youth Football (GEFY) and hosted at our Bakersfield College football practice fields.

Throughout the day BC football coaches led the youth participants through many drills that helped them to sharpen their skills of the game. The relationship between BC and GEFY dates back many years. Many current BC football players participated in the camps when they were younger as well.

To participate in the camp next summer, stay tuned to www.gogades.com for registration information.

More photos of the camp are also available on the GoGades website.

Renegade Volleyball Camp and Basketball Academy

It’s not too late to participate in this summer’s volleyball camp and basketball academy. These are great opportunities to work with college coaches and expand your athletes game.

Remaining Volleyball Camp dates:

• July 25-27: Serve Pass & Defense Camp
• July 25-27: Attacking Camp

For more information contact Coach Ferreira at: carferre@bakersfieldcollege.edu or by phone at: (661) 903-1911.

Basketball Academy dates:

• July 23-26: Coed Academy – registration link: https://bit.ly/2IqjZCc
• July 30 – August 2: Elite Camp – registration link: http://bit.ly/2MjdVhd

For more information contact Coach Dahl at: pdahl@bakersfieldcollege.edu

Royal Industrial Solutions’  Group Partnership

After 12 months of planning and development, the Bakersfield College Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Automation team has constructed two advanced instrumentation trainers. These devices measure mass, pressure, fluid levels, and vacuum for industrial process control. The trainers will be used by BC’s baccalaureate students to learn how to install and calibrate devices they will find in local, national and international industry workplaces.  The trainers support five types of sensors and can also interface with the Allen Bradley program Logix controllers and the  Amatrol process control trainers.  The baccalaureate faculty can format the trainers to interface with other devices and expand students’ knowledge in the field. Special thanks to Process Solutions Engineer Robert Ellis and Services Manager Crystal Mann, both of Royal Industrial Solutions’ Automation Solutions Group, for partnering with Bakersfield College to make this possible!

Renegades at the Bureau of Land Management

Three BC MESA students, Jonathan Kim, Jerad Hanson, and Samantha Pulido interned from May 25 to July 6 at the Bureau of Land Management of Bakersfield. Through the experience, students learned about professional equipment, natural catastrophes, and the processes of evaluating industries, such as the  petroleum industry.

The students gained vast skills and information regarding this department, two project that they focused on were the process of conserving a historic cabin and maintaining a functional and safe water well that hikers frequent during the hot summer days.  This internship was made possible by partnership with USDA National Hispanic Serving Institution Program, Juan Alvarez, MESA Director, Consuelo Gonzalez, and the students’ BLM mentor Elizabeth Crosswell.

Renegades at the National Resources Conservation Service

Juluis Ntuis, Phuong Le, and Jose Mercardo were chosen as the 2018 summer interns and they’ve all expressed how close they became with their cohort and mentors.

Recently, the students spoke about the challenges during their internships and answered questions regarding their overall experiences. They agreed that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the scenery in which they worked was breathtaking. The MESA program is once again grateful for Juan Alvarez, USDA National Hispanic Serving Institution Program, and Javier Flores, and UDSA NRCS, for their commitment to student success and support.

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STEM Camps

KGET highlighted the STEM camps happening on campus, thanks to partners Chevron and Project Lead the Way! This year, the camps were extremely popular which is exciting because they help our future Renegades get a fun and hands on experience at STEM career options. This week focused on Architecture and Design and I loved to see Yadira say, “If you walk into the classroom you will hear students yell things out like ‘oh this is so much more fun than school.”

Thank you Chevron! Thank you Project Lead the Way! This program is incredible. Check it out at KGET.com!

Medical Academy Camp

Speaking of summer camps, KCCD in collaboration with The California Endowment and Delano Joint Unified School District to offer the Delano Medical Academy Camp for incoming 9th grade students. All students expressed an interest in joining the medical field and the camp provided hands-on exposure to health care fields.

Camps just like these are making a difference as our young people begin to explore their higher education options and plans sooner, rather than later! See the article at bakersfield.com.

Record Number of Transfer Students Highlight

Last week, KBAK Reporter, Emma Goss covered the news that more students in the central valley and specifically Bakersfield College are transferring to the UC and CSU system after Community College. Her article and news clip, available on bakersfieldnow.com, mentions Dean of Instruction Michele Bresso who stated the rate successful transfers to the UC system has increased 57% and successful transfers to the Cal State University system have increased 43%.

This exciting news was also released in a LA Times article which mentions Bakersfield College.

Faculty Spotlight on Gina Herrera

Last week, I highlighted a VentureLA article on BC adjunct Art faculty, Gina Herrera and this week I found out her exhibition titled “A Fanciful Escapade” will be part of a First Fridays art series in Kansas City, MO!

It’s incredible to see the many places our BC faculty and students touch! The reach of BC is truly fascinating.

Have a story to share? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! Share with me where you’ve brought your Renegade spirit!

Remembering Dr. Lincoln Hall

This week, I also took some quiet time to remember past BC President, Dr. Lincoln Hall. It’s important to remember the Renegades and leadership that has brought our campus and community to where we are today. This week it was shared that Dr. Lincoln Hall, who served as Interim President of BC from January 2004 – March 2005 and then went on to serve at Porterville College, had passed away. Dr. Lincoln began his work in education after being released from active duty in 1954. He attended UC Berkeley to obtain his teaching credential and taught history, economics, and civics at Antioch High.

His obituary states “In 1957 he moved to Visalia, where he began teaching economics at College of the Sequoias (COS). It was then that Linc met the love of his life, Gerry Vogel, a teacher of business classes at the college. They were married in 1960. While working in a variety of administrative roles at COS, Linc earned his Doctorate in Education from USC.

In 1981, he left COS to become president of Reedley College. Two years later, Linc returned to COS, where he served as superintendent/president until his retirement in 1991. Three weeks prior to retirement, Linc was asked to serve as interim president of a community college in Southern California. He accepted, and enjoyed it so much that he went on to serve in interim positions at twelve community colleges.”

A photo reel of his life and his full obituary is available at this link.

Local Contractor Outreach Seminar

Bakersfield College will be hosting a Local Contractor Outreach Seminar here at the Bakersfield College campus next Tuesday, July 24.  This informative outreach seminar is for local contractors who are interested in potentially working on upcoming Measure J projects at Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, and Porterville College.  More information and details can be found at the Bakersfield College website.

Weekly Fun Photos

The BC crew attended Starfish Summer Institute 2018 for presentations and training!

The third session of summer courses have started at BC SouthWest!  We are in the homestretch of summer 2018!

And the President’s Office shared lunch on Monday with a taco bar, crock pot cake, and other delicious treats!

William Velasquez is one of Todd Coston’s techs who has a true gift for photography. He took this photo before leaving work this week of BC’s Drum and Bugle Corps practicing for RESOUND!

Seen on Facebook

Dr. Oliver Rosales shared:

Had a wonderful time yesterday hosting Carol Peters, Director of Educational Programs for the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of her California site visit. I was impressed that she took the time to drive to Bakersfield College from Los Angeles after visiting a project director at UCLA and spending time with the wonderful Julie Santoski Fry and California Humanities folks. Thanks so much to my fellow project director Andrew Bond and faculty cohort members Chris Cruz-Boone and Octavio Barajas for joining us to discuss the state of humanities at California Community Colleges and the work we are doing at Bakersfield College. Thanks especially to Reggie Williams for dropping by and hosting us at the Norman Levan Center for the Humanities. Thanks too to Dean Manny Mourtzanos for spending a few moments with us as we toured campus and for signing off on this grant years ago. And as my former dean noted, thanks especially to President Sonya Christian for her leadership and promoting faculty innovation. Carol Peters stressed that Chancellor Constance Carroll from San Diego Community College, who is currently serving on the National Humanities Council, spoke so highly of the good work we are doing at BC.

 

Purple Heart Run.

Photos from Karen Goh’s photos on Facebook

Bakersfield College Veterans were are the Purple Heart Truck event.  The truck has been adapted for combat-wounded paralyzed or double amputee veterans and will be given to a wounded veteran who lost both his legs in Iraq.

We Are BC

 

 

That’s all for now.  

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.  

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Tagged: Bakersfield College, Felix Adamo, James Tompkins, Joseph Luiz, Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, Senator Andy Vidak, Sonya Christian, Tim Heasley