A big week for America. Vaccines roll out across our country

Definitely a tear-filled moment when I received this photo from my daughter … pretty special young woman.

On Monday, Dec 14th, Gavin Newsom traveled to LA to be present when the first Californian, Helen Cordova, a nurse at Kaiser Pemanente received the vaccine.

On Thursday, the first vaccines administered in Bakersfield were given to some of our own front-line health care workers, including Dr. Brij Bhambi of the Bakersfield Heart Hospital. And if you have not signed up for our blog, plz do so at https://bhambiandchristian.com/

But it is still important that we remain vigilant in maintaining our pandemic safety. While the vaccine has arrived and those at highest risk have begun receiving it, there is still a long road before everyone will be able to be vaccinated. Do you want to know when your turn will be up…. check out the graphic below.

You can get an idea of your own place in line using the online Vaccine Calculator Tool.

So please – know that hope is here and the end is in sight, but continue to wear your mask and maintain social distancing to keep us all protected until we all are able to be vaccinated.

Good morning Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, December 19, 2020 … a great day to be a Renegade.

Let me help you start this holiday season with music from our choir from the last several years when they did the Culinary and Caroling dinner event. Plus I loved that Jack and Eileen Pierce did a family caroling program this year to spread some good Christmas cheer. Relax with some hot chocolate and sink into this glorious music.

The Pierce family spreading Christmas cheer:

CARE/CalWORKs Holiday Celebration

Thanks to the generosity of BC staff, faculty and community members, over seventy-five CARE/CalWORKs students received gifts for their children in the mail this past week. All donors received the following thank you video.

Outreach and Early College Get Into the Holiday Spirit

The Outreach and Early College team got into the holiday spirit at their virtual holiday party! The team played games, exchanged white elephant gifts, and even had an ugly Christmas sweater competition. The highlight of the party was a game in which each person had 5 minutes to prepare a holiday themed snack. The team member then presented their holiday snack and 3 judges assigned scores. You can check out the winner of the holiday snack challenge in the picture below! The team also took a holiday photo opportunity to show off their festive holiday attire.

 The Outreach and Early College team want to wish the entire BC family a joyous and happy holiday season!

Executive Office Holiday Fun

Our Executive Office team also got into the holiday spirit this week during our Zoom meeting.

I especially loved Catherine Rangel‘s background, where she made our Vice President of Student Affairs,
Zav Dadabhoy (and huge Green Bay Packers fan), into a Raiders-supporting Elf on the Shelf.

Winter Campus Closure & Spring 2021

Bakersfield College’s operational winter closure will begin Monday, December 21, 2020, and offices will remain closed through Friday, January 1, 2021. Services will resume regular operating hours on Monday, January 4, 2021. 

But don’t worry, our Student Information Desk will be open for limited hours on select dates to continue to assist students during the closure. Staff will be available December 21-23 and 28-30 from 10AM to 2PM.

Returning and new students are encouraged to connect for assistance with enrolling for the spring 2021 semester. Enrollment is now open and courses begin the week of January 16, 2021.

Visit the Student Information Desk!

And check out these great new offerings at BC – don’t forget, you can connect with the Student Information Desk to sign up!

Spring Back To College 

Project HireUp has added a couple more no-cost skills certificates for this Spring! Basic Internet Skills, Customer Relations, and Digital Marketing for Small Business will be offered this spring. All courses are offered online and run 2-4 weeks, 4-5 hours per day.

Learn more at Back To College.

President’s Virtual Forum: PSYCB61 NC

This week, we had the last President’s Virtual Forum of the semester. On Wednesday, we heard about a new non-credit course offering, PSYC B61NC: Psychological Resilience Skills Training. This new course will help all employees have the mental capacity tools needed when confronted with traumatic and stressful events.

We heard from Helen Acosta, Rich McCrow, David Riess, and Isaias Hernandez. You can see all their videos on the COVID-19 Resources page on the BC website.

Here’s a clip from Isaias Hernandez:

3 Renegades Picked for Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Internmatch Program

This semester, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center selected three Bakersfield College Renegades to join a group of students currently enrolled at various Central Valley California Community Colleges to participate in the Internmatch program. Congratulations to Isabel Alcocer, Grisel Martinez, and Felipe Nebesyj!

The opportunity is organized by Alese Campbell, Central Valley and Mother Lode Regional Director of Employer Engagement Business and Entrepreneurship. In collaboration with Campbell, several Bakersfield College students have already participated in this internship for two consecutive semesters.

Norma Rojas-Mora Featured in COVID-19 Task Force Videos

BC Community Relations Director Norma Rojas-Mora has been featured in several videos encouraging Bakersfield residents to practice social distancing. The campaign is part of the Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force, a partnership between Kern County Public Health and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The task force also launched a health and wellness hotline this week to help individuals dealing with COVID-related stress. Proud of the work you are doing Jay Tamsi.

In addition to being featured in the 30-second ad spot, Norma also made a testimonial in Spanish for the partnership.

A Better BC: Photos from Measure J

On Thursday, December 10, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Mike Giacomini and Food Service Manager Fidel Cabuena went through a socially-distanced tour of the new Campus Center, Science and Engineering building, and the second phase of renovations to Memorial Stadium. Earl Parsons collected photos of the tour, and the full gallery is available to view on Smugmug.

For more information about the progress of our Measure J projects, please visit the A Better BC website.

Here are some highlights from the tour:

Spotted on Social Media

Matt Jones shared a new art project he’s working on called Daily Discern & Draw using everyday objects:

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Sondra Keckley has a cozy view of her fireplace:

The Student Success & Equity Team, Kara McDonald, Abraham Castillo, Isabel Castaneda, Maria Wright and Stephanie Vega had some fun with Lesley Bonds:

The Jones Art Gallery also shared some great art this week. This piece is from the Panorama Invitational. It was created by Savannah Rosas of Foothill High:

Athletics

BC Athletics Nike Team Store

BC Athletics has launched the Nike Renegade Team Store in conjunction with Eastbay, their team uniform supplier.

To access the store click the image or the link below. Items available for purchase include T-shirts, Long-Sleeves, Polo’s, Hoodies, Sweatshirts and more in both men’s and women’s sizes.

Now is the time to show your Renegade pride and get that piece of Nike BC Renegade team gear you’ve always wanted. The store is open from now until Jan. 1, 2021. Items will ship once the store closes.

All proceeds from sales will directly benefit BC Athletics.

BC Athletics Nike Team Store: https://eastbaystore.com/OFTS8558

Check out some of the merchandise below:

Coach Brett Clark Steps Down

This last week our Head Wrestling Coach, Brett Clark announced that he is stepping down from his position leading the program to pursue opportunities to teach and coach out-of-state. Coach Clark has been a constant strength for the program the last seven years as his teams have won three conference titles and he was named conference coach of the year each of those three seasons as well.

After being a BC student athlete in the 90’s, Coach Clark returned to campus as both an assistant and then head wrestling coach to guide and mentor countless Renegade student athletes, with many of them going on to win individual conference and state championships.

We are sad to see such a good coach leave the Renegade family, but we wish Coach Clark and his family all the best in their new endeavors.

As always, Go Gades!

Best buddies Neo & Bessie:

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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, Brij Bhambi, Coronavirus Vaccine, Eisha Christian, Gavin Newson, Kaiser Permanente, Sonya Christian