July 20, 1969 – the day man first walked on the moon. It has been 52 years since President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to put an American on the moon by the end of the 1960s was met as millions watched Neil Armstrong take that historic first step.

In this famous photo, Neil captured fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface:

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, thus starting the space race. Two years later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration answered with Project Mercury. The new space program had three main goals: Orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth, investigate the ability of astronauts to function in space, and recover astronauts and spacecraft safely.

On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth.

The US had its first spaceflight involving human beings on May 5, 1961, launching Alan B. Shepard to an altitude of 115 nautical miles. A few weeks later, on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy made an impassioned speech to Congress calling for an ambitious space exploration program.

“Now it is time to take longer strides–time for a great new American enterprise–time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.”

He said, “this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth.”

Within 9 months, on February 20, 1962, John Glenn because the first American to orbit Earth, aboard the Friendship 7 capsule.

The Soviets achieved the first lunar orbit on April 3, 1966. Four months later, NASA’s Lunar Orbiter 1 was the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the moon.

On December 23, 1968, astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders became the first men to orbit the moon, aboard Apollo 8. They performed 10 total lunar orbits and took this famous photo of the Earth:

The first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11, lifted off on July 16, 1969. At 4:18 pm EST on July 20, 1969, the lunar module landed on the lunar surface with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, while Michael Collins stayed in the Apollo Command Module.

It was the culmination of a decade of scientific and cultural efforts and achievements.

62 years later, we have been treated to another type of space race as billionaire entrepreneurs test the limits of privately-funded space exploration.

This week, on July 20 – 52 years after the first person touched the surface of the moon – Wally Funk became the oldest person to go to space as she joined Jeff Bezos aboard Blue Origin for a sub-orbital flight.

Wally Funk isn’t a name that many people had heard before this week, but she was an important part of the space program’s history. She was one off the Mercury 13, a group of female pilots in 1961 testing whether women were fit for space travel. They passed many of the same tests as their male colleagues – Wally once stayed submerged in a tank of water in a dark, soundproofed room for 10 1/2 hours before a doctor ended the experiment – but the program was ultimately canceled and she was never accepted by NASA.

It has been thrilling watching the ingenuity and innovation on display in the recent resurgence in space exploration – the Mars Perseverance Rover, SpaceX missions, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity, and now Blue Origin. It was especially wonderful to see an amazing woman who had worked her whole life to earn that spot finally be rewarded and #daremightythings.

And if that wasn’t enough inspiration, here on Earth, halfway across the globe, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games finally opened, after a year delay due to COVID-19. I wanted to share a few images from the Opening Ceremonies:

The Olympics are such a joy, watching athletes around the world come together in community and competition, sharing in each other’s cultures as they speak the universal languages of their respective sports.

The Opening Ceremonies are always such a time of promise and excitement, before we learn what the stories will be of these Olympic Games. I can not wait to see what these next two weeks will bring for Team USA.

Good morning, friends…
It is July 24, 2021.
The sun shines bright over KCCD.

This week, the Coyotes, the Pirates and the Renegades continue to
Dare Mighty Things

Cerro Coso Community College

Cerro Coso offers new entrepreneurship program

Cerro Coso is offering a new entrepreneurship program in Tehachapi leading to a certificate of achievement.

Own a small business? Want to start one? Cerro Coso is launching a new certificate with just four classes that will help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset and launch your business ideas.

The first two classes will be offered on the Tehachapi campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays this fall. Enroll now!

Courses to complete the certificate can be taken in-person at the Tehachapi campus or online, and can be completed in just two semesters.

Fall classes begin Aug. 23. The schedule of classes is available at www.cerrocoso.edu.

Beginning Aug. 9 a full-complement of student and instructional support services will be back on the Tehachapi Campus located at 126 S. Snyder Ave.

Ajia Saunders receives Eastern Sierra Foundation Transfer Scholarship

Ajia Saunders was awarded the inaugural Eastern Sierra Foundation Transfer Scholarship in July. She earned her associate degree of liberal arts and humanities from Cerro Coso in May.

During her time at CCCC, she was a recipient of the ESF scholarship, which covers the cost of tuition and books.

Ajia will attend CSU Chico to puruse a bachelor’s degree in English. She also plans to pursue a teaching credential while finishing her first novel.

The Eastern Sierra Foundation’s Transfer Scholarship is valued at up to $10,000 per recipient. It is intended to support ESF scholarship recipients who attended and graduated from Cerro Coso’s Bishop Campus and who plan to transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Porterville College

PC Excited to offer Grammarly Services Free to all students

We are pleased to announce free access to Grammarly @ EDU for all PC students! Grammarly works one-on-one with a student to develop essential writing skills, reinforce proper revision habits, and prevent plagiarism. In addition, Grammarly checks for more than 400 common grammar errors, saving time for students while improving their skills.

Grammarly’s sophisticated AI corrects grammatical mistakes and also suggests stylistic changes making writing more understandable. Integrated tools help writers make the right impression on the intended readers based on audience and goals. In addition, Grammarly can check the tone of documents, provide synonym suggestions to improve readability and precision, and even check papers for plagiarism.

Department of Labor providing benefits to PC Students

Porterville College has secured new benefits available through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult Program for students in several of our programs. WIOA, offered by the Office of Workforce Investment, provides students who qualify with financial assistance to cover the cost of books, uniforms, tuition, student center and health fees, certifications, and program materials.

This program provides assistance to students seeking professional careers while helping employers meet their workforce needs. It also helps PC students find good jobs by providing them with job search assistance and additional training opportunities.

The following programs at PC are now eligible for assistance through this program:

Basic Wildland Firefighter Academy
Emergency Medical Technician
Fire Technology
Industrial Maintenance
Industrial Technology
Psychiatric Technician
Registered Nurse
Welding Technology

For more information, students can apply for this opportunity at their local Employment Connection office or contact Ashley Land at the Job Entrepreneur and Career Center at Porterville College.

PC Telehealth to relaunch as PC TimelyCare

For more than a year, Porterville College has provided 24/7 medical and mental health care for all our students through PC Telehealth. Through this service, the college offers around-the-clock access to care for all enrolled students, regardless of their location.

Using telehealth has allowed PC to expand health and wellness offerings to students greatly. Many students have reported that they have taken advantage of these telehealth services more than prior in-person services because of the 24/7 aspect and the ease and increased privacy that comes with telecare.

On July 28, the PC Telehealth service will get an upgrade and change its name to PC TimelyCare. With this new name comes a new, enhanced mobile and desktop app. The new app is easier to use, faster and will continue to deliver the highest quality of care for our enrolled students.

For more information, students can visit timleycare.com/pc to find FAQs or chat 24/7 for technical support.

Bakersfield College

BC’s new Student Services Center opens for in-person services

On Monday, July 19, Bakersfield College’s new one-stop shop to address student needs and concerns, BC’s Student Services Center, opened on campus to assist students on the main Panorama campus Monday through Thursday from 7:30AM to 5:00PM. New and returning students can seek help and support from several different departments, all conveniently located in the CSS building, in room CSS 151.

The Student Services Center is meant to ease the student journey and will include Admissions and Records, Financial Aid and Scholarships, EOPS, CARE, CalWORKS, NextUp, AB540, Early College, and all Welcome Center services such as enrollment support, class scheduling, and troubleshooting.

BC Prepares To Roll Out Third Mobile Welding Unit

BC’s Welding department will be rolling out an additional mobile welding unit this fall semester to reach students throughout areas of Kern County, especially those who may not have the ability to commute to BC’s main campus in Bakersfield to take welding courses. The unit will act as a classroom on wheels, including ten separate welding booths equipped with multi-process welding machines. The college’s welding program develops student’s knowledge and skills in areas of oxyacetylene welding, blueprint reading, layout procedures, safety protocols, Shielded Metal Arc (SMAW) and other welding technologies.

“The best part about getting out into the community with the Mobile Welding Units is seeing the look on my students’ faces when they finally figure out, they too can adapt and overcome their own insecurities about learning a new skillset. ” said BC’s Welding Professor, Jeremy Staat. “And the mobile welding unit provides a way for us as instructors to build a great work ethic within our students and apply real world scenarios using industrial grade equipment for our students to experience before entering the welding industry.”

BC Coach presents at Bakersfield Rotary

Bakersfield College Head Football Coach R. Todd Littlejohn presented at the Rotary Club of Bakersfield. He discussed some of the life skills he tries to instill in his players. He told the club what his football program is about, and how he aims to support his players academically, athletically, and socially.

As you can see, many Renegades came out in full support! Thank you Dr. Girish Patel for the photos.

Dr. Bill Baker, Janet Tarjan, Sonya Christian, Manny Mourtzanos

Manny Mourtzanos, Jay Rosenlieb, Bill Thomas, Bill Baker, Sonya Christian, Todd Littlejohn, Janet Tarjan

Big Things on the Horizon for BC Alumni

The Bakersfield College Alumni Association made good use of the “pandemic pause” by focusing on its board of directors as a dynamic team of leaders that has hit the ground running. The board held a planning retreat this week, in what was their first in-person meeting since the new board was created.

Under the leadership of President Alex Dominguez and Vice President Sandy Woo-Cater, great things are ahead for BC alums in the coming year. If you’re not yet a member of the Alumni Association, more information is available here: https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/alumni

Jack Hernandez Poetry Corner

Movie Sets

We live as though
on a movie set
we think is real,
but the set changes,
some with wagons
some with carriages
some with Model Ts
some with jets
skirting over continents,
these illusions
constantly give way
to new ones,
only the soul’s desire
for love and meaning
exists whatever
the ephemeral set.

In the News

Inyo County Job Spot focuses on adult education

The Inyo Register and Sierra Wave Media talked about the the Adult Education Center and Job Spot, an adult education center established through a partnership between the Inyo County Office of Education and Cerro Coso Community College.

The Job Spot provides services aimed at assisting adults in obtaining skills to better themselves.

Community Voices: Entering Bakersfield College through the Bridge To BC

I loved this piece in the Bakersfield Californian from BC student Stephanie Ruiz:

“I first heard about the Bridge to BC program during my senior year of high school when BC’s representatives visited my high school, and I wasn’t initially planning to participate in the Bridge to BC opportunity because I thought I felt prepared for college. I’m not the first in my family to seek higher education; I have an older sister who is also attending BC so I thought I would be able to pick up what I needed to know from her or just ask my parents, but when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and classes moved online, it made me rethink how prepared I really was and how many questions they could really answer for me.

Since I had never taken any online courses, I was really anxious but through the online Bridge to BC program, my first year of college was pretty great. The experience really helped me ease into my first year of college, not only introducing me to online courses using Canvas, but also giving me an overview of the many resources and programs BC offers for students. These tips, tricks, resources, and support systems are a huge part of the reason my first year of college was a success!”

Bridge to BC Director
Dr. Kimberly Bligh

Spotted on Social Media

Jennifer Garrett shared some photos from BC’s Summer Choral Academy:

And check out this video from the choral academy:

BC Foundation Executive Director Cheryl Scott posted a photo with Dolores Huerta, who spoke at Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club:

Today, Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club was the first Rotary Club ever to host Dolores Huerta as a speaker. Did everyone agree with her in all ways? No. As leaders, though, I believe it’s important for us all to hear different perspectives, ideas, and experiences. I hope we will always welcome the opportunity to learn from a wide variety of guest speakers. Even when we don’t agree, or maybe even relate, it’s an important step in creating an informed, collaborative, empathetic, and peaceful community. #peacebuilding #rotaryinternational #rotary

The Cerro Coso Community College Library announced that it is now open for in-person services. Hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, from noon to 3 pm. Anyone coming to the Cerro Coso campus is required to fill out the pre-screening form.