This is how we did Easter 2022. My daughter and Bessie visited …. Neo, needless to say, was ecstatic with Bessie at home.
Yesterday was Earth Day, and it is always nice to take a weekend in spring to truly enjoy the world around us – and think of ways to protect it for future generations.
Check out this message from the League for Innovation:
“Today is #EarthDay2022, an annual day to celebrate our fragile planet and make a pledge to support and cherish its environment. This year’s theme is “It’s going to take all of us.” Enjoy this spring weekend and consider ways in which you can pitch-in. http://ow.ly/ZX3150IQkFQ“
EarthDay.org had livestreams of the Earth Day Climate Action Summit, which brought together great minds from across the globe.
I particularly thought the panel on regenerative agriculture. John Piotti, president of the American Farmland Trust, said, “We can actually reverse temperature increase over time if we ultimately get enough carbon back in the soil.” Innovative ideas like this are an amazing way to build our workforce, improve sustainability, and protect our planet.
You can watch it on YouTube:
Good morning, friends.
It is April 23, 2022.
The sun shines bright over KernCCD.
This week, the Pirates, the Coyotes, and the Renegades continue to
#DareMightyThings
Porterville College
Job Fair Brings Job Seekers to Campus
Porterville College, in partnership with the Porterville Adult School and the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County, presented the 2022 PC Job Fair on Tuesday, April 19th. The event, held in the PC Campus Quad, was a huge success, bringing hundreds of job seekers out on the beautiful spring day to meet with potential employers and apply for over 1000 available jobs from employers including Amazon, Eagle Mountain Casino, Starbucks, T-Mobile, The City of Porterville, State Farm, the Kern Community College District, Sierracare, the Porterville Unified School District and many others.
There were also multiple “Job Readiness” workshops offered by PCs Business Innovation Center to support the event and help prepare those job seekers for a better chance at landing the job of their dreams. Five “pre” workshops were offered in the two weeks leading up to the event to prepare students to put their best foot forward during the Job Fair. The workshops covered a series of topics from interview and resume preparation to networking and job search skills.
Speakers discuss the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez at CHAP event
The Porterville College Cultural and Historical Awareness Program (CHAP) presented an event honoring the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez entitled The Cesar Chavez Legacy Continues on Thursday. The event was created in partnership between The Porterville College Dreamer’s Success Center, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and O.L.A. RAZA, Inc.
Guest speakers Andres Chavez of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, Roberto DeLa Rosa of the United Farm workers association and Reyna Rodriguez of Proteus, Inc. spoke to the crowd about the legacy of Cesar Chavez and what it has meant to our culture and the movement he created to empower those seeking to make change.
When asked about how he feels living up to his grandfather’s legacy, Andres Chavez responded, “My grandfather said ‘It’s my deepest belief that only by giving our lives, can we find life’. I hope that I am of enough service to others that I can live up to him”.
Reyna Rodriguez talked about how we can all find connection through our stories. “By realizing that by not walking alone, we are stronger”.
And Roberto De La Rosa discussed how “Si, Se Puede!” was more than a slogan for the UFW, it was a call to action. He said, “by looking at our history, we can find our strength”. He then led the audience in an inspired chant of si se puede!, si, si se puede!, si se puede!
Students Showcase Amazing Artwork at PC Art Gallery
Each year, the Porterville College Fine and Applied Arts Division presents a showing of the hard work and creative talents of their art students. The culminating projects of these students are presented in a gallery exhibition of their work at the PC Art Gallery.
After being forced to take this exhibition into a virtual format for the past two years, we are excited to announce the return to an in-person showing of PC student work. The public is invited to enjoy this annual student art exhibition in the PC Art Gallery on campus.
The show began on April 18th and will continue until May, 5th. Hours are Monday – Thursday from 12 – 2 pm and 4 – 6 pm
For more information on the show or our Fine and Applied Arts programs, contact Jim Entz at 791-2257.
Cerro Coso Community College
Cerro Coso Recipient of Inaugural 2022 Excellence in Placement Award
Cerro Coso Community College has been named a 2022 Champion for Excelling in Equitable Course Placement honoree for the inaugural 2022 Excellence in Placement award by the Campaign for College Opportunity.
Since the passage of AB 705 (Irwin) in 2017, the California Community Colleges has drastically increased access to credit-bearing courses across all racial and ethnic groups, doubling the number of students who complete transfer-level Math and English courses. This spring the Campaign is thrilled to recognize over 40 Community Colleges for their work in eliminating remedial education courses at their institutions and ensuring students enroll and succeed in college-level courses.
Cerro Coso Community College has been named a 2022 Champion for Excelling in Equitable Course Placement in Black English Enrollment & Black Math Throughput. The college successfully supported 100% of Black students to enroll directly into transfer level English coursework and at least 60% of its Black students who enrolled in a transfer level Math course successfully complete it within 1 year of their initial enrollment. CCCC supported Black students at rates equivalent to or even exceeding those of the student body as a whole. “We applaud your dedication and commitment to California students,” stated in the award letter.
The Campaign for College Opportunity will recognize Cerro Coso Community College at their inaugural award installation ceremony, Excellence in Placement: Honoring Community Colleges Excelling in Equitable Course Placement for Students, on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
Joining this special celebration will be Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, and other California Community College honorees.
Four Complete KCCD Leadership Academy
Four Cerro Coso Community College employees have completed the 2021-2022 Kern Community College District (KCCD) Leadership Academy, a professional development program that prepares employees for leadership roles throughout the district.
Each year, KCCD presidents submit the names of employees to participate in the program.
Tehachapi faculty members: Jaclyn Kessler (Math), Gaysha Smith (Art), and Vonetta Mixon (Business), and Cody Pauxtis (Director of Maintenance and Operations) at the Ridgecrest Campus, were selected for the 2021-2022 cohort after a competitive application process.
The KCCD Leadership Academy is a year-long program of monthly meetings on topics specific to community colleges. Academy participants from around the district attended the day-long sessions covering topics on: leadership, decision making, communication, budgeting, student success, accreditation, and more.
They also worked outside the sessions on team-based projects to effect positive change across the district.
The KCCD Leadership Academy identifies, educates, innovates, motivates, and develops potential college leaders by exposing program participants to the challenges the colleges face and the opportunities that are available for growth; provides a communications network between present and future college leaders; and promotes leadership on a planned, continuing basis for the development of District and employees.
The KCCD Leadership Academy is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2023 cohort. All interest employees are encouraged to talk to their supervisors about program participation.
“Leadership is not about executive position or title. It is about connection and influence. Leadership is all about adding value to the world and blessing lives through the work you do.” – Robin Sharma
Congratulations to the KCCD Leadership Class of 2021-20221
Sexual Assault Awareness Month at CCCC
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Cerro Coso has a number of activities planned to bring awareness to this year’s campaign.
On Thursday, April 28, 2022 the College Safety and Security Department are hosting Guest Speakers: Emmanuel Arias from the Women’s Center High Desert who will talk about the definition of sexual assault, types of assault, the importance of bystander intervention, and resources available through the Women’s Center High Desert. Detective Mixon of the Ridgecrest Police Department will be on hand to discuss sexual assault crimes. The event will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in the Community Room 350 and via Zoom for students at other campuses. Lunch will be provided for those attending in-person.
Denim Day 2022 is also April 28th. The College encourages everyone to wear their logo wear and denim on the 28th and send us a picture showing your support and honoring survivors. Send pictures to ndorrell@cerrocoso.edu .
Why denim? The campaign was originally triggered by an Italian Supreme Court ruling which overturned a rape conviction because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she was implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.
Wear jeans on April 28th as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
Bakersfield College
BC Celebrates Grand Opening of the Automotive Technology Training and Auctions Facility
Through the support and partnership of the Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association (GBNCDA) and WSM Auctions, Bakersfield College has opened its new Automotive Technology Training facility at the Bakersfield Auto Mall. The partnership will provide students the opportunity to train and learn on trade-in vehicles which will then be auctioned resulting in support for the College’s program.
The 10,000 sq. ft. building, located at 2703 Blue Mountain Way, features a classroom and multiple shop bays, where students will learn and train in a hands-on environment using trade-in vehicles, provided by GBNCDA’s dealerships. Also housing the business operations of WSM Auctions, the building includes a full auction floor where vehicles that are repaired by students may be auctioned.
Bakersfield College developed a comprehensive training curriculum, taught by SAE and ASE certified instructors, that prepares automotive students to be hired into entry-level and intermediate automotive technician jobs. At the new facility, BC will offer this training using state-of-the-art equipment from cutting edge industry leaders, such as General Motors, Snap-On Tools, Bosch Auto Parts, AES Wave, Integrated Supply Network, Hunter Engineering, and Chemical Guys.
Congratulations to the Automotive Technology Department on this wonderful partnership which will benefit students, the local automotive industry and the community for many years to come. Thank you to all of the faculty staff and community leaders that have all played a part in making this dream a reality.
Industrial Automation Day 2022
The Bakersfield College hosted Industrial Automation Day 2022 on Friday. Local high schools and community members were invited to take part in the event which featured informational booths, laboratory tours, hands-on demonstrations, and much more.
The event highlighted the Industrial Automation department and their Bachelor’s degree program and how it encompasses many of Kern County’s leading industries including oil, energy, agriculture, aerospace, manufacturing, and others.
The booths featured several companies from the region and gave attendees the opportunity to see product demonstrations and to interact with professionals in the industrial automation industry.
BC Hosts Peak Performance: Back to Life Seminar
In an increasingly busy and stressful world, people may find it hard to focus on their academic goals or their work-place performance. In an effort to address such issues, BC offered a free seminar Tuesday afternoon at the Panorama campus titled ‘Peak Performance: Back to Life Seminar’. The featured speaker was Dave Seymour, LMFT and addressed various topics relating to personal performance and functioning.
Seymour said this about the event, “My goal for this seminar was to provide valuable information about how to overcome the pull into lower states of functioning that result from events happening in our environment, and our reactions to those events. I discussed both informational and experiential understanding of how to transition “back to life” as our best self. We cannot make this transition without the recognition that things are different and we might need to BE different in order to function effectively in our return healing.”
BC’s Rodeo Club Competes
The newly formed Rodeo Club recently traveled to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to compete in a College Rodeo against nine other colleges and universities. These nine colleges and universities are members of the West Coast Region of the National intercollegiate Rodeo Association. This was the ninth rodeo held for the season, with the final rodeo to be held at the South Pointe Casino in Las Vegas in May.
The team competed in the Cuesta College Rodeo and the Cal Poly, SLO Rodeo which included various events including bull riding, tie-down calf roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, and several others.
The Rodeo Club had a successful first year as a new member school for the region and hopes to grow the team in the coming years.
BC Performing Arts Department Presents “The Wolves”
The Bakersfield College Performing Arts department presents “The Wolves”, a play written by Sarah DeLappe. This in-person performance will take place at the Edward Simonsen Outdoor Theater April 27, 28, 29 and 30 at 7:30 pm. The play is directed by Brian J. Sivesind and Cory Geurtsen and all are welcome to attend.
The play presents a fascinating and honest portrayal of nine adolescent girls in America who compete together on an indoor soccer team. It follows their experiences as individuals, teammates and ultimately human beings balancing life between athletic competition, big life questions and doing their best to score some goals.
Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students, staff and seniors. To purchase tickets in advance, visit the Performing Arts online box office.
In the News
Cesar Chavez honored at Porterville College event
The Porterville Recorder published this great article by Jaime A. Hunt about PC’s Cesar Chavez CHAP event.
Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media
I wanted to share this email and these photos from PC Math Professor & Division Chair Sherie Burgess:
“Yesterday, the Math Division hosted it’s 2nd Annual Math Battle competition for local high school students. There were 53 high school students in attendance, along with 10 HS faculty coaches, 7 PC faculty, and 20 PC tutors/mentors/professional experts helping to support our future STEM students! We had a fun day with Math where students competed in individual and team rounds. Highlight of the day is when an unexpected team was formed with two students from PHS and SCCA (they didn’t know each other and only met that morning) worked together as a team and won the team round!!! What a fun surprise.”
Check out this Blast from Tulare’s past:
Retired Cerro Coso President Jill Board shared this post featuring Michael Garrison – check it out at https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/NAWCWD-researchers-develop-safer-BPA-alternatives/Mon-04182022-1253?fbclid=IwAR020-1eg93lV_E73M6uM0eVJLHac3s6Bz03CAP-FZxBwJHUV_YTuzodRjk.
Cerro Coso held a one-stop application and registration day on Friday:
Cerro Coso President Sean Hancock shared these photos from the event:
Motor City Buick GMC shared this post from the grand opening of the BC Automotive Technology Training and Auctions Facility:
BC’s Adult Education shared this update – thank you to Mayor Karen Goh for helping cut the ribbon!
Today we celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of the CityServe Educational Collaborative Center! This space serves as a resource center for the surrounding community and the hub for Bakersfield College Project HireUp. We are excited to re-introduce the center to the community and thank all partners involved.
And I will leave you with this video of Paula Parks receiving the Regina Stanback Stroud Diversity Award:
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That’s a wrap for now.
See you next Saturday!
The future is bright at KernCCD.
-sonya
a joyful and grateful Chancellor
#KCCDDaringMightyThings
Tagged: #KCCDDaringMightyThings, Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso College, Kern Community College District, Porterville College, Sonya Christian
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