As we completed the Fall 2022 semester, I was thrilled for Kern CCD to host an Apprenticeship Forum.
Apprenticeship and the larger work-based learning is a priority for our colleges. It is so critical for our students to receive work-based learning experience. Whether it’s apprenticeship, internships, or cooperative education, it is a key factor to deepen our students’ learning and understanding, and development of skills. It’s also critical in creating a network of future job opportunities.
Our job as a community college district is to put community at the center; to be a resource for every member of our community to have the opportunity to be engaged with our colleges for upward economic mobility for their families.
Our commitment to creating this space for learning and earning is a transformational equity initiative, and I am excited about the work we are doing.
Thank you Tony Cordova for planning this event.
Thank you panelists who shared great information with our attendees:
Apprenticeship in Trade Sectors: David Teasdale (Moderator), Armanda Pena, Anthony Ausbie, Quintin Morales
Expansion Opportunities in Non-Traditional Sectors: Thad Russell (Moderator), Felicia Borges, Stephanie Morena, Daniel Wolcott
Role of Pre-Apprenticeship in Workforce Development: Randal Tillery (Moderator), Jerry Irvin, Wanda Rogers
California’s Apprenticeship Expansion and Investment Strategy: Sabrina Aguilar (Moderator), Adele Burnes, Sean McCobb, Douglas Howell, Teresa Hitchcock
Role of Regional Consortia in Apprenticeship Centralization: Anthony Cordova (Moderator), Kevin Fleming, Jessica Grimes, Nicole Parra, Norma Rojas-Mora
Thank you again to all who attended the forum, those who spoke at the forum, and everyone who made it possible.
Good morning, friends.
It is December 10, 2022.
The sun shines bright over Kern CCD.
Porterville College
Porterville Baseball’s Kaden Twyman signs letter of intent
Kaden Twyman with PC head coach J.L. Buchanan
Congratulations PC Baseball Athlete, Kaden Twyman on signing his letter of intent to play for a 4-Year institution after his time at Porterville College.
Twyman was honored on Thursday, December 1st with a signing ceremony, inside the PC gymnasium, in front of friends, teammates, and the campus community. At the ceremony, he signed his official letter of intent to play ball at Benedictine University, Mesa in the Fall.
The 2nd Baseman and right-hander graduated from Lake Havasu High School and came to PC as one of the first recruits under Baseball Coach JL Buchanan.
Located in Mesa, Arizona, Benedictine Mesa competes at the NAIA level and is a member of the California Pacific Conference. Last season, the Redhawks compiled a 33-27 overall record and finished third in the Cal Pac at 18-11. Twyman is set to compete for head coach Adam Smith this upcoming fall 2023 season. In signing with Benedictine, Twyman will return to his home state. He was a 2021 graduate of Lake Havasu High School in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. He plans to major in science, nutrition, and allied health at Benedictine with the end goal of becoming a physical therapist.
Kaden will serve as captain for the Pirates this Spring Season. Practices for 2023 get underway in January with the season-opener scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 31 at home against Barstow Community College.
The semester ends with activities, and tips for students
Finals week has now come and gone. In order to help students get through it with confidence and low stress, Porterville College provided both in-person and virtual ways for students to reduce stress and get through finals with confidence.
Large games, such as connect 4 and Giant Jenga, were available for students to play in several areas on campus (see photos below) and the library once again provided a curated list of fun and relaxing virtual learning experiences to help beat stress. On social media, we made articles and tips for surviving finals week available, and on our new student-run TikTok channel, students shared messages of support from PC faculty and staff.
Cerro Coso Community College
Tehachapi Campus Senior Day 2022 – A HUGE Success!
On Friday, December 2nd over 100 high school seniors from East Kern High Schools (i.e., Tehachapi, Mojave, California City, Boron, & Edwards AFB) came to the Tehachapi campus for half a day to see the campus, meet faculty, and learn about our CCCC programs during interactive breakout sessions.
It has been over two years since the Tehachapi campus has been able to offer this event in-person.
Tehachapi Campus Senior Day 2022 provided an opportunity for these high school seniors to envision themselves going to Cerro Coso Community College in the future.
Karee Hamilton, Counselor led the team in planning this annual event. With the help of the small but MIGHTY Tehachapi team including Lisa Stephens, Director of East Kern; Yvonne Pickerell, DA II; Kristin Hanle, Dual Enrollment Campus Manager; Kristie Nichols, Program Technician; Celena Tuitt, ISEP DA II; and Anthony Briseno, Educational Advisor; the high school students enjoyed a very fun and successful event.
Shout OUT to Tehachapi faculty – Melanie Jeffreys (English), Peter Fulks (Admin of Justice); Joshua Pierce (EMT), and Alec Griffin (Anthropology) for providing excellent and engaging breakout sessions that showcased CCCC programs and courses in their field of study.
Also, a HUGE thank you to Outreach for providing the funding for the food and student transportation.
Winter Wonderland Holiday Extravaganza
As cheerful as the holidays seem, they can often be a hard time for a lot of military families, especially children who are dealing with the changes of a recent move, or the deployment of a parent.
Every year the military base at China Lake hosts a Winter Wonderland Holiday Extravaganza on the base to help brighten their spirits. Cerro Coso was a proud sponsor of the event again this year, that invited active duty military, civilians, and their families to come and enjoy the ultimate party this festive season in true Winter Wonderland style.
The event provides a lot of joy and excitement for the more than 400 guests in attendance, many of whom said they’ve had nothing like this at any of their duty stations.
Cerro Coso Community College Named Among Best Community Colleges in California by Intelligent.com
Higher education resource guide releases the best community colleges for 2023
Inteligent.com a trusted resource for program rankings and higher education planning, has included Cerro Coso Community College to its list of the Best Community Colleges in California in 2023. The research identifies top schools in the state based on tuition costs, the number of credits required to graduate, and the online coursework delivery format.
Intelligent.com implemented a unique methodology that ranks each institution on a scale from 0 to 100 across six categories. The scoring system compares each school to tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, reputation, and the student resources provided for online students.
Studies show that obtaining a degree increases income substantially, with graduates earning 84% more than those with only high school diplomas or those without a completed GED. The percentage difference in earnings continues to grow with higher learning degrees such as master’s, doctoral or professional degrees, with the unemployment rate decreasing to as much as 1.6% for those with a doctorate. To access the complete ranking, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/best-community-colleges/california/#cerro_coso_community_college.
Cerro Coso Community College is one of three colleges in the Kern Community College District. The college is charged with the responsibility of providing educational opportunities for the widely separated desert, mountain, and valley communities within a sweeping 18,000-mile, four-county region of eastern California. Cerro Coso’s service area includes a population base of just over 85,000 individuals. The college officially opened in the fall of 1973, and within the year began expanding its service area to include the present region. Cerro Coso, as an institution, has a long history of valuing students as individuals with unique capabilities and needs and a teaching-learning process that motivates students towards excellence.
Bakersfield College
BC Employee Holiday Reception
BC had a wonderful turnout at the Employee Holiday Reception last week. The Fireside Room was absolutely packed with staff and faculty, and Chef Alex and the food service team provided a beautiful holiday spread. It is so great sharing in holiday festivities together. Check out these photos from the gathering and go visit the full gallery!
Renegade Spotlight on Joe Saldivar
Professor Joe Saldivar Ph.D. has been teaching Biology at Bakersfield College for 25 years and is currently serving as Department Chair for Biology at BC. He likes to be known as Dr. Joe or “just Joe.” Joe is an active member of the BC community, participating in on-campus events and commencements, and has been a regular presenter in Renegade Talks. Joe is passionate about his students and ensuring their success. In fact, he has a “Get out of BC Wall” in his classroom with pennant flags from various transfer universities.
Joe enjoys sports, photography, traveling, golf, and reading. His disposition and accomplishments are priceless assets for BC.
In the News
Community Voices: Check it out, the sequel
Robert Tafoya wrote this piece for The Bakersfield Californian about the Friends of the Shafter Library – and the important role libraries play in our society.
“As the current pandemic highlights, poor communities in America do not have equal access to computers and the internet, critical tools to access knowledge. Fareed Zacaria, in his book, “In Defense of a Liberal Education,” reminds us that reading books remains one of the most important paths to real knowledge. This has been true for centuries and it has not changed.“
Fun Photos and Spotted on Social Media
From Porterville College Athletic Director Joe Cascio’s Twitter Account (@coach_cash_AD):
The BC men’s and women’s Tennis teams prepared and served food at the Bakersfield Homeless Center on Saturday, December 5th. I am so proud of our athletics teams investing their time into their community!
====================
That’s a wrap for now.
See you next Saturday!
The future is bright at KernCCD.
-sonya
a joyful and grateful Chancellor
#KernCCDDaringMightyThings
Tagged: #KernCCDDaringMightyThings, Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso College, Kern Community College District, Porterville College, Sonya Christian
Leave a Reply