Sonya Christian's Blog

This week, representatives from the Chancellor’s Office headed to Sierra College for the grand opening of their new student housing complex.

On the far right is Ronnie Slimp who leads our facilities work, including student housing. He has done a remarkable job shepherding this work.

The facility has 358 beds, with the majority being offered at below market rents. Students will begin moving in next semester!

I wanted to share this bit from Sierra College’s news article –

Each year, several students with the greatest financial need will be eligible to receive free room and board as a result of the “Endow-A-Bed” program spearheaded by the Sierra College Foundation. The program aims to raise $250,000 to endow one bed in perpetuity for students in need – with a goal of endowing 10 beds in total, including one reserved for a military veteran.

BOG member Pam Hynes and I were able to snap a pic with Sierra College President Willy Duncan:

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Good morning California.
It is December 13, 2025.
A good day to be a Community College Champion

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This week, I’ll continue my annual tradition of closing the year reviewing past blog posts. Today we’ll look at posts from 2013-2017.

Take a little time out of your weekend, relaxing with a cup of coffee (or tea or hot chocolate) to browse through previous posts…

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2013

May 2013: Red and White Wine and Jazz Festival

Friday April 12^th capped a week of travel: the Sloan emerging technology conference in Vegas, then back to host the Board meeting at the College on Thursday, to Harris Ranch for a two-day conference with the Central Valley CEOs and trustees. It’s been almost a month, but there’s a major event that I wanted to be sure to blog about. I left the conference at Harris Ranch early that Friday to be present for the Red and White Wine and Jazz festival. This a major annual fundraiser that the Foundation has organized since 2008 in support student scholarships, and I didn’t want to miss it for anything.

I was impressed from the start with the level of attention to detail and organization – everything from the parking shuttles to the staff at the entrance, to the layout of booths and food. The Culinary program did an outstanding job of providing a tasty and creative variety of food to complement the wine, and the students were great at serving the guests and creating a festive atmosphere.  There was an abundant selection – far more than was possible to have more than a sampling. My personal favorite was the pastas rellenas… The students, Chef Coyle and Chef Gomez were all in fine form.

» Read more!

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September 2013: Summer Bridge Helps Incoming Freshmen Transition

Do you remember what those first weeks of college were like? Fresh out of high school, the size and scope of a college campus, along with the sheer number of students walking the halls, was daunting. Then, there’s the switching from building to building, locating classes and services, and having to do everything yourself.

Helping students transition to college life is the goal of a program here at Bakersfield College called Summer Bridge. This past August, many people on campus came together to help 35 incoming freshmen learn the ropes and ready themselves for college. Over four days, these students spent 18 hours on campus taking care of business. Many, many more wanted in, but time and space limited how many we could serve.

» Read more!

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November 2013 – Learning in Community: Meeting the Needs
of our Students with Disabilities

On Friday, November 15^th many faculty, staff and administrators attended a workshop on instructional technology issues and accessibility for students with disabilities presented by Gaeir Dietrich, the Director of the CCCCO’s High Tech Center Training Unit.  To complement the training, the DSPS faculty and staff also put together a terrific display of technology typically used by students with a variety of disabilities.

Gaeir Dietrich taught us many interesting things—most importantly that “campus accessibility is a campus-wide responsibility” and that “digital does not necessarily mean accessible.”  “It’s a matter of equal rights, campus diversity, and better pedagogy by acknowledging learning differences that benefits all students.”

» Read more!

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2014

March 2014: Bakersfield College Students Chosen for Leadership Conference

A select group of Bakersfield College students recently honed their leadership skills at a special invitation-only conference in San Diego for math-based majors. The event was sponsored by the California Utilities Diversity Council. The 10^th annual Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Student Leadership Conference offered extensive professional and leadership development through direct interaction with industry mentors and speakers. The hand-picked MESA students, all science, engineering, or math majors, represented over 30 universities and community colleges from across the state, including Bakersfield College.

» Read more!

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May 2014: Project Atlantis Opens International Doors for BC Students

For the past three years, Bakersfield College has been participating in “Project Atlantis,” an International Exchange Program for students in humanities careers. This year, Bakersfield College has three students from Spain and one student from Italy currently attending classes, and sent two of our students to Spain and one to Italy. All the students who have participated have been academically successful and have gained a new cultural understanding.The International Exchange Program is a dynamic program enabling eight students to have an international experience. All students who participate in the exchange program receive the international exchange certificate. The exchange program is a one year commitment. One semester will be spent in either Italy or Spain taking a full load of classes at the University in the language of the country.

» Read more!

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July 2014 – Today, July 19, 2014 is a good day

This was a fun blog – I shared a day in my life, from 5:30 am reading to a 6:30 pm call with my daughter.

5:30 am – Started off my day reading Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream and thinking that we should probably have Civic Literacy as one of our Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs).

9:00 am – After that I went to my Saturday exercise class which launched a new routine last week.

10:00 am – I then headed out to BC to see what Steve Watkin and the BC gang were up to with the It’s Possible event.  Many counselors, advisors, staff and students were there helping new students assess, complete their orientation, their education plan and then register for classes. We registered approximately 125 students today.  Yes!!!!

» Read more!

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September 2014: A Circle of Friends – Milt and Betty Younger and Jim Young

On Thursday May 1st, 2014, Bakersfield College had the honor of hosting a very special event– a Betty younger sculpture dedication honoring Dr. Jim Young. “Circle of Friends” is an outdoor sculpture located atop a small hill Northeast of the GET Bus terminal on Panorama Drive. The sculpture, which consists of four red upright figures standing together in a circle, was created by Betty Younger to honor her friend JimYoung, who served as Kern Community College District’s chancellor from 1978 to 1999.

The evening started at 4 P.M. with a brief dedication ceremony at the foot of the hill where the sculpture is mounted. Many members of Bakersfield College’s faculty and staff were in attendance, as well as many family members and students of James Young. Betty Younger and her husband, Milt, introduced the sculpture and each spoke on how their friend has impacted their lives and the lives of others. Mrs. Younger shared that the inspiration for “Circle of Friends” was what James Young has done with and for his students, fellow educators, and friends throughout the years. “He is truly a mentor to all he meets”, remarked Mrs. Younger.

» Read more!

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2015

March 2015: Design Challenge Gathers Local Students to Test Engineering Smarts

Each Spring semester, the Engineers Club invites middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students and professionals of all ages to participate in their Design ChallenOge in honor of National Engineers’ Week. During the Fall, the Engineers Club members come up with the specific “design challenge” they want to hold in the Spring. They create a set of parameters that the entrants should follow in designing their machine, and send them off to the various schools and businesses by December. Contestants build their machines and bring them on the day of the event.

This year, the Design Challenge was held on Saturday, February 28th in Bakersfield College’s Gymnasium. The objective was to design a Spring-powered model car that could carry a load of sand between 0 and 250 grams a distance between 10 and 20 meters. The contestants were not given the weight or distance until right before the competition began. As one can see, keeping the specific details vague until the day-of forces the engineers to be as creative and thorough as possible with their designs— they must be able to be adjusted to satisfy the wide range of possibilities within the parameters.

» Read more!

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May 2015: Regional Occupational Center (ROC): Making a Difference

There was so much to discuss in my last post from the phenomenal President’s Breakfast event that I wanted to stop and revisit one of the highlights from the morning worthy of its own separate recognition.

Among the stellar speakers at the Breakfast, Salvador Gochez from the Kern High School District Regional Occupational Center delivered a remarkable speech about the amazing work going on at the center as well as their partnership with BC.

» Read more!

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August 2015: Thank You, Frank Gifford. A star Renegade and a Driller

The world lost a legend Sunday when NFL Hall of Famer Frank Gifford passed away at the age of 84.

But Bakersfield lost a pioneer.

Before Buck Owens and Merle Haggard used their golden voices to add color to our city, and long before racers Rick, Roger and Casey Mears made sure Bakersfield was a fixture on the national sporting map, there was Frank Gifford.

Gifford came to Bakersfield in the 1940s when his father came to work in the oil fields. But for the younger Gifford, paydirt was struck on the athletic fields, where his talents made him a star quarterback at Bakersfield High School.

Despite his success, Gifford found himself at a turning point familiar to many young graduates: he didn’t have the grades to accept an athletic scholarship, in his case, to the University of Southern California. Rather than give up, Gifford pushed forward, enrolling at Bakersfield College instead, where he made to make his mark as a Renegade both on the playing field and in the classroom.

» Read more!

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October 2015: Another usual weekend enjoying the Bakersfield Community

I stopped by Wendy’s last evening to pick up a spicy chicken sandwich for dinner and the young woman serving me spontaneously commented that she was a student at BC, psychology major, and that her teachers in all of her classes were the very best.  This encounter is not unusual for me or for any of you.  BC has stood for excellence and leadership for over a century and this community has steadfastly supported its college for all that time.

My Saturday morning started with welcoming over 100 students from BC and CSUB who were attending a Leadership conference at the indoor theater.  Bakersfield Strong: Our city, our organizations, our student leaders was the theme of the conference.  I was proud of our SGA President Clayton Fowler and Director of Student Life, Nicky Damania, who planned this event in collaboration with CSUB.

» Read more!

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2016

April 2016: Sprinting toward semester’s end

It was a treat having two members of the Board of Governors, Arnoldo Avalos and Connie Conway, visit BC on Tuesday, April 26th.  Rather than doing a special series of presentations, we decided to fit their itinerary into what was happening at BC.  The morning started with them attending an annual event where we connect with leaders from high school and share with them the advances made on the goals set the previous year.  After that, they toured the campus and connected with faculty and students in the sciences, music, CTE etc. Thank you Joe Saldivar, Jen Garrett, Liz Rozell, Manny Gonzales, Clayton Fowler, Nicky Damania and others who helped.  And the fabulous Jennifer Marden who pulled all this together.

It was a wonderful surprise to have Trustee Romeo Agbalog join us. He was able to rearrange his schedule and connect with both Avalos and Conway.

I enjoyed meeting Vince Stewart, Vice Chancellor of External Affairs from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, and hear about the great things being undertaken statewide.

» Read more!

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August 2016: Extraordinary stories: Our students, community, and faculty

Many of us on campus are familiar with TED talks… so much so, that we have our own RENEGADE talks (thank you Andrea Thorson and Todd Coston) as a mini campus-wide tribute, each year in April. Our staff, faculty, even some students come together to prepare a set of talks that are (1.) short (2.) concise and (3.) pack one powerful punch in a small amount of time. TED Talks are known for Ideas worth spreading and the library of 10-20 minute videos is nothing short of astounding. Topics range from almost anything you can think of and they’re educational, powerful, and motivational. One could even argue, if you watch one a day, it just might be… the best 13 minutes of your 24-hour day!

As a mini-series to these TED-like talks, Communications Faculty, Helen Acosta, hosted a spin off on Wednesday afternoon featuring her summer COMM B4 students. It was appropriately titled RENx – just as TEDx is a smaller scale of TED talks. I had the joy of sitting quietly in the back of the theater when lights dimmed and the first student took the stage. He was poised and enthusiastic as he conveyed a perfectly crafted message, not only with words. He artistically included body language as a reinforcement to the strong words spoken. His voice was a tool filled with passion and emotion and he swayed towards the audience, engaging us to not miss a single word. Interestingly, his topic was the transformative power of critical listening – and I don’t think this was a coincidence.

» Read more!

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October 2016: Our BC family gives to the community!

Every year, the volunteer coordinator for the CA State Parks invites BC students to a one-day volunteer event at Allensworth State Historic Park. Not only is this a great way to give back, but students also learn about the amazing Colonel Allensworth State Park, tour of the park, and a chance to talk to park Rangers.

This year, they had two groups since so many students wanted to attend. One group dusted the insides of historic homes and the other painted a historic house. Pictured above are BC students Andrea Moreno, Salvador Murillo, Krista Nolan, Payton Brandon, and Mitchell Switalki with the park ranger.

» Read more!

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2017

January 2017 – A Busy Week at BC!

What a busy second week of the term!  For much of the time I was on the road….to Newport to do a workshop with Kay McClenney and Rob Johnstone and then to Costa Mesa for the IEPI 2-day workshop on Guided Pathways where over 250 individuals from 39 colleges and organizations came together to understand this integrated and powerful approach to enhance student success.  The Guided Pathways System (GPS) acts like the GPS (Geographic Positioning System) that we have all grown to rely on.

» Read more!

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July 2017 – Scholars, Artists, Sports and Summer Camps

In August 2012, Bakersfield College was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide scholarships of $3,000 per year to Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) students. This grant was called the STEM A-PLUS (Action + Persistence + Leadership + Understanding =  Success) Scholars grant. The scholarships were dedicated towards helping academically talented students who demonstrated a financial need complete their STEM degrees and transfer to Baccalaureate programs by July 2017.

The College has met and exceeded the goal with students completing and transferring with an average GPA of 3.45. Students from this program have transferred to CSUB and many University of California schools, to Cal Poly campuses, and to other prestigious universities such as Harvard University. Kudos to our STEM faculty and staff!

» Read more

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September 2017 – Another Incredible Week at BC

I was exhausted last night after a hectic fast paced week at BC.  For example, just on one day we had the Vice President of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, Tom Epstein, visit in the Levan Center; Senator Jean Fuller talking to our students in the Fireside Room with several dignitaries attending including Trustee Romeo Agbalog; the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) community partners meeting in the SGA Board Room; and Trustee Bill Thomas moving Measure J implementation along with individuals from AEComm.  And as Jennifer Marden would say….That’s how we roll at BC!

» Read more!

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November 2017 – Bakersfield College in Arvin, Shafter, …..

I often say it’s an exciting time to be at BC and it’s true. I mentioned in last weekend’s blog that Bakersfield College is bringing higher education to Shafter and at our Express Enrollment event this week, it was great to see the excitement and activity in the Shafter area. Over the past three years, BC has remained focused on the strategic goal of bringing higher education into the communities of Delano, Shafter, Wasco, McFarland, Lamont, and Arvin. We look forward to expanding courses offered  in Shafter so that students can complete all or a significant part of their degree locally and I know this will directly benefit our students.

» Read more!

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Remember – our greatest challenges enable us to do our greatest work.

That’s all for today.
See you next Saturday!

With much hope and joy, 

Your Chancellor,
-sonya

#OurTimeisNow
#NuestroTiempoEsAhora