Chevron | Sonya Christian's Blog

Sonya Christian, Matt Garrett, Jen Garrett at La Spada in Florence. June 19, 2015

I just got back from four days in Rome. I know it is crazy to go all the way for just four days but what an incredible 4 days. During this trip I was wowed by our students who performed in Rome, Florence and Venice. And equally wowed by Jen Garret, our faculty director who made all this happen for our students. Stay tuned for a future blog.

Liz Rozell, Dean of STEM

And then I found this email (see below) from Liz Rozell, Dean of STEM, applauding our Engineering and Industrial Technology faculty who provided an opportunity for middle schoolers to explore their curiosity, creativity, and love of the Sciences through a one week camp–Project Lead the Way. Let’s hear from Liz.

Hi Manny & Roy,

Thank you so much for all the creative work you did with the middle school students at the PLTW camp this week. Today at the final meeting, when you showcased the video presentations the kids created to present to their families, I had tears in my eyes because they were so amazing. The leadership you brought to this camp, and the example you set for the BC STEM Mentors who assisted you, is just stellar. Adam Alvidrez from Chevron was incredibly impressed and parents were telling me afterwards that they wanted their kids to participate next year.

This was a huge success that we should build upon! Middle School is a tender age when kids begin to identify with schools and life interests. This camp provided great opportunities for building our future STEM pipeline.

Liz

Bakersfield College hosted its first Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Camp for Middle School students active in various PLTW Gateway programs. Manny Fernandez and Roy Allard, STEM faculty facilitators, along with five STEM mentors (Kevin Galloway, Nick Bakich, Zack Allen, Diana Le, and Noah Kearns) led 24 students on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) adventure.

This was an engaging experience in which each student learned to fly UAVs, build motors, assemble drones, collect video footage via the UAV, and create a video documenting it all!

PLTW is a comprehensive STEM program that incorporates project-based learning to increase critical thinking and problem solving skills among students in kindergarten through high school. It is an education model that empowers students in their learning and provides an environment for collaborative team work.

Chevron is a national partner with PLTW and donated the funding for this year’s camp. We appreciate the support that Chevron has provided to BC STEM students over the last seven years, and now the support to build the future STEM pipeline by garnering interest in cutting edge technologies among young engineers.

Thank You, Chevron!

The Bakersfield College Team at Chevron!

The Bakersfield College team celebrates at the Chevron press conference. From left are Michael Stepanovich, Liz Rozell, Carla Musser from Chevron, me :), and John Means.

This week, Bakersfield College participated in a press event at Chevron to announce more than $350,000 in giving from Chevron to Bakersfield College, Taft College, and California State University, Bakersfield. Bakersfield College will receive $125,000 from Chevron for several programs and initiatives.

With the gift from Chevron, Bakersfield College will modernize engineering labs with retired, but still relevant, equipment from the petroleum and engineering fields. Learning on current equipment is key for students, and will help Bakersfield College provide training and skills-building curriculum.

An ongoing project between Bakersfield College and Chevron, called Project Lead the Way, will be expanded to include an electronics course for participants. Project Lead the Way is a summer “bridge” program for high school students heading to Bakersfield College. The addition of the electronics course will prepare students for the rigorous coursework in college.

Finally, the gift from Chevron will support the development of job skills certificates which prepare students, on a faster timeline, for occupational readiness. The courses in the certificate will be challenging and industry relevant, and provide graduates with a wide range of career options.

Partnerships, like this one with Chevron, are very important to Bakersfield College’s ability to provide relevant, current education in fields of study. Through Chevron’s generous gift, Bakersfield College is able to provide the necessary skills and training for students seeking careers in the petroleum industry.

Thank you Chevron! We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership!

~S.C.