The gift of music which can move us
The sound of music has profound power to inspire, stir the soul, and move us in ways that simple words could not. I was blessed to hear the BC choir at St. Francis this week as they sang Nearer my God to Thee and Wind Beneath My Wings, led by the talented Jen Garrett. In fact Msgr. Craig Harrison was wanting to keep the BC Choir at St. Francis forever 🙂
Early College Team Presents in Madera
We are taking our Early College story on the road! KCCD Trustee Romeo Agbalog, Liz Rozell, Abel Guzman, Aaron Resendez (McFarland Unified Superintendent), and Brian Bell (McFarland HS Principal) traveled to Madera to present at the “California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley” quarterly meeting. The partnership brings together experts and leaders committed to the same purpose- sustainable economic development, environmental stewardship, and human advocacy.
Those in attendance heard from Dr. Jean Fuller via a pre-recorded video, and learned from the BC and McFarland Early College team members in attendance about how the project came to be, and where we are headed.
The reaction and feedback was extremely positive. One particular member in attendance asked that the partnership have more presentations that provide information on innovative solutions to problems in the Central Valley, and stated that our team’s presentation was a great example. Stay tuned for more stories about where we take our Early College story.
Equity Conference
Early this week, our BC Equity team traveled to the University of Southern California (USC) Center for Urban Education (CUE) to participate in the Student Equity Planning Institute. Led by Dr. Estela Bensimon, the USC CUE team prepared a working institute so college teams could spend time reviewing our student data, analyzing our strategic planning documents and processes, and consider the alignment with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Vision for Success goals.
I was the keynote speaker on Day 2, sharing with attendees how student-centered legislation has paved the way for major gains in student outcomes. I highlighted some of our key work at BC, including our Completion Coaching Communities, the Umoja Program, our Kern Promise Finish-in-4 transfer pathways, our placement practices, and our Early College program. A special thank you to Shawn Whalen with the College Futures Foundation for his investment in the institute. And thank you to our equity team attendees for your engagement: David Buitron, Terri Goldstein, Abraham Castillo, Lisa Robles, Steven Watkin, Imelda Valdez, and Lesley Bonds.
Check out updates like this one from Shawn Whalen and other attendees across California at #SEPI19 on Twitter.
Educational Systems and Intersegmental (ESIP) Task Force
The Educational Systems and Intersegmental Pathways (ESIP) Task Force’s second face-to-face meeting was at the CSU Chancellor’s Office in Long Beach, CA on March 21st. The group continued work on its two main goals: 1) advancing the intersegmental curricular data organized in the Pathways Program Mapper tool for clarifying student journeys and 2) aligning usability and feasibility for California’s future Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS).
Patrick Perry, Chief Information Officer at the CSU Office of the Chancellor, welcomed representatives from over 14 groups across the state to engage in the conversations. Vikash Lakhani, Assistant Vice President for Student Success at CSUB, Ben Perlado, Director of Admissions & Records at CSUB, and Faust Gorham, Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services & Chief Information Officer at CSUB presented plans for utilizing Pathways Program Mapper at CSUB while integrating program maps with current BC programs.
Workforce Development guru, Steve Glyer, provided updates on the CTE code alignment between K12 career pathways and Community College TOP Codes as well as future plans on expanding the Program Pathways Mapper. Craig Hayward, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness at Bakersfield College reported that 11 community colleges in California are currently working with the Program Mapper. As many as 20 Colleges and district will join the second wave of within in the coming weeks.
Justin Curtin, CSU IT Support
Erica Menchaca, BC Faculty
There were two presentations to update the group on progress being made statewide. Concentric Sky CEO Wayne Skipper presented on work being done regarding Open Standards and the Quantification of Learning. (BC and CCCCO worked with Concentric Sky to build Program Mapper.)
Research fellow Jacob Jackson of the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) presented on their work in convening a Data Collaborative that discusses future data needs and possible outcomes.
BCSGA Renegades in Washington, DC
BC’s Student Government (BCSGA) representatives visited Washington, DC recently with Director of Student Life, Nicky Damania. I enjoyed reading what Mustafa Barraj, BCSGA’s Director of Legislative Affairs, wrote about their travels and experiences:
My time at Washington DC was an enjoyable, educational, and enlightening experience. I was given the great opportunity to attend the American Student Association of Community Colleges (ASACC) National Student Advocacy Conference and listen to the wonderful Ralph Nader speak on how to better our nation and our community. As a child of Lebanese immigrants, his words were able to inspire and evoke a sense of servitude in me to better my community.
The ASSAC conference also provided me the opportunity to speak and learn from an array of diverse students and gather useful information and resources to take and better my student government. I was able to learn things such as advocacy, lobbying and how to properly speak on issues to my representatives. With these skills, I and other fellow students were able to speak to representatives from Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s Office, Congressman Garamendi, and was even given the opportunity to speak on issues regarding California Community Colleges with Kevin McCarthy himself.
I also had the extraordinary opportunity to visit some of America’s great landmarks such as the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and a collection of different museums from the Smithsonian. As an English and Political Science Major, I was able to find the most pleasure in two museums. The first was the Folgers Shakespeare Museum where I was able to look at literature that dates back to the Elizabethan era and that has the only confirmed drawing of William Shakespeare. The Second was the Library of Congress where my group and I and the life-changing experience to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with our very own eyes.
This trip was a life-changing experience forever be grateful to Bakersfield College and Nicky Damania for giving me the opportunity to visit the City of Magnificent Distances. This was not only a learning experience for myself but also a transformative one that I will forever remember.
Exhume and Release
As part of the “Women in War” theme of BC Women’s History Month programming for 2019, local poet Portia Choi hosted an open mic about war in the Levan Center on Wednesday night and recited some of her poetry about surviving the Korean War as a young girl in the 1950s.
English professor Jessica Martinez organized the event, titled “Exhume and Release”, in conjunction with the Women’s History and More Committee. It was a unique opportunity for local artists to have their work celebrated on the BC campus. During the open mic portion of the event, authors Anke Hodenpijl, Anna Marco and Julie Jordan Scott shared some of the writing about the effects of war on their lives, and musician Fabian Tolan performed a cover of “Peace Song” by Never Shout Never on ukulele. There was also a drawing on display from BC student Crystal Appleton, as well as Gita Lloyd’s cover illustration for Choi’s poetry book “Sungsook”.
After a brief overview of the history of the Korean War, Choi talked about her personal experience of fleeing her home after being displaced by the conflict. Choi’s family was one of millions who fled North Korea and crossed the 38th parallel to South Korea on foot – a distance equivalent to the stretch of land between Los Angeles and San Francisco – with nothing more than the clothes on their back and a few family heirlooms. Many members of Choi’s family were unable to leave North Korea during the war, and they’ve been unable to contact their North Korean part of the family for over 60 years. Her family moved to the United States when she was 8 years old, Choi said.
Choi’s poetry juxtaposes the desolation and horror of the war with idyllic, childlike images of the Korean countryside and long springs spent playing with dolls and enjoying her grandmother’s cooking. She shared a poem she wrote based on the story of Neil Vance, a local veteran who fought in the Korean War and saw four of his friends from Bakersfield get killed in the conflict.
Choi has been writing poetry for 35 years, and is an active member of the poetry community in Kern County. Since 2010, she helps organized the events for National Poetry Month in Kern County every April, and she hosts the First Friday Poetry Open Mic at Dagny’s Coffee every month.
Thank you to Jessica Martinez, Portia Choi, and the Women’s History and More Committee for organizing this event, as well as all of the artists and open mic performers for sharing their work with the campus community.
BC’s Welding visits the future site of the McFarland Early College Welding Program!
Last wednesday, Klint Rigby (Industrial Technoligies Department Chair) and Jeremy Staat (Welding Department Dual Enrollment Laison) met with McFarland dual enrollment instructor, and BC graduate, Miguel Martinez to tour the welding facilities at McFarland High School and discuss the future of the program. Early College students in McFarland will have the opportunity to complete 14 units towards a variety of Welding certificates and degrees. Collaborations like this are building the bridge for our students from high school to college, beginning in the 9th grade. The Welding pathway is one of six CTE pathways being offered through the Early College program starting at McFarland High School this Fall. You can learn more about these pathways at the BC website. #pathway2college
Spotlight on Industrial Automation
Reporter Noelle Lilley from ABC 23 spotlighted the Industrial Automation program at Bakersfield College earlier this month, featuring Renegade and Industrial Automation senior, Chad Hildalgo. The article and video clip features how this BC program is preparing students for job opportunities, which Chad described as, “the present meeting the future.” Love that! Check out the video clip and article at turnto23.com.
Staying Safe through Education and Awareness
BC’s student newspaper, the Renegade RIP, has a history of quality writing and journalism on campus and in the community for over 85 years. Led by journalism faculty Erin Auerbach, the Renegade RIP recently published an article titled “Public Safety at Bakersfield College Conducts an active shooter training.” The article, by Haley Duval, offers insight into the seminars and workshops regularly held by Chief Chris Counts and BC’s Public Safety officers.
Keeping students, faculty, staff, and the community safe is an ongoing effort. These informational sessions are key to familiarizing ourselves with the best practices, drills, exercises, and preparation. If you have not yet had the opportunity to attend, I hope you will find time to mark one on your calendar. Check out the article at therip.com.
Women’s Month Feature: Who Is The Mystery Woman?
Many of you follow Bakersfield College on Instagram and you may have caught the #TBT post this past Thursday. So, who is she?
“I think of the 20s as a period of great energy, exciting drive, and bursting imaginations. The faculty and the students had the buoyancy of youth.” —???
Our mystery woman embodied that same “buoyancy” she spoke of all those years ago. Let’s take a moment to honor a Renegade that is very special to BC. You’ll know why she’s so extraordinary in these excerpts from The Bakersfield College Century (a book published for our centennial celebrations).
It was with reservations that Grace Van Dyke Bird came to Bakersfield in 1917 after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley (a Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in architecture and French)…Bakersfield’s reputation as a ‘gun-slinging,’ western town had preceded it…
In 1920, Kern County Junior College introduced the state’s first woman dean of a junior college. Grace Van Dyke Bird was the ‘right person for the job,’ agreed Mr. Vander-Eike and Principal Ludden when Mr. Vander-Eike decided to take a leave of absence to concentrate on the nursery he owned just south of Bakersfield. So at the age of 25 and in an era when most women did not explore careers outside the home. Miss Bird became acting dean of the junior college and part-time vice principal of the high school.
“I thought very little about being made an administrator of a small college where I already knew personally each student who was in the college and all the faculty,” Miss Bird reflected years later.
A few months later Miss Bird was appointed permanent dean…Grace Bird was an extraordinary woman who would lead the budding junior college through its infancy and growth to develop Kern County Junior College into a fine academic institution.
“I was transformed overnight from a cardboard dean into the real thing. There was no actual metamorphosis since I kept on doing what I had already been doing: trying to keep the college on an even keel…I had become a dean by accretion and not by a ‘big bang,’ as an astronomer might say.’”
Miss Bird went on to be appointed Principal of the Kern County Union High School after a car accident killed Principal Ludden in 1922. Grace Van Dyke Bird would spend the next 30 years keeping education standards high at BC. She’d oversee the college through the 20’s, the Depression, and war. In 1949 she again changed the course of BC’s history.
In a rare breach of protocol, Miss Bird began a quiet campaign for a home [for BC] on higher ground. She called her good friend Carl Melcher, president of the Kern County Land Company, for an “off the record chat” to discuss the possibility of a parcel of land on the China Grade bluffs. When Miss Bird received a phone call in the Spring of 1950 from Mr. McCuen telling her that the Board had purchased the land on the bluffs and that plans for the new free-standing $11 million junior college were moving forward in earnest, she recalled that “my neighbor heard my ‘whoop’ and came to ask about the excitement. I answered, ‘A whole new world of promise has just come to the lower San Joaquin Valley.’”
It’s incredible to think of the gravity of her legacy. Women’s History IS Bakersfield College’s history.
Fun Photo: Kimberly Bligh
Midweek, Kimberly Bligh sent this photo and titled the email “Love Runs Deep.” It is a photo of her and a future little Renegade.
Fun Photos from Hope Through Mentoring
Last week on Friday, BC hosted the Hope Through Mentoring event featuring keynote speaker, CNN Hero Award recipient Teresa Goines. Multiple workshops were held with a focus on supporting youth. Special thank you to Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery services for all their work to put on the event and to Mayor Karen Goh for attending.
Fun Photo of Steve Holmes and Trustee Meek
Dean of Instruction, Corny Rodriguez surprised me with a rare and great photo of Steve Holmes standing beside KCCD Trustee, Kay Meek.
Lookin’ sharp Steve. 🙂
Renegade Report
If you missed watching the Renegade Report live this last Thursday at 11a, check out the segments from this week’s show which went live from the 50-yard line at Memorial Stadium. Guests included former BC football student athletes Stane Greene and Jeremy Staat along with football coach Jeff Chudy and Athletics Communications Manager Brandon Urry.
Segment with Stan Greene
Segment with Jeff Chudy
Segment with Jeremy Staat
Segment with Brandon Urry
Renegades of the Week
Renegade Athletics is proud to announce this week’s (3/10-3/16) Wells Fargo Renegades of the Week.
Kayleen Sanchez, Women’s Tennis – Won four matches to continue her unbeaten streak this season and on Friday against Canyons, crushed the only other unbeaten conference opponent, 6-1, 6-0.
Daniel Nichols, Men’s Track & Field – Made a season best and took first in the high jump at the BC Relays with a jump of 1.85m (6’ 0.75”)
Women’s Soccer Players Moving On
Renegade Women’s Soccer student athletes Drew Hallum and Jacki Zavala are moving on to compete at the four-year level after completing successful BC careers. Hallum has signed and already started school at Emerson College this spring and Zavala has signed and will begin school this fall at West Virginia Wesleyan. Congrats and make us proud!
Renegades Named to 2019 CCCWBCA All-Academic Team
A total of four Renegades have been named to the 2019 California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) All-Academic Team. The four include: Victoria Trevino – Forward, Ridgview HS, Aubrey Stone – Forward, Ridgeview HS, Bianca Zamora – Guard, Shafter HS, Brianna Mendez – Forward, Arvin HS. We love to see our student athletes receive recognition for their hard work in the classroom as well!
Athletics Roundup
- Softball tops Cuesta
- Men’s Golf Takes 5th at WSC
- Women’s Tennis Blanks at Santa Monica
- Women’s Swimming takes 4th at WSC Invite
- Men’s Swimming Takes 6th at WSC Invite
All these and more at GoGades.com!
I want to recognize Trustee Kyle Carter first and foremost for his support of BC’s choir. When I approached him a few weeks ago and asked for his help to strategize how we could bridge the gap in funding to get our students to Australia to perform at the Sydney Opera House, he immediately went into action and the result was the March 10th concerts (one at 5:00 p.m. and the other at 7:30) with two amazing musicians Monty Byrom and Lydia Ranger, who performed pro bono alongside the BC Chamber Singers to raise the funds. Kyle opened up the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame venue for this event and along with his wife Kim McAbee-Carter pulled off an incredible concert.
To celebrate the upcoming television premiere of the documentary “Dolores: Rebel. Activist. Feminist. Mother”, Dolores Huerta and her family came to the Levan Center on Monday night to answer questions about the work she’s done as a community organizer for over 50 years. BC’s Olivia Garcia and Tina Mendoza gave a brief introduction about the Huerta family before hosting a screening of “Dolores”, which premieres on PBS’ Independent Lens March 27th. (Btw, doesn’t Olivia look absolutely gorgeous and happy in this picture?)
The Renegade softball team is one of the ten best in the state, 
It was also nice to see Jerry Ludeke, Archives, Andrew Bond, English Faculty, Pete LeGrant and Anna Poetker, Philosophy Faculty, in attendance. We are truly fortunate to have such valuable learning experiences on our campus. The next Gadfly Cafe,
It was during my job as a Social Worker that I realized I had a passion to work with seniors. While working as a full time Social Worker, I completed my Bachelor’s in Science at University of Phoenix with a more flexible schedule. In 2011, I was hired at ADAKC as Director of Family Services Program assisting seniors, early on set clients, caregivers and family members in the journey of Alzheimer’s Disease and related Dementias. It was then that I also realized that I returned to my first internship and it has been 7 years working a ADAKC. ADAKC continues to be a site for students from Bakersfield Human Services Internship Program to complete internship opportunities. Having the experience in completing the Human Services Program, I am able to give back to the program in assisting and training students in the skills they need for their Human Services Career.
Yesterday, the BC team held an Express Enrollment event for students and residents in the southwest. Did you know Bakersfield College has morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend classes in 93311? Located across from Target on Stockdale Hwy in the Fresno Pacific building, BC has classrooms on the second floor which are able to hold up to 60 and 35 students.
Last Friday the Bakersfield College Choir and Chamber Singers conducted their first concert of the academic year. The program, which included a full range of music history, was named “The Music Of Living” by Dr. Jennifer Garrett because “music is part of how we live.”
In a Bakersfield Californian interview, she explained that, “[music] carries us through the challenging times in life and help us celebrate the good times,” and “music is how we truly express those emotions, opinions and memories that simply cannot be expressed through words alone.” I so agree with her….it is music, poetry and the sheer beauty of nature that have helped me in difficult times.
The conference provided a unique forum for networking and learning best practices, understanding and meeting the education needs of Hispanics. The conference allowed for BC professionals to:
For more information, you can contact Sarah Baron at 
As many of you know, Bakersfield College has developed a Pre-law Program over the past two years. We are one of 24 of community colleges in the state of California participating in this program.
Shortly before the event, I met Brandon Stallings, a deputy District Attorney and representing the State Bar Board of Trustees. He shared that our local rural communities suffer a real lack of attorneys, and that for our justice system to work we need dedicated students who are interested in a law career and want to stay local.
We have great faculty and staff at Bakersfield College, like Manny Mourtzanos, our Dean of Instruction, who makes these events fun and captivating for our future students. While opening the program, Manny asked if anyone could recite the Miranda Rights by memory. Surprisingly, hands flew up and Eric Hogan from Bridges Academy was chosen to come up. Without hesitation, Eric was able to say aloud the entire Miranda Rights before a packed theater of fellow students – Well done, Eric.
Speaking of great faculty, it was fantastic to see Professor Douglas Grimsley, who is involved with our inmate education plan. Grimsley is one of our pioneering faculty who knows that his investment is helping folks get back into society – something that is true to the mission of Bakersfield College; Providing opportunities for students from all diverse backgrounds to engage productively in their communities and the world.
As you may know, Bakersfield College is selected by the State Bar of California to participate in the Community Colleges Pathway to Law School Initiative, which provides a transfer-pathway for students to one of at least six prestigious law schools in our state. But beyond that, the law program at BC is a rigorous path that is a true investment and will sharpen any student’s critical thinking, writing skills, and leadership qualities.
On Thursday, Kristen Barnes, CEO of the Kern Community Foundation, invited us to present the Renegade Promise to a group of Educators across Kern County. The story of the Renegade Promise is a story of collaboration and partnership, a story about adaptation, a story about saying “yes” rather than “no”, a story about making this happen despite the odds. The heroes in this story are the faculty, staff and administrators from KHSD, BC and CSUB who have been laser focused on moving students through our educational pathways faster and not compromising their learning; on the contrary, enhancing their learning. Presenting along with me were Dr. Jacqueline Mimms from CSUB, Vickie Spanos from KHSD, and Lesley Bonds from BC. These three women are brilliant, beautiful, passionate and work tirelessly.
Summer Bridge is an essential part of a student’s journey to becoming a college student. Throughout summer 2016, BC will engage 2,000 new students in this extended orientation where they’ll learn how to access important campus information, discuss success strategies for the transition into college, take a campus tour, and hear from important academic and student affairs support services about the many offerings available to them. Thank you Dr. Kimberly Bligh for your leadership. For more information about Summer Bridge, email 
A special thank you to Trustee Romeo Agbalog for attending the event and for your powerful words that leadership is about building others up – not just building oneself up. And thank you Tom Moran for all that you do for BC. Do you see Tom signing to the left of Romeo?
Before I get into the many honorees, I should first recognize a student who has been working hard to engage students and make BC a better place for future Renegades: our BCSGA President, Clayton Fowler. It has been Clayton’s advocacy for students that has catalyzed our work on a number of projects; most notably, our Renegade Promise. Stay tuned for details!