Kris Tiner | Sonya Christian's Blog

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Bakersfield College – A Peace Garden of Learning, Reflection & Renewal

Uncategorized August 29, 2020 1 Comment

Have you met Dr. Naina Patel? Well, she is a quiet force in our community promoting peace and wellbeing. I got to work alongside Naina last year as she she was coordinating the Gandhi celebrations here in Bakersfield. During these celebrations, we had the fortune of having Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi speak to the students in our Early College Program in Delano. What a treat! Check this out in my October 5, 2019 blog titled – Live simply so others can simply live https://sonyachristianblog.com/2019/10/05/live-simply-so-others-can-simply-live/

Here is a 9:31-minute video from Opening Week where we unveiled the Peace Garden project. If you don’t have time to watch the whole video, then start at the 6:56 timestamp and hear the message from Dr. Naina Patel and the Gandhi committee.

Good morning Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, August 29, 2020…a great day to be a Renegade

Friends, let me introduce you to Abel Guzman, BC’s Exec Director of Rural Initiatives. You will see why he is a “20 under 40 to watch”.

If you want to read more check https://www.bakersfield.com/bakersfield-life/20-under-40-people-to-watch-abel-guzman/article_ca10b660-db37-11ea-85b3-2fe32045cc28.html

Community Voices

Romeo Agbalog, Trustee for the Kern Community College District, wrote a great piece in the Bakersfield Californian highlighting the work the college has done to continue providing quality education to our students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the midst of widespread unemployment and economic austerity, now has never been a better time to enroll at Bakersfield College. While most of us are sheltered in place, we can take advantage of this time to upskill or chart a new career path to compete in tomorrow’s job market, or post-COVID-19 economy, and be able to do this all from the comfort and safety of your own home.”

Slowing Down

Here is another poem from the fabulous Jack Hernandez:

He did not notice
his steps were less
quick jaunty
a past tense,
then he heard
he was slowing
down to that pace
reserved for snails
and wobbling legs.

He rejected those words
even as young walkers
passed him as though
a sign stuck in place,
“slow” is a relative
term he thought,
philosophy giving him
the nudge he needed.

Panorama Creative Music Summit Goes Virtual

Presented by the Jazz Studies and Commercial Music programs at Bakersfield College, the Panorama Creative Music Summit is an annual showcase for acclaimed musicians, local performers, and BC faculty, students, and alumni performing original music and exploring a range of styles and creative approaches across the jazz-pop continuum.

Ordinarily the summit takes over our beloved Simonsen Performing Arts Center for a weeklong series of workshops and live concerts. This year, thanks to support from the Lydia Jennings Finlinson and Burns L. Finlinson Endowment of the Bakersfield College Foundation, the music summit is transitioning to an online format that will feature weekly live sessions with guest artists.

Each artist will give a 20-30 minute solo performance followed by an artist talk and Q&A with students. These sessions will be held on Zoom and broadcast free to the public via Facebook Live on the Bakersfield College Jazz Studies page.

Check out Blue Bayou performed by Josh Ottum and Kris Tiner for Opening Week.

#LightACandle: A Juneteenth Conversation

I am continuing to share videos from Bakersfield College’s #LightACandle: A Juneteenth Conversation productions from June. Today, I am wrapping up with the videos from the June 17th program.

Daron Mackey, Educational Advisor with Outreach & School Relations:

Traco Matthews, Social Pastor and Adjunct Professor:

Please visit the Bakersfield College website to see more videos, testimonials and resources from the #LightACandle project.

BC Foundation presents online newsletter

Did you catch the premiere issue of the Bakersfield College Foundation‘s new newsletter, Panorama?

This first issue includes a welcome from the Foundation’s new executive director, Cheryl Scott. Previously Cheryl served on the foundation’s board of directors for 7 years, and was also active in the Measure J campaign.

Bakersfield College Foundation Executive Director Cheryl Scott and I

I also loved seeing the “Your BC Story” section of the Panorama newsletter. This issue featured Bob Meadows, Class of 1975. Bob wrote about his time writing for the Renegade Rip and how he met his wife Vicki at BC:

“I grew up at BC, I discovered my abilities at BC, I overcame challenged at BC, and I found love at BC. My life’s foundation was built at BC and has supported me ever since. Thank you Bakersfield College.”

“Your BC Story” will be a regular feature in the Panorama newsletter, and I am excited to hear from more of our proud alums. Those interested in sharing their stories can fill out the form on the Foundation website.

You can read the newsletter on the Bakersfield College Foundation’s website. Thank you Cheryl Scott and Heather Penella.

BC’s MESA Program in the news

Bakersfield College faculty and students recap the first week of virtual learning by Tyra Majors

https://tinyurl.com/y2agtdaw

#GoodTrouble: Celebrating the Life of John Lewis

This week, I am sharing two videos from Bakersfield College’s #GoodTrouble: Celebrating the Life of John Lewis production. These videos focus on Congressman Lewis’ political contributions.

R. Allen Bolar, BC Political Science Professor:

Michael Bowers, Vice President of Public Affairs & Government Relations at Centric Health California:

You can see all the videos from the #GoodTrouble production on the Bakersfield College website.

Opening Week 2020

This Thursday, we wrapped up our Opening Day celebration. This year’s celebration was virtual, and ended up spanning two weeks, with five days of productions.

I’d like to share my introductory remarks from Day 1 of the Opening Week festivities:

Commencement 2020

As you may know, this year the Bakersfield College Commencement celebration went virtual with a Special Televised Commencement Tribute broadcast on July 11, 2020 on KGET, Telemundo and steaming on Facebook.

Today, I’d like to share a few videos from that production.

There’s a Pathway for Everyone at Bakersfield College:

Health Sciences Program Spotlight:

Graduates Part 5:

Videos and photos from this year’s Commencement festivities, including the Early College celebration, can be found on the Bakersfield College website.

Spotted on Social Media

I wanted to share this heartwarming post from Jessie Ryan, executive vice president at The Campaign for College Opportunity:

Heart bursting: My daughter asked me to take her to Target tonight to use the allowance she had saved to buy some special school supplies – our first outing in weeks. Unfortunately, Target was closed due to a COVID case. Brooklyn was disappointed but as we drove home she saw an elderly homeless woman. Without thinking twice she produced her $20 bill and said, “Mother pull over and give it to her.” “Are you sure honey, that’s all your savings”. She didn’t hesitate, “Yes, she needs it more than me”

Endee Grijalva, Adult Education Program Manager for South Kern, modeled her new Bakersfield College mask (and fantastic Renegade Red hair!):

And in honor of National Dog Day this week, I’d like to share a few of the posts I caught from our Renegade family. Carlos Medina, Lesley Bonds, and Mindy Wilmot all shared pictures of their pets:

Athletics

Throwing it back to the beginning of Renegade Athletics

We are just a few years short of the 100^th anniversary of Renegade Athletics in the year 2022. Originally with just a football team founded in 1922, the department has grown to its current total of 20 men’s and women’s sports over the last century. In the process our Renegade athletic teams have captured a total of 184 team conference championships, 15 state championships and 10 national championships. In addition they have won countless individual conference and state championships in a variety of sports. Pictured above is the original 1922 Renegade football team (thanks to our fabulous BC Archives team). This makes our football program one of the oldest in the state!

Jon Baker finds success as an agent

I wanted to share this article from the Bakersfield Californian about Bakersfield native Jon Baker, who is a successful sports agent. Jon was a star athlete at both Foothill High School and Bakersfield College.

Renegade football runs deep in the Baker family – Jon’s father, William Baker was hired as the team’s official doctor in 1979.

And Jon has continued to assist the BC football team. R. Todd Littlejohn, who was hired as BC head football coach in January, is represented by Jon and said that Jon’s connections have been helpful to him in his new role.

“He can point out people to me that I need to get involved with. When you’re gone and you’ve been away for so long, your pool of people might get smaller.

That’s all for now.
Until next time.
With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.
sonya –
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Feb 29, 2020 Celebrating Leap Year & showcasing Sterling Silver 2020

Uncategorized February 29, 2020 Comments: 3

Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, February 29, 2020…A Leap Year… A great day to be a Renegade.

Sterling Silver

Liz Rozell, John Petre, Sonya Christian, Kay Meek

Liz Rozell, Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, Sonya Christian

left to right: Zav Dadabhoy, Sandi Taylor, Liz Rozell, Dr. William F. Baker, Jr., Sonya Christian, and Romeo Agbalog.

Liz Rozell, Rick Kreiser, Sonya Christian, Tom Gelder

We had a beautiful reception at the Seven Oaks Country Club last weekend as part of our 12th-annual Sterling Silver Dinner, which the BC Foundation puts together to honor and recognize the exceptional support that members of our community provide to BC every day. Proceeds from the Sterling Silver Dinner help fund scholarships for students, providing vital opportunities to make higher education a reality for thousands of Renegades.

The evening brought together Renegade alumni and supporters, generous donors, and friends of the college to celebrate this year’s honorees. Under the direction of Kris Tiner, the BC Jazz Ensemble masterfully entertained the crowd as they entered the event. Seven Oaks chef Paul Burzlaff prepared a wonderful variety of culinary delights with help from BC Culinary Arts students.

Several notable Renegade supporters were on hand to celebrate our honorees, including Mayor Karen Goh, Assemblymember Vince Fong, State Senator Shannon Grove, County Supervisor Zack Scrivner, and City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales. Other notable community partners included S.C. Anderson, Diane Lake, and AECOM/Parsons.

Corporate Philanthropist of the Year – Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association

We started off the reception by recognizing the Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association for their long-standing support of BC. The Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association was founded in 1945 and has held several golf tournaments to promote education in Kern County.

Individual Philanthropist of the Year – Mr. Bill Kelly

Bill Kelly receives the Individual Philanthropist of the Year Award

Bill Kelly taught agriculture at BC for 37 years. In addition to being selected Professor of the Year in 2014, he has won accolades across the state for his influence on agriculture education. Mr. Kelly retired in 2019, but he loves what he does so much he is back on campus as an adjunct instructor. However, we honored Bill because he and his family have provided substantial financial assistance to generations of BC students through the Verna L. Kelly Memorial and Kelly Family scholarships, set up to honor his family and strengthen ag education.

Bakersfield College Foundation Service Medal – Dr. William F. “Bill” Baker, Jr.

Dr. William Baker receives the Foundation Service Medal.

Dr. William Baker has served as the Team Physician for Bakersfield College athletics since 1978 and has provided expert medical care to generations of athletes, witnessing milestones such as the 1988 State Championship and the 1990 Potato Bowl. Dr. Baker’s contributions continue in the scholarship that he and Dr. Michael Tivnon established and award annually through the Bakersfield College Foundation. Dr. Baker has a successful practice in town and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the International Academy of Thrombosis, Hemostasis and Vascular Medicine. The Bakersfield College Foundation Service Medal recognizes extraordinary service to the Bakersfield College community for fifty-two years of commitment to Bakersfield College and Bakersfield College Athletics, and a lifetime of service to the good health of Bakersfield and Kern County.

Bakersfield College Foundation Service Medal – Rick Kreiser

Rick Kreiser receives the Foundation Service Medal.

Rick Kreiser is a Bakersfield College alum who has served on the Bakersfield College Foundation since 2001, even serving a stint as chair of the Foundation from 2005 to 2007. Over the years, Rick and his company, Carney’s, have helped numerous local charities raise money, especially to fight cancer. There is a scholarship benefiting Bakersfield College students in the name of his late wife, Kris Kreiser.

Thank Yous

Thank you KGET for covering the event and for producing the honoree videos. I’d also like to thank Norma Rojas-Mora, Monika Scott, Dylan Wang, Manny De Los Santos and Brandon Urry from BC’s Marketing and Public Relations team for the promotion and social media coverage of this year’s Sterling Silver Dinner.

Sterling Silver is the signature event for the Bakersfield College Foundation, and it wouldn’t be possible without the tireless planning and work of Heather Pennella, our Alumni and Donor Relations Manager. Thank you Heather, as well as the rest of the Foundation team, for coordinating another successful night. A special thanks also goes out to Liz Rozell for stepping in as Executive Director of the Foundation after Tom Gelder’s retirement.

Check out more photos from the Sterling Silver Dinner below, captured with the brilliant photography of April Massirio.

Karen Gohn, Sonya Christian, Christina Scrivner, Shannon Grove

Foundation Executive Director Liz Rozell. — Liz Rozell

Toi-yan and R. Todd Littlejohn. — Liz Rozell

Sonya Christian sits with Sterling Silver dinner attendees. — Seated: Dr. Michael Tivnon, Gerry Collis
Standing: Lorenzo Alvarez, Duane Damron, Carl Bowser, Dr. Bill Baker, Dallas Grider, Carl Dean, R. Todd Littlejohn, Bob Covey, Harvel Pollard.

Diana Johnson, Andrea Brown, Devang Bhurat, Jeannine Cascadden, Jared Cascadden, Stephanie Smith, John Smith, Cheryl Blockley, Ted Blockley.

Victoria Lara, Noor, Qwfan, Brianna Hilo, Robert Kostner — Diana Johnson, Andrea Brown, Devang Bhurat, Jeannine Cascadden, Jared Cascadden, Stephanie Smith, John Smith, Cheryl Blockley, Ted Blockley.

front row: John Turner, Joi Turner, Patrick Beck; back row: Vince Fong, Julia Turner, Kay Meek, Sonya Christian, Lauraine Cook, Jerry Cook. — Front row: John Turner, Joi Turner, Patrick Beck;
Back row: Vince Fong, Julia Turner, Kay Meek, Sonya Christian, Lauraine Cook, Jerry Cook.

Karen Goh, Sonya Christian, Shannon Grove

View Full Photo Gallery on Smugmug

African-American Community Leadership Breakfast

Mayor Karen Goh with the Buffalo Soldiers.

BC is recognized nationwide for the work of our African-American Initiatives team with the John W. Rice Award and other accolades, and their success has been aided by the support of leaders in the African-American community who believe in our vision for closing equity gaps in Kern County. We held a special breakfast for African-American leaders in the Levan Center on Wednesday to thank them and show how that support is transforming thousands of lives every day.

Steve Watkin receives a standing ovation.

I always look forward to the African-American Community Leadership Breakfast every year, and I’m glad that we could bring it back for 2020. Our Food Services Department provided another lovely meal for all our attendees, and Steve Watkin organized and emceed the event.

Mayor Karen Goh was in attendance at the event, and she gave a beautiful speech about the power of unity to create systemic change.

Umoja Coordinator Paula Parks. — Paula Parks

The keynote speaker for the African-American Community Leadership Breakfast was BC’s own Paula Parks to talk about the success of our Umoja Community chapter. The audience erupted in applause when Paula announced an increase of 133 percent for African-American student completion of English at BC, which is a direct result of the leadership and community promoted through Umoja. Listening to Paula’s presentation, even I was surprised at how much the program had grown in the last few years, expanding to cohort courses in English, math, astronomy, biology and more. We now have a sister student organization called the Umoja Club, and the program will begin to offer students internships through Dignity Health.

After Paula’s presentation, representatives from several important community organizations spoke to promote their education initiatives, as well as partnerships with BC and other schools. I loved hearing from Dee Slade of the African-American Network of Kern County, Charles Everly from the Buffalo Soldiers, Dr. Bradford Anderson of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Essie Davis from The Links, Incorporated, Linda McKnight from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and LaMeka Ross from the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Essie Davis from the Links, Incorporated. — Essie Davis

Bradford Anderson from Alpha Phi Alpha. — Essie Davis

BC culinary arts student Edwin Peterson. — Edwin Peterson

We closed out the morning with a powerful student testimonial from Edwin Peterson, a young man who has turned his back on the mire of the streets to pursue a Culinary Arts degree right here at BC. He credits Steve Watkin and the African-American Initiatives team for motivating him to continue his education.

Thank you to the African-American Initiatives team, Food Services, the Levan Center, and everyone who attended this event to show their love and support for our African-American students.

Steve Watkin, Mayor Karen Goh, Sonya Christian and Charles Everly.

Marisa Bank, Traco Matthews, and Na Tesha Kindred Johnson.

Bakersfield Police Department Captain Jason Matson with Dan Hall from BC. — Marisa Bank, Traco Matthews, and Na Tesha Kindred Johnson.

Steve Watkin, Sonya Christian, Rev. Ralph Anthony, Doc Ervin, Dr. Oscar Anthony

View Full Photo Gallery on Smugmug

Levan Center and Levan Institute on KGET

Reggie Williams and Susan Pinza visited the KGET studios early Thursday morning to talk about the Levan Center and the Levan Institute, two important institutions that provide community enrichment and lifelong learning to everyone in Kern County. Thanks, Reggie and Susan! Check out the video above or visit the KGET website.

Art, Architecture and Archetypes: Art as Ritual

Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, Ronnie Wrest, Rae Ann Kumelos, and Krista Moreland.

A panel of current and former BC professors engaged in an informative discussion about how art is used in sacred rituals and ceremonies around the world. The Levan Center’s first Art, Architecture, and Archetypes panel of the Spring semester brought together Ronnie Wrest, Rae Ann Kumelos, Krista Moreland and KCCD Trustee Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg around the theme of ritual as art.

Wrest talked about Navajo sand painting and German performance artist Joseph Beuys, whose interpretive piece “I Like America and America Likes Me” portrayed the story of being healed by an indigenous tribe in the Crimea after a plane crash. Kumelos shared Stephen King’s ritual of “intentional dreaming” before sitting down to write his novels, which helps his mind enter a higher level of imagination. Krista Moreland offered a deeper understanding behind the symbolism of the sand mandala, which uses symbolic colors, shapes, figures and object to represent the interconnectedness of life. Finally, Trustee Heitzeberg explained the influences of devotional art in the Catholic faith.

Thank you to the Levan Center, all of our panelists, and everyone who attended this interesting discussion.

Renegade Roundtable on Homelessness

A group of five brilliant BC faculty members shared their views on the homeless crisis at the Levan Center as part of the first Renegade Roundtable of the Spring 2020 semester last week.

This edition of the Renegade Roundtable featured Michael Harvath, Jack Hernandez, Steve Holmes, Erin Miller and Neal Stanifer. Each of these educators brought their years of scholarship to the table to approach this important issue from different perspectives. Hernandez, the former director of the Levan Center, encouraged audience members to think of the homeless as individuals instead of statistics. Stanifer and Horvath proposed solutions to getting people off the streets and into homes, and Erin Miller took a closer look at how mental health affects the ways that homeless people tend to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.

While the panelists had different ideas about how to deal with homelessness, all agreed that we can’t keep ignoring the problem any longer. Thank you to all of the panelists, as well as Reggie Williams and the Levan Center, for offering a space to encourage insight into this ongoing problem. Events like these are important for fulfilling BC’s core value of community, honoring our obligation to “build an environment in which all members participate as a community through democratic engagement”.

BC's Core Value of Community — BC’s Core Value of Community

Community Voices: Michele Bresso

In a Community Voices column earlier this week, Michele Bresso shared a story from one of her communication classes that brings home the impact of homelessness on the lives of our students and the power of education to change it.

When she assigned her small groups communication class to volunteer at the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter as part of a class project, she found out that one of her students used to be a resident of the shelter before she became a Renegade. The student vowed never to return to the shelter once she got back on her feet, but her experience as a volunteer for Michele’s class convinced her to have a change of heart:

“She met a young woman living at the center who was much like herself years before. My student committed to a weekly volunteer schedule at the center so that she could mentor this young woman and model a way to achieve independence.”

Grounds for Dreaming

Lori Flores speaks in the Levan Center. — Lori Flores speaks in the Levan Center

Stony Brook University professor Lori Flores visited the Home of the Renegades to host an enlightening discussion on the agriculture labor rights movement in California during the early 20th Century.

As an historian of agricultural labor in the United States, Flores was excited to come to the Central Valley for the first time. After all, this is the place where so much of that history was and continues to be made. The Social Justice Institute invited Flores to the Levan Center last week to share from her book “Grounds for Dreaming: Mexican-Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the California Farmworker Movement”. “Grounds for Dreaming” is a deeply researched account of how immigrant laborers from the Bracero program and Mexican-Americans came together to organize for better working conditions in the 40s and 50s, decades before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta founded the UFW.

Thank you to Lori Flores for sharing her years of scholarship with our students, and thank you to Oliver Rosales, Andrew Bond for organizing the event.

This Week at BC: Financial Aid

For the newest edition of This Week at BC, marketing student workers Ramon Carreido and Juan Reyes take a closer look at the Financial Aid office ahead of the March 2 deadline for filling out the FAFSA.

I love seeing our student workers get more comfortable with their video skills while spreading the word about all of the awesome programs and initiatives here at BC. Great job, Juan and Ramon!

Renegade Athletics

Watch this week’s edition of the Renegade Report on the Bakersfield College Athletics Facebook page featuring our Renegade Men’s Golf Team out at Stockdale Country Club. Head Coach Wes Coble and student athletes Blake Keesey, Caleb Jameson and Quinn Walker sat down with host Kenny Calvin to discuss their season so far. On Monday the team will host a conference match out at Stockdale Country Club and we know they will represent us well!

Coach Goodman Reaches 100 Career Victories

100 Career Victories! Casey Goodman, BC Head Softball Coach — Congrats, Coach Goodman!

A special congratulations go out to Renegade Softball Head Coach Casey Goodman, who just collected her 100th victory as a head coach. In her third season at BC she has collected 66 victories and the other 34 came from her time as the head softball coach at Louisiana State University, Alexandria. As a Renegade Casey has captured back-to-back Western State Conference Championships and the team looks to make that three in a row this spring. Congrats Casey – we are lucky to have you!

BC Football at the Mission

Coach Littlejohn at the Mission of Kern County

This last Saturday our new football coach R. Todd Littlejohn and a number of our Renegade football student athletes spent the morning serving our community at the Mission of Kern County. We are glad to have the relationship with the Mission that allows our students to give back!

Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Conference Renegades

Renegade basketball players win conference honors.

With basketball season coming to a close we had multiple men’s and women’s basketball student athletes who were awarded post-season conference awards. From Men’s Basketball Tyrell Coleman (1st-Team), Michael Guillory (Co-Defensive MVP and Honorable Mention) and Isayas Aris (Honorable Mention) all received recognition. From the Women’s team Dasia Wandick was named All-Conference for the second year in a row, along with teammate Alyssa Gonzalez.

Next Level Gades – Eamon Sullivan

Eamon Sullivan from Renegade Football has signed to continue his academic and athletic career at University of Virginia’s College at Wise located in Wise, VA. Eeamon played the last two season at BC and is excited to continue his career at UVA Wise. We wish him the best and know he will always represent BC!

Valley Strong Credit Union Renegades of the Week: Feb. 16 – Feb. 22

Renegade Athletics is proud to announce this week’s (2/16-2/22) Valley Strong Credit Union Renegades of the Week:

Dasia Wandick, Women’s Basketball – Dasia matched a career high and had a season-high total of 30 points in the women’s basketball season finale against Canyons. She also received WSC South All-Conference honors for the second straight year.

Esteban Robles, Men’s Swimming – Esteban was the only individual with an event win for BC (100 Free and 50 Fly) at the 2020 Ram Crush this last weekend at Clovis College. He was part of the 200 Free Relay team who took 1st where he put up big anchor leg for the win. He was also part of 3 other relays all placing in the top 4 at the meet. For his efforts he was named the Sprint Master and Butterfly Master of the meet. To win the award one must have competed in the 50/100/200 of the strokes and score the highest cumulative points in the events. He swam in all 6 races and took the title in both strokes.

Athletics Photos From The Week

Coach Hughes with the men's basketball team.

Renegade Athletics Updates From This Past Week

Athletic events ‘On the Hill’ this coming week

Be sure to put on your Renegade Red and cheer on our student athletes as they compete this coming week. If you can’t make it in person, check GoGades.com to catch the livestream. Events include:

Mon. 3/2 – Men’s Golf hosts WSC #4 at 9am, Stockdale CC
Tues. 3/3 – Women’s Tennis vs Bakersfield at 2pm
Tues. 3/3 – Baseball vs LA Mission at 2:30pm
Sat. 3/7 – Softball vs. Fullerton at 12pm
Sat. 3/7 – Softball vs. Pasadena City at 4pm
Sat. 3/7 – Baseball vs LA Mission at 1pm

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya-
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

November is Here!

Uncategorized November 3, 2019 Comments: 2

Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, November 2, 2019… A great day to be a Renegade.

First Responders Day

America honored the brave men and women on the frontlines of catastrophe on Monday during the first annual National First Responders Day. This summer, the US Senate approved a bipartisan resolution establishing October 28 as a day to honor the 4.6 million first responders who keep us safe every day.

BC’s programs range from our EMT and paramedic programs to our fire science and police academies.

Our EMT students spend 350 hours training in the Hall EMT Academy, developed in partnership with Hall Ambulance. The program is now in its 18th year. Hall Ambulance founder and former Bakersfield mayor Harvey Hall was the program’s fiercest champion.

Our registered nursing program is the 6th oldest in the state of California, launching in 1951 through a partnership with Kern General Hospital (now Kern Medical Center). BC’s first cohort of graduating nurses received certification in 1952, and the program has continued changing people’s lives ever since.

Industry partnerships have been crucial to the development of first responder training programs at BC. Our BC Fire Science program launched in 1956 through the joint efforts of the Bakersfield Fire Department and our vocational career leadership. Students learn a special curriculum designed for Bakersfield city firefighters that mixes academic courses with on-the-job training, incorporating all motorized fire equipment used in emergency situations.

Fire tech student learning to carry a person down a fire ladder — A Fire Tech student learning to carry a person down a fire ladder in 1975.

In another example of joint partnerships benefiting our students and community, our police academy consists of both Bakersfield Police Department staff working together with BC Public Safety Training staff.

Let’s take a moment to recognize those who have chosen the difficult but meaningful career path to be a first responder. Every day, we have first responders to be thankful for, as we are reminded now in the midst of the wildfires blanketing the state. Whether first responders are assisting a neighbor or rallying together to address larger statewide needs, the quality of our lives is only possible thanks to their care and sacrifice.

ACBO 2019 Conference: Supporting Equity and Inclusion with Early College

This past week, Vice President Mike Giacomini, Senator Emeritus Jean Fuller and Early College Manager Kylie Swanson attended the Association of Chief Business Officials (ACBO) Fall 2019 conference in San Diego. Our team presented on our Early College initiative, and attended sessions related to business operations and incorporating equity into every aspect of our institutions.

The team’s presentation framed Early College as a “sound strategy” for both student success and fiscal sustainability.

My thanks to our team for representing BC at the Fall 2019 ACBO Conference.

BC’s Disability Awareness Day

The last day of October was also BC’s Disability Awareness Day, a day to shine a light on disability awareness by celebrating special programs and services, such as tutoring, accommodation, and job placement, that help students with disabilities.

Dr. Terri Goldstein, Director of Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS) presented awards to some of our outstanding departments, faculty, staff, and students who work with students with disabilities.

Participants had the opportunity to learn about the game of Goalball. This paralympic sport for athletes with vision impairment is designed around senses of hearing and touch. William Slason explained the rules of the game to those in attendance. Basically, Goalball is a 3-on-3 sport played with a ball that has bells inside. Similar to soccer, the object of the game is to roll the ball over the opponent’s goal line.

Thanks to our exhibitors for sharing valuable information with BC students, and to William Slason for teaching everyone how to play Goalball!

BC Choir and Chamber Singers

Last Friday, October 25, the BC Choir and Chamber Singers gave an amazing performance in creative collaboration with the Synergy String Quartet, a professional Bakersfield ensemble. Jennifer Garrett this was yet another amazing concert! Check out the videos below to catch a glimpse of the talent that was on display that night.

BC Jazz Combos Concert

On Thursday, October 30, the BC Jazz Studies program hosted the 2^nd annual BC Jazz Combos concert in the Indoor Theatre. The BC Monday, Wednesday, and Applied Jazz Combos were featured, along with a special guest performance by the jazz band Ralph Alessi and This Against That.

The Monday and Wednesday Jazz Combos performed an arrangement of songs from Miles Davis’ “Milestones”, Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder”, Charles Mingus’ “Nostalgia in Times Square”, and Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”. The Applied Jazz Combo performed original songs by students from Izzy Foster’s “Hmm, What’d You Say” and Abigail Wilson’s “Jet Lag,” which showcased students’ creative musical talents.

I love Nina Simone…. Here is the piece Feeling Good performed at the concert.

and here is my favorite Nina Simone song….. Sinnerman

The night featured the world-class jazz band Ralph Alessi and This Against That, who performed their original songs “Iram Issela” and “Fun Room” from their recently released 2019 hit record “Imaginary Friend.” Ralph Alessi noted that the title of their song “Iram Issela” is actually his daughter’s name spelled backwards. Thank you Kris Tiner for bringing to us this amazing concert.

Thank you to the BC Jazz Studies program, Wednesday, Monday, and Applied Jazz Combos, and Ralph Alessi and This Against That for their incredible and inspiring musical performances.

BC Hosts Undocumented Student Week of Action Activities

During the week of October 14-18, 2019, a collaborative week of events was organized across the AB 540 Program, EOPS, Rural Initiatives team, Student Life, BC Foundation, SGA, LUPE Student Club, and Project Conexiones. Community organizations provided support and services, including UFW Foundation and Youth 2 Leaders. The planning committee included Dr. Anna Laven (AB 540 Program Manager), Jaime Lopez (Rural Initiatives Program Manager), Benjamin Balderrama (Student Life Program Manager), Manuel Rosas (EOPS Counselor and LUPE Advisor), Marivel Servin (Catalyst Fellow and BC Graduate), and Christopher Hernandez (SGA Director of Student Activities).

Rafael Centeno, Educational Advisor, explains about the AB 540 Program to Open House attendees.

Left to right: Manuel Rosas, Elizabeth Rodacker, Dr. Anna Laven, Rafael Centeno, and Isabel Castaneda

Attendees were asked to use a pin to show where their journey began. Pins were placed across the world, ranging from Southern California, Central America to as far as Pakistan and the Philippines.

Serving the largest population of undocumented students in the state, California Community Colleges are committed to serving ALL students, regardless of immigration status. Undocumented Student Week is a systemwide campaign to advocate and provide support resources for our undocumented student population.

Launching the week-long series of events was the AB 540 Program Open House, housed within the EOPs umbrella. Students and faculty stopped by…thank you Elizabeth Rodacker for bringing your class.

Bradley Parrot informs a high school student about the EOPS and AB 540 Programs.

The Bakersfield College AB540 Program provides a comprehensive program of services for students who are eligible under the AB540 out-of-state tuition exemption. The goal of the program is to help eligible students meet their educational objectives, whether they seek occupational certificates, associate degrees, or transfer to four-year institutions.

Signed into law in October 2001, California Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) is a bill that provides an exemption to the requirement to pay nonresident tuition. California Community College students who are granted an AB 540 exemption will be charged in-state tuition and fees, and not the supplemental tuition charged to nonresidents.

Rafael Centeno, AB 540 Educational Advisor, shares information with attendee, Lupe Aguire.

The AB 540 team (Dr. Anna Laven, Rafael Centeno, student Catalyst Fellows, Marivel Servin, Maria Jaimes, and Imelda Simos-Valdez) provided an informational table and materials at the GBLA-sponsored Immigrant Civil Rights Conference, hosted at Hodel’s, Those in attendance gained helpful information about the asylum process and importance of the census, and heard as well from BC student, Jose Bello, and other notable speakers including Supervisor David Couch and Bakersfield Police Chief Lyle Martin.

The Delano Campus also hosted a number of events including an activity called “Painting the Symbolic Butterfly: What does it mean to you?,” which included a fun and symbolic opportunity to paint butterflies. The monarch butterfly is commonly used as a symbol to recognize the globalization and movement of people.

Jaime Lopez, Rural Initiatives Program Manager, with participating students and faculty posing with their painted butterflies.

The movie by CSUB graduate Maria Rodriguez Ornelas, entitled “5 Decades Later: The Aftermath of the Grape Strike,” was viewed by aproximately 20 students, followed by a panel discussion led by student Catalyst Fellows, Marivel Servin, panelists, Oscar Camacho, Yesenia Garcia (BC students), and Professor Bianca Moreno (Communications).

Dr. Anna Laven introduces the filmmaker and discusses the importance of recognizing the Undocumented Student Week of Action.

More than 60 students, faculty, staff, and community members attended the sugar skulls activity hosted by the LUPE student organization and headed by their Faculty Advisor, Manuel Rosas. The two dozen butterfly images produced during the “My Immigrant Story” held earlier in the week were showcased at the sugar skulls workshop.

Dr. Anna Laven poses with LUPE student club leadership.

Learn more about the AB 540 Program at Bakersfield College.

Larry Itliong Day

Local middle school students in Delano got the opportunity to learn about the rich history of labor and civil rights activism in their community during the celebrations for Larry Itliong Day on BC’s Delano Campus last week.

In 2015, Assemblyman Rob Bonta introduced a bill officially declaring October 25 as “Larry Itliong Day” to honor the contributions of Filipino-Americans in the farm labor movement of the 1960s. While thousands of pages have been written about the work of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, it was Larry Itliong and the Filipino laborers who initiated the famous Delano grape strike and boycott in 1965. When Chavez and the Mexican laborers agreed to join the Filipinos in their strike, the United Farm Workers organization was born, and it would take five years and a nationwide movement for workers to achieve a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the first for farm workers in American history.

BC’s programming for Larry Itliong Day was organized by Andrew Bond, Oliver Rosales, and the team for the “Energizing the Humanities in California’s San Joaquin Valley” grant provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities . The festivities started with an historic tour of Filipino History in Delano. Alex Edillor, President of the Filipino American National Historical Society, Delano Chapter, led BC faculty and staff through a number of historic landmarks from the Delano grape strike and boycott era.

The tour concluded at Agbayani Village, which was built by Itliong, Filipino activist Philip Vera Cruz, and the UFW in 1974 to house retiring Filipino laborers known as Manongs. The Manongs were able-bodied Filipino men who migrated to the US in the early 20th Century to work in the fields from Alaska to the Coachella Valley. Manongs were unable to marry or have children outside of their race due to anti-miscegenation laws, and an entire generation of these laborers grew old without families to support them, so Agbayani Village was created as a safe haven and retirement community for them. Once the last Manong passed away in 1997, Agbayani Village was converted into a national historic landmark. It’s also where Cesar Chavez participated in his last fast in 1988, a 36-day water-only hunger strike to draw attention to the dangers of pesticide use on farm workers and their families.

The BC team later reconvened at the Delano Campus to greet middle school students from the Delano Union School District. The NEH team screened the documentary “Delano Manongs” for students and answered any questions that students had about their community’s history. Delano resident Javier Cardena also shared his personal collection of photos, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia from the grape boycott with middle school students. His collection will be archived by the BC team as part of the Digital Delano project.

After lunch, the keynote speaker for the event, author Patty Enrado, talked about her book “A Village In The Fields”, which tells a fictionalized account of a Manong in Agbayani Village. The book was the culmination of 20 years of research on Agbayani Village and the Manongs, and it was shortlisted for the 2016 Saroyan Prize for Fiction.

I thank the National Endowment for the Humanities team for organizing this event, Abel Guzman for supporting the event at the Delano Campus, and the Delano Union School District for busing students out of class to participate in Larry Itliong Day, as well as the BC Education Department for providing additional funding.

High School Chamber Festival

Fall is musical season for local high schools. Before they start performing at other schools around the county, BC holds its annual High School Chamber Festival on Monday in the Indoor Theater.

Our award-winning BC Chamber Singers host this event every year so high school choirs can perform and get advice from professionals, such as this year’s guest Dr. Christopher Peterson, a professor and concert choir director at the University of Fullerton. Dr. Peterson gave constructive feedback on each high school’s performance, and also demonstrated different techniques and drills that local choirs could use for maximum performance.

The event also featured the first-ever performance of BC’s Men’s Chorus that had the audience on the edge of their seats.

Thanks to the BC Chamber Singers for organizing, as well as Dr. Peterson for helping so many students.

Cafe Murder

On Thursday, October 17, the Office of Student Life collaborated with the Theater Arts department to host a murder mystery dinner called Café Murder. Guests arrived to the Renegade Room at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy a Basque-themed dinner, but found themselves sharing the space with a birthday party. After some awkward encounters with the birthday guests, and the fact that everyone seemed to hate the birthday girl, they all left to use the restroom, and that is when the night turned upside-down. The birthday girl never returned and fingers were pointing at everyone in the room, especially since everyone mentioned how much they disliked the birthday girl. After some questioning from the audience, they were left to determine who was the murderer, and let’s just say, it’s in your best interest to tip and treat your waiter generously in the future.

This event was highly popular (it sold out within a day) and both offices look to collaborate in the future. This performance was made possible with the guidance of Professor Kimberly Chin.

Standout Interview and Resume Seminar

To help our students develop strong resumes and stand out in job interviews, BC held a workshop on Monday in the Levan Center.

The guest speaker for the workshop was Susanne Rego, Senior Manager of Human Resources for Target. Rego spoke about what she looks for personally from a resume and job interview. Business pathways counselor Jonathan Ward informed students about all the things they should watch out for during the semester, including the start of priority registration.

I thank all employees who helped with this event, from our business department to our job development specialists embedded within BC’s Learning and Career Pathways.

Pre-Rad Tech Orientation

BC’s Radiologic Technology Department held an orientation on Wednesday to inform students about how to apply and what to expect out of the Rad Tech curriculum at BC.

BC faculty and staff, including Jacelyn Hill, Venessa Reyes, Victoria Coffee, and Dinorah Castro, presented information regarding pre-requisites, scholarship and employment opportunities. Current students in the Rad Tech program held a panel discussion to answer students’ questions about learning habits, time management, and personal growth during the program.

The Radiologic Technology Program is a 2-year commitment that prepares students to pass licensure and eligibility for California’s Fluoroscopy Permit exam. Thank you to BC Rad Tech and Allied Health for preparing the Rad Techs of the future!

Chevron Employee Appreciation Day

Bakersfield College was invited by Chevron North America to participate in their Employee Appreciation Day at the Chevron Kern River Oilfield site on Thursday, October 31. This was an opportunity for approximately 1,000 Chevron employees to come together and enjoy a lovely lunch, play yard games, and have the chance to connect with local organizations.

Heather Pennella, Alumni & Donor Relations Manager and Aubrey Priest, Program Manager-Industrial Automation, attended the event. Thank you to Gina Pettit of Chevron for including Bakersfield College in the celebration!

BC at the Vineyards

Our Bakersfield College Rural Initiatives Team took their outreach efforts on the road! Last week, the team visited vineyards throughout rural Kern County during the 2nd Annual BC at the Vineyards to promote the programs and services Bakersfield College has to offer throughout its various locations to more than 1,000 farmworkers. These visits to the vineyards were followed up with matriculation events at the Delano Campus and Arvin High School, where prospective renegades had the opportunity to complete their applications and meet with a counselor to determine their pathway options.

These outreach efforts would not have been possible without the collaboration of the California Farmworkers Foundation and support from the Outreach and CTE Departments at Bakersfield College.

Huge shout out to our Rural Initiatives team, especially our Program Managers Jaime Lopez and Endee Grijalva for coordinating these efforts!

Foundation of California Community Colleges Provides Mobile Hotspots to 11 BC MESA Students

Through collaboration with the Chancellor’s Office and MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) program, and in partnership with ThinkEDU, the Foundation for California Community Colleges and California Connects Equity Program has provided 11 BC MESA students with free WiFi hotspots with 12 months of prepaid service. The California Connects Equity Program helps reduce barriers to learning by assisting MESA students who are currently enrolled in a California community college. Although many students are connected through a smartphone, they are considered “under connected” in that the consistency of their access is lower than they would like it to be.

Left to right: Annabelle Recino, Ramssess Patterson, and Peter Rodriguez

The requirements for participation are: (1) student is enrolled in the MESA program; (2) student is enrolled in a California community college; and (3) student is willing to receive and respond to periodic surveys measuring the efficacy of this program and online education for the community colleges.

MESA students receiving the hotspot devices include Jesus Barrita, Mark Gutierrez, Jason Moore, Katie Ramirez, Annabelle Recinos, Peter Rodriguez, Rebecca Sinor, Ian Spark, Maria Valencia, Alejandra Zapata, and Danielle Zepeda. At the conclusion of the 12 months of prepaid service, students will have the option to return the device or pay $19.99 per month for continued service.

As the Acting Program Director for MESA, Martin Perez has purchased a device (valued at $125.00) for his own use. He is paying the $19.99 monthly service charge and will be disconnecting his internet from home. Learn more about these hotspot devices.

Fun Photos

Fun Photos: Times Past

I received a wonderful email from Trustee Nan Gomez-Heizeberg about a trip we once took together. We had traveled to Tehachapi to observe an adjunct faculty member teach a math class; I was the department chair at that time and Nan a dean. Such great memories! Check out this magazine article from years ago regarding Nan’s many trips up and down Highway 99.

Students’ Halloween at BC

Web Content Editor Earl Parsons snapped these great photos of some Renegade students wearing their Halloween costumes.

Financial Aid Halloween

Heather Skibinski, Financial Aid Technician, sent over these great photos of Financial Aid staff in their Halloween costumes. Bob Ross, Slash, and a T-Rex? What’s not to love?

Physical Science Halloween

Chris Benker‘s authentic Indian garb!

Taken From Facebook: BC Staff Celebrate Halloween

Some of our BC staff posted photos on Facebook of how they celebrated Halloween. Check out these great photos!

Endee Grijalva and her daughter looked very spooky!

Monika Scott spent Halloween in Toronto with Buzz Lightyear.

At Basketball

Fun Video: Creative Design Center

Renegade video intern, Thanh Cao, from the Marketing and Public Relations Department, created a short video highlight reel using footage provided by Derrin Willis, Professor of Industrial Drawing. The short video will be featured on the BC website. Great work, Thanh!

Fun Video: Health Fair

Renegade video intern, Thanh Cao, also created another short video highlight reel about the Health Careers Fair. Great work (again), Thanh!

Kern Schools FCU Renegades of the Week (10/20-10/26)

Emily Lostetter, Women’s Soccer

Emily scored three goals in a 7-0 win over West LA, and two more goals in a 4-1 win over Glendale for a total of five on the week.

Jonathan Hunter, Wrestling

Jonathan placed 1st in the 165 lb. class at the Meat Head Movers Tournament on Saturday (10/26) beating both the #1 and #2 ranked wrestlers in the state to help the team to a 2nd place finish.

Student Athlete Spotlight

Anthony Ponce, Men’s Soccer

Enjoy this week’s Renegade Student Athlete Spotlight video on Anthony Ponce from our Renegade Men’s Soccer team. The video was shot and edited by BC digital media student Jacob Amado. Great work, Jacob!

Renegade Athletics Scoreboard

Athletics Events ‘On the Hill’

Be sure to put on your Renegade Red and cheer on our student athletes as they compete this coming week. If you can’t make it in person, check GoGades.com to catch the livestream. Events include:

Tue. 11/5 – Women’s Soccer vs West LA @ 3pm
Wed. 11/6 – Volleyball vs. West LA @ 6pm
Fri. 11/8 – Women’s Soccer vs. LA Valley @ 3pm
Sat. 11/9 – Wrestling hosts SEWA Tournament

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya-
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Bakersfield College in Arvin, Shafter, …..

Uncategorized November 18, 2017 Leave a comment

Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, November 18, 2017….a great day to be a Renegade.

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.

Students registering for classes in Shafter

Some of the comments heard throughout the day included:

“I don’t also have access to a car to drive to school, so I sometimes miss class or miss office hours. I could be a better student in Shafter.”
“This would be great! I could save money and focus more on my school work so that I can start my career.”
“I have been taking classes online, but would rather take them in person. “

BC Express Enrollment in Shafter, CA!

Thank you to all who have believed in this goal and have worked hard to make BC in Shafter a success. Thank you Steve Watkin, Abel Guzman, Rich McCrow, David Franz, Ashlea Ward, Victor Crosthwaite, Lovejot Chahal, Mark Osea, Dinorah Castro, Jesus Oropeza, Jessica Garcia, and Monika Scott.

Thank you to our KCCD Board of Trustees for supporting these goals and thank you to our media partners for highlighting our event on KGET and at The Bakersfield Californian.

Mark Osea giving a presentation Tuesday morning in Shafter.

Abel Guzman enjoying Mark Osea's Presentation in Shafter

Abel Guzman, Director of Rural Initiatives watching Mark Osea present

Let’s listen to Jessica a young woman who came in toe register

From Shafter Learning Center Facebook post

Season of Giving

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the spirit of giving; a spirit which is alive and true in our community. As I look forward to celebrating thanksgiving next week, I’m almost overwhelmed by the list of things to be thankful for… family, friends, opportunities, blessings, each and every day… I couldn’t list everything.

But, I’d like to spotlight one service on campus which gives all year long, thanks to the kind donations from our community, and this holiday season if you’d like to make a donation of some non-perishable goods, they will go to students in need.

two students delivering food to the pantry

Student Life delivering food to the pantry

The Renegade Pantry is a student assistance program which aims to help students in need, with nonperishable food, clothing, and hygiene items. Each year, they hold a Holiday Turkey Drawing, and over the past week, 93 turkeys have been distributed to students who signed up and were chosen through the drawing.

The pantry, however is always accepting non-perishable goods like instant noodles, spaghetti, rice, beans, canned chicken, mac and cheese, etc. If you’re considering a donation to a local food pantry over the holidays, consider donating dry nonperishable goods or hygiene items, such as soaps, toothpaste, and toothbrushes to the Renegade Pantry.

This heartfelt season of giving is truly something to be thankful for.

And thank you to BC’s Child Development Center for donating goods to our veterans on the heels of our weeklong Veterans celebration which I covered in last week’s blog, “Celebrating Veterans All Week Long!”

Donation from Child Development Center to our Veterans accepted by Paul Beckworth

Cafecito Time with Prez Dez

I’m so proud of BC’s Student Government Association led by this year’s President, Dezi Von Manos. SGA is always looking for ways to support the student body and regularly hosts events where students can come together and speak to the administration of the school. Examples of these events are “Coffee with the Chief” or like this past Monday, “Cafecito Time with Prez Dez” where students could directly speak to the Dezi and the SGA team.

Dezi spoke of how the SGA is always available to lend support and help assist students through their academic studies but also in life itsself.

Pictured in the group photo below is Jose Manuel McIntyre Cortez, Rayven Acosta-Webb, Dezi Von Manos, Jose Eduardo Lopez, and Mustafa Barraj.

Randy Rutledge

Randy Rutledge and Sonya Christian

I recently had the opportunity to meet Randy Rutledge, a Taft College graduate who played on the 1984 national championship winning football team before transferring to the University of Oregon and getting to be a Rose Bowl MVP. Randy relished the opportunity to tell me how they “smashed the Renegades” during their championship-winning season.

Taft College hasn’t had a football program for over 20 years, but their rivalry with BC was one of the best in junior college sports, serving as the inspiration for the 1986 film “The Best of Times” starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell. In the film, Robin Williams is a former Taft College receiver obsessed with the worst moment of his life – dropping a pass in the 1972 game between Taft and BC. Thirteen years later, he convinces Kurt Russell, his Taft quarterback, to help him re-stage the game.

A must read is this article from The Bakersfield Californian from 2006 titled, “Film on Kern rivalry still hit XX years later.”

And here is the movie trailer from 1986.

Dennis Mccall and Sonya Christian Taft College Nov 12 2017 cropped

Dennis McCall, Sonya Christian

I also got to visit with Dennis McCall who was a journalist with the Taft Midway Driller and later became a faculty member at Taft College. Dennis now volunteers at the Oil Museum at Taft that is open 3 days a week Thursday through Saturday and half a day in Sunday. I promised him that I would go check out the museum. In fact when I dropped by Senator Jean Fuller’s Thanksgiving Open House, her husband Russell was very complimentary about the Museum saying that it is a ” must visit” location. I had a wonderful time visiting with both Dennis and his wife Jan. I was Googling Dennis and came across this July 22, 2015 article in the Midway Driller. It is a fun read!
http://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/article/20150722/news/150729902

Athletics

Renegade Football Players

As the football season comes to a close, the Renegades will take the field one last time in the Patriotic Bowl against Long Beach City College at 4 p.m. tonight. The Bakersfield Californian published two articles about the game this week, including a brief informational blurb when the game was announced last Sunday, and a preview article by Teddy Feinberg on Tuesday highlighting what Renegade fans can look forward to. I’m excited to watch our team close out the season strong. Is anyone else traveling to Long Beach for the game?

The BC Wrestling team won the SCWA Southeast Conference championship last weekend, with five champions and two runners up. Our coaching staff were also winners of the Head Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year awards.

Team Results:
1) Bakersfield College – 147 points
2) West Hills College – 137 points
3) Cuesta College – 107.5 points
4) Moorpark College- 49 points
5) East LA College – 39.5 points
6) Victor Valley College- 13 points

Individual Results:
Pedro Ramirez – 1st place @ 125
Marco Velasquez – 2nd place @ 133
Pedro Corona – 1st place @ 133
Emmett Kuntz – 1st place @ 149
Brayden Riley – 1st place @ 165
Adrian Godinez – 2nd place @ 184
Jeremy Maas – 1st place @ 184
Zavion Roberson – 2nd place @ 197

Coaches’ Awards:
Assistant Coach of the Year – Joe Espejo
Head Coach of the Year – Marcos Austin and Brett Clark

A complete list of team results and placers is available at GoGades.com.

Men’s Basketball

The Renegades used a strong second half to pull away from Santa Barbara and secure a 89-65 victory. Four BC players scored in double-figures. Tucker Eenigenburg (22 points and 7rebounds), Jaylunn English (15 points and 9 rebounds), Henry Galinato (13 points and 9 rebounds) and Johnathan Murray, who led the Renegades with 5 assists, added 12 points and 7 rebounds. (from gogades.com)

Women’s Soccer

The BC women’s soccer team finishes the regular season, with a 1-0 victory over Victor Valley, on Friday. Ashley Quintanilla scored for the Renegades, her fisrt goal of the season and Taylor Serrano earned her 5th shut out of the year. The Renegades finished in second place in the conference (8-7-3, 3-3-2). (from gogades.com)

Geology Field Trip

Bakersfield College Geology Professor, Chris Benker and six BC Geology majors joined the annual CSU Bakersfield Geology three-day field trip to the Zzyzx Desert Studies Center in the Mojave Desert. BC students planning to transfer to CSUB had an opportunity to network with CSUB Geology professors, as well as CSUB undergraduate and graduate Geology students. This partnership has been longstanding. Geology Instructor Cari Meyer has also taken groups on this great adventure in past years. BC and CSUB Geology work hard to create a seamless pipeline into the Geology pathway and have fun at the same time! Bakersfield College participation was sponsored by CSUB’s Claude Fiddler Endowment.

The fun trailer highlights just a few of the adventures on this three-day geology expedition!

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Conference is the main event for SHPE the and the most massive technical and career conference for Hispanics in the country. Respectively, the SHPE Conference attracts over 6,000 engineering professionals, students, and corporate representatives. The meeting is an opportunity for engineering companies and corporations to recruit talented SHPE members and also to provide educational and career opportunities for professionals and engineering students. This 2017 SHPE conference was held in Kansas City from November 1-5th. Six BC/MESA/ASME students attended with Professor Lewis from the math department as the chaperon. The students and faculty were sponsored by the engineering department and MESA.

Leah Altman, Ashely Anderson. Lizbeth Sanchez, Rodrigo Salazar, Christian Gutierrez, and Matt Abbot.

Arvin Christmas Parade

In Richard Beene’s column, Bakersfield Observed, he mentioned that Supervisor Leticia Perez donated to save the Arvin Christmas Parade from cancellation. I’m one of many who wish to publicly say thank you. This is a special parade for a special community.

Did you miss the news we announced in August regarding BC in Arvin? Check out my blog post from August 8th, “Enriching Lives through Campus and Community.”

This week on Social Media

I loved seeing this tweet from Assemblymember Rudy Salas:

Kimberly Bligh posts on Facebook about the wellness class

From Jen Garrett’s Facebook.

The future of BC Music

Josh Ottum, Jen Garrett, Kris Tiner Nov 2017

John Ottum, Jen Garrett, Kris Tiner

Tweet from Connie Gonzales

Thank to you the KCHCC

With the technology of today and how much we utilize email, texting, social media, etc., it is a real treat to have time to sit and open up the mail. I was overjoyed to open a large envelope from BC friend and supporter, Jay Tamsi and the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for the beautiful award and recognition.

The Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce works to promote Hispanic and minority-owned businesses, and those that cater to, or employ Hispanics by being active and visible in the community and by raising the level of awareness of our member’s needs in the business community. Their vision of the KCHCC is to create innovative and influential business programs that will promote Hispanic Business and economic development at the local, state, national, and international level.

In February of this year, I was honored to be recognized as Woman of the Year by KCHCC and you can see my blog from February here.

Great College Council Meeting:

I really enjoy my work with various groups on campus. These folks are smart and dedicated to students. This week at College Council, a team of faculty and deans presented the work BC is doing with the money that we received for “Strong Workforce.”

This is money legislated to improve the workforce for high wage jobs.

Here are the local and regional projects that are underway. For example, BC’s baccalaureate program in Industrial Automation has made the regional list. This work includes working with the community colleges close to us in the region to align the freshman and sophomore level curriculum for Industrial Technology so that students can transfer with junior standing into the baccalaureate program.

The presenters did a fabulous job describing how they were using the funding to develop the various certificates within the degree programs. In some cases the equipment is so expensive that BC would not have been able to purchase the equipment without this grant.

Let’s see what Dr. Josh Ottum and our Commercial Music program is doing related to Strong Workforce

Let’s hear from Sarah Baron about the Patient Navigator program within BC’s Health Sciences degree.

I’m so proud of this work! We are BC.

Alex Epstein in Bakersfield

Chad Hathaway invited me to the Alex Epstein talk on Thursday, Nov 16th.

His book:

Jay Tamsi, Karen Goh, Chad Hathaway, Bill Thomas, Sonya Christian Nov 16 2017.jpg

Karen Goh, Jay Tamsi, Chad Hathaway, Bill Thomas, Sonya Christian

Karen Goh, Shannon Grove, Sonya Christian

Loved seeing Jean Fuller, one of my favorite people at her Thanksgiving Open House on Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Oliver and Samson

Neo on November 14, 2017, 3 days before his 8-month birthday

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Our 60th Homecoming at 1801 Panorama

Uncategorized October 14, 2017 Comments: 7

Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, October 14, 2017….our homecoming. A wonderful day to be a Renegade.

This year marks the 60th Homecoming celebration at 1801 Panorama Drive. I hope you’ll come out and show your unique Renegade pride in celebration of 114 years of BC transforming lives in Kern County. The game starts at 6PM, but we’ll be serving steak dinner with music by local legends Mento Buru at TailGade starting at 3PM and our grand Homecoming Parade starts at 4:45PM before the game.

On campus, we’ve been celebrating Homecoming all week. When I arrived on campus on Monday morning, I was greeted with Renegade decorations and school spirit everywhere. We kicked off with an office decoration contest hosted by The Office of Student Life. This year there was a tie between two areas: the shared area of the Marketing & Public Relations and Institutional Effectiveness departments, and the Extended Study Area. Congratulations!!

Guess who is the king in the picture above? Answer will be provided at the end of this blog post.

There was also a poster artwork competition for the Red&White Traveling Trophy. Congrats to this year’s winners of the Team Poster Competition. You can stop by the Office of Student Life to view them all. First place to “Free on the Outside,” second place to the Student Nursing Org, and third place to the Ag Club.

In the evening, SGA hosted a Renegade Paint Night where BC students, faculty, staff, and friends could come together and create their own masterpiece.

On Wednesday, we held a talent show to showcase our talented Renegades. The host for the evening was Stig Jantz, who cracked jokes and kept everyone laughing. Congratulations to the first place winner Dezi Von Manos & Rayven Acosta-Webb (Duet Cover of Dynamite by Taio Cruz) second place went to Valentin Vargas (single dancer) then in third place came Ganae Romo (Alessia Cara – Scars To Your Beautiful). Special thanks to the BC Food Services for providing the nachos and beverages for the event.

The Office of Student Life held a Pancake feed and pep rally on Thursday, bringing everyone into the Homecoming spirit. Students were jousting with rubber batons “American Gladiators”-style in a ring and knocking down milk jugs with bean bags in celebration of Homecoming Week. Our cheer team led routines and high energy dancing while our drumline gathered all on campus to the Renegade Crossroads for the activities.

Learn the BC Fight Song

Before the big game, listen live here!

We will fight fight fight when we’re winning
We will fight fight fight when we lose
Ere play ere goes ere the whistle blows.
We will fight where ere we choose.
We will fight fight fight in the morning,
We will fight fight fight in the night.
We are bound to win today, as we battle in the fray.
We will fight fight fight fight fight.

Homecoming Queen: Robbie Bonas

1961 Homecoming Queen, Robbie Bonas

In 1961, Robbie Bonas was our Homecoming Queen and I recently requested her photo from back then. Can you spot the BC on her crown? I absolutely love this photo.

Robbie was also one of our 100 stars. She gained numerous honors during her career as a student at BC, including homecoming queen, head song leader, and was an active member of the Newman Club. She married and raised 3 daughters, one of whom assisted in nominating her for the 100 stars centennial award. Her daughter, Tarina Perry works in the executive suite with Academic Senate. Robbie returned to BC in 1992, and served as the key support person for numerous deans. She was known on campus for her kindness and patient nature.

Doesn’t Tarina look like Robbie?

BC Cannon Crew Captain

It’s a great day to be a Renegade and it’s a great day for honoring tradition and celebrating new milestones. BC Gun Crew Captain John Medvigy will be retiring after 50 years of shooting our BC cannon. The Home of the Renegades wants to say thank you for the many years of service to our students, our alumni, our friends, community, and fans. Our next Captain has a love for shooting cannons stemming from her childhood. Courtney Carter is not only a renegade alumni, she’s also currently working with Tom Gelder and the BC Foundation. The love she has for shooting cannons defies explanation – please see the whole story done by Tabatha Mills at KGET.com.

Panorama Creative Music Summit

The Panorama Creative Music Summit started last night and will also continue tonight! This is the first annual Music Summit organized by faculty members Josh Ottum and Kris Tiner.

It was good to faculty out to support this inaugural event on Friday the 13th. Janet Tarjan, Mathematics; Reggie Williams, Philosophy; Andrew Bonds, English.

Janet Tarjan, Reggie Williams, Andrew Bonds

The music was phenomenal. The performers included the BC Commercial Music Students, Josh Ottum Trio, and Chris Schlarb & Psychic Temple.

You be the judge of that and listen to Josh Ottum perform Tom Petty’s Learning to Fly. I don’t know about you….. but I’d take Ottum over Petty. It is a quieter but more powerful version of the original–great bass.

I am so glad Josh did this piece. Tom Petty is one of my all time favorites. Listen to Ottum in the first video doing Learning to Fly and then Petty in the second with Free Falling.

Here is Tom Petty and Free Falling

Josh Ottum Trio with Kyle Burnham on the drums and Jared Gardner on the bass guitar was followed by Chris Schlarb and Psychic Temple. Just great music. Schlarb invited Kris Tiner to join them for two pieces. Here is a 41-second snippet of Tiner.

During the transition of bands, I asked our philosophy student Andrew Martin to do a short video for my blog. Let’s listen to Andrew

Distinguished Speaker, Dr. Ignacio Garcia

Dr. Ignacio Garcia was a guest speaker on campus this week, giving a talk he calls “Becoming brown in America: Remembering the Chicano movement.” Dr. Ignacio Garcia is the professor of western American history at BYU he has written 5 books. He says the presentation is a memoirist odyssey on why and how he and many other Mexican American youth in the 1960s became brown and Chicano and went into activism and the academy. He talked about the conditions in which many lived, the inadequate schools attended, the identity crisis faced and the bleak economic future that awaited many. Thank you Dr. Garcia, for coming to BC and thank you SGA and Student Life for hosting the Distinguished Speaker Series.

One Heart, One Voice – 1965 Choir Documentary

In the summer of 1965, the Bakersfield College Choir toured Europe and now, 52 years later, I had the privilege of seeing this incredible story documented on the big screen at our very own indoor theater on campus. We held two premier showings on Sunday, October 8th of the documentary “One Heart, One Voice: How the Bakersfield College Choir found success on the international stage”.

The film documented both the triumphs and hardships they experienced. From humble beginnings of signing waivers before leaving on the trip, to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, singing for the Pope, and meeting the President of the United States. It was incredible to see the reunion, and film’s premier showing take place at our campus on the hill, the place where it all started 52 years ago. I fell in love with the story and can’t wait to share more with you.

Herb Benham wrote a fantastic piece available here at the Bakersfield Californian website. I love how he started the article, “They broke all the rules, they broke some of the rules, they broke enough of the rules to prove they were 18, human and in the midst of a grand adventure.”

Thank you to everyone who contributed to creating the film and those who attended. Among all the familiar friendly faces, it was fantastic to see Joe Hustzi, Director of the 1965 Choir and our mayor, Karen Goh at the event. Thank you city councilman Andrea Gonzalez for attending and the fabulous Jerry Ludeke.

Mary Jo snapped a photo of the choir singing benediction afterwards. Just incredible.

The Links 40th Celebration

BC was in full force at The Links, Incorporated’s 40 year celebration of providing important educational resources to the community at the Seven Oaks Country Club last Saturday. The Bakersfield chapter of The Links offers has offered dozens of programs to support Kern County youth over four decades, including health and wellness conferences; panels on human trafficking, cyberbullying, HIV/AIDS prevention and other important social issues; and its hallmark “Leadership STEAM Academy”, introducing students to academic achievement tools and information about careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

There are three women who are members of The Links in our BC Faculty – Debra Strong, Denise L. Norris and Odella Johnson, who is now retired. Also in attendance were Shanell Tyus, Paula Parks, Steven Watkin and June Charles. I’d like to thank all of our faculty who supporting the Links in making a positive impact on our youth.

Research and Planning Group: Student Success Conference

Several Bakersfield College Staff and Faculty attended the conference to present data and programs and to take back valuable information to BC. Collaboration at National conferences is vital to build communication across our regions. I’m so proud!

BC Team Pictured: Isabel Castaneda, Darla Cooper (RP Group), Erica Menchaca, Kimberly Bligh, Teresa McAllister, Karen Snow, Shanell Tyus, and Lisa Kent

Our very own Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Craig Hayward, was part of a team who presented a break out session titled “Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP): From Pilot to Paradigm). The MMAP research team has found that assigning the highest placement from either a test or from multiple measures rule sets (i.e., disjunctive placement) reduces error and increases appropriate placement into transfer-level English and math. Disaggregation of student groups also demonstrates improved access and throughput for important demographic groups, decreasing or eliminating disproportionate impact. Pilot college results confirm reductions in required semesters of developmental education and increases in successful completion of transfer-level courses, while maintaining success rates in those courses. Participants learned about these results and heard about lessons from pilot college implementation to inform their own plans or refinement of their own implementation of a high-quality multiple measure placement system.

Isabel Castaneda, Darla Cooper, Erica Menchaca, Kimberly Bligh, Theresa McAlister

At team from Title V and the Academic Development at BC, Dr. Kimberly Bligh, Isabel Castaneda, Teresa McAllister, and Dr. Erica Menchaca presented a break out titled “Extending the Classroom: Intensive Academic Support for Accelerated Basic Skills Pathways” Participants learned about how BC has redesigned traditional math pathways to offer more coherent accelerated options in remedial math. By extending the classroom to support college readiness, BC provides intrusive academic and counseling support to improve student learning in the math classroom and beyond. During this session, participants will hear how these acceleration and intensive support practices have increased student success at BC. Participants discussed how one of these approaches, interventions, and practices can be adapted to fit most colleges. Several participants requested a visit to BC to learn more about the ETC program! One participant stated that BC as a “Zootopia College: A College that ‘has it together and others want to imitate…’” #WeAreBC

Family Literacy Night

On October 5 Bakersfield College Elementary Education students supported Family Literacy Night at Stella Hills. The students were paired in groups creating activities to develop literacy for children. Parents played games with their children and in each classroom throughout the Stella hills campus kids were laughing enjoying spelling, reading and finding words. It was a very successful event and a proud night for Bakersfield Colleges future teachers. Thank you Bernadette Towns for sending me these photos.

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Gadfly Cafe

On Thursday, the Gadfly Cafe met in the Levan Center and they discussed how robotics can help out in many different situations. It was inspiring to see how all the students attending were laser focused and paying close attention to the speaker. Thank you to Reggie Williams for organizing the Gadfly Cafe.

Jobs for Justice

Criminal justice professionals from across Kern County, many of them former BC students, came to campus on Wednesday to teach students how to get into the field, and what to expect when they get there.

Our Career and Technical Education department organized “Jobs in Justice: A Panel on Careers in Criminal Justice,” putting together panelists from Kern County Superior Court, the Bakersfield Police Department, Probation, Kern Valley State Prison, and the Department of Human Services.

The panelists detailed the application process for their various fields, which almost all require some combination of written, physical or oral examinations; background checks; and several rounds of panel interviews, as well as academy training after being hired to ensure that the right applicants are being chosen to serve the vulnerable populations that criminal justice professionals are tasked with helping.

While the application process can be daunting, many criminal justice fields, including juvenile probation, allow students to work as trainees while earning their degree, working around students’ class schedules. Monique DeLeon, a deputy probation officer for the Juvenile Investigations division of the Probation Department, recommended attempting to work in detention facilities in some capacity to prepare for a career in probation, where you’ll be responsible with making sure people are on the right path after getting out of those facilities.

“It will really prepare you in a closed environment for when you have to interact with people in an open environment,” DeLeon said.

Another entry point is by applying for temporary extra help terms, which have lower standards for application but allow you to learn important skills and network with professionals in the field before applying for permanent positions, Human Services Program Director Juan Rocha said.

Panelists reiterated the importance of dressing and conducting yourself in a professional manner in preparation for a criminal justice career, as well as maintaining a clean social media profile, as professionals in this field will be looked at as figures of authority.

All of the panelists emphasized the reality that a long, successful career in criminal justice can be very stressful and emotionally taxing. Rocha, who works with child custody disputes, detailed a harrowing first assignment where he assigned custody of a newborn child to its biological father with no criminal history, who displayed no red flags, to later find out that the man had killed the child at five months old.

“In child welfare, you see the worst society has to offer,” Rocha said. “When you’re dealing with human behavior, you can never be sure that everything is going to be OK.”

To see a gallery of photos, visit BC’s Smugmug.

Alliance Against Family Violence Fundraiser

It was a pleasure seeing representatives from our district and the community converge at the KGET parking lot for the annual fundraiser lunch for the Alliance Against Family Violence, a hotline and support program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Kern County. As I parked my car and was walking over, there was Gary Moser, Vice Chancellor of IT crossing the street from the Weill Institute to the KGET parking lot. I joined him and we decided to take a few moments and have lunch rather than rushing back and eating at our desk. It was great catching up with Gary and getting to know of the larger projects that he is working on a with other community colleges in the state. Louis Gill came and joined us for a few minutes.

Alliance Fundraiser October 11 2017 Gary Moser, Sonya Christian

Loius Gill, Sonya Christian at Fundraiser Lunch Oct 11 2017

I ran into so many people I know. John Means, Derrick Jeffries (thank you KGET for all your support), Jeff Green (a board member of the Alliance), Sandy Woo and many more. I spotted the very unique Mustang car of Board member Trustee Agbalog as he pulled into the drive-through lane.

KGET interviewed Louis Gill, CEO of the Alliance, about sexual assault.

http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/17-news-at-sunrise/local-advocate-weighs-in-on-weinstein-controversy/833633735

Board of Trustees Meeting

I loved this photo taken with our incredible students at the last Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday.

Afterwards, Bill Henry, President of Porterville College handed me this treasure in the parking lot. A record of the 1965 choir that he found at his mother’s home. Thank you Bill for safely getting this record to the Bakersfield College Archives.

Bill Henry at Board Meeting on Oct. 12, 2017

President Bill Henry

What an incredible time to be a Renegade. So much history, so much love from our community. Can you see why I’m the luckiest and happiest college president ever?

Kern County Workforce Summit

Bakersfield College was present at the 2017 Kern County Workforce Summit. Liz Rozell, Dean of BC’s baccalaureate program in Industrial Automation did an amazing job presenting the program to our community. I was on the panel highlighting BC’s work in Arvin, a collaborative venture with Michael Turnipseed from KernTax, Supervisor Leticia Perez, Bryon Schaefer and KHSD and Bakersfielf College.

Liz Rozell at Workforce Summit Oct 12 2017

Sonya Christian presenting at the Workforce Summit

Karen Goh, Mark Novak, Sonya Christian

Cheryl Scott, Kristen Barnes, Richard Chapman, Sonya Christian

BC Choir Heading to Australia

And speaking of the BC Choir, Jennifer Garrett was so thrilled with the Board’s decision to help fund their Australia trip that she made up fake checks to give them at one of their rehearsals this week. She said some of them cried and others just squealed with delight. Regardless, she said they were so appreciative. I loved the photo they all took – well done all.

Wellness at BC

Many of us at BC are attempting to be deliberate about developing habits that promote wellness. Our Office (VPs and President), under the leadership of Chris Glaser, has tried to cultivate one habit every month. Last month it was hydrating by drinking water. This month is taking breaks and going for walks. Here is a photo I snapped with Chris Glaser and Denis Spencer after Dennis shared with us that his doctor had ordered him to walk more. So he tried several times a week to do ten rounds through the gym which included two flights of stairs. His routine included placing 10 pennies on a banister and after every round he would pick up one of the pennies to make sure that he made the ten rounds. I thought that was pretty cool.

Chris Glaser sent this great email this week to remind us to take breaks and walk. In it he had a video about the Pomodoro Technique to overcome procrastination. Check it out

He wrapped up his email with this:

And, now that I’ve intensely focused on writing this piece, I’m going to take a break and recharge by brewing my second cup of tea.

Happy Thursday and Happy Renegade Pride Day!

Keeping in Touch

I got a lovely email from our former SGA president Alex Dominguez, who’s currently studying law at Old Miss. Alex wanted to let me know that he’s taking a class about Torts, Contracts and Civil Procedure in his first semester with a professor who has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Oxford University. It’s good to know that Alex hasn’t given up on electioneering, as he successfully ran for one of only three Senate positions on the Student Bar Association for his graduating class. He’s also staying connected back home by writing a column in the Kern County Bar Association’s monthly magazine.

As well as staying in touch with me, Alex makes sure to maintain contact with Nicky Damania and fellow former president Clayton Fowler, who share stories about how BC has impacted their lives and looking forward to their return to Bakersfield to give back to our college and community.

BCSGA Presidents with Nicky Damania June 16 2017

Four Generations of SGA Presidents and Nicky Damania

Ag Advisory Meeting

BC students, past and present, are a huge inspiration to me. Here are some photos from this week’s BC Agriculture Advisory Meeting. Thank you Corny Rodriguez for the photos!

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Celebrating our Faculty

This week, one of our faculty in Art, Diego Gutierrez, was invited by the Consulate General of Mexico in Fresno to show his stunning artwork. You can view some of Diego’s artwork online at: https://diegomonterrubio.weebly.com/

Congratulations to Diego for this high honor. We are so proud of you! And thank you Manny Mourtzanos for letting me know. You are always bragging about faculty accomplishments.

BC Social Science professor Matthew Garrett was granted an award by the Utah State Historical Society for his book about Native American children who left their reservations to live with Mormon foster families. Garrett is the winner of the 2017 Francis Armstrong Madsen Best Utah History Book Award for “Making Lamanites”, a book about the Indian Student Placement Program published by the University of Utah Press last year. “Making Lamanites” documents the Church of Latter Day Saints’ Native American foster program that ran for over 50 years and the debate between First Nations leaders who saw the Mormon Church as an empowering force for natives, and Red Power activists who viewed them as colonial invaders.

BC Passings

Kim Nickell shared that our beloved colleague and friend, Bev Keiper, passed away this past week in Los Angeles with her husband, Bob, at her side. As most of you know, Bev had battled and beaten cancer several years ago; however, she continued to battle pneumonia and other illnesses for some time. Bev was a remarkable woman and teacher. She created a supportive atmosphere for our ACDV students in the writing courses she taught and in the Student Success Lab. Students always sought her out because she was helpful and encouraging to them in many ways. And despite the fact that Bev didn’t always feel well, she still came to work with a cheerful spirit. She had an amazing work ethic, and she brought many years of valuable teaching experience and a professionalism that elevated the work in the lab as well as the Learning Center

Renegade Athletics:

Volleyball:

The Renegades swept Antelope Valley (25-17, 25-10, 25-13), on Wednesday night. And on Friday, won 25-24, 25-12, 25-18 over LA Valley.

It was a treat having Mr. and Mrs. Packer there to support Renegade Volleyball. They recently celebrated 55 years of marriage and met while attending BC…they are long time supporters of volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball.

Mr and Mrs Packer October 13 2017 Renegade Volleyball

Mr. and Mrs. Packer with Sandi Taylor and Coach Paula Dahl

Men’s Soccer:

The Renegades defeated Victor Valley 1-0, On Monday night, for their first win of the year. Alazhar Magali scored the only goal of the game, his first of the season. Israel Rodriguez, making only his second start of the season recorded the shutout for his first career win.

I was at the Memorial Stadium on friday the 13th supporting our soccer program. And of course saw Stig Jantz there. He is always there for all sports supporting our students. I snapped this picture of him with a track student Edward who is an Engineering major.

Janet Tarjan and Sonya Christian at Mens Soccer october 13 2017

Stig Jantz and student Edward October 13 2017

Women’s soccer:

The Renegades women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Antelope Valley.

Grand Jury presentation about Bakersfield College

My favorite thing to do, besides sitting in the galleries watching our students, is to talk about BC. So, I was delighted when the Grand Jury invited me to present to them about the State of Bakersfield College. It was so much fun. And the individuals where full of energy with sharp probing questions.

Fun Pictures:

Welcome to Wendy Lawson, Nan’s new assistant.

Andrea Thorson and son Jimmy from Facebook

Liz Rozell and grandaughter from Facebook

Matthew Garrett and his daughters

Craig Hayward:

And the answer to the quiz above. The king in the picture is…….[drumroll]

And in closing, here’s Neo being smart, alert, and figuring things out…

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Sonya Christian's Blog

Tag Archives: Kris Tiner

Bakersfield College – A Peace Garden of Learning, Reflection & Renewal

Good morning Bakersfield.It is Saturday, August 29, 2020…a great day to be a Renegade

Community Voices

Slowing Down

Panorama Creative Music Summit Goes Virtual

#LightACandle: A Juneteenth Conversation

BC Foundation presents online newsletter

BC’s MESA Program in the news

#GoodTrouble: Celebrating the Life of John Lewis

Opening Week 2020

Commencement 2020

Spotted on Social Media

Athletics

Throwing it back to the beginning of Renegade Athletics

Jon Baker finds success as an agent

Feb 29, 2020 Celebrating Leap Year & showcasing Sterling Silver 2020

Sterling Silver

Corporate Philanthropist of the Year – Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association

Individual Philanthropist of the Year – Mr. Bill Kelly

Bakersfield College Foundation Service Medal – Dr. William F. “Bill” Baker, Jr.

Bakersfield College Foundation Service Medal – Rick Kreiser

Thank Yous

African-American Community Leadership Breakfast

Levan Center and Levan Institute on KGET

Art, Architecture and Archetypes: Art as Ritual

Renegade Roundtable on Homelessness

Community Voices: Michele Bresso

Grounds for Dreaming

This Week at BC: Financial Aid

Renegade Athletics

Coach Goodman Reaches 100 Career Victories

BC Football at the Mission

Men’s and Women’s Basketball All-Conference Renegades

Next Level Gades – Eamon Sullivan

Valley Strong Credit Union Renegades of the Week: Feb. 16 – Feb. 22

Athletics Photos From The Week

Renegade Athletics Updates From This Past Week

Athletic events ‘On the Hill’ this coming week

November is Here!

First Responders Day

ACBO 2019 Conference: Supporting Equity and Inclusion with Early College

BC’s Disability Awareness Day

BC Choir and Chamber Singers

BC Jazz Combos Concert

BC Hosts Undocumented Student Week of Action Activities

Larry Itliong Day

High School Chamber Festival

Cafe Murder

Standout Interview and Resume Seminar

Pre-Rad Tech Orientation

Chevron Employee Appreciation Day

BC at the Vineyards

Foundation of California Community Colleges Provides Mobile Hotspots to 11 BC MESA Students

Fun Photos

Fun Photos: Times Past

Students’ Halloween at BC

Financial Aid Halloween

Physical Science Halloween

Taken From Facebook: BC Staff Celebrate Halloween

At Basketball

Fun Video: Creative Design Center

Fun Video: Health Fair

Kern Schools FCU Renegades of the Week (10/20-10/26)

Emily Lostetter, Women’s Soccer

Jonathan Hunter, Wrestling

Student Athlete Spotlight

Anthony Ponce, Men’s Soccer

Renegade Athletics Scoreboard

Athletics Events ‘On the Hill’

Bakersfield College in Arvin, Shafter, …..

Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, November 18, 2017….a great day to be a Renegade.

Season of Giving

Cafecito Time with Prez Dez

Randy Rutledge

Athletics

Geology Field Trip

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

Arvin Christmas Parade

Good morning Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, August 29, 2020…a great day to be a Renegade