Tag Archives: Mayor Karen Goh

Many Things to Celebrate at BC!

Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, October 28, 2017 and a great day to be a Renegade.

fats-domino-9276748-1-402.jpg biography websiteDid you grow up with Blueberry Hill, Your Cheating Heart, ……. I did.  As a little girl listening to my Uncle Raphe, who has since passed, reminiscing over and over again about how he wooed Aunt Shirley when he was in a band and sang Blueberry Hill.  You know families, stories are repeated over and over again.  I loved them all and loved this one about the love story of my uncle and aunt.  And Fats Domino was front and center in this story.  I definitely grieved his passing on October 24, 2017 and read the news items posted on him and listened to his music over and over again on youtube.  Here is a great 5:09-minute video of Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Johnny Hallyday, Celine Dion & Louis Armstrong in Blueberry Hill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc9pRbbd3rw

And I love Louis Armstrong as well. Here is my favorite — Louis Armstrong and Barbara Streisand in Holly Dolly.

This is how John Pareles begins his article on October 25, 2017 in the New York Times

Picture1.png

For more
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/25/arts/music/fats-domino-best-songs.html?_r=1

BCSGA Power Lunch

Introducing Vince Fong to a room packed with students was one of the best ways I could imagine beginning a new week at BC.

IMG_7429

On Monday, we had the 2nd of 3 Power Lunches hosted by BCSGA Legislative Affairs Department. The Power Lunches consist of local legislators from Kern County sharing with the student body how they can be involved and stay up-to-date on what is currently happening within the state. Students also get the great opportunity to learn from the personal stories of our guest speakers.

 

Michelle Pena, Sonya Christian, Chris, Vince Fong, Heather Pennella, Steve Watkin Oct 23 2017

After the luncheon, it was fantastic to see Renegade football player and student intern in the Marketing Department, Carson Olivas on campus!

Sonya Christian and Carson Olivas October 23 2017

Sonya Christian, Carson Olivas

Disability Awareness Day

October is national Disability Awareness Month including Disability Employment Awareness? On Thursday, we celebrated Disability Awareness Day with various activities and presentations. To kick off the morning, we had an info fair with booths all across the Renegade Crossroads. On-campus and off-campus exhibitors included BC DSPS, BC Student Health Center, BGLAD, Bakersfield City Recreation and Parks: Adaptive Sports, Canine Companions for Independence, CA Department of Rehabilitation, Exceptional Family Center, Epilepsy Society of Kern County, Inclusion Films Workshop, Independent Living Center of Kern County, The Wounded Heroes Fund, Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation, America’s Job Center: Employment Resources for Individuals with Disabilities, Kern Autism Network, Kern Regional Center, LifeSigns, and Sorenson. These organizations are so important to our community and to those with unique needs. They provide such a wide range of accommodations and support services, such as canine companions, community, and other means of assistance.

The activity moved into our Fireside Room for a student panel and awards ceremony. Students spoke about their challenges as a way of sharing that we all endure personal unique struggles, but with success comes inspiration. They made a point to share that access to resources is vital. A special thank you to our students for voicing your stories. You continue to inspire me, your classmates, your professors, your community. Next, we celebrated the DSPS Allies Awards to those who actively support the success of students with disabilities at BC. This special award is for those who truly go above and beyond. Thank you to all the recipients this year:

Outstanding Department: Assessment Department, Department of Public Safety

Outstanding Faculty: Kurt Klopstein, Richard Miles

Outstanding Staff: Dr. Nicky Damania, Elieen Pierce

Outstanding Students: Alysun Seablom, Danita Belmore

Disability Awareness Assessment Center Recepient Speaker Chuck Wall

Dr. Chuck Wall

To close out the afternoon, we welcomed guest speaker, Dr. Chuck wall, a retired Business Admin faculty from BC who overcame the obstacles that go with being blind. He’s received international acclaim for his creation of the “Random Act of Kindness” and he’s appeared on radio shows including the Oprah Show, CNN, The Hour of Power, and he’s been honored by the U.S. House of Representatives for his humanitarian work. Thank you to Terri Goldstein and BC’s DSPS team for all they do to organize, plan, and prepare for this incredible day each year.

All of the photos from this years event are available at The Bakersfield College Smumug.

See my blog about last year’s Disability Awareness Day here.

HIRE

To honor the month, every year BC’s own WorkAbility III Employment Program for People with Disabilities takes the lead in planning and implementing the Bakersfield Mayor’s HIRE Committee Luncheon celebrating employers who hire and support people with disabilities, as well as their employees with disabilities who are successfully working.

Denise Crawford from BC was interviewed on KGET Tuesday morning to talk about her involvement with organizing a luncheon for Mayor Karen Goh’s HIRE Committee dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment.

HIRE Luncheon Group Photo

This year’s event was held on Wednesday, October 25th at Hodel’s event center and had its largest annual attendance to date!  Over 120 employers, most from Kern County, employees with disabilities, and the local agencies and colleges who support them attended this exciting afternoon. Highlights of the event include large and small employer business of the year and employee with a disability of the year. Nominated this year was BC’s own Matthew Foster from campus reprographics. The event included inspirational speakers, entertainment by the “World Famous Sit-Down Comic,” Miguel Lugo, and our mayor, Karen Goh.

BC was well represented: Dr. Terri Goldstein, Director of Disabled Students Programs and Services, attended with Rudy Gutierrez, WorkAbility Job Development Specialist and Denise Crawford, WorkAbility Program Manager.  Rudy and Denise, with the BC Workability Program, are both long-time members of the HIRE Committee, a combined effort of colleges, community and state agencies to increase awareness and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

HIRE Mayor Goh, Rudy, Terri and Denise

Mayor Karen Goh, Terri, Rudy, and Denise

The HIRE Committee was originally founded by recently retired Mayor Harvey Hall and community members in 2004, and has a long and successful history. And Mayor Karen Goh continues to support this much needed effort since she was elected Mayor of Bakersfield last year.

Campus Facilities Presentation

IMG_7458We had an excellent forum in Levan Center about Measure J & Facility Master Plan. November 8th will be the one-year anniversary of Measure J, so we want everyone to know what is happening with the half a billion dollars that the wonderful citizens of Bakersfield voted to give Bakersfield College for much needed structural improvements. As honored guest, Trustee Bill Thomas said, “Bakersfield College is going to be renewed.”

We were able to hear from AECOM-Parsons team and the Project Executive, Domingo Camarano, a proud Renegade Alum raised in Bakersfield. He understands our community and is concerned with the future of our students. AECOM-Parsons is working hard to transform our college to better turn our community support into brick-and-mortar structures that align with the education master plan.  During this transformation, I ask all of you for Engagement, Efficiency and Effectiveness.

IMG_7470

AECOM was recently in the LA Times for their project on the LA River.

Thank you to all the staff and faculty who attended the forum and especially to Chancellor Tom Burke for taking the time to call in, even as he was travelling to Sacramento; to subcommittee chair Trustee Bill Thomas for being so involved in our transformation, to Bill Potter, Administrative Chair, Pam Kelley, Faculty chair, and Kristin Rabe, Classified Chair and the rest of the members of the Facilities & Sustainability Committee for working diligently on the Facility Master Plan. If you missed the presentation, you can see important dates, campus team leaders and other information in the Measure J & Facility Master Plan Presentation 10/25/2017. This is truly a wonderful time at BC.

National Chemistry Week

Did you know it was National Chemistry Week? We celebrated at BC with an info fair in the courtyard within the SE building! Info was available for students who wants to pursue a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math. National chemistry week gives students the opportunity to see that chemistry can influence things in your life not only in class…. Check out the video created by Manny De Los Santos!

All the photos are available at the Bakersfield College Smugmug.

Pre-Radiologic Technology Orientations

BC PreRad students

93 Students in attendance!

Our Pre-Radiologic Technology Orientation last week was a huge success, with over 93 college and high school students in attendance to learn all about our radiology programs.The event was organized in conjunction with the Health Careers Pathways Initiative and a team lead by counselor Dinorah Castro. Several of our radiologic technology students participated in the orientation, and it was a great opportunity for our staff to answer student questions, dispel any confusion about the program and career pathway, and converse with some of our current and prospective students. Students learned about program prerequisites, application procedures, financial aid opportunities, program curriculum, as well as tips for licensure exam performance and future employment in a radiologic technology career.

Thank you to the Health Careers Pathway Team: Dinorah Castro, Nancy Perkins, Jacy Hill, Venessa Reyes!

Delano CHAP

ChrisDison and Joe Aguierre presenting at CHAPThe BC Delano Campus’ Cultural & Historical Awareness Program (C.H.A.P.) has been busy organizing events for students, staff, and the Delano community this semester. The first event was held on Wednesday, October 18 at the Kern County Library – Delano Branch. This event was hosted by the Kern County Library in conjunction with the One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern project and the book: “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America” by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer.  Professor of English Chris Dison moderated a panel discussion entitled Poverty and Policy in Delano with guest Joe Aguirre, Director of Facilities and Emergency Management for Delano Regional Medical Center (DRMC). Mr. Aguirre is a current Delano city council member and past mayor of Delano. The evening began with a history of DRMC’s Community Garden as a response to the many citizens in need of fresh food for dietary and medical reasons and how the garden operates today in Delano. The DRMC has over 20 acres of land that they now provide to the community, free of charge, in order to provide a venue for horticultural and dietary education, while enabling residents to grow and harvest their own food. The session ended with a call to students and all Delano residents to actively engage in their community and participate in the political process in order to facilitate change.

Robert F Kenndy Delano Campus LobbyA second C.H.A.P. event happened on Wednesday, Oct. 25 (Larry Itliong Day) at the Robert Kennedy High School Lecture Hall.  Entitled Digital Delano: Preserving an International Community’s History, with sponsorship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, this event featured an author presentation and panel discussion of Gabriel Thompson’s new book “Chasing the Harvest: Migrant Workers in California Agriculture” (Voice of Witness 2016).  The award-winning author offered a reading of his book and participated in a panel discussion with some of the subjects interviewed in the book.  The evening was special for the over 200 people in attendance, including local educators, their students and families.

Visiting scholars from CSU Bakersfield, UCLA, CSU Fresno, Chabot College, and other statewide advocacy organizations for farm workers attended.  The entire event was conducted in both English and Spanish, with translation services offered by the moderator, Adjunct History Professor Octavio Barajas (Ph.D. Candidate, Tulane University) and Valerie Gorospe of the Center for Race, Poverty, and the Environment.

Abel Guzman Presenting at CHAPDelano Campus Interim-Director Abel Guzman also spoke, sharing his own family’s intimate connections to farm labor in Delano.  Food was provided by the amazing Fil-Bak Shop in Delano.  Delano Campus librarian Elisabeth Sundby and volunteer librarians harvested local histories throughout the evening, as attendees were encouraged to bring in family history artifacts (photos, letters, memorabilia) to digitize and contribute to the building of a community-based archive available for future use by students and researchers.

Panorama Music Summit –Take 2

The first annual Panorama Creative Music Summit was a big hit! Organized by professors Kris Tiner and Josh Ottum, this collaboration between the Jazz Studies and Commercial Music programs featured performances by BC students, alumni, and faculty along with some talented guest performers.

Panorama band6

Friday’s events began with a workshop in the music lab led by Long Beach composer and producer Chris Schlarb, leader of the band Psychic Temple. Schlarb instructed music technology students in recording techniques honed from decades of experience running his own studio and record label. Friday evening’s performances in the Indoor Theater kicked off with four student songwriters from the Commercial Music program who were chosen by audition to perform at the summit. Luke Duffell, Mason Edwards, Ian Merete, and Trevor Turner wowed the audience with their creations that were inspired by pop, folk, rap and ambient music. Next up was Professor Josh Ottum’s trio featuring BC music faculty member Kyle Burnham on drums and BC alumnus Jared Gardner on bass. Ottum performed a selection of original songs from his solo albums, plus a very well-received tribute to Tom Petty. Chris Schlarb and Psychic Temple closed out the evening with a wonderfully diverse set of original tunes from the album Psychic Temple IV, which continues to appear on the Billboard Americana/Folk charts. The band included multi-instrumentalist Phillip Glenn on violin, accordion, mandolin and keyboard, former Nashville drummer Garrit Tillman on drums, and Leeann Skoda on guitar and backup vocals.

Panorama5

Saturday’s events began with a 2.5 hour workshop led by Japanese percussion wizard Tatsuya Nakatani. Nakatani, who currently lives in New Mexico, travels throughout North America performing with local musicians trained to play his set of giant gongs, using his handmade bows and following his unique conducting system. For this event 14 BC music students were selected to perform with the Nakatani Gong Orchestra. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both the performers and the audience alike. Saturday evening’s concert began with the Andrew Morgan Quartet. Morgan, who plays drums, is a former BC student and recent graduate of the Jazz Studies program at CSU Northridge. His band was stellar, and consisted of fellow CSUN students along with celebrated LA bassist Jeff Schwartz. Following Morgan’s set, BC Jazz Studies professor and trumpet player Kris Tiner performed in a duo with LA pianist Cathlene Pineda. Tiner and Pineda have collaborated and recorded together frequently since they were students at CalArts, and for this set they performed original material plus music by Leonard Cohen and their shared mentor, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Tatsuya Nakatani brought the evening to an ecstatic finish with a riveting solo performance on the drums, followed by the much-awaited Nakatani Gong Orchestra.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The next Panorama Creative Music Summit is planned for September, 2018 and I can’t tell you how much Im looking forward to this new campus tradition celebrating creative music at Bakersfield College!

Coach Ferreira

The Renegades volleyball team defeated West LA 3-0 , (25-16, 25-9, 25-10) to improve to 15-5 overall and 3-1 in conference. BC was led by Brooke Horack with 10 kills, while Mandy Sangha added 9 kills. Haley Sanchez led the team in digs, with 7.

With the win Carl Ferreira earned his 400th career victory! Congratulations to Coach Carl.

Coach Carl

 

Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance

On Tuesday, the Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance hosted a luncheon to recognize the work of volunteers in our local legal community. Among the honorees was Princess Herrera, a BC graduate of our Pre-Law pathway. As a student, Princess was the President of the Pre-Law Society while also completing an internship at GBLA, which included English-Spanish translation of several legal documents and publications. Princess is continuing her Pre-Law studies as a junior at CSUB with plans to enter law school in fall 2019. In the meantime, Princess continues her volunteer work at GBLA.

Graduates

Pictured are several members of BC’s Pre-Law Advisory Council who continue to support and mentor Princess along her journey toward a legal education: Manny Mourtzanos, Mark Pafford (Chief Deputy District Attorney), David Torres (Criminal Defense Attorney), Princess Herrera, Jay Rosenlieb (Attorney),  Adeyinka Glover (GBLA Executive Director), Bethany Peak (Attorney), Alekxia Torres-Stallings (Attorney), and H.A. Sala (Criminal Defense Attorney). My deepest gratitude goes to the members of our Pre-Law Advisory Council for their faithful dedication, volunteer service, and countless hours of investment in our students’ success. At BC, we are so proud of our graduates.

Grimmway Academy and Bakersfield College

Kimberly Bligh, Cole Sampson, Bernadette Towns, Lindsay Ono

Kimberly Bligh, Cole Sampson, Bernadette Towns, Lindsay Ono

A team from Bakersfield College were invited for a tour and lunch at the new Grimmway School in Shafter. BC was joined by representatives from CSUB, Point Loma, Fresno Pacific, and National Universities.

Shafter Principal, Joanna Kendrick, and Arvin Principal, Cole Sampson, took us on walking tours through the farm centered in the middle of campus, the Learning Lab, several classrooms, and then we dined on fresh produce and yummy tacos in the Edible Classroom.  You see in the photo below Shafter Grimmway School Principal, Joanna Kendrick, explaining a typical, cross-discipline food education lesson in the school’s Edible School Classroom.

Chef Anna Melby, also an adjunct professor for BC, runs the Schools Café.  Casey Yeazel, the Chief Academic Officer for the school, shared the school’s teacher and staff hiring process and intensive professional development practices at the Grimmway Schools. He shared the school’s vision and encouraged teacher training collaboration with Grimmway, local colleges, and the community.

Reps from multiple secondary schools

Casey Yeazel

Casey Yeazel, Chief Academic Officer

Thank you BC team — Kimberly Bligh, Bernadette Towns, Lindsay Ono, for attending.  And thank you Trustee Romeo Agbalog for keeping the focus on education for rural Kern front and center.

 

Latina Empowerment Day

BC was honored to be able to host Latina Empowerment Day in the Fireside Room on Friday, which provided attendees with important resources for Latinas to engage important leadership roles in the community.

Gabby, Norma, Lisa

Gabby Castaneda, Norma Rojas Mora, and Lisa Kent

Latina Empowerment Day was hosted by the group Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), an amazing nonprofit organization “committed to ensuring political and economic parity for Latinas”, according to their website.

They’ve helped thousands of Latinas with education and development of leadership skills to be successful at the highest level in their communities, while providing important demographic data about Latinas to develop and advocate for government and institutional policies that would increase Latina employment.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Representatives from HOPE conducted three workshops during Latina Empowerment Day, focused on financial planning, business negotiations and conflict resolution, and energy policy, respectively.

Several representatives from Wells Fargo, one of the sponsors of the event, provided some important guidelines for financial health, maintaining good credit and planning for retirement. Wells Fargo’s Vice President of Community Relations Gabriela Mello praised the HOPE organization and expressed her excitement about Wells Fargo’s partnership with the group. “HOPE has done an amazing job supporting, advocating and helping Latinas throughout the country with their leadership institutes and workshops,” Mello said.

Opening speaker Nayi Arismendi, a Subsurface Lead of Major Capital Projects for Chevron, providing some motivational words for the audience while telling her story of coming to America from Venezuela. “We as Latinas have the power to make our way up,” she said. “Don’t be afraid. If you once failed, it doesn’t mean that you won’t get there. We get to wherever we dream of.”

Norma and GabbyTwo lucky attendees to Latina Empowerment Day got some great prizes. HOPE gave away a beautiful Michael Kors handbag and two round-trip tickets with Southwest Airlines to anywhere the airline serves to attendees who stayed for the duration of the event.

I’d like to give a giant shoutout to Norma Rojas Mora for hosting Latina Empowerment Day. She’s a huge supporter of our campus and an integral part of helping us build and develop Measure J. A few months ago, I posted a picture of Norma with Trustee Thomas and Nicole Parra helping us out with Measure J and put it in the July 1st edition of the blog.

Octavio Martinez and Tim Painton

In last Sunday’s edition of the Californian, reporter Teddy Feinberg highlighted the successes of former Renegade baseball star Octavio Martinez, who now works as a Major League bullpen catcher for the Washington National for eight months a year, returning to Bakersfield off-season to unwind in his hometown.

In the article, coach Tim Painton offers some fond memories of Octavio, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1999 and played professionally for 14 years before becoming the Nationals’ bullpen catcher. Painton remembers Octavio as “a man of high character” and “a very genuine, down-to-earth, good person.”

Painton has had the privilege of coaching three of Octavio’s brothers.

Juan was a standout Renegade who went to Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma before playing in the San Francisco Giants farm organization. He now plays professionally in Mexico. Rolando followed in Octavio’s footsteps and went to Oral Roberts University at the end of his Renegade Career. He plays professionally in Mexico, too. Luis is the youngest brother and is currently a senior infielder with the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners. The Martinez brothers are lucky to be a part of such a great family, and all of us at BC are lucky that this family chose our campus to be a part of their journey.

BC in Seattle:

We had a BC Team in Seattle this week at the very last AACC Pathways Institute.

BC Team at AACC Institute 6 in Seattle

Sonya Christian, Craig Hayward, Grace Commiso, Jennifer Johnson, Zav Dadabhoy, Lesley Bonds, Mark Osea

We focused our work in getting our catalog of courses for degrees and certificates to be represented more visually on the web, as well as scaling up students having a Student Ed Plan.  We are a campus that uses the “high touch – high tech” approach while building systems to guide our 31,000 students.

Team at dinner with Lesley performing magic with this selfie.

In front: Grace Commiso, Lesley Bonds, Mark Osea

At the back: Jennifer Johnson, Zav Dadabhoy, Sonya Christian, Craig Hayward

Selfie of BC Team at dinner Oct 26 2017

Selfies: Mark Osea and Craig Hayward on the Space Needle.  Lesley Bonds, Grace Commiso, Jennifer Johnson at dinner.

Emails worth Sharing

BC Chemistry Professor Deborah Rosenthal emailed to share with me that after four weeks of working with BC students, Standard Middle School students came to campus to present their science topics, visit the organic chemistry lab, and see the beginning of the BC volley ball game.  It’s a great day any time our young future Renegades get to visit the BC campus.

Fun Images

Bob and Vicki Meadows who had their first date at Bakersfield College.

Thanks Tarina for pinging this for me with a message that said: “I have known bob to be involved in MANY community involvement events dating back to even being the emcee at my grandmothers charity (YLI) fashion show.”

 

Bob & Vicki Meadows:

My beautiful flowers from my sweet husband for the anniversary of our first date. ..43 years ago today. .it was to the homecoming dance at Bakersfield College. Little did I know that 4 years later we would be married! ! Love of my life and my best friend!

 Chief Chris Counts showing off the new Public Safety vehicle.  You can tell he is very pleased and so are our Public Safety Officers.

Chris Counts and Sonya Christian with new car Oct 2017

Chris Counts, Sonya Christian

Jen Garrett’s post after the amazing concert last night

Matt Garrett and Jennifer Garrett Oct 27 2017Tonight I was a part of something very special. I stood on a stage in front of over 350 people, conducting a concert of incredible music, with people that I love and admire so much. Chamber Singers performed their repertoire for a conference in February which is extremely challenging and I am so excited to have performed it and now get to make it more incredible. And College Choir exceeded all expectations by singing more difficult repertoire than ever before and performed with a string quintet and also with harp. Then we ended with french horn, violin, timpani, percussion and Patrick Bender blowing us away on the piano. I’ve never had choirs work as hard as they did for this concert. I have no words to express my gratitude for all of their efforts and the heart they do everything with. I am the luckiest choir director in the world!

 

 

Jim Selgrath on twitter

 

October 27 2017 Jim Selgrath

Sonya Christian walking Neo October 28 2017 cropped

 

That’s all for now.  

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.  

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Bakersfield College – a Place of Dreams

Good morning Bakersfield…It is Saturday, September 9th.  A great day to be a Renegade

The man who believed in love, music and magic passed away yesterday.  As a little girl, I remember my grandfather Arthur playing Don Williams on his little cassette player.  It is amazing how the young mind learns and is able to remember the lyrics and the music so clearly after all these decades.

From the New York Times:

“I Believe in You,” a gently cantering ballad in a similarly intimate vein written by Roger Cook and Sam Hogin, spent two weeks at the top of the country chart and crossed over to the pop Top 40 in 1980.

Here is I Believe in You…a song that I must have heard a million time growing up with the verse that is burned in my mind and heart.

But I believe in love
I believe in music
I believe in magic
And I believe in you.

How many of you line danced to Tulsa Time? Well, this is a Don Williams tune that hit top of the charts in 1978 and Eric Clapton got it on the top 40s in the 1980s.

Tulsa Time

 

Thank you Don Williams for your music and thank you grandpa Arthur for always having music float through the entire house from your room at the front of the house.

Milt Younger

 

Talking about music, many of us were at Greenlawn cemetery Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. to honor Milt Younger, the man who had a large positive impact on so many individuals and so many causes in our community.  Mayor Karen Goh’s remarks about Milt were organized on the theme of the “music of his life.” This was apropos given Milt’s love and knowledge of music.

Karen Goh:  “I heard the music of caring, the music of generosity, and the music of a mentor.” Karen gave examples of Milt’s caring, Milt’s generosity, and Milt being a mentor.  She concluded her comments with:

Milt, thank you for the music that you so beautifully played for us.
We, as your orchestra, will be honored to play the encore.

John Heffner Betty Younger Milt Younger from FB

John Heffner was the second of the three speakers to honor this great man.  John, a dear friend of Milt’s. was a great story teller, painting the picture of the brilliant lawyer, the talented lover of the arts and music, the great civic leader, mentor of bright young minds, and a fabulous friend.

Milt Younger and Horace Mitchell from FB

Milt Younger, Horace Mitchell

Speaking last, President Horace Mitchell powerfully described Milt’s long-term patronage of CSUB.  President Mitchell presented Betty Younger with a framed photo of the CSUB flag flying half mast in honor of Milt.

We had a large group from Bakersfield College attending the service.  To mention a few — Chancellor Tom Burke;  Dr. Manny Mourtzanos, Dean of Instruction;  Corny Rodriguez, Dean of Instruction; Tom Gelder, Executive Director of the Bakersfield College Foundation.

My introduction to  Milt Younger’s deep relationship with Bakersfield College was when I was in Oregon preparing to interview at Bakersfield College for the position of President.  I came across a 24-page newsletter, Kern IQ, published by the Kern Center for Political Action (KCPA) in Winter 2011.  The quality and deep treatment of issues was immediately visible.  And the KCPA was housed at Bakersfield College under the umbrella of the Bakersfield College Foundation.  How very cool!

Here are a few screen captures of the 24-page publication.  You can see why I fell in love with the team that pulled this together.

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 1:

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 1

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 2:

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 2

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 3:

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 3

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 6:

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 6

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 9:

Here is an article by Milt Younger, Answering the call for tomorrow’s leaders.  Love the picture with Milt Younger, Jack Brigham, Norm Levan, and John Collins

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 9

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 13:

My first introduction to Michael Turnipseed.

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 13.jpg

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Issue, Page 20:

My first introduction to the amazing We The People program at Arvin High School, Jose Gurrola who went on to become a BC Renegade, and Jim Young’s passion for Arvin and its youngsters.

Kern IQ Winter 2011 Page 20.jpg

Since then, most of my encounters with Milt have been early mornings on the weekends, when I would be in my office at BC and Milt would be walking his scotties.

Milt Younger was the co-chair with Mayor Harvey Hall of the inaugural Leadership and Equity faculty group at Bakersfield College.

Milt Younger planned the August 3, 2016 A Tribute to Jack, at Bakersfield College, on the passing of his dear friend Jack Brigham.

Jack2

 

Both Milt Younger and Betty Younger were recognized as among the 100 Stars during the centennial year celebrations of Bakersfield College.

 

Betty Younger completed a art piece, Circle of Friends, in honor of Jim Young, chancellor emeritus of the Kern Community College District.

Circle of Friends April 28 2014

Circle of Friends Spring 2014

Sandra Serrano, Jim Young, Milt Younger, Betty Younger, Sonya Christian

To read more, check out my September 12, 2014 blog at:

https://sonyachristianblog.com/2014/09/12/a-circle-of-friends-milt-and-betty-younger-and-jim-young/

Milt Younger, we will miss you.

The Bakersfield Californian had a nice piece by Susan Scaffidi: “Local arts community will miss champion Milt Younger” – check it out here.

Dreamers 

Of course, talking about Milt Younger immediately brings to mind the activities this week that surrounded the announcement from Washington DC on September 5th related to DACA.

Alexx Dominguez and Sonya Christian March 10 2016

Christian, Dominguez

BC’s former SGA President Alex Dominguez highlighted the successes of the DACA program in a Community Voices piece for the Bakersfield Californian.

Alex said,

“As student government president of Bakersfield College (2014-15), student trustee of the Kern Community College District (2014-15), and president of the Associated Students Inc. of CSU Bakersfield (2016-17), I have had the opportunity to learn about DACA in depth. I had the immense honor of representing these students on a local, state and federal level. Both Bakersfield College and CSUB have a significant number of DACA recipients. These students are actively working towards improving not their own lives, but also the lives of the communities they live and work in.”

Here is a message for our current SGA president Dezi Von Manos

 

 

immigrationpoliciespanelWe will be holding a campus forum about DACA and AB 540 in the Levan Center on September 21st from 5:30 -7 p.m. Panelists will include:

  • Win Eaton, Esq. – Immigration Attorney
  • H.A. Sala, Esq – Criminal Defense Attorney
  • Sarah Rich, Esq – Immigration & Criminal Defense Attorney
  • Vanessa Sanchez, Esq – Immigration Attorney

 

Welcoming New Faculty to BC!

F17newfacultyreception13

Last Saturday, I had the annual President’s New Faculty Reception prior to our first football home game.  And I was delighted with the dignitaries who were also able to join the event — Mayor Karen Goh, Trustee Bill Thomas, and Trustee Romeo Agbalog.  BC hired 55 new faculty which is one of the largest cohorts of new faculty.

The Food Services department put together another lovely dinner of garbanzo bean salad, a choice of tri-tip or chicken, wine, and a smorgasbord of desserts. Chef Sabella and his team always serve and prepare a lovely spread at our events, and I’d like to personally thank all of our Food Service workers for leaving a memorable first impression on all our new faculty.

 

F17newfacultyreception04Mayor Goh was exuberant in her welcome of new faculty, leading everyone in a chant of “We Are BC”. She encouraged our new BC family members, many coming from outside of Kern County, to become engaged with their new community and familiarize themselves with our culture, leadership and community outreach programs.

F17newfacultyreception12Academic Senate President Steven Holmes told the infamous story of how he applied to work at BC in March, not realizing the intensity of the Central Valley heat until when he moved to Bakersfield from the coast to take his first teaching position here. Over time, however, he’s grown to love Bakersfield and this campus like we all have, and he’s been privileged to see people he’s taught over the last 20 years go on to take important leadership position in the community. Holmes then got to introduce one of his former students, KCCD Trustee Romeo Agbalog.

F17newfacultyreception14

Agbalog shared the story of how BC and teachers like Holmes helped shape the person he is today, while urging the new faculty members in the audience to take pride in the hundreds of people they’ll get to directly influence during their time here.

Before the deans and department chairs got the opportunity to formally introduce the new members of their various departments, Bill Thomas, our former congressman, told stories about teaching political science at BC in the early 60s when Kern County was a much smaller place.

Bill Thomas New Faculty Sep 2 2017Through his experience as both a student and teacher at BC, Thomas got to meet his future wife, Sharon (who also joined us), influenced scores of students to take interest in civic discourse, which gave him the power to change the lives of millions nationwide while securing important funding for infrastructure here at home during his time on Capitol Hill.

Some of the new hires welcomed were adjunct faculty for a number of years who finally got their shot as full-time tenure track faculty, while several others come here from all over the country, with extensive knowledge and experience to help our students learn what they need to maximize their potential. We wrapped up the event that started at 6:45 p.m. at 7:45 and then headed over to the Memorial Stadium for the late-start football game with an 8:00 pm kickoff.

 

 

 

Loved this picture that Chris Glaser snapped of Jennifer trying to make sure that Earl Parsons would not fall back as he was trying to get a good group photo.

Jennifer Marden making sure Earl Parsons is safe.jpg

New faculty reception Sep 2 2017.jpg

I’d like to thank Jennifer Marden, Mary Jo Pasek, Tarina Perry and Christopher Glaser for helping organize and plan this year’s new faculty reception, and I’d like to thank our Web Content Editor Earl Parsons for taking pictures.  Our entire web content team, including Monika Scott, Aricia Leighton, and Earl Parsons, works throughout the year to keep our New Faculty website updated. Please visit the link for photos and departments of all the new faces of BC!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Renegade Football

Nick Ellis. www.aNickPhoto.com.   661.706.7999

At the advice of Dr. Bill Baker, we had moved the game against Alan Hancock from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  And what a game — BC won 21-6, with KGET televising the game.  Thank you KGET. Thank you TBC.  Our cheer team was fabulous.  Heather Foss was great.  And here is a shout-out to Becki Whitson — missed you Becki!  The drumline as usual…superb!

Thank you to the Bakersfield College Foundation for hosting a VIP tent for the home games.  Dana Gelder snapped these pictures for me.

Love these two pictures!  Chris Glaser with Jennifer Marden and Francis Mayer

Judy Caras posted this comment on my blog last week about the Renegade Fight Song and BC’s Alma Mater

Sandi Taylor, Judy Caras and her husband Fall 2017

Sandi Taylor, Jevin and Judy Caras

Let’s pass those words out so we can learn them again. Also reinstate the singing of the Alma Mater with the football team present.

I went to the game, 9/2, for the first time in many, many years. All that day I kept humming the Alma Mater and was so disappointed it was not done! I plan to attend all home games this year and hope at least homecoming will have the Alma Mater sung!!!! Our family bleeds Renegade Red.
Judy, here is a 14-sec version of the Fight Song from convocation
Here is the Alma Mater
Bakersfield College Alma Mater

And here are comments from the fabulous Jerry Ludeke

Jerry Ludeke April 2017

Judy Caras is right.  The Fight Song was played and enthusiastically sung at the beginning of every game and after every touchdown.  At the end of every game, win or lose, the spectators and players all stood quietly and sang the Alma Mater.  Singing of a shared song is a powerful spirit builder.

Cross Country at BC!

The Running Renegades Men return to action this week after a bye week. On the schedule is the Fresno Invitational with the men’s race starting at 9:00 AM at Woodward Park. After a great start to the season with a second place finish at Oxnard, the team is hoping to improve on their 1-5 differential.  The Gades were led over the four mile course by freshmen Marcos Mulato, sixth overall (21:18), and Angelo Benetiz, 24th overall (22:32). Rounding out the top 5 with their experience were sophomore Ben Carlson, 30th overall (22:41); Nestor Vasquez, 32nd overall (22:45); and Joe Lopez, 36th overall (23:14).  Also, impacting the scoring was Sophomore Abran Ayon, 39th (23:18); and Jose Chavez 41st, (23:27).

20994281_2065484356811207_1436398323513439671_n_ad_hoc

The Running Renegade Women opened the season at Oxnard with a fourth place finish.  The team over the 5K course was freshman Gabriella Lugo who finished first for the team and 12th overall (20:19).  She was followed by freshman Lourdes Cruz 17th overall (20:31); Natalie Estrada 28th overall (22:55); Tori Wiley 30th overall (23:18); and Esmeralda Nuno-Ascensio 38th overall (25:03). The team will be back in action on Saturday, September 9, at Woodward Park. Race time is scheduled for 8:00 AM

Women’s Soccer

Loved watching BC Women’s Soccer win 4-0 against COS yesterday, September 8th.  Our student athletes looked strong and quick and I was so proud to see them playing in the Memorial Stadium.

Coach Damron with students.JPG

 

Soccer.JPG

 

I was hanging out with Nicole and looking at photos and snagged this adorable photo of the twins Adah Gay and Taylor Gay.

Adah Gay and Taylor Gay.JPG

 

Arts, Humanities, & Communication Pathway Fair

A beautiful flier passed through my inbox this week for the upcoming Arts, Humanities, and Communication Pathway Fair. It was created and designed by the talented David Koeth for the upcoming event on September 26th. Just wonderful to see our faculty and staff always watching out for what next to do to help support students.  This is an incredible opportunity for our students and I’m looking forward to it!  Students!! – see you there!

AHC-Pathway-Poster-2.jpg

Skills: The Gateway to Employment

Yesterday, BC was at the Bakersfield Marriott for the 2017 Counselor Conference titled Skills: The Gateway to Employment. The purpose for the event is to provide a focus for high school and community college counselors, but also it’s an opportunity to learn about high demand, high paying industry endorsed jobs in the Central Valley/Mother Lode Region.

Resized_20170908_084218_3809

Thank you to the Central Valley/Mother Lode Region Deputy Sector Navigators in partnership with the Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy framework through the Division of Workforce and Economic Development at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for hosting this event.  And thank you Dave Teasdale for inviting me to welcome the group to Bakersfield.

Here are some screen captures of tweets from Van Ton-Quinlivan, Gurminder Sangha, and Pam Gomez.

Sep 8 2017 Van Ton Quilivan

 

 

First Friday: Latination 9

DSC01920Bakersfield celebrated the work of our Latin artists on First Friday at the Metro Galleries as part of Latination 9.

Metro Galleries offers up its walls to Bakersfield’s Latin artists every year. Jesus Fidel won best in show for his piece “Gift of Roses,” while artist and local activist Jorge Guillen received the honorary Betty Leonor Award recognizing his career of achievements. Local ska/cumbia band Mento Buru provided the music, while the food at the event was catered by El Pueblo.

21246404_10155611813919174_5275169585837080960_o

nail art showing BC pride

Mayor Goh was on hand taking pictures and snapped a couple of shots with our BC delegation at Latination 9, lead by cheer coach Heather. Check out Heather’s BC nails – talk about Renegade pride!

For these pictures and more, visit Mayor Karen Goh’s Facebook page.

So what about Neo?

He is 58 lbs and growing.  Probably another 7 lbs or so according to websites that discuss Golden Retrievers.

Sonya Christian Fall 2012

 

That’s all for now.  

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.  

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Tradition of Renegade Red

Good morning Bakersfield, it is Saturday August 12, 2017……A great day to be a Renegade! A week of Renegade Red everywhere.

Welcoming Kern Promise Students to BC on August 9, 2017

Let me start with the 160 Kern Promise students we welcomed on campus and completed a one-day orientation.  If you remember, Bakersfield College and Cerro Coso Community College were recipients of a $1.5M grant from the Community College Chancellor’s Office for the Kern Promise.  Cerro Coso had a kick-off to the event at Ridgecrest and BC had our kick-off in a large event in the Outdoor Theater.  If was a fun event and I invite you to click on the link that will take you to the April 29th blog titled Strengthening Kern County, One Degree at a Time.
https://sonyachristianblog.com/2017/04/29/strengthening-kern-county-one-degree-at-a-time/

Here is one of the great pictures from the event.  So many community leaders out to support education in Kern County.  See of you can name them all 🙂

KernPromiseEven-042817s-37-X3

Community Leaders at the Kern Promise

So, what is the Kern Promise? The Kern Promise is a commitment in action at Bakersfield College to help students complete their Associate Degree for Transfer within two instructional years through a Guided Pathways approach, providing support, priority access to courses, and financial assistance to those who qualify. The Kern Promise focuses on a shared responsibility model where students will work with Completion Coaches and follow a clear path to success. In return, each promise student is required to maintain good academic standing and commit to their studies.

17promiseday12-x3

Wednesday was a beautiful day at BC,  as we welcomed the newly admitted Kern Promise students for Promise Day, their specialized extended orientation consisting of workshops and the signing of their Promise Agreement outlining their shared responsibilities and expectations!

The program began with photos and fun with some of our awesome orientation leaders – continuing students employed in various departments on campus including Student Success & Equity, Office of Student Life, and the Welcome Center! They guided students in icebreakers, discussions on majors and career goals, and stopped at the photo wall for fun group photos to get them warmed up and excited for the day.

Shannel Tyus and Keri Kennedy

Shannel Tyus, Keri Kennedy

Promise Counselor Keri Kennedy and Program Manager Shanell Tyus welcomed students and provided an overview of the day, followed by an inspiring welcome by BC SGA President Dezi Von Manos, and additional welcoming remarks from myself.

SGA Leadership

SGA Leadership

Students then rotated between workshops designed to help them focus on transitioning to college, developing academic behaviors necessary for success, and utilizing campus resources such as Academic Support Services, Student Government Association, and the Office of Student Life. Workshops were presented by Teresa McAllister and 2nd-year Promise students Avery Gibson, Magdalena Panteleon, and Tyler Ellis, Academic Development faculty, Counselors Keri Kennedy and Jonathan Shultz, Donor Relations Coordinator Alyse Braaten, BC SGA officers Mustafa Barraj, Dezi Von Manos, James Tompkins, Monica Alvarez, Diana Martinez, Daniel Ruezga and Evelyn Hernandez, and concluded with Dr. Christine Whelan, author and professor at University of Wisconsin – Madison, who addressed students to help them “Pack their Renegade Rucksack” and plan for their academic journey ahead.

fall2017-promise20signing20day-26-x3

The crux of the day, was the signing of the Promise Agreement. This carefully crafted document was developed to explicitly outline the terms and conditions of this shared responsibility model that we’ve created the Kern Promise to be. Students are expected to commit to maintaining good academic standing, completing 15 units per semester, correspond with their completion coaches regularly, and seek academic support through BC resources and those in their cohort. In exchange, BC commits to providing students with priority access to courses required for their pathway, financial assistance, and the strong support of their completion team and coaches, all in efforts to ensure their timely completion (degree for transfer) within two instructional years.

fall2017-promise20signing20day-11-x3

We expect big things from our Promise students and are proud of their persistence to this point! Coming to BC college ready for English and Math is proof that our students can complete their time at BC in just two years and continue their journey to family sustaining wages and degrees from our neighboring universities!

Check out the whole photo album of Promise Day at BC here.

Renegade Football — A community tradition

2017-footballmediaday-16-x3 Tuesday was another exciting time at BC when Athletics hosted the 2017 Football Media Day in front of Historic Memorial Stadium! I’m counting down the days till football season begins. The date is September 2nd – is it on your calendar?

Francis Mayer emceed the event with three speakers — Mayor Karen Goh, Athletic Director Sandi Taylor and Coach Jeff Chudy.

 

This season marks the 67th time our Renegades have taken the field in our signature red uniforms. And Athletic Director, Sandi Taylor promised big surprises at the event. It was fun watching the giant banner being unfurled from the very top of the stadium, with a larger than life Renegade player and text celebrating the start to the season and season ticket info!

John Farrand took this great picture of the crowd cheering as the banner unfurled.  Can you spot Kimberly Bligh, Sonya Christian, Jim Lawitz, Michelle Chantry, Jennifer Marden?

Group of spectators cropped

 

Do you have your tickets yet? You don’t want to miss the home opener.

Also, kicking off this year is “The Knight Club”, the second surprise announcement of the day. It’s a VIP-type fan experience with membership tiers that include access to private hospitality services during games, among other benefits. It’s a fantastic way to support your BC Renegade athletes. It’s also tax-deductible and 100 percent of the proceeds go to support all 20 BC Athletics teams and their 500+ student athletes.

Thank you to all the media who showed for this fantastic unveiling. 

Media at 2017 Renegade Football Season Unveiling

Media at the Renegade Football Season Unveiling

Group picture

Karen Goh, Mia Cifuentes, Sonya Christian, Sandi Taylor, Ed Davis

 

And Thank you to our dignitaries, Mayor Karen Goh, American General Media President Rogers Brandon, KGET Vice President Derek Jeffries and a delegation of Helmet Club members like Ed Davis and Chad Hathaway, who were there in full force to support Bakersfield College and Renegade Football. Was happy to see our friends from the Bakersfield Fire Department — Deputy Fire Chief Tyler Hartley, Deputy Fire Chief Ross Kelly.  Thank you Mia Cifuentes, representative of Assembly Member Vince Fong for coming out.  It’s a great day to be a Renegade!

 

Bakersfield Fire department Tyler Hartley and Ross Kelly

Deputy Fire Chief Tyler Hartley, Deputy Fire Chief Ross Kelly

 

Dignitaries with cheer team Aug 8 2017

Ed Davis, Chad Hathaway, Karen Goh, Jeff Chudy, Heather Foss, Sandi Taylor with BC Cheer Team

For all the details about The Knight Club, visit gogades.com.

Two great articles followed the event by Mike Griffith of The Bakersfield Californian. They are:

Bakersfield College goes big in quest to pump up Renegade football” and

BC coach Chudy says depth a plus as Renegades open football practice.”

img_6221.jpg

And speaking of our local media, it was great to see Michelle Chantry, CEO and Jim Lawitz, the VP and executive editor of TBC on our campus.

The Bakersfield Californian is a true community treasure and has remarkable history; one withstanding a revolutionized industry, new technologies, and an expanding community that continues to grow, yet at the same time, it has for me kept that traditional “hometown content” that we’ve come to love.

Was happy that Chancellor Burke joined us to celebrate Renegade Football.

Tom Burke, Sandi Taylor, Sonya Christian, Jeff Chudy Aug 8 2017

Tom Burke, Sandi Taylor, Sonya Christian, Jeff Chudy

For the full album of photos, visit our Smugmug page.

Registration Rocks

Over the summer, BC’s outreach team held three one-day express enrollment events. This week, we held the final last chance event which welcomed 609 returning students and 635 new students back on campus. Thank you to all involved with these events including Outreach, Admissions and Records, Counseling, Assessment, and Marketing. It was great to see photos from the jam packed event  in the paper on Thursday. Check it out!

img_6222.jpg

Kern County Farm Bureau

This week, I enjoyed reconnecting with community leaders from the Kern Farm Bureau.  I got to know them better during the Measure J time and am so appreciative that they supported Bakersfield College through Measure J.  Here are some photos from the October 5, 2016 presentation to the Kern Farm Bureau about Measure J.

ag-faculty-at-kern-county-farm-bureau-oct-5-2016

Jeff Rasmussen could not make the meeting so Mary Jo and I met with Ralph Mendes and Beatris Espericueta.  The Kern County Farm Bureau is a non-profit organization that advocates for our local farmers as part of the statewide California Farm Bureau Federation lobbying in Sacramento on behalf of all our state’s growers.

Kern Farm Bureau

Beatris Espericueta, Sonya Christian, Ralph Mendes, and Mary Jo Pasek

The Kern County Farm Bureau provides outreach, networking and scholarships to the community through their Young Farmers and Ranchers program, which provides men and women between the ages of 18 to 35 with the information, resources and business connections needed to start a fruitful career in agriculture.

Exciting things are in the works in order to find out how these partnerships can continue to prepare the future leaders of our community’s most important industry. As Van Ton Quinlivan spoke about in the video I highlighted in last week’s blog, it’s important for educators to establish close partnerships with employers to ensure that we’re providing our students with all the tools those employers need when they’re looking for applicants in the job market. With the constant advances in agricultural technology, that may even require retraining people who are already in the industry on the newest equipment and techniques.

Spotlight on Summer Bridge

This was the last week of summer bridge.  I was able to attend a small part of it.  This is just a phenomenal activity for incoming students and I got to experience how exhausting it is the the faculty and staff who work summer bridge.  It is fast paced and engaging.

Anna Laven and Mindy Wilmot

I have been covering images from Summer Bridge routinely over the last several weeks, but if you are still wondering what Summer Bridge is all about…..

Throughout the summer, students are mentored by multi- discipline faculty, peer mentors, and support services staff how to best access and utilize campus resources during engaging sessions and demystify questions that ALL new students have BEFORE their first semester begins. On a more practical level, the day focuses on introducing skills necessary for college success, including effective communication, time-management, library research and other critical skills! The topics covered at Summer Bridge to BC are designed, and proven, to ensure students are successful during their FIRST semester in college.

Summer Bridge

BC Summer Bridge Team

BC Summer Bridge Peer Mentors Ruben Chavez and Kenneth Mireles and Bridge Director Dr. Kimberly Bligh.

Summer Bridge Peer Mentors, Ruben Chavez and Kenneth Mireles with Bridge Director, Dr. Kimberly Bligh

Throughout the day, collaborative activities take place where students come up with a creative presentations to provide information to the rest of the participants about important “tools” to have in their life toolbox in order to achieve academic and lifelong success demonstrating the importance of GRIT, believing in a  growth mindset, understanding the importance of role models, and knowing how to manage their time, balance their life, stay organized, and utilize campus resources.

BC served over 400 students last year and more than doubled enrollments this year to serve 1000+ student during 25 sessions from April through August! The final four sessions take place August 7th through August 10th. Over 100 staff, faculty, and peer mentors participated in Bridge to BC in 2017. That’s how we roll at Bakersfield College.

Here is a photo of Summer Bridge in Delano

Delano Summer Bridge

Here is a 7-minute video put together by Teresa Mcallister

Cabinet Retreat

We closed out our admin summer retreats last monday, 8/7/2017. with President’s Cabinet meeting to finalize workplans for the the 2017-2018 academic year.

Let me introduce you to members of the President’s Cabinet

2017 President's Cabinet June 5 2017

Here are a few photos from the August 7th meeting

IMG_1937

Maria Wright, Steve Watkin, Lesley Bonds, Michele Pena, Nicky Damania

 

 

Delano Team Retreat

I enjoyed visiting the Delano campus team during their retreat Tuesday, August 8th.  The passion and dedication of the faculty and staff is so visible.  Love #BCatDelano.

Delano Team

Loved this Facebook post by Endee Grijalva

Endee Grijalva Aug 8 2017

Shout out to BC Food Services

And throughout the busy week, as always our Food Services staff have been even busier taking care of us…taking care of our students.  And what delicious food.  I snapped a picture of the smiling Chef Eric Sabella and Penny Loos as they were hard at work.  Long tiring and back breaking days.  Thank you Food Services!

IMG_2296

Here is Penny Loos and Eric Sabella from BC Food Services.

 

Chef Coyle came to visit!

IMG_2265And speaking of treats, I ran into Chef Coyle, former director of the culinary arts program, who deeply loves BC! Chef Coyle was on campus preparing for the class he is teaching this fall.

I’m definitely the luckiest and happiest college president ever!

Project Next Step

IMG_2260It’s always great to see familiar faces on the news sharing great info. This week, I caught Odella Johnson on KGET, along with Brenda Lewis, sharing information about Project Next Step. BC is honored to be one of the many local organizations participating in Project Next Step this weekend on Saturday, August 12th from 9:00AM to 2:30PM at CSUB’s Dore Theater.

ProjectnextstepProject Next Step is a conference and resource fair that aims to provide local junior high students and their parents with the tools they need to succeed in high school, college and beyond. Students will obtain resources on completion, college options, homework support, classroom etiquette, test-taking strategies, FAFSA and scholarships, peer pressure and leadership, and the importance of mentoring.

Presenters include Bakersfield Chief of Police Lyle Martin, Mayor Karen Goh, and Gloria Cannon, the first African-American female judge in Kern County. The keynote speaker for the conference is Arleana Waller, an ambassador for She Power.

Project Next Step is a collaboration between educational leaders and community organizations to prepare students for high school, college or a vocational career.

Bill Henry

vv-98-front-fixed-237x300There was a great article by Nancy Vigren about the new President of Porterville College, Bill Henry, formerly Porterville College’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. Bill, who has worked at Porterville College since 1998, takes over for outgoing president Dr. Rosa Carlson, finishing a term of service in education that has lasted over 40 years.

The photo of Bill on the right is from the website of the article by Vigran.

Check out the article published by Our Valley Voice.

porterville college

BC Superstar Mindy Wilmot

Mindy Wilmot Adventures in InformationBC reference librarian Mindy Wilmot presented a speech on information literacy at the 2017 International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) Conference in Long Beach last week. Along with Katie McNamara, the faculty librarian at North High School, Wilmot’s presentation focused on how to help find the research that students need through pre-search, print and online references and using booleans to narrow down the information more specifically. The IASL was founded in 1971 to provide a forum for school library professionals to network and discuss their practices together. While this year’s conference was held just a few hours away from Bakersfield at Cal State Long Beach, conferences are held around the world, and last year’s conference was hosted in Tokyo.

BC Students raise $5000 for Charities

Heidi_Forsythe

BC Faculty, Heidi Forsythe

This summer, BC students raised about $5000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities while learning small group communication and problem solving skills.

Two of Heidi Forsythe’s Small Group Communication classes brainstormed, planned and executed a two-day donation drive in the span of a week, developing a mission statement and guidelines for their groups while developing conflict management strategies to work together for their common goal. Ronald McDonald house director Scarlet Sabin, who reached out to the media for the event to get coverage on Channel 17, Channel 23, 94.1 FM and KNZR, said that the donation drive will help the organization get through the rest of the year. Check out the video on KGET!

Fun Photos

BC faculty, Joe Saldivar and two future renegades (his sons) visited Stonehenge on their way to Normandy. I’m always amazed and filled with wonder when I think or see photos of Stonehenge. The English Heritage website, says “Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC.”

Sebastian Saldivar, Christian Saldivar and Joe Saldivar Summer 2017

Sebastian, Christian, and Joe Saldivar at Stonehenge

Did you know it was also largely believed that the building process was so extensive that it could have lasted on and off for anywhere from 1500 to 7000 years? Check out this site for incredible facts about some of the world’s most famous places!

And Todd Coston on a cruise

Todd Coston family celebrating parent's 50th anniversary July 2017.jpg

Todd Coston and family took a 4-day cruise to Catalina and Mexico to celebrate his parents 50th wedding anniversary.  The picture is of the family in Catalina getting ready to board the ferry back to the cruise ship.

Great American Eclipse of 2017

NickStrobel

Nick Strobel

Have you run into Strobel recently…. well if you did what is the first thing he tells you….. it is all about the eclipse….that’s all I have heard for the last 6 months 🙂

Nick Strobel recently posted that the great American Eclipse of 2017 is coming up shortly. He says, “On August 21, the new moon will come exactly between Earth and the sun and its shadow will sweep across the United States from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast. The narrow strip of total solar eclipse will be just 68 miles wide. Those outside of that narrow strip will see the sun partially covered by the moon.”  Learn more at https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/planetarium/bakersfield-night-sky/bakersfield-night-sky-august-5-2017

And Tarina Perry has been puppy sitting and hanging out with Japanese international students

Riley bad puppyMason Blair, an Officer in Public Safety has a new 4-month old black lab puppy named Riley. When Riley got out of the laundry room, which is his holding place when no one is home, he was trying to let everyone know how unhappy he was being cooped up.  He chewed up a “memory foam” pillow and then threw up all the stuffing onto the floor!

And here is an email she sent me about Coach Paula Dahl and Coach Nick Jacobs about the experience of the Japanese students.  It is an uplifting email and so beautifully written.  Now do you see why I am the luckiest and happiest college president ever…

Somaly Boles and Tarina Perry May 12 2017

Tarina Perry with Somaly Boles

Hi Sonya,

My visit with our BC Athletics Department:

I recently had two students from Wakayama, Japan for a weeklong homestay through the Bakersfield Sister City Program.  Back in Japan, Nanaka plays basketball and Konomi plays tennis, so I set up a meet & greet with our BC coaches.  I envisioned a team working out and practicing basketball moves on the gym floor and maybe receiving directions from a really tough coach.  Instead, the entire team was sitting on the floor in a semi-circle facing three coaches.  Each teammate took turns offering up words of encouragement, acknowledgements of one another’s attributes, and sharing information on ways to better balance basketball with classes for a successful semester.  The more experienced teammates advised the newer ones to take advantage of study hall, office hours, tutoring… and simply to speak up and ask for help, because most teachers are understanding.  I didn’t expect to witness such an amazing and intimate experience! 

 This was not just a group of students or a basketball team, but this is a family!  I felt so much BC Pride!  Coach Dahl ended the experience with a team photo that our Japanese friends can take home and share with everyone.  Coach Dahl also taught them the fist-bump!

A similar experience took place when meeting our very enthusiastic Tennis Coach Jacobs.  He engaged with Nanaka and Konomi, we toured the facilities and he recommended best practices for them to focus on in order to better their playing skills.

I learned there is much more behind the title Athletic Coach.  I have just a little more understanding and a lot greater respect of our Athletics Department.

 

So what about Neo?

He is 48 lbs

 

 

August 10 2017 Neo

Neo

 

Sonya Christian cropped Aug 8 2017

 

That’s all for now.  

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.  

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Scholars, Artists, Sports and Summer Camps

Good morning Bakersfield.  It is Saturday, July 21st and a great day to be a Renegade.

Magnolia

Source: Pixabay.com

Have you had your trees trimmed? This was my first…a beautiful Magnolia in the front yard right next to a Brazilian Pepper tree.  I have always loved the Magnolia tree as well as the flower.  Actually, who does not….. It is like riding a train.  Everyone likes a train ride.  The tree is magnificent and regal in shades of dark green that rises tall, dense, and vibrant.  The flower, which blooms once a year usually between February and June is just breathtakingly beautiful – the fragrance rich and intoxicating.

Here is what Kitty Bishop had to say about the Magnolia:

In art, specifically Chinese art, the magnolia is used as a symbol of feminine sweetness and beauty. In China, magnolia flowers are symbols of purity and nobility. In Japan, the magnolia is used as a medicinal and ornamental plant. The flower is called Hanakotoba in the Japanese system of flower symbolism. This means that the flower is sublime, natural and shows love for nature. Magnolias are associated with the life force and are often presented at births.

Both trees were encroaching on the neighbor’s yard.  Michael and his assistants worked diligently over the course of a day to shape these trees that had originally been planted too close to each other, too close to the property boundary, and had never been trimmed. Meticulous work, and good pruning makes good neighbors…

Before:

End of day 1 pictures

The final product.  Trees trimmed.  Michael, you did an outstanding job!

The Brazilian Pepper tree had developed a strange shape under the constraints of its competition with the magnolia and quest to seek the sun.  I am still making up my mind if I like this naturally formed “bonsai” of the pepper tree.

Coach Hughes stops by!

Rich Hughes, Sonya Christian, Aaron Chavez July 12 2017On Wednesday, July 12th, Coach Rich Hughes and Aaron Chavez stopped by to see me late in the afternoon after their class. The reason they stopped by was to present me with a Championship t-shirt and pendent. Wow! The pendent is such a valuable item and there were few made so I was surprised that Coach Hughes decided to present one to me. Wow!  So honored!  Check out the shirt that Aaron and I are holding and check out the pendant in the palm of my right hand.

I was impressed in my conversation with both Hughes and Chavez, the academic performance focus they had in developing of the whole person of each student athlete. They talked about supporting the students so that they can transfer and thrive beyond Bakersfield College.  And in addition, they had a competitive and winning team.  I am indeed the luckiest and happiest college president ever. #WeAreBC

Renegade Basketball was incredible last season. The coaches worked hard and the students worked hard. You could see it at every game. The passion, the focus, the talent, and everyone working as a team.

The 2016-2017 Basketball Roster

2016-2017 Basketball Roster

Here is the link to gogadesgo:

http://gogades.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/releases/20170211wkct9m

Here is the link to the video by Francis Mayer

Last year our team won the conference championship as well.  See my blog at https://sonyachristianblog.com/2016/02/20/bcs-talented-students-and-amazing-faculty/

2016 conf champion feb 17 2016

Aaron Chavez, Rich Hughes, Sandi Taylor, Sonya Christian, and the winning team

 

cropped conf champions feb 17 2016 rich hughes

Coach Hughes after winning the Conf Championship Feb 17, 2016

 

Breakfast at Wimbledon

Last weekend I watched the Men’s Singles Finals of The Championships, Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tennis tournament and the only of the four Grand Slam major tournaments to still be played on grass. More than any other Grand Slam, Wimbledon strives to retain a lot of the pomp and circumstance that defined the tournament’s founding in 1877 at the height of the Victorian era, lending it an air of grandiosity similar to the Kentucky Derby in the United States.

The best part of watching the match was having a new addition to the family.  Since he fetches tennis balls in the backyard, the back and forth of the Wimbledon tennis ball on the TV screen held his attention.

At age 36, tennis legend Roger Federer won a record-breaking eighth consecutive Wimbledon singles title against Croatian Marin Cilic. Federer, a Swiss-born player considered one of the greatest in history, is now the oldest person to ever win the tournament in the Open Era and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to survive all seven rounds against world-class competition without dropping a single set.

de3h9kdv0aaydag

Photo Credit: @rogerfederer on Twitter

Federer credits his success in older age to paying attention to his fitness from the beginning of his career and avoiding playing too many tournaments outside of Grand Slams. While many world-class players of Federer’s generation struggle to compete against the younger competition, including longtime rival Rafael Nadal, who was knocked out in the Round of 16 of this year’s Wimbledon tournament, Federer adds a world-record 19th Grand Slam trophy to his mantle. Check out the NY Times article, “Roger Federer Wins Record-Breaking Eighth Wimbledon Title.

BC Student STEM A-PLUS Scholars

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

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

Over this next year, BC will be applying for another 5-year NSF grant to continue this good work, giving students the financial means to attend college while also contributing to the improvement of all students learning in STEM courses.

wayne-cooper-and-sonya-christian-at-calm-lights-dec-28-2016

Wayne Cooper, Sonya Christian at CALM. Dec 2016

I want to thank Dr. Wayne Cooper, Chemistry faculty, for leading this effort.  Here is an email from his department chair Dr. Kenward Vaughn.  Note that he signs off with the observation that “Wayne is a rare gem.”  I concur.  #WeAreBC

I want to be very, very clear that this is entirely Wayne’s fault (and those he gathered around him on this project).  I make no claims for the results generated, other than having encouraged further coffee consumption and providing an occasional ear for his version of ranting (which was like listening to large flakes of snow falling onto an already thick layer on the ground at 4 in the morning). Wayne is a rare gem.

STEM A plus scholars 2013

Initial group of A+ PLUS Scholars from 2012-2013

Latina Leaders of Kern County

Last weekend, the Latina Leaders of Kern County celebrated the 18th Annual Latinas Leading the Way Awards and Board Installation where three women in our community were honored as award recipients for making their mark in our community. The mission of the Latina Leaders of Kern County is “to foster leadership, to identify and develop opportunities for Latinas, and to influence key issues affecting our community.” The goal is beautifully stated – building a stronger community, one leader at a time.

Latina_Leaders_Facebook

Congratulations to three incredible women who are making a better Bakersfield – Raquel Pina, Chief of Family Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Hospital; Gabriela Murgia, local business owner; and Xochitl Garcia, local attorney. To see the biographies for each of these women, please visit the Latinas Leading the Way webpage.

23ABC News featured a great article, “Three local Latinas will be honored this Saturday at Latinas Leading the Way Awards.” On the video clip, I loved Xochitl’s quote “Never let someone’s no, be your no… and surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in your dreams even when you may not.

Outgoing Latina Leaders President, Norma Rojas-Mora continues to be an inspiration to all. She is a woman with a heart for her community and tirelessly supports young women, families, Bakersfield and BC. Norma is on the BC Foundation Board of Directors and spent countless hours volunteering for Measure J, even co-chairing the Steering Committee.

Mayor Karen Goh stopped by to take a picture with the BC Team.  Thank you Mayor Goh for your support of Bakersfield College.

BC Team

Dezi Von Manos, Heather Pennella, Chelsea Esquibias, Mayor Karen Goh, Olivia Garcia, Lisa Kent

Thank you Lisa Kent for these pictures:

Latina Leaders July 15 2017

Alexis Gonzales, Nereyda Lopez, Olivia Garcia, Victoria Hernandez, Dezi Von Manos

A special thank you to our Mayor, Karen Goh for the fabulous pictures.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Forgotten Power of Handwritten Notes

Personalized handwritten notes are growing rarer by the day because of instant communication, text messages, emails, etc… so it’s always an extra special treat to see one on my desk.

I loved seeing this one from Diana Marroquin who shared how much she enjoys “listening and seeing the wonderful young adults who perform in the BC Band, as well as the Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corp.” The small note reminded me that I really am the luckiest and happiest college president ever. It is a gift to be surrounded by so many talented and truly gifted students, faculty, staff, colleagues, friends, and the most incredible community – Bakersfield.

IMG_5984

If you haven’t heard the BC Band, the Golden Empire Drum & Bugle Corp, or seen a BC Performing Arts program, make plans this Fall to visit campus… you won’t regret it!

 

Basketball Fundamentals Skills Camp for Girls, aged 12-18

Girls_BasketballComing soon during July 31st to August 3rd, BC is hosting the Fundamentals Skills Camp for girls aged 12-18.  Last year’s camp was a great success and the BC team is looking forward to another great event! Coach Paula Dahl is in her 24th year at BC. She played basketball at Northern Arizona University, received her BC from BYU and her MA from SDSU in Sports Psychology. She is passionate about coaching and helping athletes see the “possibilities” both on and off the floor.

The skills camp brochure/registration form is available on GoGades.com.

Culinary Arts Academy in DelanoCulinary ARts (2)

Delanonow.com featured the Culinary Arts Academy that I mentioned in my blog two weeks ago on July 8th.

Bakersfield College has a wonderful partnership with Delano Joint Union High School District (DJUHSD).  Thank you Superintendent Terri Nuckols for all that you do and it is such a pleasure working with you to offer joint programming for our students in the Delano community.

Loved this quote in the article by April Gregerson.

“We are elated to partner with Bakersfield College and the DJUHSD to offer this unique summer academy to our middle school students,” said April Gregerson, Assistant Superintendent DUESD.

“They not only received an introduction to the world of culinary arts, but they learned valuable lifelong skills that will enable them to prepare healthy and delicious meals,” Gregerson said. “Partnerships like this make learning more meaningful by allowing students to develop a mindset that their efforts in the classroom will lead to fulfilling careers in the future.”

Extra photos are displayed alongside the wonderful ones submitted by Leticia Garza. Check it out now at Delanonow.com!

Photo Gallery for “Into the Woods”

Thank you to John Farrand for the incredible photos featuring BC performing arts in the first BC musical in about 20 years! And thank you to all who came out to support the talented BC Performing Arts department! I loved seeing this photo on Instagram. Are you following BC on Social Media?

Into The Woods on Instagram

Check out all the photos from “Into the Woods” by John at BC’s Smugmug page!

SHOUT at STARS!

untitled-design4

Image Credit: bmtstars.com

Did you know two of the five actresses in the STARS Theater’s local production of “SHOUT! The Mod Musical” are Bakersfield College students? Can you tell why I’m the happiest and luckiest college president in the world? I am continually overjoyed, amazed, and inspired by our Renegades.

In the program for the ’60s jukebox musical, which runs its last weekend of shows July 27-29th, Carly Mattern is listed as a BC student studying nursing, and Madeline Engel has been featured in this blog previously for her performances in the BC Choir. It’s awesome to see BC students out in the community being their best selves. Will you see the show? Or maybe you’ve already seen it? Check out the fun video clip here where both ladies can be seen. They are identifiable by their orange (Madeline) or red dress (Carly).

And thank you Jerry Ludeke for your email bragging about our students.

Fashion Art by Diego Gutierrez Monterrubio

diego-monterrubio-with-corny-rodriguez-feb-3-2017-jpg

Diego Monterrubio, Corny Rodriguez

Diego Gutierrez Monterrubio, BC Adjunct was highlighted by The Bakersfield Californian this week  for his new apparel line with VIDA design collaborative out of San Francisco.

The article talks about how inspiration began with his mother, Rita Monterrubio, “who has been a dress designer for more than 50 years” and the article describes his line as “sporty and fun and appropriate for all ages.”  It’s a great read by author, Stefani Dias.

Thank you to The Bakersfield Californian for highlighting one of our talented BC faculty! And for more on Diego’s artwork, visit diegomonterrubio.weebly.com.

Fun Pictures:

From Andrea Thorson on Facebook.  A screencapture of a video of three super talented, smart and beautiful women from BC. #WeAreBC

Andrea Thorson Facebook post with Michelle Pena and Maria Wright July 2017 Star Fish Conf.jpg

Rick Kreiser visits Downtown Rotary, July 20, 2017.

Rick Kreiser visits Downtown Rotary July 20 2017.jpg

Meetings at Trader Joes:

Jennifer Marden snapped these two pictures at Trader Joes with Janet Tarjan and Vandana Kohli.  I was happy to see the picture of Vandana Kohli who is a Dean at CSUB.  Great collaborations and friendships between the two schools.

Jack Hernandez in Alaska

Alaska July 2017 from Jack Hernandez

CVHEC tweets about having a good friday

CVHEC Feel good Friday July 2017

The Bakersfield Californian has been doing great drone video footage.  check out this 5-minute video on the Kern River  http://tinyurl.com/y8v9uxa7

 

And I’ll close with my Neo Update …

Neo celebrated his 4-month birthday on July 17th getting ready for his last set of shots on July 19th — Distemper and Rabies.  He is now 40 lbs, and plenty of energy.  You can see him develop in these photos taken at the vet’s office – a picture at 19 lbs (2nd set of shots); at 30 lbs (3rd set of shots); and now at 40 lbs (4th set of shots). Any guesses on his weight when fully grown?

He also loves sitting half-inside-half-outside without concern for the air conditioning bill.

 

Life Is Not Measured By the Number of Breaths We Take,
But By the Moments That Take Our Breath Away

 

 

sonya virginia 2015 cropped

 

That’s all for now.  

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.  

sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Registration is Rockin’ at Bakersfield College!

A beautiful morning here in Bakersfield….It is Saturday, July 15, 2017.  What a great day to be a Renegade.

And I thought July was going to be a slow month here, as Coach Paula Dahl would say, in the Renegade nation.  This week in July was full and rich ….like peanut butter and jelly.

#NeoThePup

July 14 2017 Neo

Neo

Let me start with, as Lesley branded the the growing up of Neo, #NeoThePup.  At 34 lbs he still thinks he is a puppy.  Well actually he is still a puppy — 4 months old.  But my mom does not think so.  Particularly when after his bath this last weekend he ran full speed and jumped on her lap, all 34 lbs of him, and started licking her face.  She later politely told me I had to teach him some manners.  When Tom Gelder heard this story, he said well, you must introduce your mom to Ogden Nash

 

The truth I do not stretch or shove
When I state that the dog is full of love.
I’ve also found, by actual test,
A wet dog is the lovingest.
-Ogden Nash

I then checked out Ogden Nash and enjoyed what I read about him. Wikipedia says that Nash loved to rhyme, and quotes him as saying in a 1958 news interview, “I think in terms of rhyme, and have since I was six years old.” What an incredible, natural, and wondrous talent.

The big adventure this week was to get smart with Neo and put in gates to secure areas that we did not want himfrolicking in.  Needless to say, he was not very happy as you can see in the photo.

July 9 2017 Neo behind gates

Neo in his new world

And he has progressed from an obedient 2-month old to a stubborn almost 4-month old. Here he is with mud all over his muzzle and paws looking at me after I repeatedly called out to him.  Do you think this look displays any indication that he is ready to get up and respond to me?

July 14 2017 Neo's response when I called him

Neo creating his muddy bed

 

Meet the new member of the KCCD Trustees Rayven Acosta-Webb

Raven Acosta, Romeo Agbalog, Bill Thomas July 13 2017

Rayven Acosta-Webb, Chancellor Tom Burke

Rayven Acosta-Webb is a sophomore student at Bakersfield College, double majoring in Engineering and American Sign Language. Her previous experiences include being a supplemental instructor and the Bakersfield College Student Government Association’s Public Relations Manager. She offers a new perspective, as well as an understanding of the diverse needs students have on campus. She wants to be more involved with campus organizations, staff, and fellow students at all three sister KCCD institutions. She will help to create a stronger voice for all who attend and reach out to all areas of the school. Most important of all, she will represent the students’ opinions and concerns at the KCCD Board of Trustee’s meetings. She will use her ability to listen and help get the ball rolling in areas in which individuals have found themselves stuck or felt neglected. She aims to help generate change that benefits all who attend a KCCD institution and is honored to help KCCD continue to thrive.

Rayven Acosta Webb KCCD Trustee July 13 2017

Rayven Acosta-Webb, Romeo Agbalog, Bill Thomas

Involvement:

  • American Sign Language Club (Member) at Bakersfield College
  • Cadet Training Officer for Bakersfield High School
  • Bakersfield Club of the Deaf (Member)
  • Bakersfield College Student Government Association Public Relations Manager
  • M.E.Ch.A Club (Member)

Registration Rocks at Bakersfield College

Registration Rocks

Steve Watkin, Sonya Christian, Michelle Pena

The sight was incredible, stepping out of my office on Tuesday morning — hundreds of students in the Welcome Center with our incredible staff there to assist and support each step of the enrollment process. I had to stop and take a photo with Steve Watkin and Michelle Pena. The event had an incredible turnout with 227 new first-time students and 323 students who we welcomed back making a grand total of 550 students helped out in just one day!  Thank you to the entire team who designed the event including Steve Watkin and the Outreach office, John Farrand and Francis Mayer for the promotional video, and all the amazing BC staff and faculty on hand to help out the students.

Its Possible3

Steve was also on the news bright and early Monday morning – check it out here.

Miss the video? See it on last week’s blog post here.

State of the City Luncheon

July 12, 2017 was the State of the City event hosted by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.  This was Karen Goh’s first as mayor of Bakersfield.  We had a table of folks from KCCD, the Bakersfield College Foundation and Bakersfield College.  We had a great time.  Here are some photos of our team.

State of the City Luncheon

Romeo Agbalog, Bill Thomas, Sonya Christian, Tom Burke

Karen Thompson and Rick Kreiser July 12 2017

Karen Thompson, Rick Kreiser

 

 

Mayor Karen Goh made an opening statement for the State of the City, hosted by the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, urging attendees to “change the narrative of our community” and challenging Bakersfield’s leaders to do their part in distorting the negative perceptions outsiders have about this area as we continue to grow.  She called it “A New Vision, A New Narrative”

Slide from Karen Goh's presentation July 12 2017

Goh also outlined her plans for her first term as mayor and encouraged businesses to work with schools to prepare students for the workforce and hiring locally for technology needs.  In talking about diversification of the Bakersfield portfolio, the mayor highlighted Health Care, the Technology industry, and Education.  Working collaboratively was a central theme of her message.  So in that context, I would like to remind the reader about the Kern Promise, a large educational collaborative across all education sectors, business and industry, political leaders and other community organizations.

KernPromiseEven-042817s-37-X3

KernPromiseEven-042817s-35-X3

For more on the Kern Promise check out my April 29, 2017 blog at
https://sonyachristianblog.com/2017/04/29/strengthening-kern-county-one-degree-at-a-time/

 

 

City Manager Alan Tandy gives the State of the City

The Kern River Alan Tandy's presentation

Alan Tandy State of the City July 12 2017

Alan Tandy

Alan Tandy started his talk with images of the Kern River gushing with water.  I felt uplifted at the image since it always tugged my heart when I walked or biked on the “River Walk” bike path and saw no river for my first few years back in Bakersfield from Oregon.

And of course he talked about transportation and TRIP.  He showed us a pretty cool video with drone footage of the project and offered details about the Centennial Corridor Project aiming to connect Highway 58 with the recently-completed Westside Parkway.  He did a special mention of Retired Congressman Bill Thomas and the room burst into a round of applause.

Tandy provided an explanation for the increase in water rates and reminded attendees that the resolution on housing and urban development and the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program is coming up at the next City Council meeting.

Thank you Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce for hosting the State of the City event and providing a platform for some very important conversations about the future of our city to take place. If we’re going to make Bakersfield a key destination for the entrepreneurs of the future, we’ll need to continue having these conversations.

Loved this picture from Karen Goh’s Facebook page with the fabulous Chamber staff

Mayor Karen Goh and Chamber Team

Want to catch up on some things covered during the afternoon? Check out The Bakersfield Californian’s article, “Gateway to Barstow? Mayor tells State of the City crowd rebranding is imperative” by Dorothy Mills-Gregg and the official State of the City website.

Bakersfield Burrito Project

Karen_Goh_Facebook_Post_with_Emmanuel_Limaco

Here is Mayor Karen Goh with BCSGA Senator, Emmanuel Limaco helping out at the local event. It’s great to see the ways BC is out in the community and Bakersfield has so many great initiatives to get involved with. The Bakersfield Burrito Project says on it’s official website that it “has been serving the community of Bakersfield, California since 2009. Every Sunday, without fail, our volunteers create fresh burritos from raw ingredients and package them.” Learn more about this incredible project at www.bakersfieldburritoproject.org.

To see all the photos from Bakersfield’s Mayor, visit Karen Goh’s album on Facebook!

Into the Woods Closing Show Tonight

Tonight is the closing performance of “Into the Woods” — the first BC musical in about 20 years! It has been incredible to see the cast and faculty on this great endeavor. Jennifer Garrett tells me, that doing a Sondheim musical in a 4-week class has been absolute insanity but they have pulled things together and created a show that is truly remarkable. The director of the show, Brian Sivesind has he just completed his first year as full-time faculty at BC! Brian is an amazing addition to our faculty. He is so focused on student success and sets high expectations for students and all those involved in the musical He has devoted an amazing amount of time to this production and specifically to each individual student. I know that the cast of the production appreciates him very much and so do I. Thank you to all of those that have already attended the musical and I hope many more will be able to attend tonight.

Final performance begins tonight at 7:30PM.  I hope you’ll be there.

Patrick Bender thank you for you countless hours with all of our performances.  Every time I run into Dr. Garrett she raves about what a blessing you are to our students, to the department and to the college.  #WeAreBC

Patrick Bender

Patrick Bender

The fabulous Jen Garrett with the female cast of Into the Woods

Jen Garrett with the female cast Into the Woods July 2017.JPG

And the Director of BC’s first musical in 20 years, Brian Sivesand!

Brian Sivesind Photo from TBC Rod Thornburg.jpg

BC’s Drumline “Resounds”

GE-Resound-2017-10

Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps

This is the second year in a row that I attended the Resound International Competition here in the Memorial Stadium.  Last year, the event was on July 16, 2016 and check out this fun blog post that has a lot of great memories in addition to the Drumline.  This post covers:

(1) the KCCD BOard of Trustees vote on Measure J
(2) Mayor Harvey Hall’s Community Voices in The Bakersfield Californian endorsing Measure J.
(3) Great speeches by SGA President Matthew Frazer and another SGA member Wesley Lyons
(4) Visit to Arvin High School
(5) Presenting to Chevron Retirees
(6) And finally Rocky, The Racoon

https://sonyachristianblog.com/2016/07/16/building-a-better-bc/

At this year’s event, what an incredible lineup from across California

7:00 p.m. Welcome & National Anthem
7:08 p.m. Blue Devils CConcord, CA
7:24 p.m. IncognitoBrea, CA
7:40 p.m. WatchmenRiverside, CA
7:56 p.m. ImpulseBuena Park, CA
8:12 p.m. Intermission
8:27 p.m. Blue Devils BConcord, CA
8:43 p.m. Vanguard CadetsSanta Clara, CA
8:59 p.m. Golden EmpireBakersfield, CA

 

In First Place – Blue Devils; Second Place – Vanguard Cadets; Third Place – Golden Empire (BC)

Here are some photos from John Farrand

 

And some extra photos:

Francis Mayer and John Farrand on the field capturing photos and videos.

 

 

We are so fortunate to have such a great M&O staff.  It seems like they are everywhere every time taking care of something for the college, for our faculty and staff and for our students.  And they do it with a smile.  Let me introduce you to Patrick Harrison, Martin Ramirez, and Aaron Kidwell.  Gentlemen, from the entire college and our community, I thank you for what you do and for who you are.

Patrick Harrison, Martin Ramirez, Aaron Kidwell July 14 2017.JPG

Patrick Harrison, Martin Ramirez, Aaron Kidwell

 

Check out the 1:27-minute video

I am so glad we have Prof. Tim Heasley at Bakersfield College.  Thank you Tim for the countless hours working and travelling with our students.  The sheer physical stamina and focus on details that you provide with such a limited staff is truly remarkable.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! #WeAreBC

Here is a photo of Tim Heasley from Mary Jo Pasek’s Facebook

Tim Heasley from MJ's Facebook July 14 2017

Tim Heasley

The BC Fight Song

A fun email chain passed by my inbox where Heather Pennella was investigating the legalities behind copyright and re-recording the BC fight song. I loved our chancellor Tom Burke’s addition to the email chain where he said, “I have a 1960’s recording of the fight song on 33 ⅓ vinyl record.”  When I stopped by the district office this last week to work with John Means and Gary Moser, I stopped by Tom’s office to say hello and he had the record with him for the BC Archives.  Of course I snapped a few pictures.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As an extra bonus, he shared with me the ticket for the performance to meet with the pope!

fight-song-4.jpg

What’s Trending at the Chamber?

I received the latest newsletter that keeps me looped in with all the latest regarding our Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and the newsletter shared that the GBCC received a recent CalChamber award. Congratulations on the CalChamber President’s Circle Award.

The award, first presented in 2009, recognizes chambers for excellence in business advocacy and helping their members comply with California employment laws. GBCC President and CEO Nick Ortiz accepted the award on May 31 during the CalChamber’s annual Capitol Summit in Sacramento. To learn more about this specific award, visit the CalChamber website.

Speaking of the GBCC, Hillary Haenes, Member Programs and Engagement Manager for the chamber was recently featured by Bakersfield Magazine in their section highlighting 20 under 40. I love how the piece says, “Since coming to Bakersfield in 2004, Hillary Haenes has made it her mission to get involved.”  That’s what Bakersfield is all about! See the whole piece on Bakersfield.com.  The photo of Hillary is from The Bakersfield Californian taken by Jonah and Lindsay.

Bakersfield College at the statewide Curriculum Institute

The last few years have seen unprecedented changes to curriculum and curricular processes, from the introduction of baccalaureate degrees to local certification for approval of credit courses to guided pathways. While all of these changes are exciting, they can also be daunting to navigate for curriculum chairs, faculty, administrators, and classified professionals. This year’s Curriculum Institute will provide interactive workshops, breakout sessions, and opportunities for discussion designed to provide the tools and knowledge needed to keep all hands on deck when it comes to curriculum and curricular processes!

The BC Team: Di Hoffman, Sharon Bush, Cindy Collier, Bill Moseley, Jennifer Johnson, Mark Osea, Marissa Marquez

BC Team at Curriculum Institute July 2017

Summer Bridge Continues..

So proud of our faculty and staff who are participating in BC’s Summer Bridge to “bridge” high school students from high school to college.

Here are some emails that Dr. Kimberly Bligh shared with me from students who participated in Summer Bridge

Dr. Kimberly Bligh,

My name is Samantha Coston, I am an incoming freshman and I am pursuing aerospace engineering. I wish to thank you for your valuable information regarding Bakersfield College. Your book had a lot of information that my high school couldn’t provide. It also was a big help with the transition to Bakersfield College. Often times small pieces of vital information gets left out of introductory speeches simply out of forgetfulness. However, your book has provided all the information I need to fully transition and continue to pursue my degree at Bakersfield College.

Thank you! – Samantha Coston

Wonder who Samantha Coston is Todd?

Todd Coston John Hart Krista Moreland May 2 2017

Todd Coston, John Hart, Krista Moreland

 

Hello Dr. Bligh,

I’d like to thank you for putting together such a great opportunity for incoming BC students to get a feel for the campus and figure out exactly what we will be expecting when we come back for the fall semester. It has helped tremendously and I can all ready tell I’ll have a good feel for the place on my first day.

Again, thank you very much.

Wesley Kelley

 

Hello Dr. Bligh,

My name is Alex Cerda, and I am an incoming freshman for the fall semester of 2017. Something that I have learned during this program today is that Bakersfield College is a fairly welcoming place filled with kind faculty members who are very willing to help students to the best of their ability.

Alex Cerda

 

 

Dr. Bligh,

My name is Bailey Gather. I just wanted to thank you for allowing us to have this day. If we wouldn’t have had this day I definitely would be lost on my first day. But another thing that I feel like BC will help me with is all of the resources that there is on campus. So again thank you for giving your time and helping us.

Sincerely,

Bailey Gather

Fun photos:

Jennifer Marden was at Catalina this weekend with Mark and she snapped this picture with a young man named Diego who is Cynthia Munoz’ nephew.

 

I texted back that he is almost as good looking as his aunt.  Jennifer was so delighted to see her friend’s nephew there.  And talking about Cynthia, I got to know her when she regularly came to the Measure J campaign headquarters to help out.  Thank you Cynthia.

Chudy goes to DC

Coach Jeff Chudy was telling me how Congressman Kevin McCarthy welcomed him and his family and showed them a great time in DC.  I enjoyed this photo and wanted to thank the Congressman for his unwavering support of Bakersfield College.

Jeff Chudy in Washington DC with Kevin McCarthy July 2017

 

 

Sonya at the Market Place March 17 2013 (1)

Sonya Christian at the Market Place. March 17, 2013.

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