My introduction to you happened in the late 1990s.
I arrived in Los Angeles, a foreign graduate student, trying to understand America through textbooks and LA’s RTD routes.
And then I met you.
An institution built on virtues I could not quite comprehend.
Infinite hope. Untiring patience. Radical non-judgment. You met people where they were.
Not where they should have been. Not where someone thought they ought to be. But where they were.
You were born long before I met you in the Central Valley, where community colleges first took root in California soil. Practical. Accessible. Close to home. Built for possibility.
And then you spread.
From the Central Valley – Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced you reached into the Inland Empire – Riverside, San Bernardino out to the eastern edge of our state – the Coachella Valley, Palm Desert, Indio up the North State – Chico, Redding across the Bay – Oakland, Hayward, San José down the Central Coast – Monterey, San Luis Obispo into Los Angeles – every corner, every neighborhood in LA and all the way to the borderlands – San Diego, Imperial Valley.
Across the Sierra foothills. Along Highway 99. Down the 5 and the 101.
Into farmworker towns. Into port cities. Into rural mountain communities. Into urban corridors. Where opportunity needed a doorway you became that doorway.
You evolved.
You empowered people. You improved constantly You innovated for students. You added programs. Added pathways. Added chances.
And over three decades, I have watched you love Californians by taking action in real tangible ways.
I have seen the foster youth who carried everything they owned in a backpack walk across a commencement stage because someone at a community college refused to give up on them.
I have seen the formerly incarcerated Californian who found purpose through education, completed a certificate, earned a degree, and now gives back to their community.
I have seen the veteran, resilient, carrying both visible and invisible weight, find a Veterans Resource Center and a faculty member who said, “You belong here.”
I have seen the student with a disability navigate hallways that were once barriers and find accommodations, allies, and a future not defined by limitation but by capacity.
You do not ask for perfection. You ask for effort. You do not require pedigree. You require courage.
Over two million students a year.
Two million stories of trying again. Starting over. Leveling up.
You are accessible. You are practical. You are relentless in your belief that Californians deserve more.
On this Valentine’s Day, I say it plainly:
I love you, California Community Colleges, – for your open doors. – for your stubborn optimism. – for believing in people before they believe in themselves.
You are California at its best.
And after three decades of watching you in motion … through reform, recession, innovation, and renewal,
I am convinced of this:
If there is an institution built on hope in America,
It is you!
With gratitude, admiration, and love Your chancellor, sonya
This week was the AI Futures Summit in Santa Clara. This year’s theme was Educational Innovation in the Digital Era.
One highlight of the summit was that the Chancellor’s Office AI Fellows Program hosted its first retreat for the inaugural cohort. This group includes 13 AI Fellows that will develop frameworks, guidelines, and resources that support the responsible adoption of AI technologies across all 116 colleges.
Good morning California. It is September 13, 2025. A good day to be a Community College Champion
From California Community Colleges. Our Time is Now!
Butte College Breaks Ground on Chico Center Expansion
Butte College officially broke ground on its Chico Center Expansion Project, a $27.2 million investment that will add nearly 24,000 square feet of new facilities to serve students in Chico and the surrounding communities.
Norco College Sees Success with Disposable Glove Recycling Pilot Study
Last spring, Norco College’s Sustainability and Climate Action Committee launched an initiative to redirect disposable glove waste away from landfills and into recycling centers. The project salvaged nearly six pounds of gloves, masks, and hairnets from the Coral in just one month.
Yuba College Manufacturing Team Wins National Championship in Project MFG’s Clash of Trades
Yuba College’s Advanced Manufacturing program is celebrating a national victory after three of its students claimed first place in Project MFG’s Clash of Trades, a televised competition that challenges the best and brightest in advanced manufacturing, computer numerical control (CNC) machining and additive technologies. Competing June 10 to 12 at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Illinois, students Phoenix Farrell, 19, Adam Davis, 21, and Wyatt Curry, 21, represented Yuba College in the final round against Central Alabama Community College, Everett Community College and Autry Technology Center. The trio walked away as national champions and with $100,000 in prize money. Half will go to support the college’s manufacturing program, while the other half was split among the three students.
California Community Colleges & Google Launch Nation’s Largest Higher Education Systemwide AI Partnership
Google today unveiled a major collaboration with the California Community Colleges that will provide more than 2 million students and faculty across the state’s 116 community colleges with free access to AI training, Google Career Certificates, and some of Google’s cutting-edge AI tools including Gemini for Education and NotebookLM. The announcement came during the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Futures Summit 2025, an event designed to drive digital transformation and innovation across the California Community Colleges. The system will also be one of the first members of Google’s AI for Education Accelerator, an initiative specifically designed to help prepare students for the jobs of today and tomorrow. This announcement with Google represents a significant expansion and investment in workforce development within higher education, positioning California’s community college students at the forefront of the AI-driven economy.
California Community Colleges Launches Nation’s Most Ambitious AI Integration Initiative
This week at the Futures Summit 2025, the California Community Colleges – the largest and most diverse higher education system in the country – will officially announce the launch of its Chancellor’s Office AI Fellows program, a bold new initiative aligned with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide AI agenda and designed to make California the national leader in equitable AI education and workforce development.
The inaugural cohort of 13 AI Fellows will develop frameworks, guidelines, and resources that support the responsible adoption of AI technologies across all 116 colleges, which serve 2.1 million students and employ 88,000 professionals. Fellows will specialize in critical focus areas including AI assessment and learning analytics, AI infrastructure, AI professional development, AI research and innovation, AI student support services, AI in teaching and learning, and AI workforce development.
California faces a nursing shortage. Community colleges can help
The road to becoming a nurse in California has been paved with roadblocks, sharp turns and bottlenecks. Where that education is offered has a lot to do with it.
As someone who has lived every long mile and continued to drive forward, I believe the solution lies in expanding the ability for California’s community colleges to offer bachelor of science degrees in nursing.
Community colleges are where many nurses start. They should be where we have the chance to finish as we shift into our careers.
Many of our original and early faculty (or their families) from our opening in 1975… Walter Soellner, Linda Roy, Ron Fisher, Sami Ibrahim, Evonne Davenport, Karen Strelitz (wife of our first president, Gerald Strelitz), Rose Higashi and Susan Morgado (daughter of Gene Morgado, our original auto faculty)
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From College of San Mateo:
What an incredible Transfer Day at CSM! Nearly 60 colleges, universities, and private schools from across California and beyond visited campus, providing students with the opportunity to meet representatives, ask questions, and learn about some of their dream schools. A huge thank-you to our Transfer Services team for organizing this packed event and to our amazing student leaders for helping spread the word and guiding students to the fair.
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From Diablo Valley College:
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 9/11 Tribute Run at DVC Pleasant Hill yesterday! Our amazing DVC student veterans and supporters ran together across campus to honor the lives lost and the heroes who rose in service after September 11, 2001. A special thank you to our DVC student veterans for leading this meaningful tribute and reminding us of the values of unity, resilience, and service.
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From Victor Valley College:
Earlier this month, Victor Valley College’s Workforce Development celebrated the Industrial Maintenance Mechanic (IMM) Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony at the High Desert Training Center!
We proudly honored 10 outstanding employees from employer partners, including Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, Rio Tinto, CEMEX, Church & Dwight, and Exquadrum. These graduates completed their year-long Related Supplemental Instruction (RSI) and are now returning to their organizations with advanced technical skills.
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From Saddleback College:
This summer, the voices of Saddleback were heard around the world. Our Chamber Singers and Emeritus Chorale came together for Saddleback College Choir’s first international tour. From ages 18 to 90, singers shared the stage across four countries, proving that music truly connects generations and cultures.
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From Allan Hancock College:
Cadets in our fire academy climbed the six-story tower at the AHC Public Safety Training Complex in Lompoc to memorialize the first responders killed in the September 11th attacks. They made the trip up the tower 19 times, the equivalent of the World Trade Center’s 110 stories.
And From the Home of the Renegades
Transfer Pathways Hosts Transfer Day for Fall 2025
On Monday, September 8, Bakersfield College’s Transfer Pathways department hosted Transfer Day for the Fall 2025 semester. This exciting event brings several colleges and universities to the Panorama Campus, giving students an incredible opportunity to learn more about their academic options once they have completed their time at BC.
More than 50 colleges and universities participated in the event, and representatives were eager to provide students with details about admissions, campus environments, degree options, campus housing, and more. The event drew several hundred student participants over the course of the day, and each attendee walked away with valuable information, and swag, from a variety of local, private, and national institutions.
Nothing beats jasmine in full bloom. The fragrance…
I had the trellis for the jasmine installed during the COVID lockdown.
And the second trellis –
I wanted to share a few events I was at recently.
The Orange County AI and Gen Z Summit was a great event. Here’s a short excerpt from my remarks:
What was the first piece of technology that changed your world?
For Boomers, it might have been the moon landing broadcast on a black-and- white TV.
For Gen X, maybe it was the Walkman. I witnessed the dawn of the internet.
For Millennials, it was probably Napster.
And for Gen Z? It may be when ChatGPT answered a question better than a textbook.
These stories help us anchor rapid change in shared human experience. And right now, artificial intelligence is shaping a new chapter in how we live, learn, work, and relate.
I also participated in a fireside chat with Cheryl Aschenbach at the ASCCC Plenary.
It was a great conversation and I was astonished at the quantify of work we have advanced in the last two years with the Academic Senate.
After my travels it is always good to be home.
Neo, the 100-pound gentle giant has a surprising hobby—gardening. Not the dig-up-the-yard kind, but the delicate, blade-by-blade grass selection from overgrown flower beds. You’d think a mouth that big would bulldoze everything in its path, but Neo approaches his grassy buffet as a delicacy—sniff, inspect, nibble…. avoiding every geranium petal.
Good morning California. It is May 3, 2025 A good day to be a Community College Champion
From California Community Colleges. Our Time is Now!
Hard Hats & High Tech: Exploring Career Education at Santa Rosa Junior College
KCRB’s “The 707” radio show recently featured career education at Santa Rosa Junior College. They toured the Construction Training Center to see hands-on building skills in development and exploring the technological advancements fostered in their STEM education labs.
Los Angeles Valley College Speech & Debate Team earns National Medals at Phi Rho Pi Forensic Tournament
Students on the LAVC Speech & Debate Team brought home with four prestigious awards at the 2025 Phi Rho Pi National Forensics Competition that was held in Norfolk, Virginia last month. LAVC’s Speech and Debate Team has participated in the competition since the 1970s, and many of its team members have earned top awards over the years, including the team being the tournament champions in 1999, 2008 and 2009.
More Than a Place to Stay: How Saddleback College Supports Students Facing Housing Insecurity
Rising rents, unstable family dynamics, and economic pressures have made housing insecurity an increasingly common occurrence, even in a traditionally affluent area like Orange County. Thanks to a growing network of support services, Saddleback College is working hard to ensure that no student is left behind simply because they don’t have a permanent address.
Riverside City College Hosts Inaugural AAPI Arts & Culture Event
On Friday, April 11, Riverside City College proudly hosted its first annual Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Arts & Culture event, a vibrant celebration of heritage, creativity, and scholarship. The event was organized by RCC’s Asian Pacific Student Union (APSU) and the Office of the Vice President of Student Services, with support from ASRCC and the RCC Art & Art History Department.
Four Female Inmates from FCC Victorville Make History by Attending College Outside Prison
In January 2025, four female inmates housed at the Satellite Camp of the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Victorville became the first federal inmates in the country to attend community college outside of a correctional facility.
California Community Colleges Closing in on 100,000 Registered Apprenticeships this National Apprenticeship Day
Momentum is carrying the California Community Colleges, the nation’s largest workforce development and training provider, toward a key milestone — 100,000 registered apprenticeships. This comes as the system’s 116 colleges, along with their partners across the state, celebrate National Apprenticeship Day today.
Apprenticeship programs offer cutting-edge, hands-on career training and classroom learning, paving the way for higher-wage, high-growth careers. The California Community Colleges is playing a crucial role in Gov. Newsom’s goal of training 500,000 apprentices by 2029 and in the newly released Master Plan for Career Education. To date, there are more than 96,000 registered apprentices in the system. This is about 20% of the goal, with four years still to go.
An amazing conversation with the legendary Civil Rights Activist Delores Huerta
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From San Joaquin Delta College:
PUENTE Celebration Recap. Congratulations to our grads!
Puente, Spanish for “bridge”, is a national award-winning program that has helped thousands of students reach their dreams of college success — and yesterday, we honored another step in that journey.
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From College of the Redwoods:
The Career fair was a hit! Thank you to everyone who came out for this event!
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And check out this video from College of the Siskiyous:
You may have seen some smoke coming from the Fire Academy last week?
Our cadets got the opportunity to do some live wildland fire training in our own backyard. With the help of Siskiyous CalFire, and the Weed City Fire Department, they were able to provide real live fire training in a safe controlled environment.
Great job to our cadets for working successfully throughout each scenario, and thank you again to Siskiyous CalFire and Weed City Fire Department for your support.
And From the Home of the Renegades
Garden Fest 2025 Blooms with Community Spirit Despite Rainy Weather
Bakersfield College and the Horticulture Department proudly hosted the much-anticipated Garden Fest 2025 this past weekend, and this year’s festival delivered a truly unforgettable experience! Despite the unexpected downpour of rain, the turnout remained strong, with enthusiastic guests exploring a diverse array of booths, activities, and entertainment.
With more than 100 local businesses and organizations participating, Garden Fest offered something for everyone, creating an engaging and memorable experience that highlighted the college’s deep-rooted commitment to community and education.
You may have been tracking the 4 Nations Face Off this week ….but it was 45 years ago today that the Miracle on Ice happened.
On February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, the US team defeated the Soviet Union 4-3. The Soviet Union had been dominating Olympics hockey – winning 5 of the previous 6 gold medals.
As for me …..
This past week was a hectic travel week. Starting in Sacramento with the Assembly Budget hearing, then Chabot College to present at the National EV Consortium Conference, then to El Centro to visit Imperial Valley College and check out their Lithium program, then to San Diego to present at the Academic Senate AI Academy, and wrapped up with a Digital Center meeting in Orange County. All of this travel, while taking zoom meetings in the airport, driving in the car, in a hotel lobby etc etc etc. In the meantime, the emails pile up and so do the texts. If I don’t respond to a text and it gets buried, go ahead and bump it up.
But honestly, it is all good. Such a privilege to put in time and energy supporting our California Community College students, faculty and staff.
California Community Colleges – we take care of our students, our communities, and our planet.
Here are a few photos from my week.
I love this photo that Linda Vasquez snapped – the three higher education system heads when we were testifying at the Assembly budget subcommittee. This is Michael Drake’s last presentation to this Assembly subcommittee since he is retiring at the end of the year. California Higher Ed – Championing our students.
With Michael Drake and Millie Garcia
With the team from Kern CCD, Porterville College and their industry partner Zeronox
Nick Griffith, Tony Cordova, Ellen Morris, Sonya Christian, Zeronox person
Photos from my visit to Imperial Valley College
At Imperial Valley College Feb 20, 2025
President Lennor Johnson, faculty member, student, me, Don Daves-Rougeaux
Student Barbara, IVC employee, Sonya Christian
Happy to come back home.
Missing Bessie
Click on this 7-sec video and enjoy her.
Good morning California. It is February 22, 2025. A good day to be a Community College Champion
From California Community Colleges. Our Time is Now!
Saddleback College Receives $3 Million Grant from Samueli Foundation for Student Work-Based Learning Opportunities
Saddleback College was awarded a $3 million grant from the Samueli Foundation to increase work-based learning opportunities for students. The investment, which will be paid in $1 million installments over three years, will focus on paid internships for students in programs related to renewable energy and the electric grid.
Mt. San Jacinto College Students Challenge Filipino Beauty Standards Through Research and Advocacy
Alicia Chloe Nicole Geronimo, a 20-year-old Pre-Nursing student, and Agnezze Ventura, a 21-year-old aspiring lawyer specializing in environmental or immigration law, met in Professor Torres’s Honors Cultural Anthropology class. Their mutual interest in cultural identity and social structures led them to collaborate on an ambitious, comprehensive study: “The Colorist and Capitalist Roots of Filipino Beauty Standards.”
Savoring Tradition: A Culinary Celebration of Black History at College of Alameda
On February 19, 2025, the College of Alameda (COA) Student Center came alive with the rich aromas and deep history of Black cuisine. “Savoring Tradition: A Culinary Reflection on Black History” brought together students, faculty, and staff for a special cooking presentation that was as much about storytelling as it was about food. Created and managed by Jennifer Sanoh, J.D./MSW, this Black History Month gathering celebrated the cultural significance of Black culinary traditions through education, community, and of course, delicious food.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in collaboration with the Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Equity (Digital Center) is seeking five exceptional individuals to join our inaugural cohort of AI Fellows. This program aims to advance the thoughtful and equitable integration of AI across California’s community colleges by promoting innovation in teaching, learning, operational efficiency, and student support.
California Community Colleges Celebrate Career Education Month
The California Community Colleges, the nation’s largest workforce training provider, celebrates Career Education Month this February by highlighting the powerful role their programs play in shaping California’s workforce and boosting its economy. Serving more than 2 million students annually across 116 campuses, the system offers cutting-edge, hands-on career training, paving the way for high-wage, high-growth careers.
Yesterday CCC was honored to celebrate Black History Month with its 7th Annual African American Read-In by faculty, staff and students of literature and poetry. Congratulations to student, Kasandra Tate, for winning the Sweet Potato Pie Contest that kicked off the day’s events.
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From Long Beach City College:
Today, we hosted an inspiring event at Long Beach City College, coming together with our partners at City of Long Beach, Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach Unified to advance the Long Beach College Promise!
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From Fresno City College:
Women in Engineering 2025 for female high school students designed to encourage more women to pursue STEM careers. Thank you @Chevron for the gift of $75,000 to the college. We’ll use this to support STEM education.
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From El Camino College:
Back in January, the Architecture Department hosted the 2025 Transfer Summit. Panelists from around the industry helped drive the conversation to how community colleges can better prep students for an equitable transfer to universities to continue their design journey.
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And check out this video Annual Report from Mission College:
And From the Home of the Renegades
BC Students Showcase Creativity During NASSSP Outdoor Art Event
The Native American Student Support and Success Program (NASSSP) recently organized a special Outdoor Art Event designed to celebrate and honor Indigenous cultural practices. This event provided participants a chance to relax and unleash their creativity, offering a peaceful break from their demanding academic schedules.
“Art plays a central role in Native culture, and this event is an integral part of the services we offer to NASSSP participants, specifically through our Cultural workshops,” said Angel Solis, one of the program’s Peer Mentors. “The objective of these workshops is to honor our heritage and preserve our cultural traditions.”
Started this week with the BOG meeting at San Bernardino Valley College. What a phenomenal visit to the campus. Here are some photos.
Here are the BOG members who were able to join the meeting in person.
We did a great tour of the STEM-MESA center. Here is a selfie that Board Member Joseph Williams snapped. See if you can spot Board Members Tom Epstein and Bill Rawlings
We had dinner at the KVCR studio. What a treat! Former senator Connie Leyva is now the Executive Director of the PBS station. We also met Assembly member Eloise Reyes – I sat next to her at dinner and thoroughly enjoyed her warmth and care for our students and community.
Snapped this photo of John Stanskas when he presented to the BOG.
After the BOG meeting, I headed to Irvine for the 10-year anniversary of the Rising Scholars Network.
So many great speakers, including Le Barron Woodyard who stepped in for Tonya Williams, Martha Garcia, Keith Curry, Chelsea Esquibias, Anthony Cordova, Bryan Hirayama – and Rising Scholar graduates Serafin Leon, Isaiah Posey and Marquis Jiles.
We were joined by BOG members Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg and Bill Rawlings.
Did you know – one academic year of graduates saved over $27 MILLION in incarceration costs?
Serafin was in the first graduating class in 2019 at the Kern Valley State Prison – I was president of BC at that time. Check out this 37-sec video.
And now, here I am with Serafin 5 years later at the 10-year anniversary celebration of the statewide Rising Scholars program legislated in 2024 with the passage of AB 1391.
Was wonderful reuniting with he BC team who made this program happen.
And Vicki Coffee snapped this selfie.
Forever grateful to Bryan Hirayama for doing the first fully in-person course in the state of California in Spring 2015.
Following the Rising Scholars 10-year celebration was the DEIA Institute which opened with Tom Heasley’s BC Drumline. Just fantastic ….
Here is a panel with Gina Brown, Tony Cordova, and John Stanskas who joined us via zoom. Clearly Stanskas said something witty…
and here is John…
Good morning California. It is September 28, 2024. A good day to be a Community College Champion
From California Community Colleges. Our Time is Now!
Mt. San Jacinto College Celebrates Grand Opening of New STEM Building at the San Jacinto Campus
Mt. San Jacinto College proudly announces the grand opening of its state-of-the-art STEM Building at the San Jacinto Campus. A ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by college officials, local leaders, and community members celebrated the completion of this transformative facility designed to enhance educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Santa Rosa Junior College Awarded $3 million HSI Grant From U.S. Department of Education
Santa Rosa Junior College has been awarded a $3 million grant, to be received over 5 years, from the U.S. Department of Education under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program. This grant will fund the college’s latest initiative, Transformando, aimed at enhancing SRJC’s ability to serve its growing Latinx and underrepresented student populations.
New Ballot Drop Box Unveiled at Woodland Community College and Voter Registration Drive Announced
In a significant step toward expanding voter accessibility, Woodland Community College (WCC), in partnership with Yolo County Elections and the League of Women Voters, is proud to announce the unveiling of a new permanent ballot drop box at the Woodland campus. This initiative is aimed at providing easier and more convenient access for students, staff, and the community to securely submit their vote-by-mail ballots during local, state, and national elections.
Undocumented Student Action Week: Education and Career UndocuDreams Made Possible
Register today for the Eighth Annual California Community Colleges’ Undocumented Student Action Week (USAW) on Oct. 14 – 18, 2024. Join the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, the Community College League of California and our statewide partners for a week of collaboration and supporting students, faculty and those involved in advocating for undocumented students.
2024 System Webinar: Education and Career UndocuDreams Made Possible
Join California Community Colleges on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. for the System Webinar “Education and Career UndocuDreams Made Possible.”
Board of Governors Member & Kern CCD Trustee Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg shared this photo from the BOG visit to San Bernardino Valley College:
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From Fresno City College:
Thank you,@senatortoniatkins for letting us showcase the @fccwestfresnocenter We continue to empower our students with hands-on skills & opportunities for the future. We appreciate your dedication to advancing education & workforce development!
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From Santiago Canyon College:
Santiago Canyon College is continuing its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The college’s First Year Support Center, SCC TRiO and TRiO Future Teachers sponsored a workshop on Tuesday afternoon, titled Breaking Barriers: Latino Men in Education.
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From Evergreen Valley College:
Our latest graduates from our Tesla START program finished a 16-week intensive program as employees of the automotive company. We can’t wait to see what’s next!
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From Saddleback College:
Happy Birthday to us! Today we celebrate 56 years since we first welcomed students to our interim campus (where Mission Hospital sits today). Students finally took their first classes on the campus we occupy today in 1970.
And From the Home of the Renegades
BC Writing Centers Offer Renegades Valuable Support and Resources
The Bakersfield College Writing Center proudly offers its services to all BC students, allowing Renegades to hone the craft of writing throughout all areas – from structural elements and stylistic improvements to public speaking and academic reading. More than that, BC’s specialized Writing Consultants are determined to help students gain independence and confidence in their academic reading, writing, and English language speaking, while also equipping them to take those life-long skills into their careers.
The Workforce & Economic Mobility Blog blog shares approaches to workforce and economic development, with a goal of supporting economic mobility for our community while staying committed to the health of our people and the health of our environment.
In the Bhambi & Christian blog, Dr. Brijesh Bhambi join together joined together with the goal of facilitating healing and conversation in our community.
A special thank you to our DVC student veterans for leading this meaningful tribute and reminding us of the values of unity, resilience, and service.
