Tag Archives: students

The community supporting our students. Thanksgiving 2014.

2015 Turkey Voucher Distribution

Student Government Association President Alex Dominguez and Student Pantry Coordinator Gabby Caraballo receive turkey vouchers from California Water Service.

Here is a draft blog post from last year that was not published.  Enjoy!

Just in time for Thanksgiving last year, our Student Government Association worked with Senator Jean Fuller and the California Water Service to distribute vouchers for free Thanksgiving turkeys to students through the Renegade Pantry.

Senator Fuller said of the program “To say ‘thanks’ for all of this year’s blessings, I partnered with California Water Service again to distribute 100 Thanksgiving turkey vouchers throughout each county within the 18th Senate District to benefit needy families, veterans, homeless persons, and the elderly. Special thanks to California Water Service for its generosity and all of the other partners who assisted me in the distribution.”

Bakersfield College was pleased to participate in the annual program, and support our needy students and their families with the main part of their holiday meal!

Tuesday (9/16/2014) evening musings

Latino Mixer Sep 10 2014

Steve Watkin, Lisa Kent, Jeannie Parent, Paul Beckworth, Anna Poetker, Corny Rodriguez

Really enjoying BC being visible in the community and in Social Media.  Here are some tidbits for you to enjoy as much as I did.

Latino outreach

I enjoy seeing colleagues out and about in the community.  Here is a photo that Corny texted me from the Latino Mixer this past Wednesday.

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Randy Beeman on Facebook

Came across this Facebook post from Randy Beeman about one of his students, one of our students, a Renegade.  I kept going back and reading it as it weighed heavily on my mind and heart.  So I thought I would share an excerpt from the post.

randy_beeman

Randy Beeman

“Being a college professor is usually on the list of the most rewarding jobs. The pay is nice, the hours are great, and there is atmosphere of freedom. Yet with that freedom and cushy lifestyle comes responsibility, not just to educate but also to inspire. In the last two weeks I have been tasked with one of the more sad aspects of the job. As was reported in the paper, a young man, my former student, was sentenced to two years in federal prison. Of the 16,000 plus students I’ve taught this guy was someone I thought for certain had (has) the potential to be a major success. He asked me to write a letter to the judge but it obviously didn’t help lighten the sentence. (They were stealing expensive electronic equipment from the oil companies.) Also reported in the paper was the story of another young man, (also a former “A” student of mine), who plea bargained a First Degree murder charge down to an Involuntary Manslaughter charge. This young man is a decorated veteran who represented this country in a dangerous combat role in places many Americans don’t even know we have a military presence, let alone Iraq. There was a fight and he shot and killed another young man. I really don’t know what happened – it’s just a tragedy all the way around. His wife asked for letters of support in preparation for his sentencing. I gladly wrote a letter because I remember his heroism, his intellectual gifts, and his humor. I am in no way trying to apologize for these young men, but what is striking is that they both hail from good families, they both possess immense talent, and they both made life changing mistakes that were harmful to society, and, in the second case, a life. It makes one realize the challenges kids who don’t have these assets must face on the path of life. Their stories also are cautionary – there is no easy money”

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A letter that was sent to Cindy Collier

BRN Accreditation Visit Sep 11 2014

Nursing team after BRN visit on Sep 11, 2014

Hello Cindy,

I would like to take a moment of your time and respond to your very wonderful post that you left me while I was traveling. You caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to say, but with a little time I have a better response for you.

Thank you for believing in me. I have an amazing career and it all started with you taking a chance on me. I want to make sure you know that you make a difference in so many lives! Mine is only one example. I understand, now more than ever, how our day-to-day interactions can seem to be bogged down with meetings, politics, and mundane task. Please know that you still have the power to effect change!

Thank you for allowing me to show you that I could succeed. When I applied for my first job in Oceanside, CA the assistant manager who interviewed me he had you for his critical care instructor. He said, “I know the kind of nurse that BC turns out and we would be happy to have you join our team.” I was the first and only interview that I went on after graduating from BC. Really, who could have asked for a better end to a first interview?

Today, I have been a clinical instructor for California State University San Marcos, co-presented my research on The Impact of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit on Patient Length of Stay (LOS) and Mortality: A Multi-Center Epidemiology Study and finished my first year of my doctorate program. With the risk of sounding conceited this is only the beginning for me. I promise that I will do so much more.

I can’t wait to send you the graduation announcement from my doctorate program. It is still 3 years away, but it will be here before you know it.   Thank you again. I know I keep saying that, but honestly there is no other words to convey my appreciation.

I hope that I have been able to explain the effect you have had on my life… You not only gave me a career. You gave me the tools to change my whole. It has been an amazing journey and I can’t wait for the next chapter.

Thank You

Timothy Horttor

Welcome email to our student veterans

Bakersfield Sunrise Aug 24 2015

Sunrise in Bakersfield on August 24, 2015

This morning after a long walk and a beautiful sunrise, I settled down in the backyard to do some work.  And there was an email from Paul Beckworth welcoming our student veterans.  Some of the information that Paul provides in this email might be useful to you as you start your first day of classes tomorrow or if you are helping students through the variety of services we provide.  I did attend the SDCC breakout session on Opening Day with Armando Trujillo on understanding our student veterans.  It was very informative and very well done.

Let’s hear from Paul Beckworth, History faculty and now the Associate Dean for Student Success and Development.

Michele Corny Paul Aug 19 2014

The three Associate Deans: Paul Beckworth, Michele Bresso, Corny Rodriguez

From: Paul Beckworth [mailto:pbeckwor@bakersfieldcollege.edu]
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 7:57 AM
Subject: Welcome to Bakersfield College

Hello BC Student-Veterans,

Welcome to the Fall 2014 semester!  My name is Paul Beckworth and I am the Associate Dean of Student Success, as well as the advisor of the Veterans Club.

Please be advised that we have a Veterans Lounge on campus, adjacent to the cafeteria.  It is open from 7:30-5:30 M-TH and 8-12 on Fridays.  It is a place for student-veterans and accompanied family members who are also students, to hang out, do work, have snacks and drink some coffee. It is a great place to meet up with other veterans who have probably been through some of the same things you have.

Bakersfield College is committed to our veterans and as such we have just hired a veterans educational advisor.  When her training is complete she will be stationed in the lounge, getting your student educational plans together, working in tandem with the VA certifying official on campus, the academic counseling department, and myself.

We have a great Veterans Club on campus, led by club president Wesley Barrientos.  We will be meeting every other week, dates to be announced.

We have plenty of great services on campus to help you succeed.  There is a writing center, tutoring center, math lab, disable students services, and more.  I will send out more information later but we want you to know that the tools are here for your success.   Do not let yourself get overwhelmed.  Many of you have been out of school for years.  Ask questions, come to the lounge, talk to your teachers.  If you get anxiety due to PTSD or TBI, let your teachers know.  Veterans Services are here for you.

Please keep in mind that over 250,000 student-veterans across the nation are going to college this fall.  This means that there may be a back log of GI Bill benefits for a bit.  Be patient, and please be courteous with our staff.  If you have an issue, please come to the lounge or feel free to email me at pbeckwor@bakersfieldcollege.edu or our club president at wesley.leon-barrientos2007@email.bakersfieldcollege.edu .

Our college president, Dr. Sonya Christian, is honored to have you here, and on her behalf I say, “Welcome home and welcome to Bakersfield College!”

Paul Beckworth

Associate Dean of Student Success

Students Love our Faculty and Staff!

I am always excited when I receive an email from a student celebrating our faculty and staff here at BC.

I wanted to share a few more of the good notes I’ve received lately.

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sue granger with shohreh Rahman

Sue Granger with Shohreh Rahman

Sue Granger

Dear Ms. Granger,

In case you don’t remember me my name is Ian Stevenson and you helped me earlier in the semester when I couldn’t make it in to the PHIL B9 class I had registered for. You were instrumental in helping to get me opportunity after opportunity to try and keep the doors open for me. If I had not gotten in to the online ENGL 1600 late start class that you recommended, I would be waiting another year in Bakersfield to take one class to qualify me to apply at UC schools. Well Ms. Granger, I got into that online class and I am doing great. I was accepted to UCSB, UC Davis, and on April 25th i was accepted to the school of my dreams: UC Berkeley. It is largely because of you that I am able to even enjoy such an achievement. I absolutely cannot put into words my gratitude and only have to say that it is great educators like yourself who go the extra mile for their students to make a world of difference. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it the most. I will never forget your help and kindness.

Sincerely,

Ian Gene Stevenson

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Liz Rozell 3

Liz Rozell

Liz Rozell

Hello!

I know it’s been a long time since we last spoke, but I wanted to give you an update on my life and to thank you.

In May, I finally graduated from The University of Utah, with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering, as the third generation in my family to graduate from the U.  As you can see from my email signature, I am now a process engineer for the ceramics company at which I have been a co-op for the past 2 years.

As cliché as this may sound, I would to say thank you for believing in me, even when I thought my academic goals had been lost.

You said to me  one day “ Liz, you’re tough as nails”. And that has stuck with me. On the days that felt especially hard, I would remind myself that Liz Rozell, the toughest lady I know, thinks I am as  tough as nails.

I would have preferred to tell you this in person, but I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Bakersfield.

Thank you for everything you have taught me, inside the classroom and out,

From one nail to the other, keep being tough!

Sincerely,

Liz Smith

Elizabeth Smith

Process Engineer

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Robert Boyles

Robert Boyles

Robert Boyles

To Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian: Hello my name is Martin Martinez, a returning student at Bakersfield College. I would like to commend the teaching abilities and give special recognition and thanks to my physical education instructor, Robert Boyles for all that he has done. I am currently attending his summer co-ed course in physical education, which will be ending on 08/07/14. The class is a pass or fail, worth 1 unit in credit, but worth so much more to me. Instructor Boyles made the class fun, challenging, and interesting, while providing both mental and physical positive results. If I could attend the same class a second time, as opposed to joining a private gym, I would. What I have gained physically from the course is the loss of body weight and fat, an increase in endurance, along with a reduction in core size. All the running and cardio we were exposed to throughout the course is responsible for lowering my heart pulse and increasing my levels of energy. I never missed a day of class, and participated in every drill and exercise, always having an open mind, and eager to face the next challenge Mr. Boyles would present. As a result, I feel stronger mentally and physically, all due to the teachings of Instructor Boyles. He provided the class with exercises that private trainers or gyms should be utilizing but do not. A great deal of the exercises the instructor presented to the class was good old fashioned drills that reminded me of my days in elementary school. Although these drills required work and effort, they would always put a smile on my face and make me laugh.  I also learned a great deal of field exercises, which assisted my core and leg muscles, which help rid of fat and assisted in building strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility. I’m a health conscience individual and being and staying in shape means a great deal to me. It’s no secret that by exercising you decrease the risk of unnecessary illness or disease, and increase the quality of life and lengthen your life span. Being in shape also increases your confidence and makes you a better student in the classroom, and just makes life more pleasant altogether. It takes a distinctive person to be a responsible effective leader and instructor like Robert Boyles. He created an atmosphere of unity and friendship, regardless of being indoors or outdoors, and was always available to assist student with answer to their questions. Being in his role requires patience, understanding, creativity, compassion, passion, and the ability to adapt to a wide range of personalities, and levels of fitness. Instructor Boyles has excellent people skills, and has a personality that is approachable regardless of whom you are. I have already begun to incorporate the workouts I have been exposed to, into my own training, and I will continue utilizing these training methods to maintain my health. Thank you Instructor Boyles for all of your efforts, for being a great coach and trainer, for inspiring and pushing students to achieve a higher standard of physical fitness and knowledge. I took the time to type this letter, because a simple thank you did not seem adequate enough for his contributions and dedication to the students. I can only pray that my instructor gets the fair recognition and praise he deserves for being passionate about his role as a physical education trainer.

Martin Martinez

BC Renegade Pantry Fundraises with United Way

Donations to Renegade Pantry

Della Hodson, Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Kern County, Liz Peisner, Dalton Martino, and Shelby Sward.

On Thursday evening, May 15, the United Way of Kern County’s Women’s Leadership Council hosted an event at The Mark, to benefit the BC Renegade Pantry. KCCD Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Michele Bresso opened the presentation with remarks, and Director of Student Life Dr. Elizabeth Peisner was asked to share some highlights of the BC Renegade Pantry, our proposed expansion of services, and the benefits to our students in need.

We were joined by SGA President, Ms. Shelby Sward, and Renegade Pantry Coordinator, Mr. Dalton Martino, who met with members of the community to share their insights about the Pantry.

Faculty and staff from BC, including Ms. Shohreh Rahman, were in attendance.

Other highlights of the evening included about 100 pounds of canned goods and non-perishable food items donated to the Pantry, and nearly $500. was raised in one night, all to benefit BC students in need.

The partnership began because The Renegade Pantry was the featured community project of United Way of Kern County’s Women’s Leadership Council. To drive home the impact of hunger, attendees answered a questionnaire as an icebreaker, filled with information about hunger in America, food banks on college campuses, BC stats about our students, and the history of our Renegade Pantry.

Community leaders in attendance requested to partner with BC, the Office of Student Life, and the Renegade Pantry, for upcoming donation drives, including Macy’s – Bakersfield.

Many thanks to United Way of Kern County CEO Della Hodson, for reaching out to Bakersfield College in partnership to benefit our students!

Sonya Christian's Blog