May 2019

CCCC Strongly Represented at Student Research Conference Six Cerro Coso students presented their research at this year’s 19th Annual HTCC Student Research Conference held at the University of California, Irvine on April 6. Mentored by Dr. Christine Swiridoff, Gideon Ondap’s presentation entitled “Marquez, Memory, and Mirrors: How and Why History is Repurposed in One Hundred Years of Solitude” was one of the top five abstracts granted the coveted HTCC Outstanding Abstract Awards. Mentored by Professor Nakysha Cummings, Rachel Quan’s presentation, “Identity Through the Lens,” explored the psychology behind self-portraits and how these images have a psychological impact on the unified subject-as-artist and viewer through composition. Emma Gilmartin presented, “How Art Reveals Cognitive Development,” connecting art therapy analysis methods to Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development from a personal perspective by evaluating her self-portrait artworks during her transition from high school adolescence to college adulthood (2016 – 2018). Emma was also mentored by Professor Nakysha Cummings. Nicole Hu researched on the correlation between infection by the brain-dwelling parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, and its effects on neurons leading to alterations in behaviors and personalities. Nicole was mentored by Drs. Claudia Sellers and Guck Ooi, and will be graduating from the college this May. Michael Skipworth’s presentation, “Shakespeare’s Othello Telescoped through the Lens of Deconstruction,” used the deconstructive approach of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida to question the conceptual distinctions in Othello through a close examination of language and texts to establish the main villain, Iago, as the personification of deconstruction. Michael was mentored by Professor Cliff Davis. Christian Acosta’s presentation, “Allen Gewalten zum Trotz Sich Erhalten (Stay True to Yourself in Spite of Everything),” contrasted two literary works (Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Annette Dumbach’s and Jud Newborn’s “Sophie Scholl and the White Rose”) to argue that inaction itself is action, and that when nobody advocates change against unjust government policies, traditions, or society norms, then injustices and cruelties will prevail. Christian was mentored by Dr. Swiridoff. Presenting their work at the HTCC Student Research Conference makes these Cerro Coso students eligible not only for monetary awards but also to submit their work for publication in the HTCC anthology Building Bridges, published through the University of California, Irvine. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Quan, and Nicole Hu.

Inside this Issue

CCCC Strongly Represented at Student ResearchConference 1

Cerro Coso Faculty Receive Tenure 2

College Celebrates Week of the Young Child withCelebrity Readers 2

Mather Double Dipper 3

Tkacz Releases “The Void Within” 3

Thompson New Program Technician 4

38th Annual Access Programs Awards 4

UCLA Stomp Conference 4

Wearing jeans with a purpose. 5

Griffin and Fulk Receive 2019 Stanback-StroudDiversity Award 5

Looking for CSCI Classes? 5

Foundation Feature: President’s Circle Brunch 6

CCCC students l to r: Christian Acosta, Emma Gilmartin, Michael Skipworth, Gideon Ondap, Rachel

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Cerro Coso Faculty Receive Tenure

Cerro Coso Community College is proud to announce that the Kern Community College District (KCCD) Board of Trustees has granted tenure to following eight full-time faculty members: Nakysha Cummings, Associate Professor, Psychology; Justus Scott, Associate Professor, Physical Education and Head Baseball Coach; Ana Mora, Associate Professor, Counseling; Dawn Ward, Professor, Paralegal; Jaclyn Kessler, Professor, Mathematics; Sharlene Paxton, Associate Professor, Library and Librarian; Tyson Huffman, Learning Assistance Center Coordinator and Professor; and Missy Gross, Professor, Counseling. Cerro Coso President Jill Board called the granting of tenure a “very big deal here at Cerro Coso.” She joined fellow administrators, faculty, and staff to “acknowledge, celebrate, and applaud their accomplishments,” at the April Meet and Greet held at the Ridgecrest Campus. “They have all exceeded the toughest of standards,” she said. All have met the criteria for teaching excellence and are well deserving of the award. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Picture: Top L to r: Nakysha Cummings, Justus Scott, and Ana Mora. Middle l to r: Dawn Ward, Jaclyn Kessler, and Sharlene Paxton. Bottom l to r: Tyson Huffman and Missy Gross.

College Celebrates Week of the Young Child with Celebrity Readers

Cerro Coso Community College celebrated its youngest learners with five fun-filled days of activities during the Week of the Young Child. With the help of local celebrities and college administrators, faculty, and staff, pre-literacy learning for youth through storytelling was a major focus during the many activities planned for children in the college’s Child Development Center (CDC). Week of the Young Child honors members of the community who teach children, including educators as well as parents, guardians, and caregivers. Daryl Silberberg Jr., Chairman of the Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce, a father and grandfather, jumped at the chance to read to the children at the CDC and brought several of his grandchildren’s favorite books to read. Officer Jayson Arnold of the Ridgecrest Police Department read the children’s favorite “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” to an enthusiastic group that helped recite the text during the reading. Officer Arnold also allowed the children to get a close up view of the police car and all its bells and whistles. “It’s important to make learning fun,” said Jessica Krall, Cerro Coso CDC Program Manager. “We want to thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to read and participate in the many special activities designed to promote literacy education and thank the child care providers who play such an important role in the education of our youth.” Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Ridgecrest Police Officer Jayson Arnold reads to the children at the CDC.

46 thAnnual CommencementFRIDAY, MAY 10, 2019

6:00 P.M.DR. RAYMOND A. M CCUE ATHLETIC COMPLEX

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Mather Double Dipper

Like most high school students, Steven Mather of Independence juggles his time between school, friends, hobbies, and outside activities. What makes Steven different from most is that he will be graduating from Cerro Coso Community College about a month before he graduates from Owens Valley High School.

Steven has been taking classes at Cerro Coso as part of the concurrent enrollment program since he was a 14-year-old high school freshman. The concurrent enrollment program allows high school students to take college courses for college and high school credit while they are enrolled in high school. The program provides the benefits of earning college units, taking courses in subject areas that may not be offered at the high school, and often earning extra grade points for the high school course substitution. The program also saves students (and parents) a great deal of money and time if they transfer to a four-year college or university. While Cerro Coso has hundreds of concurrently enrolled students taking a variety of courses, Steven is fairly unique in that he has a very high GPA in Cerro Coso courses ranging from business to chemistry. When he graduates in May, he will be receiving a Business Administration Associate in Science for Transfer degree, a Liberal Arts: Mathematics and Science Associate in Arts degree, and a Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Sciences Associate

in Arts degree. Steven has taken Cerro Coso courses online, in Ridgecrest, and in Bishop. In addition to saving money and time by taking transfer courses while in high school, Steven has also managed to turn some of his college-course experiences into money. Last year Steven won the Innovate! Inyo 2018 Entrepreneurial Business Challenge (AKA Inyo County Shark Tank) competition by re-working the concepts of his BSAD 100 (Introduction to Business) Business Plan project into a successful contest winner. The competition was for Inyo County high school students and followed the “Shark Tank” business plan and pitch format. Steven plans to go to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in the fall to major in business. Additionally, Steven will be speaking at the ESCC graduation ceremony in Bishop on May 3. His outgoing personality, work ethic, and entrepreneurial drive will undoubtedly make Cerro Coso Community College and Owens Valley High School proud. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Valued.

Tkacz Releases “The Void Within” The Bishop Campus held a reading and talk followed by a question and answers for Adjunct Instructor Carlos R. Tkacz’s new book release The Void Within on April 11. “When I set out to write a science fiction novel,” said Tkacz, “that was the extent of my ambitions: to simply write a book and, perhaps, share it with some friends and family. Imagine my horror when Deanna Campbell, director of ESCC, asked me to have a small event to celebrate the release! She caught me off guard, and I agreed before I knew what I was saying; after all, I teach Public Speaking and couldn’t rightly balk at giving a presentation, could I?” In his book, “The Void Within,” humanity has discovered a new form of energy, the Source, derived from the very basis of life itself. Using this power to travel instantaneously through space, humans have spread through their corner of the galaxy and coalesced into two groups: The Coalition and the Inner Cluster. They are held in an uneasy economic and cultural relationship by their reliance on each other, the Coalition with the technology of the Source and the Inner Cluster with the materials to make it a usable form of energy. When rumors of conquest, political undergrounds, and alien contact threaten this balance

of powers, it falls to three individuals to find the truth of the conspiracies swirling through their governments and to stave off a disastrous war. What they find in the process will change the course of humanity forever. Tkacz’s gave a short talk about what it was like to write an entire book, read from a section, and answered questions, “there were many more than anticipated”, he said. Around 20 people attended, including a mix of students, faculty, employees, and climbers from the community. “The support from the community here has been overwhelming,” continued Tkacz. “The event was fun, and from what I have been told, interesting for those in attendance. We might have to do another for the sequel!” Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Thompson New Program Technician

“I am happy to be here; to see familiar faces, meet new people and students, and work at CCCC, a place I have always held dear to me,” said new Program Technician in Counseling Ashley Thompson. A Cerro Coso Alumna, Thompson obtained her AA in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Arts and Humanities and Liberal Arts and Sciences and Behavioral Sciences from Cerro Coso and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Social Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. She lives by the motto “…what is done in love is well done,” by Vincent Van Gough. Directed. Focused. Connected. Valued.

UCLA Stomp Conference Faculty members Tim Allen and Melanie Jeffrey took seven Cerro Coso students to UCLA’s 2019 STOMP Transfer Conference in March. While students heard motivational messages from other speakers, attended various workshops on admissions, financial aid and scholarships, tours, and a transfer student resource fair, Jeffrey’s and Allen attended

the UCLA Information Session for Transfer Center Directors and Counselors. The Undergraduate Admissions staff presented very useful and timely information on the application/admissions/transfer process for California Community College students. After the visit, three CCCC students in the group have decided to apply to their respective UCLA engineering program. Go Bruins! Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Melanie Jeffrey, Lana Githens, Lynette George, Yonatan Escoto, Kennith Pecore, Victoria Brock, Tim Allen, Amir Chaudhry, and Arsh Chaudhry.

38th Annual Access Programs Awards “Bloom where you are planted and continue to grow” was the theme for Access Programs 38th Annual Awards Ceremony held on April 19. Former program students Alicia Woolsey and Luis Enrique Carrillo returned to congratulate and encourage the students in their educational pursuits of a college education and Mark Kutor read a poem to the attendees. Special recognition went to Peer Mentors and Tutors. Angie Iraheta received the Student Services United Club Award. Access Programs Student of the Year awards went to Healther Menzel, Kern River Valley Campus; Tanya Brown, East Kern/Tehachapi Campus; and Angie Iraheta, Ridgecrest Campus. English Professor Melanie Jeffrey was named the 2019 Access Programs Faculty of the Year. Thirty-four program students will receive Certificates of Achievement and 70 will be receiving Associate Degrees this May. Access Programs offered by Cerro Coso include four state-funded programs dedicated to helping and assisting community college students who are faced with special challenges in obtaining their education. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

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Dolores Bowers (KRV-SSA), Angela-Joy Johnson (KRV-Peer Mentor), Rory Wertman (KRV-Peer Mentor), Renee Santamaria (IWV-Peer Mentor), and Eben Peterson (IWV-Peer Mentor).

Happy Memorial

DayMay 27th

CollegeClosed

Wearing jeans with a purpose.

Shout out to our employees at the Ridgecrest Campus for their support of Sexual Assault Awareness. The Denim Day campaign began in 1999 as part of an international protest of an Italian Supreme Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim was wearing jeans. The Italian Supreme Court dismissed charges against a 45-year old rape suspect because his 18-year-old victim was wearing jeans at the time of the attack. The Head Judge argued, “Because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them... and by removing the jeans... it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” The judgment sparked a worldwide outcry from those who understand coercion, threats, and violence go along with the act of rape. Each year we host Denim Day to honor this survivor and all survivors who have experienced victim blaming. Denim Day is a symbol of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

—Photo taken by Christopher Livingston of the Daily Independent.

Griffin and Fulk Receive 2019 Stanback-Stroud Diversity AwardFaculty members Alec Griffin and Peter Fulk are the recipients of the prestigious Academic Senate for California Community Colleges 2019 Stanback-Stroud Diversity Award for their work with the Incarcerated Education Program at the college. The Stanback-Stroud Diversity Award, named after former Senate President Regina Stanback-Stroud, honors faculty who have made special contributions addressing issues involving diversity. Griffin and Fulk were honored for their work teaching to diverse learning styles, while working with students of color and from non-traditional backgrounds. Congratulations to Alec and Peter who are well deserving of the recognition. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Looking for CSCI Classes?

If you, or students that you help are looking for CSCI courses for the Summer or Fall, please note that most are under the new course prefix of IT (Information Technology). The courses are the same – same name, same number (except the upper Cyber Security courses which have been renumbered to reflect sequence). Other than that, they just have a new prefix. Directed. Focused.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy Field Representatives Perry Finzel and Clayton Fowler (left) received a VIP tour of the newly renovated Main Building at the Ridgecrest Campus from Cerro Coso student leaders Sawyer Chrisman and Susana Ramirez (right),

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The Coyote Howler is a publication of Cerro Coso Community College. For more information about the stories in this publication, or to include information in this publication, contact Natalie Dorrell, Public Relations

Director, at 760-384-6260 or email ndorrell@cerrocoso.edu.

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About this Publication

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President’s Circle Brunch The CCCC Foundation’s President’s Circle offers a unique opportunity to join a select group of like-minded people united to make dreams come true for others. On Tuesday, April 23rd, a group of people with a common goal joined together to hear directly from students of their research at Cerro Coso. Special thanks go out to representatives in attendance from Coso Operating, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, Saalex, Jacobs, Alta One, Searles Valley Minerals, and Desert Valley’s Federal Credit Union. “As part of the President’s Circle, you share a special place of distinction in shaping the Cerro Coso community through your boundless generosity,” said College President Jill Board. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Phi Theta Kappa Officers on the results of their Honors in Action project, and a few presentations by Honors Students on their research recently presented at the Honors Transfer Council of California (HTCC) Research Conference

at the University of California, Irvine. President’s Circle members invest in world-class teaching, cutting-edge academic programs, and distinguished research designed to deliver the knowledge and tools that will positively impact the student experience, meet local workforce needs, and improve the community. By becoming a leadership supporter, with a $1,000 donation or more, President’s Circle members ensure that Cerro Coso Community College continues building its academic strength, elevates its services to the profession, and increases the financial security of its students. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Education is the Key to Opportunity. Your gift changes lives.It supports the education and preparation of a new generation of global leaders.

FOUNDATION FEATURE

Student presenters l to r: Gideon Ondap, Rachel Quan, Michael Skipworth, Cameron Reese (in front), Nicole Hu, Carol Blair, Emma Gilmartin, and Abigail Voigt

CERRO COSO COMMUNITY COLLEGE - RIDGECREST CAMPUSMain Building Grand Opening

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 5-7 p.m.Celebrate the newly remodeled, state-of-the-art 47,000 square foot facility that serves as the hub of the East side of the Ridgecrest

Campus. Tour the newly flexible learning spaces designed to increase engagement, and foster active teaching and learning to elevate the education experience at the college. The one-stop student centered focus provides a central location to seek assistance

with registration, financial aid, counseling, assessment, payments, and Access Programs with trained staff.

Tours Demonstrations Information Refreshments