English Named Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar

Chance English, a student at Cerro Coso Community College, has been named a 2019 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and will receive a $1,500

scholarship. Selection as a Coca-Cola Gold Scholar was based on scores the student earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which more than 2,000 applications were received this year. This program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and is administered by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion. “The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.” Their college administrators nominate students for the academic team. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service. Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies and will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, PTK Catalyst, April 4-6 in Orlando, Florida. “We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.” Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. Directed. Focused. Valued. Engaged.

CC Tehachapi—We Love Your Spirit

March 8th was Junior Day at the CCCC Tehachapi Campus. High school juniors from the Mojave River Academy, Tehachapi High School, Boron High School, Desert High School, California City High School, and Mojave High School attended Junior Day, an open house program designed to help jump-

start their college search and introduce them to the programs and services available through the college at the Tehachapi Campus. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Connected. Valued.

April 2019

English Named Coca-Cola Academic Team GoldScholar 1 CC Tehachapi—We Love Your Spirit 1

Pupfish Cafe Offers Grab-and-Go at ESCC’sBishop Campus 2

Schoors—There’s Always a Positive Side 2

Elder New Institutional Research Analyst 2

Atencio Executive Secretary for CTE 2

Bishop Hosts Medical Assisting Information Session 3

Students Learn from Cultural Field Trip 3

2018 Report to the Community 3

CC Online Ranks 4th in California 4

Foundation Feature: Beta Kappa Chi Chapter EarnsREACH Rewards Thanks to Foundation Scholarships 4

Inside this Issue

Student Chance English and President Jill Board.

Top row from left to right – Alec Griffin, Nicole Griffin, Peter Fulks. Second row down, left to right – Karee Hamilton, Cynthia Mock, Lupita Zamora. Third row down, left to right – Enemerio Galvan, Anna Carlson, Kristie Nichols. Last row, left to right – Jaclyn Kessler, Julie Plata, Vanessa Madrigal

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Schoors—There’s Always a Positive Side

Welcome to Lynne Schoors, the new Department Assistant II in Access Programs. She will be helping community college students faced with challenges in obtaining their education. Schoors is a native of Ridgecrest, born and raised here in the desert, but in 2003, she moved to Oklahoma where she met and married her husband Chris. Together the two have four children, Kyle, Caitlyn, Rikkilyn, and Marissa, as well as three grandchildren, Karsen, Remington, and Stella. Though she enjoyed the weather and activities available, Oklahoma just did not have the small town atmosphere she grew up in, so in 2012 they moved back to Ridgecrest. Schoors enjoys living life on the brighter side and follows the motto “let’s look at the positive… because there is always a positive side!” Directed. Focused. Connected. Valued.

Elder New Institutional Research Analyst Welcome to our new Institutional Research Analyst, John Elder. He comes to Ridgecrest after living most of his life in the state of Illinois, and previously worked in Galesburg as Job Coordinator at a local community college. Elder attended Illinois Central College before transferring to Eureka College, where he earned his Bachelors of Science, and then moving on to achieve his Masters of Science in General and Experimental Psychology at Western Illinois University. Elder’s favorite outdoor activity is hiking. He has already been to Yosemite and soon plans to see the Joshua trees, as well as the Sequoias! Directed. Focused.

Atencio Executive Secretary for CTE Congratulations to Amanda Atencio on becoming the new Executive Secretary for Career Technical Education! She temporarily worked in Admissions and Records before moving into CTE. “I am excited to join the Career Technical Education department and be a part of programs in our community,” said Atencio. A native to California, she grew up in Ridgecrest and later moved to Orange County where she earned a bachelors in Psychology from UC Irvine. Directed. Focused. Connected.

Pupfish Café Offers Grab-and-Go at ESCC’s Bishop Campus

The Bishop lobby is buzzing with talk about the Pupfish Café, which is now serving food three nights a week in the Sierra Lounge. The Pupfish Café adapted their menu for the Cerro Coso Grab-and-Go with students in mind, making it affordable, delicious, and locally sourced whenever possible. They accept credit or cash, and they will make special orders if placed before 1pm. Sarah Land, Bishop Department Assistant II, diligently worked on establishing a vendor contract with the Pupfish Cafe, which was not an easy task for her as a new employee. It took her four months to complete the process, of which she said, “It was harder than

expected.” Sarah learned a lot and made some great connections with other departments throughout the district. She stated, “When I was hired as the DAII, one of my goals was to get food on campus.” An on-campus college experience that was missing for her during her various years at ESCC Bishop, first as a student, then as a Custodian, and now as the DAII. Nurtured. Connected. Valued.

Janette Bachman, Owner, Pupfish Café (left) and Sarah Land, Bishop DA II (right).

EARTH DAYApril 22

2018 Reportto theCommunity

Now available at:www.cerrocoso.edu/download/8749

COYOTE HOWLER 3

Students Learn from Cultural Field Trip

Students in the EOPS program took the Metrolink to El Pueblo, Olvera Street, and visited several museums on March 8th. Field trips expose students to different cultural aspects of the world around them

and provide them with a better understanding of different ideas, people, and places. “The Italian American Museum helped me to understand that they were also persecuted while immigrating. I had previously been unaware of the extent that they were attacked. The adobe house also helped me realize just how old the city of Los Angeles actually is,” said student EP. “I like the Museum of Justice because it had very interesting stories we could read; also the plaza of culture and arts because it reminded me of the plazas [in my home] country,” continued student AI. “I liked seeing the Pico House because it gives insight to the roots of Los Angeles. When LA was first being built, that is how the people lived. I liked shopping as well because it reminded me of my childhood. They had many toys I played with as a kid,” concluded student DP. Enriching field trips contribute to the development of students into civilized young men and women who possess more knowledge about art, have stronger critical-thinking skills, exhibit increased historical empathy, and display higher levels of tolerance, according to a study by the American Association of School Administrators. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Bishop Hosts Medical Assisting Information Session ESCC held an information session on Cerro Coso’s Medical Assisting Program at the Bishop Campus. Medical Assistants provide crucial administrative and clinical support to doctors and nurses in Inyo and Mono county facilities. With a high demand for Allied Health professionals in the Eastern Sierra, this program is certainly gaining the attention of the local community. The College’s Medical Assisting program is designed around the Model Curriculum established by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for preparation for the State Exam for Medical Assistants (CCBMA). The program provides the students with the opportunity to develop the necessary administrative and clinical skills not only needed to be an effective medical assistant, but also to obtain state certification. Annette Coussan, the Career Technical Education Liaison for ESCC, coordinated the event. Matthew Wanta, the Allied Health Department Chair and Nursing Director provided many important details about the program, highlighting the different MA certificates and degrees currently being offered through ESCC. Kim Blackwell, ESCC education advisor, discussed details about the enrollment process and advising services she offers. Guest speakers included Jannalyn Lawrence, Northern Inyo Hospitals Clinical Staff Director, and Melia Anderson, Mammoth

Hospital Human Resources representative, who highlighted the opportunities for MAs at their facilities. Two recent graduates from the program: Cheryle Aguilar and Elizabeth Esparza, both employed as medical assistants at Northern Inyo Hospitals, shared their inspiring personal journeys from student to highly skilled and experienced Medical Assistants. Directed. Focused. Connected.

L to r: Kim Blackwell- ESCC Education Advisor, Melia Anderson - Mammoth Hospital HR Representative, Cheryle Aguillar- NIH MA and ESCC Alumni, Elizabeth Esparza- NIH MA and ESCC Alumni, Jannalyn Lawrence- NIH Clinical Staff Director, Mathew Wanta- Allied Health Department Chair and Nursing Director.

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.

BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE

CERRO COSOCOMMUNITY COLLEGE

PORTERVILLE COLLEGE

About this Publication

4 COYOTE HOWLER

Beta Kappa Chi Chapter Earns REACH Rewards Thanks to Foundation Scholarships

The Beta Kappa Chi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Cerro Coso is one of five colleges in the State of California to earn the REACH Reward in 2018 for exceeding the 15% membership acceptance rate in 2018. “This is possible because of the Foundation scholarships and Nicole and Alec Griffin doing all they can to reach each eligible student,” said PTK Advisor Dr. Christine Swiridoff. The rewards program was designed for chapters focused on Recognizing Excellence in Acceptance and Completion with Honors and named REACH Rewards. The program encourages membership by rewarding chapters who achieve or exceed 15 percent for their membership acceptance rate, and rewards them by providing free graduation stoles. They will also receive special REACH Chapter Ribbons at the annual PTK Catalyst Conference in April. Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

FOUNDATION FEATURE

CC Online Ranks 4th in California SR Education Group, a leading education research publisher founded in 2004, released the first ever online community college rankings categorized by state. Cerro Coso’s Online Program ranked 4th in the State of California as the best place to earn an online associate’s degree or certificate. In order to develop the 2019 Best Online Community College Rankings, the organization only considered states with at least three regionally accredited schools offering at least one fully online associate degree. The rankings include a nationwide Best Overall Community College ranking and 38 state-specific rankings, featuring 423 schools. Each community college highlighted on the rankings lists received a score based on several important factors, including retention rate, graduation rate, and percentage of online enrollment data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The number of online associate degrees offered was collected from school websites and considered in the ranking score as well. All ranked schools scored 70% or higher. Since 75% of online college students live within 100 miles of their school’s campus, the 2019 Online Community College rankings by state are an especially valuable resource for prospective community college students. Many

students may choose to stay in state because of tuition discounts, familiarity with the school, or flexibility for classes that may have hybrid, in-person requirements. “Community colleges offer some of the most affordable degrees in the country. With a growing number of these degrees becoming available online, we wanted to let prospective students know about these great, accessible options near them. By providing these resources, we hope to help more people reach their educational and professional goals,” said Sung Rhee, CEO of SR Education Group. Directed. Focused.