Take a Survey, Win a $150 Amazon Gift Certificate!

How would you like to win a $150 Amazon gift card just in time for the holiday season? Cañada College wants to hear from you. We'd like to invite you to participate in a survey about how you use the media and spend your time. Your participation in the survey will help the college with our future communication efforts.

The college has hired Interact Communications to conduct the survey. It asks questions such as "what is your favorite radio station," and "what web sites do you visit". All responses are confidential. Your name will not be connected with your answers. If you decide to enter the drawing for a $150 Amazon gift card you will be directed to a different web site to leave your personal information.

We are surveying both students and the larger San Mateo County community. The online survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.

If you are a current student and would like to help the college by participating in this survey please go to http://www.interactresearch.com/mp23/. Enter the password - college.

If you are a community member, go to http://wwwinteractresearch.com/mpc23/. Enter the password - college.

So far, we've had more than 250 students complete the survey and 150 community members. We thank you for taking the time to help us with this project.

Lexie Munevar Finds Support, Success, at Cañada College

Munevar struggled at Carlmont High but blossomed at Cañada

 

Sometimes, an average student can find success with a little support. That was certainly the case for Lexie Munevar, who did just enough to graduate from Carlmont High School in 2009, but found her academic footing at Cañada College thanks to Frank Austin.

“He was the first professor I connected with in my first semester at Cañada in the fall of 2010,” Munevar said. “I was a full time student, babysitting every day and enrolled in Math 200 – Elementary Statistics & Probability. My initial goal was to merely pass the class because I had heard how difficult it was and I didn’t have much time to dedicate to the course.”

Austin, who was working as a tutor in the Cañada College Learning Center, held a math workshop twice a week and Munevar began attending on Friday mornings. “It was the first time I had academic support outside the classroom,” she said. “He was the first person I felt I could go to for help.”

Working with Austin, Munevar began to understand statistics. “Frank was an amazing resource,” she said. “I not only passed the class but I received an ‘A’. at that point, I became optimistic about my studies.”

Austin remembers Munevar as a shy student who didn’t say much in the workshops but was always alert and had a ready smile. “I was very pleasantly surprised in later years as I watched her grow out of her shyness and become a student leader. I am very, very happy for her success and I’m sure that more successes await her.”

While her academics improved, Munevar was still missing the college experience. “My first two years at Cañada, I strictly attended class. I was not part of any groups, clubs, or organizations on campus. In the fall of 2012, I joined student government and was elected Commissioner of Publicity. I had no experience whatsoever in extracurricular activities but I was ready to experience it all and I got hooked!”

Munevar loved interacting and collaborating with her peers and the satisfaction she received organizing events for campus. This created a domino effect and she soon joined a number of groups, including the honor society. She was eventually hired as a mentor for Cañada’s Beating the Odds program, which pairs a current student with a new, first-generation, student to help boost the new student’s odds of success.

“These organizations gave me an opportunity to meet and work with my peers, staff, and faculty from the college,” she said. “It made me feel like a professional, productive and influential person – I was now beyond just being a student.”

She carried that confidence to UC Davis, where she is currently studying psychology. “At Cañada, I did a six month volunteer internship at Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center where I confirmed my interest in pursuing graduate school. I want to become an occupational therapist.”

Munevar said it doesn’t matter if you performed poorly in high school or if you don’t have support at home, you can succeed at Cañada. “Cañada is a community of people that genuinely care about you and your success. The campus is small enough that teachers, staff, and peers will recognize you. Once you become involved at Cañada, you will find people who will become your family. Once I got involved, I realized how crucial it is to have people that check-in to support you. It’s such an easy thing to do but it’s precisely what many of us need to keep moving forward and help us achieve our goals.”

Rally for Sustainability Celebrates Opening of EV Charging Stations

The San Mateo County Community College District will celebrate the installation of plug-in Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure at all three Colleges and the District Office. The Grand Opening begins on October 28th at 11:30a.m. at the Skyline College Auto Department where students, faculty, staff, and members of the community will participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony. The ceremony will acknowledge industry partners, as well as the Auto Technology program’s new curriculum focused on Electric Vehicles.

 
At 12:30p.m., the EV Rally will begin. EV owners past, present and future are encouraged to join the Rally by driving to College of San Mateo for a ribbon cutting of the charging station in DaVinci Lot (Lot 3) at 1:00 p.m. The EV Rally will reach the finish line in Parking Lot 4 at Cañada College at approximately 1:30 p.m. where the third and final ribbon cutting will take place and a number of EV’s will be on display. Come for all or some of the event to see the future of the sustainable transportation in San Mateo County. In 2012, the College District collaborated with Schneider Electric in a public/private partnership to install eleven Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations at each of its campuses Chancellor’s Office.

The District received funding from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop and deploy alternative and renewable fuels and advanced transportation technologies to help attain the state’s climate change policies.  Furthermore, the District matched the funds of the CEC to achieve its goals for sustainability: improve the campus-wide system of alternative fuel infrastructure, support the use of electric vehicles, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, establish workforce training programs and offer opportunities for student learning.

Can You Cook? Enter Our Healthy Recipe Contest

How would you like to win a $100 gift card and have your healthy recipe added to a rotating weekly menu in the Grove? Enter the Phi Theta Kappa Recipe Contest and you could be the winner!

The contest guidelines are simple: Create and cook a healthy and tasty recipe in one of three categories - breakfast entree, lunch entree or dessert & snack. To enter, just bring your delicious dish to the qualifying round.

• Friday, Nov. 8, 2 to 5 pm in the Grove
• Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 am to 2 pm in the Grove

The qualifying round will be judged by PTK members and a nutrition professor. Three winners in each category will be notified the week of Nov. 11 and move on to the final tasting. Each recipe must be accompanied by a written explanation of what makes it healthy.

In the final round your recipe will be prepared by the cafeteria staff in the Grove. Free samples will be available for the entire campus to vote on. Each category will have its own day of tasting.

• Monday, Nov. 18 - breakfast entree
• Tuesday, Nov. 19 - lunch entree
• Wednesday, Nov. 20 - dessert & snack

As you prepare your recipe, there are several key points to keep in mind.

• Appeal
• Taste
• Ease of preparation for cooking in mass quantities
• Preparation time
• Is your meal a sit-down or on-the-go meal
• Dishes should be fully prepared at home. You will not have access to the cafeteria.

It's time to get cooking!

Writers on Writing: Anne Perry, Victoria Zackheim Share Experiences

Anne Perry

Authors Anne Perry and Victoria Zackheim will share their experiences as writers at a special lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The event, which will be held in the Cañada College Main Theater, is free and open to the public.

Perry is a New York Times and international bestselling author noted for her memorable characters, historical accuracy, and exploration of social and ethical issues. Two of her most popular series feature Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and William and Hester Monk. Her latest novel, Blind Justice, was on the New York Times and USA Today bestselling list for fiction.

Zackheim wrote The Bone Weaver and is the editor of six anthologies, the most recent being FAITH: Believers, Agnostics, and Atheists Confront the Big Question. Zackheim created the Women's Voices project and is a 2010 San Francisco Library Laureate. Her screenplay, Maidstone, a feature film, is in development with Identity Films.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to hear about the writing process from two award-winning authors," said Anniqua Rana, coordinator for Cañada's Center for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning, which is sponsoring the event.

Former Cañada student and Belmont resident, Rose Whitmore, recently received the prestigious William Peden Prize, which recognizes the best piece of fiction published in the Missouri Review during the previous volume year.

Another former Cañada student, Gerardo Pacheco, was named the 2012 Joseph Henry Jackson Award winner, a literary award offered annually to promising young California writers.

For more information, contact Rana at (650) 306-3470 or email rana@smccd.edu.

A Conversation With Author Lac Su

Award-winning author Lac Su will share his personal story of immigration, assimilation, gangs, poverty and abusive parenting at two lectures in the Cañada College Main Theater.

The first lecture will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 6 to 7 pm. The second will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 9:30 to 11 am. Both lectures are free of charge but there is a $2 parking fee. Su will be signing books after the Wednesday evening lecture.

Lac Su's 2009 memoir, I love Yous Are for White People, received the top prize from the San Diego Book Awards in 2010. Su describes his experience growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in LA in the '80s and his personal struggles with assimilation, gangs, poverty, and abusive parents. The story is told with humor and honesty.

Su says he was raised by two "tiger" parents, a Vietnamese mother and Chinese father, and he still has emotional scars from their harsh parenting style.

As a young child, Su made a harrowing escape from the Communists in Vietnam. With a price on his father's head, Su, with his family, was forced to immigrate in 1979 to seedy West Los Angeles where squalid living conditions and a cultural fabric that refused to thread them in effectively squashed their American Dream.

His search for love and acceptance amid poverty - not to mention the psychological turmoil created by a harsh and unrelenting father - turned his young life into a comedy of errors and led him to a dangerous gang experience that threatened to tear his life apart.

"Writing I Love Yous Are for White People helped me to cope with the wounds the tigers' claws left behind," Su told CNN in a 2011 interview. "Since its release I've met countless others who bare similar scars."

Su, a psychologist and business executive at TalentSmart, said he's been through countless hours of psychotherapy, and that his lack of self-worth beckons him to rely on alcohol to numb the pain. "Children need their parents' love and acceptance in order to develop real self-esteem," he told CNN. "Belittling children sends the message that they are not worthy of love and support -- as do mind games, emotional abuse, and tight-fisted control."

Anniqua Rana, professor of ESL/English and co-coordinator of the Cañada College Center for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning, said Su was invited to campus to share his story because his struggles and experiences are ones that many Cañada students identify with. She said his book raises issues related to history, immigration, political science, sociology, psychology, and parenting.

Cañada College, Sequoia Union High School District, to Host College Night

Cañada College, in partnership with the Sequoia Union High School District, will host its annual College Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23. The event will be held in the Cañada College gymnasium, Building 1, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City.

The event brings together representatives from approximately 80 universities and community colleges, both in-state and out-of-state, to help area high school students as they consider which college or university is best for them. Students will be informed on a wide variety of topics including freshman and transfer admission requirements, academic programs, cost of attendance, living expenses, distance, size and nature of the student body, and activities.
 
In addition, workshops will be provided on topics such as financial aid availability, overview of university requirements, and how to navigate the different college and university systems.

Parents and students are encouraged to attend. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Transfer Center or contact Soraya Sohrabi at (650) 306-3493.

Christian Rodriguez Uses Cañada as a Stepping Stone to a UC Davis Engineering Degree

Rodriguez at UC Davis graduation

Like many high school graduates, Redwood City’s Christian Rodriguez found the financial obstacles to attending college daunting. He was accepted into several universities after finishing at Summit Preparatory High School but enrolled at Cañada College to begin his engineering studies.

“Enrolling at Cañada was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” he said.

At Cañada, Rodriguez met Amelito Enriquez, professor of engineering and mathematics, and Cathy Lipe, director of the school’s Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) Program. “Dr. Enriquez and Cathy Lipe were two of the most influential people in my life. Dr. Enriquez is not only an engineering professor, he is a mentor who genuinely takes an interest in his students and their personal development. Cathy encouraged me to apply for scholarships and attend university tours which led to my decision to apply to UC Davis.”

Rodriguez said the courses he took at Cañada prepared him for the rigorous nature of the UC system and allowed him to transition seamlessly into his upper division courses at UC Davis. He also spent a fraction of the cost compared to his classmates who spent their first two years at Davis.

“At Cañada, I not only obtained the knowledge, I also developed the skills to be successful at a four-year university,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez not only grew as a student at Cañada, but also as a leader. He served in leadership positions in student government, the school’s Robotics Club, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

“Chris is a student who takes full advantage of opportunities to get the most out of his academic experience by participating in a number of enrichment programs like the Summer Engineering Institute where I first met him when he was a freshman, as well as the NSF (National Science Foundation) scholarship and the NASA summer research internship,” Enriquez said. “He has a genuine desire to give back to Cañada and help others succeed, serving as a student assistant in the Summer Engineering Institute every summer, even after he transferred to UC Davis”

This past summer, Rodriguez graduated from UC Davis with an engineering degree and is currently applying for entry level mechanical engineering positions. He aspires to become a project director in the automotive or manufacturing industry. Lipe said he continues to stay engaged with the Cañada College STEM Center to encourage current students on their path to become engineers.

“Cañada is a great option to begin your academic career,” he said. “I would tell students to take advantage of the resources at Cañada. The staff and faculty are knowledgeable and prepared to help you get ahead in your career.”

San Mateo County Times Column Mentions Math Jam Honor

Math Jam Program at Canada College honored for increasing achievement for Latino students

The Math Jam Program at Canada College in Redwood City was honored Oct. 1 as America's top program for increasing achievement for Latino students at the associate level.

Math Jam was chosen from 165 programs from 22 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, that were nominated at three academic levels: associate, bachelor, and graduate.

Excelencia in Education conceived and runs the national initiative that systemically identifies, recognizes, and catalogues evidence-based programs that improve Latino college success. The organization produced this video to illustrate the power of the Math Jam program.

Elected officials and higher education leaders from across the United States came together in Washington, D.C., to present the honor. This is the eighth annual release of Examples of Excelencia.
Math Jam was created in 2009 by Canada College -- a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution -- to address the low level of math preparation of underrepresented students studying STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Originally, it was designed as an intensive math placement preparation program and has since evolved into a campus-wide math success program, serving students in pre-algebra through advanced calculus.

The first Math Jam illustrated the power of the program. Nearly 94 percent of the students who took the math placement test a second time scored higher after completing the two-week program. More than 63 percent improved their scores enough to be place into a higher math course than their pre-Math Jam results.

Now, the college has added evening Math Jam sessions as well as two additional, one-week mini-Math Jam sessions, both day and evening, serving more than 300 students.

"It has decreased the time from enrollment to transfer by allowing students the opportunity to retake the math placement test and, in 60 percent of cases, skip ahead to the next math level," said Danni Redding Lapuz, Math Jam project director. "It has increased retention and persistence rates for students, and more students are achieving success in their math courses."

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on Oct. 18 as part of Carolyn Livengood's weekly "Livin' Good" column that runs on the San Mateo County Times website. 

Learn Adobe Acrobat Features in 24 Hours

Learn how to use Adobe Acrobat, an essential software application in today's business environment, in a new nine-week course that begins Saturday, Oct. 19.

CBOT 476 - Adobe Acrobat, will be held on Saturday's from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm through Dec. 14 in Building 13, Room 213. "Students will learn how to create, convert, store, and transport documents from various software programs using Adobe Acrobat," said Janice Weeks, the course instructor.

Adobe Acrobat is a family of software and web services developed by Adobe Systems to view, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document Format (PDF). It can also create, edit, convert, digitally sign, encrypt, export and publish PDF files. It is widely used in business and government.

"The course covers Adobe Reader, security and password protection, consolidation of PDF files into one Adobe PDF file, application of final edits and modifications to enhance those files," Weeks said. "Students will also learn to create online documents and interactive forms."

Weeks said students should know how to use a computer before enrolling in the class. The 1.5-unit class is transferable to CSU.

For more information, contact Weeks at weeksj@smccd.edu.

Cañada College Theater Arts Presents - "8"

Cañada College Theatre Arts presents the case for marriage equality with its production of "8", the documentary play by Dustin Lance Black that dramatizes the Perry v. Schwarzenegger / Proposition 8 trial, using actual court transcripts and verbatim interviews.

The proponents of Proposition 8 appealed to the Supreme Court to block the broadcasting of the trial – and won. The testimony of this historic trial was kept hidden from the public.

Learn about the historical context of marriage from expert testimony. See the human cost of discrimination. Uncover the arguments used to justify bans on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Using the actual court transcripts from the landmark federal trial of California's Proposition 8 and first-hand interviews, "8" shows both sides of the debate in this moving play.

Come to the show, and see what the proponents of Proposition 8 never wanted you to see. Following the performance, stick around for a Q&A with marriage equality advocates to learn more about the fight for equality.

Performances

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 11:10 am (SOLD OUT)
Thursday, Oct. 17, 12:45 pm (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 1 pm
Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 pm
Monday, Oct. 21, 9:45 am
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 11:10 am
Wednesday, Oct. 23, 11:10 am
Thursday, Oct. 24, 12:45 pm
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 pm

All performances will be held in the Flex Theater except the Oct. 21 performance, which will be held in the Main Theater. The cost for tickets is $5 for students, $10 for seniors, and $15 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

For more information and to order tickets, visit the Theatre Arts website or contact Anna Budd at (650) 306-3331 or budda@smccd.edu.

Monopoly Tournament on Oct. 19 to Benefit Accounting Scholarship

Are you a Monopoly pro? Come test your skills at the annual Cañada College Monopoly Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 19 and you might walk away with the grand prize of a $200 gift certificate from Apple.

Registration for the tournament begins at 10 am and game play begins promptly at 10:30 am. The tournament will be held in the main gymnasium, Building 1. The cost is $10 for students and seniors and $15 for the general public. All proceeds benefit Cañada's Accounting Scholarship.

In addition to Monopoly, participants can compete in Uno Attack.

If you can't join us but want to support the scholarship, go to the SMCCD Foundation, click the "Donate" button, and add Monopoly to the memo line.

For questions, contact Leonor Cabrera at cabreral@smccd.edu.

If it's Tuesday, it must be Transfer Tuesday!

In an effort educate students about the different paths to a college diploma, staff and faculty at Cañada College are proudly rocking hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and other swag from their alma mater every Tuesday in October.

The effort is being coordinated by Soraya Sohrabi, director of the school's Transfer Center. "We are encouraging our employees to wear their college gear on Tuesdays and to take a few minutes to talk with our students about their different paths to a four-year degree," she said.

Cañada College President Larry Buckley said a number of staff and faculty attended a community college before transferring to a university to earn their degree. "We want our students to hear these stories," he said. "When they talk with our employees, they'll learn there are many different paths to a college degree."

Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Outreach at Cañada, attended Linn-Benton Community College before ultimately graduating from Oregon State University. "I was fortunate that an academic counselor at Linn-Benton took me under her wing and helped me find the path to Oregon State," he said. "I would have been lost on my own."

California community college students are guaranteed admission into various UC, CSU, and private schools through Transfer Admission Guarantee Agreements. "They must meet the school's admission requirements but our counseling staff can help them build a class schedule to make sure they take the necessary classes," Sohrabi said. "The first step is meeting with an academic counselor."

Local CSU campuses also give admission priority to students who complete the majority of their units at a community college located in the CSU's service area.

As part of Cañada's Transfer Tuesday celebration, the school will hold its annual Transfer Day on Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 10 am to 1 pm in the Grove (Building 5). Representatives from colleges and universities from around the country will be on hand to answer questions. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about building a path from Cañada to a university, contact the Cañada College Transfer Center at (650) 306-3493 or visit the website.

Math Jam is Honored as America's Top Program at Increasing Latino Student Success in College

Elected officials and higher education leaders from across the country came together at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel in Washington, D.C., today to honor the Math Jam program at Cañada College as America’s top program for increasing achievement for Latino students at the associate level. 

Math Jam was selected from among 165 programs from 22 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, nominated at three academic levels: associate, bachelor, and graduate. Conceived and run by Excelencia in Education, this is the only national initiative to systematically identify, recognize, and catalogue evidence-based programs that improve Latino college success. The organization produced this video to illustrate the power of the program.

Cañada College, a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution, created the Math Jam program in 2009 to address the low level of math preparation of underrepresented students studying STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Initially it was designed as an intensive math placement preparation program and has since evolved into a campus-wide math success program, serving students in pre-algebra through advanced calculus.

“Math Jam has completely changed my view of my future,” said Joanna Peet, a biomedical engineering major. “When I came to Cañada, I wanted to get a personal training certificate and now, because of Math Jam and the love of math that it has given me, I want to become a biomedical engineer.”

The first Math Jam illustrated the power of the program. Nearly 94 percent of the students who took the math placement test a second time scored higher after completing the two-week program. More than 63 percent improved their scores enough to be placed into a higher math course than their pre-Math Jam results. In 2010, the program had grown to 129 students with similar success rates.

Today, the college has added evening Math Jam sessions as well as two additional one-week mini-Math Jam sessions, both day and evening, serving more than 300 students.

“It has decreased the time from enrollment to transfer by allowing students the opportunity to retake the math placement test and in 60 percent of cases skip ahead to the next math level,” said Danni Redding Lapuz, project director for Math Jam. “It has increased retention and persistence rates for students and more students are achieving success in their math courses.”

Math Professor Denise Hum said the program has had a huge impact on how students perceive math at the college. “It definitely seems like it is cool to like math,” she said. “In terms of what it does for students in the classroom, it helps students who wouldn’t typically feel confident as math students, gain confidence and skills.”

Today’s announcement event, Celebraciòn de Excelencia, coincided with the release of the 2013 edition of “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education,” a compendium of all 22 recognized programs along with the evidence of their success. Through this annual process, Excelencia in Education continues to grow America’s largest inventory of programs and strategies that education leaders, policymakers, and others tap into to accelerate degree completion among Latinos.

This is the eighth annual release of Examples of Excelencia.  Excelencia in Education has systematically reviewed more than 500 programs to identify and recognize over 100 programs and departments that demonstrate with evidence that they effectively boost Latino enrollment, performance and graduation.

"As America’s fastest growing minority, Latinos are a true asset for our country, and their educational success will be critical for the future economic success of all Americans,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.), chairman of the Education and Labor Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and member of the House Committee on Education and The Workforce.  “By identifying and sharing these examples of how we can improve college success for Latinos, Excelencia in Education is helping ensure the future not only for the Latino community, but for the whole country.”

“Cañada College is at the forefront of meeting the challenge of improving higher educational achievement for Latino students,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education.  “No longer should policymakers and institutional leaders ask how to improve college success for Latinos – we have the largest accumulation of proven examples and tested strategies that show them how.  Today’s question is do leaders have the will to put these practices into action.”

To download “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education,” which includes detailed information about all of the programs recognized today, visit www.EdExcelencia.org.

“This compendium is a central component of the Examples of Excelencia initiative,” said Deborah Santiago, vice president of Excelencia in Education and author of the publication.  “By sharing what works, we hope to prompt educators and policymakers to challenge the current status of Latino achievement in higher education and inspire these decision makers to work to increase Latino student success.”

Examples of Excelencia is the only national initiative to systematically identify and promote evidence-based programs and departments effectively boosting Latino enrollment, performance and graduation.  The 2013 sponsors are ACT, Southwest Airlines, TG, USA Funds, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, EduK, Univision Communications, College Board, Inceptia and New Futuro.