Student Satisfaction Survey

The Office of Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness recently completed a student satisfaction survey of Cañada students. The results provide a remarkable picture of our student body's experience here at the college. The surveys were distributed via email and we received more than 1,000 student responses to sixty questions. The questions covered their background, goals, and experiences with both academic and student services on campus. Among the findings:

1. 97.2% of students indicated that they would recommend Cañada College to a family member or friends.  
2. While some current students said they would have preferred to begin their educations at a CSU or UC, 92.3% said that they would start at Cañada College if they had it to do all over again. 
3. 93.1% of students rated their education experience at Cañada as “Excellent” or “Above Average.” 

Among our favorite comments, one student wrote, “I don’t think I would still be in school if I had ended up elsewhere.” And, nothing beats this comment: “Cañada College is the best in the bay area.”

Three Cañada Students Win Kitchen Design Competition

Anne Marie Cappelli

Debbie Nash, Jie Yang, and Anne Marie Cappelli took the top three spots in this year’s National Kitchen & Bath Association Design Charette hosted by Cañada College.

The three interior design students will receive a $50 scholarship and certificate of achievement. Their entries will also be forwarded to the National GE Charette where they will be eligible for the top prize of a $5,000 scholarship.

The competition challenged students from around the country to design a kitchen utilizing specific General Electric appliances within a defined space. They had three hours to complete the assignment using drafting pencils, calculators, architectural scale, a drafting triangle and NKBA template.

Cappelli, who left a career in fashion design to pursue interior design, won first place in the Cañada competition. “I knew at a young age I would pursue a job in a creative field. I was torn between interior design and fashion design.”

Cappelli worked as a designer and patternmaker for more than 20 years in Toronto, Canada and San Francisco. While in the Bay Area, she took a part-time job working for an interior design retailer. This reignited her passion for interior design.

“I looked into many options for colleges and chose Cañada because of its reputation and its evening classes,” she said. “I have completed the basic core of classes for the certificate and I’m looking forward to doing an internship with a firm that specializes in kitchen and bath design.”

Yang, who finished second in the competition, came to the Bay Area four years ago from Shanghai, China. She commutes from Fremont to attend design classes at Cañada. “The instructors and staff are really friendly and knowledgeable,” she said.

Like Cappelli, Nash was also employed in the fashion industry, serving as a vice president of merchandising at Gap Inc., Gymboree Corp., and Esprit De Corp. “I needed more balance in my life,” Nash said. “I decided to go back to school and get my Interior Design Certificate and Kitchen and Bath Certificate.”

Last year, Nash started Nash Design Studio, her own interior design business, which focuses on home remodels and additions as well as kitchen and bath design. She will graduate this fall with her Kitchen and Bath Certificate from Cañada.

Cañada Alum Froilan Malit Works on Labor Immigration Issues

Cañada College alum Froilan Malit is helping improve working conditions for migrant laborers in the Middle East with an eye towards returning to Oxford University to complete his PhD in Politics and International Relations and eventually a law degree.

“I conduct labor policy studies on low-skilled labor migrants – mainly Asian and African workers – and develop potential policy recommendations to improve their working conditions and rights in the region,” Malit said. His studies have been published in various policy institutes, including Migration Policy Institute, Al Monitor, and working papers at Cornell University, where he earned a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations (with honors) and MPA in Public Administration. Malit is also writing a book on Philippine labor migration to the Middle East and hopes to have it published later this year.

Malit is working for the Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and as a short-term consultant for the International Organization for Migration, where he focuses on the Middle East and North Africa region and the Arabian Peninsula. “In particular, I conduct field-based interviews with ambassadors, diplomats, welfare officers, migrants, civil society groups, government labor and interior officials, trying to determine gaps and solutions on the recruitment regulations for migrant labor in the Middle East region.”

His sister, Cañada College student Matet Malit recently finished a six-month study of Filipino domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates that included an internship with Migrante International in Dubai, a Filipino labor rights group.

Shortly after entering Cañada College in 2006, Malit approached Chuck Carlson, professor of history, and asked him for some advice on classes and subjects he was curious about. “He was an outstanding student in my African American History class and dove into the material with a great deal of interest and a deep desire to learn every aspect of American culture. As a professor, he is the kind of student you dream about getting – always going above and beyond what’s required of him,” Carlson said at the time.

Elizabeth Terzakis, a reading professor, saw the same qualities in Malit. “Froilan’s enthusiasm and love of learning were apparent from the moment he entered my Reading class, as was his willingness to share his insights and time with others,” she said. “He added a level of energy and seriousness to the classes he took with me that helped everyone involved to get the most out of their time.”

Froilan Malit said he eventually wants to pursue a law degree at Harvard or Yale with a focus on international labor law.

“I want to thank the Cañada College faculty, staff, and TRiO Program tutors who unconditionally supported me throughout my career,” he said.  “Student organizations, including Phi Theta Kappa, UN - Cañada College Chapter, and Political Awareness Club, also inspired me to work harder throughout my time at Cañada.”

SFSU Nursing Program Information Session at CSM

Sequoia Hospital and San Francisco State University will host an information session from 1:10 to 2:30 pm on Wednesday, April 16, regarding their Baccalaureate Nursing Program at Cañada College. The information session will be held at the College of San Mateo,  Building 10, Room 195. The information session is free and open to anyone interested in pursuing a degree in nursing.

The program was founded in 2004 as a four-way partnership between the Sequoia Health Care District, Sequoia Hospital, Cañada College, and San Francisco State University. The program provides an additional 40 places each year for students interested in and qualified for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and helps address the nursing shortage in the San Francisco Bay Area and southern portion of San Mateo County.

All courses are taught by San Francisco State University faculty on the Cañada College campus. Sequoia Hospital provides most of the clinical placements for student in the program. In addition, the hospital supports students with various scholarship opportunities.

The program prepares students for entry level nursing positions in hospitals, community clinics, long term care, home care, and community health agencies. Graduates work as staff nurses in the following areas: maternity, pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, gerontology, psychiatric/mental health, and public/community health nursing.