Cañada College Welcome Week

Cañada College was ready and excited to welcome students (both in-person and virtually) during the first week of classes, affectionately called Welcome Week. Cañada’s Outreach team held a welcome station with Student Ambassadors ready to greet fellow Cañadians and help them to find their way to classes. In addition, the Associated Students of Cañada College (ASCC) planned a series of Welcome Week activities such as free school supplies and goodies from Chuck’s Donuts, Mademoiselle Colette and Jamba Juice as well as a Lunar New Year celebration.

In addition to Welcome Week festivities, Cañada’s Welcome Center and Counseling Departments have been humming! Cañada College Counselors have assisted more than 570 students this January with almost 40 percent of the students served in-person. Compared to this time last year over a similar time period, 378 students were served with only about 20 percent in-person. The Welcome Center and Counseling Departments have extended drop-in hours in general counseling through January 30, which is the last day to add courses. Extended hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. As part of the drop-in process, Counselors are prioritizing ESL students and Spanish-speaking Counselors are available on site.

Cañada Hosts Fourth Annual High School & Community Partners Forum

After being held virtually the past two years, Cañada College’s fourth annual High School & Community Partners Forum was held both in-person at Cañada College as well as via Zoom on December 7. The event provides a great opportunity for community partners to connect with Cañada College staff/faculty/administration and share feedback on how the College can best connect with our community.

 

The event kicked off with breakfast for more than 50 in-person attendees. The in-person and virtual program began with a warm welcome from College President Kim Lopez and Vice Presidents Manuel Alejandro Pérez, Ludmila Prisecar and Chialin Hsieh. During the welcome, attendees received updates on SMCCCD’s Free College initiative, Cañada’s Educational Master Plan, and fully online programs offered as well as in-person and hybrid schedules for the upcoming semester. Middle College Executive Director Stephen Redmond shared an overview of the Living the Promise partnership with Sequoia Union High School District as well as outreach plans for Spring 2023. David Vera, Financial Aid Director, provided updates on the financial aid application and counselor tool kit for the community partners to use.

 

The Cañada Outreach team shared that Priority Engagement Program (PEP) sessions will resume in the Spring and encouraged counselors to have their students participate. Lezlee Ware and Elizabeth Terzakis, Cañada College Professors and Program Coordinators for Cañada’s Umoja program, shared exciting information about the recently launched program. Their presentation transitioned into a student panel of former students based on the College’s Interest Areas.

After program updates, attendees chose from one of two 20-minute sessions to attend.  Sessions included: steps to get into college, tips for students who are interested in transferring to a university, exploration into career certificate programs offered through Cañada’s Strong Workforce program and updates on support programs for undocumented students through Cañada’s DREAM Center. In addition, campus tours were offered.

The program closed with lunch, networking and closing remarks given by Mayra Arellano, Cañada’s Director of High School Transitions & Dual Enrollment and College Recruiter Olivia Cortez-Figueroa. Feedback from the attendees was very positive and some great ideas were discovered throughout the day.

Cañada Community Relations Marks Another Year of New Connections & Growth

The Cañada College Marketing & Outreach team has completed another productive year building a stronger presence throughout San Mateo County by cultivating new community-based relationships on behalf of the College.  In fact, over the past year, the Outreach team has been present at 165 events including:

•             Redwood City: Picnic En Blac, University Art, Fourth of July, Salsa, San Mateo County Benefits & Health Fair, Dia De Los Muertos, Lunar Festival Hometown Holidays Festivals, Kermes Dia del Niño, STEM Festival

•             Belmont: Resource Expo, CTE Panel and Fair

•             Menlo Park: Facebook County Fair, Community College Night, Bike Rodeo

•             East Palo Alto: College Fair, Sana Sana Health Fair, Martin Luther King Celebration

•             San Mateo: Housing Family Expo, Community Forum, Career Development Day

•             Daly City:  Northern Peninsula College Fair

•             Millbrae: Health Care Rights Forum

•             Pescadero & Half Moon Bay: Health Fair, Immigrant Health Forum, Resource Fair for Mid-Housing

•             South San Francisco College Fair, Transition to Independence

•             San Jose: iHeart Radio’s Jingle Ball Concert, College Day, Career Pathways Fair

•             Los Altos: 2018 Latino Summit at Los Altos

•             San Francisco: Five Keys College and Career Fair

While at the events, the team connected with more than 11,000 San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County residents. The team also hosted a series of application and enrollment workshops at feeder market high schools and community locations, connecting with more than 650 potential students. 

The Marketing & Outreach team has also continued to identify several service-oriented opportunities for students and employees to participate in through Cañada in Your Community, community relations initiative aimed to connect with, and support, San Mateo County residents. In December, the team partnered with local Starbucks and Collection 55 Cellars to collect goods for its third annual Holiday Jacket & Toy Drive, supplying more than 400 children from East Palo Alto and Redwood City communities with jackets or toys for the holiday. In April, the team partnered with the Redwood City Library and held its 2nd Reading Circle, hosting 50 community members (many who had never visited Cañada) for an afternoon of storytelling, craft-making and snacks while learning about educational opportunities available to them at the College. The College looks forward to hosting a series of Cañada in Your Community events in the upcoming year and invite students and employees to join in the College’s outreach efforts.

Looking Ahead - Fall 2018 Events:

Welcome Week Activities- August 15-August 20

Back to School Fairs- August 8-9

Facebook Farmers Market- August and September

Fall Open House: College Success Day- November 2018

President’s Advisory Group Formed to Enhance Community Connections

President’s Advisory Group Formed to Enhance Community Connections

 

Cañada College has formed the President’s Advisory Group, a team comprised of passionate professionals who will support college leadership in becoming better connected to civic and neighborhood organizations as well as the business community.  With this, the College will gather input from community leaders on what our community needs from Cañada College and how Cañada can be the best and most effective partner to accommodate those needs. The President’s Advisory Group will meet quarterly and held its first meeting on March 16.

In addition, the College will also partner with the President’s Advisory Group on fundraising projects that enhance student learning and keep the College focused on being an outstanding teaching and learning organization for the residents of San Mateo County.  

City of Redwood City Community Partnerships Series: Cañada College

 

 

City of Redwood City Community Partnerships Series:

Cañada College 

This blog was written by the City of Redwood City. Click here to read the entire story.

The City of Redwood City and Cañada College partner together under a core purpose — committing to build a great community together! Cañada College offers the Redwood City community and surrounding region with an outstanding academic institution, extracurricular opportunities, community services, and much more. Together, this partnership brings together our diverse community by providing personal support and building on the strengths of individuals in a learning environment.

Cañada’s vision is to cultivate a community where students prepare for university, the modern workplace, and the global community. They ensure that students from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to achieve their educational goals by providing transfer, career, technical, and basic skills programs and lifelong learning opportunities. The City of Redwood City and Canada College share similar goals, including offering learning opportunities, building community, investing in affordable housing, and much more. Here are some ways in which Cañada College encourages learning and community connections.

Supporting Students in the Classroom

Cañada College is committed to being a distinguished institution of learning. They offer over 100 different academic programs including popular majors like Fashion, English as a Second Language (ESL), Business, Engineering, Interior Design and Radiology.

For full time working adults, Cañada offers an innovative program that aligns best with their work schedule, their career goals and their busy lives. College Working Adults is the only program in the Bay Area that makes it possible for adults to complete multiple Associate degrees in just three years while working full time. For additional information on College Working Adults, go here.

Cañada also offers the College Connection Concurrent Enrollment Program, designed to offer current high school students the opportunity to get an early start on their college degree by taking college level classes at Cañada while concurrently enrolled in high school. To find out more information about the College Connection Concurrent Enrollment Program, go here.

The ꜟESO! Adelante Program creates a community of academic support for Latino, and high need, high potential, low resource students at Cañada. This grant program offers students a transfer pathway to San Francisco State University (SFSU) through dedicated staff and peer mentors. Cañada’s ꜟESO! Adelante Program partners with SFSU and guarantees a supportive transfer experience. Some benefits of this program include connection to support services, academic preparation, and an inclusive community that celebrates Hispanic/Latino Heritage. Further information about ꜟESO! Adelante can be found here.

The English as a Second Language (ESL) faculty work closely with the Redwood City Public Library, bringing classes of students to the Downtown and Fair Oaks libraries regularly for tours to make them aware of physical collections and online resources. The Downtown Library also has a set of classroom materials available for Cañada ESL students for whom the public library is more convenient to visit. To learn more about the Redwood City Public Library, go here.

Connecting in the Community

Two years ago, Cañada launched a community relations initiative, “Cañada in Your Community” — an opportunity for students to serve their community outside of the classroom. Since then, the Cañada has hosted holiday jacket and toy drives for local schools and non-profits, held can sorts with Second Harvest Food Bank and worked at a few Redwood City clean-ups. Their goal is to assist the City at least once per quarter and they are always excited to contribute to the community. The community can find Cañada team members present in various Redwood City events like the Salsa Festival, Fiestas Patrias, and 4th of July festivities! To learn about volunteer opportunities in Redwood City go here.

The Cañada College Outreach team’s goal is to build partnerships in the community. Their presence in the community ranges everywhere from giving college presentations at fairs to volunteering at the Redwood City Public Library. For example, in April, the Outreach team hosted their first “Reading Circle” program. This event brought more than 75 community members to the campus where they enjoyed storytelling from the Redwood City Public Library, craft making, and snacks while learning about the educational opportunities available to them at Cañada. Additionally, the outreach team provides other services like campus tours, presentations to high school students, parents and the community, and application and financial workshops. For more information on the Cañada College Outreach team, go here.

Offering Financial Support

The Cañada College Promise Scholarship supports students by making college more affordable and ensuring that higher education is achievable for all members of the community. It is available to residents of San Mateo County who are recent high school graduates and students who have recently completed high school equivalency. The Promise Scholarship covers all student fees and textbook assistance for the first year that a student is enrolled full time.

Cañada College is the second college in California to host a SparkPoint Center, serving individuals and families who struggle to make ends meet while obtaining a higher level of education. Students and other San Mateo County Residents use SparkPoint services to gain financial literacy and achieve financial stability. Some of Cañada’s SparkPoint features include: financial coaching sessions, career services center, food pantry options, and free tax preparation assistance. For more information about SparkPoint at Cañada College, go here.

Providing Affordable Housing

In response to high regional housing costs, Cañada College works under the San Mateo County Community College District to provide affordable housing to their employees. Located on a site at Cañada College, Cañada Vista offers different initiatives to assist District faculty and staff with housing costs. Cañada Vista includes residential buildings that are rented at below-marketed rates, offering very affordable second home loans to first time buyers.

For more information about Cañada Vista, go here.

This year the City of Redwood City celebrates our 150th anniversary and in 2018, Cañada College will be celebrating their 50th anniversary as an academic institution! Stay tuned for their series of celebrations announcement in December.

Cañada proudly serves as Redwood City’s Hometown College! Their partnership with the City of Redwood City work towards promoting higher educational opportunities and community resources for community members.

Wondering what the Cañada campus feels like? Check out their virtual tour!

 

Community Relations Update: Cañada in the Community

Community Relations Update: Cañada in the Community

The Cañada College Marketing and Outreach team has completed another productive year building a stronger presence throughout San Mateo County by cultivating new community-based relationships on behalf of the College.  In fact, over the past year, the Outreach team has more than doubled its community presence by promoting Cañada College at 83 events, including:

·         Redwood City: Community Action Rally, Kermes, Fourth of July, Salsa, Blues, Fiestas Patrias, PortFest, Hometown Holidays Festivals

·         Menlo Park: Facebook Farmer’s Market, Community College Night

·         East Palo Alto: College Fair- Boys and Girls Club

·         San Mateo: Housing Family Expo, Sana Sana Health Fair, Career Development Day

·         Milpitas: World Journal News College Fair

·         Pescadero & Half Moon Bay: Health Fair, Community College Fair, Resource Fair for Mid-Housing

·         South San Francisco College Fair, Transition to Independence

While at the events, the team connected with more than 10,000 San Mateo County and northern Santa Clara County residents. The team also hosted a series of application workshops at feeder market high schools and community locations, connecting with more than 400 potential students.  

The Marketing & Outreach team has also continued to identify several service-oriented opportunities for students and employees to participate in through Cañada in Your Community, community relations initiative aimed to connect with, and support, San Mateo County residents. In December, the team partnered with local Starbucks and Philz Coffee locations to collect goods for its second annual Holiday Jacket & Toy Drive, supplying more than 200 children from our Coastal communities with jackets or toys for the holiday. In April, the team partnered with the Redwood City Library to host its first-ever Reading Circle, hosting 75 community members (many who had never visited Cañada) to an afternoon of storytelling, craft-making and snacks while learning about educational opportunities available to them at the College. 

The team looks forward to hosting a series of Cañada in Your Community events in the upcoming year and invites students and employees to join in the College’s outreach efforts.