Cañada College Paralegal Department Student Success Story – Eli Angote

Eli is the founder of TheBestNotary (www.thebestnotary.net) and a graduate from Cañada College’s Paralegal Program. A native Kenyan, he moved to the US in 2000 and California in 2004. He finished his first full marathon in 2016.  After a career in corporate sales, he founded TheBestNotary which helps companies of all sizes increase their profits by dramatically reducing the time it takes to schedule mobile notary appointments and secure Apostilles in all 50 states. Eli holds a Bachelor's degree in Spanish from San Francisco State University and an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from Cañada College.

What initially made you decide to take Paralegal classes at Cañada College?
I was interested in exploring a career in the legal field at the time, and I figured a paralegal education was a great way to learn about the industry and to see if it would be a good fit for me.

Did you explore other Paralegal Programs in the area before taking classes at Cañada College?

I checked out Skyline and SFSU, but I picked Cañada College because of the convenient location, and because of the great reviews of the program I had received from a few personal contacts.

What did you enjoy the most about Paralegal Program at Cañada College?
For me it was the instructors. I really had some great teachers at Cañada. Dario DeGhetaldi taught a legal system foundation class, and it was profoundly stimulating. He made the class super interesting by engaging us using real life examples from his career and memorable stories going back to the medieval days. I took Althea Kippes' legal research and writing class, and she made class interesting by giving us chances to participate in various legal conferences including one where I had the chance to meet the real Erin Brockovich!

How do you feel your courses in the Paralegal Program prepared you for your career?
Yes, specifically LEGL 250: Legal Research and Writing. The legal research and writing skills I gained from the course allowed me to draft quite a few of my independent contractor agreements as well as various agreements with clients.

What advice would you give to students currently interested in the Paralegal Program at Cañada College?

I would advise them to build strong relationships with their instructors and each other because that is the key to discovering additional opportunities beyond what is made available to the public.

What advice would you give to students currently interested in a career in the legal field?

Try before you buy. By taking various classes and volunteering in the field, you can get a taste for what you like and don't like. Spending time volunteering at various non-profit legal organizations allowed me to experience various types of law and meet numerous attorneys whom I learned from. 

What advice would you give to students who want to start their own business like you did?
I would first advise them to identify and then seek out the people who will help them get there. The book "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi is an excellent manual for skillfully building the right relationships that will end up creating opportunities and sidestepping roadblocks. I would also recommend developing good habits to help maintain high standards of physical and mental health which is part of a strategy I have come to call "Protecting the asset" after reading the incredible book "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown. By being at your best you can be in a great position to serve others and truly add value instead of constantly struggling to keep up. 

What do you love the most about working in your industry?
I enjoy constantly having to explore my comfort zone.  

I went from a self-employed notary to employing 6 in-house staff members and contracting with thousands of notaries around the country. Each stage of growth brought with it considerable challenges and a sea of uncertainty and doubt. I have had to reinvent myself several times and feel that being an entrepreneur is really becoming a flexible and skilled problem solver who can stay on task even in the toughest of conditions. Thanks to being a voracious reader and an inveterate networker, I have been able to leverage the wisdom and generosity of others into a disruptive business opportunity while having tons of fun along the way!

What is next in your career?
Thankfully my business has gotten to the point where it's ready for scale. I am working on fund-raising and hiring the key employees who will spearhead wider expansion. I'm also working on my presentation skills to help educate the business community about the benefits of outsourcing notarization and creating a speaking real for my speaking career to inspire others to find their own voices and maybe even turn their ideas into entrepreneurial ventures.

Cañada College’s Digital Art and Animation Department Welcomes New Faculty Member

Cañada College’s Digital Art and Animation Department Welcomes New Faculty Member!

David Gainey is a veteran character animator with experience in video game development, visual effects for film, and feature animation.  He started his career at PDI/DreamWorks where he animated on their first feature film, _ANTZ, and directed and animated the award winning short, "Fishing."  He currently works as an independent animator right here in Redwood City. 

What do you think is the biggest challenge to student success?

It takes time to develop a certain set of skills and our modern daily lives are filled with so much external noise, so the challenge is largely internal, to keep the faith in oneself.  A student who can learn to be patient and extremely focused will be successful.  

What song would you sing at karaoke?

"Moon River."  Definitely "Moon River."

What is your favorite animated film?

The classic Disney films are close to my heart, but my new favorite is The Red Turtle.  The craftsmanship, art and story are, well... *golf clap*.

Ritu Malhotra, Professor (Medical Assisting Department)

Dr. Ritu Malhotra completed her Medical School and achieved her MD degree from India in 2001. She was running a successful medical practice in India for four years before immigrating to the Unites States. She has been an adult educator for the past 13 years now. Her background includes clinical practice, nursing supervision and hospital management, program implementation and development. She is interested in studying the impact of migration and acculturation on the health of immigrant populations. Regarding her teaching philosophy, Dr Malhotra believes in, “Hands-on, guided practice and repetition is key to effective learning in the medical field. Everyone can learn with the right guidance and given the right opportunity. The students are the best part of my job.” 

Why did you choose to work at Cañada College? 

Being a dedicated adult educator, counselor and student/patient advocate. I felt the need to reach out and contribute to the community. They say, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for one day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for a life time.” I wanted to bring in my experiences and skill to the adult learners at Cañada College so that I could help them and assist them in achieving their career paths and goals. 

What so you enjoy about Cañada College? 

The students and their eagerness to learn. 

Who is your hero? 

My father. He is my inspiration. 

What do you think is the biggest challenge to student success? 

Time management and balancing adult responsibilities with student life. 

What is your favorite song to sing at karaoke? 

"Roar" by Katy Perry – for finding your voice and inspiring others to do the same.

Digital Art & Animation Students Share Experience at Cannes Film Festival

 

Digital Art & Animation Students Share Experience at Cannes Film Festival

Last October, Cañada students put their talent to the test and created films during Campus Movie Fest, the world’s largest student film festival for the next generation of filmmakers. The Cañada Campus Movie Fest, hosted by Cañada College Student Senate, was a weeklong film competition where more than 200 students created and shared their stories. At the red carpet finale, the College selected the films “Heroism” and “PhotoCorpse” as the winners.

“Heroism,” created by Ivy Woolridge and Elizabeth Birdwell, is an inspiring film about love, hope, community and supporting others. Ivy and Elizabeth have traveled the world with their film, including a stop at the Cannes Film Festival in France. The College checked in with them to hear about their success following their win at the Campus Movie Fest.

IW- Ivy Wooldridge

EB- Elizabeth Birdwell

You entered your film “Heroism” in the Campus Movie Fest on campus, which eventually got you into the Short Film Corner at Cannes Film Festival. Congratulations on your success! What was the most challenging part of making your film in such a short amount of time?

IW: One of the greatest challenges was just being unfamiliar with video equipment and some of the editing software. The type of movie we did - animation over live action - was pretty unusual and ambitious for a student film in this festival. What helped us the most was the background in animation we had from our classes at Cañada College. 

EB: I’d say the most challenging aspect was just the worry of not having time to finish the film, or that something could go wrong, etc. It was the first time I’d entered something like this, so there was a large element of unknown that came with it.

Do you two always collaborate on projects?

IW: Not always, we do each have a few pet projects of our own, but we love working together and we get along really well. Sometimes we’re even mistaken for sisters!

EB: Not always, but we have a lot! We’ve been close friends from a young age, so we work together pretty well and enjoy collaborating on stuff.

Are you planning on entering the Campus Movie Fest again?

IW: Absolutely! We’re going to rock the Festival this year. We have the beginnings of an idea we love and we did some research that led us to an amazing resource we can use in this year’s film. No spoilers!

EB: Yes! We have an idea for our next film that we’re super excited about!

What was your favorite part about going to the Cannes Film Festival in France?

IW: It was hugely educational. We couldn’t have done it without the support of a lot of people at Cañada College- the Digital Art and Animation Department especially, as well as the Student Government and even the Fashion Department. We learned so much in a short time about so many aspects of filmmaking and the marketplace. It was an invaluable and life-changing experience. Walking the red carpet and seeing film premiers was amazing, too!

EB: The friends and connections I made, from both Campus Movie Fest and the Cannes Film Festival. I got to meet some different student filmmakers/animators from around the world, which is just really cool! Other than that, my #1 favorite moment was probably when I got to watch the cast of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” walk up the red carpet for the movie premiere. The entire festival was amazing and I can’t thank everyone enough who’s supported us on our journey.

Have you gone to any other film events?

IW & EB: Yes, we attended Terminus Film Festival in Atlanta, which is a big film and video game conference. We were nominated for a Golden Tripod for our editing as well as for Best Picture! We didn’t know we’d been nominated until the night of the awards ceremony. We didn’t win, but being nominated means that we were one of the top 5 student films in the entire nation. It was actually an honor just to be nominated!

What do you enjoy most about the Digital Art and Animation Program at Cañada College?

IW: What’s not to love? We have the best teachers, amazing classes, and a supportive environment to work and learn. The instructors really take a personal interest in our education and success. We really think the Animation Associate Degree here should be turned into a 4-year-degree, the program is just that good!

EB: The program has benefited me in multiple ways, in fact I didn’t even realize that animation is what I wanted to pursue until I decided to try out one of the classes. I’ve learned so much material that’s helped me improve my work through the program, the instructors are all super fun and awesome people, and I just love the overall atmosphere and being surrounded by other people who love the same stuff I do!

What inspires you?
IW: I’ve found inspiration in many different areas throughout my life. My experiences and the people I’ve come to know have played hugely in what gives me the inspiration and drive to create. Other sources of inspiration can come from places like music, movies, and just being out in the world! There’s so much beauty in the world all around us.

EB: Animation (obviously) music, artists, movies, places, almost anything sci-fi, people I know, people I don’t know, etc…too many things to count.