Cañada College Student Leader Receives Youth of the Year Honor

 

Cañada College Student Leader, Xitlali Curincita, was recently selected as the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula's 2022 Youth of the Year. Xitlali will go on to represent the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula at the national competition. Youth of the Year is the Boys & Girls Club of America’s signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula's 2022 Youth of the Year is an award presented to those who have made an outstanding impact in their community. The selection process for this award is extremely competitive. Candidates must present a series of four speeches to multiple panelists on the interview team. Xitlali was one of 12 students who competed for the award after being nominated by her coaches from Future Grads, a college preparatory program held in the Boys & Girls Club. 

Xitlali is in her senior year of high school. In addition, she serves as President of the Associated Students of Cañada College and is a part of the Middle College High School program. Outside of Cañada College, she has volunteered as a tutor in her local library with Project READ as well as other organizations such as the Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center. She attributes her time spent in the community to helping her discover that her purpose is to support her community. She is extremely community focused, which has helped her to stand out as a nominee. 

The Youth of the Year event, described by Xitlali, was fancy and glamorous. There were hairdressers, make-up artists and event planners to prepare the candidates for the event. Many well-known people attended including Andre Iguodala (professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors), John Donahoe (CEO and President of Nike) and Eric Yuan (CEO of Zoom). The final four nominees presented their speeches to the panelists, each sharing their own community building stories. After this, each nominee had one-on-one interviews where they were asked questions about their experience in helping others at the Boys & Girls Club. 

With this award, Xitlali will receive a $1,000 scholarship and special recognition for the work she has done for her community over the past four years. Xitlali describes her recognition as a win for her entire community and she is determined to show others that anyone can achieve this honor. She attributes much of her work ethic to her grandparents who constantly reminded her of her roots and why it’s important to work hard. Her grandparents were highlighted throughout her speech, and she talked about how they have reminded her of her culture. She takes so much pride in her indigenous roots, as her name translates to “Star Goddess.” She says that she wants to inspire others as her grandparents inspired her, along with her little brother who constantly gives her reassurance. She is also extremely grateful for the Cañada College community for their extra support through this competition. 

After Cañada College, Xitlali plans to attend a four-year university and, so far, she has been accepted to University of San Francisco, Loyola Marymount University and California State University, East Bay. She plans to major in Political Science where she aspires to become a politician and help the entire nation but especially underrepresented communities. 

Xitlali remarked that the best part of the Youth of the Year experience was meeting new people, networking with them and learning from them. She also would like to put these skills back into helping her community. Xitlali’s community will be cheering her on as she advances through the Youth of the Year National competition.

Concurrent Enrollment Students Recognized with Community Scholarship

Three Cañada College Concurrent Enrollment Students have been recognized with an impressive community-based scholarship. The Sequoia Awards offers scholarships to senior high school students who reside in the Redwood City community and actively volunteer their time. More than $2,200,000 in scholarship money has been awarded since 1993. This year, three of Cañada College’s concurrent enrollment students will receive this prestigious scholarship: Maria Casique, Eduardo Hinojosa and Leslie Zaragoza. 

Maria is a part of both TRIO Upward Bound and Middle College High School. She has volunteered with the Upward Bound Scholars Advisory Team, the OYE Latinx Youth Conference Committee and Sequoia High Youth Advisory Board. Through each of these programs, Maria was able to listen to and voice the concerns of her community. She wants to focus on the education and health of her peers because she sees such a disparity between those who have resources and those who have yet to be connected. Maria won the top honor given at the Sequoia Awards and she hopes to attend a four-year university directly after Middle College graduation. 

Eduardo started at Summit High School before completing a semester at The School for Ethics and Global Leadership. He then transferred to Woodside High School so he could attend Middle College. He enjoys mentoring younger students and says volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club and Books and Basketball has given him a sense of purpose and motivates him to do his best in school. He also volunteered with Meals on Wheels and liked helping a different segment of his community. He is hoping to study Applied Math and Computer Science in college and eventually wants to start a non-profit organization focused on keeping students in school and helping under-represented students get to college. 

Leslie is in her last year of the TRIO Upward Bound program. Through her advocacy and leadership in the Dream Club at Sequoia High School, Leslie has helped raise scholarship funds for undocumented students. She has run workshops, planned banquets and presented to her peers on the needs of undocumented students and mixed status families. She has also been an active leader in the Upward Bound Scholars Advisory Team where she led her cohort of students in analysis of the goals and objectives of the program. Leslie leads by example and inspires all who work with her, both peers and adult allies alike. 

Each of these students has a bright future ahead of them. This is only the first of many opportunities where they will be nominated as change-makers in their communities. Congratulations to each of them.

Cañada College Students Invited to Cannes Film Festival

For the third year in a row, Cañada College students have been invited to the Cannes Film Festival! The film festival is an annual event held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries from all around the world.

Cañada College hosts an annual event called Campus Movie Fest, which provides the students with the tools to create a film and then submit their films to the Cannes Film Festival. This is the third consecutive year that Cañada College has had the privilege to send remarkable students to Cannes, via exclusive invitations. Overall, this is Cañada’s fourth time sending students to the festival. In addition, Cañada College is the only community college in the United States to participate in Campus Movie Fest, a national event which has the ability to offer this incredible opportunity to hard-working students.

This success is a testament to the value of community college. It's also worth noting that, as in the last two years, many of the students invited are women. In animation, women are historically underrepresented, so this is yet another well-deserved victory for this year’s invited animator’s/filmmakers: Adrian Affif, Elizabeth Birdwell, Tabitha Liu, Heather Theroff and Ivy Wooldridge. In addition, this is Ivy’s and Elizabeth's second Cannes invitation. 

Adrian’s film, "I Do Not Fear You," depicts an emotive story of a father and son who must learn to overcome challenges, such as threats and bullies, after moving to America.

Tabitha’s film, “Gacha,” tells the moving story of a young girl, growing into adulthood, who finds something she loves, loses it and recaptures it once more.

Heather’s film, “Don’t Blink,” follows the mysterious story of a detective, his coworker  and his boss working towards solving what they know to be a series of the largest known theft cases their city has ever experienced.  

Ivy Wooldridge’s and Elizabeth Birdwell’s film, “Hidden,” is about two brothers coping with the loss of their father, a government secret agent, in a small town in Oregon. When the boys work up their courage to enter his forbidden workshop, they find a gift from their father.

While it is not required to participate in Campus Movie Fest or the Cannes Film Festival, many of the students invited to the festival are products of the Cañada College Digital Art & Animation Department. This skilled department provides courses taught by faculty with extensive academic, professional and industry experience. Students are guided through the department's project-based courses to develop the knowledge and skills needed to incorporate the principles of visual communication in their work.

The 73rd Annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to take place from May 12-23 and,  as you can imagine, the trip to France to attend the Cannes Film Festival can be costly. With this, a donation fund has been established through the San Mateo Community Colleges Foundation for those who would like to contribute toward the students’ journies.

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.

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.