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Santa Barbara City College — The Bridge – May 2020

by Community Contributor • May 13, 2020 • Comments Off

Santa Barbara City College’s Community Newsletter

MAY 2020

Congratulations to the class of 2020!

Although all in-person campus operations have been suspended until further notice, that didn’t stop SBCC from holding a commencement ceremony to honor the graduating class of 2020. On Friday, May 8, at 5 p.m., the college held a “virtual” commencement online.
View the video here…
Read the Noozhawk story here…

Registered nurse on the front lines against COVID-19 got her start at SBCC

Kaitlin Shipley always knew she wanted to work in the healthcare field. After working as a medical assistant for several years after high school, she enrolled in the nursing program at Santa Barbara City College, graduating in 2019 with an associate degree in nursing.

Listen to her interview on KCLU public radio…

Read the SBCC press release…

One of the clinical groups that was part of the COVID cohort. (Photo taken before social distancing and masks were required, of course!)

SBCC to graduate 29 nursing students during COVID-19 pandemic

They call themselves the “Covid Cohort.” Twenty-nine nursing students in the Vocational Nursing program may have been challenged more than any other nursing class in recent years. Now, they’re about to graduate and play a critical role in a world health crisis. When clinical practicum sites were closed due to COVID-19, faculty had to convert classes to an online format and create a detailed plan outlining how each clinical objective would be met without direct patient care, for submission to the state board of nursing. Read the KEYT story…

SPARC and The Well keeping students connected

The Chronicle of Higher Education has started an occasional series called The Quandary to answer questions about college life during a pandemic. One of the recent questions was “How can you continue student-support groups during the pandemic?” to which Chelsea Lancaster (Student Program Advisor for SPARC [Single Parents Arriving Ready for College]) responded. Read Chelsea’s interview…

School of Extended Learning Launches the Career Recovery Initiative

Extended Learning is expanding with an immediate ramping up of tuition-free courses in healthcare, construction, landscaping and computer skills. Read more…

SBCC Food Pantry drive-thru helps feed community during COVID-19

Though campus operations have ceased for now, the Food Pantry at SBCC continues provide healthy food for students while they stay home and take onlilne classes. Making it as easy as possible, students just had to walk or drive through the West Campus parking lot on April 29 to receive Food Bank boxes.
View the KEYT story…
View the SBCC video…

SBCC Foundation provides student assistance during pandemic

When students found themselves facing the multiple challenges of having their classes moved online, loss of paid work, homeschooling of children, and more, the SBCC Foundation sprang into action. Read more…

Student artists’ work exhibited at City Hall

Remember the days when we used to gather in downtown Santa Barbara for First Thursday? March 5 was the last time to enjoy those pre-COVID-19 community get-togethers; it was also the evening of the opening reception of “Student Voices,” a showcase of work created by students in the SBCC Art Department.

Take a trip back in time and “attend” the reception…

Outstanding Student of the Year Awards

The Outstanding Student of the Year Awards honor students who have excelled scholastically or who have provided exceptional service to the college. See the list and click on their names to learn more…

Commencement Speaker Isabel Agundis

Isabel Agundis was this year’s student speaker at commencement. During her time at SBCC she received numerous accolades from several national organizations. A high point was when she received a full-time internship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where she worked with the world’s leading engineers, scientists and astronauts, and conducted research for Orion Spacecraft mission. Isabel will transfer to San Jose State University in the fall.

Emily Reilly Honored by SBART

Earlier this month Emily Reilly was awarded Scholar Athlete of the Year by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table (SBART). Emily’s plan is to apply to a school in the UC system, major in biology and then continue her education at an allopathic medical school and specialize in the field of pathology. An injury that nearly ended her swimming career turned out to be the starting block toward a career goal. Read the Noozhawk story…

Pratima Sherpa is SBART Women’s Golfer of the Year

Pratima Sherpa has been named Women’s College Golfer of the Year by the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table (SBART). She grew up in a maintenance shed behind the third hole at Royal Nepal Golf Club in Katmandu where her mother and father work and entered her first tournament at age 11. In a span of six years she won 33 trophies. Her dream is to be Nepal’s first female golf pro and to represent her country internationally.

Five Vaqueros land NCAA Division 1 scholarships

Kyle Froemke

Jacob Bravo

Tony Spach

Alonzo Rubalcaba

Ryan Guardino, who led the WSC North in batting and stolen bases

Five SBCC baseball players have accepted scholarships to NCAA Division 1 schools. Ryan Guardino signed with Wofford College of Spartanburg, South Carolina, last week. He was having an outstanding season when the Vaqueros’ 2020 campaign was stopped in mid-season on March 12 by the COVID-19 pandemic. SBCC was 12-8 at the time and third in the WSC North with a 4-3 record.

Other signees were third baseman Kyle Froemke (Oregon State), catcher Alonzo Rubalcaba (Kentucky), pitcher Toby Spach (USC) and first baseman Jacob Bravo (Cal State Northridge). Read more…

Debate team wins at virtual competition

Congratulations to the Santa Barbara City College Ethics Debate Team. SBCC competed at the 2020 International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition held virtually April 23-24. SBCC won the short presentation and was runner-up in the ethics portion of the competition. This innovative competition enables students to persuasively apply ethical reasoning to practical issues and the moral imperative of sustainable development. Teams from all over the world choose their own ethics issue, which should relate to one of the globally adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that focus on a wide range of social, environmental and economic issues.

The SBCC team, comprised of students Zongchan Chen (Psychology), Axel Jensen (Philosophy), Mattie Lagan (English) and Ada Lukic (Psychology), chose to discuss Facebook and its policy on deepfake technology. The team prepared all semester for the competition and was coached by Philosophy professor Marc Bobro.

We may not be able to gather together for the time being but we are still “here” for our students. So, in April the Office of Communications organized a group of faculty and staff to participate in a “virtual video shoot” by submitting photos that, when edited together (by our amazing student worker/videographer, Will Hahn), presented a reassuring message to students. Watch the video on our YouTube channel.

Register now for summer classes

During this time of staying in and social distancing, Santa Barbara City College invites everyone in the community – whether looking to earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university or enjoy life enrichment classes through the School of Extended Learning – to enroll in online summer classes.
Find credit classes here.
Find School of Extended Learning classes here.

Morris Hodges (left) coached men’s basketball for 30 years and Chuck Melendez (right) spent 31 years as the head coach of four teams.

Beloved coaches retire

The two longest-tenured coaches in SBCC history are calling it a career with 61 combined years as teachers and head coaches. Men’s and women’s golf coach Chuck Melendez and men’s basketball coach Morris Hodges announced their retirements in early May. “They have dedicated countless hours to working with students in the classroom and in athletic competition and we appreciate all they have done for our students,” said Director of Athletics Rocco Constantino. Read more…

Upcoming SBCC Board of Trustees Meetings – May 14, June 11

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, and in compliance with the Governor’s Executive Orders N-29-20 and N-33-20, the Board has temporarily suspended physical meetings. Until future notice Board meetings can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SBCCBoardofTrustees.

The Board meeting will be captioned and if there are any other accommodations required, contact esqueda@sbcc.edu by 4:00 p.m. of the day before the Board meeting. The agenda for Board meetings can be found at least 72 hours prior to the meeting on the Board webpage.

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