Congratulations to the BCC students Mareen Poitras and Gail Feldman, the winners of two California Film awards for 2021! Mareen Poitras, a Video Production student, was recognized by The California Film Institute with the DocPitch Audience Award. Gail Feldman, a Multimedia Arts student, received the 2021 Berkeley Film Foundation grant. Congratulations to Maren Poitras, the director of “Finding the Money”, and Gail Feldman, director of “Orchestra from Oil Drums”

Did you know that in the FabLabs you can create almost anything? The FabLabs are spaces where you can get access to advanced and traditional tools, resources, and technologies that allow you to create almost anything you want. Do you want to know what is the coolest thing about the FabLabs? They are free, and all for you! The College of Alameda FabLab and the Laney College FabLab are getting ready to fully reopen, and you will be able to explore your creativity again!

Ravi Bhambhra is the new head coach of the Cougars Men’s Basketball team at College of Alameda. He has many years of experience coaching teams across the country, including the Bay Area, Oklahoma and Arizona. He has served as an assistant coach at New Mexico, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Florida, and California. Now, Mr. Bhambhra joins the College of Alameda and is preparing the team for the coming season.

The College of Alameda is taking a big step to support and guide undocumented students to achieve success in their lives. CoA announced in October the appointment of Juan Lopez as the first Undocumented Student Success Coordinator at the college. Juan was a transfer student in 2016. He graduated with a BA in Political Science at UC Berkeley. He has dedicated the past four years of his professional and educational career to advancing the rights of immigrant folx within the Bay Area.

On the weekend of October 22-24, 2021, Merritt College and the Oakland community celebrated Dr. Huey P. Newton and the the 55th anniversary of the Black Panther Party . Dr. Newton, who along with Bobby Seale co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966, was honored with the unveiling of a bronze bust statue, on Sunday, October 24th, at the intersection of Mandela Parkway and Dr. Huey P. Newton Way...the place where the leader took his last breath.  

How do you feel when you talk to a counselor that knows exactly what you are going through? How do you feel when you find out that your counselor is an immigrant like you? Fatima Shah is a Pakistani woman who immigrated to the United States with her family when she was still a teenager. Fatima went to Berkeley High School, applied for Berkeley City College, became a student employee, and now she has been serving her community as a general counselor at BCC.  

You should know Natalie Rodriguez. Her work keeps students informed about events happening at College of Alameda and across the Peralta Colleges. She is the Director of Student Activities and Campus Life at the College of Alameda, serving in that roll since the Board of Trustees approved her appointment at their April 27, 2021 meeting. Natalie has been part of the CoA team since 2017 where she has served as an Outreach and Retention Specialist for four years. She loves the East Bay and has volunteered in many educational activities throughout the community.  

Berkeley City College continues to stand out from among California Community Colleges. Our BCC president Dr. Angelica Garcia was selected by the Aspen Institute to be part of the College Excellence program Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows 2021. Also, we are proud to announce that two of our faculty members have gotten great recognition by the media. Louise Stanley, an artist & faculty member at BCC has her paintings currently on view in the show “Forbidden Fruit”, in New York. Additionally, on September 17, Fatima Shah, a general counselor at BCC, joined the NPR Podcast KQED The California Report Magazine and spoke about her journey as an immigrant from Pakistan pursuing higher education in America.

Welcome the new head coach of the Women’s Volleyball team of COA Taylor Elliot! Taylor has been a volleyball player since 2013. She began her career as a student-athlete at College of Alameda as a member of the Cougars volleyball team. In 2017, she accepted a position of assistant coach at CoA and started coaching the team. In 2021, Taylor was approved as the new head coach of the Cougars. She takes over from former head coach and athletic director Linda Thompson, who retires after 27 years of athletic service in Peralta Colleges.

Congratulations to Berkeley City College student Davon Crawford, the winner of the 2021 CalWORKs award! Davon is a mother of four children and is studying to become a nurse. Her inspirational story and strong application helped her to win the award at a statewide level on February 25th. In March of 2021, Davon was invited by the CalWORKs Associate Board to perform as the keynote speaker on the student panel.