On Thursday, January 8, Berkeley City College welcomed 14 new apprentices to its Community Health Worker Apprentice Workshop. This orientation marked the launch of their program’s third cohort and provided apprentices with opportunities to connect with their peers, instructors, counselors, and college support staff.
Kristen Kitts, East Bay Innovations Apprentice Success Coach, presented an overview of the 4 components of the CHW apprenticeship: classroom instruction, on-the-job training, progressive wages, and a transferable credential. Apprentices learned about their required, tuition-free coursework sequence, which runs through completion in Spring 2027. The orientation introduced apprentices to CHW Apprenticeship counselors Elizabeth Paniagua and Skyler Barton, who detailed the support services available to students. Apprentices received guidance on accessing Canvas, navigating BCC campus resources such as the LRC, Wellness Center Services, and Financial Aid, and completing their program enrollment.
BCC expressed gratitude to Kristen Kitts, counselors Paniagua and Barton, Director of Workforce Development Ilona McGriff, and Project Manager Alejandro Gonzalez for their work in organizing the orientation.
On Thursday, January 8, Dean of Math, Science, and Career Education Kyla Oh, Director of Workforce Development Ilona McGriff, and Career Education Project Manager Natalia Fedorova met with Berkeley High School Career Technical Education Manager Wyn Skeels to strengthen career pathways for BHS students at BCC.
Berkeley City College has long offered dual enrollment courses to BHS students and provided a letter of support for the high school’s successful Strong Workforce grant application. This grant creates opportunities to expand partnerships with more robust pathways to BCC’s CE programs, such as Computer Information Sciences, Biotechnology, Health and Human Services, and Multimedia Art. BCC looks forward to continuing updates on the growing collaboration with Berkeley High School.
On Friday, January 9, the Peralta Office of International Education welcomed 40 new students to its Spring 2026 Welcome Day at Berkeley City College. The event introduced incoming international students to essential information for beginning their academic journey at the four Peralta Colleges. The day was full of social activities, offering an opportunity for students from all over the world to meet their classmates while learning about counseling services, student support resources, and class registration processes.
President Denise Richardson delivered welcoming remarks to the group: “We realize that the road here may not have been an easy one, but now that you are here, we want you to know that you are already, just by showing up, an integral part of our community. We love what you bring to our campus community just by being yourselves and sharing the authentic richness of your various cultures and the uniqueness of your own personal identities.” Following lunch, students received academic advising and toured the BCC campus. We’re excited to welcome the newest cohort of international students to Peralta and BCC!
This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Denise Richardson, Berkeley City College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. To view it as a PDF, click here.