Berkeley City College Hosts Second Annual Career Fair
On Thursday, February 23, Berkeley City College hosted its Second Annual Career Fair. The event was the culmination of a month of career-oriented workshops hosted by RepresentEd that focused on building a resume, interviewing skills, and building a career-oriented social media presence.
The Career Fair kicked off with a keynote speech by rapper, director, and spoken word artists Ruby Ibarra. Ibarra shared her story of growing up in San Lorenzo, California as an immigrant from the Philippines, a move that shaped her identity and way of thinking. Her love of rap music started at an early age and became a form of expression that empowered her Asian American identity that’s become an inspiration and representation for her fans. As a teenager, she also found a love for science that propelled her to study biotechnology at UC Davis and go on to work in the medical science field. During the start of the pandemic, Ruby found herself working simultaneously as a professional musician and helping develop a Covid-19 vaccine. She shared that during this time she found the value of prioritization and her experience with burnout, and now focuses entirely on her music career. She opened the floor for students to share their story of representation and being seen in the world, and left the audience inspired to create career goals and stick with them.
Students then moved to the BCC Atrium, where 35 employers including the Manos Home Care, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley Fire Department, and the Oakland A’s tabled and held conversations with the students. They were incentivized to meet as many employers as possible by playing a Bingo game that had prizes based on the number of employers student met with – students who met with 3 employers were able to get a taco lunch from Tacos Sinaloa, and students who met with all employers walked away with BCC backpacks filled with school supplies and other swag.
The event was organized by Outreach Program Specialist Christine Trowbridge and Career Counselor Sal Victoria and BCC’s Career Education team and funded by the Conocimientos Los Caminos Hispanic Serving Institutions grant. We thank them for their diligent work in presenting this event to students, as well as Ruby Ibarra, RepresentEd, and all the employers that took part in the Career Fair. Berkeley City College looks forward to continuing this work with our community partners and introducing students to career opportunities that transform lives.
BCC’s Umoja Scholars and Black Community Leaders Usher in Black History Month
Berkeley City College is hosting events celebrating Black History Month. The festivities began on Tuesday, February 14 with an event in the BCC atrium titled “Black Love | Black Joy.” It started with words of welcome by Tanisha Walton, Pastor and founder of Black Girls United. Her speech highlighted the contributions of Black Americans to music, art, food, and dance and asked allies in the audience to help shift the paradigm of negativity that is given too much exposure in American media. Students were then treated to a live musical performance by local artist Erica Ambrin, whose smooth vocals and acoustic guitar could be heard throughout the building. The event coincided with BCC’s Free Lunch distribution, so students were able to join Crave Subs along with the music and presentation.
On Tuesday, February, BCC’s Umoja Community hosted its annual Umoja Day. This was the first in-person Umoja Day at BCC in 3 years. The event opened with Umoja scholar Maliyah Lee singing “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo. The Umoja scholars invited students from the community to take part in filling in a 2023 Vision Board with aspirations and affirmations, as well as an Ethics of Love board where students could share their ingredients of love. Students were also treated to a soul food lunch provided by the Laney College Culinary Arts program. We thank Counselors Shannon Penn and Skyler Barton for organizing the event, and the Umoja Scholars for leading it.
Upcoming events include “Black Excellence” hosted by Pastor Michael McBride with welcoming remarks by President Angélica Garcia. Pastor McBride is a Bay Area native and has dedicated his life to the fight for racial justice and Black liberation through faith, education, advocacy, and community building. He was Representative Barbara Lee’s guest at the recent State of the Union Address to Congress in Washington D.C. On March 2nd, BCC will have a film screening of The Woman King hosted by Vice President of Student Services Stacey Shears.
Berkeley High School’s Multilingual Program’s BCC Visit
On Wednesday, 2/15, a group of 65 scholars from Berkeley High School’s Multilingual Program (MLP) enjoyed a visit to Berkeley City College (BCC)! Accompanied by 5 teachers and counselors, the Berkeley High MLP scholars engaged in discussions with
a panel of amazing BCC scholars (including BHS and MLP Alum), learning about resources such as our Undocumented Community Resource Center, Society of Scholars Learning Communities, Dual Enrollment Opportunities, Campus Life, and more. All scholars also took a tour of our fabulous facilities, led by our Student Ambassadors.
BCC Partners with Girls Inc. of Alameda County
Berkeley City College is proud to be partnering with Girls Inc. of Alameda County, Partnership for Children and Youth, CA Afterschool Network, and ECEPTS to offer the first-ever Expanded Learning Apprenticeship in California. The Kick-Off Launch Event welcomed the first cohort of nineteen apprentices on February 16 at the Girls Inc. Of Alameda County’s Simpson Center for Girls in downtown Oakland and included California Deputy Chief of DAS, Adele Burns, as the keynote speaker.
The two-year apprentice program provides a human-centered, earn-and-learn model to promote career advancement and economic mobility for low-income and people of color. Apprentices will advance their career in Youth Development and Afterschool/Expanded Learning Programs, earn a wage while gaining on-the-job training and work experience with Girls Inc. of Alameda County, and receive free Berkeley City College tuition and college coursework resulting in 48 credits toward an Associate Degree for Transfer.
“The collaborative efforts to prioritize equity, access, and inclusion in every aspect of program design was evident in the launch event, which provided on-site enrollment, financial aid, and counseling services for cohort students to enroll at Berkeley City College this spring,” said Dr. Joya Chavarin, Faculty Coordinator for the Education Teacher Preparation Program at BCC and BCC Lecturer in the Child Development Department. “It was a joy to witness the diversity of the apprentices and their families celebrating on this day!
BCC Counselors Andrea Williams and Susan Truong, and Outreach Specialist Gail Pendleton assisted the apprentices with enrolling at BCC and facilitated FAFSA completion. We thank them along with Dr. Chavarin and Dean Lisa Cook for their leadership in establishing BCC’s partnership with Girls Inc. BCC looks forward to hosting a campus visit with the apprentices in March, where they’ll get student education plans, student IDs, and a campus tour.
BCC Students Discover UC Davis
Twenty-four Berkeley City College students and staff attended the Discover UC Davis event on Friday, February 10, funded by UC Davis’s Transfer Opportunity Program. Discover UC Davis is a free career-planning and exploration symposium for community college students from participating TOP institutions.
Students met at BCC and rode a bus to the Mondavi Center at the UCD campus. They were welcomed to campus by UC Davis administrators and had a panel discussion with UC Davis Student Outreach Ambassadors. The BCC students then went into breakout sessions where they explored majors in medical studies, liberal arts, and sciences. BCC students also took part in a campus tour which ended with a Question & Answers discussion with community college transfer students.
“I liked hearing from the transfer panel because it was diverse and they were honest about the transfer experience,” said BCC student Mohamed Darragi.
BCC thanks Transfer & Career Services Coordinator Andrea Williams and student worker Mona Aldabashi for leading the trip, as well as our partners at UC Davis for hosting.
This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Angélica Garcia, Berkeley City College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. To view it as a pdf, click here.
