New Dual-Enrolled Students Club Builds BCC DE Community

The Dual-Enrolled Students Club (DESC) was founded in the Fall of 2022 as a club for high school students who are taking, or want to take, classes at BCC. DESC aims to create a community for dual-enrolled students to connect with each other, share resources they’ve found helpful, discuss how to manage schoolwork, and overall provide support with the processes of dual enrollment. The club was founded by Lale Kurtulush, a high school senior who has been taking classes at BCC since her freshman year. She is joined in leading the club by fellow dual-enrolled students Luke Boreczky and Reem Mahmoud. 

“When I started out as a dual enrolled student at BCC in my freshman year of high school, there were times when I felt out of place in my classes or intimidated by the new and very different learning environment,” said Kurtulush. “Thinking back on these feelings, and how other students may feel similarly when they decide to dual enroll, I realized that starting a club which fosters connection between dual enrolled students could make BCC immediately feel more welcoming and supportive to DE students.”

Last semester, the club organized an informational panel about dual enrollment for about 40 high school students, and led an enrollment workshop at Berkeley High School which served around 30 students. Currently, in addition to holding regular meetings every other week, the club is working on planning out events for the spring semester, such as the promotion of summer classes and study jams at BCC open to BHS students.

BCC Students Learn Practical Money Skills at WLC Financial Literacy Presentation

On Monday, March 20, the Women’s Leadership Club, in collaboration with the BCC Basic Needs Center held a Financial Literacy presentation during college hour in the 5th Floor Student Lounge. The presentation was the last in a month-long series of Women’s History Month events organized by the Women’s Leadership Club.

The presentation was titled “Saving Money?!? In This Economy?!?” and was hosted by BCC’s Basic Needs Coordinator Izzie Villanueva. They covered several topics including the different strategies between checking and savings accounts, the advantages of opening a student checking account and deciphering the offerings of different banks, budgeting strategies, the difference between debit and credit, and strategies to build a healthy credit score.

About 30 students were in attendance for the presentation. Many of them provided feedback to the Basic Needs Center, expressing that they learned about realistic budgeting plans, definitions of terms like bankruptcy, and monitoring their credit. We thank the Women’s Leadership Club for organizing the event and Izzie for presenting. BCC looks forward to continuing to provide financial literacy resources to BCC students and expanding our efforts with future events.

Developing a Community of Learning at BCC’s Mid-Semester Flex Day

On Tuesday, March 14, Berkeley City College held its mid-semester Flex Day titled “A Community of Learning and Professional Development: How Do We Learn Together?” The Professional Development Committee intentionally flipped the script, holding department meetings and a Classified Engagement Workshop in the morning and holding workshops in the afternoon to encourage more space for colleagues to convene on campus and work with one another. The Classified Engagement Workshop was hosted by RepresentEd and focused on envisioning career goals and life goals and finding ways to join the two in pursuit of meaningful development. It also provided an opportunity for classified staff to plan the next Classified Retreat.

The program then broke into morning workshops covering the PCCD Vision Resource Center, peer online course review showcase, methods to develop efficient grading with easy rubrics, a share out from the BCC learning communities’ current status and future goals, and training on the PCCD travel authorization forms.

Administrators, faculty, and classified staff then convened for lunch and the all-college plenary sessions. The plenary opened with President Angélica Garcia honoring the 2022-23 President’s Award recipients: John Nguyen, Melina Winterton, and Allison Greene. The honorees were selected through nominations by their peers for exemplifying the highest level of support in alignment with Berkeley City College’s Mission, Vision, and Values, and were awarded an honorary plaque and $500 cash. The Professional Development Committee Co-Chairs Heather Dodge and Scott Hoshida then hosted the plenary focusing on feedback on what each department is currently doing to further professional development and synthesize goals to assist planning activities for the 2023-24 academic year.

We thank co-chairs Heather Dodge and Scott Hoshida and the rest of the Professional Development Committee for their work in organizing this Flex Day and look forward to the continued engagement of our colleagues in their professional development.

Celebrating the 2022-23 BCC President’s Award Honorees

Berkeley City College is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022-23 BCC President’s Award: John Nguyen, Melina Winterton, and Allison Greene! Congratulations!! The honorees were recognized at yesterday’s mid-semester Flex Day by President Angélica Garcia and presented with a plaque of recognition and will be given a $500 cash award.

We appreciate all those who participated in the nomination process. It was a pleasure to read everyone’s comments and anecdotes highlighting our distinguished colleagues’ commitment to teamwork, serving students and our community, and upholding the highest level of support in alignment with Berkeley City College’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Here is what some of you had to say about this year’s honorees:

John Nguyen - Acting Dean of Enrollment Services

“...John definitely fits this value as a manager who oversees campus life and student activities, but also taking on the role as the acting dean of enrollment services shows a great deal in his character... Not only does his action show his value as a leader but we can clearly see it through his connections with the student ambassadors, ASBCC leadership, and the student population.”

“The excellent work of the student ambassadors in supporting enrollment, registration, financial aid applications, and resources is a reflection of John’s attention to detail and management capabilities.”

“John’s support of student activities and his effective use of student ambassadors clearly aligns with BCC’s commitment to multiculturalism and diversity.”

Melina Winterton - Social Work and Human Services Work Based Learning & Apprenticeship Faculty Coordinator

“I have had the pleasure of observing Melina’s class on a couple of occasions and witnessed her extraordinarily deft touch in meting out high-quality instruction while also ‘reaching students where they’re at.’”

“Melina consistently leads with love, always creates an environment of support, and shows deep regard for all members of the community.”

“Over the course of the past few years, the HUSV program matured from an aspiration to something worthy of emulation. Melina has been the guiding force in this remarkable success.”

Allison Greene - Library Technician

“Allison Greene has been an exceptional member of the library staff, demonstrating a strong work ethic, an unwavering commitment to helping others, and a deep knowledge of the library’s resources.”

“She has been instrumental in providing students with access to Chromebooks, tablets, iMacs, and other devices, helping them to better engage with the materials they are studying.”

“Her positive attitude and willingness to help have made her a valuable resource in the library.”

Thank you once again for your participation and attentive recognition of all the nominees’ contributions, and a special thank you to this year’s honorees for transforming the lives of Berkeley City College students and our community.

BCC Receives Notice of Intent to Award California Apprenticeship Initiative

On Friday, March 10, the Chancellor’s Office Workforce and Economic Development Division announced CAI grants awarded to selected community colleges to create new and innovative apprenticeship opportunities. BCC was awarded three grants:

• $1.5M apprenticeship implementation grant in partnership with Girl’s Inc. of the East Bay for Teacher Assistant (Expanded Learning Program Lead)
• Two $120,000 planning grants for Community Health Workers and Social and Human Service Assistants in partnership with Lifelong Medical and East Bay Innovations

Lisa Cook, Dean of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, credits the faculty leaders and innovators in the Education, Social Work, and Human Services Departments with this success.

“Dr. Joya Chavarin and Melina Winterton are committed to providing apprenticeship opportunities in industry sectors in which these earn-and-learn models did not exist. These programs will support members of our community who serve children and families to achieve their personal, educational, and earning goals.”

Berkeley City College Awarded MESA Grant

Berkeley City College has been awarded $280,000 per year over the next 5 years to develop and support a Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement Program (MESA). Established over 40 years ago, California Community College Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) programs help underserved and underrepresented students majoring in calculus-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields who seek to transfer to a four-year institution. This funding will support a director and staff to establish and maintain a wide range of services, as well as to coordinate with and enhance existing services at the college. Some of the key elements of the BCC plan will include:

• Paid internships with industry and 4-year University partners.
• A dedicated MESA center for study, workshops, community-building, and support
• Improved connections to local and regional industry partners for faculty and students
• Clustering in core math and science classes to foster collaborative study
• Academic, personal, and career advising
• Faculty professional development

“This program will add value and leverage work already underway through BCC’s HSI, AANAPISI, Student Equity and Achievement, Strong Workforce, and Perkins projects by providing additional dedicated funding for the recruitment and support of underrepresented students in STEM fields,” said Dean of Math, Science, and Career Education Chris Lewis.

Welcoming Staff Assistant to the President’s Office, Alison Yu!

Berkeley City College is happy to announce the newest member of our community Alison Yu, who recently joined in her role as Staff Assistant to the President’s Office.

Alison earned her Bachelor’s from U.C. San Diego in International Relations and Business. After graduating, she started off her career in corporate banking as a product manager before receiving a Fulbright scholarship to Taiwan. As an English teacher and educator, she found her passion in education and supporting students. Returning to the United States, she hopes to combine her programming and project management expertise to make a mark in the higher education industry.

Alison is very excited to join the team in the President’s office. She said she cannot wait to get to know everyone and share book recommendations! Fun Fact: Alison used to dance competitively in college and her team performed on World of Dance San Diego!

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, March 28, 2023. To view it as a pdf, click here.