CoA’s ACCESO Hosts Its First Career Panel

College of Alameda’s (CoA) Adelante con Comunidad, Excelencia, Sabiduría y Oportunidad program (ACCESO) hosted its first virtual Spring 2022 ACCESO Career Panel series on Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 5 p.m. Students heard from panelists with careers in government affairs, finance, teaching, education administration, and health care insurance. Panelists included: California Department of Finance Assistant Program Budget Manager Guadalupe Manriquez, Optum of California Supervisor / Patient Liaison Heriberto Rojas, California Cable and Telecommunications Association Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Bojorquez, Voices Language Academies Director of Special Projects Juan Carlos Villasenor; and All Relations Leadership Group Chief Executive Officer and Founder Dr. Miguel Rodriguez. Presenters shared their educational and career journeys, provided valuable advice, and answered questions from students in the online audience.

ACCESO Career Panel Series

ACCESO Career Panel:  Vocational & Certificate – April 7, 2022, 5 to 6 p.m.

ACCESO Career Panel:  Medicine – May 5, 2022, 5 to 6 p.m.

La Bienvenida Event Kicks Off a New Year for ACCESO Students

Nearly 30 students, staff, and faculty joined La Bienvenida to welcome the new semester. During this virtual event (via Zoom), students had the opportunity to meet other ACCESO students, staff, and faculty, and participate in a series of fun and engaging virtual activities. Participants also received the ACCESO Spring 2022 calendar and were reminded of the many services and resources available to them through ACCESO, like the book voucher, loaner laptop, and peer mentor groups.

CoA Receives a Capacity Building Grant from the Alameda County Community Food Bank

The Alameda County Community Food Bank has been awarded a $1,300 Capacity Building Grant for the College’s Free Produce Market. The grant will be used to purchase new equipment, including a large canopy, canopy weights, a foldable multiuse cart, signage, and retractable stanchions. The new equipment will improve the visibility of the Free Produce Market on campus. By improving operations, Director of Student Activities and Campus Life Ms. Natalie Rodriguez hopes to increase the number of CoA students and community members receiving free produce this semester. Rodriguez is interested in expanding the program and offering healthy canned goods in the future. Food insecurity affects a significant portion of Alameda County’s overall population and disproportionately affects community college students of color. The goal of CoA’s ongoing Free Produce Market is to help improve student persistence and success.

Faculty and Staff Participate in the 21-Day Self Care for Educators Challenge

In mid-February, the Dean of Counseling and Special Programs Dr. Shalamon Duke invited faculty, classified staff, administrators, and students to participate in the Self Care for Educators 21-Day Challenge.

The Challenge was designed to engage, and offer self-care strategies in the context of exploring the challenges of bias, racism, and privilege.

Emergency Food Grant Program Is Underway for Spring

Students experiencing financial hardship are invited to apply for College of Alameda Emergency Food Grants. The one-time awards are administered as a $300 Safeway gift card. There are 166 grants available. To date, 109 students have applied, of which only half are eligible to receive the awards. To be eligible for the grants students must be enrolled in at least three units at College of Alameda. Director of Student Activities and Campus Life Natalie Rodriguez is facilitating the grant awards. Interested students must complete an application. More information and a link to the application are available online.

Students Are Invited to Participate in Student Government

Associated Students of College of Alameda (ASCOA) Spring 2022 elections are underway. Six students have submitted their applications, but only two meet the minimum eligibility requirements. Candidate orientations will take place in March and voting is scheduled for April. More information about ASCOA election requirements are available online.

This article is an excerpt from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Nathaniel Jones III, College of Alameda President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. To view as a pdf, click here.