On Saturday, April 29th, Laney College hosted its Annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Open House. We had 437 potential students, parents, and community partners visiting our campus. In addition, 14 industry and community partners, including labor unions, tabled to demonstrate the pathway of how our certificates and degrees lead to fulfilling careers. With about 100 Laney College employees supporting the event, students were able to register on the spot. Over the weekend, we gained 122 new students and 236 seat enrollments for the Fall 2023 semester. We also gained 114 new students and 151 seat enrollments for the Summer 2023 session.
This event is a good reminder of how important our CTE programs are to the community that we serve. Laney College’s CTE Team is dedicated to seeing the success of our students. We have the power to handhold students from K12 institutions to our college, to a job that will enable them to live in our community; A community where the cost of living is tremendously high and is getting higher. We have the power to change lives.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to those who have contributed to the success of this event:
- To Fang Huang, Raya Zion, and Kim Gonzalez, the CTE dream team who have been planning every detail of this event for months.
- To our rockstar CTE faculty from the following departments: Biomanufacturing, Business, Carpentry, Commercial Music, Computer Information Systems, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Electrical & Electronics, Engineering, Environmental Control Technology, Graphic Arts, Journalism, Legal & Community Interpreting, Machine Technology, Media Communications, Photography, Welding Technology, and Wood Technology.
- To Dr. William Ochoa, Doug Cobb, Roger Porter, and Terrance Greene who gave powerful identity and registration workshops and hosted approximately 50 senior high school students from the Emeryville’s Kingmakers and OUSD’s African American Male Achievement programs.
- To our facilities and custodial team who have gone over and above their call of duty to make sure we have everything we need.
- To our Student Support Services teams: Admissions and Records, Welcome Center, Financial Aid, Counseling, UMOJA, Latinx, APASS, UCRC, and ROC, you have made this event purposeful to our students.
- To the classified staff from various departments who willingly agreed to help us with the event: Judy Mei, Hope Lane, Janice Brown, Anh Nguyen, Arlene Lontoc, Michel Edibe-Bile, Lewis Thrower, Joan (Huizhen) Su.
- To our student assistants who were there at every aspect of the event from hanging up signs, to giving tours, and checking guests in.
- To Doug Cobb and his athletics superstars for helping set up and tear down the event, as well as register arrivals.
To our college leadership team who supported and attended the event.
With Laney College being founded in 1927 as Central Trade School, may we continue our legacy of supporting our Career and Technical Education programs.
Sincerely,
Alejandria Tomas
Dean of Career & Technical Education
Laney College
