Laney Career & Technical Education Hosts In-Person Career Expo

On Saturday, April 23, Laney College’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) team hosted its 10th-annual Career Expo and Open House with about 375 guests in attendance. This half-day event helped prospective students explore the campus, CTE departments, as well as student services including: registration, counseling, financial aid services, and Laney’s wonderful learning communities. Attendees were able to visit over 21 departments and gain real-life experience by participating in workshops, demos, tours, and hands-on activities.

CTE's theme for this event was Growing Our Own which showcased entertainment from Laney’s music department, food from graduated food entrepreneurs, and lastly, raffle prizes created by our Woodtech and Culinary students.

Several industry partners were invited to connect with each area to build potential pathways for career exploration. This included companies such as East Bay MUD, PG&E, Rainin, Penumbra, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, 360TotalConcept, and more.

Attendees Received:

• Free Lunch
• Career Exploration
• Industry Exhibitions
• Workshops
• Counseling – Academic and Financial Aide Tours/Demos
• Laney CTE Program Information

Laney College Hosts Self-Care Fair with Community Support

On Wednesday, April 13, nearly 100 Laney students and staff members gathered in the quad to enjoy the first on-campus Self-Care Fair since the campus closed in March 2020. The event was hosted by Laney Health Services and was enjoyed by all in attendance. Cosmetology students gave manicures, while licensed acupuncturists from Berkeley's Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College provided needleless acupuncture; both services were free of charge and a major hit!

A handful of community partners and learning communities also tabled the event to provide information and resources to students. While it is safe to say that we all could use some self-care at the moment, the overall goal was to equip Laney College students with the coping mechanisms and mindfulness needed to truly destress and ease anxiety. Goodie bags with tea, coloring books, essential oils, and journals were gifted to attendees as a thank you. Laney College is tremendously grateful to the Health Services team, interns Avalon Mckee, Luc Nguyen, and Indra Thadani for facilitating such a thoughtful and much-needed event. See below to view the full list of community partners who tabled this event.

Laney’s Restoring Our Communities (ROC) Receives 3-Year Grant

Laney College and Restoring our Communities (ROC) was one of 59 colleges awarded in an initial three-year grant of $166,000, which will be disbursed each year through the State Chancellor’s Office to continue the work of supporting the success of system-impacted students. After the third year of the grant, the college will have an opportunity to apply for continuous funding. The College extends its gratitude to Gary Albury, Associate Dean, and Roger Chung, ROC Faculty Coordinator, for their initial work in applying for the grant. In addition, the College thanks Vincent Garrett ROC Student Services Specialist Cemone Harper, ROC Counselor for their nonstop work in supporting our students.

Baking & Pastry Graduate Lands Job at Allora

It is no secret that Laney staff members strive to put student success first in all areas, so it is a true delight when former students and graduates reach out to update the team. Last week, Katerina Balagian, a Baking & Pastry graduate, let us know that she had just been hired at Allora, in Sacramento. The pastry chef thanked Laney College for its support and encouragement during her time as a student, and shared kind words for her former instructors, "I loved Laney. Chefs Lew, Raji, and Lambert were amazing inspirations to me. They were supportive of my weird style of baking, which is what got me the three best jobs of my life. I am very thankful for them."

Prior to landing the new job, Balagian was a pastry chef at Coi in San Francisco, a two-Michelin starred restaurant, which sadly closed in March 2022.

To read Katerina's complete bio on the Italian restaurant's website, click here.

This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Rudy Besikof, Laney College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. To view as a pdf, click here.