Laney Career and Resource Fair 2023 Travels to Oakland Chinatown
On April 5, 2023, the Asian Pacific American Student Success (APASS) program, partnering with the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, and the Lao Family Community Development Foundation hosted a Job Readiness Bootcamp at the Asian Cultural Center in Oakland Chinatown.
The event included two resume help sessions and two job search workshops, all of which were conducted in both English and Cantonese (Special thanks to the Lao Family Community Development for facilitating the Cantonese workshops). Laney College ESOL Professor and Department Chair Steven Zetlan was on hand to conduct class, and Laney Colleagues in attendance included Dr. David Lee, Sharon Quach, Huizhen (Joan) Su, Raya Zion, and Kim Gonzales. VP Marlon Hall and President Besikof -along with Chamber President Francis Lan - delivered opening remarks after meeting with both students and the community.
The Asian Pacific American Student Success (APASS) program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) initiative, is designed to enhance the capacity of Laney College to serve its large and diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) student population, increasing student engagement and improving educational outcomes for this student cohort.
For more information about our Laney APASS program contact: APASS Director David Lee at (510)-464-3215 (delee@peralta.edu)
Laney, BCC, COA, Merritt Student Body Presidents, Senators Represent Peralta Students at Long Beach Statewide Gathering
Laney College ASLC Student Government leaders Meaghan Connor, Joshua Kofo, Nicholas Rothman and Director Atiya Rashada join Student Boday President Omolola Atolagbe and their Peralta counterparts at the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) General Assembly, which took place from March 30th to April 2nd in Long Beach.
The conference was a Regional Summit on March 30th, that included mandatory delegate training on parliamentary procedure practices as part of the proceedings, along with elections for regional representative seats, workshops, and other general sessions. On the remaining days, attendees also heard and considered resolutions from around the state and took the opportunity to network and engage topics surrounding the community college experience.
Laney College Spring Fest 2023 Highlights Services, Resources
Student Services hosted the Second Laney College Springfest, this time held on the Laney Quad on Wednesday, April 5. The event is designed to highlight Student Services and Student Life Activities on campus, but external partners such as Oakland Rotary and US Bank also set up tables to remind students of resources.
While many in attendance learned about services and learning communities on campus, so many were enthralled in the Jenga building contests that served to relieve stress, not to mention the large telescopes that Astronomy expert/Dean of Math and Sciences Angel Fuentes Figueroa brought to the quad as well. Many thanks to Laney’s Student Services colleagues who put the time and effort into coordinating and hosting a day that reminded students of how – no matter what the temperature – the stars are out and it is always sunny in great learning environments such as Laney College!
Art Gallery Shares Music, Refreshments, Women’s History Month Knowledge
Laney College’s June Steingart Gallery bid farewell to its March special exhibits in grand style, holding a reception and lecture as part of Women’s History Month on the afternoon of April 5.
Events that were sponsored by the Laney Professional Development Committee on April 5 included live Afro/Peruvian music played by guests Rosa Los Santos & Peta Robles, with a special vocal performance by Laney College Communications Professor Mariella Thaning, accompanied by Jorge Del Castillo. After a bit of passive, awe-filled listening, many of the 30+ in attendance took to dance, working up an appetite for the dessert pastries offered by Laney’s amazing Food Services Team.
To explore all within the March exhibit, Hair, which focuses on women’s issues in Iran, the College was pleased to welcome Farnaz Zabetian, who not only curated the exhibit but provided all in attendance with a lecture and presentation.
ASLC to Host Second Annual Hackathon Event
In conjunction with ASLC will host a Hackathon on April 15th, 2023, at the Laney College Bistro. The BeeLikeCoders Hackathon is a coding/technology competition where contestants participate and build a project within a 24-hour period. It was hosted last year at Laney College with hybrid options which featured prizes for the finalists. This year, student coders around the Bay Area are encouraged to join, especially CCC Students. This will provide opportunities for students to network and craft/hone their skills in technology and Computer Science work.
Laney College Remembers Professor Leon Dockery
As shared at the March 28th Board meeting, Laney mourns the passing of one of its long-time Art faculty members, Leon Dockery. Born in rural North Carolina, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (B.F.A.) from The San Francisco Art Institute. In 1991, Dockery was awarded a scholarship to Stanford University, earning an M.F.A. Professor Dockery’s career in the classroom included full-time posts at The University of Rochester and California College of the Arts, as well as part-time teaching positions at USC, the SF Art Institute, and Merritt & Laney Colleges. During classes of Sculpture and African American Art History, students learned from an educator who was passionate about both his work and his students. When the Fab Lab came on campus, Professor Dockery immediately saw its application for artists, and many may remember the giant horse-sized house fly sculpture that was displayed in the Tower Lobby in 2018, made by his sculpture students using Fablab tools. Dockery’s passing was in the loving presence of family on March 21, 2023, and all at Laney and legacy of this educator
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 11, 2023. To view it as a pdf, click here.