Merritt College Career Fair
Kudos to the individuals responsible for putting on the Merritt College Career Center and Job Development Fair on April 8, 2022. Merritt had about fifty students in attendance, and the event featured presentations from several East Bay employers, including the YMCA of the East Bay, ChildCare Careers, the Unity Council, Duck’s Nest Preschool, Kidango, Oakland Unified School District, and City of Oakland Head Start.
The students learned about organizational philosophies, specific programs, COVID safety protocols, job requirements, and employment compensation packages. The breakouts were informative and insightful as well, and not only for the students. Our transfer center and child development faculty gained a greater understanding of how we can best prepare students for a competitive career in child development. With that, I want to thank our Transfer Counselor Sara Alturk for coordinating the event, along with CE Counselor Margarita Baez and Marlo Beall—who works as a part-time embedded counselor in the Child Development Resource Center. I also want to recognize the Child Development Faculty Chair Michelle St. Germaine, as well as her amazing Staff Assistant Alice Chinn. Amazing job everyone!
Merritt Histotechnology Program Reviewed by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
The Histotechnology program at Merritt College is one of three areas within Merritt’s Biosciences department. Specifically, histology is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues (essentially, it is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy). The mission of the program is to provide our students with access to excellent careers in high-demand fields, with an emphasis on increasing diversity in the sciences. Over the last year, the Histotechnology Program at Merritt College has been preparing for a site visit from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). That long-awaited visit finally occurred on April 19 and 20, when NAACLS team members met with faculty, staff, administrators, and students to assess the program. After two days of review, the team did not find any citation issues and will be recommending that Merritt’s program retain its accreditation status. While this welcomed news is the result of a collective department effort, the work of Program Director Feather Ives is formally acknowledged, for Merritt College would not have achieved this positive result without her dedication and leadership!
Merritt College Group Attend Transfer Opportunity Program at UC Davis
On Wednesday, April 20th, 34 students and 10 faculty, staff, and administrators traveled to UC Davis for a TOP (Transfer Opportunity Program) Day designed specifically for Merritt students. The group was treated to a presentation by the TOP Outreach Team and a panel of California community college transfer students who are now undergraduates at UCD. The panel also included Ms. Stefanie Mutialua, a recent Merritt College graduate and former leader of the PTK Chapter. Merritt students enjoyed asking questions and hearing about some of the rewards and challenges of transferring to a UC from a CCC. After the panel, there was a campus tour and lunch at the campus Memorial Union. One student shared, “I would transfer here because I feel that I fit in this place, and I notice they offer much help and that is what I need.” Another student even arrived late to the scheduled lunch because she said she wanted to start her UCD application before the end of the day! The trip was a collaborative effort between Counseling, Student Equity, Puente, Umoja, Student Accessibility Services (SAS), the Transfer Center, and Career Services. Please check out these video images from UC Davis Transfer Day.
This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. David M. Johnson, Merritt 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.
