November 2019

Saalex Forms Internship Partnership with Cerro Coso 1Rassmussen - Embrace Change 2Club Rush 2Dungeon Hunters 2CCCC Hosts Statewide Retreat for Prison Educators 3Connecting Dreams with Real Experience 3Raising Voices, Empowering Leaders 4The Core Ensemble - Los Valientes 4Disability Awareness Day 4Staying Safe When the Earth Shakes 5Transfer Day 5Transfer Awareness Week 5Foundation Feature: 6 2019 Employee Giving Campaign - Be A Hero Giving Hope and Changing Lives

Inside this Issue

Saalex Forms Internship Partnership with Cerro CosoSaalex Corporation, DBA Saalex Solutions—China Lake’s largest defense contractor and the third largest employer in Ridgecrest—has formed an internship program partnership with Cerro Coso Community College in order to drive workforce development locally. “I am proud to offer local area college students the opportunity to gain valuable experience and jump-start their careers with Saalex Corporation. We all could benefit from their fresh perspectives and knowledge of the latest technology,” said Saalex President/CEO Travis Mack. Saalex plans to consider student applicants studying in Computer Science, Business Administration, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology (IT), Mechatronics, Mathematics, Technical Writing, Data & Predictive Analytics, Digital Marketing and Cybersecurity related subjects and/or majors. They are currently recruiting interns for data and systems-based roles, technicians, engineers and managers primarily to work on three major programs with the Navy at Naval Base Ventura County and China Lake: IT, weapons development, and range test and support. “This kind of public-private partnership, which services industry as well as those seeking employment, is one of the things community colleges do best,” said Cerro Coso President Jill Board. “The college is proud to work alongside Saalex to introduce this new career training partnership.” Now in its 20th anniversary year, Saalex is the third largest employer in the area, and was just featured in the Pacific Coast Business Times on the 2019 Central Coast Best Places to

Work List! Also now categorized officially as a large business—a 600+ employee-owned company (ESOP) with a 70% veteran workforce—Saalex has previously won the PCB Times’ Spirit of Small Business Award, and CEO Travis Mack was named to the Business Times’ 40 Under Forty list, and was a proud recipient of the U.S. SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2015! “Our people are our success and hiring a new college intern can contribute to our innovation and growth,” said Mack. “It is a win-win for everyone,” agreed Board. “Students gain valuable on-site training that enhances their academic studies, and industry has well-trained, ready to work employees available to fill their needs for service and growth.” Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Valued.

Picture Caption: Saalex Corporation President/CEO Travis Mack and Cerro Coso Community College President Jill Board welcome new internship partnership that provides current students work-based opportunities.

HAPP YThanksgiving

THE COLLEGE WILL BE CLOSED NOVEMBER 28-29

Club RushStudents at the Ridgecrest Campus were invited to Club Rush on Tuesday, September 24, in the fountain courtyard. The event provides student clubs the opportunity to set-up a table and showcase their club, promote club activities, and recruit new members. Clubs at Cerro Coso offer students a wide variety of leadership, internship, and volunteer opportunities to embrace their college experience. These clubs build student relations correlating with common interests such as career options, academics, cultural support, social events, interests, and political service. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

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Students in the Latinos Unidos (United) Club l to r: Estefany Partida, Ricardo Chavez. Fabiola Sandoval, and Lupita Monrreal participated in Club Rush.

Dungeon HuntersCerro Coso Dungeon Hunters is a Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition club hosted at the Mammoth Lakes Campus on Fridays at 5pm. The group’s primary purpose is to bring people together to experience tabletop role-playing games (RPGs), with an emphasis on Dungeons and Dragons. These tabletop role-playing games take their players on adventures that require them to put their creative minds together to overcome difficult obstacles, both internal and external. The result is an incredibly satisfying and fulfilling experience that simply cannot be replicated through other activities. The existence of this club will bring together many adventuring parties into one unified group to share adventures and materials. It also introduces the genre to many new players who otherwise might not have found enough people or materials to be able to play. Meetings and additional information on the club are announced on the clubs discord server. Whether you are a veteran to Dungeons and Dragons or it is your first time playing. Founding club president and Dungeon Master Quinn Contaldi invites all interested parties to join the fun, friendship, snacks, laughs, and great adventures. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Rassmussen – Embrace Change

Katherine Rasmussen recently joined Access Programs as the new Department Assistant III. New to Ridgecrest, Rasmussen transferred back to California after spending 2 years in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in Whittier, California, and has a 14 year old daughter who is a freshman at Burroughs High School. The craziest thing she ever did was leave her job of 11 years to be closer to family, and had no job lined up! “Thank goodness for Cerro Coso,” she said. Two of her life mottos are: “embrace change; there’s always room for growth”; and “find that silver lining and press on.” Access Programs at CCCC includes four state-funded programs dedicated to helping and assisting community college students who are faced with special challenges in obtaining their education. The programs are Extended Opportunities Program and Services (EOPS), Cooperative Agency Resources for Education (CARE), Disabled Student Program and Services (DSPS), and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs). Welcome Katherine. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Connected.

CCCC Hosts Statewide Retreat for Prison EducatorsCerro Coso hosted the first statewide educators retreat, BASECAMP 2019, for those teaching face-to-face college programs throughout California’s prisons and jails. The event was held at Tehachapi Mountain Park from September 26-29, 2019, in conjunction with Bakersfield College, Corrections to College California, and New York University’s McSilver Institute. Attendees included College of the Redwoods, Southwestern College, San Diego City College, Cuesta College, Antelope Valley College, Norco College, Imperial Valley College, Allan Hancock College, Columbia College, Folsom Lake College, Chaffey College, Cal State LA, and the Prison University Project in San Quentin. BASECAMP 2019 focused on professional development opportunities and personal wellness for practitioners in the field during a multi-day retreat in a beautiful natural setting, as opposed to the traditional hotel conference venue. The goal of the event was to promote collaboration and best practices among the college institutions, as well as learn from leading industry experts from NYU’s McSilver Institute regarding trauma-informed care and resiliency. Each morning began with the options for a hike, personal reflection, or a yoga and meditation session. Cerro Coso is one of 22 community colleges throughout the state

providing direct face-to-face instruction and support services to more than 7,000 students throughout California’s 35 prisons (according to fall 2017 data from California Community College Chancellors Office). The college’s Incarcerated Student Education Program is currently serving

over 1,100 incarcerated students with 4,875 course enrollments this academic term. Incarcerated students are able to work towards one of seven associate degrees through CCCC’s program. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Connecting Dreams with Real ExperienceWhat do insurance agents, police, engineers, and emergency medical technicians have in common? They were among the many professions represented at this year’s Career Exploration Day held in the college gymnasium at the Ridgecrest Campus on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. Outreach Services holds Career Exploration Day every year to help connect career dreams with real life experiences. More than 290 high school students from eight area high schools joined college students to explore the many career opportunities and college programs available to them locally. Student who know they need a college degree for the jobs that interest them are more likely to go to college. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected.

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Those in attendance for BASECAMP 2019 in Tehachapi l to r: Julie Cornett (Librarian), Svetlana Deplazes (adjunct economics instructor) and Chris LoCascio (adjunct psychology instructor), Lisa Stephens (Director East Kern), Jaclyn Kessler (Math Professor). Alec Griffin (Anthropology/Sociology Professor), Peter Fulks (Administration of Justice Professor), Nicole Griffin (Program Manager), and Jesus Gaytan (Counselor and Associate Professor).

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Raising Voices, Empowering Leaders

Five officers from the Student Government of Cerro Coso (SGCC) attended the 2019 Student Leadership Conference put on by the California Community College Student Affairs Association (CCCSAA) on October 25-27, 2019, in Sacramento. The three-day student leadership development and training conference focused on building individual student leadership and technical skills and professional collaborative connections. This year’s conference included energetic presentations and educational workshops. Designed for student leaders currently enrolled in California Community College’s, workshop topics included parliamentary procedure, FCMAT training, Networking like a Pro, History of Student Empowerment, and more. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

The Core Ensemble

The Core Ensemble performed the chamber music theatre work Los Valientes—The Courageous Ones on Thursday, October 3rd, in the Cerro Coso Community Room at the Ridgecrest Campus. Chamber Music Theatre is a unique performance format developed by the Core Ensemble featuring a marriage of theatrical narrative to chamber music. Solo actor David Perez-Ribada and trio (cello, piano, percussion), explored the artistic and political passions of Diego Rivera, the unwavering commitment to human rights of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the pursuit of social justice by Mexican-American desperado Joaquin Murrieta, aka Zorro. Music for the show featured songs and concert/vernacular music by a wide range of Latin American composers including Astor Piazzolla and Osvaldo Golijov. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

Disability Awareness DayOctober is “National Disability Awareness Month”, and every year, Cerro Coso picks a day in the month to celebrate, educate, and promote awareness of people with differing abilities. The Presidential Proclamation of 2015 states, “America is at its strongest when we harness the talents and celebrate the distinct gifts of all our people.” On Wednesday, October 23rd, Cerro Coso celebrated diversity and awareness for persons with disabilities with a tabling event at the Ridgecrest Campus, recognizing the indispensable contributions people with disabilities have made, and will continue to make, on our campuses and in our communities. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected. Valued.

L to r: Tyson Huffman (Advisor) accompanies SGCC members Justine Wagner, Rachel Quan, Sawyer Chrisman, Yonatan Escoto, and Chandler McCauley to a student leadership conference in Sacramento.

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Staying Safe When the Earth Shakes

Disasters may happen, but how they affect us depends on how well we prepare to survive and recover. On October 17th, all campuses of Cerro Coso Community College practiced Drop, Cover, and Hold On, and safe evacuation during the Great California ShakeOut. The college is committed to educating students, employees, and the community about the importance of earthquake preparedness. Cerro Coso used this opportunity to practice how to prepare for, survive, and recover from a damaging earthquake. During this year’s drill the college tested the phone and emergency notification systems, and practiced safe evacuation. “Regular and frequent emergency response training ensures we are prepared to address any emergency,” stated Lisa Couch Vice President of Administrative Services. “Practice makes preparedness and the Great ShakeOut allows us to practice to reduce chaos and confusion during an emergency.” More than 24 million people participated in this year’s Great ShakeOut worldwide. Nurtured. Engaged. Connected.

Transfer Awareness Week

Transfer is a central mission of Cerro Coso Community College and we honor that mission by providing a week of transfer-related services that educate our students about the transfer process and encourage them to consider all of their transfer options. This year’s activities kicked off on October 1st and a series of workshops were held throughout the week providing information on how to prepare for transfer, the transfer process, programs, and timelines. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Connected. Valued.

Transfer Day

Students, parents, and community members were given the opportunity to talk with representatives from a number of educational institutions and organizations during Transfer Day on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, in the Fountain Courtyard of the Ridgecrest Campus. The event offered a unique chance for area residents to connect with the schools they are considering to ask questions, gather materials, and make comparisons without having to schedule multiple meeting. Representatives from Brandman University, California Baptist University, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Sacramento, Grand Canyon University, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, National University, Private Universities and Colleges, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, University of La Verne, University of Phoenix, and Cerro Coso were in attendance to answer questions. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Connected.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

College Closed November 11

The Coyote Howler is a publication of Cerro Coso Community College. For more information about the stories in this publication, or to include information in this publication, contact Natalie Dorrell, Public Relations

Director, at 760-384-6260 or email ndorrell@cerrocoso.edu.

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PORTERVILLE COLLEGE

About this Publication

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2019 Employee Giving Campaign— Be A HeroEveryday employees, everyday heroes, working together to help the College, our students, and their colleagues. Giving is their superpower. The CCCC Foundation’s Employee Giving Program provides an opportunity for our employees to make an even greater collective impact in the lives of our students. Who are these everyday heroes masquerading as Cerro Coso employees? Which of their super powers

will they use to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or fly high above our campuses with their capes outstretched? No matter what their powers, and personas, their contributions to our college, our students, and their fellow employees are nothing short of heroic. You too can be a Cerro Coso Super Hero? As a CCCC employee, you have an amazing power—the power to transform lives. You can be a hero for students by supporting the CCCC Foundation through payroll deduction and helping to fund scholarships, emergency funding, programs, equipment, professional development, and more. Talk about using your power for good! Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Valued.

Flex your giving powers and make a gift today.Contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at Ext. 6262 for more information.

Giving Hope and Changing Lives

The CCCC Foundation will be participating in an Alternative Gift Fair on Saturday, November 16, 2019, from 10am to 2pm at the SpringHill Suites Conference Center. Local non-profits will join with the Rotary Club of China Lake for the first Alternative Gift Fair—a gift fair that is like no other—designed to give hope and encouragement to those in need, and give inspiration to those who participate. Not sure what to get Grandma or Dad for the holidays this year? How about a one year parking pass for a student, or a monetary donation to the Hunger Free program to assist students with food insecurities, or a donation towards a college text book. Alternative giving is making a donation to a non-profit organization in honor of a loved one. It shows those on your list how much you care, and it also makes an important impact on individuals in your community. Join us and enjoy a pleasant, stress-free holiday experience, and learn more about local nonprofits and their good work. Directed. Focused. Nurtured. Valued.

Education is the Key to Opportunity. Your gift changes lives. It supports the education and preparation of a new generation of global leaders.

FOUNDATION FEATURE