The Movie Black Swan

I highly recommend the movie The Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman from Star Wars and Mila Kunis from That 70s Show.  The movie features Nina (Portman) as a ballerina with a prominent New York ballet company who is asked to dance the parts of the Queen Swan from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and the evil Black Swan.  Nina has to transform herself from the graceful and beautiful White Swan to a dark, sadistic, and alluring Black Swan.  Here in lies the struggle, the movie portrays Nina as a timid, conservative prude that has the perfection of the White Swan down to an art, however as the Black Swan she fails to connect with the audience of her lust and passion because of her inability to "let go" of her control and obsession with perfection.  Without giving the movie away, it travels with Nina as she tackles her darkest demons in order to bring out that Black Swan within her.  Many times you think Nina is on the verge of her own sanity.  It is visually stunning, and if you are in dance the way I am, you are at the edge of your seat the entire time they are on stage.  The dance sequences are typically short put full of cinematography that makes you feel like you're right in the audience of the actual ballet.  I highly recommend seeing this movie, it's passionate, dark, gritty, and visually amazing.

Selecting the Students for ACE

ACE is a scholarship program, meaning not all the students who apply get in.  Out of the 400 students that apply every year, only about 180 are selected.  The students are selected based upon financial need and an essay that they are asked to write.  The program is not an academic based program, meaning we accept applications from any sophomore that applies regardless of high school GPA.  However, in order for the students to be taken into consideration they must acquire two letters of recommendations from current teachers.  Typically, if the students are not doing well in their high school classes, they will not be giving a good recommendation.  What we find is that the students who are serious about taking college classes while they are in high school are students with fairly good, to excellent GPA's.  Currently we have been accepting the new applications for the new cohort of 2011.  It took us four weeks to schedule and present to all the sophomores at 8 high schools in our footprint.  Out of those high schools, we handed out over 1000 ACE applications, and out of those we have received close to 400 applications.  Once we evaluate the applications and selected the fortunate few, the students will start the program the first summer semester in June at South Mountain Community College.

ACE Planning Events

This last month we planned for the following semester.  Aside from the classes that the students take, they also have to participate in workshops.  The workshops for the following semester are different for juniors and seniors.  Our juniors will continue to take the 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teems by Sean Covey which helps them manage their time and creat healthy habits in order to be successful in high school as well as with ACE Program.  In addition to the 7 Habits Workshop, the junior males also participate in the 6 Most Important Decisions, also by Covey, which helps our young men make right choices and take ownership of those choices.  Our seniors will be taking workshops to understand and apply for FAFSA and scholarships to help them find the funds that they will need to finance their education.  It is our job to make sure these workshops happen, we need to book the rooms on the campuses, hire the facilitators, order the food that will keep the students from leaving (if you feed them, they will come), ACE is not only about taking college courses, but also about being successful in as many aspects of college as possible.

ACE Registration for Spring 2011

In reality there isn't anything particularly fun about registering 300 students for classes next semester.  However, seeing that I have already written about all the fun stuff the ACE Program does, a lot of the behind scene task that need to be done are behind the scene for a reason.  This last week, exactly a week, I stayed in my office and individually registered 300 students for their classes next semester.  I bring up the student's profile, check their test scores, check to see what classes they have already taken, and register them for the classes that they have not taken.  Keeping in mind that as a program we request a certain amount of classes from the college and the classes we request we have to make sure they fill.  So another one of my jobs is to make sure that all the classes have a full roster, if not then the college will drop the course for under enrollment and the department chairs as well as the instructors will be upset for not filling the class.  The work is slow, tedious, and redundant, but if the students are not enrolled, we wouldn't have a program.

South Mountain Community Colleges Affluent Latino's

When I first started at South Mountain Community College (SMCC) I didn't know what to expect. I figured it was going to be the same as working at Phoenix College (PC) where I was for three years.  The first thing I realized was that PC and SMCC were nothing alike.  First of all PC has approximately 12k students where as SMCC has about 5k.  In terms of diversity PC is much more diverse than SMCC, this is where I saw the most distinction.  Although PC is more diverse, because it is an inner city college, the majority of the students that enroll in PC belong to the inner city, which are typically poorer than the suburbs.  Now, I am generalizing and these comparisons are based upon my own personal and anecdotal experience.  When I first arrived at SMCC, immediately I realized that there where more Latino's than any other ethnicities.  Additionally I realized that in my perception they were more affluent than the Latino's that I grew up around.  Drawing comparisons from my experience growing up in an inner city school and working for an inner city college I made these following distinctions.  The majority of the parents that I came across at Alhambra High School, and PC, were lower working class.  My mom cleaned houses, my dad worked in construction.  Both lived paycheck to paycheck, poorly educated, and weren't able to help me get through college because they had no clue what college was all about.  Many of my friends parents lived in the same conditions.  Adversely, speaking to some of the students that attend SMCC, I found that their parents, although still working class, had better jobs that paid more.  Many of the parents were college educated, professors, and professionals, this was something that in the inner city is not seen as often.  So naturally it gives them the ability to move to the suburbs, with nicer houses, safer neighborhoods, and better schools.  The houses around the SMCC are more expensive, and in order to live here you obviously need more money which means you need a better job.  I found that although PC and SMCC are in the same city, they served different pockets of society, even within the Latino community.  So although we are all Latino's we grew up very differently, which is okay.  It was simply walking into a different world for me.

Personal Post - Book: The Lost Symbol

Another Dan Brown book that you can't put down.  Or at least I couldn't, even when I knew I had to read other books for class and what not, but Brown has the ability to hook you in every single chapter.  Brown's main character for the third time, Robert Langdon battles the forces of evil using clues, solving puzzles, and running from authorities that are good, but can also be bad and you never really what's going to happen.  Which is why I find his work very enjoyable and fun to read.  This time the action takes place in our nation's capital, but as usual, all of it happens in one night.  Which again why I find his reads so much fun, at the end of every chapter there is a hook that forces you to read the next, and next, and so on.  In my opinion as a average reader I find Brown's work very entertaining, uses a lot imagery, so much so that it's hard not to imagine what he's writing.  All the action plays our right in your mind as though it were a movie script you were reading.  I also like it because I am a staunch liberal who deeply believes in the separation between church and state.  Without getting too deep for a class, he speaks of God as something so omnipresent that God doesn't need a religion to exist.  I agree with this notion, too often I find that people are so blinded by religious dogma that they can't see the forest from the trees.

Personal Post - Cooking

I have made it a goal to go to culinary school after I finish my studies at ASU.  Growing up with my mom in the kitchen of our home as well as the restaurant she inherited from her family undoubtedly had some influence in me feeling most comfortable in a kitchen.  I find it is the only place in my house where I feel completely happy in, yet I can lose my self there for hours.  In fact when I am stressed I tend to spend hours cooking, creating, or recreated some of my mom's best dishes.  Almost to the point where there are times I believe I've outdone even her.  I started cooking as soon as I was able to stand on my own, there is a photo in my mom's kitchen where I am barely three standing on a chair stirring a pot of rice.  Growing up I resented both of my sisters for calling me Betty Crocker, but you ask them now to make any of my mom's dishes and they gladly defer to me.  Neither know any of her recipes.  This was when reality set in that cooking is not only a craft, or art, but also a passion.  You have to really like to do it, to be any good at it.  Yet it is completely taken for granted, even if we eat three times a day, everyday.  My only wish is that it paid as much as other sectors in society and was seen for the art that it truly is.  Then I would much rather see myself graduated from culinary school, instead of ASU, then culinary school.

Maricopa Community College Professional Staff Association

Every semester a group called the Maricopa Community College Professional Staff Association (MCCD-PSA) convenes to act as an advocacy group for all staff members at the college and throughout the district.

This is their mission statement taken from their website:

Maricopa County Community College District, Professional Staff Association is committed to providing a united voice for Professional Staff employees by encouraging professionalism, education, advancement, friendship, diversity and volunteerism.

I have mentioned in previous post that I have worked for several years at Maricopa Community Colleges, specically at  Phoenix College, however this is my first permanent position at South Mountain Community College.  As a permanent board approved employee I have the privilage of becoming apart of this group.  Just to bring some prespective, PSA is one of several groups across the campuses.  There is also the Faculty Group, Adjuct Faculty Group, Management, Administration, & Techonogy Group (MAT), and the Maintenance & Operations Group.  PSA from my understanding is the largest epmployee group, we are considered the "worker bees", at least in terms of the day-to-day operations for the students, the college, and the many programs. Additionally we have more rights as employees laid out by our group charter, I'm still learning those right. 

I attended the first meeting and got to know the other PSA members, vote for our group cabinet members, but above all I enjoyed the activities that the PSA members participate in every year.  We are actively involved with book scholarship fundraisers where we raise funds to buy books for students who need help purchasing books.  The help we offer is small but for the students it means a lot since they don't have to pay for some books.  Even if we save them $100, they show their gratitude to the PSA groups, other employee groups do the same.  I believe this is a great way for everyone to contribute a little, but together make a big impact on our community.

Career Service Post - Maricopa Community Colleges' Creative Pathways

Every semester the Maricopa Community Colleges District Office hosts an employee orientation to educate the incoming employees on the culture of Maricopa.  Although I have worked for Maricopa before, I was prompted to attend because I am new to South Mountain Community College.  At first I went kicking and screaming, because I figured it would be another four hours of the history, goals, culture, etc, etc, of Maricopa.  Although I did relearn all this information, I was happy I attended because I learned of the Maricopa Community Colleges' Creative Pathways.  Which up to this point I had not learned much about it, below is a synopsis from their website:

Creative Pathways offers eligible MCCCD employees a variety of opportunities to work toward their professional and personal goals, while at the same time, advancing the educational objectives of the Maricopa Community Colleges. These opportunities have been designed to provide employees with real-world learning experiences for the purpose of acquiring new knowledge, skills and abilities and to help employees consider career options and identify important career development activities.

I found this interesting because I was able to speak to several members that have participated in this program.  What I learned that the program gives us the employees the ability learn new skills across departments.  Essentially in professional development, the skills you learn from other departments help you strengthen your own in your department as well as gives the participants a better understanding of how other departments work.  Many times we work in silo's, meaning Financial aid only works on financial aid issues, and Admissions and Records (A & R) only work with A & R issues.  Learning both would give anyone an advantage, not only in how the process of something is suppose to get accomplished, but also in the rationale, guidelines, and communication between departments.  As an institution we begin to illuminate barriers that affect students as well by increasing effectiveness and efficiency across departments.  As an individuals we learn other ways of operating, developing processes, and create relationships across departments in the hopes that if one day there is a position available at a department I've trained for, I can be seen as a candidate for that position.

With an institution as large as Maricopa Community Colleges, one can get lost in the shuffle, this is a great way to stand apart, learn new skills, and train for future positions of greater responsibilities if need be.

ACE @ Valley Metro Light Rail Maintenance Facility

Last week we took 25 students to the Valley Metro Light Rail Maintenance Facility where they had a chance to experience how the facility works, maintain the carts, and first hand how the conductors operate the vehicles.

We arrived in the late morning where the facilitators gave a brief tour of the administrative piece of the operations building.  Nothing too exciting in reality, offices, a few technical rooms, but in general like any other business office.  Then we went on to the main conference room where they would be presenting on the engineering portions of the light rail system.  The conference room main window had a complete view of the light rail garage, where the trains would pull in to be maintained and worked on.  During the presentation the engineers spoke to the students of the different aspects that go into creating a system like the one in the valley.  Cost, building, material, locations, community, technology, infrastructures.  In general the students realized that there is a lot of planning, money, and time that goes into creating a light rail system like the one we have now.  One of the students commented that it didn't seem like it was that complicated, but after having spoken to some of the main engineers he realized why it was as big of an accomplishment as it was.

After getting the facts and figures of the system, the VM team took us on a tour of the facilities.  We got to the different bays that carts can either be worked on from the bottom, top, sides, interior, etc.  After touring the main garage, we headed out to view the car wash, then they took us on a ride along their 4 mile test track.  Here the operator laid out the different levers, buttons, monitors, and switches the train had.  Some of the students had the opportunity to sit in the conductors seat and move the cart forward.  Which at that point I was green with envy because growing up I always wanted to be a train conductor.  Unfortunately they only let the students play with the trains, as a worker I was out of luck.  However, I still enjoy working here because I have the opportunity to learn like a student but get paid as an adult. :-)

Career Service Post - ACE @ Valley Metro Light Rail Maintenance Facility

I split this into two different post because I am taking one from the ACE students point of view and my point of view of what we learned while at the maintenance facility.

Last week we took 25 students to the Valley Metro Light Rail Maintenance Facility where they had a chance to experience how the facility works, maintain the carts, and first hand how the conductors operate the vehicles.

Since I was the main organizer of the field trip I was the constant point of contact between our ACE Program and with the representatives with Valley Metro.  I was surprised to learn that there are a lot of career opportunities with Valley Metro (VM).  I know it is naive of me to think that when it came to careers with VM, naturally I thought, bus drivers and now cart operators.  I never stopped to consider that those positions are only the face of VM, all the rest happens behind a curtain, administration, operations, engineering, and community relations to name only a few essential pieces behind the scene that comprises the entire make up of VM. 

I was especially drawn to the the last one, community relations, which is whom I was in constant contact with when we were planning the visit with the students.  This branch of VM is charged with the task of educating the community on the purpose, values, and benefits of using the mass transportation system in the Valley of the Sun.

At this point in dawned on me that I remember this representatives giving presentations on how to effectively and safely use the bus routes back when I was in grade school.  I found that one I am done at ASU I will be seeking opportunities with Valley Metro.  I never knew transportation could be so fun, encompassing, or essential to the vitality of the city. 

I made sure that my contact with Valley Metro knew that I would be open and willing to learn more about employment opportunities with their organization once I finish my schooling.

Knock Education Off It's Pedestal

At the same conference where I heard Sarita Brown, I also had the opportunity to listen to Jonathan Mooney speak about his dealing with education, in particular high school and what he said struck a cord.  Again I will post the weblink so you can read his bio and accomplishments.

In a nut shell he is a "writer and activist with dyslexia who learned to read when he was 12-years-old. He since earned an honors degree in English Literature at Brown University and has written and published two books." - mcli website.

One of the things he shared with us was that when he was a high school student one teacher in particular let him know that he wasn't going to be successful because of his learning differences.  I drew upon similar experiences, when I was in junior high I tested into high school honors English, yet I was never given English Honors Classes.  After visiting with my counselor, he suggested that "honors was too difficult, I should be happy that I was doing regular English and not having to work so hard."  So I stayed in regular English, because at my age and experience I was convinced he was right. 

Where do people like this come from anyway?!  Who are they to make that judgement that because they believe something should be a certain way, they will force their will to get it done, even if it doesn't have anything to do with their own future.

When telling the story, Mooney mentioned that we as educators have to be knocked off our pedestal.  I agree with Mooney completely in this notion.  We tend to equate education with power and authority over what is right and just, when this couldn't be further from the truth.  If anything, an education has taught me, that there is not finite answers, just a world of possibilities (without sounding cliche) depending on what side of the fence you are standing on. 

Wouldn't it have been better for that teacher to say "don't let learning differences stop you from learning how to overcome them in order to be successful."  Or in my case, "Honor's is more difficult but there are ways to manage the extra work, let me show you how."

As I continue my work with my students, I hope and yes pray that I don't lose my faith in my work so much so that I turn inward, bitter, and jaded.  The purpose of my position is to give hope to students who have never had it, not take away what little they have left.  In general I believe education is extremely important, but we shouldn't let that power get to our head.  We aren't THAT important, obviously or perhaps we wouldn't have as many dropouts as we do in this country. 

2010 Maricopa Community College Student Success Conference

This twenty-second annual Student Success Conference hosted by Maricopa Community Colleges is geared towards staff, administrators, and faculty in an effort to share best practices and come up with ideas on how to better serve the population of students that attend the collection of community colleges.

As is usual there is a an opening speaker to get everyone motivated and this year I have to say that I connected with what Sarita Brown had to say in terms of breaking down the barriers that education itself places in front of students.

Sarita Brown, the morning speaker is the president of Excelencia in Education, a not-for-profit research in education company.  You can read her bio and contributions by logging onto the weblink below.  I found that I connected with everything she said in regards to helping students achieve more by taking ownership of their empowerment.  In fact I have made it my mission with the ACE Program and in general with South Mountain Community College to help students find solutions to as much as possible.  For instance, walking them to a classroom, rather than pointing to a map and saying figure your way around a campus you've never been to before.  It's the little things that could help or hurt a student and in reality how much effort does it take to show a new student the ropes.  Or another example is sitting with a group of students and showing them online how to apply for FAFSA, as oppose to giving them a sheet and sending them home.  I still have fears of school and processes, but imagine being a returning student of 20 years, what must it feel like to be completely new to something you were once in, what hasn't changed?  We can't expect these students to just know what to do.

http://mcli.maricopa.edu/success

Hispanic Women's Conference - ACE Scholarship Recipients

During the Hispanic Women's Conference ten students from each of the Maricopa Community Colleges' ACE Programs are selected to receive a $1000 scholarship to help cover tuition and the cost of books.  This year the two students I nominated were selected to receive the award.  Both ladies come from similar backgrounds, first generation college students, eldest in their family, never really considered college as an option to them.  Both students are stellar students in high school as well as in the ACE Program, hold 4.0 GPA at the colleges, and no lower than 3.5 at their respective high schools.  To protect the anonymity I will not mention their names, however the first young lady is seeking a career in law enforcement, her goal is to get a degree in criminal justice, serve as a police officer with Phoenix Police Department and eventually get into investigations.  The second young lady is seeking a career in public broadcasting and is aiming for admittance to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Both young ladies have younger siblings that will hopefully follow in their footsteps by applying to the ACE Program and seek a higher education.  It made my day to see them receive their award that they have worked hard for and have the kind of positive personality that rubs off on all of us here at the college.  Two more ladies that we can expect great things in terms of contributions to all of society.  Congratulations to them for the future they will help create!

Hispanic Women's Conference

In October I took 11 young ladies from the ACE Program to the 2010 Hispanic Women's Conference Youth Symposium.  The purpose of the conference is to create a forum where Latina's (and others of course) can come together, network, share ideas, exchange best practices, and in general get to know other successful and aspiring Latina's in education and business.  For many of the young ladies it was the first time they got to see a heavy concentration of successful Latino's and Latina's in one area gathered and sharing their background as well as their accomplishments.  The schedule was packed this year, the ladies arrived at the conference at 8:00, they signed in, received a goody bag then went into the main hall where approximately 400 other young ladies from around the valley were awaiting the opening remarks.  Followed were three break-out sessions where the ladies learned how to finance a college education, plan career paths, and apply for financial aid.  Lunch followed immediately where they sat and watched a fashion show on how to dress for success.  For the last session the young ladies participated in speed networking, where they were given ten minutes to ask the diverse pool of mentors present anything from past experiences, tips on how to be successful, the importance of a college education, and how to keep a positive attitude despite adversity.  The ladies left there feeling inspired after seeing that being success comes through hard work and perseverance.  One young lady said "I realized that many of these people came from the exact same places that I came from and all they did was go to school, work hard, and now they have great careers.  I want to be like that."  Programs like these are essential to our social capital, they strengthen communities, and above all they great a common ground for all people who want something more for society.