Napa Valley College

NEWSMay 25, 2012

News for Students, Staff & FacultyWWW.NAPAVALLEY.EDU

"The future belongs to those

who believe in the beauty of

their dreams."

– Eleanor Roosevelt

Congratulations Graduates!

McPhersonDISTINGUISHED TEACHING AWARDS

Valedictory speakers Napa Valley College encourages students

who have a 3.5 GPA or higher to audition to address their classmates at graduation. The 2012 Valedictory speakers, selected by committee, will be Justine Manaid from American Canyon and Mohamad Jarada from Fairfield.

Justine Manaid, carrying a 3.89 GPA, is a member of the NVC Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. A graduate of the Psychiatric Technician program, she earned an A.S. degree last summer and has passed her board exam to get her license. From the Philippines, she recently earned her citizenship. She will speak of her challenges, the help she found along the way at Napa Valley College, and her new calling.

Mohamad Marwan Jarada, a graduate of Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, is earning an A.A. degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Napa Valley College. Mohamad has a 4.0

Prof. Andrea Bewick, center, was honored as the McPherson Distinguished Teacher at a ceremony May 11. She is pictured with, from left, Lissa Gibbs, executive director of the Napa Valley College Foundation; Sue Nelson, vice president of Instruction; Dr. Edna Baehre-Kolovani, college president, and Ann Cash, former Foundation director, representing the McPherson family.

Mohammed Jarada Justine Manaid

Members of the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees and college officials, from left, Michael Baldini, Tom Andrews, JoAnn Busenbark, Brenda Knight, Ruscal Cayangyang (student trustee), Oscar De Haro, Dr. Edna Baehre-Kolovani, Bill Blair and Bruce Ketron are pictured at the ceremony.

Counseling scheduleDue to budget restrictions and staffing

limitations,  the General Counseling Center will be closed from June 18 – 28, reopening for drop-in counseling on Monday, July 2.

GPA. He has also been active with the college honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, and he started the Napa Muslim Student Association. He is transferring to UC Berkeley in the fall to major in Social-Cultural Anthropology.  He will share how Napa Valley College changed his life. His inspirational message also references his family, his journey and the value of education.

The remodeling of Napa Valley Col-lege’s previous administration building into a Student Services Center was cele-brated with a ribbon cutting April 19, a highlight of the spring semester.

Designed to bring many student ser-vices together under one roof to better serve students, the remodel of Building 1300 was the final major Bond N project

at Napa Valley College. The centerpiece is a new Welcome Center for stu-dents and the community.

The office of Oscar De Haro, vice president of Student Services; Admis-sions and Records, Coun-seling offices, the Transfer Center and Career Centers, Student Life and ASNVC (student government), and Student Support Services are now in Building 1300 (Student Services I).

Remodeling has also been done in what is being called Student Services II, the existing Financial Aid area off the Quad and across from the college Bookstore. Trio Programs (Upward Bound and Talent Search) have now been relocated to that area, again consolidating services.

A Student Services Day was also held Continued Page 2

Spring Semester Highlights

Ribbon cutting at Building 1300It has been announced that NVC

President Dr. Edna Baehre-Kolovani will become president of Tidewater Commu-nity College (TCC) in Virginia. The NVC Board of Trustees selected a sub-committee which recommended the search firm of Professional Personnel Leasing, Inc. to start the process of find-ing an interim and permanent superin-tendent/president, working with repre-sentatives of campus constituent groups.

According to a release by Tidewater College, Dr. Baehre-Kolovani is expected to officially begin her new position on or about July 1, 2012. At deadline, no offi-cial announcement had been made on Dr. Baehre-Kolovani’s departure date.

Search process startsfor new president

May 25, 2012 – NVC News Page 2

Final Measure N Project benefits students

Jolie San Clair and Ruscal Cayangyang, Student Ambassador and student representative on the college Board of Trustees, show off the new Welcome Center, the heart of the newly remodeled 1300 Building.

Student Services were highlighted on the Library Plaza prior to the ribbon cutting.

Admissions and Records staff gathers at the new A&R window, the first point of contact for many students.

on April 19 with tables representing Student Services on the Library plaza. The goal, according to De Haro, was to increase awareness of available Student Services and have faculty and students meet Student Services staff.

Continued from page 1

Ramon Salceda of Talent Search, himself a NVC success story, welcomes students to the new Talent Search location near Financial Aid.

Serving studentsMany members of the Student Services “family” gathered to celebrate the Building 1300 ribbon cutting.

Vallejo Police Officer Jim Capoot among those honored at Memorial Run and Ceremony

Napa Valley College Police Academy hosted the 4th annual Law Enforcement Memorial Run which began and ended at

the Criminal Justice Training Center on campus May 4. Some 45 runners participat-ed including members of Cadet Class 84 and 85, staff members, and approximately 10 officers from the

Napa Sheriff ’s Department, Vallejo Police Department, and the Vacaville Police Department.

Following the run, par-ticipants gathered on the academy parade deck near the academy flag poles for a memorial reading of the names of law enforcement officers who have died in the line

of duty since last May. Several cadets took turns reading details of the inci-dents which resulted in loss of life and personal details about the officers who were lost in the line of duty. Members of the academy classes and law enforcement guests stood at attention in silence as the names were read.

Geoff Rochester with the Napa County Sheriff ’s Department introduced Vallejo Police Department Officer Alex Caragan who expressed gratitude on behalf of the family of the late Vallejo Officer Jim Capoot.

Scholarship Ceremony held

The annual Scholarship Ceremony staged by the Napa Valley College Foundation was held May 24 in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) Main Theater.

Thank you to this year’s Scholarship Committee and members of the NVC Financial Aid staff for working with the NVC Foundation to award 170 NVC students $114,200 in NVC Foundation scholarship support and $36,350 in community partner support, said Lissa Gibbs, Foundation executive director.

Registration opens June 18 for Psychiatric Tech Program

Registration for the upcoming Psychiatric Technician class of fall 2012 will be from June 18-21. Students are accepted on a first come, first served basis. See the PT website for more information. Please do not arrive on campus before 6 a.m. on June 18.

For more information contact, Peggy Carroll, assistant director, Psychiatric Technician Program, 707-256-4512.

May 25, 2012 – NVC News Page 3

Former and current Napa Valley College students Susannah Grier, Jacqueline Prescott-Frazier and Paul Martinez-Everett earned top state honors by being tapped for the All-California Academic Team. The Phi Theta Kappa honor society members won spots on the second team and were recognized at a Sacramento luncheon.

Prescott-Frazier, who has a 4.0 GPA, is graduating from Napa Valley College on May 25 with an associate’s degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Napa native’s plans for fall include attending UC Santa Cruz, where she’ll be studying anthropology.

“It is very rewarding to have my academic achievement recognized,” said Prescott-Frazier, a member of the college’s Anthropology Club. “I have enjoyed the convenience of Napa Valley College being minutes away from my home and the range of excellent classes to choose from. Napa Valley College has given me a great foundation for my future.”

When she’s not pursuing academic endeavors, Prescott-Frazier works at Barneys New York and is part of

Napa’s Bleeding Heart Bellydance troupe. In the future, she intends to earn master’s and doctorate degrees and become a college professor.

Paul Martinez-Everett is an economics major and president emeritus of Phi Theta Kappa.

A North Bay Area native, Martinez-Everett said he “struggled with academics” as a younger student. Today, the former carpenter is maintaining a 3.89 GPA and had a hand in launching the honor society’s volunteer tutor program. He’s also participating in the Napa Restored Literacy program. “When I discovered

that I was selected for the academic team I felt an overwhelming sense of joy,” he said. “I struggled for so long with school and it finally felt as if all of my hard work was paying off.”

After completing his studies at Napa Valley College, Martinez-Everett will be applying to UC Berkeley or UC Davis, where he plans on majoring in economics. His ultimate goal is to either attend law school or earn a master’s degree in business. Martinez-Everett said thanks to his current studies, he’s off to a good start.

“I think that the NVC professors really help lay out the best possible map for success,” he said. “In addition, their support in helping students with scholarship letters, letters of recommendation, or just an ear to listen is what makes this place unique.”

Former Napa Valley College student Susannah Grier is majoring in speech therapy at California State University, East Bay. She has a

4.0 GPA and was recently accepted to the university’s speech pathology master’s program.

From 2004 to 2011, Grier attended Napa Valley College,

where she directed and choreographed dance pieces for student performances and participated in faculty shows. These days, she’s coaching university students with disabilities for campus performances. Grier, who is living with a disability herself, said she was “surprised and honored” to be named for the All-California Academic Team.

“It felt like all my hard work was really being recognized and that made me want to keep on achieving as a student,” she said. “I had some doubts as an older reentry student about being able to keep up with my classmates – but what I found out is that I truly am a scholar and I love

to learn.”Grier, who is working toward

a career in speech therapy to help veterans, enjoys traveling in her free time. Among her past destinations are India, China and Mexico. Grier also has a passion for the creative arts, which she demonstrated by lending a hand for various

performances while attending Napa Valley College.

“I find Napa Valley College a great place for reentry students like me to feel comfortable going back to school,” she said. “In short, Napa Valley College is a place to start working on your dreams.”

Prof. Cathy Gillis, a lead honor society advisor and English professor at Napa Valley College, said she is very proud of the students’ accomplishments and their representation of the college.

“These students were chosen out of the many worthy students because of their high academic achievement, as well as their community involvement,” Gillis said.

Napa Valley College students honored at state level

2012 Chamber of Commerce AwardsMarissa Castaneda, a spring

2012 Napa Valley College graduate, was named the Napa Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Napa Valley College Student of the Year for 2012.

Castaneda, who is receiving an associate’s degree in Social Science, inspired several nominations for the award. Her nominators include Prof. Carlos Hagedorn of Napa Valley College’s humanities department, Jose Hernandez, the college’s Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program director, and current Napa Valley College student and former Chamber awardee, Karla Gomez-Pelayo.

The Napa Chamber Foundation and Mechanics Bank sponsor the annual recognition as one of several community awards. Castaneda, who was honored with other Chamber community award-winners at a luncheon on May 24 at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa, said

she was not expecting the honor.

“I was shocked,” she said. “It means a lot to my family and me. I feel blessed to have this opportunity after the hard work I have put in my academics and community service.”

Castaneda, whose GPA is 3.77, will be transferring to UC Berkeley to study sociology. She’s getting a head start on her career aspirations of going into education or immigration law by working as a student outreach team member for Educators for Fair Consideration. The San Francisco-based nonprofit provides scholarships, internships and other aid to low-income, undocumented students. Closer to home, her community leadership efforts include being the founder and president of

the college’s Sembrando Semillas Club. She’s also a co-founder of the Napa Valley Dream Act Coalition and was vice president of fundraising for the campus’ Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Castaneda has participated

in a number of community service projects, including fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society.

Hagedorn said Castaneda’s recognition is well deserved.

“When I first heard of Marissa’s award, I was so excited and proud of

her because I know how hard she has worked in both her academics and community,” he said. “Her ability to perform so successfully in academics while highly involving herself in the community has demonstrated to me that she has truly earned this award.”

Like Hagedorn, Hernandez said Castaneda, a first generation college student, has a bright future ahead of her.

“She has great potential and I know she’ll do great things in our community,” Hernandez said. “And what more can we ask for?”

Castaneda said moving on from Napa Valley College to UC Berkeley will be bittersweet.

“I really enjoy connecting with great professors and staff here on campus that have motivated me and believed in my hopes and aspirations,” she said. “I have enjoyed the preparation and all the doors that this campus has opened for me. It has been two wonderful years that have gone by fast.”

Hailing originally from Milpillas, Mexico, Castaneda’s parents are the co-owners of Don Perico Mexican Restaurant in Napa.

Jacqueline Prescott-Frazier

Paul Martinez-Everett

Susannah Grier

Student Success StoriesStudent Success Stories

May 25, 2012 – NVC News Page 4

Marketplace End of Year Photo GalleryEnd of Year Photo GalleryHigh School Breakfast

Mega Orientation

Marketplace

Day of SilenceZombies attack NVC!

Bike to Work Day

Upper Valley Campus News

Hospitality Symposium

Bravo to the Upper Valley Cam-pus staff and Judi Watkins, associate dean, for a successful year. She pro-vided leadership for a new outreach effort in Calistoga, in partnership with the Calistoga Family Center, to present a parenting class. The Napa Valley Cooking School held a suc-cessful open house and Market-place, photos far right. The campus was also the site of the well-attend-ed annual Hospitality Symposium.

Watch for more Spring photos to be posted on "Picture NVC"

on the college website.

VWT May Fair

NVC Chorale & Orchestra"Songs of the Human Spirit"

May 25, 2012 – NVC News Page 5

End of Year Photo GalleryEnd of Year Photo Gallery

Future NVC students The annual Educational Talent Search Middle School Career Exploration Day was very successful with more than 60 students attending from Silverado, Redwood, and Harvest Middle Schools. “Our students benefit immensely from being exposed to a college campus and to our wonderful programs and faculty available here at Napa Valley College,” said Ramon Salceda. Above, Prof. Antonio Castro gives a solar energy demonstration. Below, Kate Benscoter and Sue Engle share information on Health Occupations careers and some hands-on experiences. (Photos by Betty Malmgren)

MESA Science Fair

Child Development Center

NVC Booth at Earth Day

Jessamyn West Creative Writing Contest

Honor SocietyInduction Ceremony

BRAVOThere will be many personnel changes this

summer. A complete list of retirements and changes is not available as we went to press, but all deserve thanks and recognition for service to the college in these challenging times.

To honor all who are leaving the college, the Community Relations Office wanted to recognize Tim Clark as an example for his many years of service. We especially appreciate his support for campus events and ceremonies. Pictured above, left, with Prof. Richard DellaValle at graduation two years ago as they had fun “swapping” hats, his “can do” attitude and hard work behind the scenes is much appreciated. Best wishes and thank you, Tim.

MCI Drill

May 25, 2012 – NVC News Page 6

Classified Appreciation Week

Job Fair

5th Annual Transfer Fair

Warren Brusstar, Napa Valley College’s pitching coach, was inducted into the Cali-fornia Community College Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame May 17 in Bakersfield.

NVC sopho-more Brandon Cole, right, signed a letter of intent to play for Cal State Monterey Bay, an NCAA Divi-sion II school, and will receive a scholarship. He was hon-ored at a press conference and featured in the Napa Valley Register. Brandon was the Pop DuBose Scholarship recipient last year and has been an exemplary student-athlete here for the past two years, said Steve Ball, head Basketball coach.

Baseball coach Bob Freschi also had a player sign to continue his education and sport’s career. Trevor Diskin signed a letter of intent to play for San Francisco State, also a NCAA Division II school. He also received a scholarship.

Edward Beanes and Malia Palu, photo left, are pictured at the Spring Job Fair. It was held in the Library Plaza.

Another successful Transfer Fair celebrated student success. NVC graduates who have transferred spoke and answered questions, providing insight about the transfer experience. Bravo to Transfer Center staff and the student panel!

Student panelists from left Danielle Sigler, now at Sonoma State; Vanessa Reyes Walker, Sacramento State; Joel Ng, UC Davis, and Susannah Grier, CSU East Bay.

Sports wrap-up

Brandon ColeFile Photo by Richard Brunns

Classified Appreciation Week was held in April thanks to efforts by a volunteer committee and support from the Administrative Senate, Faculty Senate and individual donations. A luncheon was held on the Library Plaza and, photo left, Classified staff were honored by the college Board of Trustees. (See “Picture NVC” on the college website for additional photos.)

May 25, 2012 – NVC News Page 7

(Editor’s Note: From the daily magic in NVC classrooms, to those working behind the scenes…Bravo! In limited space it is difficult to adequately represent all the work and care given to several major ini-tiatives this year.)

Bravo to all those involved in SEM, Strategic Enrollment Management, this year. A great team effort! An end of the year celebration was hosted by Faye Smyle and Marci Sanchez to recognize participants. The leadership team (Sue Nelson and Betty Malmgren; Oscar De Haro was unable to attend) also expressed appreciation to Faye and Marci and all those who participated. Dr. Baehre-Kolovani was recognized for her vision and bringing SEM to the college. An update report will be given at the July summer Board of Trustees meeting.

Bravo also to all of the Inquiry Group participants involved in the ILO assessment process this semester. More than 20 faculty and staff members participated with Dr. Stephanie Burns, Prof. Eileene Tejada and Dr. Robyn Wornall providing support.

The Institute for Business Excellence, another major initiative

this year, benefited from leadership from Faye Smyle, Judi Watkins and Beth Pratt. See the Community Education schedule for updates on new classes and programs.

Bravo to the Health Occupations faculty and staff on many spring events from the Sim Center open house to very successful multi-agency MCI drill.

It was another outstanding year for Arts and Humanities with sold-out performances and special events. Congratulations to faculty, Sheri Miller, PAC general manager, and staff.

Kelly McCann, Marci Sanchez, Pam Rogers and Ann Yates were congratulated for an outstanding dance recital, a highlight of the semester.

Congratulations to the Napa Valley Ethnic Studies Advocates for a very successful screening of Precious Knowledge. It was standing room only in the PAC Main Theater. President Dr. Edna Baehre-Kolovani and Napa Valley Unified

School District Superintendent Patrick Sweeney opened the event by connecting Arizona's plight for Ethnic Studies to our own valley's educational institutions, said NVC faculty member Carlos Hagedorn in an email to the campus community. Hagedorn is pictured with the speakers including teacher Yolanda Sotelo, Arizona student Pricilla Rodriquez, and filmmaker Eren Isabel McGinnis.

NVC students Ventura Vega-Sierra, Jesus De Haro, Maria Garibay, Ilda Isela Fernandez, Luis Rodriguez-Sainz and Fernando Romero have been awarded the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship for 2012-13. Watch for more details. They will be working with Prof. Antonio Castro starting this summer.

The Napa Valley students Miguel Garibay, Fernando Romero, Luis Fuentes, Victor Roque, Ilda Fernandez, Maria Gutierrez and Kelsey Tu were selected to attend a Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) leadership conference in April in the Santa

BRAVO continued Page 7

Congratulations to our new ASNVC

2012-2013 Board!President

Jena Goodman

Vice PresidentKarla Marquez

Chief Financial OfficerAraceli Diaz de Leon

Public Relations OfficerCristhian Ayvar

Student TrusteeRuscal Cayangyang

Legislative Advisor IFahad Ahmad

Senator of Upper Valley CampusRhonda Donaldson

Senator of Special ServicesCandice Hunt

Senator of Fine ArtsEdgar Gutierrez

Senator of BusinessAntonio Padilla

Senator of Social SciencesStephanie Aviña

Senator of Health OccupationsAlex Morrell

Some positions are yet to be filled. Please contact Omar Pena if you are interested:

opena@napavalley.edu

When I first started at Napa Valley College, it seemed like two or three years was a lifetime. My story was typical of most students here; I didn’t do well in high

school. I goofed off, lived life, learned lessons and came back when I was ready. Ready for me happened to be 21. By that time, most of my high school classmates had done their two years and left to bigger and better things, or dropped out and gotten serious about their minimum wage jobs. There weren’t many people my age, and in classes I found it difficult, especially in the beginning, to be serious when fresh faced 18-year-olds would joke around in the back, thinking they had all the time in the world.

That’s the secret we don’t know as teenagers, while we struggle for power with our parents, wishing, praying and waiting till we are “older,” we don’t appreciate the time we do have to be children with little to no responsibilities. Time flies quickly. So the two or three years I spent at Napa Valley College, while

tedious at the time, are now a blur of generic classrooms, papers and subjects. While I may retain some facts and interesting new insights to life, there will always be the professors who stood out. The ones who inspired me to try and really care about what I am learning. There are a few professors who interested me enough to motivate me to continue even when I thought I couldn’t. And now, I am looking forward to learning more about my major.I have written on and off for the school newsletter for two years now. Writing for the newsletter not only gave me real life experiences of what my career will be like, but also gave me opportunities to write for local papers. My editor, Betty Malmgren, has been the biggest support and cheerleader in my quest for a journalism career. Working with her opened doors I don’t think I would have been able to reach on my own. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to dedicate all my time to writing as I have always maintained a job during my school years (and once topping it at three jobs).For all you full-time students and workers out there, I feel your pain. It’s from these experiences that I’ve learned to be more determined. If you want

something, you’re going to have to work extra hard at achieving it. We didn’t transfer from high school to a four-year school. Most of us took time off in-between, didn’t have the money, or were busy with life before returning to school. If we want to get a degree, we have to retrain ourselves to be students again. This takes more work than people who have always been in the groove of school.

We have to slush through the crowds of uninspired, unmotivated masses that aren’t serious about their future yet. It doesn’t matter if the baby’s sick, or the boss needs you in NOW, class has to always be a priority. While typical college students live in dorms and focus on school with their part-time jobs on the weekends, we are in it all, every second of everyday: working, studying, feeding kids, paying bills, driving here and there, seeing friends, visiting family, dealing with life’s problems, while still trying to maintain some sanity for ourselves. We work hard, and we deserve what we earn.

Wherever life may take you, whatever journey you decide to embark upon, I bid good luck to all of you and I’ll meet you at the top.

Student Corner Summer CampsNapa Valley College offers two summer

camps through the Business & Entrepreneur-ship Center (BEC). The camps are for high school and college students, ages 14 to 27 years old. Cost for each camp is 30 hours for $200 (including tuition, materials and refresh-ments.) Scholarships are available.

The Digital Media Boot Camp will be Monday to Friday, June 11 – 15; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at New Tech High School. Hands-on training is provided by James D. Brown, Ph.D., Digital Media Design instructor at New Tech High School. In addition to learning design software, the camp also presents career oppor-tunities available in the field of Digital Arts. For more information and to register, call the BEC at 707-253-3210 or visit www.becatnvc.org and click “Training Registration.”

The Business Boot Camp for Young Entre-preneurs will be held Monday to Friday, June 18 – 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NVC. NVC’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) offers this boot camp for students who want to explore the world of business and/or start a business.

Each camp is provided through a grant from the NVC Chancellor's Office and the Econom-ic Workforce Development Program with scholarship funds provided by local businesses. To register, call the BEC at 707-253-3210 or visit www.becatnvc.org and click “Training Registration.” Also, visit the YEP website at www.nvcyep.org to view the Business Boot Camp video featuring past YEP Business Boot Campers.

Jena Goodman

by Elyse Lopez

Endimanche

Napa Valley College News – BACK PAGE

is a publication for faculty, staff and students of Napa Valley College

and the community which the college serves.

Dr. Edna Baehre-Kolovani Superintendent/President

Betty Malmgren Director, Community Relations

Jan Schaefer Layout & Design

Acknowledgements Shannon Difilippo, Natalie Hoffman

NVC Print Shop Rick Foley, Nitu Singh

Photos by Betty Malmgren, Richard Brunsand Kelly Dunn

Napa Valley College News

Napa Valley College Board of Trustees

District 1 – Steven ReinboltDistrict 2 – Bruce KetronDistrict 3 – Brenda KnightDistrict 4 – Bill BlairDistrict 5 – Michael Baldini ................. ChairpersonDistrict 6 – JoAnn Busenbark .............. Vice PresidentDistrict 7 – Thomas Andrews Ruscal Cayangyang........... Student Trustee

Volunteers receive free admission to conference events

Residents of Napa, St. Helena and the surrounding areas can attend portions of the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, July 22-27, for free if they offer a spare room for an out-of-town conference attendee to use during the conference week.

The Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, now in its 32nd year as one of the nation’s most prestigious summer writing programs, is sponsored and hosted by Napa Valley College, with activities centered at the Upper Valley Campus in St. Helena.

Out-of-town attendees can either stay in local hotels or with community hosts who have a spare room and a desire to support the local literary arts. Priority for community housing is given to scholarship recipients who otherwise would be unable to afford the conference. Conference attendees are responsible

for their own transportation and food beyond conference-supplied meals. They’re individually screened and matched to potential hosts.

Community housing hosts can attend for free eight daytime lectures and four evening readings featuring conference faculty members – a $250 value.

Serving as conference poetry faculty are Eavan Boland, of 10 books of poetry, including Domestic Violence and Against Love Poetry and director of the creative writing program at Stanford University; Forrest Gander, , whose Core Samples from the World was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize; Brenda Hillman, author of eight volumes of poetry, including Pieces of Air in the Epic and Loose Sugar; and Arthur Sze, recently elected a chancellor of the American Academy of Poets, author of The Gingko Light and Redshifting Web.

Fiction faculty members

include Kevin Brockmeier, author of the novels The Illumination, The Brief History of the Dead and The Truth About Celia; Ron Carlson, author of ten books of fiction, most recently the novel The Signal (2009), and director of the graduate writing program at UC Irvine; Lan Samantha Chang, director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and author of Hunger, Inheritance and All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost; and Tayari Jones, whose 2011 novel Silver Sparrow was a finalist for a NAACP Image Award and hailed by author Alexander Chee as “a love letter to America and about America in a way I hadn't really seen before.”

To volunteer as a community host, contact Christine Palella, housing coordinator, via email at housing@napawritersconference.org. For further conference information, visit napawritersconference.org or facebook.com/napawritersconference.

Community housing hosts soughtfor Napa Valley Writers' Conference

Save the date!

Napa Valley College Veterans Conference will be July 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with speakers, panels, workshops and a job fair from noon to 4 p.m. It is co-sponsored by the Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Contact Edward Beanes at 256-7332 or ebeanes@napavalley.edu for more information.

Testing date

The next Police Academy test date is June 9. A full-time class will start in July 2012 and a part-time evening format class will start in September 2012. See www.nvccjtc.org for more information.

Graduation scheduled

The next Police Academy graduation ceremony takes place June 9 at 10 a.m. in the Gym.

Asian American Heritage celebrated

The Asian Student Union held an event “Embracing Asian American Heritage” on May 18. All students, faculty, and staff were invited to help celebrate May, Asian American Heritage Month.

Cruz area. Students were chosen based on their leadership potential.

Bravo to Umoja. Their spring Rites of Passage ceremony honored the students who completed the year-long Umoja learning community and other students who have participated in the Umoja community in other ways. This year 16 students were celebrated, reports Prof. Tia Madison. Howard Willis of SSS was guest speaker.

Prof. Maria Villagomez attended Latina Action Day in Sacramento with 10 CHA members in April. “We visited the State Capitol and lobbied for several bills that affect our communities, specifically the Hispanic community. For some of the students, it was their first time visiting the Capitol. It was an amazing experience for them,” she said.

A special Multi-media Art Exhibit at the UVC features new works by the students of Theo Fabian Becker, teacher at Napa Valley College since 1996. The exhibit continues through May 30. Students featured

include Debra Austin, David Blough, Sr., Heidi Brock Jeannine Burns, Jean Cullinane, Carol Dick, Jim Kozier, Don Maxcy, Peggy McConnell, Jane Meyers, Yvonne Piper and Joanie Seidel.

Bravo to Richard Bruns who was recognized by the Physical

Education and Athletic department on his retirement for his many contributions as sports information officer, much on his own time, and support of major events such as the Hall of Fame and Storm Classic Golf Tournament. Richard continues to teach racquetball.

NVC student Adam Mangosing received a Mayor's Image Award at a recent Vallejo City Council meeting for first aid he provided to a young boy who was hit by a passing car. A report in the Vallejo Times Herald, noted “Some nine years of Boy Scout first aid training,

combined with lessons from a first responder course at Napa Valley College, kicked in so automatically for Mangosing that he said he did not have to think twice about his actions.”

Student Support Services TRiO celebrated its 4th annual SSS TRiO awards for 51 SSS graduates and

transfers. The ceremony was held on May 11. The 2012 graduating class has many accomplishments; 18 students will be graduating with a 3.5 GPA or higher, 25 students with a 3.0 or above, and 35 students will be transferring to a 4-year college. Bravo to students and staff.

Bravo to all the Puente students participating in a spring talent show.

Bravo from Page 7