Larry LaRue:
Cosmetology student eccentric, but in the best way possible
Daniel Bacon is an eccentric. Take last week. The Clover Park Technical College
cosmetology student, who has tattoos all over his body, face and hands, was
driving around after classes when saw a long-haired homeless man at the end
of an offramp. Bacon pulled over, grabbed his gear and asked the man
if he’d like a haircut. ... “Everyone at Clover Park knows me, knows
what I do,” Bacon said. “They inspire me and instruct me.” When school
maintenance worker Alan Mershon went to the cosmetology department at the
Lakewood school asking if a student might be able to help him, it was no
surprise the request was passed to Bacon. Mershon’s 38-year-old
stepdaughter, Sunny Day Wick-Holcomb, is in the final stages of multiple
sclerosis.
The News Tribune. March 16, 2015
Opinion: A
foundational education should be a birthright
By Kellie Purce Braseth, administrator at South Puget Sound Community College. There
was a time in our country when just knowing how to read, write and cipher
numbers was foundation enough to compete in the economy. Certainly in the
20th century, completing high school meant one had achieved a foundational
education and could go out into the world to thrive and earn a living
wage. Fifteen years into the fast-paced 21st century, we see the bar
rising to include at least a couple of years of college beyond 12th
grade. The thing is, lack of a foundational education is the ugly twin
brother to poverty. And arched together, they create the doorway through
which walk nearly all our social ills. Fortunately, the simple act of
educating a single person can change their life and ripple across
generations of their family members.
The Olympian, March 16, 2015
Skagit Valley
College alum wins honor from state board
When she was younger, “college” wasn’t a word Yadira Rosales heard very
often. ... Rosales was recently honored by the state Trustees Association of Community
and Technical Colleges as one of five awarded with the
annual Transforming Lives award. The award honors students and alumni who
have shown that an education from any of the state’s 34 community or
technical colleges has changed their lives. ... Rosales was a senior
in high school when she married her husband Josue and had her first child,
she said. A Skagit
Valley College employee helped guide her through the
system, and now, as a college employee she gets to do the same.
Skagit Valley Herald, March 16, 2015
Professor
Duncan McClinton honored
The Pierce College 2014
Distinguished Faculty Award winner Duncan McClinton was honored in late
February during an annual celebration of teaching excellence. The professor
of English was chosen by his colleagues to receive this award, and shared
with the audience a piece of his own personal work during the festivities.
... McClinton has been working in higher education for 22 years,
teaching at a variety of colleges including Central Washington University,
Antioch University, North
Seattle College and Whatcom
Community College, to name a few.
The Suburban Times, March 16, 2015
CPTC: The
president’s Unsung Hero for March
As the associate director of eligibility programs at Clover Park Technical College,
Fran Matz oversees the Opportunity Grant and BFET programs. Because of her
work to increase student success and educational access, Matz was selected
the President’s Unsung Hero for the month of March. But Matz believes
the true heroes are the students who strive to eliminate barriers to their
education.
The Suburban Times, March 16, 2015
CBC surgery
tech instructor is a cut above the rest
Lovers of the TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy should know it
takes some liberties with storytelling, says a Columbia Basin College
surgical technology assistant professor. Doug Hughes isn’t talking
about the personal entanglements the show’s characters tend to find
themselves in, or the extreme medical cases they contend with. Rather,
Hughes takes issue with how such shows depict doctors — not surgical technologists
— as working one-on-one with surgeons in the operating room.
Tri-City Herald, March 15, 2015
Opinion: Closing
the justice gap
Michelle Cummings never went to law school. Her formal college education
ended in 1998, with a paralegal studies degree from Highline College
in Des Moines, Wash. But this summer, Cummings could start taking on legal
clients who need help filing for divorce or child custody. Like a fully
licensed attorney, she’ll be able to open an office and set her own
fees. Cummings is part of Washington state’s ambitious experiment to
revolutionize access to legal services, particularly among the poor.
Washington Post, March 13, 2015
Skagit Valley
College helps exchange students learn language, culture
Nearly 5,000 miles away from their alma mater in Tenri, Japan, 28 exchange
students are spending Wednesday afternoon learning about pottery. The
students are visiting Skagit Valley for three weeks as part of an exchange
program with Skagit
Valley College. The students, who range in age from 19 to
21, are all majoring in English.
Skagit Valley Herald, March 13, 2015
From Maple
Valley to Afghanistan and back
From cleaning carpets to dodging land mines and eluding snipers in southern
Afghanistan, Najib Noori has quite a tale to tell. Najib’s story started in
Afghanistan, where he was born. He dropped out of high school halfway
through his junior year to avoid joining the military once he graduated. At
the age of 20, Najib and his family moved from Kabul, Afghanistan to
Pakistan as refugees around the same time the Soviet Union was pulling
their troops out of Najib’s home country – 1988. After living in Pakistan for
about two years, the family of 11 gained political asylum and moved to
America. ... Speaking very little English, Najib started taking
college classes at South
Seattle College to improve his language skills. The culture
and customs in the Middle East are very different compared to the U.S., he
said.
Maple Valley Reporter, March 13, 2015
Reclaiming
Futures: A celebration of second chances
At 20, Jordyn Brougher is studying at Shoreline Community College for
nursing assistant credentials. She has a part-time job. She has bigger
dreams, too, of working in music production. “Pretty much I'm making
steps for myself,” she said. The Lynnwood woman's sights are set on a
successful, fulfilling future. Five years ago, the picture was bleak.
Everett Herald, March 13, 2015
Cadets train
for pepper spray pain
On a blustery day in March, no one wants to stand downwind of someone
holding a can of pepper spray. But for the 36 Parks Law Enforcement
Academy cadets gathered together for training at Skagit Valley College on
Thursday, it’s just one more thing to face head-on in order to get the
certification they need to become park rangers. The cadets, who hail
from 18 different states, including Hawaii, all have the same goal in mind
— to serve in the state and national park systems. “They come here
specifically to do this training,” said Bill Overby, co-chair of Skagit
Valley College’s criminal justice department, noting that the college is
only one of seven community colleges in the country that offers the program.
Skagit Valley Herald, March 13, 2015
CBC emeritus
professor wins People’s Choice at Bellevue Art Museum Biennial
An emeritus art professor from
Columbia Basin College recently won one of two prizes for
the Bellevue Art Museum’s latest Biennial exhibition. Morse Clary, who
retired from CBC in 1998, took home the Samuel and Patricia Smith People’s
Choice Award for the six pieces he displayed in the show. The honor, named
after a Washington State University emeritus president and his wife, came
with a $5,000 cash prize.
Tri-City Herald, March 12, 2015
Klallam culture
showcased at first-ever Peninsula College Longhouse Native Cultural Fair
With her song, 15-year-old Leelah Smith wowed her crowd. Leelah, a
student of the Klallam language at Port Angeles High School, sang “Amazing
Grace” — alternating verses in English and Klallam — during the Peninsula College
Longhouse's first-ever Native Cultural Fair on Thursday.
Peninsula Daily News, March 12, 2015
Students, staff
push for more suicide prevention resources on campus
Juliana Borgess and Emily Murphy share a common bond beyond being fellow
students at the University of Washington. They have both lost loved ones to
suicide. ... "In many ways it's sort of breaking the
silence," said Lori Miller. Miller has been a counselor at Seattle Central College for
18 years. She sees at least a student a week who has had suicidal
thoughts. "If you talk with someone who is suicidal, they're
scared and they want to be seen. And they're really, really relieved,
because it's really heavy to hold on to," said Miller. Miller
also hopes lawmakers will pass House Bill 1138 to create a task force on
suicide prevention in higher education.
KING 5, March 12, 2015
Message of hope
shared by teenage suicide survivor
For one teen who suffered from severe depression, finding help wasn't easy.
But once she did, she turned her life around and now inspires
others. Serena, a Bellevue
College student, shows her bravery by simply talking about
her story. She's speaking out to help others at risk. "I tell
[troubled teens] sharing your story isn't something to hide because that's
what makes you strong," explained Serena. "You should be proud of
how far you've come."
KING 5, March 12, 2015
SULYP honors
emerging leaders
The Seattle Urban League of Young Professionals (SULYP, 105 14th Ave.,
Suite 200) is honoring six Emerging Leaders at the “Seattle Nights”
10th-anniversary Emergence Gala on Sunday, March 14. The selected
leaders demonstrated excellence, creativity, personal and professional
growth and give back to the community. SULYP leadership selected the
winners. The winners are William Washington, owner of Innovative Men’s
Clinic; David Pierre-Louis, owner of Dicul Vodka and Lucid Lounge; Dumi
Maraire, rapper and community activist; Merrisa Tatum, assistant director
of recruitment and outreach at the University of Washington; Jaebadiah
Gardner, founder and CEO of Gardner Global Inc. and managing partner of
OnPointe Real Estate Services, LLC.; and Nicholas Russ, professor at Bellevue College.
Capitol Hill Times, March 12, 2015
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