Center for Water Studies gives program more depth

It’s official. The Cuyamaca College’s Center for Water Studies is open for business and the program formerly known by the clunky title, Water and Wastewater Technology, is brandishing a new name.

Equipped with a state-of-the-art Field Operations Skills Yard and a newly renovated L Building complete with a water quality analysis laboratory, renovated classrooms and workshops for back flow, cross-connection controls and related hands-on courses, the Center for Water Studies was dedicated during a Jan. 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house.

“Nobody else west of the Rockies is doing what we’re doing here,” said Don Jones, who has overseen the transformation of Cuyamaca College’s Water and Wastewater Technology program into the Center for Water Studies.

The Center for Water Studies has been years in the making. In 2013, Cuyamaca College hosted a two-day meeting of water industry and community college managers to discuss how to train California's next generation of water industry professionals. What emerged was a strategy focusing on the importance of regional, ongoing partnerships between education and industry.  

                

Grossmont College's Theatre Arts launches 2019 spring season

The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department’s spring season gets under way Feb. 1 with the 14^th annual Inside the Actors Process: Monsters, Magic, and Mischief, followed by original productions of Spring Awakening in March and Failure: A Love Story in May.

Inside the Actors Process is an annual production that will be appearing at more than a dozen local high schools throughout the region as part of an ongoing effort at exposing teen audiences to the art of acting. Coordinated by Benjamin Cole, Inside the Actors Process: Monsters, Magic, and Mischief will be performed for the public at the Stagehouse Theatre on Feb. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.

Resilient Grossmont College student Quincy Hollings

Quincy Hollings

Quincy Hollings found himself at Grossmont College.

A product of San Diego’s impoverished City Heights neighborhood and raised by a single mom who worked two jobs to support him and his younger sister, Hollings said the backing he found at Grossmont College has set him on a path toward becoming an English teacher. Hollings, 21, is majoring in English, works as an English tutor, has a grade point average of 3.7, and has received acceptance letters from San Francisco State University and California State University Channel Islands while awaiting word from several University of California campuses, San Diego State University, and others.
“If I were to describe myself with one word, that word would be resilient,” Hollings said. “There have been numerous circumstances which have threatened to slow my progression as a person, as well as a student. Yet I am a full-time, first-generation college student who continues to strive for greatness.”

 His accomplishments in the face of diversity resulted in Hollings being honored with an Umoja Scholarship from the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges during a Jan. 12 awards ceremony at Cuyamaca College. He hopes the award will be the first of many that will enable him to complete his educational goals.

Scholarships awarded to more than 200 Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students

Scholarship award winners

Almost $118,000 in scholarships were awarded to 216 Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students on Saturday in a ceremony that highlighted the struggles many of the students have overcome and the bright futures ahead of them because of their education.

“We believe in you and we’re investing in you,” Sally Cox, CEO of the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges, told the scholarship students at the event held at Cuyamaca College.

The scholarships were created from a variety of sources, including private donors who want to honor a deceased family member or colleague; businesses that want to assist college students with their education; or college departments that want to find another way to serve their students.

Cuyamaca College Powwow set for Feb. 2

A participant in the 2018 Cuyamaca College Powwow

Native American tribes from throughout the West will be well represented at Cuyamaca College’s 5th Annual Powwow on Feb. 2 – a free, public event celebrating American Indian culture complete with bird singing, gourd dancing, storytelling, and more.

More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the powwow, which is scheduled to commence with singers at 10 a.m., followed by gourd dancing at 11 a.m. and the grand entry of inter-tribal dances at noon. The powwow takes place at the Communication Arts complex quad off  Rancho San Diego Parkway and continues until 8 p.m.

A variety of traditional Native-American food will be on menu, including fry bread and Indian tacos, and an abundance of Native-American arts and crafts will be on sale.

Serving as powwow master of ceremonies is Randy Edmonds, who hails from the Kiowa and Caddo nations of Oklahoma and who has served as a powwow emcee for more than a half century. Victor Chavez is the arena director, Robert RedBear Solis is the head man, and Katianna Warren is the head woman. The Asha Takuk Bird Singers will share the traditional song of the Kumeyaay, and the Calpulli Mexihca Aztec Dancers will perform during a dinner break.

The powwow is sponsored by Cuyamaca College’s Native American Student Alliance, the Division of Equity & Engagement, Student Affairs and Associated Student Government.

The word powwow is the Anglicized version of the Algonquian term pau-wau, or pauau – which means “he dreams” – and referred to a religious gathering of medicine men and spiritual leaders. The modern-day powwow is rooted in a Pawnee religious ceremony dating to the early 19th century. Southern California powwow tradition includes bird singing, which tells the history of the Native American people.
Cuyamaca College has a long history of supporting Native-American students and Native-American studies. Its name comes from the Kumeyaay phrase “Ekwiiyemak” – which means “behind the clouds,” “above the rains,” and “the place where the rains come from the heavens” – and the campus is located on traditional Kumeyaay territory. Cuyamaca College became among the first community colleges in California to offer a degree program focusing on the language, culture, and history of a specific Native-American tribe when it unveiled its associate degree program in Kumeyaay Studies in 2015.

In addition, Cuyamaca College at the powwow will unveil the Richard DeCrane Native Community Leaders Scholarship. DeCrane spent the early years of his life on the Crow Reservation in Montana before moving as a young boy to the Navajo Nation, where he was raised by his maternal grandparents. A Navy veteran, DeCrane has long been involved in the Cuyamaca College Native American community. The Richard DeCrane Native Community Leaders Scholarship will be awarded each spring and fall. The $500 scholarship is open to all majors, but recipients must be a member of the Native American Student Alliance at Cuyamaca College.

Cuyamaca College Center for Water Studies Holds 2nd Annual Women in Water Symposium

                                                                          

                 

Girls and women interested in learning about career and advancement opportunities in the water and wastewater industry are encouraged to register for the Cuyamaca College Center for Water Studies’ 2^ndannual Women in Water – Exploring Career Pathways symposium on Jan. 17.

The all-day conference comprises two tracks of speakers: one for women contemplating a career change, military veterans transitioning to civilian life, and women already in the water and wastewater industry who are seeking professional development opportunities; the second for scores of high school girls in the region wanting to learn more about career opportunities as they near graduation.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Deputy General Manager, Sandy Kerl, will be the keynote speaker. Lan Wiborg, Deputy Director of Long-Range Planning and Water Resources for the City of San Diego, will moderate a general manager’s panel discussion that includes Tish Berge, General Manager at the Sweetwater Authority; Cari Dale, Water Utilities Director at the City of Oceanside; and Vicki Quiram, General Manager of the Carlsbad Municipal Water District. Topics of discussion in that and other panels will cover career pathways, the importance of forming mentorships, what it’s like for women to work in what is now a male-dominated field, developing leadership skills, and more.

“The Center for Water Studies is playing a critical role in training the next generation of water and wastewater industry professionals, and the Women in Water symposium offers an unparalleled opportunity to gain insights and develop connections that can lead to a rewarding, good-paying career,” said Center for Water Studies Program Chair Joe Young.

Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in San Diego County were earning an average annual wage of more than $70,000 annually as recently as May 2017, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Grossmont College football standout Jay Williams signs with Florida State University

Jay Williams and Coach Mike Jordan

Jay Williams’ teammates on the Grossmont College football team joke that he never smiles for his photographs. But Williams had a big smile on his face on Dec. 19 when he signed a letter of intent to play for Florida State University.


The 6 foot-6 inch, 290 pound offensive tackle chose the Seminoles among 20 offers he received from universities across the country, including the University of Arkansas, University of Indiana, and the University of Oklahoma. At a signing ceremony alongside Grossmont College Football Coach Mike Jordan, Williams thanked his family, coaches and teammates for believing in him.


“It’s been a long ride,” he said. “It’s a blessing that all of my hard work has paid off. I’m really grateful.”