Automotive Skills Day May 6 at Cuyamaca College

Cuyamaca College is gearing up for its annual Automotive Skills Day on May 6, a popular event showcasing the college’s renowned Automotive Technology program with competitions involving scores of high school and college students from throughout the county.

  

Learning automotive skills at Cuyamaca College

         The day starts with a Skills Competition at 8:30 a.m. in the Automotive Technology Complex, also known as the “K” Building. The Skills Competition has college and high school students using the latest tools to test their knowledge and expertise on everything from wheel and engine alignment to air conditioning repairs.

          Other highlights include an Over the Hill Gang San Diego Car Club show; an interviewing workshop for students looking for jobs or internships in the industry; and various automotive-related games and challenges. In addition, the Automotive Service Councils of California will be displaying various vehicles and discussing career opportunities.

    

Brad Daluiso Golf Classic includes helicopter golf ball drop

Golf balls will rain down from the skies May 5, and prizes including a trip to Cabo will fall into the laps of lucky winners of the Brad Daluiso Golf Classic’s helicopter golf ball drop.

Now in its 14th year, the golf tournament is a daylong event at the Sycuan Golf & Tennis Resort hosted by the former NFL kicker and Grossmont College alum to raise funds for Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges’ athletics programs.

Grossmont College awarded grant to bolster apprenticeships in high-demand careers

         Grossmont College has been awarded a $410,000 state grant for an innovative outreach program preparing hundreds of high school students and adult learners from diverse East County communities for much-needed apprenticeships.

          The project aims to boost awareness about apprenticeships and improve students’ math and English literacy that are needed to succeed. The centerpiece of the program is a Pre-Apprentice Mobile (PAM) Lab that will serve as an outreach and education vehicle at career fairs, high schools, and adult schools in an effort to spread the word about apprenticeship opportunities and begin preparing interested students to become apprentices.

           “Grossmont College has long played a key role in the economic development of our region.  This grant will advance our ability to connect up to 500 traditional learners and digital natives to pre-apprenticeship training in underserved communities,” said Grossmont College President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh. “The award will allow us to broaden our educational and skills offerings to a larger audience and continue to offer high-quality career-technical education leading to sustainable, well-paid careers.”

Ahmad Aljanabi: Overcoming carnage, succeeding at Grossmont College

Ahmad Aljanabi

Of all the bombings, rocket fire and kidnappings that Ahmad Aljanabi experienced while growing up in Baghdad, one incident will forever be etched in his memory.

“I was sleeping upstairs and I heard heavy gunfire coming from our neighbor’s house,” Aljanabi said. “My older brother suddenly grabbed me and took me to the back of our house with the rest of our family. I remember how my body was shaking and I could not say a word. I remember the fear in my mother’s eyes while she was saying prayers. After about 20 minutes, no more gunshots were heard. We could only hear the crying from our neighbor’s house. Later, we found out that a militia had killed our neighbor and his oldest son.”

Some 12 years after that deadly encounter, Aljanabi, now 24, is thriving at Grossmont College and has been accepted to San Diego State University, where he will transfer this coming fall as a public health major.

Aljanabi credits Grossmont College for his success.

“I’ve had nothing but a great experience here,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful relationship with every professor I’ve had. All of them have always been willing to help whenever I might need it. They think about their students first.”

Coyote Music Festival always a howling good time

Cuyamaca College’s answer to Coachella returns Saturday, May 6, with the 9th Annual Coyote Music Festival, organized, produced and promoted by students in the innovative Music Industry Studies program.

The free, family-friendly event from noon to 4 p.m. will feature two outdoor stages on the Grand Lawn with six local bands playing homegrown music ranging from alternative rock to folk.

Classical guitar innovator Paul Galbraith to give free concert

The Grossmont College World Arts and Culture Committee is sponsoring a free concert 7 p.m. Monday, April 24, at the college's recital hall (Bldg. 26, Room 220), featuring an innovator of the classical guitar, Paul Galbraith, on a customized Brahms eight-string guitar.

The instrument is supported by a metal endpin, similar to that of a cello, which rests on a wooden resonance box. Both the guitar’s design and the Grammy nominee and Billboard Top 10 artist’s playing style are considered groundbreaking, garnering acclaim from leading music publications and reviewers. 

Cuyamaca College selected for statewide Guided Student Pathways program

Cuyamaca College has been selected to participate in a statewide project aimed at developing structured pathways that lead students to certificates, degrees, transfer to a four-year university, and ultimately their career goals. 

          Cuyamaca is one of 20 California community colleges chosen to take part in the California Guided Pathways Project. Colleges selected for the three-year program will send teams – comprised of the president, a faculty leader, and three other stakeholders – to six institutes designed to help the colleges implement a fully-scaled guided pathway model. Each college taking part in the program has committed to implementing guided pathways for all incoming students by 2019. 

          “Cuyamaca College is honored to take part in this effort to further improve student success and ultimately completion,” said Cuyamaca College President Julianna Barnes. “Our goal is in establishing clear, structured, academic and career pathways to create a seamless experience from the time a student enters the college to the time he or she graduates and transfers to a university or establishes a career.”  

  

Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival set for April 29

Two popular outdoor events will merge this year as one great way to spend a Saturday with the family: the Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival, set for April 29 at Cuyamaca College.

The Spring Garden Festival, put on for 24 years by the Ornamental Horticulture program at Cuyamaca College, is combining with the annual Butterfly Festival, put on by the Water Conservation Garden since its butterfly pavilion opened in 2014. Admission and parking are free for the 9 a.m.-3 p.m. event that showcases the college’s renowned Ornamental Horticulture program, as well as the Water Conservation Garden and the Heritage of the Americas Museum, both located on the Cuyamaca College campus.

Cuyamaca College Transfer Center Coordinator Amalyia Blyumin: Providing a Ladder to Success

Amalyia Blyumin

She was born and raised in the former Soviet Union Republic of Azerbaijan, but fled with her parents to the United States to escape the instability resulting from a deadly conflict with neighboring Armenia. Today, Amaliya Blyumin is putting the lessons she learned while adjusting to a new life in a faraway land to good use as a Cuyamaca College Transfer Center coordinator and counselor, helping students navigate their way to a four-year college or university.

“The transition coming to the United States was not easy,” Blyumin recalled. “It’s a different culture, a different language. It’s not easy to move to another country. One of the reasons I wanted to work as a counselor was to help immigrants and others understand the educational system here and how it works and what they need to do to be successful.”

Grossmont Gives Back: Month of Service

Students joined the public to spruce up the campus, one of a series of volunteer projects in last year’s Grossmont Give Back: Month of Service. The event returns this year with the campus cleanup on Friday.

Friday, April 7, marks the start of Grossmont Gives Back: Month of Service, an annual event promoting volunteerism among the college community and the public that is expected to see hundreds participate in a series of projects on and off campus.

Grossmont Gives Back is a joint effort by the Grossmont College Community Service Learning program and Student Affairs to encourage community service and to provide exposure to new learning opportunities.

Instructors are encouraged to integrate CSL curriculum into their coursework so many students are expected to participate in conjunction with their classes, said English instructor and CSL co-coordinator Cathy Miller, adding that double the 130 who took part in last year’s inaugural event are expected this year.

Liability releases required for all activities are posted on the Community Service Learning website. 

Cuyamaca College alum Hiam Abdulahad: A lifetime of giving

Hiam Abdulahad

Hiam Abdulahad never stopped helping others. Not when she was caring for orphans in Baghdad before fleeing the carnage caused by the war in Iraq. Not when she was volunteering to help refugees in Syria even though she herself was a refugee. And not when she pitched in with the International Rescue Committee while still settling into her new home  in Spring Valley.

Today, thanks to the unwavering support she received when beginning her higher education journey at Cuyamaca College, Abdulahad has graduated summa cum laude from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work and is now helping others acclimate to a new life as a case manager for Jewish Family Services.

“Anyone can overcome the obstacles they may face and earn a degree in this country,” Abdulahad said. “You can’t give up. But for me, I had so much help from Cuyamaca College, I had so much support, I had so many people who believed in me. Cuyamaca was the bridge that brought me to a better future and has allowed me to continue doing what I can to help.”

Abdulahad is among the nearly 4,000 refugees and immigrant students, many from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, who attend Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges. Her story has drawn a growing legion of admirers.

“Academically, she was just an absolutely outstanding student who was at the top of the class,” said Cuyamaca College instructor Anita Stirling, who first met Abdulahad in her introductory social work courses. “But even more than that, she was very diligent and very determined and very willing to help other students. You won’t find a more responsible person. All of her peers looked up to her.”

Colleges hosting free career fairs for public service, sustainability jobs

Both Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are hosting free career fairs this month for students and the community to network with employers and to learn what jobs are on the horizon.

Public Service Career Day

Cuyamaca College is hosting a Public Service Career Day from 10:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, on the Grand Lawn.

About 40 public service organizations and agencies are expected, including State Sen. Joel Anderson’s office, the Armed Services YMCA, YMCA of San Diego, the San Diego Fire Department, the FBI and the East County Career Center.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the career center at (619) 660-4436.