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March 2021PRESIDENT’S CORNERWithout a doubt, the pandemic has created a number of unique challenges.One such challenge has been how to continue the transformative worktaking place through our Incarcerated Student Education Program (ISEP). Ithas been rewarding to see how, yet again, Cerro Coso has been innovativein overcoming those obstacles with which we are faced. Transitioning theISEP entirely to correspondence delivery was no small task. It was all handson deck as students, staff, faculty, administrators, and volunteers gatheredon February 1st and 2nd to successfully stuff course material packets fordistribution to over 1,000 incarcerated students. It was my pleasure to be a partof the tremendous team effort. All precautions were maintained and spiritswere high as the team proved its resiliency yet again. All this hard work hasresulted in an increase in incarcerated student enrollment this spring. Thecollege is offering 93 course sections this spring with a combined total of 3,195enrollments to 1,065 incarcerated students (unduplicated headcount), up 107new enrollments and 48 students over the fall semester. I would also like tohighlight the work of the Student Success and Support Program Committee fortheir work on the Scale of Adoption Assessment annual update and progressin implementing recommended Guided Pathways practices. The process fromcollege application to program selection to degree completion is clarified andstrengthened, providing students with a much more focused and supported—in a word, guided—path to completion. The college hasseen steady improvement in the student momentum and success data as a result of these college-wide efforts. The program will beapplying for phase two of the California Guided Pathways Demonstration Program Grant through the Central Valley Higher EducationConsortium. These two groups continue to show tremendous dedication and steadfastness in ensuring student access and success.We are currently finalizing the list of volunteers for the Strategic Planning and Climate Survey Task Forces, and will begin meeting thismonth. Cerro Coso Community College has opted in with the CCCAA for Men’s Baseball, and Women’s Softball for Spring II competitions.Additionally, we are in hopes of partnering with Ridgecrest Regional Hospital and other vaccination providers in order to advise thoseof us now eligible under Phase 1b, Tier 1 of the Kern County Public Health Services Department COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule – moreinformation will come out as we receive updates on vaccine availability.Inside this IssuePresident’s Corner1Providing Ways for Students to Stay Connected2Spring Library Workshops2Congratulations to Paul Kuttig2What Would Dr. King and Malcolm X Teach in 2021?2ACCESS Programs3McHenry Advises Students to Stay on Top ofTheir Work3ACCESS Holds Virtual Wellness Week4Students Form New Garden Club4Alumni Spotlight - Kelsey’s Story4Building Resiliency for Foster Youth5Foundation Feature:The Promise Application is Now Open for the2021-2022 School Year5

2Providing Ways forStudents to StayConnectedStrong relationships are essential to students’ academic successand well-being. Cerro Coso has created several options forstudents to stay connected easily. Discord is an instant messagingand digital distribution platform designed specifically for them.Students can communicate with voice calls, video calls, textmessaging, media, and files in private chats or as part of differentchat rooms. The Coyote Den is a student hub built into Canvasand gives students access to games, events, and club information.Other forms of communication include connecting with SGCCthrough Link Tree, Twitter, and Instagram. Using the Navigate Appstudents can create study buddies to connect with other studentsto study outside of class. Taking time to share feelings, listen, andsupport others will go a long way in uncertain times like these.Talking with others who have common interests and experiencesand staying connected can lessen feelings of isolation and anxietyessential to student success. Physically distant not socially distant.COYOTE HOWLERCongratulationsto Paul Kuttig,System SupportSpecialist II atthe Ridgecrestcampus, forearning threedegrees withCerro CosoCommunityCollege. Paulearned A.S.Degrees inComputer Information Systems, WebDesign, and Cyber Security in June. Heplans to graduate from Bellevue Universitythis summer with a Bachelor’s Degree inInformation Technology.What Would Dr. Kingand Malcolm X Teachin 2021?Honoring Black HistoryMonth looked a littledifferent this year, butit did not stop CerroCoso from celebrating.Odell Bizzell gave avirtual presentationon February 18thon What Would Dr.King and MalcolmX Teach in 2021?He provided threepieces of generationalchanging advice forpeople that care aboutdiversity, equity,and inclusion. Other Black History Month activities included avirtual performance by Core Ensemble-Of Ebony Embers, a virtualscreening of King in the Wilderness a documentary of MartinLuther King, a Historically Black College and University Counselorcertification, and Library collaboration on Lib Guides for Umoja,Black History Month, and Anti-racism.“Never be limited by other people’slimited imaginations.”—Dr. Mae Jemison,the first African-American female astronaut

COYOTE HOWLER3McHenry Advises Students to Stay On Top ofTheir WorkBy Manasi PanchalStudent WorkerJohn McHenryis a second-yearstudent at CerroCoso; currentlymajoring inLiberal Arts and isplanning to studyarchitecture orcivil engineeringwhen he transfers.He has alwayshad an interestin both of thosesubjects and ishoping to get intoone of them as a career. John is a student ambassador as well asa student-athlete. He plays baseball for the college and has beenplaying the sport his whole life. It is his passion. The two thingshe enjoys most in life are hanging out with his family and playingbaseball and he does both of those things every day. He is strivingto play baseball at the highest level he can. “My dream career isto obviously play the game I love for a living; however, my morerealistic goals are to either be an engineer, realtor, or a contractor,”said McHenry. He chose Cerro Coso because he really likes thebaseball program, as well as the tight-knit community that CerroCoso provides. “I don’t think that any other college can offer thetype of environment provided here. There is great interaction withthe professors, and you get to know people really quick,” saysMcHenry. There is nothing he would want to change about CerroCoso. “Everything on campus is great! Everyone is friendly and theinteractions and exposure at Coso are unbeatable.” The impact ofan instructor or a specific person can make a huge difference inlife, McHenry states “so far there has not been a specific course orinstructor that made a huge impact on my time here; however, Ihave really enjoyed each course and instructor that I have taken.”The best advice McHenry would give to his fellow students is “stayon track by just holding themselves accountable for their work andstaying on top of it. It makes life a whole lot easier to manage yourtime and get your work done throughout the week rather thanstockpiling it all up for one day.”

4COYOTE HOWLERACCESS Holds Virtual Wellness WeekDespiteonlineserving asthe academicand socialarenas forthe springsemester,ACCESS Programs held their Spring Wellness Week virtually onFebruary 16 and 17, 2021. Activities included: Movies for MentalHealth by Art with Impact, Coyote Telehealth benefits, and aworkshop on Healthy Relationships. Movies for Mental Healthfeatured award-winning short films and a panel discussion withstudents and local mental health resources. Students wereencouraged to participate and learn all about Coyote Telehealthand what benefits they could expect to receive. Students who haveused the platform shared their experiences. CC Ambassadors andother CC students provided a walk-through on how to registerand become familiar with the platform. A workshop on HealthyRelationships covered components of a healthy relationship:trust, communication, respect; warning signs of an unhealthyrelationship; the cycle of violence; and what to do if they orsomeone they know is in an unhealthy relationship.Students Form NewGarden ClubKelsey’s StoryA new student club is growing at the Ridgecrest campus – TheGarden Club! Their mission is to serve as an educational andsocial outlet for members to learn horticultural techniques, shareinformation, make friends, have fun, all while helping to promotesustainability, biodiversity, and overall environmental quality.Gardening, composting, pollinator identification, and constructionactivities on campus are just some of the few skills andtechniques shared. Many activities have been planned, includingthe construction of planter boxes and setting up a garden site,rehabilitating the college’s pistachio trees, and restoring the BlueStar Memorial Cacti Garden. The long-term goals of the club areto promote food quality and security for students, and as such theclub will be working closely with the CCCC Hunger Free Program(Katie Bachman) and Cerro Coso’s Beta Kappa Chi Chapter of thePhi Theta Kappa honors society (Profs. Christine Swiridoff & SarahKing). Club officers are Hector Renderos (President) and NaomiO’Connor (Secretary), with Profs. Claudia Sellers and Guck Ooi asadvisors. The club meets every first Friday of the month at 5:00 pm(virtually for now, via Zoom) and all students are encouraged tojoin. To participate, we invite you to email gardenclub@cerrocoso.edu or connect with them in Pronto using group code EUQ9CJ.“When I enrolled at Cerro Coso in 2015, I knew I wanted totransfer to the University of California system. AlthoughI didn’t initially know what school I wanted to transfer toand for what, the professors and classes at Cerro Coso gaveme the clarity to determine my path to success. As a CerroCoso student, I had the same opportunities a student at auniversity would have to pursue internships, research, andfun extracurricular activities. After saving thousands of dollarsin tuition and earning the right units, I transferred to UCLAand graduated in 2020 with my B.A. in political science. Upongraduation in June, I moved across the country to work on agrassroots campaign in New Hampshire where I served as theDirector of Outreach and coordinated over 40,000 individualvoter contacts. I am excited to announce my next careerstep is in an administrative role with Goldman Sachs PrivateWealth Management in Boston.”“I am grateful to Cerro Coso forproviding the best foundation andtools to be successful. I am alsograteful to my former politicalscience professor, who has beenmy professional mentor for thepast six years.”