Glendale Community College
Home MenuSeptember 2020 • glendale.edu/StayingConnected
GCC Welcomes New Dean of Student Services
The college has a new Dean of Student Services!
Drew Yamanishi officially joined GCC on Sept. 1.
He has served for the past three years as the Dean of Student Services at Los Angeles City College with responsibility for various programs including Academic Counseling, Transfer Center, Career Center, Assessment Center, First Year Experience, LA College Promise and the Dream Resource Center.
Yamanishi said of coming aboard at GCC, “I was excited when I applied for the position because I had heard and seen so much about GCC being committed to community - both in terms of fostering a community for students and employees, but also in the way GCC is an important institution for the city and surrounding areas. Before even starting, I've been blown away by the warmth and outgoing, professional welcome I've received.” Yamanishi has a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University.
Emergency Grants Available to Students
GCC will be launching an Emergency Grant program to support students facing a financial emergency or hardship. The Emergency Grant program will provide financial support to students who are struggling to pay for food, housing, child care, technology, medical costs or other expenses that serve as barriers to them successfully completing their education at GCC. The Emergency Grant program will be launching in the middle of September. Additional information about the program, the maximum grant amount, and eligibility criteria will be sent to all students through their GCC student emails.
Architecture Student Wins Design Contest
GCC architecture student Angel Esparza's creative and inspiring design of a Canadian National Park youth hostel has earned him a prestigious first place design award. The Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs, Inc. (CCCAP) awarded Esparza the top honor in its 2020 Student Design Competition which attracted more than 100 first- and second-year architecture students from 15 community college architecture programs in 10 states. The program called for students to design a hostel for young people that would accommodate a variety of groups who come to enjoy the Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada.
“We are inspired by the experiential elements particularly as depicted in the renderings across seasons and across times of day,” said the judges. “There is a quality to the renderings that is not overly technical, revealing a poetic quality to the design.”
Esparza, a married father of three, says he found inspiration at GCC, “After several years of being absent from taking educational courses, I decided to re-enter classes. Participating in GCC academic courses has been a magnificent experience that has opened many doors for my future educational and social performance,” he said.
GCC architecture assistant professor Paul Chiu, who served as Esparza’s faculty advisor and sponsor for the competition, says Angel has already caught the eye of Woodbury's Architectural program where Angel hopes to transfer. "My dream is to be a recognized architect,” said Esparza. It looks like he's already on his way.
Angel’s winning design can be found on the CCCAP website at http://www.cccap.org/programs-events/student-design-competitions/
Guided Pathways Update
The Guided Pathways team is excited that this is a roll-out year for many of our Guided Pathways initiatives. We are entering our fourth year of Guided Pathways and, while there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes, not much has been unveiled to the public…until now!
Here is just a short list of what to expect in the next eight months:
- Learning and Professional Pathways (LPP) webpage with descriptions, career explorations and major listings
- Program Maps for each major on Program Mapper as well as in Navigate
- Expanded use of Navigate with appointment scheduling, academic planning, registration, communication, and more
- Streamlined website design for onboarding and connecting to services
Thank you to the Guided Pathways committees and workgroups made up of faculty, staff, administrators, and students that continue to make all this possible.
Want to get involved? Check out the Guided Pathways webpage and sign up for meeting invites. Stay tuned for updates throughout the year in this newsletter as well as workshops and trainings. Join us in continuing our journey towards student success!
Remote Learning Webpage
The 2020-21 school year is underway with virtually all classes being taught remotely or online during the fall semester. We’ve created a webpage devoted to remote instruction to help students succeed amidst all the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include how to adjust to learning remotely, the difference between remote and online/hybrid courses and obtaining needed technology. You can check it out at glendale.edu/remote.
VIDEO CORNER
GCC's Visual and Performing Arts Program