February events at Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges

February 2019

In This Issue

Student Success

Inside Actor's Process

Cuyamaca Powwow

Black History Month

Adult Re-entry Open House

Free drone classes

Diversity Dialogues

Hyde Art Gallery

Student

Success

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."

Quick Links

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In the News

Grossmont Theatre Arts launches new season

Diversity Dialogues at Cuyamaca College

Grossmont Theatre Arts presents 'Inside the Actor's Process'

Grossmont College's Theatre Arts program will present its next staging of its "Inside the Actor's Process" production, "Monsters, Magic and Mischief," 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Stagehouse Theatre in Bldg. 21.

Use your creative imagination to journey into a world where anything is possible as actors transforrm into fearsome, but sometimes heroic characters as they cast aside their limitations as mere mortals. Delve deep into the soul and beyond to discover the qualities that make us different, but also all the same.

Tickets for the production coordinated by Ben Cole are $10 and can be purchased online or by calling (619) 644-7234 or going to the box office between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Thursday and one hour prior to all performances.

Tribes drum up excitement

with powwow

Native American tribes from throughout the West will be well represented at Cuyamaca College's 5th Annual Powwow on Saturday, 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 continues until 8 p.m. Because rain is predicted, the powwow will take place on the second floor of the Cuyamaca College Student Center.

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

Colleges celebrating Black History Month with diversity of events

Some highlights of Grossmont College's Black History Month events:

Feb. 4: Black History Month kickoff from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Main Quad featuring music, speech performances and food.
Wednesdays through Feb. 27: "Jazz Kitchen with Soul Food Specials" featuring singers and musicians from the college's Jazz Vocal Ensemble and Jazz Studies Department takes place Wednesdays, Feb. 6-27 from noon-1 p.m. Enjoy student performances and soul food at the Griffin Grill.
Feb. 7: Black History Month Movie Night at 5 p.m. at Griffin Gate, Bldg 60. "The Hate U Give," based on the book by Angie Thomas and directed by George Tillman Jr., is the story of a young black student from a poor neighborhood who attends a prep school in an affluent area. She finds her uneasy life balance further disrupted when she witnesses her childhood friend being shot by a police officer.
Feb. 11: New Media Essential for Marginalized Communities featuring Hip Hop Artist Jasiri X, 6-8 p.m. Bldg. 26, Room 220. Hip-hop artist Jasiri X uses hip hop as a lens in which to examine the constant bombardment of media images on society and the effect that it has on self, community and the world.

Cuyamaca College's Black History Month highlights include:

Feb. 8: College Hour: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in I-207 - I-209 in the Student Center. Keynote speaker: Tanis Starck, director of the Cultural Proficiency Institute for Educators at San Diego State University.
Wednesdays, Feb. 6, 13 and 20: Heritage Book Club Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir by Evilio Grillo, facilitated by sociology instructors John Escobedo and Rachel Jacob 2-3:15 p.m. in Room I-208 in the Student Center.
Feb. 25: Black History Panel presented by the Department of History, Social and Behavioral Science from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the Student Center, I-207. Presenters: Alazar Tesfamariam, Moriah Gonzalez-Meeks, Rachel Jacob-Almeida
Feb. 27: Black Women in Politics, 1-3 p.m. Student Center, I-207. Black women have been trailblazers in the political arena for decades. Nicole Jones, dean of counseling services at Cuyamaca College, will discuss current events and how they impact college students.

All events are free and open to the public. A complete list of Black History Month events at the colleges is posted online.

Grossmont College is at 8800 Grossmont College Drive. Cuyamaca College is at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in Rancho San Diego.

Adult Re-entry Open House at Grossmont College

Grossmont College's Adult Re-entry program is hosting

an open house 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in Griffin Gate, Building 60, Room 180.

This free event is open to the public and is geared toward adult learners interested in returning to school. The open house will provide an opportunity to meet college administrators and staff and to learn about student services. Attend an Exploring Majors workshop, get support from Admissions and Records and Financial Aid. Campus tours will also be provided, with Arabic and Spanish translation available.

The Adult Re-entry Center, under the auspices of Student Development Services, provides a variety of resources for the returning adult student who is seeking information about educational goals and career options.

Free drone piloting classes on tap

Registration is now open for free drone technology classes at Grossmont College.

As part of a $6 million federal America's Promise grant through the U.S. Department of Labor, the college will offer free drone piloting classes starting in March.

The unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or drone technology program is comprised of two tracks: surveying and mapping, and cinematography. The program will first provide UAS Ground School and Federal Aviation Administration

107 certification classes that students take to become licensed commercial drone pilots. The FAA 107 certification school will provide students comprehensive classroom instruction to pass the FAA 107 written test which is administered free to students.

Once students complete the ground school module and pass the test for a drone pilot license, they can then go on to take the more courses in UAS Surveying and Mapping or UAS Cinematography.

Pilots in the surveying and mapping course receive extensive flight time and by program completion, students will know how to do precision mapping missions and data collection for multiple industries and operations.

UAS cinematography covers both basic and advanced cinematography techniques with an emphasis in developing "lifestyle" shots.

The UAS Surveying and Mapping track meets Monday and Wednesday from noon-4 p.m. or 4-8 p.m. March 4 to June 19. The UAS Cinematography track meets Tuesday and Thursdays from noon-4 p.m. or 4-8 p.m.

or https://tinyurl.com/APcinema2

Native American history focus of Diversity Dialogues workshop

A Diversity Dialogue workshop, "Intersection

Between Culture and Tradition," kicks off the spring 2019 semester at Cuyamaca College, where Richard DeCrane, who is Navajo and Crow and who serves as cultural educator and trained facilitator for the Gathering of Native Nations, will discuss Native American history and its impact on Native American nations. Set for February 5 at 12:30 p.m. in the Room I-207 of the Student Center.

Diversity Dialogues is a series of free workshops open to the public each semester at Cuyamaca College focusing on diversity and social justice issues.

It is the brainchild of Dean of Student Affairs Lauren Vaknin, who conceived of the idea in 2011. Several hundred people are expected to attend this year's workshops.

Seven local artists to display

Body Language

The Hyde Art Gallery will kick start its Spring 2019 semester with Body Language, a figurative exhibition of works by seven local artists.

The human figure has always been a central theme of visual art throughout history. It is the primordial image, appearing abundantly in works of antiquity, transformed in a boundless variety of formats and is still used to express fundamental ideas concerning the human condition.

The exhibiting artists are Armando de la Torre, Chantal Wnuk, Gloria Favela Rocha, Hugo Crosthwaite, Mario Chacon, Misty Hawkins, and Victor Ochoa.

Body Language will be on display until February 26, 2019 at Grossmont College's Hyde Art Gallery. The Hyde Art Gallery will host an opening reception on Tuesday, February 5 from 4-7 p.m. Live music and refreshments included. All Hyde Art Gallery exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and on Fridays by appointment only. One-day parking permits for $2 can be purchased at vending machines in any parking lot. On the night of the opening reception, parking will be free.

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