Issue 11 | December 2020
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Expect More Tehama Gets More
Meet Samantha
I’m Samantha, and I graduated from Red Bluff High School in 2016. Thanks to the support of my community, I went on to become the first in my family to graduate college in 2020. Tehama County’s college outreach programs, like ‘Bridge to College and Career’, were the first to get me excited about my future and answered my many college application questions. I was worried about tuition, but was honored to be a recipient of The McConnell Foundation Scholars Program, which funded my degree and took the burden off of my family and me.
Throughout my education, The McConnell Foundation offered support and answered any questions I had. In my 3rd year they even gave me a summer internship, where my eyes were opened to the social needs of Tehama County. I was inspired to return to Red Bluff once I had graduated, and I changed my Sociology major’s emphasis to social services to better serve my community.
Of course, graduating during a pandemic was never in my plans; many of the career paths I had expected to be available were temporarily shut down or limited. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to use my degree like I had envisioned. In my search I discovered the Job Training Center of Tehama County, and they showed me the job opportunities and programs I was missing. I was even lucky enough to be offered an internship at their organization, so now I can finally help and give back to the community that supported me.

Samantha Dunn
Red Bluff High School – Class of 2016
UC Davis – Class of 2020
Expect More Tehama Coordinator Expresses Gratitude for Samantha
I wear two hats in my professional world: Coordinator for Expect More Tehama and Business Services Manager for the Job Training Center. Often those two professional worlds intersect. In August, my staffing specialist at the Job Training Center took a job with the City of Red Bluff. As JTC is in the process of completing a strategic plan, we decided not to hire right away, which proved difficult for me. Then one day in November, Samantha Dunn stopped by the office to drop off her resume. We noticed she had just received her degree from UC Davis, but wasn’t using it yet. This happens to a lot of young graduates. So we offered her a paid internship to learn about our nonprofit and how workforce helps people, including business owners. I am grateful for the help and am enjoying getting to know Sam during this first step into her professional life.

Kathy Garcia
Coordinator, Expect More Tehama
Business Services & Marketing Manager, Job Training Center
Advancing Modoc Youth
Senior Year During COVID-19
Meet Oliver Aguilar
2020 has been a disaster. My name is Oliver Aguilar, and I am a Senior at Modoc high school in Alturas CA. This year has been anything but normal. First we get the news that a potentially dangerous virus has spread. We are told to stay at home and to wear a mask if we must leave. A lot of students from all over the country can't go to school because of the virus, and online school is much more difficult than normal school. Modoc is an isolated place and not many outsiders come to Alturas, so we were able to go to school (with masks of course).

At the beginning of the pandemic I thought that it was going to be a few weeks, but it lasted from March 13th until the end of the school year. The school work was a little difficult because we had no teacher to further our instructions or ask questions to. Everything was packets that had to be quarantined for 72 hours before our teachers could even touch them. I was so glad when the school
told us that we were able to go back in the Fall- even if it meant we had to wear masks all day. The masks aren't too bad once you get used to them. I have realized that wearing masks is a little price we need to pay to get our education.

Right now I am struggling online because it is the 2nd time I’ve had to be quarantined! My internet and cell service is pretty bad at home, but it is my only option to connect. This difficulty in keeping up with my academics and staying socially connected to my friends makes me even more grateful for my time at school in person. I have definitely realized how hard online school actually is and now have great respect for people doing online school in college. (Photo of Oliver trying to get his computer to load.)
Meet Clarissa
Covid has taken a lot from me during my senior year. Sports got pushed back, the band can’t play, the choir can’t sing, dances and pep rallies are not allowed, our musical keeps getting pushed back, and the movie theater has been closed since March. Nothing about this school year is normal. I daydream about this point in a normal year when I would already have finished soccer season and be playing basketball right now. Because of all of the restrictions, it is hard to have a lot of school spirit and stay optimistic. As a member and officer of my high school’s student council, I am brainstorming ways to boost school spirit. One activity we are starting in January is an art contest each month to get students involved in something. It is also hard to socialize in a time like this because of the masks. I can only see half of my friends’ faces, and it’s hard to understand them sometimes when you can't see an expression.

I am usually super-involved in school and my community. Since I cannot participate in many activities, I do have plenty of time to do homework without stressing too much and I'm also able to help my friends more with classwork. I guess that's a perk! I have been put on quarantine twice already since school has started because of close contact, and distance learning is really hard. However, it has allowed me to be able to spend more time with my family and do a ton of work to become MHS's first Quest Bridge Scholar. Quest Bridge is a leadership program that partners with a bunch of colleges nationally and helps first generation college students access and excel in college. Even though this pandemic has challenged me in ways I never anticipated, there is strength that results from this experience and I guess I am better for it.
North State Together Announces New Partnership
North State Together is partnering with the pilot phase of the Essential Skills Program (ESP). ESP is a soft skills training program for adult learners, job seekers, and employees that provides measurable outcomes. LinkedIn’s 2019 Global Talent Trends report showed that 92% of talent professionals and hiring managers say that soft skills are just as important–or more important–than hard technical skills. This is our opportunity to have our rural community’s voice heard in the development of soft skills content useful for learners and valued by our local employers. This collaborative approach will help ensure we build an empowered, educated workforce in the North State and make economic mobility possible for those that need it most.

Program highlights:
• FREE baseline lessons for each essential soft skill: Communicator, Collaborator, Self-Aware, Adaptable, Resilient, Empathetic, Culturally Responsive, Problem Solver, Innovative and Digitally Literate
• Ability to earn digital badge credentials employers actually value
• Encourages learners of all types (adult, job seeker, employee) to “level up” their skill set

Four ways we are partnering during pilot phase (October 2020 until October 2021):
1. Peer Review
2. Test Users
3. Needs Survey
4. Grant Funding

The North State Together backbone team will function as the point of contact during the pilot phase. Our five county networks:  Reach Higher ShastaExpect More TehamaAdvancing Modoc YouthTrinity Together Cradle to Career Partnership, and Cradle to Careers for Siskiyou will identify who in their counties would benefit from this program and who might be willing to do one, two, three or all four of the levels of participation.

For more information on the Essential Skills Program , visit www.essential-skills.org.
Dual Enrollment in the North State
Dual Enrollment has been on the rise in the North State since 2016 in large part due to Shasta College's Dual Enrollment Program and dedicated dual enrollment staff. The Shasta College Dual Enrollment Program is committed to providing North State students access to college level coursework and units while attending high school. High school students are offered clear pathways toward degrees and certificates in order to gain a jump start on post-secondary education and be more likely to complete an educational goal. All classes are located on high school campuses throughout the Shasta-Trinity-Tehama Joint Community College District. For more information, contact Damaris Stevens, Program Director, at dstevens@shastacollege.edu
Dual Enrollment in California
Dual Enrollment in California - UC Davis School of Education

Research tells us that high school students who take college courses while they are still in high school benefit from the experience in both systems.

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education.ucdavis.edu
Data Overwhelmed?
Do spreadsheets, graphs, and data make you feel like this guy? Don't be afraid! North State Together's data team offers data coaching and consulting services to help our county network collective impact teams drive systematic change across their county and the North State region. The weekly drop-in sessions with North State Together's data team is meant to be an informal place to come and ask your data questions without fear! Come ask impromptu or random questions or let us know ahead of time, and we can prepare coaching topics based on our most frequent requests from partners or customize the drop-in call to meet your county collective networks needs and goals. These free drop-ins are open to anyone on steering or subcommittees for Reach Higher Shasta, Expect More Tehama, Advancing Modoc Youth, Trinity Together Cradle to Career Partnership, or Cradle to Careers for Siskiyou

Have a question on your county network's Roadmap or data tracking spreadsheets? Have miscellaneous data questions for a grant report for your county? Applying for a grant and need help with metric choices? This is your time to ask North State Together's backbone team your data questions! Login to this informal question and answer session. To obtain the Zoom link contact your county coordinator or email nst@shastacollege.edu
Upcoming Drop-Ins:

Wednesday, January 6, 2021 9:00 to 10:00 am
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Thursday, January 21, 2021 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, January 29, 2021 8:30 am to 9:30 am 

21st Annual North State Economic Forecast Conference
North State Together is proud to once again sponsor the 21st Annual North State Economic Forecast Conference on January 14, 2021. Each year, decision-makers are brought together from industry, government and education to tackle the issues at the forefront of economic development in the North State.

For additional information about the event, please visit https://www.nspdc.csuchico.edu/#/ced/events/economicforecastconference
CA Dream Index - California Forward - Tracking Our Progress

Check out how North State counties compare in the newly released California Dream Index, an online data platform that tracks and measures 10 indicators of economic security, mobility, and inclusion.

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cafwd.org
The Easiest Way to Find a Job in the North State

Our county networks strive to improve outcomes in the North State from cradle to career. Looking for a career in the North State? Check out NorthStateJobs.com today!

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northstatejobs.com
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As we approach the new year, we want to thank each of our partners who are working tirelessly on improving our region's cradle to career outcomes.  You all truly are making a difference and having an impact on the lives of our local communities here in the North State. 

As we close out another year at North State Together, we are especially grateful to the continued generosity of the time and talent of our Advisory Board and our dedicated and talented county network coordinators, and our many partners and organizations in the North State who each in their own way join with us in contributing to increasing the educational outcomes and the overall well being of the residents we serve in Shasta, Tehama, Trinity, Modoc and Siskiyou counties.

From all of us at North State Together, we wish you and yours a very happy, safe, and healthy holiday season!