YAKIMA VALLEY COLLEGE Campus Update, Winter/Spring 2020
Board of Trustees: Patrick Baldoz, Board Chair Sara Cate, M.D.
President's Message
Neil McClure
The Spring Issue of the Campus Update
Rosalinda Mendoza
has traditionally been about the many
Robert Ozuna
end-of-year events and celebrations – Commencement, pinning ceremonies,
Produced by: Stefanie Menard
and student activities celebrating the
Contributing Photographers:
and staf. Spring 2020 was diferent. In
Jay Frank
March, the COVID-19 pandemic became
Stefanie Menard
our new normal. As students and faculty
excellent achievements of our students
were fnishing winter fnal exams and preparing for Spring Break, we very
Published: July 2020 If you would like to be added or removed from our mailing list, please contact us: Yakima Valley College Community Relations PO Box 22520 Yakima, WA 98907 2520
quickly had to transition our classes and services to online. We purchased and distributed laptops and hotspots to students and staf with technology challenges, implemented new cleaning and safety protocols, and restrict access to our campuses for the soon to start Spring Quarter. We made many changes in that short period of time. However one thing that did not change was our commitment to
communityrelations@yvcc.edu
student success. The stories included in this issue are examples of the
509.574.4646
many ways that our faculty, staf, and students quickly adapted to the
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changes, overcame the barriers, and continued to excel and achieve their goals. As always, we are extremely grateful to you for your continued support of our students and staf as we make a diference in the communities we serve.
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Twitter https://twitter.com/YakimaCollege Yakima Valley College does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, sex, genetic information, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. All inquiries regarding compliance should be directed to the Executive Director of Human Resource Services, YVC, South 16th Ave. & Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima, WA 98902; or call 509.574.4670.
Sincerely,
Linda Kaminski, Ed.D. President
Contents 3 Celebration of Graduates 4 Graduate Highlights 5 Graduating Class of 2020 9 Awards 11 Online Education During COVID-19 13 Program Highlights 15 Campus News 16 Student Honors 17 Scholarships 18 YVC's People
Cover Photo:
YVC Student Dalia Gomez in Raymond Hall.
This Page:
Top: YVC International Students Leslye Castillo Cocinero, Jordan Wilson and Niraj Shrestha walking toward Palmer Martin Hall Middle: Lucas Ashbaugh works on a painting in class Bottom left: Nadara Collins experiments with fre during a chemistry lab Bottom right: Fiona Schlabach works on her clay pot during a functional pottery class
11 CELEBRATION OF GRADUATES
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From top left: Danika Owen, Kiela Rivera, Alicia Gomez, Francisco Campos, Blanca Verduzco, Llulisa Ramirez-Marin, Yesenia Vargas, Garrett Roebuck Grisdelia Gonzalez, Ashley Estrada, Oakley Broers, Fortunato Barragan, Carla Hearin, Isiah Strom, and Elizabeth Davis.
Yakima Valley College presented its 91st Graduating Class on June 19, 2020 with an online, live-streamed event, titled “A Celebration of our Graduates.” The celebration included both photo and video submissions from graduates, and encouraging messages from faculty, staf and administrators. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee also made a special appearance while wishing the class of 2020 the best of luck. YVC's Choir performed a rendition of the YVC Alma Mater, which served as background for a portion of the event. The celebration was streamed live over social media sites Facebook and YouTube as well as on public access channel YCTV 129. Students and their families enjoyed the end product and had a great night celebrating their accomplishments. The graduating class of 2020 includes 1,005 students ranging in age 16 to 78. Thirteen of the students are veterans and 164 are Running Start students. This year the college awards a total of 1,044 degrees and certifcates. Among the graduates were the frst cohort of students graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Teacher Education. Twentyfve students made up this inaugural class, who started in 2018. Many of these students were already YVC graduates and members of the Yakima community with half currently working in local school districts in para-professional or support staf positions.
3 Yakima Valley College
Class of 2020 By the Numbers 1,044 Degrees & Certifcates 76 Bachelor’s Degrees 152 Attended Grandview Campus 16-78 Age Range of Graduates 164 Running Start Students 329 Graduating with Honors 13 Veterans
11 Andrew 'Jovanie' Araujo Andrew ‘Jovanie’ Araujo was born and raised in Yakima, WA graduating from Eisenhower High School in 2018. Following high school he began working in the retail industry and attending YVC full-time in the fall of 2018. He has excelled in his classes and has stood out as an amazing student amongst his peers. So much so, that this spring, he was honored by YVC’s History with the 2019-2020 Herodotus-Gedosch Award. This award recognizes exceptional history students. He graduated in June with an associate degree. In the fall he will enroll at Central Washington University pursing a degree in psychology. “I frst became interested in counseling because of my parents,” stated Araujo. “Both of my parents work for the Yakima School District and their careers helped motivate me in this direction.” He plans on earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree with the goal of becoming a high school counselor.
Alexa Lopez Alexa Lopez was born and raised in Yakima, WA graduated from Eisenhower High School in 2020. A driven student, she enrolled at YVC in January 2019 through the Running Start Program. Running Start provides students like Lopez the opportunity to complete college-level credits without the cost of tuition. Juniors and seniors can continue to attend high school while also taking courses at YVC. Lopez saw YVC’s Running Start program as a springboard on her future goal of becoming a veterinarian. “I became interested in studying veterinary medicine after considering multiple other felds of study. I’ve always been interested in animals more than people and helping out stays,” stated Lopez. She graduated in June with an associate in science transfer degree. In the fall she will begin studying general biology at Central Washington University. She plans to one-day work as a veterinarian.
Matthew Van Epps Matthew Van Epps grew up in Ellensburg, WA graduating from high school in 2015. He attended Central Washington University taking business courses and later Clark College where he played baseball and studied information technology. After leaving Clark College he was hired by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) assisting land survey crews. During this time, Van Epps became interested in land surveying and its mix of feld and ofce work. Working with WSDOT allowed him to work with YVC Engineering Instructors, Kevin Carlascio and Andy Doan. Both instructor made an impact on Van Epps. He enrolled at YVC in the Spring 2018 and graduated in June with two degrees an associate of applied science in civil engineering technologies and an associates of applied science in land survey & construction design. He plans to start his career as either and engineering technician or a land survey technician.
Emily Marchello Emily Marchello was born in Toppenish, WA and attended Sunnyside School District, graduating from high school in 2020. Emily enrolled at YVC’s Grandview Campus in the fall of 2018 through the Running Start Program. On campus she became involved in Student Life and served as the Grandview Student Council for the 2019-2020 academic year. “I wasn’t sure what specifc feld to pursue a career in but I knew I wanted to support my community. I had the opportunity at my local church to serve as a Sunday school teacher and choir director. This experience began to spark an interest in pursuing education,” stated Marchello. Along with her high school diploma, Marchello has completed her associate in arts transfer degree. In the fall she will transfer to Washington State University Tri-Cities where she will major in education. Winter/Spring 2020 4
GRADUATE HIGHLIGHTS
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11 GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020
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BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: Luis R. Alegria • Cruz Y Aragon • Joseph W Blodgett • Jeremy C Brachtenbach Skylar G Brewer • Jered J Brown • Kraig K Burlingame • Danielle D Charvet • Jesus J Chavez • Monica S Cisneros • Madison R Door • Maria M Garcia Anahi Godinez • Luke T Holmes • Jesus Leon • April L Mcneil • Sophia A Morales • Heriberto Morfn • Lucas R Northrup • Hector J Roberts • Talia V Rodriguez • Karina Romero • Dayana A Sanchez • Freddie Sanchez • Ethan T Villarreal BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN DENTAL HYGIENE: Nancy Jdahlberg • Marena B Damon • Sierra M Devries • Rachel A Fowler • Olga M Gutierrez • Lainie M Hershberger • Taylor S Liabraaten Kristina M Lomedico • Renee M Mckeen • Renee N Meador • Ariel L Rickey • Araceli Sanchez • Isaac R Sanchez • Kiersten A Snyder • Daryll H Wallen Katherine N Webb • Lacey J Webber BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NETWORKING SYSTEM
ADMINISTRATION: Ricardo Ayala • Ibette Cruz • Daniel J Garcia • Cody E James • Blake A Kitt Katherine E Piedra • Jessica R Stach • Jace A Torres • Joseph L Trapp BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION: Alexis R Abarca • Cristina P Alcala • Elaine M Baker Sandy L Bautista Meghan M Case • Elizabeth J Davis • Makena R Fischer • Travis W Frymier • Lydia M Gallegos • Hannah J Gimlin • Melissa M Gonzalez • Alexis A Gratton • Margaret Jensen • Cindy V Mejia • Yasmine M Mendoza • Gabriela Palomino • Kassandra Prieto • Jasmine J Ramirez • Jen L Rankin • Monica Rodriguez • Geneiva L Rojas • Racheal L Schwindt • Daisy Silva • Jessica L Stonecipher • Cristian R Tejeda • Esteban H Vela ASSOCIATE IN
ARTS: Guadalupe Y Abarca • Brigitte Acevedo • Marlen Acevedo-Abundiz • Guadalupe A Aguilar • Jonathan Aguilar • Jorge L Aguilera • Edwin E Alarcon • Lena J Albright • Kimberlea Alcala • Cody S Allen • Guadalupe Alvarado • Adriana F Alvarez • Brissi Alvarez • Kasandra J Alvarez • Norma N Alvarez • Hannah E Amaro • Judith Ambriz • Daisy N Amezcua •Ashlynd C Anderson • Elisabeth R Anderson • Jaden Michael Anderson • Keyana E Anderson • Kristi D Anderson • Breanna D Andreas • Kaitlynn E Anson • Daisy Antunez • Laura Aparicio • Angel J Aquino Andrew J Araujo • Brooks D Archer • Zureyly Arellano • Ailynne Y Arguello • Maria Armenta • Annyce J Armstead • Kolby J Arnold • Jasmine A Arregui • Isabella R Arriaga • Maria D Arroyo • Maria D Arteaga • Chloe H Ashbaugh • Lucas G Ashbaugh • Yazmin G Avilez • Niviana I Ayala • Katerina M Balauro • Cynthia C Baldobinos Celena Barajas • Adanelli Barragan • Michelle Barragan • Whitney A Baughman • Rebecca K Bauman • Vanessa M Bazan • Kendra M Bean • Joseph O Becker • Aurora C Beckner • Samira L Beltran • Evelyn Bender • Mariana Benitez • Rosana I Benitez • Jorrian R Benner • Hailey R Bigbie • Kyra M Bishop • Harrison T Bissonette • Tayze R Black • Taylor A Blackburn • James H Boettcher • Justin R Brandt • Paloma Braunger • Rosana Bravo • Lynette R Brewer • Cesar A Brizuela • Bridgette C Brown • Emma L Brown • Meirabelle N Brown • Eryk A Brumley • Haley M Bruner • Jessica M Buchholtz Cameron G Bundy • Emily J Bush • Pedro Caballero • Angelica G Calderon • Krystal A Cameron • Alexis Campos • Francisco J Campos • Nicolas D Campos • Adriana Canales • Manuel A Canseco • Andres Capi-Esquivel • Anissa M Capps • John L Capps • Trista A Capps • Vanessa J Carlos • Stephanie Casillas • Lucia Castillejo • Gabriela Castillo • Crystal J Castro • Hailee M Catron • Alyssa Ceja • Alejandro Ceja-Ramos • Matthew D Cerda Logan W Chase • Madison A Cleem • Iridi Clemente-Garibay • Luke Cobia • Lauren E Cofey • Ruben Cohetzaltitla • Faviola Contreras • Kaitlyn D Cooper • James D Copeland • Anastacia N Cornejo • Michelle Corona • Maria A Corral • Nicolas A Cortez • Katelyn A Couchman • Christopher J Cowapoo • Skyler M Coyne • Chandler C Cree • Anthony D Cromwell • Christine M Cromwell • Levi M Cruz • Raul A Cruz • Rowan S Cruz • Elsy A CruzAguilar • Yadira Cuellar • Yasmin Cuellar • Alexander T Cuevas • Brenda Cuevas • Valerie G Curfman • Jared J Dagenais • Emily M Dart • Mandy N Deatherage • Kyle B Debord • Tifany M Deccio • Kayla M Declaire • Arianna D Deherrera • Jorge Delaobarrera Eric S Delarosa • Pedro Deleon • Joel Delgadillo • Angel Delgado • Leticia B Delgado• Mayra Y Delgado • Tania Delgado • Madison P Deming • Star L Diavolikis • Arismandro Diaz • Taylon L Diaz • Grace M Douglas • Allyson N Dowd • James E Draven • Brooke H Drobeck • Peyton Eckman • Deborah C Eggleston • Ian C Eggleston • Rachel M Elshaug • Samantha L Emch • Byanka M Equihua • Elizabeth Escamilla • Jisell Escobedo • Yaritza Escobedo • Alondra Estrada • Ashley S Estrada • Edgar A Estrada • Eduardo Estrada • Gabriela Estrada • Shelby V Evans • Alyssa L Facio • Karina K Fajardo Thomas N Fang • Kirsten J Favilla • Vanessa R Ferguson • Isabel Fernandez • Marlen A Figueroa • Bryawna L Fletcher • Kyle J Fletcher • Elouisa N Flores • Jonathan Flores • Laura P Flores Rosa Isabel Flores • Bridgette R Fouts • Mariah C Fraide • Carmen M Fuentes • Astrid Galarza • Jose A Gallegos • Adriana E Garcia • Anthony Garcia Cristal Garcia • Juan J Garcia • Maria D Garcia • Nathanael M Garent • Athziri A Garibay • Hector Garibay • Alexis G Garza • Gabriel A Garza • Jade N Garza • Mikel E Garza • Megan D Gaulke • Yanet S Gil • Luis D Giles • Adrianna J Gomez • John J Gomez • Adriana D Gonzalez • Fortino Gonzalez • Grisdelia Gonzalez • Kassandra N Gonzalez • Melissa E Gonzalez • Nara A Gonzalez • Salma Gonzalez • Sergio J Gonzalez • Brend Gonzalez-Armenta Brooke L Goodpaster • Eric J Greene • Jacqueline Grimaldo • William P Grubin • Silvia Guendulein • Cecilia J Guillen • Alejandra Gutierrez • Blandy Gutierrez • Katie L Gutke • April M Guzman • Celeste I Guzman • Ofelia M Guzman • Rolando Guzman • Ashlynn E Hall • Rebecca L Hall
Heier • Keren Hernandez • Kimberly Hernandez • Sabina Hernandez • Marib Hernandez-Moreno • Makayla F Higbee • Silje R Hildebrand • Beaudry J Hill • Sharon J Hill • Madelyn B Hofman • Lincoln Holland-Boone • Tasia R Hoptowit • Mckenzie A Howard • Benjamin E Hoxie • Alexander J Hultberg • Collin K Hurst • Ashtynn A Husted • Jaycie R Husted • Morgan M Hutton • Joshua Ibach • Alexis Ibarra • Aaron W James • Chezeray J Jasso Dustin D Jefery • Charlee J Johnston • Lauren A Jones • Dayanara Jurado • Harmandeep Kaur • Kristine R Kingsbury • Devi J Knotts • Kasey O Kosik Kendra N Labombard • Sebastian A Lara • Ruthann E Laurvick • Jesus A Lazo • Erikah M Ledesma • Megan A Lee • Grace K Lenzi • Angelica Leon • Elexis M Lepe • Osman Axel Licea • Marie A Lichota • Angelica S Liebert • Indys Lindgren • Desiree D Little • Janeli M Llamas • Alejandro LlamasLopez • Alexa K Lopez • Divina G Lopez • Jose A Lopez • Veronica V Lopez • Katelynn Lopezcardenas • Ester K Lopez-Frias • Maria D Lopez-Lopez • Jacqueline M Luna • Stephanie M Luna • Maelim A Lunaris • Isaiah J Lyczewski • Casondra C Macias • Miguel Macias • Jasmine A Maciel • Brenda B Madrigal • Gabriela Madrigal • Luz V Madrigal • Jennifer L Magana • Elpidia M Magana-Avila • Matthew D Maglietti • Stephen G Mahinay • Norma I Manzanarez • Baldomero D Manzo • Emily A Marchello • Karissa M Marquez • Tamara Marquez • Shawn B Marquis • Andrew L Martin • Diana M Martinez • Edward Martinez • Gabriela M Martinez • Martin Martinez • Norma E Martinez • Nicole M Matson • Alyssa N Matthes • Samuel C Mccay Michael G Mcconnehey • Melodi M Mccoy • Tyler M Mccoy • Maxwell J Mcguire • Rebecca A Mctee • Allen Medina • Betsabe Medina • Marina V Medrano • Adrianna J Mejia • Victoria E Mejia • Jaqueline D Mendoza • Jorge Mendoza • Sonia M Mendoza • Tiare Mendoza • Yesenia Mendoza Angelica Mercado • Gabriela Michel • Jillian M Mickle • Ashlynn C Miller • Matthew G Mills • Adamari G Miranda • Yessica Miranda • Joanna C Miser • Elise C Moneymaker • Giselle Montes • Lorena Mora • Angel K Morales • Mallery R Morales • Carolina Moran • Octavio Jr Moran • Erica H Moreno • Maria F Moreno • Karli J Morgan • Alexis E Morrow • Lily N Morton • Madysen M Muir • Matthew J Mulvaney • Juliana S Murray • Maria M Navarro • Lance M Nef • Summer R Nelson • Teresa E Nelson • Ivaan S Nijjar • Stephen A Nugent • Heather V Nygaard • Liz E Ochoa-Alvarez • Michelle Olivares • Jennifer Olvera-Ortiz • Alexandra R Oord • Naden Orlando-Urlacher • Danika A Owen • Joaquin Padilla • Heather R Paeschke • Brenda F Palencia • Veronica G Palomares • Lyliana Palomino • Darcee E Paredes • Taiya J Parish • Isabel C Pelayo • Jarod Perales • Calypso E Perez Estrella Perez • Keven E Perez • Elizav Perez-Maldonado • Alyssa N Peterson • Chloe N Peterson • Kristen A Peterson • Kyle M Peterson • Tanner B Peterson • Allison L Pfaf • Marina Picardal • Evelia Pina • John J Piper • Maseo D Pleasant • Stephanie Ponce • Christy L Potter • Madilyn R Price Andrew G Prouse • Jareoly N Pulgarin • Talia M Quade-Suarez • Jazlyn B Quintanilla • Dylan J Radach • Alexandra L Ramirez • Angel I Ramirez • Brenda Ramirez • Llulisa Ramirez-Marin • Desmond T Ramos • Gabriela A Ramos • Jaime J Ramos • Emma M Rasmussen • Montana M Reese • Kevin A Regis Lucia J Restrepo • Mikaela L Reyes • Miraiya A Reyes • Monica Reyes • Precious Reyes • Samantha K Reynolds • Allison M Riley • Amanda C RileyBurks • Roxana Rincon-Europa • Leonardo C Rios • Britney E Rivera • Keila E Rivera • Paige N Roberson • Collin J Robert • Jocelyn Robles • Alexandria Rodriguez • Alondra I Rodriguez • Ciela A Rodriguez • Ebony A Rodriguez • Elizabeth R Rodriguez • Janeth Rodriguez • Joseph A Rodriguez • Maribel E Rodriguez • Karissa S Rojas • Patricia G Rojas • Tyler J Rojas • Larissa A Ross • Jordyn S Rossmeisl • Megan L Roy • Cynthia Ruiz • Maximiliano Ruiz Kennedy A Russell • Ashley Sabalza • Brenda T Salcedo • America V Sanchez Benjamin Sanchez • Briseida E Sanchez • Lorenzo Sanchez • Luis E Sanchez • Myranda L Sanchez • Nelyn M Sanchez • Sandra E Sanchez • Trey A Sanchez • Vanessa A Sanchez • Yareli Sanchez • Angelica M Sandoval Vincent Sandoval • Maura C Santamaria • Zitlali L Santana • Rochel Saucedo-Mendoza • Karen L Segoviano • Keeli B Shakespear • Luke I Sharaf • Rani S Sharaf • Ivy E Shearer • Noah I Shirley • Melanie Siebol • Aaliyah J Silva • Eudelia Silva • Grace S Simbajon • Makayla M Sisson • Samuel S Skeen • Alexandra N Skyles • Trennen Slade • Kyton H Snodgrass • Bryana Soto-Guillen • Taylor A Spencer • Jake R Stewart • Isiah A Strom • Brian I Suarez • Nancia Suarez • Saman Sugiharagonzalez • Abigail P Sullivan • Sarah D Summers • Justine A Swanson • Almarae R Swan-Tsoodle • Mariah Swearngin • Itzel Tamayo • Josephine L Taylor • Anayeli Tellez • Daniela G Tello • Teah R Terrill • Mercedes D Testerman • Samantha Testerman • Summer L Testerman • Charles E Tetreault • Jessica E Thomas • Alicia I Toledo • Sydney L Tollackson • Margarita A Torres • Viktorya D Torres • Gricelda L Trejo • Jade N Underwood • Marley K Upton • Kyliah L Urbina • Alexis R Valdez • Sergio Valdez • Jennifer L Valencia • Laisha M Valencia • Maleena R Valencia • Seth A Valenzuela • Karlee J Vandeventer • Brianna Vargas • Jessica L Vargas • Shardae Vasquez-Frueh • Berenic Vasquez-Moreno • Diana G Velazquez • Blanca E Verduzco • Evani A Verduzco • Maira Verduzco • Aaliyah M Villa • Elizabeth Villalba • Sandra M Villalobos • Ana B Villasenor Lynndel M Wapsheli • Brynlee A Ward • Lesley C Waters • Kelli L Weaver Thatcher G Weedin • Mckenna M Weld • Eric C Westphal • Ben G Whiting • Beaudry M Widner • Nym Rose Wilkinson • Kalli K Willett • Perry L Williams • Sophia I Wilsey • Payton B Wilson • Taran L Withrow • Christy A Wolfe
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GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020
ASSOCIATE IN ARTS: Katelin J Harris • Nyan J Hartman • Haylee Harvey • Ashley L Hassler • Makenzie G Hatfeld • Brittany M Hayes • Michael A
GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020
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Dehlia D Wolftail • Julie E Woolery • Ashley G Wragge • Destiny A Yu • Esperanza A Zamora • Saul A Zaragoza • Israel Zepeda ASSOCIATE IN
BUSINESS-DTA: Maribel Acevedo • Anali A Aguilar • Esmeralda Aleman • Haneen B Alsarama • Kathleen L Aragon • Jaiden T Barnhart • Emilia R Barrera • Ashlynn A Bossert • Yesenia Brambila • Aaron E Carrillo • Sylvia Casillas • Miriam Castro • Cody R Clark • Seth T Conrad • Yesenia I Corona Manuel A Diaz • Brenda Flores • Jennifer E Flores • Nickolis A Fordham • Gissel Garcia • Guillermo S Godinez • Jessica R Gonzalez • Edgardo Gonzalez-Mena • Kayla R Gout • Ana L Graciano • Kaylee M Greene • Cienna L Gunter • Hannah M Hagemeier • Tamela M Henne • Faith L Hufman Elijah R Jasso • Sean D Leaverton • Lucy Leon-Mendoza • Tania G Lopez • Ysela Lopez • Stephanie R Macias • Crystal Mendoza • Evelyn R Ochoa • Leticia Ortiz • Kimberly L Owen-Long • Itzel E Perez • Karli B Phelps • Kolton N Pippins • Kayla L Raap • Evelyn P Ramos • Anthony Renteria • Jenna L Reyes • Leticia C Rivas • Garrett J Roebuck • Jasmine M Russell • Marisol R Sanchez • Lorna J Tukey • Areli Y Valencia • Irma Valencia • Laura Valle Monique E Ventris • Christopher Woodworth • Eric V Zuazo ASSOCIATE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE: Patrick L Brown • Joseph R Harshberger • Jesus A Mercado • Dahlia A Vargas • Tyler R Woody • Natalie H Wright ASSOCIATE IN GENERAL STUDIES: Denise E Blanco • Al Garcia • Brandi J Gottschalk • Kayla J Hill • Maria Ibarra-Alvarado • Ivan Lemus • Allison A Lund • Melani M Nunez • Merary M Perez • Maria G Rivera • Margaux A Vautour • Ranae M York ASSOCIATE IN NURSING: Brandi N Adams • Nicole M Barnes • Brooke M Bastian • Joshua C Beal • Jasmine Bement • Stephanie A Bendall • Michele M Bohoskey • Maranda K Bredwell •Vivecca T Campbell • Zachary J Charvet • Kelsie M Clawson • Rochelle M Cleem • Megan L Cofelt • Chelsea E Covey • Reyes Cuevas • Nathalyn B Dagdagan • Jordan R Eckstrom • Elizabeth G Fernandez • Crystal J Garcia • Eduardo Garcia-Cuevas • Jaime M Georgeson • Chelsea S Granstrand • Amber G Gray • Nickol J Grimm • Mariah R Higgins • Kylie B Hinton • Daylraye M Hutchinson • Estasia M Kerrigan • Heather R Killion • Hee Keoung Ko • Briana E Lazaro • Michelle K Lowder • Amy R Martinez • Sara L Mcentire • Terah A Morgan • Jessica M Nelson • Jane W Njoroge • Aranza Ortiz • Nicole M Palesch • Kimberly M Parker • Hannah J Pederson • Kailynn A Rae Angelica S Robina • Ricardo Rodriguez • Justhine L Rueda • James Salazar • Dafne A Sanchez • Grace A Schmidt • Alison K Sides • Samantha L Tellez Ashley L Thompson • Kaitlyn I Thompson • Amber D Tupy • Jesus Valdes • Brittany N Vanzuyen ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE TRACK 1: Rose Bender Damien Chinn • James A Donaldson • Oscar Rodriguez • Patzy Villagrana ASSOCIATE IN SCIENCE TRACK 2: Alex M Diaz • Briseida Fajardo Timothy M Gibson • Jacob A Green • Michael A Ledesma • Trevor J Mackey • Evan C Wolfe • Jonny E Zuniga-Romero ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED
SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTING: Adrian Chacon • Gordon C Connel • Jennifer R Cruz • Felicia R Escamilla • Kelsey M King • Adriana V Lua Jose Olivera • Brittney M Saldana • Osmar A Zuniga ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE TRANSFER IN AGRIBUSINESS Jessica N Pacheco• Hayley N Testerman ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE TRANSFER IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Jiselle U Arambul • Gabriela Bermudez- Cuevas• Adilene De Los Reyes• Erika Lopez • Cheryl A Shryack ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN AGRIBUSINESS Araceli R Walle ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE TECHNOLOGY Jacob Perales • Skyler J Thielen ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Zachary D Baxter • Katrina M Bliss • Tristin W Bunch • Yecenia Chacon • Patricia A Clements • Leeanne H Cruz • Miguel Flores-Jr • Brandi M Frederick • Janette R Garcia • Crystal L Jensen • Sabrina K Jones • Abraham Lopez • Tanya R Peters • Jennifer L Silva • Breanna S Stratton • Mary C Torres • Luis F Vaca-Madrigal • Elizabeth D Velazquez • Alice M Wahsise ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED
SCIENCE IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, MARKETING SPECIALTY Valerie A Brookshire• Jose R Rivera-Montes ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Anna M Burris • Gloria Cuellar • Athena J Deleon • Kendra L John • Chancellor D Mickles • Miriam E Ramirez • Maricela Ramos • Jesus E Valdez • Chasity R Wilson ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, BILINGUAL LEGAL OFFICE ASSISTANT Samantha A Valencia • Daisy Velasquez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, LEGAL OFFICE ASSISTANT Islam B Alsarama• Emily E Medina • Prisma E Ramirez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, MEDICAL OFFICE ASSISTANT Brenna N Leppert ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING Sara D Allen• Matthew E Van Epps• Jonathan A Vargas ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE Corey A Ault Todd A Compton • Summer R Holden • Alexander D Mendoza • Arlen W Moses • Marcus I Olson • Danny Peralta • Ernie J Perez • Erika F Sanchez • Christian J Tabayoyon • Billy R Tinajero • Auston W Unland • Edgar D Velasquez • Antonio Vera ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN DIGITAL
MEDIA Kevin C Hoover ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Mayra A Carriedo •Zoila R Quintero • Citlaly Valdez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, PRESCHOOL SPED OPTION Irene Ceja ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY Christian H Garcia • Oscar L Lozano
Magdalena Cervantes • Bianca M Garibay • John Gonzalez • Amanda R Irvine • Marisol Laguna-Gonzalez • Brianna L Lopez • Tifany J Ratclif • Halsey K Raymond • Joycelynn I Razo • Oseguera Yad Rodriguez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER Christopher A Blanco • Juan H Garcia • Baldwin G Hong • Sharon L Horn • Roseanne M Johnson • Laura A Johnston • Jeremy D Kuykendall • Nancy Lopez • Michelle M Mahan • Kelly M Mcfarland • Chad W Morris • Elizabeth Navarro • Jorge L Pacheco • Carmenlita L Solis • Mitch A Tobiness • Marcie Vasquez
ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY Tabitha J Armstrong • Sonia R Bown • Matanya S Burton • Brenda P Calderon Jacqueline Calderon • Virginia R Cortez • Sallee S Funkhouser • Emily H Johnson • Dana L Myers • Nicole D Randall • Dottie M Reynolds • Christina M Slack • Samantha G Vazquez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN VETERINARY TECHNOLOGY Almadelia Aguilera • Annamaria C Brant Tracey G Chavez • Rebecca L Dorris • Clara A Durheim • Madeline B Ferry • Yonatan Flores-Roman • Sydney K Layaoen • Caitlin E Oneil • Elizabeth Ortega • Artemio Ramos-Ramirez • Kathleen J Schneider • Sydney J Urwin ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN WINERY TECHNOLOGY Shane A Carey • Nathaniel A Lambert CERTIFICATE IN BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, BILINGUAL OFFICE ASSISTANT Katie L Cortes CERTIFICATE IN
BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY, GENERAL OFFICE ASSISTANT Stefanie M Gutierrez CERTIFICATE IN COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY Savannah J Bonny • Monica Y Martinez • Samuel J Sullivan CERTIFICATE IN DENTAL ASSISTING Marisa L Clements • Bianca Gonzalez • Edna Y Hernandez • Lucia Hernandez • Kimberly F Isaac • Ana L Madrigal • Natalie P Mcguire • Miriam Ruiz • Flora Sanchez-Suarez • Yesenia A Vargas • Daniela Venegas Cruz Villa-Lopez CERTIFICATE IN ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY Tyler J Greene • Keith R Nesary CERTIFICATE IN MEDICAL ASSISTING Arianna J Juarez• Samantha Reyes • Jennifer A Willey • Leslei Y Zamora CERTIFICATE IN PHLEBOTOMY Estela Arciga • Michelle N Chandler • Jacqueline L Cornwell • Asusena I Garcia • Katie L Lamb • Jeny Lopez • Llesenia Ramos • Irene C Rangel • Zach R Tuman • Maria E Vazquez CERTIFICATE IN
RETAIL MANAGEMENT Kristina M Ashby CERTIFICATE IN STATE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Evelia Covarrubias • Anthony Mills CERTIFICATE IN STATE INITIAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Maria C Alanis • Roberta Amaro • Glenda G Arias • Luz M Arroyo • Rubi C Arroyo • Vanessa Arroyo • Enriqueta Barajas • Cristal Betancourth • Maria Bobadilla-Estrad • Sheri M Boyd • Araceli Bracho • Yareli Calvario Socorro Calzada • Claudia J Campos • Maria G Cardenas • Margarita Carmona • Joanna N Castilla • Arcelia Chavez • Jazmin Chavez • Venezia Y Chavez • Mireya Cruz-Barajas • Claudia E De-Paz • Anabella Espino • Alejandra Figueroa • Celia Frausto • Jose T Guizar • Monica Haro • Amy E Hawkins • Rosa Hernandez • Maria B Kirby • Valeria B Leyva • Fabian Linares • Alma E Lopez-Santigo • Araceli G Lucatero • Jose G Macias • Maria Macias • Rocio Macias • Angelica Magdaleno • Martha D Minjarez • Maria M Ochoa • Andrea A Orozco • Nereyda Pacheco • Rosa M Pedroza • Salud Prieto-Zaragoza • Claudia Puerta • Albert Quiroz-Ballinas • Juana Reyes • Martha E Reyes • Claudia Reyes-De-Avila • Maria E Rios • Reynalda Rivera Maria L Ruelas • Alma A Salaiza • Josefa Salazar • Delfna A Sanchez • Erika Y Sanchez • Julia D Sanchez • Rosalinda E Sanchez • Viridiana G Sanchez Blanca R Santana • Yuridia Santiago-Sanchez • Talia L Sevilla • Olivia Tejeda • Jennifer Valencia • Natividad I Vasquez • Stephanie G Villanueva
CERTIFICATE IN STATE SHORT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SPECIALIZATION-GENERAL Rachel V Allen • Cecilia Gonzalez Zamora • Ashley Rojas• Yesenia Valencia CERTIFICATE IN STATE SHORT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SPECIALIZATION-INFANT/TODDLER Maria G Villafan
11 GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020
ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, GENERAL Damon T Aparicio • Kevin O Fonseca • Aubrey L Harden • Briseida Y Hernandez • Amy L Manzo • Daniel F Rodriguez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Jorge L Covarrubias • Cesar U Farias • Erik Garcia • Casey L Jacobe • John A Visaya • Cody N Zeller ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SUPPORT SPECIALIST Armando Arroyo-Hernandez • Roberto J Contreras • Jacob K Harris • Anthony R Ramirez ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN MEDICAL ASSISTING Maria Badillo-Ramirez • Kalie M Bestebreur • Maribel GuizarMagana • Kurt M Helms • Patricia A Jaime • Griselda Lagunas • Kathrine R Swale • Ilda I Trevino • Margaret Wilson • Amber D Zavala ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN MEDICAL BILLING & CODING Linda L Allen • Oakley M Broers • Anita Cortez • Tanea R Crull • Jenn HendersonEscobar • Brook C Howell • Vicky R Mcintyre • Brittany M Mork • Mary A Poage ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN PARAEDUCATOR Tiana R Aaron ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN PHARMACY TECHNICIAN Katie L Goben • Alicia Gomez • Aurora F Gutierrez • Socorro Martinez Jessica Y Montiel • Anna R Nelson • Emily L Wimberley ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN RADIOLOGIC SCIENCES Jenelle B Avery •
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COMMENCEMENT AWARDS
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Distinguished Alumnus Award Delma Tayer
Delma Tayer was born into a pioneer family that migrated from Quebec to Malheur County, Oregon. In 1947 she moved to Yakima to marry Harold Tayer. The couple and young son, made their life and home in Selah, WA. After her husband began his dental practice, Delma attended Yakima Valley College before transferring to Central Washington University (formerly known as Central Washington State College). There she studied English literature, art and philosophy. As a Ford Foundation Scholar, she earned a bachelor's in English education and philosophy, and later two master's degrees and required course work for an M.F.A. in art. Her passion for education led her to take not only all of the English classes CWU ofered at the time, but the art classes, too. After earning her degrees she taught English at YVC for 20 years, then joined the administration and served as dean of Arts and Sciences from 1984 until her retirement in 1990. She also served at the national level in the formation of the Commission for the Humanities and is a past president of the Board of Trustees of Humanities Washington. She also served as President of the Two-Year-College English Association, Vice-President of the Northwest English Association, and with associates from Evergreen and Washington State Universities initiated the Art Touring Service. In 1974 she began serving as the Director of the Larson Gallery, along with her other duties, an assignment she continued until her retirement. She has also received many awards and honors including the Allied Arts Council Award for contribution to the excellence in arts. She was also recognized with the YWCA's Woman of Achievement Award, the Washington Community College Humanities Association's John N. Terrey Award, the Humanities Washington Heather C. Frank award and the Larson Gallery's 2000 Woman of the Year award. Upon her retirement she has spent many hours in her studio, in her garden, and traveling internationally.
Faculty Emeritus Award Gordon Koestler
Working full-time as a gravedigger in Tacoma by day and attending college classes part-time in Auburn at night, Gordon Koestler earned an Associate of Arts degree from Green River Community College in 1978. Moving to Pullman, Koestler graduated summa cum laude in American Studies from Washington State University in 1981, eventually serving as a reporter and editor for the WSU Daily Evergreen student newspaper. Koestler was then an award-winning journalist for weekly newspapers in Western Washington, ultimately earning a National Newspaper Association award for his writing (1989). Following a new calling in education, he returned to college and in 1992 graduated from Central Washington University with a master’s degree in English Language Learning. Over the next 27 years, Koestler taught composition, literature, and integratedlearning and student-success courses at YVC. Koestler was founding director of the YVC Writing Center and served many years as liaison to the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education. In 2005, he was honored with the Robert M. Leadon Excellence in Teaching award. He retired in 2019, a true believer in the power of community colleges to transform lives and communities. He lives in Yakima with his wife, former YVC English instructor Jean Raabe.
9 Yakima Valley College
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Sherrie & Daryl Parker Faculty Award A Business Administration Instructor, Carol Schneider has taught with passion, developed innovative curricula, and provided new opportunities for students at YVC since 1998. She worked in both industry and higher education before coming to YVC. She taught at Northeastern University (Boston), Everett Community College, Skagit Valley College, Central Washington University, and Heritage University. Schneider earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Business Administration from The University of Rhode Island. She has served as the Chair of the Business Department and on numerous committees during her tenure at YVC. In addition, she has provided leadership for YVC’s Call Center Project, the U.S. Ofce of Housing & Urban Development’s Ofce of University Partnership’s Grant to build two local Family Resource Centers, the Allied Health Programs at YVC, the Center of Excellence in Allied Health Grant, and the creation of the YVC Bachelors of Applied Science Degree in Business Administration.
Robert M. Leadon Excellence in Teaching Award Dan Peters
As an English instructor in the Arts and Sciences division, Dan Peters teaches all levels of composition in addition to Creative Writing, Survey of American Literature, and Introduction to Shakespeare classes. Peters grew up in Selah and attended Willamette University in Salem, OR where he received a bachelor's degree in English. After obtaining his master's degree in literature from the University of Montana, Peters started working at YVC in 1995 as a part-time weekend college instructor. He taught part-time for the college for four years, while taking education classes at Heritage University and working as a counseling para-educator and coach at Wilson Middle School. Peters taught for three years at West Valley High School before accepting a full-time position at YVC in 2001. In addition, Peters currently serves on the Selah School Board and has recently been selected for the 2020-21 yearlong Fulbright U.S. Roving Scholar Program in Oslo, Norway.
Darlene Koch Classifed Employee of the Year Award Johnny Roger Schofeld
Johnny Roger Schofeld spent his early years in the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English, he moved to Seattle to start an indie rock band. From 2001 to 2009, they made fve records, played over 550 shows, and toured 240,000 miles. In 2007 they performed live on MTV, winning MTV’s Breakout Band of the Year and having their music videos promoted by the channel. Their songs have also appeared on TV shows and video games. Johnny has also written three novels. Moving to Yakima in 2012, he shifted focus to poetry, placing frst in Allied Art's Juried Poetry Contest and the LiTFUSE Poetry Slam. He also created a poetry open mic series in 2017. Recently, Booth Literary Journal published his poem “Moose Blood.” Over the past six years, Johnny has tutored students as a Writing Center Coordinator at YVC, striving to teach the power of writing as a path toward “a robust life of critical thinking and amplifed moxie.”
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COMMENCEMENT AWARDS
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Carol Schneider
11 ONLINE SERVICES & LEARNING DURING COVID-19
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YVC Responds to the Global Pandemic In the middle of March, Yakima Valley College faculty and students were busy preparing for winter fnals when Governor Jay Inslee announced statewide closures of all public and private schools in an efort to stop the spread of COVID-19. YVC along with other schools around the state worked quickly to close their campuses to the public. After fnals, the college spent the week of spring break reformatting classes from face-to-face to online for spring quarter. Work was also done to outft staf with the equipment they would need to begin working remotely. In May a small portion of the students enrolled in workforce education programs were approved to return to campus. Each program is following strict public health procedures, including daily survey, social distancing, and masking. A student survey halfway through the quarter revealed that 88% of students said the remote learning experience was positive and that they felt connected to faculty. With the positive feedback on remote learning and the status of the community in mind, YVC decided to continue online instruction for summer and fall quarters. Faculty and staf have worked hard to make this transition successful for students and to support our community. Some of the eforts are highlighted below.
Campus Safety
“YVC knows we all have a role in preparing our community to thrive again,” stated Director of Occupational Health and Safety Shawn Teng. “From the beginning of this global crisis YVC students, faculty and staf have been working and adapting together on a common mission of maintaining the highest level of education possible, educating the community on the changing details of COVID-19, preserving and routing emergency resources to front-line responders, and working to slow the spread of the virus in our community in order to gain time for scientists and researchers to fnd solutions to protect humanity,” he continued. YVC has purposely instituted measures that exceed many Federal and State recommendations and will continue to practice and implement, as necessary, strict safety guidelines as a systematic approach to reopening our campus community.
Technology
A tremendous amount of efort was done by YVC's Technology Services department to get students and staf ready for online learning and working remotely. “Once a decision was fnalized to move over to an online modality due to the increase in COVID in our area, we acted quickly in acquiring technology that would be necessary for our faculty, staf, and students to be successful online,” stated Director of Technology Services Dilbar Chhokar. “We gathered all available resources on campus and purchased additional laptops/tablets, hotspots, webcams, and microphones. While we worked closely with Media Services to distribute technology to our students safely and efectively, our eLearning team was preparing courses, tips, and providing any assistance necessary to prepare our faculty to be successful in an online environment," he continued.
Math & Writing Centers
Staf on both the Yakima and Grandview campuses worked to quickly move services for the math and writing centers online. Utilizing Zoom rooms, the writing and mater centers created virtual centers to connect students with consultants, getting them real-time help at their convenience. To do this, teams kept a continuous Zoom meeting open during their daily hours of operation, mirroring the welcoming open-door atmosphere of the physical centers. The teams also used the breakout rooms feature to create private tutoring spaces. "Our goal was to keep students’ use of the virtual center as close to what they would experience in the physical locations as possible, hoping that the familiarity would translate to accessibility and make adapting to online tutoring easier for students and consultants," stated Writing Center Instructional and Classroom Support Technician II Joshua Swayne. "Despite the newness of using Zoom for many, students were still able to fnd, access, and use our Zoom space as hoped, and our team of consultants quickly adapted to using the program’s features to have conversations with students about their writing, allowing us to maintain the human connection that is vital to the support we ofer students," he continued.
11 Yakima Valley College
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From left: District Virtual Concert, Governor Jay Inslee Speaks with Reporters on YVC's Yakima Campus on June 16, 2020
Student Services
As YVC moved instruction and services online, YVC counselor and student services staf brainstormed how best to help engage students and answer their questions. The result was weekly live question and answer sessions held via Zoom. Staf from counseling and advising, fnancial aid, student life, registration and admissions were all available. The drop-in format allowed students to log in and ask questions and helped many navigate online education during spring quarter. “YVC Counselor Maribel Jimenez suggested the idea to me and I thought it was a great way for student life to support students during an unprecedented quarter,” stated Student Life Coordinator Laura Yolo. “It was very rewarding to be able to help students with a ‘one-stop shop’ type of experience multiple times per week during spring quarter. We hope to revisit these ‘Live sessions’ again during fall quarter."
District Virtual Choir Concert
After planned concerts were canceled in late winter quarter, Choral Director Steven Slusher began to plan for online spring quarter, the result, a virtual concert where fellow K-12 school districts were invited to participate. Members of YVC Cadences served as YVC Choir Ambassadors to the high school students taking part in the virtual choir. “I provided all students with a sound track, individual vocals part and played on piano, sheet music I arranged and lyrics (We are the World: COVID-19) that Eisenhower choral director, Laurel Kaschmitter, and I wrote,” stated Steven Slusher. “Students listened to a recording through headphones and recorded their singing on their recording device. Ambassadors, along with Steven, listened to recordings and gave individual feedback to each student,” he continued. Slusher also held live Zoom meetings to discuss the music and concerns with submitted practice recordings. After all students submitted their fnal recordings they were compiled into a video. In total over 40 students submitted fnal videos including singers from eight area high schools, plus YVC choirs. Check out the fnished product online at: www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=NRPSv5Nh2C8&feature=emb_title
Larson Gallery
The Larson Gallery focused their eforts this spring on bringing their annual Larson Gallery Guild Members’ Exhibition to an online platform. Each year approximately 370 members of the Guild are invited to submit one piece of artwork for the show. For 2020 the gallery received 61 entries. They also arranged for a special dinner available for pick up or delivery through The Fat Pastor’s new restaurant The Lab, located in the former 901 Pasta building. The event also included a 45-minute online program with an auction of 17 artworks made by local artists. “We are grateful to the members of the Larson Gallery Guild, who help support our exhibitions and programs,” stated Larson Gallery Director David Lynx. “This is an opportunity to highlight some of our member artists."
Jay Inslee Campus Visit
On June 16, YVC hosted Governor Jay Inslee who was on campus to speak with local business leaders regarding the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the Yakima Valley. Private meetings were held in the North Campus Commons Courtyard. Later in the day, the Governor invited reporters to ask questions during a press conference. During the conference he spoke on the importance of masking fattening the curve in the Yakima Valley. Winter/Spring 2020 12
ONLINE SERVICES & LEARNING DURING COVID-19
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YVC Foundation Names New President
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
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The YVC Foundation is excited to welcome Mary Sundquist as the new President of the Foundation Board. Mary brings with her a rich family history of service to the Foundation and College. Her father, William Russell, served as YVC’s President from 1973-1979. He and Marvin Sundquist, Mary’s father-in-law, were original members of the Foundation when it began in 1977. Marvin went on to serve as the Foundation’s president until 2010. In addition, her grandfather-in-law, Ralph Sundquist, provided the initial $140,000 donation to establish the Foundation. “I am honored to serve as President of the YVC Foundation board,” stated Mary Sundquist. “I was a teacher before I retired. I have personal ties with YVC, having received my Elementary Education degree through the collaborative program from Central Washington University and Heritage University on the YVC Campus. However, my stronger tie to YVC is through my family connections to the Board.” Mary Sundquist Mary has served on this board since March 2008. She replaces Glenn Rasmussen who served as the President for the past 10 years. Rasmussen will remain a board member, a seat he has held since 1981.
New I-BEST Accounting Option YVC’s College and Career Readiness division will begin ofering a new Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) Accounting option this spring. I-BEST pairs a professional or technical program with Adult Basic Education courses to provide educational access and support for students to progress further and faster along career pathways. Students enrolling in I-BEST programs, earn a college certifcate that prepares them to work in a high-demand career, increase academic skills while earning college-level credits, and increase their abilities and opportunities for employment in their chosen career feld. “I-BEST programs put students on an accelerated pathway to living-wage jobs in high demand industries in our region,” stated Pathway Coordinator Joe Trenkenschuh. “They provide academic skill-building and support so students can move forward on their educational pathway. Eligible students can access special funding through the Opportunity Grant.” Additional I-BEST programs ofered at YVC include Agriculture, Business Technology, Early Childhood Education, Information Technology, and Nursing Assistant Certifcation.
Aerospace Machining Technology YVC’s Aerospace Machining Technology Program allows students to pursue an associate of applied science (AAS) degree or certifcates in machining technology or computer numerical control (CNC) operation. Students learn the skills required to plan and carry out the operations needed to make aerospace machined products that meet precise specifcations. Course instruction covers blueprint reading, manual machining, computerized machining, metrology, quality control, engineering drawing, CADD and CAM software, as well as CMM programming. “YVC’s program ofers students a well-rounded introduction into the aerospace industry. After completing the two-year AAS program students are able to design their part on a CAD/CAM program, machine the part on CNC machines, and inspect the part using a CMM,” stated Engineering Instructor Rajkumar Raj. The need for skilled workers in manufacturing is expected to grow and the industry is facing a shortage. YVC’s degree and certifcates prepare students for entry-level positions in the manufacturing industry. To learn more visit: www.yvcc.edu/machining. 13 Yakima Valley College
Aerospace Student Lucas Zepeda in Class
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New Agriculture Oferings YVC’s Agriculture Department began ofering two new courses geared at professional development for the local agriculture industry during winter quarter. The frst, Irrigation Principles, allows students to learn how to calculate water needs and delivery, troubleshoot common irrigation issues, and design systems that best ft their irrigation needs. Spanish for the Grape and Wine Industry, is a conversational workshop series that covers basic grammar as well as vocabulary and situations pertinent to Industrial Irrigation Equipment vineyard and winery operations. “The agriculture industry has communicated the need for on-site training in irrigation principles as well as conversational Spanish, it is great that YVC is able to meet those needs,” stated Agriculture Chair Trent Ball. To learn more visit www.yvcc.edu/ag.
Allied Health Technology Programs YVC’s Allied Health programs ofer several paths to help students obtain a career in the health care feld. Through short-term certifcates and associate of applied science degree options each program provides career enrichment coursework and clinical experiences in order to help build knowledge, skills, and competencies which enable them to provide care for people in all ages and medical professions. Areas of study include Care Navigation, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Medical Assisting Student Maria Badillo Interpreter, Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy, and Surgical Technology. Faculty representatives from the programs have been working with college administration and architects on their new facility, part of YVC’s West Campus Expansion, expected to be complete in time for fall quarter 2020. Each program has diferent admission criteria, coursework, and degree options, ranging from introductory classes and certifcates to associate of applied science degrees focused on a specifc area of study. To learn more visit www.yvcc.edu/alliedhealth.
Ethnic Studies Courses With the help of Instructor Emily Washines, YVC’s ethnic studies classes are gaining in popularity. “Overall studying and understanding ethnic studies will help students build a network in the community they live in,” she stated. Washines credits her experience as a YVC student with helping to inspire her passion for the subject, in particular the instruction of Dr. Wallace Strong. She states “I keep that component of discussion in the classroom as it helps build and share students’ knowledge. I use an updated Emily Washines Teaching edition of the same book I had in class. Also, I get fashbacks of when I was a student as one of my previous instructors is now my colleague.” Washines makes innovative use of multimedia in her classroom to engage students, including the study of podcasts and other independent journalism documenting the experiences and contributions of ethnic groups in the United States. Both introductory ethnic studies courses are available, as well as more advanced courses that center on one particular ethnic group or topic.
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11 CAMPUS NEWS
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YVC Engages Community in Strategic Planning
In February, YVC took the frst public steps towards development of its new Strategic Plan by sending survey questions to a wide swath of community members throughout the college’s service district. The Strategic Plan is the document used to guide the college through its next fve years of growth. “YVC’s strategic plan is a refection of the ideas of all stakeholders,” says Director of the Ofce of Institutional Efectiveness Sheila Delquadri. “An important stakeholder is our community, through which YVC can gain valuable information that we could not know without their feedback. Our community is YVC’s Yakima Campus essential to YVC’s strategic planning process as we plan for the future, identify priorities, and work together to respond to community needs.” In addition to the online surveys, the college conducted focus groups on both the Yakima and Grandview campuses, gathering input from students, faculty, staf, and administrators.
Accreditation Renewal Granted by NWCCU On January 9th, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) reafrmed accreditation for YVC, based primarily on the fndings of an evaluation committee’s site visit last October. The commission found the college in compliance with its standards, and its report included commendations in the areas of college culture, commitment to inclusion, and upkeep of facilities and grounds. In commending the college’s eforts in promoting diversity, the evaluating committee placed “particular emphasis on the ESCALA program and diversity education series, as well as to students through implementation of its Diversity Welcome Center.”
Students in Chicano Studies Class
West Campus Expansion Continues On-Schedule
YVC’s West Campus Construction
YVC’s West Campus Expansion project continues to progress on-schedule at the southwest corner of 16th Avenue and Nob Hill Boulevard in Yakima. With architectural design from BORArchitecture, and the construction expertise of GH Moen, both local frms, the project is already drawing attention, largely from its graceful and dramatic roof-lines. The new classroom and meeting spaces are expected to be in use for Convocation in fall of this year, with completion of the new Tasting Room and Larson Gallery exhibition space following soon after. The classroom spaces will form the new home of YVC’s Allied Health technical programs.
YVC Awarded Grant to Help Combat Homelessness YVC was recently awarded a grant from the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges to help students who are struggling fnancially so they can stay in school and complete their degrees. The Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness Pilot Program created six pilot projects across Washington State for students who are homeless or were in foster care. YVC is one of four community and technical colleges and two universities selected to participate for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years. Colleges can use the funds to help students with short-term housing or housing assistance; laundry facilities, storage and showers; food cards; technology; and case-management services. YVC was awarded $110,000 for this two-year grant. In addition, this spring the grant was able to help several students living in the Student Residence Center on the Yakima Campus. “National studies indicate a substantial level of homelessness amongst college students,” stated Counselor Esther Huizar. “YVC will use the grant to focus on improving identifcation and prioritization of students experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. The plan is to ensure identifed students receive direct service to address basic needs on campus and referrals to housing resources with our community partners.” 15 Yakima Valley College
Each year, the Washington State Association of College Trustees (ACT) Awards Committee chooses six awardees from nominations submitted by each of the 34 community and technical colleges. The awardees receive a $500 scholarship and the opportunity to share their stories during a reception. This year, YVC’s nominee is Erma ‘Jessica’ Villarino. Villarino is YVC’s frst student-nominee to be selected by ACT to receive the Transforming Lives Award and share her story during the reception. Jessica Villarino was born and raised in Fullerton, CA. She dropped out in the 9th grade and struggled to make ends meet as a single mother in California and later Nevada. During this time, she also learned that her daughter was intellectually disabled, and that she would need extra care. She decided to relocate to the Yakima Valley and enrolled at YVC taking Erma ‘Jessica’ Villarino GED courses in early 2018. YVC’s GED program helped rebuild her confdence and gave her a foundation for more. After completing her GED she began YVC’s Automotive Service Technology program. She has competed at the regional and statewide SkillsUSA competitions and will graduate in the spring. She plans to work in the local automotive, machining or aerospace industry.
All-Washington Academic Team YVC is proud to announce the selection of Oluyemisi ‘Yemi’ Akinbade and Cameron Bundy as members of the 2020 All-Washington Academic Team. The scholarship program recognizes students from all 34 community and technical colleges in Washington State for outstanding accomplishments. Yemi Akinbade was born and raised in Ondo, Nigeria. In 2009 her husband received a scholarship to study at Washington State University (WSU) and was later hired to work in Prosser, WA. She began taking classes on YVC’s Grandview Campus and graduated with certifcates in pharmacy technician and phlebotomy. Wanting to realize her dream of becoming a pharmacist, Yemi decided to continue her education. This spring Yemi applied and was the frst student accepted into YVC’s new joint pharmacy program with WSU. She will begin in August 2020 and hopes to one-day work in the feld of cancer research. Cameron Bundy was born and raised in Everett, WA. After struggling with addiction he relocated to the Yakima Valley in 2012 and with the support of his family received treatment at Sundown M Ranch. Wanting more, and with the encouragement of his aunt, Bundy began attending YVC in 2018. Initially unsure what to study, Bundy’s passion for mathematics and teaching was ignited. A familiar face on campus, Bundy works in the Tutoring Center. He graduates this spring with an associate in arts transfer degree and plans to transfer to a university to study applied mathematics. Each All-Washington team member receives a Phi Theta Kappa medallion and a $250 scholarship from KeyBank. For the second year in a row, the YVC Foundation has chosen to match the KeyBank scholarship award, providing an additional $250 to YVC’s nominees. Bundy was also selected as a 2020 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive an additional $1,000 scholarship.
Oluyemisi ‘Yemi’ Akinbade
Cameron Bundy
Jack Kent Undergraduate Scholarship Finalist
Hector ‘Andy’ Torres
YVC Engineering Student Hector ‘Andy’ Torres was recently selected as one of three fnalists in Washington State for the Jack Kent Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. This highly selective scholarship honors the nation’s top community college students who plan to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Each selected student receives generous fnancial support, up to $40,000 per year, college planning support, ongoing advising, and networking with fellow scholars. After being laid-of from Jeldwen Torres reached out to YVC’s Worker Retraining Program. He began taking courses in the Engineering program during winter quarter 2017 and graduates this June with an associate of applied science in civil engineering and an associate in science transfer degree. He plans to transfer to Washington State University. Winter/Spring 2020 16
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Transforming Lives Award
11 SCHOLARSHIPS
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CARES Act Funding Awarded to Students
This spring YVC was excited to be awarded funds through the CARES Act. The CARES Act is federal legislation that provides a variety of fnancial support to individuals and businesses afected by the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. One part of this federal program allocates money to Yakima Valley College, and a portion of that allocation can be awarded to students who are experiencing fnancial expenses because of the campus disruption in operations due to the coronavirus. The total awards disbursed for spring and summer, including institutional funds for WASFA students is $766,590 to a total of 1,872 students. "CARES Emergency Funds certainly helped students during a signifcant time of need," stated Financial Aid Director Oscar Verduzco. "Having funds go directly to students allowed them to address whatever their immediate need was. We will continue to award CARES Emergency funds to students who enroll through summer and fall quarters while funds remain available," he continued.
YVC Foundation Awards Annual Scholarships
This July marked the 23rd year the Foundation has awarded scholarships to YVC students. In total, $664,000 in scholarships funds were distributed for the 2020-2021 academic year. In all, 220 students received scholarship awards, with an average of $3,000 for most students. Since 1977, the YVC Foundation has worked to provide fnancial support to students. Starting with $140,000 from ten donors, the Foundation’s endowment has grown exponentially to over $12,000,000 from 150 donors. In its 40-year history, the Foundation has awarded more than 5,000 scholarships to students, totaling more than $5.8 million.
YVC Students Earn Scholarships Through Rotary Club of Yakima This spring, the Rotary Club of Yakima awarded vocational scholarships to students pursuing college degrees during the 2020-2021 academic year. Awards were presented to 21 students in all. Vocational scholarships were received by the following YVC students: Christina Madison (Nursing), Carson Filkins (Nursing), Samantha Mallery (Vineyard and Winery Technology), Arlet Gonzalez (Dental Assisting), Blanca Cisneros (Business Management), Lesley Waters (Teacher Education), Margaux Vantour (Business Management), and Johanna Torres (Dental Hygiene). In addition, the club awards academic scholarships to deserving students in the Yakima Valley. This year academic scholarships were presented to Running Start students Maria Navarro, Itzel Perez, Malorie Stevens and Spiridon Hagler. An additional award was presented to student Esther Baeza Gonzalez. Since 2008 awards have also been presented in honor of the late Mollie Davis. Davis bequest $20M to help provide scholarships to residents of the Yakima Valley. The Mollie Davis Scholarship program awards up to $7,500 a year and up to $30,000 overall toward a bachelor’s degree. In addition, up to $3,500 a year toward is awarded toward an associate degree. Mollie Davis scholarships were received by the following YVC students: Elouisa Flores, Isabel Fernandez, Kimberly Ruelas, Margaux Vautour, and Marlen Figuerora.
Vineyard & Winery Technology
YVC's Vineyard and Winery Technology program awarded scholarships for winter quarter 2020. Funding for the scholarships was provided by the Grape to Glass Gala as well as contributions from the Yakima Enological Society and Great Northwest Wines. Award amounts ranged from $1,250 - $2,000 were presented to students Lea Abrams, Jeremey Clark, Miriah Falce, Ana Leon, Christina Leoutsakos, Samantha Mallery, Paul Nunez, and Artemio Ramirez.
NeST Scholarship
YVC’s New Scientist Training (NeST) Grant provided scholarship awards during the 2019-2020 academic year to 14 students majoring in STEM felds. NeST scholarships were awarded to: Oluyemisi Akinbade, Briseida Fajardo, Hector Torres, Jonny Zuniga Romero, Daisy Antunez, Cameron Bundy, James Donaldson, Amanda Lopez Javier Ramirez, Nadara Collins, Vanessa Ferguson, Cristal Garcia, Felipe Magana and Amanda Rodriguez. Each student received funding to support their education expenses, including tuition, books, and personal expenses. In addition, each student received extra mentoring and support from YVC faculty member Stephanie Ahlgren. Funding for these awards is provided by the National Science Foundation (Award #1564520).
17 Yakima Valley College
Right to left: CEDEI Students; Russell Marquis and family at Macchu Picchu
Russell Marquis Sabbatical Report During the 2018-2019 academic year, College and Career Readiness Instructor and current Interim Grandview Campus Dean Rusty Marquis had the opportunity to take a sabbatical and teach English in Ecuador. Below is a brief summary: I had two professional development goals for my trip, one being able to teach English abroad and two to create a beginning Spanish course for high school credit. After considering lots of options about where to move, my wife and I decided to move to Cuenca, Ecuador, largely due to the opportunity to teach at a school that we believed was a good ft for our family: Centro de los Estudios Interamericanos. This city and school provided many of the features we were looking for. A Latin American/Spanishspeaking country was a top priority because we wanted to introduce our children to Spanish as a second language. We were also excited about this private, non-proft bilingual school because it was geared toward international students and included both English and Spanish classes. I taught English in grades 7 – 12 and world history to grades 10 – 12. I also served as an academic advisor and administrator for the Cambridge English LMS. There were many challenges at this school: buildings and basic infrastructure needed attention; Wi-Fi worked sporadically; and staf turnover, especially of international teachers. However, as challenging as this experience was, I found myself enjoying many of the same things I enjoy at home: interacting with students; witnessing their personal growth; problem-solving and being in a diferent culture, there were things I learned about my students and myself daily. And of course outside the classroom, I relished the ability to brush up on my Spanish skills, observe a new culture, travel to some amazing places, and encounter the world in a very diferent way. During my sabbatical, I also developed a beginning Spanish course that allows students to earn a world language credit for high school completion. I put all content, including quizzes, videos and other assignments into a Canvas shell. I piloted the course Spring of 2019 and one student was able to earn credit; I hope to make some additional improvements before we ofer this course as a regular part of our class schedule.
Darci Dekker has been selected as the college’s new Head Volleyball Coach. Dekker brings over 20 years of successful head coaching experience at several Yakima Valley high schools. “We are very excited to have Darci on board leading our volleyball Darci Dekker program,” says Athletic Director Ray Funk. “She has tons of successful coaching experience at the high school and club volleyball levels in the Yakima Valley.” Since 2015, Dekker has been actively involved with the Team Central Region United, under the direction of current Central Washington University Head Coach Mario Andaya.
YVC Awarded SPI Grant
The Department of Commerce recently awarded $6.5 million in State Performance Improvement (SPI) grants to provide higher efciency and better environmental performance in state-owned buildings. The funding covers additional costs incurred by choosing more efcient options for existing project plans, such as higher efciency heating systems or windows. Grants were awarded to 16 state agencies and institutions, including YVC, with projects currently funded under the 2019 – 21 Capital Budget. YVC received over $600,000. Additional recipients include Clover Park Technical College, Department of Social and Health Services, Eastern Washington State Historical Society, Edmonds Community College, Grays Harbor College, Green River College, Highline College, Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Shoreline Community College, South Puget Sound Community College, The Evergreen State College, University of Washington Bothell, Washington State Historical Society, and Washington State University.
Additional Acknowledgments Instructional Classroom Support Technician Brad Smith was recently selected to serve as a Board Member for Yakima Valley Tourism. Congratulations to Sherrie Warren, recipient of the Fall 2019 Classifed Employee of the Quarter Award. Warren is an Ofce Assistant III in Enrollment Services. Winter/Spring 2020 18
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New Volleyball Coach
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