Chabot President

The past month has gone by really fast. At Chabot, we have celebrated awards for our faculty, like Cristina Moon, participated in community events, and wished others good luck in endeavorers, like Dr. Abby Patton, the new VPI at LA Tech (congrats). During this time of reflection, I am excited about the new projects on the way and the start of school next month. I appreciate all of the efforts of the hard working administrators, faculty, and classified professionals on our campus. I am fortunate to be the President of Chabot College.

I am full from attending the Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research last week on the campus of UCLA. I gained so much from the rich dialogue and wonderful fellowship with so many amazing leaders. Special shout out to Ashanti Hands, Ed.D. Carla Tweed, Ed.D, and Tina Maria King, Ed.D. for sharing your stories with me as I learned more about myself. Thank you Susanna Cooper for allowing me to attend the institute and I look forward to our future meetings.

The Chabot College Commencement was a huge success. We had the largest graduating class and the most degrees/ certificates awarded in school history. Congratulations to the 2024 graduates!

Congrats to the graduates from our Dental Hygiene Program. Thank you Director Coan leading an excellent cohort of students this year to the finish line. At Chabot College, our Dental Hygiene program is a premier program in the state and we hope you consider joining the Gladiator family as a student in our program.

Last night, The Black Graduation at Chabot College was one for the books! The graduates said thanks, overflowed with appreciation, and gave gratitude all to their family and friends as they danced across the stage with pride. A special shout out to the classified professionals, faculty, and administrators from the Black Education Association ( BEA), the Black Cultural Resource Center ( BCRC), Striving Black Brothers Coalition (SBBC), My Sisters Keeper (MSK), the Office of Student Equity, Umoja and others campus wide. We are excited for our graduates and what they do on their next chapter in life.
Chabot College

At Chabot College, we annually recognize our retirees for their years of service and their unwavering commitment to our students. The retirees were happy, felt seen, and appreciated the well deserved accolades. A special thanks to Kirti, Christine, Angela, Bella, and Cheree for their efforts for the retirement celebration and their support in our events throughout the year.

I enjoyed bringing greetings at the Nesians Unite Pasifika Graduation. I was gifted a graduation stole from the group. I encouraged the graduates to stay connected, to join our alumni association, and to know that Chabot College will always be there to support them.

A great time at the PUENTE End of the Year Celebration. We had lots of great food, an inspiring program, and every seat was occupied by a student, family member, and/or Chabot employee. The music was awesome and I’m looking forward to attending more events in the future.

The Practical, Anti-Racist, Teaching Institute (PARTI) Celebration was a hit! The program transforms the classroom experience by promoting culturally relevant and culturally responsive teaching. The culminating projects were outstanding. At Chabot College, we value innovative curriculum, phenomenal instruction and clear assessment.

Last night, the celebrations continued on the Chabot campus. We had the Community Partnerships End of Year Celebration with HPN, TRIO ETS, and Dual Enrollment. This was a great opportunity for folks to enjoy a social, in person gathering. Chabot College is very proud of our relationship with our community partners.

I had a great time at the Lavender Graduation Celebration, sponsored by The Q***r Educators Equity Network (QuEEN) in partnership with the Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) student club. A good time for all with good fellowship and a celebration of our wonderful students.

Congrats to the great Art Barboza, the leader of the Striving Black Brothers Coalition. Your legacy is cemented in the hearts of us all who your work has impacted through the years. We appreciate your service, your time, and energy to being a transformational place for black men on the Chabot campus. Congratulations on your retirement.

I am happy to support the Pacific Islander Wellness Initiative (PIWI) 5th Annual Rock Da Mic sponsored by Nesians Unite. The students from Nesians Unite always show up and show out in a great way. I appreciate their passion for lifting up their culture and the desire for their collective success. At Chabot, we support all of our students, including our Pacific Islander students.

The Rosales Sisters' Scholarship (RSS)
4th Annual Gala was a blast. They raised thousands of dollars for “first-generation and immigrant students by providing financial assistance, opportunities, and resources”. Always great to see Mayor Mark Salinas and Superintendent Jason Reimann. At Chabot College, we look forward to supporting worthy cause like RSS.

As the President of Chabot College, I explore ways for my students to meet their goals. One great opportunity is the
California Community Colleges (CCC) Transfer Guarantee Pathway to Historically Black Colleges & Universities(HBCU) Program. Any student that completes their general education requirements at a CCC is eligible to transfer to our partner HBCU. During this academic year, Chabot College has existing college commitments with Miles College and Johnson C. Smith University - JCSU. I have visited a number HBCU’s in an effort to learn about them, to create ways to share experiences with students, and to promote this awesome transfer program. I am looking forward to more Chabot students attending these prestigious colleges

Last week, we had the re-opening of our Dream Center at Chabot College. The Chabot Dream Center provides Bilingual (English/Spanish) support, resources, information and referrals for all Dreamer, undocumented, AB 540, and DACA students and allies in a safe and confidential environment. I want to thank all of the people who supported this effort including Puente, El Centro, and the Office of Student Services.

I had an amazing weekend attending celebrations for President Valerie Kinloch of Johnson C. Smith University, which is the only HBCU in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Friday, there was an investiture at the Charlotte Convention Center. President Kinloch and I signed a college commitment to create a pipeline for students to go from Chabot College to Johnson C. Smith. On Saturday, the gala had a wonderful program and capped off with a party featuring Doug E. Fresh. A wonderful opportunity to have an outstanding partnership for our Chabot students.

I had an outstanding time at the APAHE Conference in downtown Oakland. It was great seeing old colleagues and meeting new people. The highlight was celebrating the retirement of our very own Vice Chancellor of Human Resources,Wyman Fong. The respect, admiration, and pure joy that the community college system has for him was on full display. I am proud to have worked with such a shining star.

Last week, Chabot College presented “Into the Twilight Zone.” The venue was standing room only. The show was great. We are so happy to support, encourage, and highlight the arts at Chabot.

Recently, we had the Chabot College
Middle and High School
Choral Invitational. There were about 15 teams, over 500 students that participated in the performances throughout the day, and many parents to support the students. At Chabot College, we are proud to host community events for young people.
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On Thursday, I had the honor to serve as the keynote speaker for the African American Achievement Celebration at Castro Valley High School. The students were very excited about being acknowledged for their great work. I even invited them to come visit Chabot College. It was a great event for all.

Come join the Chabot Team

On Tuesday, we had the pleasure to host Chrissy Emmons and some of her AVID students at Chabot College. She is one of my former students, an outstanding educator, and friend. It was great to see her in action. I appreciate her allowing me to be one small part of her professorial journey.

I attended the Care 2 College Conference at Cal State East Bay. The event was co-sponsored by The Foster and Kinship Care Education Program at Chabot College and the Renaissance Scholars Program at Cal State Eastbay.

The event is an opportunity to connect the Bay Area foster and kinship care community with resources in higher education and to strengthen the pipeline from foster care to college. As a collaborative effort, there were representatives from a variety of programs including
GSP, Beyond Emancipation (B:E), Independent Living Program, Alameda County Office of Education, Alameda County Social Services, Oakland Unified School District, Hayward Unified School District, and John Burton Advocates for Youth.

Hayward is truly in support of foster youth and their educational futures. With collaboration from CSUEB, Chabot, and HUSD, all of our educational sectors work together for the betterment of our collective community.

The Black Business Expo at Chabot College was a huge success. We had phenomenal speakers, lots of community booths, and plenty of good food. Special thanks to My Sisters Keeper (MSK) for organizing a great event. At Chabot College, we bring together families, students, and the community to experience greatness.

The NCTEAR Conference was outstanding! I participated on a panel of former NCTEAR conference chairs which gave a historical perspective of the conference for almost the past decade. Thank you Dr. Tracey T. Flores for the invitation and my fellow panelist:
Dr. Detra Price-Dennis
Dr. Tonya Perry
Dr. Huili Hong
Dr. Ana Christina da Silva

Also, I spoke with graduate students about their research, gave career advice to literacy faculty, and even explored possibilities for Chabot College students to become exposed to careers in teaching based on a model learned from one of the workshops. I have been a language and literacy scholar for quite a while. It was great to be back at my academic “home”.

Last week, I attended The Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA). The trip was full of celebrations, reunions, and introductions. At the luncheon, Dr. Tabitha Conaway (mentee) graduated from the Mentor Program, Vice Chancellor Wyman Fong was honored for his retirement and service to ACCCA, and our own CLPCCD Chancellor, Ron Gerhard, was honored with the prestigious Harry Buttimer Distinguished Administrator Award. I am fortunate to know and to work with these 3 outstanding educators. A special thanks to Pilar Huffman for the great conversation. Overall, this was a great ACCCA trip and I am looking forward to applying the lessons learned at Chabot College.