January 2020

SAN JACINTO COLLEGE WWW.SANJAC.EDU Pastry chef students Scholarship winner followed Mental health services program 2 construct giant 3 passion for computers 4 promotes caring for others, self gingerbread village SANJAC.EDU HOUSTON CHRONICLE CUSTOM ADVERTISING SECTION SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2020 2 <<< Houston Chronicle Custom Advertising Section | Opportunity News | Sunday | January 5, 2020 sanjac.edu News frOm YOur COllege College hosts presented the College with the ACS Pastry chef students Outstanding Kids & Chemistry Award, Maritime Throwdown part of the national ChemLuminary construct massive Awards for excellence in gingerbread village The San Jacinto College Maritime promoting chemistry. Program hosted the 2019 Maritime Through the STEM Council’s This was not your mama’s Throwdown Competition Houston leadership, the College introduces more holiday baking. Regional Qualifier. The annual than 7,000 pre-college students to STEM But San Jacinto College Pastry Chef industrial maritime line-handling and education and career opportunities each Program students made mass quantities line-throwing skills competition was year. Events include STEM expos for look easy with their construction of the created to increase skill and safety while elementary students, Mind Trekkers for annual gingerbread village at the showcasing the maritime industry middle schoolers, the Aerospace Academy North Campus. to the public. Photo courtesy of Melissa Trevizo, San Jacinto College Space Day, and science fairs combined After weeks of preparation, quantity The qualifier featured San Jac Dance, a national educational outreach with campus tours. baking and cake decorating classes maritime students and industry organization, works with under- Although ACS-GHS received the assembled the village Dec. 5 for display professionals from six different maritime served communities to show students national recognition, the chapter on campus before the holiday break. companies all competing for the best The project scale — five gallons of how diversity, technology, and dance honored San Jacinto College for its time in various obstacles simulating field molasses, 80 pounds of flour, and 100 merge together to empower, educate, expansive STEM outreach that puts situations. Prizes included a 4x4 ATV pounds of powdered sugar — put the and encourage the next generation of Houston on the radar. average home kitchen’s December output and more than $15,000 for winners, who technical innovators. ACS-GHS ranked third in outreach to shame. qualified for the finals in May 2020 held Beach gave a morning presentation nationwide in 2016 and first in 2017 and “I include this project in our in St. Louis, Mo. about her personal story growing up 2018, thanks to the College’s initiatives. curriculum because it is a common The 2019 winners included: Aim in the dance, art, and STEM worlds ACS-GHS and San Jacinto College request of pastry chefs this time of year,” challenge — Smalls Whitaker, Cheryl and how she formed STEM From said Chef Andrea Huerta, North Campus K Marine, winning the longest throw Dance to inspire young girls to pursue culinary arts program director. “It’s in distance caught with a single-part STEM fields. The afternoon featured overwhelming if you have never done line; Line handling course — first a computer programming coding it before.” place, Stephen Conner, NGL Marine; workshop where participants learned Students turned out sheet after sheet and second place, Smalls Whitaker; simple coding for light-up technology of spice-infused gingerbread in mid- Overall best time - Grant Seibolt, San they could wear while performing November. Next, they cut the house walls Jac sophomore maritime student, who a dance they choreographed. using templates, toasted the pieces to finished third overall in the throwdown. The workshop ended with a fun harden them, and assembled the houses. performance by attendees wearing the Finally, students decorated the houses technology they coded. Photo courtesy of Maxx Shearod and arranged them in the village, along For more information on STEM From with candy landscaping. Dance, visit stemfromdance.org. have a long partnership. For two The project teaches time management, decades, the local chapter has helped large batch cooking, and construction and San Jac earns fund the College’s STEM outreach design skills. ChemLuminary kudos programs, said Dr. Ann Cartwright, “It’s a very fun project to get behind,” STEM Council co-chair. Huerta said. “I never have trouble getting The San Jacinto College STEM “At the STEM expo on Central students to buy in to the excitement of Photo courtesy of Melissa Trevizo, San Jacinto College Council has done it again. Campus in October, the Greater this project.” Dance, technology Thanks to continued STEM (science, Houston section had a booth to technology, engineering, and math) conduct experiments with our guests,” collide for outreach to local K-12 students, Dr. Cartwright said. “They saw San Lyceum event San Jacinto College earned recognition Jacinto College in action and were very this fall from the American Chemical impressed with our student volunteers. The San Jacinto College South Society - Greater Houston Section We have a great partnership, with many Campus Lyceum Committee hosted (ACS-GHS). of our chemistry faculty serving as STEM From Dance founder and CEO At its annual awards banquet members of the local chapter and several Yamilée Toussaint Beach. STEM From in October, the Houston chapter having served as officers.” Photo courtesy of Courtney Morris, San Jacinto College sanjac.edu Sunday | January 5, 2020 | Opportunity News | Houston Chronicle Custom Advertising Section >>> 3 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ScholarShip winner followed her paSSion for computerS By Cheryl P. Rose programming science workshop is an international organization that CORRESPONDENT focused on women. I knew a lot about recognizes academic achievement at a computers, but I didn’t know how to two-year college. As a young girl in Nigeria, Ruth Obe write code. Once I learned, I loved it and Obe plans to take a year or so to was fascinated with computers. But wanted to spend all my time doing it.” work before pursuing a bachelor’s as she embarked on her university Obe came to San Jacinto College degree. She hopes one day to work with education, she didn’t have any examples in 2017 and recently graduated with a big tech firm. or mentors of women working in an associate degree in computer and “I’d like to build up to a be a senior Ruth Obe Photo courtesy of Sophia Primera, San Jacinto College computers as a career. information sciences. software engineer for a company like Last fall, Obe won the Phi Theta “I wasn’t motivated to go to university Google, Apple, or Amazon,” she said. takeaway Obe has learned from her Kappa New Century Workforce Pathway to study computers because I didn’t have “It’s my big dream I’m working toward.” education journey is that finding the Scholarship from among more than During her time at San Jacinto people around me in those careers. Most 2,000 applicants. Obe was the top- right fit matters. people in Nigeria want to do medicine scoring candidate from Texas to win the College, Obe participated in NASA’s “I encourage anyone out there to and nursing because those jobs are very scholarship of $1,250, which recognizes 2018 Swarmathon “Mission to Mars” follow your passion,” she said. “Even lucrative and easy to get,” she said. “So the most outstanding workforce-bound competition team that took second if you can’t see the big picture from the I decided to go to school for medicine. student from each state. place. She tutors other students in beginning, push through and work hard. But at junior year, I attended a computer Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society math, physics, and programming. One It will pay off.” STaff SPOTLIGHT DeStry DokeS ContinueS College’S miSSion By Andrea Vasquez where he served as an advisor, interim They will encourage their friends and SAN JACINTO COLLEGE president of HCC Northeast College, and family members to join in that success and chief operations officer of HCC Northwest accomplish their own goals, and that is In fall 2020, San Jacinto College will during his six years there. something that perpetuates the College’s open its new Generation Park Campus. “I appreciated the chancellor’s mission of committing to opportunities At the helm will be Executive Director confidence in me to lead the college, which that enrich the quality of life in the Dr. Destry Dokes. As the first semester proved to be instrumental in preparing me communities we serve.” nears, Dokes discusses his leadership for this new role at San Jacinto College,” Leading the new San Jacinto College vision for the new campus. Dokes said. Generation Park Campus along with “I’m looking forward to developing As the Generation Park Campus Dokes will be Dr. Kelly Mizell, director our fifth campus, along with an engaging executive director, Dokes believes student of instructional services, and Sonia culture that promotes the College’s values, success is tied to experience from the Townsend, director of student support and encouraging an intentional focus on Dr. Destry Dokes working with students, faculty, staff, ISDs, Photo courtesy of Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College moment students walk through the doors services. Together they will open the new industry partners, and our community to in business administration from Walden to the day their name is called $26 million, 57-acre campus with an initial advance San Jacinto College Generation University, Dokes is no stranger to at graduation. 55,000-square-foot facility that will house Park as an educational campus of choice,” organizational leadership. Prior to his “If students have the best possible general education and academic classes, Dokes said. career in higher education, Dokes served student experience from every step from and focus on the educational needs of With more than 20 years of leadership in administrative and operational roles in the enrollment process to the faculty students looking to transfer to four-year experience in medical and higher the Texas Medical Center.

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