Students lend voices at Capitol
Approximately 50 San Jacinto College students traveled to Austin, in February, for Community College Day at the Capitol to participate in conversations about higher education. In addition to tours of the Capitol, San Jacinto College students visited with Sen. Larry Taylor, Sen. Sylvia Garcia, Rep. Ed Thompson, Rep. Wayne Smith, Rep. Ana Hernandez, and a legislative aide from Sen. John Whitmire’s office. Community College Day is held every two years and hosted by the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) and the Community College Association of Texas Trustees (CCATT).
For highlights of Texas Community College Day 2015, visit the Tagboard at https://tagboard.com/ccday2015.
Eye care students help children See to Succeed
More than 1,100 Pasadena Independent School District students traveled to San Jacinto College for the Kid’s Vision for Life See to Succeed program, coordinated by the Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS), San Jacinto College, University of Houston (UH) College of Optometry, Essilor Vision Foundation, Wal-Mart, Berkeley Eye Center, and the Luxottica One Sight Foundation. Out of the 58 schools that participated, more than 1,000 children were found to need eyeglasses, 225 children needed medical referrals, and five children needed 24-hour urgent referrals. “The impact this program makes is huge,” said Debra Clarke, San Jacinto College eye care technology program director. “It’s a win-win situation because we are able to help children who otherwise wouldn’t have the resources to get eye care and glasses, and our college students are able to use what they’ve learned and apply it in a real eye care patient environment.”
Golf tournament and reception raise record $175,000
The San Jacinto College Foundation raised $175,000 in support of student scholarships at its 19th annual golf tournament and reception, held in the Fall at the Golf Club of Houston. To date, the San Jacinto College Golf Tournament with Guest Host Andy Pettitte has raised more than $2 million in support of student scholarships. This year’s recipients of an Andy Pettitte scholarship were Darby Macha and Monica Frias. Macha is an Honors student with a 3.64 GPA in mathematics. She transferred to the University of Houston – Clear Lake this Spring semester to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Frias owns a 3.34 GPA, and her goal is to become a nurse. Both students received $1,000 toward their tuition. The San Jacinto College Foundation golf tournament and reception is held every Fall. For more information, visit www.sanjac.edu/foundation.
New maritime technology and training facility set to open next Spring
San Jacinto College officially broke ground on a new 45,000-square-foot facility that will prepare new mariners and serve as a local training site. The San Jacinto College Maritime Technology and Training Center will provide certificate, associate degree, and incumbent worker maritime training, and will include U.S. Coast Guard-required and approved deck and engineering course work to prepare mariners for work on commercial vessels, from deckhand on an inland towboat to captain of an oil tanker. The building will sit 14 feet above ground. The ground level will showcase a training dock with lifeboats, davits, and fast rescue craft, and a separate industry dock for crew changes. This also will allow for vessel specific training for local maritime companies and will serve as an aquatic training facility for sea survival and life raft training. There will be 15 classrooms; engineering simulators to train maritime engineers for hydraulic, electric, pump control, motor control, heating and air conditioning, and refrigeration; and a multipurpose space for industry conferences and corporate partner meetings. Watch the groundbreaking video from the Pasadena Channel at: http://tinyurl.com/k25fuwe.
East Harris County Manufacturers Association donates scholarship funds
The East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) golf tournament and auction raised more than $70,000 in scholarship funds for San Jacinto College students. Scholarships such as these help students receive workforce training that can make a significant impact, not only for the student, but for the local industry as well. Craig Beskid, EHCMA executive director, said area companies get a solid return on investment by supporting San Jacinto College. “The greatest benefit is the increase in educated and trained workers available for employment for the specific needs of the region,” he commented. Beskid added that workforce training is one of the most pressing needs of East Harris County in order to have skilled employees needed for projected job openings.