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HENRY D. SHANNON: Greetings from the beautiful Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga campus.
For the past few years, we try to share our success stories
with you to ensure our community members get the chance
to see first hand what I am fortunate to see each
and every day, student success.
At Chaffey College, we serve more than 30,000 students
annually.
At our last graduation, the youngest graduate
was 17 years of age, and the oldest was 71.
Just imagine someone graduating from high school
and from college in one night.
Miaki Fukuhara became an alumna from Chaffey College and Los
Osos High School in one evening with four associate degrees
she earned with us.
And you know, they all were free.
The number of high school students taking Chaffey College
courses through the dual enrollment program
has jumped about 300% in the last year.
This program is valuable, because it gives students
an early start into college.
More than 1,500 high school students
enrolled in the program in the 2018/2019 academic year.
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MIAKI FUKUHARA: My name's Miaki.
I was born and raised in Peru.
And then I moved to the United States as a child.
When we first moved here, we actually
moved in with my former stepdad, who was very domestically
emotionally abusive.
And my mom decided to take my brother and I out
of that toxic environment.
And it led us to actually be homeless.
So there was about a four-month period
where we lived in shelters.
And we were in and out.
I was fairly young, but I remember that period very
clearly.
It was a point so low that you could only go up.
So little by little, I started trying more in school.
I started using school as a means to get out of that.
So I did dual enrollment.
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So in high school, you usually go
to your counselors, who pick the classes,
and then they pick your periods.
And then you have a set time from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
that you have to stay there continuously.
Dual enrollment has much more flexibility in what
you can do with your schedule.
They let you choose your classes and what time
you can take them.
And they let you choose what classes you can take.
So you're not stuck in classes to get your general education
credits.
You take classes that you want to take
for your own experience.
I actually graduated college before I graduated high school.
The graduations were one hour apart.
But I told my principal ahead of time.
And we made the coordinations.
I was first in line to graduate in Chaffey.
And then after that, I made a quick Uber
to my high school graduation.
But graduating from Chaffey was something
that was mind blowing.
Seeing the whole community come together
is something that was really, really inspiring
and that I felt a lot of pride with.
Apart from a dual enrollment programs that they offer,
I think what really helped me and what
others can take advantage of is the fact that they have
this really great community and these really great support
programs for their students and that everybody who
is at Chaffey are there because they truly
want to make themselves better.
So joining that community, I think,
is not only privilege but something that
is an investment in yourself.
Although high school is good for making sure you have the bases,
I think truly understanding what you want to do
and truly exploring that is what you find through Chaffey
College classes.
Getting my acceptance from UCLA I
think now is the symbol not just academia,
but holistically being successful.
My career goals are hopefully to get my MD
and then go into surgery.
Ultimately, what I would like to do is to go back to Peru
so I can give back to my community not just any health,
but good health care, where it can grow and thrive.
Going back to that period where we lived in shelters,
I'm really glad my mom made the decisions she made.
Because it made us stronger family.
A lot of the motivation and inspiration they get
is from that specific moment.
Doing all this work, and doing all these degrees,
and doing all my extracurriculars
is a symbol for myself that you can start from the bottom
and get somewhere higher and that, through hard work,
dedication, there is such thing as upward mobility.
I'd recommend Chaffey College to anybody.
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HENRY D. SHANNON: In order for us
to keep up with the demands of the labor market,
Chaffey College needs to stay abreast of trends
and future needs of our communities and businesses.
As people start to create bank accounts
and live their lives more online,
concerns about identity theft and online security
started to increase.
Chaffey College realized this need
and decided to offer an associate degree
in the area of cybersecurity, the only such program
available in this region.
At Chaffey College, we want to ensure
that all our students have more opportunities after they leave
us than when they arrived.
They need to get credentials and find a living wage job.
Cybersecurity is an excellent way to accomplish this,
as the average salary for a cybersecurity professional
is more than $95,000 a year.
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DAVID NIMRI: Cybersecurity is a new and emerging field.
And our program is very unique and special.
And it sets it apart from other programs you may have seen.
In our classrooms, we have a culturally diverse environment.
Whether or not you're a lifelong learner
and you want to reboot your career
or you're a young person that just comes out of high school,
my goal is to make sure that you get that life plan fulfilled.
One of my students is Adrian.
And he's a wonderful human being.
He also works in the industry.
And so he came here because of our cybersecurity program,
because he was interested in improving his skills.
ADRIAN RUELAS: I've gone to other community colleges.
So I've been through a lot of professors.
Maybe they're not all the best at getting the best out
of the students, and they're really just teaching a class.
That is not the case at Chaffey College.
The teachers are invested in you.
DAVID NIMRI: Our goal here is to make sure
that we educate our students to get jobs in this industry,
because it does pay very well.
And there's a lot of jobs out there.
Not only do I want them to get a job,
I want to be able to keep a job so
that they can make a positive impact in their community.
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ADRIAN RUELAS: To see that somebody
cares about where I land after I'm
in college, that is a huge, huge plus of this program.
DAVID NIMRI: We also have a workforce developer.
She's able to get us internships.
So those students that are interested,
we have a pathway for them to potentially get
either employment or an internship
and get more hands-on skills.
ADRIAN RUELAS: They invest in where
you are and this place and time and where
they can see you in the future.
DAVID NIMRI: Some of the things that we've focused on
is making sure our students have hands-on skills
both on equipment, on tools, and things
that they would find in the industry.
ADRIAN RUELAS: Every piece of equipment that I've touched,
servers, switches, firewalls, I've directly
gone out into the workplace and used the same exact equipment.
DAVID NIMRI: We teach you all the information
you need so that, when you go out and look for a job,
yes, I do have a degree in cybersecurity.
I do have certifications.
But guess what?
Not only do I have the degree, but I can back it up
with getting stuff done.
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ADRIAN RUELAS: Professor Nimri buys the top-of-the-line
equipment for us to use.
And hey, my employer just needed a brand new firewall put in.
Guess what I recommended?
What we're using here at Chaffey College.
And guess what we're going with?
What we use here at Chaffey College.
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DAVID NIMRI: Chaffey College is really
focused on student success.
ARMANDO CAMACHO: In this program and specifically
Professor Nimri--
he's going to make sure that you get a career and a job
when you graduate and get your certificate.
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DAVID NIMRI: As an instructor, I have probably the funnest job
possible.
I get to meet new people, and I get to help them out.
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ADRIAN RUELAS: The ability to have someone
to rely on that can speak into your life that you trust,
it has been a blessing.
DAVID NIMRI: That makes me feel good to know
that I impacted their life.
Because their success is also my success.
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HENRY D. SHANNON: I've worked in higher education
for more than four decades.
One thing I've learned--
that doing something just because it's been done that way
before is not leadership.
No, that is staying comfortable.
From what I recollect, not a lot of stories
exist about historical changes happening
when anyone was comfortable.
AB 705 was created due to the large gaps in research that
reveal that assessment tests were not helping students,
particularly students of color.
Instead, these tests would tell them they needed remedial help.
And they spent time--
sometimes years-- taking remedial courses
that did not help them move effectively
through Chaffey College.
By removing this barrier, we know more and more students
are taking math or English in their first year
and moving to the next chapter of their lives successfully.
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LEONA FISHER: I'm Dr. Leona Fisher.
And I'm an English professor here at Chaffey College.
AB 705 was a law that was signed by the state legislature
back in October of 2017.
Most community colleges worked on a model
where we had developmental courses that would then lead up
to the transfer level class.
In some ways, this was a good thing,
because it allowed students to develop their skills.
But mostly what it was it was an obstacle to students.
What we know is that, when a student is
able to take both college-level English and college-level math
in their first year, they are exponentially more
likely to succeed.
What AB 705 requires is for community colleges like Chaffey
to maximize the likelihood that students
can finish both English and math in their first year.
ARMANDO CAMACHO: My name's Armando Camacho,
Jr. I'm attending college now.
LEONA FISHER: We see our students
as capable people who rise to the expectations that
are set in front of them.
ARMANDO CAMACHO: I'm inspired by the AB 705.
And I want to take advantage of that instead
of taking all these classes that are not necessary
and finish faster.
And ultimately, I would like to get a business degree.
LEONA FISHER: What we're seeing so far
is that students have risen to meet the challenges.
In fact, even though now we're looking
at having 100% of students placing directly
into 1A, whereas, before, it was maybe only a third,
we have not seen any statistical difference
in the number of students who are able to pass.
ARMANDO CAMACHO: Every time I write an essay for English 1A,
I get better and better.
And when I write emails at work, I
feel like my writing is strong.
And I'm not embarrassed by it.
I drive to work.
And I'm like, oh, I'm actually doing this.
LEONA FISHER: The Chancellor's Office
was so encouraged by our work that they awarded us
a $1 million innovation grant to continue to build support,
ensuring that our students have that maximum chance of success.
I'm just thrilled with the opportunities
that this law has provided us.
It will, for certain, change and impact lives.
ARMANDO CAMACHO: My kids are attending college now.
And now I'm encouraging my wife to come.
LEONA FISHER: We will see more students
able to complete their associate's degrees,
transfer to universities.
And we know, when that happens, all of us
are blessed because of it.
ARMANDO CAMACHO: I believe that, if one's
dedicated, and through perseverance,
and with the right connections and the right people
here at the college, you'll be successful.
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HENRY D. SHANNON: In my career, I've
attended more than 100 graduation ceremonies.
Some were the same.
Others are a bit unique.
All are emotional and beautiful.
If I had to tell you the most beautiful commencement
ceremony I have seen, I would say
it would have to be one of our Turning Point graduations.
Since its inception, more than 3,000 courses
have been taken by men and women who are spending time
in prison learning and improving themselves
for the day when they are able to return to our communities
and work for us again.
At Chaffey College, we have awarded approximately 170
degrees and certificates to Turning Point students.
MICHELE PAYNE: My name is Michele Payne.
I'm 42 years old.
And I'm a single mother.
I attended college at UC Riverside from 1995 until 1998.
My first year UCR went pretty strong.
My grades were OK.
My second year, I got in kind of a party life.
I wasn't attending class on a regular.
I thought I was above it.
And I let that overconfidence really destroy me.
After I got dismissed from the University in 1998,
I went back home, and I started making bad choices.
I was partying more.
And it was kind of depressing for me.
I made choices, and somebody lost their life
due to the choices that I made.
So I felt like a failure.
I felt ashamed.
I felt guilt. I knew somewhere in me that there was good
and that I was capable of doing so.
Chaffey College gave me that platform
inside the prison setting.
And it really helped me change my mindset.
It might not seem like much, but just
getting an A back on a essay--
the small accomplishments is what helped
me build my confidence back up.
If it wasn't from the Turning Point program at Chaffey
College, I wouldn't have known how much of an impact
that I could make for myself and other people.
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I paroled July 27, 2015.
And at that point, I came back to Chaffey College.
I received my AS in accounting.
And I was able to transfer to Cal State San Bernardino.
I just graduated with a bachelors
in administration concentration accounting.
And I'm also in my master's program for accounting.
I got offered a position as an associate auditor
in a local CPA firm.
And I've accepted that position.
Turning Point is that catalyst that can help a person
see the good in themselves to see
that they're capable of accomplishing things.
People were coming out from incarceration
with degrees because of the Turning Point program.
So I would say, please, keep investing in the program.
Keep investing in mothers, in husbands, in fathers,
in sisters, in brothers.
People can change.
And the support that the EOPS counselors show the Turning
Point program, the Chaffey College on-campus students
sending planners in to the women--
those little planners meant the world to a participant
in the Turning Point program.
I couldn't wait to get my day planner
to fill it with my little stickers in the back.
I could put on my calendar knowing I have an exam.
I felt like a student.
I felt like I was a Panther.
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HENRY D. SHANNON: When I think about Chaffey College,
I think about our founders, the Chaffey brothers.
They were leaders in innovation.
We are named after innovators.
The ideologies and ideas are still with us today.
What used to be a small campus in Ontario
has now evolved into campuses in Rancho Cucamonga, Chino,
and Fontana.
Thanks to the voters who passed Measure
P, we will be returning to the city of Ontario
in the future to make that city a college town again.
Our students have grit.
They are not entitled.
They want to learn and improve their lives
not just for themselves, but for their families.
After all, more than 60% of our students
are first in their families to go to college.
We have students who are recent high school
graduates, working parents, veterans, and many dreamers.
Chaffey College will put you on the path to success,
because we have a place for you.
Don't you think it's time to let Chaffey College be
a part of your life?
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