College Report: December 2023
#GivingTuesday
The 2023 #GivingTuesday campaign for Fresno City College was a success due to the generosity of our donors and supporters who believe in helping our students. The funds will benefit the Ram Pantry which helps provide food to thousands of students. The college is grateful to our matching donor, SCCC Foundation board member Gina Cuttone and her husband, Shawn Patty with their $2,500 donation.
RN Pinning Ceremony
The FCC Registered Nursing Program’s fall 2023 Pinning Ceremony was held Saturday, December 9 at 1:00 p.m. It was held in the theater at Roosevelt High School. There were 108 potential nursing graduates who participated in the ceremony.
EMT Completion Ceremony
Two completion ceremonies were held at the new First Responders Campus for the first time on December 7 at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. for the EMT program. There were 34 students who participated in the morning ceremony and 40 students for the evening ceremony.
Fire Academy Graduation
The Fire Academy will hold its completion ceremony for the first time at the First Responders Campus on December 15 at 6:00 p.m. Twenty-two cadets from Class 60 completed the 1004 hours required by the California State Fire Marshal’s Office Accredited Fire Academy to earn their Firefighter 1 and 2 certifications and numerous other certifications. Three cadets have been hired by the City of Tulare and Tulare County Fire Departments. The 19 other cadets also have internships after graduation with North Central, Selma, Sanger, Kingsburg and Hanford Fire Departments.
Hope for the Holidays
This year for Fresno City College’s annual Hope for the Holidays event, we were able to provide books, toothbrushes, candy, and $50 gift cards for Save Mart to 143 of our students and their families. We had hundreds of books donated by Reading Heart and students and their families were able to take home 3-4 books of their choosing. Watching some of our students come in and select books with their children was truly a magical moment and we are so grateful that we were able to take part in cultivating literacy for the next generation. We also distributed adult and children’s toothbrushes that were generously donated by our Dental Hygiene department here at FCC. We provided informational handouts to students about local programs and services that offer free or low-cost food, clothing, and dental services in addition to bags of candy and chocolate advent calendars.
One Table Fresno
FCC administrators volunteered at the Central California Food Bank event, One Table Fresno, on November 18 and helped to serve over 2,500 steak meals, distributed 2,500 winter coats and over 750 families received a week’s worth of groceries. Santa handed out nearly 500 toys too.
Mexican Pianist Performs
FCC intermediate and advanced piano students received a unique opportunity to gain experience from one of the best pianists in the world when Mexican artist Argentina Durán came to the college and held a master class and then performed during the Intermediate/Advanced Student Piano Recital on November 17. Ms. Durán’s visit was made possible through a collaboration between the college and the Mexico Consulate in Fresno.Ms. Durán is the pianist for the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico and has performed throughout the world. She was a child prodigy, starting her studies at age 7 and winning a spot to play with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra at the age of eleven. Read more about Ms. Durán’s visit and how it’s a cultural experience for many of our FCC piano students.
High School Welding/Fabrication Contest
The FCC Welding and Fabrication program hosted a high school contest on November 3 for 15 high schools. The competition included 6 hours to fabricate and build a welding cart. Teams were comprised of 3-4 students per team where they designed and constructed the cart on site. The FCC Welding and Fabrication Student Club made several safety checks throughout the day and scored the teams appropriately. Kingsburg High School received first place, Foothill Bakersfield was second and Career Tech Ed Charter (CTEC) placed third.
Fresno Trolley Service Starts
A press conference was held in downtown Fresno on November 2 announcing a new, free trolley service that will include stops at FCC. Named Fresno Hop, the trolleys will run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings with service to Fresno State, the Cultural Arts District and the Tower District.
Human Rights Day
In celebration of International Human Rights Day, Fresno City College hosted LGBTQ+ Rights are Human Rights on December 9. The event was sponsored by the FCC Social Justice Center committee and presented by the Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley. FCC President Robert Pimentel welcomed the audience and SCCCD Chancellor Carole Goldsmith was the keynote speaker. A panel discussion was moderated by Fresno City Council President, Annalisa Perea and FCC adjunct instructor Jacqueline Alvarez.
A Spotlight on Amber Balakian
Business instructor Amber Balakian is in the spotlight. She is featured in the cover story of November’s CVLUX Magazine. On the CVLUX Magazine Facebook page, it’s described as a Central Valley based lifestyle publication, with distribution throughout California. Great exposure for Amber and her family’s farming business.
Emergency Training at First Responders
Fresno City College continued emergency response training on November 30. The training was conducted at the First Responders Campus and was a simulation of an active shooter scenario. Cadets from the Fire Academy assisted in the drill. Several students played the parts of shooting victims with various injuries. Other cadets provided first aid to injured victims to determine their course of treatment. Members of the FCC Emergency Response Team then participated in an exercise on how the campus would respond to this kind of emergency.
Spring Extreme Registration
The Welcome Center and the Counseling department are assisting hundreds of new and returning students each Wednesday afternoon during the Virtual Extreme Registration being held in December. An in-person event will take place on January 2 and 3 in the Library. Both events include special services available by phone or computer for students to complete their registration process. Services offered are:
- Express counseling to enroll in Spring 2024 classes
- Planning their spring schedule and registering for classes
- Financial assistance and information about free tuition
International Education Week
The International Students Office hosted a series of events in November that included a forum of American students who have studied abroad and international students who choose to study at Fresno City College. The international students club also celebrated Diwali and the International Students Office showcased a series of international performers in the FCC Cafeteria.
Sports Update
Fresno City College’s volleyball team advanced to the CCCAA State Championship tournament Elite 8 finishing in 5th place in the final state rankings. The team recorded its 16th consecutive conference championship which was the 18th overall conference championship. Out of the 18 championships, 16 were undefeated seasons. The team ended the season with a 26-5 overall record. They notched 176 straight conference match wins and thus extended the longest winning streak of any sport in California Community College Athletics. The team was led by First Team All American, All-State Tournament Selection and CVC MVP Druegan Davis. The team had 10 players selected to the Central Valley All Conference Team.
While the #3 seeded women’s soccer team fell short in the playoffs, their overall record of 15-3-4 is why they continue to be a staple program in California. During their season they had a 10-game winning streak and forward Allysa White was selected as the co-player of the year for the Central Valley Conference and named to the All-State CCCAA women’s soccer team. Kellyann Rodriquez made the NorCal Regional team. Head Coach Oliver Germond had four first team all-conference players and four second team all-conference players. During the season they were ranked #15 in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches.
The Rams men’s soccer team recorded a 15-4-3 record and won their 19th Central Valley Conference Title. Head Coach Eric Solberg was named Central Valley Conference Coach of the Year. This is his 43-conference title between the men’s soccer team and baseball. Most Valuable Player of the conference is Alan Gutierrez (Central High) and Gavin House (Redwood High) was named the defensive player of the year and has made a verbal commitment to Division I UC Davis. Kobe Iracheta (Clovis High) was named freshman of the year. In addition, he had four first team all-conference players and four second team all-conference players.
In the News
ABC30: Fresno City College holds Veterans Day ceremony, honors women in armed forces
ABC30: Fresno City college Adult Education named model program in the state
