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VOL. 13February 2012
In This Issue:
Alumni Spotlight
New Alumni Coordinator
Palo Alto College
VITA
34th Annual CineFestival
Rummage Sale
Student Aid Saturdays
Call for Spotlights
Tower Climb and Run
Teen Movie Night
Síclovía San Antonio
Career Link
Did You Know?
montecristo opening 

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Contact Information:

 

 

Rosie Castro

Director, Center for Academic Transitions 

 mcastro66@alamo.edu
 
 

Katherine Beaumont

 Alumni & Scholarship Coordinator 

kbeaumont@alamo.edu
 

 

Jonathon Gonzales

Education Support Specialist 

[email protected] 

  

 

Clarissa Tejeda

Job Placement Program Specialist 

[email protected]

 

Alumni Spotlight...Laurie Ann Guerrero! 

 

 

Tell us about your family and upbringing.

 

I was born and raised in San Antonio's Southside, and I graduated from McCollum High School in 1996. Born into a very traditional family structure, I realized early on that I was going to have to step outside traditional roles if I wanted to achieve an education and security-emotional as well as financial. Of course, being a female, Chicana, and poor, I was too familiar with racism, sexism, classism, which we experience too often in our beloved city, but it's a conversation people are hesitant to have. My grandparents, all of whom picked cotton, told stories about this all the time. I began writing them down and realized as a very little girl, that some voices didn't make it past the kitchen table. This enraged me. It also intrigued me.

 

How did this impact your decision to pursue a career in your current industry?

 

That kind of silence which, again, I was already very familiar with, broke free when I wrote things down. No one could tear me away from my pen and-my grandpa likes to tell this story still-I wrote on everything: walls, paper, boxes, dirt. It seemed like the only thing that allowed me to be who I am. And while my work often went unread as a child, it was vital in helping me to discover who I wanted to be as an adult. When my work started to circulate and get published, all those unheard voices were finally being documented-mine included. I also began discovering so many similar voices and the kind of solidarity that creates change. I knew immediately there was nothing else in the world I wanted to do-I want to help create change by writing and helping others discover their own voices.

 

What made you choose PAC to start your undergraduate studies?

 

I wanted to remain loyal to my community. It's the same reason I wanted to teach here now, hope to teach here always.

 

Any early influences?

 

I could name a ton of poets & writers-Sylvia Plath, Pablo Neruda, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Dickinson. But when I think of the one person who helped me decide I wanted to be a writer, I think of Dr. Irene Keller-my 9th grade English teacher (now my colleague at Palo Alto), who was the first person who said I was a poet. With that one phrase, she made me raise the expectation level for myself, she filled me with confidence, she acknowledged my voice, my history, and she set me on an unwavering path to rewrite a life that had already been prescribed. She is an amazing teacher, and I try to give this kind of support to my students now.

 

What made you gravitate towards receiving your degree?

 

I wanted to be taken seriously.

I was tired of feeling less-than.

Unfortunately, I have learned, educated Latinas have a long way to go-they often have to deal with issues of low expectation in the workplace and claims of becoming "whitened" at home.   These are other conversations we need to have. I'm currently at work on an essay that explores the many sides of education for Latinas and am interested in talking with students & families & educators about this topic.

 

What university did you transfer to and why? 

 

I transferred to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts from Palo Alto-it was the college I wanted to attend since I was 14, where, my young self thought, great poets were made. My husband and I had 2 children at the time I received my letter of acceptance in 2004. However, I deferred one year after learning I was pregnant with our third child. We left in 2005 (two kids plus newborn in-tow) and I graduated in 2008.

I received my Master's degree in poetry in 2011 from Drew University.

 

What are your career goals?

 

All I can ask for is the physical and financial space to keep writing and the means to keep my family healthy.

(A full-time position teaching writing at one of the Alamo colleges would be great, but our economy has put a very realistic halt on that.)

In the meantime, I hope to publish my second collection of poems, A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying. Palo Alto will be hosting Atta Girl Productions as they a stage a dramatic reading of this manuscript in April for National Poetry Month. I'm really excited about this!   I am also currently at work on a collection of essays, Feeding the Warrior, an excerpt of which is forthcoming in Women Studies Quarterly.

I volunteer quite a bit-helping with events for Poetry Month all over the city and creating our own at Palo Alto. I LOVE teaching creative writing and am very happy to have the opportunity to do so-my students are FANTASTIC!

  

What advice would you like to give to current PAC students?

 

Believe in yourself.

Don't let others decide who you are or will be.

Write down your truth. Write your own history. If not, someone else will.

Take your education seriously, and remember that it is a privilege-one most of our grandparents or parents never had the chance to achieve.

 

www.LaurieGuerrero.com

News!

New Alumni Coordinator at PAC!Katherine

Palo Alto College's Center for Academic Transitions welcomes, Katherine Beaumont, our new Scholarship and Alumni Coordinator at Palo Alto College! Katherine began her tenure at PAC over a year and a half ago as a transfer advisor, then as a graduation advisor, and now as the Coordinator for Scholarship and Alumni Services. Before her time at PAC, she worked as a Project Coordinator with Rebuilding Together Greater Dallas, and as an advisor and instructor at The Ohio State University.

When asked about her new position, Katherine shared, "I am thrilled and honored to have been offered such a wonderful position! I look forward to using the knowledge I have gained as an advisor and also growing my knowledge base in my new role as a Coordinator. I absolutely love working with the students at PAC, and I am excited to still be serving those students. I hope to continue to grow the alumni and scholarship programs so that they best serve our wonderful student population." Katherine has made many strides within the transfer and graduation fields at PAC, and we welcome her to the scholarship and alumni side and know that she will make strides here as well.

 

"We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible." - George Santayana

Palo Alto College presents: TAMUCC Faculty Exhibition!

Come visit the new exhibition at Gallery100 located at Palo Alto College in the Concho Hall.  Palo Alto College Fine and Performing Arts Department present the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi: Faculty Exhibition, Feb. 1- March 22.  This is part of a year-long exchange between the two colleges.  The exhibition in Gallery100 features the faculty of the TAMUCC Fine Arts Department and will display works of art representative of the many disciplines within their department. An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. in Gallery100.  For more information on the exhibition, call 486-3205.

Palo Alto College presents: The Help!

Come out to PAC and enjoy a movie! PAC Office of Student Engagement and Retention is hosting a screening of the movie: The Help, starring Emma Stone and Viola Davis.  The movie will be shown on  Feb. 22nd at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.  For more information please contact the Office of Student Engagement and Retention at 486-3125.

VITA is Here at PAC! 

The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program will be offering free tax assistance services from Jan. 18 to April 17 at Palo Alto College for individuals and families who earn up to $55,000 annually.

VITA services will be available in the Ozuna Library, Room 114. Hours of operation are Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-8 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Taxpayers are required to bring the following items to prepare a tax return with VITA:
� Driver's License or Photo I.D.
� Social Security Card or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) for filer, spouse, and any dependents
� Birth dates for filer, spouse, and any dependents
� W2 forms from all employers
� Copy of prior year tax return (if applicable)
� 1099 forms (if applicable)
� Total paid for day care provider and the day care provider's tax identifying number (the provider's Social Security Number or the provider's business Employer Identification Number)
� If filing jointly, both spouses must be present

A detailed checklist of items to bring can be found here. For additional information on VITA services, locations, and hours call the United Way Helpline at 2-1-1 or 227-HELP(4357) or visit www.VITASA.org.
 

34th Annual CineFestival!

 

CineFestival en San Antonio, the nation's original and longest-running Latino film festival, will celebrate its 34th anniversary celebration Feb. 25- March 3 at the Guadalupe Theater! This year, the festival will be eight days of national and international film screenings. Tickets for individual screenings are $8 ($15 for the Friday night screening and $20 for the Saturday night screening). Festical pass is $50 and includes all movie screenings excluding premiere showings. To Purchase tickets or passes please Click Here.

Calling all Alumni!

Calling all Alumni! We are seeking volunteers for upcoming campus-wide events, and we need your help!

 

If you would like to volunteer at PACFest on April 26th between 9am-11pm, then please contact Katherine Beaumont at 486-3120 or email her at [email protected]. Volunteer and have some fun at the same time!

 

Palo Alto College will be having it's Graduation Ceremony on May 10th at the Freeman Coliseum. We need volunteers from 5pm-9pm to help coordinate the staging area for the graduates. If you would like to volunteer, then please contact Katherine Beaumont at 486-3120 or email her at [email protected]. Come volunteer and help make this year's ceremony memorable for our graduates!

Rummage Sale!

The 88th annual Junior League of San Antonio Rummage Sale is set for 8 a.m. -9 p.m. Feb. 25 at 2514 S.W. Military Drive at Zarzamora Street.  Proceeds from the sale fund Junior League and Goodwill programs, and help serve San Antonio families in need.  For more information, call Goodwill at 924-8581 or go to www.goodwillsa.org.

Student Aid Saturdays! 

 

Student Aid Saturdays encourages students and parents to complete the financial aid applications otherwise known as FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and TAFSA (Texas Application for State Financial Aid).  Multiple sites will be available between January 28,2012 and May 5,2012 where students and parents can receive one-on-one assistance to complete the FAFSA or TAFSA.

 

Palo Alto will be hosting the Student Aid Saturdays on the following days and locations:

 

Feb. 4th, 9am-1pm, Palomino Center

Feb. 18th, 9am-1pm, Ozuna Building Room 122

Feb. 25th, 9am-1pm, Ozuna Building Room 122

March 3rd, 9am-1pm, Palomino Center

March 10th, 9am-1pm, Ozuna Building Room 122

March 17th, 9am-1pm, Ozuna Building Room 122

May 5th, 9am-1pm, Palomino Center 

 

CALL FOR ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS!sptlt

Interested in telling us your story and being the next Alumni Spotlight?  Let us know!  We want to hear from you for our upcoming newsletters.  Or maybe you know outstanding PAC Alumni who deserve recognition.  If you're interested email Jonathon Gonzales at [email protected] 

Tower Climb and Run!

 

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation presents the 27th Annual "Tower Climb and Run".  This event is to raise funds for life saving cystic fibrosis research and take the vertical challenge up 58 stories to the top of the Tower of Americas in downtown San Antonio. After the event, enjoy a celebration with food, drinks and entertainment.  This is a great way to spend a saturday that is fun and healthy!  For more information on how to register for this event Click Here.

LibraryMission Teen Movie Night! 

 

The San Antonio Public Library-Mission Library located at 3134 Roosevelt Ave. is hosting a Teen Movie Night! They will be having a surprise movie one night a month complete with popcorn and drinks (while supplies last).  This month the Teen Movie Night will be on Tuesday, Feb. 28th from 5-7pm.  For more information visit mysapl.org.

S�clov�a San Antonio!si

S�clov�a will take place on Sunday March 4th, 2012. The City and the YMCA will make 4 miles of San Antonio streets temporarily car-free. S�clov�a will be a two hour event from 1pm to 3pm. During the event, the streets will belong to pedestrians, bicyclist and recreationalists. S�clov�a is a great opportunity for families to come out and enjoy biking, running and playing in the car-free streets.

 

In addition to open streets, we will be connecting city parks and local businesses along the route to host Reclovia areas. Within the Reclovia areas there will be free exercise classes, live music, bike repair tents and more.

 

For more information Click Here.

Careers!

 

Spurs Sports & Entertainment is looking for a Web Operations Manager to monitor online operations for each SS&E entity (spurs.com; attcenter.com;sasilverstars.com; sarampage.com; toros.com). Click Here to view the job description and to apply.

 

Jefferson Bank is hiring for Appraisal Review Officer to review third party commercial and residential appraisals in order to render a professional judgment complying with federal regulations.  Have your resume ready and Click Here and visit "Careers" to apply.

 

Bexar County is currently searching for an Analyst Programmer I to assist in revising programs or systems to increase operating efficiency or adapt to new requirements.. Look over the job description Here.

 

Time Warner Cable is recruiting for an Order Entry Coordinator.  Coordinator will cross reference all Commercial Service Agreements with sales force database and ensure proper scheduling of upcoming installations and upgrading of services.  To apply please Click here

 

City of San Antonio is looking to hire a Veterinary Technician to workwithin Animal Care Services. Check out the job description Here.

 

Port San Antonio needs a CAD Technician with an Associate of Science Degree and at least 50 hours of computer aided drafting experience.  Technician will draft and draw moderately complex layouts to communicate ideas and information.  Apply online Here. 

 

H-E-B is recruiting for a Manufacturing Team Leader I - Bakery Plant to handle day-to-day tactical issues and ensure area compliance. Apply for this exciting opportunity Here.

 

Whataburger has two Receptionist opportunities available. Duties will include greeting all visitors in a professional & friendly manner as well as answering and directing all telephone calls to appropriate parties. Apply Here.

 

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment needs a Safety Manager to oversee and manage the safety of employees and guests including worker's compensation.  To view full job description please Here.

Did You Know?
About our campus growth
Palo Alto is expanding!  We have added a new Performing Arts Center, Vet Tech Building and a Science, Social Science and Workforce Building!  There is more to come as we continue to focus on the needs of our ever-growing student population. 

About Reverse Transfer
In today's ever-changing working world, the more degrees you have, the more marketable you become!  

The Reverse Transfer Degree Program is designed for students who have accumulated thirty (30) college-level credit hours at one of the Alamo Colleges and who have received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited public Texas college or university.  Once an official transcript is received documenting a student's bachelor's degree, the student will be approved for and notified if they are eligible for their Associate of Arts or Science Degree.   For more information contact Rosie Castro, 210-486-3124 or at [email protected] 

 

Notice:  All job listings are posted at the discretion of the Palo Alto College Center for Academic Transitions. We will not post jobs that appear to discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability, or gender. We also reserve the right to refuse to post jobs that do not support the interests of the college.