Clark College’s 2024 Sakura Festival on Thursday, April 25 will honor the historic ties of friendship between the sister cities of Vancouver, Washington, and Joyo, Japan. The free community event underneath a canopy of cherry blossoms is presented by Clark College, the city of Vancouver, and Vancouver Rotary.
Opening remarks begin at 1:00 p.m. in the Royce Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, located next to Beacock Music Hall on Clark’s main campus. In case of inclement weather, the event will be inside the Gaiser Student Center.
Schedule
12:50 p.m. Koto performance by Mitsuki Dazai
1:10 p.m. Greetings from Dr. Karin Edwards
1:15 p.m. Greetings from City of Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle
1:22 p.m. Greetings from Mr. Yuzo Yoshioka Consul General
1:25 p.m. Greetings from Clark College student, Daniel Wall
1:28 p.m. Clark College Treble Ensemble performance
1:40 p.m. Guests walk through the Japanese garden and up to Gaiser Student Center
2:30 p.m. The celebration continues in Gaiser Student Center with a performance by Oregon Koto-Kai, Haiku reading by Clark College Japanese Club, a martial art demonstration, and an art share by children enrolled in the Child and Family Studies program. There will be a variety of cultural displays and demonstration tables around the room. Hand-painted cherry blossom cookies will be provided by the college’s Professional Baking & Pastry Arts students.
3:30 p.m. Event ends
History of Sakura Festival at Clark College: More than 25 years ago, the City of Vancouver received a gift of friendship: 100 Shirofugen cherry trees. They were planted at Clark College, creating an enduring reminder of the bonds between our region and Japan. Over the years, those trees have grown and blossomed—as has that friendship, creating traditions like the establishment in 1995 of a sister-city relationship between Vancouver and Joyo, Japan, and our annual Sakura Festival, begun in 2006.
Spring Welcome Week kicked off on Monday, April 8. Students returning to campus for spring term were greeted by blossoming trees and flowers—and a plethora of Clark staff members volunteering at information tables inside buildings around campus. Helpful volunteers answered students’ questions, offered directions, provided campus maps and more. These information tables were successful in helping students feel welcomed by the many staff and faculty who volunteered to help Clark students.
Warmer, dry weather invited students to gather outside to sit on benches or walk the paths around campus, and particularly to view and take photos of the blooming cherry trees. Inside Gaiser Hall, students congregated in their favorite gathering spots to catch up with friends and classmates.
Student Involvement Fair
Gaiser Student Center bustled with activity as students, staff, and faculty gathered for Clark’s Spring Term Involvement Fair on April 10. Students stopped at the tables that filled the hall to ask questions and to learn more about the college’s support services, student clubs, and programs.
Clark College wants to ensure students know about and can access wrap-around services, including Penguin Pantry, Disability Support Services, Counseling and Health Center, and more. The Student Involvement Fair, which is held during the first week of every quarter, is an excellent way for students—particularly new students—to learn more about these programs, services, and opportunities. Standing at the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion table, Rosalba Pitkin offered flyers and information about the Students of Color Luncheon, Noche de Familia, and other upcoming events. At the Counseling and Health Center table, students could learn about free health and counseling services and the center’s new sensory room, which has been popular among students.
At Clark’s ASCC student government table, student leaders answered students’ questions and shared information about getting involved with student government. Students stopped by the Activities Programming Board table to learn about upcoming opportunities to connect with fellow students—including making a Swiftie-themed bracelet, crafts, movies, free pizza and ice cream sundaes.
Students connected with peers with shared interests by stopping at many student club tables where club members talked about practicing speaking in Spanish to creating comics to bingeing on Korean K-dramas and more. At the Columbia Writers Series table, Professor Dawn Knopf chatted about the upcoming event with author Andrew Leland on April 26. At the Spanish Club table, students learned about opportunities to practice speaking in Spanish and participate in activities to immerse themselves in Hispanic culture. At the Clark Aerospace Club table student Ethan Walters showed off the club’s new rocket, dubbed “Emperor Penguin” and talked about their April 27 test flight in Brothers, Oregon.
Students also connected with representatives from various useful community resources. Volunteers from Clark County Food Bank offered flyers with food pantries and housing resources around the county. At the League of Women Voters of Clark County table, volunteers assisted students to register to vote. At the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program table, students who need legal assistance could find help.
Eight financial institutions participated in the event: Bank of America, Columbia Credit Union, IQ Credit Union, Key Bank, OnPoint Community Credit Union, Rivermark Community Credit Union, Umpqua Bank and US Bank.
In addition to helpful information and connections, the event also provided opportunities for students to pick up useful items at no cost. At the Activities Programming Board table students Hannah Colwell, Austun Fuerstenberg and Austin Newton offered reusable bags filled with travel-size toothpaste, shampoo and more.
They had placed many other free items on another table. Pointing to an electric air pump to inflate an air mattress, Hannah Cowell said the goal is to provide useful items that students can use and that might not be in their budget. Almost immediately, the air pump was snapped up by a student.
All around Gaiser Student Center, Clark students were making connections, learning about opportunities and receiving free items that will make their lives easier. Another Involvement Fair that lived up to its name.
Left to Right: PTK co-advisor Heather Leasure, Mike Harrison, Ziyad El-Amrani, Fennic Tatum, Natalie Perdun, Mary Harter, PTK co-advisor Darci Feider.
Leadership from Clark’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) student honor society traveled to the national PTK Catalyst conference April 4-6 in Orlando, Florida, and brought home a trophy. Clark’s chapter was among 34 chapters selected to receive the Hallmark Award for Distinguished College Project. There are 1,247 PTK chapters nationwide.
PTK Co-advisor Heather Leasure said, “We also were honored as a top 100 chapter out of 1,247 chapters, so that is exciting as well.”
Catalyst National Conference
A slide from the conference announcing their standing in the top 100 of 1,247 chapters.
PTK Catalyst is Phi Theta Kappa’s annual event that brings together members, advisors, and their supporters for professional development and to celebrate the accomplishments of the PTK community. The event includes opportunities for personal and professional development, college transfer guidance, inspiring speakers, and opportunities to network and learn from other members of the PTK community.
Clark College PTK leadership who attended the conference are Ziyad El-Amrani, president; Natalie Perdun, vice president of scholarship; Mike Harrison, vice president of service; Fennic Tatum, vice president of fellowship and Mary Harter, director of history and records. Additionally, both PTK advisors, Heather Leasure and Darci Feider attended the conference with the students.
“Catalyst is not just the culmination and celebration of the whole year and being awarded for your hard work,” said Heather Leasure. “It is also a time to connect with other chapters and pull ideas from their success. This reinvigorates the officer team to come back with energy to train their successors for the next academic year.”
College Project Award
The purpose of the PTK’s college project is to establish or strengthen a supportive relationship between the chapter and the college administration. Clark’s PTK chapter president met with President Edwards to discuss needs at Clark College and to determine a project that supports Clark’s mission. Then the PTK members discussed the project and how they would implement it.
This academic year, PTK’s project was two-fold:
Supporting and assisting with Penguin Pantry, and,
Backpacks and school supplies for Clark students
Both projects support the college’s strategic plan tenet of Equitable Student Experience through priority two which is to remove barriers and provide inclusive support to increase student success.
Project 1: Supporting Penguin Pantry
PTK leaders advertised volunteer opportunities with the Penguin Pantry—including packing boxes with food, distributing food boxes to students in a drive-through format, scheduling volunteers, and volunteering at pantry events.
32 volunteers
196 volunteer hours
31,890 pounds of food packaged and distributed
3,775 people served
Project 2: Fall term backpack and school supply giveaway
PTK members worked with Monica Knowles, Clark College Bookstore manager, who provided ideas for backpacks and school supplies and provided the products at cost. Then PTK asked Dr. Edwards for permission to hold a school supplies fundraiser on Opening Day, she made their request to Executive Cabinet and they approved it. PTK created advertising. Dr. Edwards published it in her weekly newsletter to the college and in her Opening Day invitation.
On Opening Day, PTK placed multiple donation barrels. Clark College Foundation set up a way for people to donate funds for the project. The Clark community was generous.
116 backpacks filled with school supplies and Clark College water bottles
Distributed to 116 Clark students in need
Each chapter’s project entries were scored at the international PTK headquarters. Winners were announced at the Catalyst national conference.
Clark’s PTK chapter attends the national conference every year. The trip was funded by services and activities fees through the Associated Students of Clark College (ASCC).
In March, Clark’s PTK chapter received three awards at the Great Northwest Spring Conference on March 23 at Bates Technical College in Tacoma:
Honors in Action project, 2nd place
Honors in Action theme, 2nd place
College project, 3rd place
Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for two-year colleges. PTK recognizes the academic achievement of college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders. Clark’s PTK chapter is Alpha Sigma Phi. Students are invited to join PTK when enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and achieve a minimum 3.25 grade point average.
Mechatronics Technology Professor Ken Luchini (center) instructs students from iUrban Teen on mechatronics machinery.
Ten local middle- and high-school students visited the mechatronics technology labs at Clark College Columbia Tech Center on April 1 during spring break.
The students came to campus as an exploratory field trip with the nonprofit iUrban Teen, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) plus arts education program that brings together underrepresented teens and young adults of color for career exploration and mentoring. Learn more about iUrban Teen here.
Mechatronics Technology Professor Tina Jenkins worked with iUrban Teen to bring the group to campus during Clark’s spring break, which coincided with the spring break of local school districts. It proved to be an ideal time for the group to visit the labs to learn about Mechatronics Technology.
Learning about Mechatronics
Mechatronics technology is a growing technical field that deals with the integration of mechanical and electronic components managed by a control system. Clark’s program emphasizes current concepts and technology by providing practical, hands-on experience with the latest industry-standard equipment. Coursework includes process control systems, instrumentation/automation systems, conveyor systems, palletizer systems, and robotics systems.
Before they entered the lab, each student slipped on a pair of polycarbonate safety glasses. These students would not simply be observing. They were going to actively learn about mechatronics and participate in hands-on activities.
The iUrban Teen students were divided into two groups. The first group gathered in the electrical and power distribution systems lab around Ken Luchini, who leads the mechatronics program.
Sporting a long blue lab coat, he stood at a whiteboard and gave an overview of mechatronics and an industrial motor control circuit the students were going to use. Then he stood at an industrial controls training system cart, a training device that provides
students with a flexible system allowing for hands-on experiments in wiring and troubleshooting of control circuits.
First, Professor Luchini demonstrated the motor starter with jog/stop circuit. Then students took turns operating the industrial motor controls.
Across the hall in the fluid power lab, Mechatronics Professor Tina Jenkins (above) instructed the second group of students about how to use pneumatics. Specifically, she supervised students practicing extending and retracting a simple cylinder circuit. She also introduced students to the flexible manufacturing system where students learn to operate and troubleshoot a manufacturing process.
Standing nearby, Monte Gantka, a mechatronics classroom support technician, instructed students how to use vacuum technology that uses compressed air to pick up nuts, bolts, and other small objects.
In both labs, students were engaged and focused as they learned about mechatronics technology. Before they set foot in the mechatronics lab, it is likely that none of the students had ever heard of mechatronics. By the time they left the labs, all of them had been given the opportunity to grasp a basic understanding of the industry and its potential career pathway.
Professor Jenkins said, “We were excited to have the opportunity to work with iUrban Teen to introduce local middle and high school students to Clark’s mechatronics technology program. Who knows how we might have impacted students’ career paths today? I am hoping we see some of these students in our mechatronics program in the coming years.”
Ken Luchini is retiring on June 30, after 10 years as a Clark College mechatronics professor. Tina Jenkins will become the new program chair in the 2024-25 academic year.
Simone Thomas, iUrban Teen’s program manager, accompanied the students on the field trip and learned about Mechatronics as she stood beside the students. She thanked Professor Jenkins in an email: “The students enjoyed their time in mechatronics. We would love to continue this partnership and come back with more students next year.”
Journalists representing two news media outlets, The Columbian newspaper and KPTV Fox 12, also attended the lab visit and interviewed Clark mechatronics faculty, staff, and iUrban Teen students. They filed these stories:
Associate in Applied Technology degree in Mechanical and Instrumentation Automation
Career fields: mechatronic technicians work in semiconductor manufacturing, transportation, plastics production, computer manufacturing, aerospace, and more.
Left to right: Alexander Cole, Addison Johnson, Ethan Mahan, and Lisa Segretto.
Congratulations to the four outstanding students who will represent Clark College at the 27th annual All-Washington Academic Team ceremony on April 25 at South Puget Sound Community College in Lacey. The event recognizes students from Washington State for their academic excellence and community service. The All-Washington Academic Team is a program of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.
The four Clark College scholars are:
Alexander Cole
Addison Johnson
Ethan Mahan
Lisa Segretto
These Clark students are among 92 students from across the state named to the All-Washington Academic Team. They are pursuing transfer and workforce pathways at Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges.
Alexander D. Cole
Alexander D. Cole did not attend school until he was 15 years old. With determination, he taught himself to read and write and graduated from high school. While learning to repair his car, he found his future career. Alexander is enrolled in the T-TEN automotive technician program at Clark College and is apprenticing at a local Toyota dealership garage. After he earns an associate of applied technology degree in June 2025, he will be a full-time repair technician at the same dealership. His dream career is to work on vehicles for Toyota.
Addison Johnson
Addison Johnson’s mother and grandmother encouraged her to work passionately toward her goals. The Running Start student will earn her diploma from Camas High School and her associate degree from Clark College in June. She plans to transfer to Oregon State University to earn a baccalaureate degree in bioengineering. Next, she plans to pursue medical school and a career as an orthopedic surgeon.
Ethan Mahan
Ethan Mahan’s high school teacher inspired him to pursue a career in healthcare. Ethan will earn an associate in applied technology degree in Medical Assisting with an additional certification in Phlebotomy from Clark College in August 2024. He plans to work as a medical assistant, gain healthcare experience, and eventually, continue his education to become a physician’s assistant. It has been challenging balancing work, assignments, and a phlebotomy internship, but it is worth it as he prepares to begin his career.
Lisa Segretto
After breaking free from generational cycles of abuse and neglect, Lisa Segretto was inspired by her daughter to seek therapy and attend college. She’s graduating from Clark with a 4.0 and her associate degree and plans to attend either Portland State University or Washington State University to pursue a Bachelor of Psychology. She dreams of earning her Master of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Psychiatry, eventually opening a mental health practice for children and adults who have experienced childhood trauma.
All-Washington Academic Team Ceremony
The ceremony’s keynote speaker is Governor Jay Inslee. The event will be livestreamed at 12:30 p.m. on April 25 on the SPSCC YouTube channel.
Each student will receive a medal and a $250 scholarship from Key Bank. They also are eligible for additional scholarships from private sponsors and transfer scholarships for four-year colleges and universities.
Program sponsors are Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges, Washington State Association of College Trustees, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges.
Scholarship sponsors:
KeyBank: $250 awarded to every team member
Washington State Employees Credit Union: $750 awarded to the top 16 members
Washington State Association of College Trustees: $1,000 awarded to the top 3 team members
Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
Tenure 2024
Congratulations to professors Heidi Fay, Mackenzie Loyet, and Heather Reynolds for being unanimously granted tenure by the Clark College Board of Trustees.
Tenure is awarded by the college’s board of trustees based on professional excellence and outstanding abilities in their disciplines. The granting of tenure is based on the recommendations of tenure review committees to the Vice President of Instruction, which are then forwarded to the President, who presents a final recommendation to the board of trustees. Recommendations are based on self-evaluations, tenure review committee evaluations, student evaluations, supervisory evaluations, and peer evaluations. The final decision to award or withhold tenure rests with the board of trustees.
Heidi Fay, pharmacy technician
Heidi Fay began teaching at Clark College as an adjunct in 2009. She has been a full-time professor since 2010. Fay is the department head, lead instructor, and clinical coordinator. She began her tenure-track position in 2021 after the program returned from hiatus.
Fay has taught nearly every course in the pharmacy technician program at Clark College and developed two new courses recently added to the program, Pharmacy Capstone, and Pharmacy Advanced Simulation Lab.
She said, “As the program’s department head, I am responsible for all aspects of the program including scheduling of classes, ordering equipment and supplies, participating on committees and in recruitment activities, maintaining the state credential, and preparing for program accreditation.”
She worked as a certified pharmacy technician at Legacy Health including Legacy Good Samaritan and Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Centers for 15 years.
Fay earned her Associate of Arts degree at Clark College. She earned her pharmacy technician certification from Clark College.
She is an active member of several pharmacy professional organizations including the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA), Oregon Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP), and Pharmacy Technician Educator’s Council (PTEC).
Teaching philosophy: “As someone who completed the Clark College Pharmacy Technician program years ago, my goal as an instructor is to bring a positive attitude,
enthusiasm about pharmacy and healthcare, and real-life experiences. I strive to motivate students to be their best by providing a safe, welcoming environment for them to learn through hands-on, real-world simulations, and studies.”
Mackenzie Loyet, biology
Mackenzie Loyet earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and biology at Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. She attended graduate school at Indiana University, earning a Master of Arts in biological anthropology and a Master of Science in anatomy education.
Loyet joined Clark College as a tenure-track biology professor in September 2021. Previously, she taught anatomy to medical and dental students at Midwestern University in Chicago. She was an instructor and laboratory coordinator at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois for seven academic years and an adjunct instructor at City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College, Chicago for one academic year.
At Clark, she teaches General Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology I and II. She is an active member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and a certified yoga instructor. She published the book “Yoga and Anatomy: An Experiential Atlas of Movement” and has led several yoga/anatomy sessions at HAPS meetings in previous years.
Loyet has completed both the Clark Universal Design for Living certificate and the Clark eLearning professional certificate. She values the scholarship of teaching and learning and plans to complete more eLearning workshops.
Teaching philosophy: “My goal is to make sure all course materials and content are accessible to students. I recognize that students have different learning styles and come from different educational backgrounds. I truly believe that education is a fundamental human right. As I continue my career at Clark College, I want to ensure that courses are accessible and that students have a strong, supportive environment in the classroom.”
Heather Reynolds, nursing
Heather Reynolds earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Washington and her Master of Science in Nursing Education at Western Governors University.
She started her nursing career in a burn center and has worked in critical care and emergency nursing. She was part of the opening of Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center.
Reynolds said, “In all my roles, I have always had a passion for teaching.”
She started teaching nursing at Clark as an adjunct professor in Fall 2015. She left to teach full-time at Portland Community College, where she was faculty for two years and director of nursing for three years. Desiring to return to the classroom, Reynolds returned to Clark College as a tenure-track faculty in nursing in September 2021.
Reynolds is co-lead of the sixth quarter (final quarter) of Clark’s Nursing program. She teaches students a course on ethics and policy in healthcare and in their final clinical practicum.
She said, “I enjoy volunteering and getting involved around campus to build community with colleagues and to support students. I enjoy ushering at Clark College theater productions, volunteering at graduation, and being a volunteer patient for the dental hygiene program students. I am also passionate about encouraging youth to consider a career in nursing and have been involved in several programs including Clark’s Healthcare Pathways Camp and the Alliance of Black Nurses Association of Oregon’s Mini Nurse Academy.”
Teaching philosophy: “I am a nurse educator who is passionate about empowering future nurses to recognize their value and worth, and their capacity and duty to improve themselves, the lives of others, and the healthcare system to create a more equitable and just world. I do this through modeling authenticity, vulnerability, and continual personal and professional growth with empathy, humor, and grace. I strive to approach others with curiosity and care.”
Engineering competition
One student engineering team stands with their balsa wood bridge design.
If you were tasked with designing a tabletop bridge model that could hold substantial weight and withstand a simulated earthquake, what lightweight, inexpensive, easily accessible materials would you choose?
Teams of student engineers crowded around tables in the collaboratorium in the STEM Building on March 12 for the winter term Engineering competition to present the bridges they had spent weeks perfecting.
The Challenge
Every term, Engineering professors Tina Barsotti and Carol Hsu pose a real-world problem to their students and instruct them to design and build an object that solves the problem. Teams of students work together. At the end of each term, teams present their prototype to their peers, explaining their process and materials used. Finally, teams test their designs.
The winter term challenge: Build a bridge that can withstand a simulated earthquake on a shake table without any deformation. A toy car must be able to cross the bridge. Apply as much weight as possible to the center of the bridge within a two-minute time limit. Spend no more than $50 on project materials. The bragging rights goes to the bridge that withstands the earthquake and can support the greatest weight with the least amount of mass.
The Engineering
Some teams built a bridge using large craft sticks or smaller Popsicle sticks. Another team used plastic two-liter soda bottles. One team used a 3D printer to create their bridge pieces from carbon fiber, PET-CF and TPU 3D printing filament. One team used balsa wood. Another used aluminum. Many teams included duct tape in their bridge construction. Not one bridge looked exactly like another.
First one team, then another tested their designs. Most bridges held up to the shaking simulating an earthquake, but not all held up when weights were suspended underneath the bridge. Team Vectors won the competition and the bragging rights with their truss bridge constructed of Popsicle sticks and hot glue.
Professor Hsu said, “The main reason they won was because the bridge was lightweight.”
To make the event even better, the students celebrated Pi Day early—with free pizza and dessert pies for all.
“We had two groups of special guests watching the competition,” said Professor Hsu. “Children from Child and Family Studies sat criss cross applesauce on the floor with a good view of the competition. Students from HeLa High School (Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School) watched part of the competition as they tour the STEM building.”
Professor Barsotti explained why she and Professor Hsu assign their students to solve a similar engineering problem every term: “We believe in fostering hands-on learning experiences that challenge students to think critically, collaborate effectively, and innovate solutions to real-world problems.” She added, “Through projects like these, students not only gain practical skills but also develop the confidence to tackle complex engineering challenges head on, setting them up for success in their future careers.”
Career Connect
Business faculty Mary Evens, Helen Martin, and Julie Lemmond were on hand to greet students.
The lobby in Scarpelli Hall was a hub of activity in the midafternoon of March 5. Fueled by free pizza, salad, and cold drinks, students had opportunities to connect with faculty, staff, and potential employers.
More than 60 students, alumni, and community members participated in Clark’s Career Connect event geared for students enrolled in programs in the college’s Business and Entrepreneurship area of study. The event was organized by the Career Services team: Emily Meoz, Alex Kison, Trisha Haakonstad, and Niira Krupnick, with support from student employee Liz Knapp. Kison led the logistics. Last May, the college’s Career Services team hosted a large-scale Career Fair in Gaiser Student Center featuring 70 regional employers, attended by more than 300 students, alumni, and community members. That event was broad and included all the college’s departments and programs.
This year, the team decided to create a smaller event focused on only one area of study. Instead of asking students to trek to Gaiser Hall, the career fair was held in Scarpelli Hall, where most of the college’s in-person Business and Entrepreneurship classes are held. It made sense to invite the students to gather in the familiar lobby just outside their classrooms. Starting the event at 3:30 proved to be thoughtful timing to catch students. Offering free pizza proved to be another successful enticement.
Emily Meoz, director of Advising & Career Services (pictured above), explained the team’s impetus to transition from a very large, broad event to a smaller, focused career fair: “The Career Connect event idea started as a mini-career fair idea, which grew into a broader connection and career event idea, to include staff and faculty who support students in a particular area of study alongside employers from the related industry. Finding ways to adapt what we’re doing to make more meaningful connections and opportunities for students is exciting.”
Advising Services, Career Services, and Student Success Coaches worked together to staff the event and assist students.
Students stopped at a table to chat with Business faculty Mary Evens, Helen Martin, and Julie Lemmond, who answered their questions.
Student Success Coach Lana Strickland assisted students and addressed how a success coach could help them.
Career Services staff were available to take professional LinkedIn portraits to aid students, alumni, and community members in their job search.
Clark College Human Resources staff assisted those interested in applying for an open position at the college. Other employers, including IQ Credit Union, Columbia Springs, Neil Jones Food Company, and Rally Pizza were on hand to talk with students about work opportunities and internships.
Students were given a list of sample questions to ask potential employers. That made it easier to practice talking with a potential employer about opportunities.
In this smaller, more intimate venue, students mingled with like-minded students they might already know from their classes. They had opportunities to speak with professors in their program.
Meoz said, “Overall, this was a great pilot Career Connect event. It serves as an example of how we can bring faculty, staff, and employers together to support students based on area of study. I was impressed with how the Career Services team came together to make this idea a reality in a relatively short period of planning time.”
Career Services promoted the event to students via:
Emailing students in Business and Entrepreneurship area of study programs
Working closely with faculty to promote the event to their students
Advertising the event in Penguin Digest
Promoting the event through social media
Looking around at the students making connections, Theo Koupelis, Clark’s Dean of Workforce, Professional and Technical Education (WPTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), summed it up: “It’s buzzing! It’s buzzing!”
Two students chat with the owners of Pizza Rally about operating a small business.
Career Connect Q & A
Q: What was the impetus for moving away from the big Career Fair format in Gaiser Student Center to this smaller, more focused event?
A: We had a great turnout at the big Career Fair during spring 2023. We considered doing the same style of event again. The larger style Career Fairs can be great and very exciting, but they can also be overwhelming for participants and hard to assess whether they are effective for students making progress towards finding job and internship opportunities.
The Career Connect event idea started as a mini-career fair idea, which grew into a broader connection and career event idea, to include staff and faculty who support students in a particular area of study alongside employers from the related industry. Finding ways to adapt what we’re doing to make more meaningful connections and opportunities for students is exciting.
Q: Were you pleased with the attendance?
A: Yes! Since this was a brand-new event, we were not sure what to expect, but we had great collaboration and support from some faculty members who brought their classes or shared directly with their students. We had a successful pilot event.
Q: What were some positives about this event?
A: It was great to see students engaging in an intentional way with the employers, faculty, and staff. The focused nature of this small Career Connect event created an intimate space that was not as overwhelming as a large career fair can sometimes be.
Q: What tools did you provide to assist students in making connections at the event?
A: We developed a Bingo card to encourage participants to connect across the event. We will use the completed Bingo cards as an assessment tool to see how students made connections and engaged during the event.
We also provided students with sample career exploration questions to help guide their conversations and connections. Some employers told us that they were impressed with the kind of intentional questions students were asking.
Q: Will you have similar Career Connect events during spring term?
A: Yes, that is the plan. We haven’t identified dates or specific areas of study yet, as we wanted to first see how this pilot event went for Business and Entrepreneurship. Now that we have a solid foundational event to build upon, we look forward to seeing how we can adapt these events for other areas of study at Clark. We’re eager to work with our faculty and staff partners and local employers to plan more Career Connect events for spring. Our long-term plan is for each area of study to have a Career Connect event at least once during an academic year beginning fall 2024.
Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish
Phi Theta Kappa Induction
PTK leaders stand with Kim Brewer who spoke at the induction ceremony. Left to right: Fennic Tatum, Natalie Perdun, Mary Harter, Kim Brewer, Ziyad El Amrani, Addison Johnson, and Mike Harrison.
Congratulations to the 134 Clark honors students who became members of Alpha Sigma Phi, Clark College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa during winter term. PTK celebrated these new members at the 2024 winter term Induction Ceremony on February 29.
The official honors society for two-year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) recognizes the academic achievement of college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders. Clark’s first PTK induction ceremony was in 1991.
Students are invited to join PTK when enrolled in at least 12 credits per term and achieve a minimum 3.25 grade point average.
In previous years, PTK celebrated new honors society members at one induction ceremony near the end of spring term. A change this academic year: PTK is hosting induction ceremonies three times during the year—toward the end of fall, winter, and spring terms.
Advisors Darci Feider and Heather Leasure changed the frequency of the induction ceremony to quarterly so that honors students can be recognized right away rather than having to wait until the end of the academic year.
“We wanted to engage students at the very start of their membership,” said Darci Feider. “Celebrating them at this ceremony is one of the ways we do that.”
Guest speaker Kim Brewer, enrollment navigator in Entry Services, spoke about how her involvement in PTK when she was a Clark student positively impacted her.
“In PTK, you meet like-minded students who value education,” Brewer said. “I encourage PTK students to participate in the chapter’s many service opportunities on our campus. The more a student gets involved, the more rewarding their college experience will be.”
She added that now, as a Clark employee “it’s gratifying watching our students thrive and grow their involvement in PTK.”
The 2023-24 PTK officers are Ziyad El Amrani, Mary Harter, Addison Johnson, Fennic Tatum, Mike Harrison, and Natalie Perdun.
Officer applications are now open for the 2024-25 school year. Benefits include professional development, public speaking skills, networking/training, and travel opportunities.
PTK’s All-Washington Academic Team
PTK scholars representing all 34 community and technical colleges in the state will be recognized at the 2024 All-Washington Academic Team ceremony on April 25 at South Puget Sound Community College in Lacey.
The All-Washington Academic Team program recognizes and honors the state’s finest higher education students attending two-year colleges. The program has become the showcase for Washington’s community and technical colleges because it honors the academic high achievers, the individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to success in their classrooms and in their communities. This recognition demonstrates the state’s commitment to scholarship and community service on the part of those attending the state’s public community and technical colleges.
PTK at Clark College
Clark College has recognized Phi Theta Kappa as an official honor society since 1991. PTK doesn’t just recognize students’ academic success. It also provides them opportunities to develop professional and leadership skills, earn scholarships, explore career paths — and make their worlds a lot bigger. Learn more about Clark’s PTK chapter at https://www.clark.edu/campus-life/student-life/ptk/
About Phi Theta Kappa
Q: What is Phi Theta (PTK)?
A: Phi Theta Kappa is the international official Honors Society for two-year colleges.
Q: How does PTK benefit students?
A: Phi Theta Kappa recognizes the academic achievement of college students. It provides opportunities for its members to achieve academic and career success through scholarships and leadership training.
Q: Where are PTK chapters?
A: PTK has a presence on almost 1,300 community college campuses in 11 nations.
Q: What is the history of PTK?
A: PTK was established in 1918. Later, the American Association of Community Colleges recognized Phi Theta Kappa as the official honor society for two-year colleges in 1929.
Q: How many students have been inducted into PTK?
A: More than 3.5 million students have been inducted into PTK.
Q: How many active PTK members are there?
A: There are about 250,000 active PTK members in the nation’s community colleges. Learn more at https://www.ptk.org/
Photo: Clark College/Susan Parrish
Career Connections
Michelle Bart of NWCAVE (right) was one of the many alumni and business partners who volunteered to meet with students at the event.
Seated at tables around Cannell Library, pairs of people were deep in conversation. At each table, one person was a Clark student. The other was an alum or community member working in the student’s prospective career.
More than 50 Clark students met face-to-face with alumni mentors and other professionals to find out more about their prospective careers during Clark College Foundation’s Check Out a Professional event on February 27. The event is designed to connect alumni and business partners with students for one-hour career conversations in Cannell Library.
The event’s organizer, Chandra Chase, associate vice president of Alumni Relations & Community Engagement at Clark College Foundation, said, “Our alumni and business partners look forward to this opportunity to connect with students. Often, they received critical career mentorship through family, friends, faculty, or internships and want to pay it forward.”
The Foundation reached out to alumni and other local professionals with this message: “This event is designed for you to have a one-on-one career conversation with students, aligned with your area of expertise. What will you talk about? Take yourself back to your student days. What career information should you have known?”
Seated with a digital media arts student, Alan Hwang (pictured right), chief executive officer at Riff Agency, recognized the value of networking and volunteered for the event. Hwang earned an associate degree in business at Clark in 2013.
“When I was starting in my career, the most impactful brain gain I had was through 50+ cold emails to community leaders in a hope to gain some insight into what it takes to be successful over coffee,” said Hwang. “I’m a huge believer in hands-on, real-world learning. The Check Out a Pro event is a streamlined process for Clark College students to get that same impactful experience I had and gain some insight into the real world as they consider entering the workforce. This is extremely valuable experience and why I personally dedicate time—and will continue to dedicate the time—to this event.”
Connections made
Sheila Davis of Fourth Plain Forward met with a student who is interested in working for a nonprofit organization.
Katie Devlin, an attorney with the Washington State Attorney General, met with a political science student.
Eric Olmsted, president of OnLine Support and member of the college’s Cybersecurity / IT advisory committee met with a cybersecurity student.
Mike Pyszka, a civil engineer with Parametrix who is working on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, connected with a civil engineering student.
Manuel Galaviz from PeaceHealth Medical Center used his laptop to show a healthcare website to a Health Information Management student.
Jasmine Tolbert of YWCA Clark County met with a student about a career in counseling. The student’s young son sat quietly wearing headphones and watching a cartoon on a tablet.
PeaceHealth nurse Sofia Cartagena and retired Kaiser Permanente physician Dr. Rebecca Hoffman met with nursing students.
A first-year psychology student sat at a table with Michelle Bart, president and founder of NWCAVE (National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation). The student’s professor had suggested she earn her advocate certification. Not only did Bart tell the student about a 40-hour advocate training her organization was hosting in Vancouver the next week, but she offered her a scholarship to participate at no charge. It was exactly the certification the student needed.
Connection made. Opportunity gained.
Throughout the library, alumni and other professionals connected with students in similar meaningful conversations.
“Libraries are about connecting folks with the information they need, in whatever format that might be,” said Julie Austad, dean of Clark Libraries and Academic Success Services. “Sometimes it’s a book or an article. At this event, it was people. It was alumni. It was folks in the community who could relate to our students and talk about their experience getting into their chosen career.”
Check Out a Professional has been an annual event, but Chandra Chase from the Foundation said, “In 2025, we’re hoping to expand to two times per year.”
Check Out a Professional quick stats:
Attendance: 55 students (more than double last year’s event)
55% first-generation college students
Largest increase in student participation: Health care and STEM areas of study
Participating students are pursuing careers from accounting to computer science to mechanical engineering to web development and more.
Alumni and business participants included representatives from Bloom Collective, Clark Public Utilities, Dynamic Events, Edge Networks, Fourth Plain Forward, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, LiveChannel, Mountain Crest Counseling Services, National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation (NWCAVE), OnLine Support, Opsahl Dawson, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Riff Creative, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, TSMC (also known as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), The Vancouver Clinic, Washington State Office of the Attorney General, Webfor, Workforce Southwest Washington, YWCA Clark County, and ZP Productions.
Careers represented included animator, attorney, counselor, dental hygienist, engineer, filmmaker, health information management, human resources/recruiting, information technology, marketing, nonprofit management, nurse, therapist, physical therapist, physician, systems analyst, and more. Learn more about the Foundation’s Check Out a Professional event.
