Four women representing exceptional leadership, philanthropy and community service are the winners of the 2018 Iris Awards, honoring women of achievement in Southwest Washington. They will be honored at an awards reception on Thursday, March 8.

Awards will be presented to Julie Bocanegra, Vice President for Columbia Credit Union, and Julianna Marler, CEO of the Port of Vancouver. H-ROC, a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to the advancement of elected and appointed female leaders in Southwest Washington, has chosen Nancy Retsinas of the Retsinas Collaborative Law Center for the Iris Award they sponsor. Last year, the Iris Awards added a new category, the Legacy Award, for previous winners who have continued to be leaders in Southwest Washington. This year’s winner is Nan Henriksen, the former mayor of Camas who also served as the chair of the Board of Freeholders in Clark County that helped write the county’s home-rule charter.

The award ceremony takes place in Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony begins at 6:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and tickets are on sale through the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce at http://www.vancouverusa.com/events/details/2018-iris-awards-reception-15961. The cost is $35 per person. A table sponsorship, which includes eight tickets, can be purchased for $310. Seating is limited.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, by February 26.

About the Iris Awards

The Iris Awards follow in the tradition of the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards, which began in 1985 at Clark College. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards, still celebrated on or around International Women’s Day (March 8) and with the same core mission: honoring the lasting and far-reaching contributions of women in Southwest Washington and beyond.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, the Vancouver Business Journal, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and H-RoC. The Iris Award winners will be featured in the Vancouver Business Journal’s 2018 “Women in Business” directory, the only Portland/Vancouver metro area directory of businesses that are owned, directed or managed by women.

2017 Iris Award Recipients

Julie Bocanegra

Julie Bocanegra

Beyond her full-time work as a Vice President/Branch Manager for Columbia Credit Union, Bocanegra serves on the Evergreen School District Board of Directors. Professionally, Bocanegra’s passion for teamwork and approachable leadership style have grown in influence since joining Columbia CU as a teller in 1994. Most recently, in addition to managing one of the credit union’s busiest branches, she was tapped to create and teach curriculum for key organization-wide training initiatives for Columbia CU, Washington State’s ninth-largest credit union and Clark County’s largest holder of deposits.

Appointed in 2012, elected the following year, and then re-elected again in 2017, Bocanegra has served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the Evergreen School District Board of Directors, the fifth-largest school district in Washington State. Bocanegra has been instrumental in leading the district’s student equity and technology learning initiatives. Under her leadership, the district eliminated student user fees for athletics, opened elementary school Community Resource Centers, and moved to a 1:1 technology curriculum.

Bocanegra is a former Board Chair of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, and has served in a variety of leadership capacities, including Board President, for the Evergreen Little League.

Julianna Marler

Julianna Marler

Julianna Marler is the CEO of the Port of Vancouver USA. She has provided steady leadership during a time of tremendous growth and change at the port. Prior to becoming CEO in January 2017, she was the port’s Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. She is the first female CEO in the port’s history and one of just a handful of female port CEOs in the United States.

The Port of Vancouver USA and its tenants provide 3,200 jobs in the community and generate $2.9 billion in annual economic benefit. Marler has been a key leader at the port as it has partnered with the City of Vancouver and private developers to transform the city’s downtown and waterfront into a destination. She has also partnered with sister ports in Clark County and beyond to spur additional economic development and job growth across the region.

Marler currently serves on the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Greater Portland Inc. Board of Directors, American Association of Port Authorities Board of Directors, and the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory Council.

Nancy Retsinas

Nancy Retsinas

Nancy Retsinas is a collaborative lawyer and family law mediator in Washington and Oregon, in private practice since 1991. In 2015, she established Retsinas Collaborative Law Center to align her values to her legal work. She now commits her practice to non-court dispute resolution, and finds her collaborative approach to problem-solving results in better long-term outcomes for her clients and their families.

Co-founder and executive director of the Two Rivers Institute for Dispute Resolution, Retsinas leads and trains in a non-profit educational organization formed to deliver innovative collaborative law and legal team-building training for family law professionals across disciplines (legal, mental health, financial). The Institute also provides a valuable resource for families looking for well-trained collaborative professionals in the Vancouver/Portland Metropolitan area so the public can find professionals who are committed to peaceful problem-solving. Retsinas has been training legal professionals in client-centered dispute resolution methods since 2008. She is a contributing author to Washington Practice Manual – Family Law, a West Publication (2016), and Building a Successful Collaborative Law Practice, an American Bar Association publication (2018).

Retsinas has always been an active champion and a hands-on volunteer for the Southwest Washington community. When Retsinas joins an organization, her commitment to empowerment, her natural ability to facilitate a dialogue, and her consensus-building approach make her an essential leader.

Her current nonprofit leadership roles include: Regional Chair, Northwest Region, Global Collaborative Law Council; Board Treasurer, Collaborative Professionals of Washington; Board President for Cappella Romana Choral Ensemble; and Board Director for the Children’s Center.

Nan Henriksen

Nan Henriksen

Nan Henriksen has had a profound effect on Southwest Washington. Not only has she improved the community, she has helped shape it—most significantly as the first woman elected mayor of Camas from 1983 to 1992, and later as the chair of the Board of Freeholders, which drafted the county home-rule charter. Henriksen is widely praised in the community for her ability to be calm and thoughtful in her approach to difficult problems.

Recently, National Public Radio interviewed Henriksen about her role in helping Camas prepare for the day when the Georgia Pacific paper mill would no longer be the primary economic driver in the city. Her work is largely credited with Camas becoming a model for other cities as they had to transition away from traditional industries. She had a vision for diversifying the economy and paved the way for high-tech companies like WaferTech, Underwriter Laboratories, and Linear Technology to locate in Camas.

Henriksen came out of retirement to run for and then lead the 15-member Freeholder Board that was charged with writing Clark County’s first home-rule charter. Despite diverse opinions and needs, Henriksen helped the group find common ground and presented a final plan that was approved by voters in 2014.

Along the way, Henriksen has been awarded the Clark County First Citizen Award (2015), Statesman of the Year by Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (2014), and Camas Political Leader of the Century in 2006. She was first named a Woman of Achievement, which was the original name of the Iris Awards, in 1995.

Cheston Knapp. Photo: Alexis Knapp

The Clark College Columbia Writers Series continues its 2017-2018 season with Cheston Knapp, managing editor of the award-winning literary magazine Tin House. He will discuss his work and read from his new collection of essays, Up Up, Down Down.

This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Thursday, February 15, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 258A-B on Clark College’s main campus.

Cheston Knapp is managing editor of Tin House, a literary magazine based in Portland, Oregon. He graduated with a degree in English from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is the recipient of a 2015 Oregon Literary Fellowship from Literary Arts and the executive director of the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop. His work has appeared in Tin House and One Story. Up Up, Down Down is his first book. It has received critical praise from the literary world, including this evaluation by Joshua Ferris, author of And Then We Came to the End: “Offering up a steady supply of perfectly chosen words in precision-guided sentences, Cheston Knapp will either break your heart or jolt your spine, and quite possibly bring some of us back to life.”

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region. This year’s lineup of authors continues with:

• May 14, 2018: Roger Reeves, Pushcart Prize-winning poet
• May 17, 2018: Kate Berube, children’s book author and illustrator

Information about the Columbia Writers Series is available at www.clark.edu/cc/cws.

This event is held on Clark College’s main campus at 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. Directions and maps are available online. Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.

Smiles abounded at the 2017 Children’s Free Dental Health Day. This year’s clinic will be held on February 3, 2018.

The Clark College Dental Hygiene Program will hold a free children’s dental clinic on Saturday, February 3, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the main campus of Clark College. The event will take place in the Firstenburg Dental Hygiene Education and Care Center in the Health Sciences Building on Clark’s main campus.

Dental hygiene students from Clark College will provide care under the direct supervision of licensed dental hygienist and dentists. Services will include cleanings, sealants, x-rays, sealants, doctor’s exams, fluoride, and select emergency treatments for children ages 18 and under. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the Dental Hygiene Business Office at (360) 992-2158.

This is the eleventh year that Clark’s Dental Hygiene has offered a free children’s dental health day. In addition to this event, the college’s Dental Hygiene students provide low-cost dental hygiene care to the community as part of their clinic practice.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013 as soon as possible.

Photo: Clark College/Nick Bremer

President Knight delivers the 2018 State of the College address.

At his annual State of the College address on January 18, Clark College President Bob Knight highlighted both the college’s accomplishments and its challenges.

When it came to the former, Knight didn’t have far to look—just outside the doors of Gaiser Student Center, students were learning and eating at the McClaskey Culinary Institute, which opened in the fall. About a dozen students from the Professional Baking and Pastry Arts program stood against one side of the room, and one of them presented Knight with his favorite pecan bar.

President Knight receives a pecan bar from baking and pastry arts student Cameron Godney.

Knight had other sweet news to share, including the opening of an on-campus food bank for students and the announcement of 20 new athletic scholarships to be bestowed each year. He also announced a new agreement that will allow for increased student exchange with colleges and universities in Japan. And he shared that the college’s new Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management is potentially adding cohorts due to high demand. Two more bachelor’s degrees—one in Early Childhood Education and one in Addiction Counselor Education—are “on the horizon,” he said.

Knight also noted that Clark had been chosen by the American Association of Community College to be a Pathways 2.0 College—one of just 13 community colleges across the country to receive this designation. This will allow Clark to receive training and support as it converts to the “Guided Pathways” model of higher education, which streamlines students’ journeys from admissions to career with clearly explained educational pathways.

Knight said that Guided Pathways was vital to managing one challenge currently facing the college: student retention. “Our goal is that all students, regardless of ethnicity or economic background, achieve and succeed at the same rate,” he said.

Knight shared stories of recent graduates who had succeeded at Clark: Nancy Boyce, who now runs her own diesel repair company in Alaska; Dr. Inva Begolli, who came to Clark from Albania and recently earned her doctorate in pharmacy; and Cody Messick, a lackluster student in high school who discovered a love of physics and math at Clark that propelled him onto a team that discovered gravitational waves in deep space. Knight also recognized several employees for their support of student success: CADD professor Keith Stansbury, who advises the college’s aeronautics club, and biology faculty Kathleen Perillo and Erin Harwood, who have led students on a project to restore salmon habitat at Clark’s future location in Ridgefield. Additionally, he bestowed Presidential Coins on Workforce Education Services director Armetta Burney and Instructional Operations associate dean Rachele Bakic.

However, Knight added a caveat that these individual stories should not be considered a substitute for systemic change.

“Many of these students, we call them ‘heroes’ because they had to overcome obstacles to succeed and complete their degrees,” he said. “We don’t want them to have to be heroes to succeed. That’s the intent of Guided Pathways. … We want those meaningful connections, [but] we’ve got to make sure it’s systemic—that we don’t count on students lucking into a Keith Stansbury or an Armetta Burney.”

Knight said that achieving that kind of systemic change would require the help and participation of everyone at the college. He referenced Who Do We Choose to Be?, a new book by leadership expert Margaret Wheatley. “The fact is, there’s a chaotic world out there,” he said. “But here, as leaders, we can create what [Wheatley] calls ‘an island of sanity.’ Let’s just focus on what we can do in our own community here at Clark College. We need to create our own island of sanity, and Guided Pathways will help us do that.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

High school sophomores and juniors can learn how to take the next step in their education by attending one of three optional Running Start Information Night sessions at Clark College.

The identical sessions will be held 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24; Wednesday, Feb. 28; and Wednesday, March 7. All three events, which are free and open to the public, will be held in the Clark College gymnasium in the O’Connell Sports Center, located on the southwest side of Clark College’s main campus.

Running Start allows eligible juniors and seniors to earn college credit while they fulfill their high school graduation requirements. Running Start students attend Clark classes along with “regular” college students. They can choose from a full range of academic and professional and technical courses as long as the students meet the criteria and the classes are college-level.

The program, which can significantly reduce the cost of a four-year college degree, has proven popular in Southwest Washington. Some Running Start students are so motivated that they earn their associate degree from Clark at the same time that they earn their high school diploma. These annual information nights frequently attract hundreds of interested students and parents to the college, which is why the college is hosting three sessions this year. Fall Quarter 2017 Clark College welcomed 2,484 Running Start students, up by 2 percent from the previous year.

These information sessions are for students and parents who want to know more about beginning the program in fall 2018. While the sessions are completely optional, they are a good opportunity to hear current Running Start students candidly describe their experiences in the program and to learn about the eligibility criteria, deadlines, and more.

Running Start students pay for books, transportation, and some fees, but do not pay full Clark College tuition. Students can be part-time or full-time in Running Start. Fees are subject to change by the Washington State Legislature. A fee waiver is available for those demonstrating financial need.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way in Vancouver, Wash. Parking will be available in the college’s Red lots on the east side of Fort Vancouver Way and in the Purple Lot on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 013, as soon as possible.

For more information on Running Start, visit the Clark College website at www.clark.edu/runningstart. For information about Running Start Information Nights, call 360-992-2366.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Each year, the Clark College Jazz Festival brings young musicians from throughout the region to Clark.

The 56th Annual Clark College Jazz Festival presents three full days of exhilarating big band jazz on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, January 25-27, 2018 in Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. Admission is $5 per day. Clark College students and children under 12 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free of charge.

Sixty middle and high school jazz ensembles from throughout Washington and Oregon are scheduled to perform in this year’s competition with trophies presented to the top three jazz ensembles for middle schools and A through AAAA division high schools. Individual outstanding musician awards will also be presented at the end of each division’s preliminary competitions.  At the end of Saturday evening, the Dale Beacock Memorial Sweepstakes Award will be presented to one outstanding band selected from the entire festival.

Preliminary competitions for the 2018 festival will start on Thursday with middle schools from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with middle school finals starting at 5:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, competition will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the A and AA division jazz bands performing on Friday and AAA and AAAA jazz bands taking the stage on Saturday. Finals competitions will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings ending with the trophies presentation.

The Clark College Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Festival Director Richard Inouye, will perform at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, noon and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, and at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. The 2017 Sweepstakes Band, Garfield High School Jazz Band (Seattle, WA), under the direction of Clarence Acox, will hold the spotlight on Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m.

For complete information about the Clark College Music Department concerts featuring the orchestra, band, jazz ensemble, and choirs, please see http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/music/index.php.

The History of the Clark College Jazz Festival

The heritage of the Clark College Jazz Festival dates back to 1962 when Hud­son’s Bay H.S. band director, Don Cammack, began organizing a one-day high school stage band invitational for schools from Clark and Skamania coun­ties. Organized by the Vancouver and Evergreen public schools, Fort Vancou­ver H.S. and Evergreen H.S took turns hosting the festival each year. Sponsors of the festival included Southwest Washington Music Association and Lower Columbia River Music Educators Association. In the early years, the trophies were made by middle school band director, Jack Ager, creatively construct­ing musician figures from miscellaneous hardware and car parts! In 1970, Dale Beacock, then the band director at both Fort Vancouver H.S. and Clark Col­lege, held the invitational “Clark Stage Band Contest” for the first time at its current home, Clark College. This inaugural event hosted 17 high school jazz bands with preliminary competitions held in what was then known as the Gaiser Hall dining area, with finals in the gymnasium. Dale’s vision of a competitive jazz showcase for schools throughout Washington and greater Portland pro­moted the growth of the festival and in 1971 the festival grew to 32 bands held over two days on Friday and Saturday. In 1976 the number of participating bands grew to 52, welcoming bands from Oregon and Idaho. In 1985, Chuck Ramsey took over the reigns as Festival Coordinator successfully organizing the festival for the next 22 years. Chuck’s achievements bringing consistency in the operations of the festival and increased student involvement set the ground­work for the educational enhancement, leadership, teamwork, and a sense of ownership the Clark student volunteers experience today. In 2008, Richard Inouye came onboard as Festival Director. His professional and educational experience has brought a new dynamic to the festival by encouraging a focus on jazz education and utilizing technology to promote community awareness, public support, and streamline festival operations. In 2012, the Clark College Jazz Festival celebrated its 50th Golden Anniversary. Highlights of this milestone included the Clark College Alumni Band directed by Chuck Ramsey which fea­tured Clark band alumni from three generations of Clark band directors. Dale Beacock and Chuck were also presented Legacy Sweepstakes Awards for their historic contributions to the festival. Today the Annual Clark College Jazz Fes­tival welcomes 60 middle and high school jazz ensembles, over 1,200 student jazz musicians to the campus, and over 3,000 people to the Vancouver com­munity throughout the three-day event. In 2013, the festival went international welcoming two bands from Tsawwassen, British Columbia!

About the Clark College Music Department

Clark College offers a two-year Associate in Music Degree (DTA/MRP) that includes music theory/ear training, instrumental and vocal performance training, and ensemble experience. Classes are designed to prepare the music major for advanced studies at a four-year institution while providing the non-major with the skills and background to fully enjoy music as a cultural pursuit. Ensembles on campus include three choral groups, orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble. Three tenured and several adjunct faculty, provide professional instruction to the 500+ students that pass through Beacock Music Hall each year.

Efforts to create ecotourism and protect two monkey species in West Africa are the subject of Dr. Robert Schubert’s STEM Seminar Series lecture.

Clark College is inviting the public to come back to school for a series of free lunchtime seminars that explore the lighter side of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Begun in 2015, the Clark College STEM Seminar Series launches its 2018 Winter season with yet more fun, informative presentations geared toward anyone with an interest in science—no Ph.D. required!

The winter quarter events in this series include:

• January 19: The Aka and Bofi Foragers of the Central African Republic with Dr. Jay Fancher, Clark College anthropology faculty. Join Dr. Fancher as he recounts tales of his doctoral field research with the Aka and Bofi foragers of the Central African Republic. Learn how studying—and sharing—their meals helps researchers better understand archaeological findings from the area.
• February 16: Human Culture and Primate Conservation with Dr. Robert Schubert, Clark College anthropology faculty. When balancing modernization with protecting wild species, creating local control of conservation efforts is crucial to their success. Dr. Schubert shares stories of how local beliefs help preserve two West African primate species and of the challenges posed in developing successful ecotourism initiatives.
• March 9: It’s All About Mud! with David Kluesner, geologist and Florida Gulf Coast University faculty. When oil and other pollutants spill into water, how can scientists predict where they’ll wind up? With more than three decades of experience in the field, this geologist shares his study of pollutants in the mud of a Florida estuary—and what that mud can tell us about how to track and contain future spills.

All events are held on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. in the STEM Building room 151 on Clark’s main campus. All are open to the public. Light snacks will be available and guests are welcome to bring their own lunches with them.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, as soon as possible.

This article was contributed by STEM Outreach Program Coordinator Nadia Kluesner.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Schubert.

Clark College President Bob Knight cuts the ribbon at the opening of the McClaskey Culinary Institute. Student Leslie Krawchuk, front row in chef’s hat, said she was excited to begin studying in the new institute.

If there was one theme to the mood at the ribbon-cutting of the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute this November, it might have been best summed up in the opening remarks of Clark College President Bob Knight: “This has been a long time coming.”

Knight added, “Thirteen and a half years ago, when I came to the college, we were having these conversations back then.”

Indeed, there has long been an understanding at the college that its culinary program needed modernizing, both in terms of curriculum and its 40-year-old facilities. But doing so required making the tough decision to put the popular program on hiatus, redesigning the entire curriculum, hiring new faculty, raising funds for a new facility, designing it, and building it from the ground up. All told, the culinary program—now renamed cuisine management—had been on hiatus for five years, and the college had been without its primary food-service venue for just as long. Today, that long wait was finally over.

Guests try vegetarian yakisoba stir-fry during the ribbon-cutting of the McClaskey Culinary Institute.

By all accounts, the end result was well worth the wait. The new facility boasts outdoor seating and garage-door windows to let natural light into the comfortable interior; an espresso and bakery kiosk; a soup and salad bar; a grill for made-to-order meals; a kitchen kiosk for special demonstrations and events; and windows looking into the bakery’s workspace to give an “open kitchen” feel to the facility. Additionally, a full-service, sit-down restaurant run by second-year students will open next year.

And that’s just what can be seen from the dining area—the kitchen boasts state-of-the-art equipment for making everything from chocolate croissants to vegan stir fries. Students in both the cuisine management and the bakery and pastry arts programs are now learning their trades in a fully functioning, industrial-sized kitchen that mirrors what they might encounter in their professional careers.

Clark College cuisine instructor Earl Frederick gives guests a tour of the McClaskey Culinary Institute’s kitchens.

According to local employers, those careers are waiting for them. “I can tell you this program is much needed in our area,” said Rick Takach, who donated funds toward the facility’s $10.5 million cost and served on the Culinary Campaign Advisory Committee. “Though it wasn’t my intention, there’s a return on my donation. That return is the qualified staff I will need for my businesses, including the new waterfront hotel I’m opening.”

“There is a huge demand,” added restaurateur Mark Matthias, who also contributed funds to the facility. “We need professionals coming out of this program ready to go, ready to start their careers.”

There is also a need for an affordable, high-quality program for local high school students who have begun studying culinary arts and want to continue their educations, said David Finnie, who teaches culinary arts at Fort Vancouver High School and helped advise the college on the facility’s design. He, too, felt the institute was worth the wait.

The new culinary institute has an “open kitchen” feel, with a window looking into the bakery program’s facilities.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “The facility—I got to tour it last week and my jaw hit the floor. We already have a student from our program in here, and she loves it.”

So does Leslie Krawchuk, who joined the college’s inaugural class of the new baking and pastry arts program. For Krawchuk, too, this moment was a long time coming. She had spent almost 15 years in health care management, but always harbored a dream of starting her own bakery. “When my husband and I moved here from Savannah, Georgia, I decided it was time to chase my dreams,” she said. “I researched quite a few schools, and Clark has it all. With the McClaskey Culinary Institute opening, and after speaking to Chef Alison [Dolder, head of the bakery and pastry arts program], I knew this was the right place.”

Krawchuk said she was attracted to Clark’s focus on hands-on learning. “The focus here is on production,” she said. “Other schools seemed more demonstration- or lecture-based. But with baking, you need to be able to touch and feel the dough.”

Students passed out tasty treats during the McClaskey Culinary Institute ribbon-cutting.

Krawchuk said she hopes to open her business in downtown Vancouver, and that she expects many Clark graduates to contribute to an expanded and enriched food culture in her new hometown. “I have some classmates who are doing this to start their own businesses, and others who have all kinds of interesting career paths in mind,” she said. “We’re all already talking about banding together, creating connections. I’m excited to see where we go next.”

View more photographs from the event on Flickr.

Photos: Jenny Shadley/Clark College

Clark College will honor the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday, January 17, with two events—a traveling museum exhibit and a guest speaker—focused on African-American history and art. The theme this year is “1968,” in reference to the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King, and the day’s activities will focus on how the events of 1968 shaped American history and culture. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Black History 101 Mobile Museum will be on exhibit in Gaiser Student Center on Clark’s main campus from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Founded by Khalid el-Hakim, this is an award-winning collection of over 7,000 original artifacts. The selection on display will focus on the major events and personalities of 1968, including artifacts related to the 1968 Olympics, Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, the Black Panther Party, Shirley Chisholm, and numerous musical artists who were performing during that time. Supporting material from the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Jim Crow era will provide additional historical context.

Additionally, there will be a multi-media presentation delivered by Professor Griff, one of the founding members of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, about how the events of the late 1960s helped shape that group’s art. Griff will speak from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., also in Gaiser Student Center.

In honor of Dr. King’s legacy and his call for service, the college is asking guests to bring a non-perishable item for the Clark College Penguin Pantry and the ShareHouse Backpack Program.

Clark College will be closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day itself (Monday, January 15) in observance of the official holiday.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 Iris Awards, which honor outstanding women in Southwest Washington. The winners will be announced at the end of January, and the recipients will be honored at a reception and ceremony on Wednesday, March 8, 2018, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. in Clark College’s Gaiser Student Center. Tickets will go on sale in January.

Award criteria and nominations forms are available at www.clark.edu/cc/irisawards. Nominations must be received by January 12, 2018. A list of past award recipients can be found at http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/iris/iris-award-honorees.php.

The Iris Awards follow in the tradition of the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards, which began in 1985 at Clark College. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards, still celebrated on or around International Women’s Day (March 8) and with the same core mission: honoring the lasting and far-reaching contributions of women in Southwest Washington and beyond.

One Iris Award recipient may be selected in each of four areas: service in the public sector; service in the private sector; philanthropic leadership; and leadership in the promotion of civil discourse, teamwork, collaboration and cooperation. This last category is a new addition to the Iris Awards, sponsored by H-RoC, a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to the advancement of elected and appointed women leaders in Southwest Washington.

Anyone may submit a nomination, and more than one person can fill out a nomination form or provide letters of recommendation for the same nominee.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, the Vancouver Business Journal, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and H-RoC.