Congratulations to the 24 seniors of Clark College’s Dental Hygiene program, who presented their community oral health group projects via Zoom on June 5.

Over the course of eight months, students worked with various community groups to create and implement oral health projects for an identified need in that group. They assisted oral health patients at Kamlu Retirement Inn, Washington State School for the Blind, Clark College Child & Family Studies, SeaMar Community Health Centers Women’s Clinic, and Truewood Senior Living. The presentations via Zoom presented the group they worked with, the project they created and implemented, and what they learned.

Students get ample hands-on experience in the Firstenburg Dental Hygiene Education and Care Center on the college’s main campus. Under the direct supervision of licensed dental hygienists and dentists, students provide affordable dental care for more than 2,000 patients from the community annually.

“This year’s senior class has worked diligently to gain all the skills needed to work in our community to improve oral and overall health,” said Kristi Taylor, Dental Hygiene department chair and program director. “I am proud of each of them for their perseverance and dedication to learning the profession and providing compassionate care to our community.”

Professor Taylor added that the job placement rate for Clark’s Dental Hygiene graduates is 100%. Many of the graduating seniors already have been offered a position or have accepted a position.

Student Projects:

Group 1: Stephanie D., Aria B., Valentyna S., Ilona S., Arnoldo P.

Project: Community Oral Health Project with Older Adults (age 60+)

Description: Provide oral and systemic health education for residents (age 60+) at Kamlu Retirement Inn

Group 2: Lauren D., Rebecca H., Andrea A., Jennifer G., and Stephanie B.

Project: Community Oral Health Project with Visually Impaired Adolescents

Description: Provide oral health education and nutrition information for visually impaired adolescents at the Washington State School for the Blind

Group 3: Nicole F., Mackenzie C., Ceaira J., Savannah G., Mallary V.

Project: Community Oral Health Project with Children Ages 2-6

Description: Provide oral health and nutrition education for children ages 2-6 at Clark College Child & Family Studies

Group 4: Arghawan P., Sophia A., Caroline W., Ellie C., Brittany J.

Project: Community Oral Health Project with Pregnant Women

Description: Provide oral health and nutrition education for pregnant women at SeaMar Community Health Centers Women’s Clinic

Group 5: Alvina S., Arielle R., Chime L., Hyemi P.

Project: Community Oral Health Project with Older Adults

Description: Provide oral and systemic health education for residents at Truewood Senior Living community

About Clark College’s Dental Hygiene program

• Competitive 7-term program, with 61-64 units required prior to entry; total of 184-unit program
• Bachelor of Applied Science Dental Hygiene · Learn more about the program
• Learn about affordable dental care in the college’s Firstenburg Dental Hygiene Education and Care Center

Clark Queer Agenda kicked off Pride Month with its first-ever clothing swap on June 1. Students chose clothing new to them. Clothing was neatly stacked on tables in PUB 161. One table had jackets. Another held pants, another shirts, another dresses.  

Although many students donated clothing, students did not have to contribute clothing in order to shop. Blake chose a black overcoat and paired it with eggplant pants. Leilani found a peach shirt and black pants with multiple decorative zips. Lillian chose a lime green crop top with metal chain straps. Xoxia chose a black lacy button-up shirt.  

It was also just a hangout space where students could connect. One student played acoustic guitar while others sat around chatting. 

Alexsander Havens, president of Queer Agenda said the group promoted the event through its Discord server of about 70 students. ASCC President Casey Figone had posters made to hang around campus. 

Students engage in Mutual Aid 

The event was brainstormed during a Queer Agenda meeting when students were discussing future plans for the club and a desire to get more involved with advocacy. 

The idea of mutual aid was introduced by Jill Forgash, a student success coach who works in Clark’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office and Cassandra Walsh, a Student CARE intern at Clark who is earning a master in social work degree at Portland State University. The group had expressed interest in arranging a clothing swap, and the event was a perfect fit with mutual aid. 

At its core, mutual aid is simply students helping other students.  

“Students in the group already were doing mutual aid without realizing it,” said Jill Forgash. “They share resources. They share clothing. They bring home-baked goodies to meetings.” 

“As the students started planning the clothing swap, we advocated for the event to be student run, student centered,” said Walsh. “It’s been cool to see this idea on paper and then see them run with it.” 

Forgash looked around the room and said, “This is a powerful example of community building.” 

Queer Agenda plans to offer a clothing swap at least annually, if not each term. In the future, they may partner with other clubs such as Black Student Union and Theater and would like to connect with other students interested in mutual aid. 

Clark Queer Agenda 

• Meets every Thursday at 11 a.m. in the Diversity Center (GHL 220) 
• Contact Alexsander Havens or Alyssa Voyles 
• Follow on Instagram: @clarkqueeragen

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Alpha Sigma Phi, Clark College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa celebrated its new 424 members at the 2023 Induction Ceremony on the evening of June 1. About 120 new members will graduate this spring term.  

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. And it has been a five-star chapter for 27 out of 32 years since its inception. 

From the podium, Clark College President, Dr. Karin Edwards welcomed the scholars.  

Looking around the room, she said, “Congratulations on your achievements! I am so proud of all that you have accomplished. I look forward to seeing how you will impact the world.” 

Guest Speaker Clark College Trustee Rekah Strong spoke about being raised by a hardworking single mom in Northeast Portland. Their family lived in public housing. She remembers the shame of standing in the grocery store checkout line while her mom paid with food stamps.   

“Always honor where you came from,” she said. 

Trustee Strong said that her mother instilled in her the value of education, but she wasn’t equipped to guide her. She enrolled in Clark College and worked to improve her grade point average. 

“The beauty of community college is that you have people who will wrap around you and show you the way,” she said. 

Trustee Strong told the students, “You already understand that excelling in your academic life opens doors for you. You’ve found the internal tenacity, the internal drive. Make sure you hold onto that. It makes me excited how every one of you will influence this community.” 

Interim Vice President of Instruction Dr. Jim Wilkins-Luton did a show-and-tell with his martial arts white belt and black belt. He challenged students to consider what their own black belt journey—a long-held goal or dream—might be.  

He asked, “What’s one thing you can do tomorrow to start your black belt journey?” 

Michelle Lowery, Clark alumni and past PTK officer, told students the value of PTK and how it influenced her life. She said, “I want to thank the PTK members who helped me to see the good I can do.” 

2022-23 officers are Eliza Butters, Jasdeep Atwal, Lizbet Jimenez, Kaylee Bathe, Lexi Kneipp, Meridian Bonser, and Leo Sanchez.  

2023-24 incoming officers are Ziyad El Amrani, Kristin Mahan, Addison Johnson, Fennic Tatum, Nikhil Saahgal, and Natalie Perdun.  

Advisors are Darci Feider and Heather Leasure. 

About Phi Theta Kappa 

Phi Theta Kappa is the official Honors Society for two-year colleges. Established in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa has a presence on almost 1,300 community college campuses in 11 nations. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recognized Phi Theta Kappa as the official honor society for two-year colleges in 1929. More than 3.5 million students have been inducted since 1918, with approximately 250,000 active members in the nation’s community colleges, making Phi Theta Kappa a true catalyst among members and colleges. Learn more at https://www.ptk.org/ 

Photos: Clark College/Maureen Chan-Hefflin

Nicole Harris, Director of Student Equity and Inclusion, (second from the right) stood in the Diversity Center and greeted people coming through the doors to participate in the Black Student Union (BSU) Kickback on May 24. The informal event occurs every term.  

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion provided food, music, and games. Mostly, it’s about connection and community. 

Harris explained, “This is a space for Black students, staff and faculty to gather to celebrate our accomplishments, Black Joy and share our stories.” 

People took turns introducing themselves to the group. Some are current students. Some are current Running Start students. Some are future students who plan to enroll at Clark next academic year.  

Then, it was time to fill their plates and gather together to listen to music, play games, and talk.  

If you are interested in getting notifications for this event, please reach out to Clark’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) at diversity@clark.edu or call 360-992-2292. 

ODEI is located on the second floor of Gaiser Hall (GHL) 214. The elevator is located by Financial Aid. 

Photo: Clark College/Susan Parrish

To equip their engineering students for success, professors Tina Barsotti and Carol Hsu encourage their students to create community by participating in campus and community outreach events, including STEM NERD Girls.  

These outreach events available in Engineering program provide opportunities for diverse learners to explore and achieve their educational goals by promoting social connectedness through peer support, volunteering, networking, professional interaction, and mentoring.  

“Building community fosters collaboration and connectedness,” said Professor Barsotti. “By providing these opportunities, the program encourages students to continue their paths in the STEM field. This helps us to retain students from systemically non-dominant groups.” 

Engineering graduates remain connected 

Four Engineering graduates who volunteered in outreach events also formed a study group when they were Clark students. Over the years, they have remained friends and continue to encourage each other as they transitioned to pursuing bachelor’s degrees, and now in the early years of their careers. They spoke on a panel at a Women in STEM tea on May 17 in the STEM Building. 

Megan Sarygin, Gabriella Miller, Shiori Baba, and Marie Roza heeded their professors’ advice when they were STEM students at Clark College. They volunteered in NERD Girls and contributed to other outreach and campus events. After they graduated from Clark, they transferred to various universities, but they continued their study group as they faced the rigors of advanced STEM classes and projects.  

Some years later, they still connect and remain friends. Now instead of seeking advice about college classes, they discuss the successes and challenges they are experiencing as young women working in male-dominated STEM fields. 

Megan Sarygin  

Profession: Field service engineer, Tokyo Electron US   

Education:  

• Clark College Running Start student; Associate of Science, mechanical engineering, 2019 
• Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, minor in business administration, Washington State University Vancouver, 2021 

Insights:  

“Developing your social skills is very important, just like your hard skills. Social skills are just as important as your classes, getting good grades, and studying. Make connections. Work in a group. Work on your communications skills.” 

“Ask for help. In a lab at WSU Vancouver, we were using a mill and a lathe to make small parts for a gyroscope. Using the lathe did not make sense to me. I was so far behind. The lab instructor was patient and opened up the lab on the weekend for extra work on the lathe. It was so nice to have it click in my brain.” 

Gabriella Miller

Profession: Associate mechanical design engineer, Curtiss-Wright Corporation 

Education:  

• Clark College, Associate of Arts, mechanical engineering, 2018 
• Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, Washington State University Vancouver, 2022 

Insights:  

“When we were growing up, it wasn’t expected that a girl would go into a STEM field.” 

“I wanted to work in a field where there are always questions to answer, opportunities to learn.” 

“I was drawn both to aerospace and neuroscience. I asked myself: Space or brains?” 

“Being able to make mistakes is sometimes harder for women. People can be more critical.” 

Shiori Baba

Profession: Project engineer classified as civil engineer, Bonneville Power Administration 

Education:  

• Bachelor of Science degree in geology/earth science, University of Washington, 2016  
• Clark College, supplemental prerequisite engineering classes to transfer to Portland State University 
• Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Portland State University, 2021 

Insights:  

“Networking is a scary term, but who you know is important. You don’t know who will be your boss or what opportunities may come up because of word of mouth.” 

“My agency makes transmission lines and maintains substations. It’s been male dominated, but I’m seeing more female engineers now. BPA has been putting in efforts for more diversity within their workforce.” 

“It’s okay to make mistakes. Just make sure you learn from your mistakes.” 

Marie Roza

Profession: Senior emerging technology engineer, Skanska, the fifth-largest construction company in the world 

Education:  

• Clark College Running Start student and Associate of Science degree in civil engineering, 2019 
• Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Portland State University, 2021 

Insights:  

“In engineering, there are so many options. You aren’t limited.” 

“Construction is very male dominated. Only about 13% are women. But within my company, we have an amazing focus on diversity and inclusion.” 

“Make your connections within your classes. It’s important to have a support system, especially as a woman in STEM. I could not have made it without these three.” 

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Dr. Edwards chatted with students at Pizza with the President on May 16 in Penguin Student Lounge. The informal lunchtime event is presented each term by Associated Students of Clark College (ASCC) to provide students with an opportunity to ask any questions of Dr. Edwards.  

ASCC President Casey Figone asked questions and fielded questions from other students. Here are highlights: 

Increasing in-person classes:  
“We’d love to see more students on campus. We’re striving to get more in-person classes, with a goal of 60% of classes in person and 40% hybrid/online.” 

Dr. Edwards

Encouraging students to get involved with civic engagement at all levels of government: 
“Going to Olympia and telling your stories as students is far more impactful than if I do it. Connect and find out what lawmakers are doing around student issues. Get involved at the state level, but also the local level. Find out who represents you.” 

Dr. Edwards

Criteria for adding new programs: 
“What we look for in adding programs: Is there a need? Do we have the capacity to offer the program? Does the program lead to well-paying jobs?” 

Dr. Edwards

Pizza with the President also is a time for the college president to ask students questions.

Dr. Edwards asked: “We are always trying to find ways to eliminate barriers for students and potential students. What are some of the barriers to attending Clark?” 

ASCC President Casey Figone answered: “Transportation. High gas prices. High housing costs. To afford rent, students often have multiple roommates. Students don’t know how to find affordable housing.” 

A discussion followed about resources for students to be informed. Dr. Edwards suggested College 101 and the college’s Financial Wellness Fair as starting points.  

Dr. Edwards asked, “Was Clark ready for you? The college should be student ready, just as much as the students should be college ready.”  

During the conversation, she told students: “This is a busy time of year for you, so hold onto your energy.” 

Fun facts about Dr. Edwards and Pizza: 

• Dr. Edwards’ favorite pizza is sausage, onion, and pepperoni. 
• As a Brooklyn, New York native, she grew up eating thin-crust pies. 
• When she traveled back home to Brooklyn to visit her mother for Mother’s Day, she said, “I made a point to have pizza.” 

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish

Clark College hosted Noche de Familia on May 9, a special night for Latiné families to learn about academic options and resources offered at Clark College. Offered every term by the college and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the free event included activities for kids and dinner for all. 

Attendees had opportunities to speak with Clark representatives from Financial Aid, Transitional Services, Workforce Education Services, Disability Support Services, Counseling and Health Center, Career Services and more. Workshops were offered to explain the processes of applying for Clark College and applying for financial aid. 

While parents found out more about Clark College, children busied themselves with facepainting and games. At the STEM table Engineering, Professors Tina Barsotti and Carol Hsu helped children build a contraption that demonstrated Newton’s Third Law of Motion. Diana Santos watched as her daughter, Ester, 4, inflated a balloon.  

Through a student interpreter, a Clark College staff member asked Diana Santos if she was considering enrolling at Clark College. She paused a minute before answering, “I need basics.” 

Diana and the interpreter headed to the Transitional Studies staff member to learn more about how she could get started with basic ESL classes. 

Moments later, a Clark graduate, Ana Aquino-Barragan stood at the podium and told her story in Spanish. When she first became a student at Clark College, she, too, needed the basics. She had not graduated from high school. She was not confident at speaking English. 

She started with English as Second Language (ESL) classes through Transitional Studies. Her path was not easy. She stumbled. She struggled. She wanted to give up. But her teachers encouraged her to keep going. 

Eventually, Aquino-Barragan earned her high school diploma, three Early Childhood Education certificates, and an associate degree in early childhood education. Today she is an early childhood education teacher. Next, she plans to start a bachelor’s degree program part time while she is working. Her goal is to be a schoolteacher.  

Her daughters saw how hard their mother worked to achieve her goal – doing her homework and juggling a busy schedule. Along her challenging educational journey, she inspired her daughters. 

Her oldest daughter dreams of being a doctor and is starting college. Another daughter who is about to graduate from high school aspires to be a teacher. And, her youngest daughter wants to be a dentist. 

“I am proud that I have set the bar for my daughters,” Aquino-Barragan said. “I showed my daughters that you can fall, then get back up and keep going. I hope that by sharing my journey, I’ve inspired you to continue your education.” 

Next, the college’s Diversity Outreach Manager Rosalba Pitkin spoke about the hardships of immigrant life: “It’s important to be educated in this country,” she said. “This information you hear today can help break that barrier to education. To have access. To take that first step.” 

To learn more, visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion https://www.clark.edu/campus-life/student-support/diversity-and-equity/ 

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish 

Clark College’s Model United Nations team earned honors at the 72^nd session of Model United Nationals of the Far West, A Force for Good: Global Health and Development for a Sustainable Future from April 21-25 at Whittier College in Burlingame, California. Clark competed against 29 other colleges, most of them four-year institutions. See a list of all participating colleges and their assignments here. 

Model UN activities were on hiatus during the COVID pandemic. 

“It’s been three long agonizing years since the last Model UN Far West,” said Professor Joseph Cavalli, Model UN program director at Clark. “I am ecstatic to report that your Clark College MUN team won honors this this year, picking up where we left off in 2019. This year, in a highly competitive field, Clark College represented Malta and Vietnam.” 

Topics included promoting the safe use of nuclear technology in the eradication of marine microplastics, protecting civilians—especially those with disabilities—in combat zones, and human rights and unilateral coercive measures such as sanctions. 

Model United Nations is a simulation program in which hundreds of thousands of students worldwide participate in model sessions of the United Nations to advance their understanding of the principles and means by which international relations are maintained.  

Clark’s student delegates recognized 

“Special kudos go student delegates Kathryn Johnston, Lanie Smith, and Casey Figone,” said Professor Cavalli. “All three received the Mike McBride Outstanding Resolution Certificate Third Committee for their position paper on UCMs (unilateral coercive measures).” 

Additionally, Kathryn Johnston and Lanie Smith were selected to chair committees at the MUNFW conference in 2024.  

Professor Cavalli added, “Lanie was asked to chair one of the most challenging committees in the MUN universe, the Security Council. This is a big, big deal. Chairing a committee at MUNFW has always been the exclusive purview of the elite California universities as well as Arizona State and University of Arizona respectively. Keep in mind 95% of the student delegates competing are political science and prelaw majors.” 

He added that on Clark’s Model UN Team, “Lanie, Kathryn, and Casey are physics, engineering, and computer science majors respectively. It is nice to see STEM mix it up with the liberal arts.”

In February, Clark’s Model UN team attended the NW Model UN Conference in Portland, its first in-person conference since the pandemic. Clark’s team represented Japan, Kenya, and Latvia. Topics included sustainable mountain development, Human Rights Council periodic reviews of Haiti, Japan and Israel as well as nonproliferation regarding the situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.   

Two of Clark’s Model UN team members had been chosen to serve as leaders for the Portland conference. Casey Figone was Assistant Secretary-General of Conference Services. Lani Smith was Director of the Security Council, a much coveted position.  

Next, Clark’s team will compete in Northwest Model United Nations conference November 17-19 in Seattle. 

To participate in Clark’s Model UN team:  

• Model UN typically meets weekly during the academic year. 
• To get involved, contact Professor Joseph Cavalli at jcavalli@clark.edu 

UN and Model UN Facts: 

• The United Nations was founded in 1945. 
• Hear the Secretary General’s message to Model UN here 
• Learn more about Model UN here 

Penguins fly!

Or rather, one “Little Penguin” rocket flew on April 28, with the help of four Clark Aerospace students.

Every spring, the college’s Aerospace program travels to the scrappy sagebrush landscape of Brothers, Oregon, a premier launch site for high-altitude rocket projects, 40 miles east of Bend. Their mission: Launch the rockets they have built during the academic year.

Clark’s team arrived in two cars filled with rockets, tools, four students, and Xiunu “Sophie” Lin, physics professor and director of Clark’s Aerospace Program.

First, student Tyler Lawrence launched his rocket, and it was safely recovered. This achievement marked Tyler’s L1 High Power Rocket Certification.

Great outcome!

Next, the team launched their rocket, dubbed “Little Penguin,” which is 12 feet long, 5 inches in diameter and weighing about 45 pounds. According to the team’s simulations, the rocket with an M-1939 motor could potentially reach a high point of about 16,000 feet (called “apogee” in rocket lingo).

Little Penguin: All Systems Go!

Following a simple countdown, the team launched Little Penguin around 5 p.m. Wow, did that Little Penguin fly!

Professor Lin said, “It took off with tremendous power, producing a shock wave that could be felt 500 feet away from the launch site. The rocket soared straight into the blue sky with a beautiful straight line before disappearing.”

After a rocket is launched, it’s crucial for the team to follow its trajectory visually, so they later can find where it lands. When they lose sight of a rocket, the team uses a radio receiver to follow the signal of a radio tracker attached to the rocket’s nose cone.

But the signal they picked up was weak, indicating that the rocket must have drifted far from the launch site. The students, Professor Lin and the team’s mentor, Jack Caynon started driving, and stopping every few minutes to check the signals and direction before driving forward.

After driving for an hour or two, they eventually picked up a stronger signal. It came from a sagebrush-covered field behind a barbed wire fence. The sun had already set. The team crawled beneath the fence and walked uphill for a mile, where they found Little Penguin 11 miles northeast of the launch site.

Little Penguin broke Clark’s record

Keith Stansbury, the prior director of the college’s Aerospace program, said “an 11-mile recovery is a record for Clark. Eleven miles and we got it back! Phenomenal!”

“Recovering the rocket 11 miles from the launch site is almost a miracle,” said Professor Lin. “The recovery may not have been successful on our very first flight test, but we collected our first set of flight data to analyze and improve our rocket for future flights.”

The team examined the errant Little Penguin and discovered that an insufficient weld led to the bulkhead detaching from the fin cans, causing the rocket to drift in strong winds. The team plans to scrutinize the flight data to glean further insight.

Their next mission: competing at the SpacePort America Cup competition, the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket engineering conference and competition, held June 19-24 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

“Our students learned good lessons from this flight,” said Professor Lin. “The perseverance they showed during the search of the rocket was impressive and amazing. As a team, we are determined to fail as many times as necessary before we can succeed at the SpacePort America Cup competition.”

Watch the Rocket Launch.
Photos by Carla Caynon, courtesy of the Rocket Club.

Archer Gallery was buzzing as dozens of student artists stood in front of their creations and talked to art appreciators about their work.

The opening reception and awards ceremony for the Art Student Annual exhibition of Clark College art students drew students, faculty, staff, family members and the community.

Although the gallery’s student art show returned to an in-person event last year, it was subdued. This year, it was noisy. The space was filled with conversations and people connecting over art.

“This is the first student art exhibit that feels like we’re back,” said Grant Hottle, art department chair. “We have an astonishing level of work here. Our art faculty are great. We have an extraordinary group of students who work hard.”

There were 150 submissions of student work for this year’s show; 65 pieces were chosen, said Archer Gallery Director Kendra Larson. Students created their work in the past year. Their art professors curated the work.

“The strength and breath of this artwork reflects the hard work, dedication, and unique voices of our amazing Clark Students,” said Larson. “It was a fun celebration of all the art students and their hard work.”

Artwork will be on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday until the closing reception on June 9.

Awards prizes were provided by Blick Art Materials, Georgies Ceramics and Clay, Gamblin Paint, Clay Art Center, PICA, McClain’s Printmaking, Collage, ProPhoto Supply, and Blue Moon Camera and Machine.

Award Winners

The awards juror was Prudence Roberts, writer, curator, and art historian. Here are her choices:

• Most Ambitious – Samantha Garcia Ortiz, for “Wine & Cheese Glasses Master Study”
• Solo Show Award – Lissette Torson
• Most Poignant – Syd Ness, for “Self Portrait”
• Best in Photography – Richard Cole, for “This Too shall Pass”
• Second in Photography – Tahnee Calderon Hernandez, for “Win a Prize”
• Third in Photography – Julia Smook, for “Lab”
• Best in Drawing – Colin Johnson, for “A Quiet Place”
• Second in Drawing – Chelsie Cannon, for “10 things I Thought Were Good Ideas at the Time”
• Best in Painting – Lissette Torson, for “Growth”
• Second in Painting – Juan Carlos Garcia, for “Civilization”
• Best in Ceramics – Denise Ostlund, for “Beyond Belief #2”

Photos: Clark College/Susan Parrish