On the 16th, Skyline President Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud, ASSC President Kayla Razavi, and members of Skyline faculty welcomed new staff and teachers to the Skyline College Community during opening day.

The new additions to the campus community bring 16 new faculty and staff such as Math Professor Choi Younga, who is a former foreign exchange student and for the past six years taught at the University of Hawaii. Her employment at Skyline College marks the first time she has been to the continental United States.

“I like the school (Skyline College), I like the atmosphere here and the students are pretty nice,” new Math Professor Choi Younga said. Professor Younga said one reason that brought her to Skyline College was the “the different background and diverse group of students” here on campus.

Dean of Science/Mathematics/Technology Division Raymond Hernandez, who was involved in the campus hiring process, supported her statement which only served to reinforce the campus vision statement, “Skyline College inspires a global and diverse community of learners to achieve intellectual, cultural, social, economic, and personal fulfillment.”

“We look at the wide spectrum of factors not only based on background but where they went to school, how far along are they on their schooling, whether college students, where they come from, their experience, and cultural,” Dean Hernandez said.

To highlight a few new arrivals: Professor Phillip William, who just earned his Masters of Sciences in Mathematics from the CSU East Bay this year, English Professor Paula Silva, Cosmetology Professor Carmen Richardson, Automotive Professor Julia Johnson, Energy Systems Technology Management (ESTM) Professor Bruce Greenstein, and Biology Professor Carina Anttila Suarez who was hired in mid-year this Spring and started off herself in the California community college system.

“I really feel that I belong here because I started here (in the community college system) and I want to convince them (students) that what they dream they can achieve!” Professor Anttila said.
A common theme among new hires is the common desire to be a role model to students here on campus and to be an example that students can follow and look up too.

There are also four new district personnel stationed on campus, two of whom are Public Safety Officers Christopher Armanino, who has a B.S. in Criminal Justice, and Ludivico Viray Jr, who has studied Computer Sciences. On campus we also have Facilities Manager John Doctor and Leo Khersonskiy as the Public Safety and Counseling Office assistant.

On the administration and management side there is Ijaz Ahmed, Director of Repertory Therapy and Allied Health, Nohel Corral as Interim Dean of Counseling, Dr. Raymond Jones as Interim Director of TRiO, and David Reed as the new Program Director of the Learning Center, who has enacted a number of new programs which are aimed at helping students.

With the additional 16 new members to the campus community, the Fall semester starting, and with a team from the Accrediting Commission due to visit campus later in the semester we will make it through together. Welcome new faculty, staff and students to the campus.

This article has been updated fix an error, Paula Silva is an English Professor and not an Physic Professor. 2:12 P.M. 9/4/2013.