I interviewed the Vice-President, Abraham, of the Ventura College pre-med club along with getting some questions answered by its members to learn more about their club and get some insight into it. I first off wanted to know what their club was about and they told me that it is about promoting medical education and creating an outlet for like-minded individuals who are interested in medicine to socialize, learn more about the medical field, and have opportunities to gain exposure to the world of medicine. From knowing what their club was about I asked them what they had to offer to VC students and they explained that they offer the opportunity for students to hear from doctors and other medical professionals on the real perspective of what medicine truly is. They will also educate people on the field itself, go to seminar events at hospitals, and more.
The club goes beyond just being at the college but goes out of its way by getting experience from those who are in the field that these students want to be in, which will benefit them immensely in their careers. I also wanted to know who exactly can join the club, and I found out that it is open to anyone who has an interest in medicine and is simply interested in the field are free to join.
The club advisors include Biology Professor Kammy Algiers and Organic Chemistry Professor Malia Rose-Seiza. I asked the board members of the club their names, roles, and majors to get a little more information about them since they all have different paths in life and they include Abraham, the club Vice-President who is majoring in Biochemistry. Dan, the club ICC Representative, who is majoring in Health Promotion. Emanuel, the club Treasurer, who is majoring in Biology. And finally, Isabella Coroda the club President, who is majoring in Biomedical Engineering.
The final piece of information I wanted to know about this club was what will VC students get out of being in this club? Their answer was that students will gain the necessary information needed to fully understand what medicine is and learn about all the different opportunities you can have with an interest in medicine. They also mentioned how you will also grow connections with people who are also passionate about medicine and create a helpful and connective environment for others and yourself. So if you are interested in joining you can scan the QR code in the image above or you can email them as well. Piratepremedclub@gmail.com
Creating a resume or a cover letter, and preparing for job interviews can be overwhelming, but don’t worry – the Career Center at Ventura College is here to help!
Part of the mission of the Career Development Services (CDS) is to empower students to make enlightened career decisions; engage in experiential learning opportunities to develop skills and experience to successfully meet their career goals.
When writing a resume, questions can arise such as: what is the basic information that should be included, and what should be described in detail? What is the proper layout and appearance?
In the same way as a resume, a cover letter is also very personalized, and it is challenging to target a particular organization and position, decide the layout, appropriately address the letter, and mention referrals.
When interviewing for an internship or a new job, it’s common for students to have difficulties evaluating the responsibilities, relevant skills, experience of a position, and employment goals. If you need help with all of this, don’t hesitate to contact the (CDS)!
The annual Career Fair and Job Expo at Ventura College is approaching soon, it’s on Thursday, April 27th, 2023. From 10 am – 2 pm at the Bookstore Squad, VC. To get help with your resume or 30-second intro pitch, check their website for appointment hours or drop in at Career Center at campus.
Hello, welcome to another beautiful semester at Ventura College in lovely Sunny Ventura. I had a few moments to speak with Lauren Wintermeyer about the upcoming semester and registration opens April 17th for students to add classes to their schedule. Making an appointment is easy, process I found the most helpful was calling the registration office and making an in person appointment, video call, or a phone call. Nice thing is sometimes an appointment can be over whelming with class recommendations to help students achieve their goal of graduating. But the counselors will email you a summary of you’re conversation with them to make it easy, and a list of classes to help you succeed. Nice thing is the counselors will walk you through you’re myvcccd home page and show you degree works which will show you what classes branch off and count towards you’re degree. And for our extra busy students, the registration office takes drop ins to ask quicker questions of the counselors. Which is nice because sometimes life doesn’t allow you time for an appointment, also Ventura College has an online waitlist for drop ins which is a lovely addition. So, don’t forget and make an appointment today to get those classes! No one wants to be on a waitlist.
Asking for help can be difficult and overwhelming. At Ventura College, we strive to take some of that weight off your shoulders and the financial aid office offers the resources needed to meet your basic and academic goals. But where and how to start?
We got the inside scoop on the best course of action for incoming freshman to get information on financial aid services from Yesika, who works in the financial aid office. She recommends the Ventura College website to get information on where and how to began the process of applying. She also suggests in-person help via the financial aid service center located next to the bookstore on campus. Financial aid offers many different types of resources for students who are eligible and in need of assistance in order to attend college. This includes grant programs like the CAL Grant, that pay for your cost of enrollment. Sate and federally funded programs like the work study program, where students can work a part-time job on campus to earn money. Financial aid can also get you set up for a school loan, either a private or federally funded loan for extended education for those who qualify.
Yesika shared that coming in prepared when applying for financial aid is an important first step. You will need to make an appointment with a counselor to get set up with an education plan via online or in-person through Academic Counseling. After meeting with a counselor, you can come directly to the financial aid window/office to apply for your FAFSA online in the computer lab. It is important to make sure you have a valid ID, social security number and income information ready for this process. Once you’ve applied, Yesika recommends to continuously check your student email and your financial aid tab on your dashboard to make sure you’ve provided all information needed and no forms are left pending in order to qualify. This also includes checking in to make sure you are meeting the minimum requirements to keep satisfactory progress. You can find those requirements online through the financial aid tab.
We asked about other resources outside of financial aid that could also be of help to students. Yesika told us about the Basic Needs Center that provides students with food, housing opportunities and wellness. There is a food pantry on campus that is available at no cost to students. Open from 8:30am to 6:30 Monday and Tuesday, 8:30am to 5pm Wednesday and Thursday and 8:30am-1pm on Friday. She also mentioned that the VC Foundation is another great resource that offers scholarship programs and is worth checking into.
Lastly, Yesika shared what she likes most about working in the financial aid office. She said she loves being able to help students who are in need and those who are feeling lost. Let the financial aid office at Ventura College help take some weight off and set sail for a bright future.
4667 Telegraph Road BCS Building Ventura, CA 93003
Deciding to go to college and continuing your education is a huge accomplishment. However, attending community college can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging and stressful if you aren’t fully prepared. Between what major you want to pursue,trying to figure out what classes to sign up for, how to pay for school and what books and supplies you need, it’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed. Let’s take a look at how you can prepare beforehand with all the student resources available to you on the Ventura College website to prepare you for Priority registration which opens soon on April 17th, 2023.
I had the pleasure to speak to one of our amazing Ventura College counselor Corey Wendt via cellphone and was able to interviewed him regarding how to prepare for registration, how to know what classes to take, how to figure out what major would interest you,how to create a schedule that works for you and how to prepare to transfer to a 4-year after. Earning a degree or certificate from a community college can be a complex task, but you can easily navigate the challenges of these programs, and resources with some basic planning and organization.
The interview began by asking counselor Wendt “ How can students begin to prepare for Summer and Fall 2023 registration coming up and what are some tips that can help not feel too overwhelmed”. Wendt stated that the first most important task is to make sure you have met with an academic counselor to develop an accurate education plan. This is a very important step, because the academic counselors help future and current students understand what classes they need to take in order to reach their goal for the semester’s academics. After creating their academic plan, the next step would be to go on the my.vcccd.edu student portal under the register tab to check their registration date assigned to them, specifically dates vary from student to student. Step three: is to make sure you have reviewed the class schedule and have chosen classes that go according to plan with your time, schedule and current education plan, it is very important to look at this beforehand to understand the times and dates of the courses and what is expected for the course and what is needed in the course as well. So, when your registration opens you are prepared and can sign up with the CRN number and get the classes you need.
The next common question I asked was “Some students do not have a full plan of what they want their education plan to look like for them, if they want to earn a certificate or degree, or transfer after a few years at a community college. What help is there for those students who are still unsure about their next step.” Wendt suggested that there are resources for students early on that are a little unsure and not decided yet about what field they want to pursue.Ventura offers great introductory classes such as introduction to business,introduction to psychology,introduction to sociology, etc. However if that is not too helpful to take it a step further the counseling department offers a class “V02 Counseling” which is Career & Major Exploration it is a 3 unit class it helps students decide who they are as people,what they want as far as their education and career and how to help them find a path and solution to achieve their goals. This class will help figure out students that feel unsure about what path is for them. Taking this can class will allow students to explore early on before committing and taking other classes they do not fits them or their goals. Another amazing resource that can help students is through the Career Center website. It allows students to do research with regards to career planning, exploration and assessments to help them figure out what is the best pathway and make the processes easier and smoother. These tools will help students have options it won’t be exactly spot on, but they will help come up with an idea and information of what fits them better and make pretty good decisions about the field they pursue. Even if they have an idea of what field they want to pursue, academic counselors encourage students to explore and take the assessment to make sure they feel the connection and want to fully commit, because it is the beginning of their process, students still have time to explore.
For new students there is a few more amazing tools that Ventura offers on their website under the academic counseling tab “student center” there are videos on how to read the class schedules,how to use the registration planner to register these are shortcuts that can help during this time of stress and excitement to begin your next chapter. Whether you’re pursuing an associate’s degree or a shorter certificate, talk to an adviser and devise a course of action that best suits your goals.It’s important to have at least the idea of an academic plan before you begin your classes, it’s okay to not be 100% sure of your future plans. Although this may sound like an intimidating process, you don’t have to do it alone.Ventura College has amazing academic advisers. Registration is coming soon, set sail with us at Ventura College to become a Pirate. Best of Good luck!
For more information click the link below to direct you to the Ventura College home page.
I went to the Diversity in Culture Festival at Ventura College. I had the pleasure to speak with Maria Teresa Flumerodo, also known as Gigi. Gigi is a professor of Anthropology at Ventura College and one of the organizers for the Diversity Culture Festival. I asked some questions regarding the event. Some of the questions I asked included, “When did the festival start, how did they get the idea to have Doloras come speak at the event this year, and what are some of the other events going on in the Festival?” This is the 8th annual event and it started in 2016. Before it got started there was an initiative to have awareness about diversity. They ended up receiving a grant to start the festival. Maria took it over in 2017.
This year’s festival had both virtual and on campus events.The theme was health and wellness. Maria said they wanted to focus on Mental Health. Which is so important right now and especially with college students. They had different performers like Yaminah Legohn- Afro dance, a drum circle and much more. There were also clubs and different vendors. I would recommend this event to anyone. It was a nice experience and you can learn something new that perhaps you didn’t know before, but don’t worry if you didn’t make this year’s event there will be one next year. They also had yummy food like an empanada food truck. I wanted to try one but sadly I had to leave early.
I went on Thursday the thirteenth of April to see Doloras Huerta speak. She had a nice sense of humor while still delivering her thoughts on the importance of diversity and human rights. She is a Latino Labor leader, activist, and community organizer. In 1962 she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union. I think it was incredible to have someone who has accomplished so much speak at Ventura College. It surely was inspirational.
I asked Maria about Dolores and she said last year Dolores was on zoom for the festival. She talked about her life as a human rights activist, civil rights activist and feminist. Maria said it just wasn’t enough time. So they decided to contact her and have her come live to the event. She said that she is here also because the district came out with a resolution last year honoring her. So they were presenting her with the resolution for the Ventura Community College district. Maria said they wanted to say thank you to her for all her work and to inspire the students to get started in activism.
Here is a short video I took of her speaking at the event.
After Dolores spoke, students asked her questions. Here is a video of a question she answered.
Lastly, they really want to focus on joy and celebrating the college experience. Maria stated, “Having the festival there gives our campus a feel of being at an educational institution and I think we can highlight our students’ identity of the important aspects of the community. It’s really nice to bring in different things that you normally wouldn’t see. It’s really nice to give time for reflection and celebration. The festival allows for people to come together. Even if we aren’t participating but by just being in the audience.”
Showing young kids diversity is important and can be fun for them. I would definitely go again to see the other dances. I hope you get to go see what the diversity festival has to offer.
Welcome to the VC Social Podcast. In this episode we discuss the value and importance of having good time management in our everyday lives. We all have unique experiences managing our time trying to accomplish different tasks daily, between work, school, and our personal lives how do we possibly complete everything in a timely manner without burning out or feeling overstressed? Maybe it’s time to start trying new methods! It all comes back to limiting our time with distractions, which we personally struggle with since nowadays most work is done online and realize that we need to build our self control to not get sucked into social media. As well as not being afraid to say “no” when being tempted to go out with friends or family, not to mean that you should never go out because of work, however make sure that you are planning ahead accordingly.
View more of our work by clicking on the links below!
On this episode of Note to Self, we discuss the challenge of finding a balance between school, work, and life. We discuss our definitions of balance, what our daily routines look like, and the challenges we face as we try to juggle it all.
Balance looks different for everyone, so we share the things that have helped us find a balance and what just hasn’t worked. Tune in to hear all about our individual experiences. We share our insights and advice in hopes that we can help other students who might be navigating similar challenges.
In our podcast episode, Sarah, Jerry and Kelyla talk about a few things that high school didn’t teach us. First, we’ll cover the importance of establishing good credit and how it can benefit you for the future. Then, we will dive deep into relationships and how to best handle ourselves when we find our emotions taking over.
Açaí (ah-sigh-EE) bowls are a delicious and healthy snack or meal option for busy students on the go. These berries are considered “superfruit” due to their nutritional value. The fruit is rich in healthy fats, and fiber, and it contains more antioxidants than other common berries. Besides these incredible properties, studies have shown that the consumption of it boosts brain function and it’s a great source of energy. This is exactly what we need to maintain a busy student lifestyle.
These berries come from a species of palm tree grown in the Amazon – Brazil. The fruit looks like a dark purple grape and it’s consumed as a smoothie, topped with fruits, nut butter, and seeds. Acai bowls are known for their vibrant color, creamy texture, and how easy it is to prepare. It can be customized to suit your taste and nutritional needs, and gives you a variety of health benefits.
Here is my recommendation, my favorite bowl: Acai, honey almond granola, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, peanut butter, coconut shavings, chia seeds, and a drizzle of condensed milk. Trust me on this one.
Now that you learned about this, next time you need a quick and healthy meal or snack, consider getting an acai bowl. There is a store right in front of Ventura College. And by doing so, you will also support a local business owned by a Brazilian family. Hope you enjoy your acai bowl!
bb Açaí and Juice Store 5100 Telegraph Rd D, Ventura, CA 93003 Open every day from 9am to 5:30pm https://bbacai.com/
VC Social 