�鶹��ý

�鶹��ý’s Puente Program recently held a ceremony commemorating the accomplishments of its members, celebrating Puente transfer students, and recognizing the current cohort's completion of Phase One. In attendance were current Puentistas, their loved ones, Puente mentors, faculty and staff, department deans, community members, and President Hernandez. The event included speeches by guest speakers such as �鶹��ý alumni, award-winning author, and literary arts advocate Sarah Rafael García, and transfer Puentista Frieda Sophia Lopez.

Fifty-six �鶹��ý students, supported by the �鶹��ý Honors Program, participated in the 23rd Annual UCI Community College Honors Research Conference. �鶹��ý students delivered 23 oral and 19 poster presentations, comprising 42 of the 224 research projects presented—the greatest number out of the 29 participating colleges statewide. Under the guidance of �鶹��ý faculty mentors, students worked hard to conduct research, write proposal abstracts, and prepare their posters or oral presentations.

�鶹��ý's collegiate cybersecurity team, �鶹��ýyber, recently participated in the Information Technology Competition (ITC). The team, consisting of three members, took on the role of a consulting company and responded to a Request for Information (RFI) from a hypothetical client. This year, the competition was held at Cal Poly Pomona with teams representing Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Long Beach, CSU Fullerton, UCI, �鶹��ý, and Case Western Reserve University.

The has named �鶹��ý student Allyson Najera to the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-California Academic First Team. This year, 112 students were chosen from across the 116 California community colleges for the All-California Academic First, Second, and Third Teams.

Students from �鶹��ý’s Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) had an unforgettable experience on a recent trip to Washington DC. During the trip, the students had the opportunity to meet with congressional representatives from Senator Feinstein and Senator Padilla's offices, as well as congressional representatives from the offices of Katie Porter, Mike Levin, and Young Kim. The group advocated for more resources that students need while gaining valuable insights into the workings of our government.

The �鶹��ý Speech Team competed at the in Bethesda, Maryland from April 9 -16. Six students represented �鶹��ý at the competition; because of their individual successes at the tournament, �鶹��ý’s team was awarded the gold medal in debate sweepstakes and in overall sweepstakes in the Hindman Division. This marks the 13th occasion that �鶹��ý Speech has been named Phi Rho Pi National Champions.  

Four teams from �鶹��ý's Interactive Media Arts (IMA) program were selected as finalists in the 12th annual , which took place on April 16. Abiel Montes won the first-place trophy, and a group of 10 �鶹��ý students won a special award for best cinematics.  

Last year’s 3rd place winner Alex Puh, who is an �鶹��ý alumnus, now works at Sega.

A team from �鶹��ý’s Office of Research, Career Center, and Adult Re-Entry Program won the 2023 Outstanding Project of the Year award for a project that incentivized students who stopped attending �鶹��ý without attaining a degree or certificate, to return to the college to complete their educational goal.

When it comes to launching a life in a new country, basic language skills can speak volumes.

Lingyi ‘Lynn’ Zhou knew, in order to build a better future for her family, she’d need to start with a sturdy foundation. For the determined immigrant, who made the move from China to the United States in 2014, that meant gaining confidence, expanding her tech skills, and most critically, improving her English.

“I didn’t [have] confidence to get jobs,” Zhou reflects. “Language is a big, big barrier for me.”