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�鶹��ý President John Hernandez announced the two winners of the college’s inaugural Caring Campus Ambassador Awards last week. �鶹��ý is a leader in the , a national effort through the Institute for Evidence-Based Change, where Classified professionals work together with faculty and administrators to provide students the support they need to reach their educational goals. For this inaugural annual award, a committee selected one individual and one department that represents the essence of Caring Campus.

Please take note of recent changes to our class schedule due to the high transmission of the Omicron and Delta variants of COVID-19 in Orange County.

CITI Ventures and NexusEdge Education selected five �鶹��ý students for the fall cohort of the CITI University Partnerships in Innovation & Discovery (CUPID) Program. Shivum Berry, Vivian Du, Chase Nortman, Mya Thanegi Soe, and Elisa Marconell Tejedor, all �鶹��ý business students, were five of the eight students selected statewide. The CUPID Program is intended to develop a pipeline of California community college students from which to recruit for employment.

On Wednesday, December 1, �鶹��ý hosted the groundbreaking and dedication of its long-envisioned Arts Village. The complex will be built directly southwest of the current Performing Arts Center, next to the newly built Parking Lot 6. It will consist of three new buildings totaling 62,471 gross square footage and a core area quad. The Arts Village will house the School of the Arts in one main area of campus, while allowing room for future expansion.

For many �鶹��ý (�鶹��ý) students, one of the most important aspects of their time at �鶹��ý is their participation in the college's revered Model United Nations (MUN) program.

�鶹��ý (�鶹��ý) hosted a meal distribution event on November 22 in the Student Services Center Quad. Close to 500 meals were provided to students just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Each student received a holiday meal pack, important resources on Financial Aid and CalFresh, student hygiene packs, and a range of information on student support services.

The �鶹��ý Speech Team finally had a chance to test their skills at their first tournament of the academic year at the 2021 PSCFA Warm-Up Tournament, held on October 2-3. Sixteen colleges and universities came together to compete at the event, with five students representing �鶹��ý. Despite the usual challenges of being virtual, �鶹��ý Forensics came out ahead by winning three awards in debate and limited preparation events. Saoud Moon went undefeated in IPDA (individual) debate and received the 1st place Superior Award.

�鶹��ý held a virtual Veteran’s Day commemoration on November 10. �鶹��ý President John C. Hernandez joined Vice President for Student Services and veteran Dr. Martha McDonald, veteran and former �鶹��ý student Erik Grohmann, Tierney Center for Veteran Services Director Brigadier Denton Knapp, and AS�鶹��ý President and veteran DeAngelo Hunter to honor veterans both past and present. Dr. Miatta Snetter, who provides veterans counseling services at �鶹��ý, sang both “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” .

�鶹��ý student veteran Hannah Uribe was recently recognized as a Veteran of the Year for Assembly District 74, a recognition given by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. Uribe says the nomination, made by �鶹��ý’s Senior Veterans Specialist Ezekiel (Zeke) Hall, took her by surprise.

“It feels unreal. I do not feel deserving, but I am deeply honored and grateful to be considered,” says Uribe.

The Aspen Institute has named �鶹��ý one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges. The colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds.