In support of diversity, equity and inclusion, Coastline College is hosting a series of collaborative events for faculty, staff and students running through June 15, 2023, the Friday before Juneteenth. All are invited to watch recordings of earlier sessiona and attend the remaining session.

COASTLINE COLLEGE

Coastline College will host a lecture on June 15 entitled, "Exploring Juneteenth: How Did Emancipation Really Impact The Enslaved Africans." This lecture will address the dimensions of Emancipation and how it truly impacted the enslaved African. The session will also address the relevance of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment to the Constitution, the emergence of the industrial prison system, and the institution known at Jim Crow. This session like the previous sessions will view this era through the lens of the arts.

GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE

Golden West College philosophy professor Dr. Jason Sheley has seen firsthand what a difference a little flexibility can make in a student's success. One example that stands out was a student veteran who suffered from PTSD and who sometimes found it challenging to be around large groups of people. Luckily for that student, they were enrolled in a HyFlex course, a new course classification at GWC that gives students the option to attend class in person or on Zoom on any given day during the semester. HyFlex classes are relatively new at GWC – the class is structured so that students who are online are visible on a large screen during class and can interact with their in-person classmates. Students enrolled in HyFlex classes can choose how they want to attend class, with no penalty. Dr. Sheley was the first professor at GWC to teach in a HyFlex model beginning last fall and the initial data has been encouraging: HyFlex classes are showing improved attendance and course completion rates.

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE

Orange Coast College's 2023 Commencement Student Speaker was Nancy Estrada, alongside her son Adam. Estrada is a first-generation graduate of her seven siblings. Her parents migrated from Mexico in the 70s, and there was violence and abuse in the house. The same year she graduated high school, she started her own family with her high school sweetheart. She worked multiple jobs to help support the four children they eventually had, and in 2010 the family welcomed five siblings into their home after a family tragedy. Determined to keep the children together, they went to court to adopt them. Her large family and work in the school and education system made her want to do more. Estrada started at OCC in 2016, full of doubt. During this time, her son Adam was diagnosed with an untreatable malformation in his brain. Instead of giving up hope, he persevered and wanted to move on with life, so he enrolled at OCC and has plans to be a pharmacologist to make medicines to cure those untreatable diseases. This determination inspired Estrada to finish her degree in time to walk with her son at graduation. Estrada plans to transfer to Cal State University Long Beach to become a Spanish Teacher and has goals to become Superintendent one day.