Steve Hebert, dean of the Rio Hondo College Division of Kinesiology, Dance and Athletics and athletic director, has been named Athletics Director of the Year by the California Community College Athletic Director’s Association (CCCADA). The award is a recognition of Hebert’s “tremendous impact” on the association, according to a letter by CCCADA President Dan Clauss announcing the honor.
Rio Hondo College will host Dreamers Conference 2019, themed “Together We Dream,” from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 5 – the first of a trio of events designed to assist undocumented students to pursue their dreams. The conference is open to all students who support equity and their undocumented classmates, as well as to the community.
Rio Hondo College Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss has been named a 2019 Distinguished Woman of the Year for the 57th Assembly District in recognition of her contributions to the community. Assembly Majority Leader Ian C. Calderon, who represents the 57th District, will honor Dreyfuss and nine additional distinguished women at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at The Clarke Estate, 10211 Pioneer Blvd., Santa Fe Springs. Dreyfuss, who retires on June 30, has served Rio Hondo College in multiple capacities for more than 30 years. During her service, she helmed a $250 million construction program that remade the aging hilltop campus into a modern institution, as well as establishing three regional education centers to serve students close to their homes. Dreyfuss has been praised for guarding Rio Hondo College’s finances through the Great Recession and increasing student graduation, completion and transfer rates during her tenure as superintendent/president.
More than 700 guests are expected to sample artisan cuisine, fine wine and craft beer during the Rio Hondo Foundation’s seventh annual “A Taste of Rio” event at 6 p.m. Friday, April 26 at the College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The event, which supports Rio Hondo student programs and scholarships, will feature more than two dozen local restaurants, music and over 100 opportunity drawings.
Rio Hondo College Student Trustee Diana Laureano attended President Trump’s State of the Union speech on Feb. 5 as a guest of U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez, using the opportunity to continue her advocacy on behalf of her fellow undocumented community members. Laureano, who is studying philosophy and political science and is part of the Rio Hondo College Pathway to Law School program, said she considers it her mission to ensure undocumented residents are seen and heard.
Rio Hondo College will partner with the Office of Assembly Majority Leader Ian C. Calderon to host a Cash 4 College financial aid overview and a financial aid application lab on Saturday, Feb. 2 for students and their families, including free assistance with the 2019-20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act application. The overview will be offered at 10 a.m. and the lab at 11 a.m. Rio Hondo College is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) has named Rio Hondo College Vice President of Student Services Henry Gee as one of two recipients of the 2019 Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Service to NASPA. The lifetime achievement award honors a NASPA member who has served in leadership roles at the state, regional, national or international levels of NASPA, and who has been a member for at least 10 years. Gee has served in higher education for 40 years. He has served in his current position for 15 years, in addition to recently taking on the task of interim executive director for the Rio Hondo College Foundation. He will receive the honor at NASPA’s 100th anniversary conference on March 12 in Los Angeles.
Rio Hondo College will host about 200 high school counselors from area school districts as well as other local high school officials for its sixth annual Regional Counselor Breakfast at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 18. The event, which runs through 11:30 a.m., will be held in the Campus Inn at Rio Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. This year’s breakfast will focus on the College’s vast array of student service programs, which include financial aid support, transfer and honors, and the Center for Career and Re-Entry Services. Breakout sessions will offer an in-depth look at Rio Hondo College’s academic programs – the business division, communications and languages, and public safety. Counselors will also receive an update on student success measures and the expanded Rio Promise, which offers two years of free tuition to first-time college students. Rio Hondo College is the first community college in Los Angeles County to make such an offer.
Fifty firefighters from across California are hewing their way through structures with axes and chainsaws and carving up cars during an advanced training course this week at Rio Hondo College’s annual Regional Truck Academy. The academy, launched last week, runs through Jan. 18 at the Rio Hondo Fire Training Center, 11400 Greenstone Ave., Santa Fe Springs. Professionals attend a mix of instructional lectures and hands-on exercises, including forcible entry into burning structures, structure ventilation, high-rise operations, elevator rescues, rope rescues, thermal imaging, auto extraction and rapid intervention tactics.
Rio Hondo College will host a lunar eclipse viewing party from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20 for students from Whittier City School District, East Whittier School District and South Whittier School District. The event will begin with a welcome, presentations and lectures. Eclipse viewing will begin at 8 p.m. with peak viewing from 8:45 to about 9:45 p.m. On Jan. 20, the sun’s rays will reflect on the surface of the moon, coloring it red – leading to the name “Blood Moon.” Guests should gather at Parking Lot C at Rio Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The event will be canceled if there is a heavy cloud cover or rain.