Rio Hondo College performing arts students and local school children will present “Juan Diego & the Beautiful Lady,” a free, bilingual outdoor play at Rose Hills Memorial Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. The play commemorates Our Lady of Guadalupe. After the performance, Mariachi Trompetas de Mexico and dancers from Pacifico Dance Co. will lead a procession with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Rose Hills Memorial Park is at 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. For more information, visit www.ourladyofguadaluperosehills.com or call 323-887-4837
The Rio Hondo Dance Collective will stage a contemporary version of “The Nutcracker” at 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 with 26 dancers from Rio Hondo College and more than 80 dancers from area schools and the Rio Hondo College Child Development Center. The production is streamlined to one hour to create a more enjoyable experience for young children. The event will be at Rio Hondo College's Wray Theater, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College educators have developed plans to offer a cybersecurity certificate and degree program in fall 2018 to help meet rapidly growing demand for technical experts capable of shielding sensitive electronic data. The program spans 26 courses in information technology, math, accounting and business law; it includes certificates earned for completing several sequences of the classes, including one for “ethical hacking.” The College plans to offer Associate of Science degrees in cybersecurity and information technology.
Rio Hondo College will honor veterans at a 1 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the College’s Veterans Memorial. The event will feature comments by Superintendent/President Teresa Dreyfuss and faculty member Josh Gallegos, and recognition of alumni veteran Mark Tavera. Campus community members who served are providing photos for a “Wall of Courage.” The College is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College on Oct. 24 launched a combination food pantry and resource room – dubbed the RioSource Room – to combat student food insecurity that a survey shows challenge a staggering 47 percent of the College’s students. The pantry culminates efforts by the College’s Food Access Task Force and the Associated Students of Rio Hondo College to combat food insecurity on campus for the last two years. Those efforts include a fall 2016 survey, snacks made available students on their way to classes, Food Break stations during finals week and free groceries at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. The launch included a town hall highlighting the impact of food insecurity, defined as a lack of access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College has received the third annual Diversity Champion Award from California LAW for excellence in building its Pathway to Law School program, which guides students in pursuing dreams of becoming lawyers and judges. The award, announced Oct. 23, will be awarded Feb. 24, 2018 at the Pathway to Law Summit at the University of San Francisco. California LAW coordinates the pathway program at 28 community colleges and six California law schools. Rio Hondo College’s program features seven classes, activities and internships to expand understanding of the skills and education students will need for law school.
Follow-up Story: Seven graduates of the Rio Hondo Fire Academy have been hired by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), a historically high number that College leaders say testifies to the strength of Rio Hondo College’s training program. The graduates, who attended Rio Hondo College as part of different academy classes, were all part of a single LAFD new employee training class of 45 that graduated on Sept. 14. Hiring by urban fire agencies is a highly involved process that requires a series of applications, written exams, physical ability tests and interviews before candidates qualify for placement on a hiring list. Hundreds of applicants contend for each spot. LAFD’s intensive four-month training classes represent the best of the best who survive the process.
Rio Hondo College will launch a multi-faceted program to combat student food insecurity on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The program will begin with a town hall on food insecurity at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Union and conclude with a 1:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting for the RioSource Room, a combination pantry and one-stop shop for resources in Building A at the College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. Forty-seven percent of Rio Hondo College students lack access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, according to a Rio Hondo College survey.
Rio Hondo College is inviting members of the campus community to add personal touches to a Día de Los Muertos altar created by Los Angeles artist and storyteller Ofelia Esparza. Esparza, a master altar builder, spoke to more than 175 campus and community members about the cultural significance of the Latin American celebration of the dead. She then led a workshop on constructing altars, assembling a vibrant display filled with gold and purple paper flowers in the lobby of Rio Hondo College’s Wray Theater. Día de los Muertos, celebrated Nov. 2, represents a mesh of Aztec cultural traditions and Catholicism. Students, staff, faculty and administrators can add artifacts, mementos, photographs, objects, flowers, saints and candles.
Rio Hondo College’s Pathway to Law School program will hold its first-ever mentorship mixer from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the Rio Hondo College Art Gallery to connect students with 17 area judges and attorneys. The mentorship effort is offered through a partnership with legal education nonprofit Ferias Legales. It runs for one year and includes two job shadowing days as well as casual gatherings while students explore different legal fields. The Pathway to Law program assists underrepresented, first-generation students who are interested in pursuing legal careers. Rio Hondo College is one of 28 California community colleges in the program. The gallery is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. For information, email lawschool@riohondo.edu or call (562) 463-7008.
