Follow-up Story: Victor Villaseñor, acclaimed author of “Rain of Gold” and other works exploring the concept of cultural heritage, led a stellar roster at Rio Hondo College’s annual Writes of Spring on April 20-21 in Rio Hondo College’s Wray Theater. Also speaking were playwright Christel Joy Johnson, American Book Award winner Alex Espinoza, Faulkner Prize winner Tracy Robert and poet Marsha de la O. Students screened films and conducted readings from the Rio Hondo College literary anthology, River’s Voice. Photos are available.
Rio Hondo College will hold a groundbreaking celebration at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 4 for its Pico Rivera Educational Center, 9456 Marjorie St., Pico Rivera. The center will open for classes in fall 2016. It is the third such regional center created by Rio Hondo College since 2010. The college is upgrading seven buildings at El Rancho Unified School District’s former adult school to create a collegiate identity and to integrate digital learning tools into six classrooms. The site will include a shaded quad and 1.3 acres of parking.
Twins Maritza and Janeth Acuna almost didn’t come to Rio Hondo College. The inseparable Downey teenagers were prepared to give up their dream of playing college soccer in exchange for attending a top-notch, four-year university, even though it meant carrying significant debt without help from sports scholarships. But they decided to give soccer another shot and chose Rio Hondo because faculty members showed interest in them not only as athletes, but also as students. Now, two years later, they are garnering national attention for leading their team to the No. 2 spot in the state, an achievement on par with their stellar academic performance. The icing on the cake? UC Irvine, where they were accepted out of high school, has offered scholarships that will pick up where grant aid leaves off, allowing them to continue pursuing the sport they love while they prepare for careers in medicine.
A Rio Hondo College student with six children is being honored by Soroptimist International for overcoming life challenges as part of the organization’s 2016 Live Your Dream Awards. Oralia Lopez Alcorta, who is seeking her associate’s degree in sociology, will be considered Sunday, May 15 for a regional-level 2016 Live Your Dream Award. Alcorta is one of five Rio Hondo College students honored by Soroptimist International of Whittier with club-level 2016 Live Your Dream Awards on Feb. 23. Like Alcorta, recipients Natasha Rubalcava, Lorraine Montano, Reylene Priego and Ruth Noemi Rodriguez are all single mothers who participate in Rio Hondo College’s EOP&S/CARE program.
Rio Hondo College has been named to the 2016 list of Top 25 Community Colleges for Hispanics by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine, recognizing the College’s popularity among Latino students and its success in helping them attain degrees.
The list is based on data reported by community colleges to the National Center for Education Statistics. Rio Hondo College ranked 13th for its Latino student population, at 80.7 percent in 2014. The College ranked 24th for associate degrees completed by Latino students for data reported for the same year.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College held a grand-opening celebration March 23 for its new soccer field, an NCAA-regulation size artificial turf pitch. The complex includes a synthetic six-lane track, a three-stage lighting system that will allow night games, new bleachers and restrooms. The project began March 30, 2015.
Follow-up Story: The Rio Hondo College Foundation held its annual A Taste of Rio May 6, raising more than $102,000. The food and wine tasting event featured fare from more than 14 restaurants, tastings of wine, beer and spirits, and more than 60 drawing prizes, which included getaways, Disneyland tickets, gift baskets and tickets for entertainment venues.
Follow-up Story: Follow-up Story: More than 300 students attended the 21st annual Women’s Conference, themed “Courage to Dream,” a joint venture between the Whittier Union High School District, Rio Hondo College and Soroptimist International of Whittier in celebration of Women’s History Month. The program featured three sessions of workshops focusing on women’s wellness in body, mind and soul, with topics ranging from relationships and financial literacy to college survival and self-defense. ABC7 Eyewitness News traffic reporter Alysha Del Valle delivered the keynote address on her extensive experience as a news reporter.
Follow-up Story: Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Felicity Huffman shared the challenges of her acting career and offered advice to students during a March 2 talk that held a standing-room-only audience rapt at Rio Hondo College’s sixth annual Forensics Showcase. Huffman, part of the ensemble for ABC’s critically acclaimed “American Crime,” won a Golden Globe for her role in “Transamerica,” for which she was also nominated for an Academy Award. The showcase highlighted performances by members of the Forensic Speech and Debate Team who will represent the College at state and national tournaments.
Rio Hondo College will begin offering three new two-year associate degree programs in fall semester 2016, including one that brings a guarantee of admission to California State University (CSU) campuses. The new courses of study are Associate of Arts in Social Work, an Associate of Arts in Dance and an Associate of Arts for Transfer in Economics. The economics degree, approved in August, is part of the growing system of two-year degrees that include the transfer guarantee. The California Community Colleges approved the social work degree in December 2015 and the dance degree in January. In both cases, Rio Hondo educators decided to offer a local AA degree because the college system hasn’t finalized the elements for a guaranteed transfer degree. The Rio Hondo degree programs mirror the requirements of a degree for transfer.
