Providing a support system for students
Bakersfield College has been my home for the past 11 years, and I have been fortunate to serve as the Arts, Communication and Humanities Pathway Faculty Lead for the last two years.
It has been an important and eye-opening role as the ACH Pathway has helped many students achieve their academic and career goals in a more focused manner with many points of support and contact along the way. I work with students on a daily basis who are oftentimes at the beginning of their educational career. For me, this has been an exciting part of my job because it brings me joy to see the excitement of students who were once unsure of a career path, now on the ACH Pathway to earn a degree in a field they are passionate about.
The ACH pathway is an ideal way to explore perspectives within the arts and humanities to learn how to be a creative and critical thinker. The pathway includes programs in art, theater, music, languages, English, philosophy, literature and communication. BC students are a lively and creative group, so it is no surprise ACH is one of the fastest growing pathways and has produced hundreds of graduates since the implementation of Guided Pathways.
Upon graduation, students may find themselves working in the fine or technical arts as performers, audio/video technicians or graphic artists, as well as postsecondary teachers, public relations specialists, and interpreters. Those pursuing a degree in communication can earn employment in human relations, sales, management, social services, customer service, advertising and politics, which the U.S. Department of Labor claims will be some of the biggest generators of new jobs over the next 10 years. As the workforce becomes more technical, many employers are searching for people who can think creatively and critically, and those skill sets are central to the ACH Pathway.
Of course, the ACH Pathway was impacted when most BC classes had to move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students found the transition difficult, but we were determined to not let students slip through the cracks. Members of each Pathway were given a list of students who had not yet registered for the next semester to keep in touch with and make sure they had everything they needed to succeed through our Pathways Campaign.
I reached out individually to ACH Pathway students and was able to connect to students one-on-one, listen to their unique obstacles and with that information I was able to connect them to a counselor, an admissions and records specialist, someone in financial aid, someone who could help them stay on track to graduate. More than connecting students to the right person, talking with students on the phone or through email or text was a huge privilege. It let me know that our students are determined and full of perseverance to continue their education even during a global crisis. They had not lost hope; they just needed help navigating this unprecedented time. The Pathways campaign let me know our students are worth fighting for, and it let them know that we at Bakersfield College, are always there to help.
I am proud to call myself a Renegade, and I take great comfort in knowing that our students have a support system in place to make their goals come to fruition. Whether they are coming directly from high school, the military or after a 10-year hiatus from school, the support structures are here to help students succeed. If you are interested in what the ACH Pathway can offer you, please check us out at the Arts, Communications and Humanities Pathway webpage at https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/academics/pathways/ arts-communication-humanities.