Last day to register to vote

As of the time of this posting, Californians have less than 18 hours to register to vote to participate in the November 6 election. And, for the first time ever, you don’t need to scramble to find a voter registration card at the post office.

If you have a driver’s license and the last four digits of your Social Security Number, you can do it securely and quickly online through the Secretary of State’s web page:

www.registertovote.ca.gov

In the first four weeks, over 544,000 Californians have registered to vote online, and some experts predict total registration may exceed historic 2008 numbers.

Spread the word. Post this information to Facebook, tweet it, send it to every e-mail list you have. Regardless of where you stand on the issues and candidates on this November’s ballot, participation is essential to our democracy.

Calling all science majors – internships available

The Contra Costa College Center for Science Excellence  (CSE) will be presenting information to interested science majors about internship programs at the Department of Energy Laboratories.

The U.S. Department of Energy offers various summer and ongoing internship programs: Science Undergraduate laboratory Internship (SULI), Community College Internships (CCI), Visiting Faculty Program (VFP, formerly FaST) and Berkeley Undergraduate Research (BLUR).

Ms. Colette Flood is the Internship Program Manager for the Center for Science and Engineering Education in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  Along with her colleagues she designs, implements, and oversee s educational outreach programs for students faculty to carry out the laboratory’s educational mission to inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers.  She will go over the program requirements and application process.  They are paid internships and the programs run for 10 weeks in the summer and 16 weeks during the academic year.   Because of the comprehensive nature of this program, many of the participants have felt it has had an enormous influence on their future careers.

Ms. Colette Flood

Manager, Center for Science and Engineering Education

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Friday, October 26, 2:00 PM

Contra Costa College

Physical Science Room 132

Everyone is invited to attend!

Refreshments served after the event in PS 109

For more information about the Center for Science Excellence, visit their website: http://www.contracosta.edu/progsdepts/extracurricular/cse/Shared%20Documents/default.aspx

Don’t forget to register to vote!

With so many important issues before voters in the upcoming November 6th election, it’s essential that everyone exercise their right to vote. October 22nd is the last day to register to vote in the November general election.

To register to vote online, simply follow these three easy steps:

1) Visit http://registertovote.ca.gov/
2) Click on “Register to Vote Now” at the bottom of the page
3) Follow the online instructions to complete your online voter registration application

For those of you residing in Alameda County, the Registrar of Voters office will be holding a registration drive outside the Alameda County Superior Courthouse (in Oakland) until midnight on October 22nd.

FY Transition Scholarship – Application Deadline Extended to September 4, 2012

The deadline for applying for the Diablo Valley College Foster Youth Transition Scholarship has been extended until Tuesday, September 4, 2012. If you haven’t already done so, I highly encourage you to apply.

To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a newly entering former foster youth within two years of completing high school
• Enroll in a minimum of 12 units (exceptions can be made for students in the DSS program)
• Demonstrate financial need
• Have completed the matriculation process

To apply, please click on the application link. Please read the instructions carefully as there are numerous pieces of information required: 2012 Foster Youth Transition Application

Welcome back!

Today marks the first day of our first full week of Fall 2012. It’s time to check in about all of those helpful services you can access on campus:

Have you . . .

• Completed the Financial Aid process? Visit www.dvc.edu/financialaid for more information
• Checked on your EOPS status or applied for EOPS as a new EOPS student? EOPS will be accepting the first 200 eligible applicants or until August 30th, whichever comes first. Visit www.dvc.edu/eops for more information.
• Looked into tutoring? Some labs (e.g., English lab) allow students to set up tutoring appointments during the semester. See all of the tutoring options at www.dvc.edu/tutoring
• Started getting your DVC scholarship application together? DVC Scholarship season starts early this year (September 1st)! For more information, visit www.dvc.edu/scholarships
• Visited the Transfer Center (www.dvc.edu/transfer) to check out important dates and deadlines.
• Applied for Disability Support Services (www.dvc.edu/dss) if you have a documented disability

Of course, there’s a lot more services available on campus. To access any of the above, or to seek additional services, check the DVC website or contact your START coordinators today.

$4,000 DVC Foster Youth Transition Scholarship – Due 8/30/12

A new scholarship has been created for incoming Diablo Valley College freshmen who formerly in the foster care system. The scholarship is awarded in $1,000 installments, once per semester for four semester. Click on the following link to access the scholarship application: 2012 Foster Youth Transition Application

The deadline to apply is quickly approaching: Thursday, 8/30/12. For more information or to pick up a hard copy of the application, contact either of your START coordinators (lkong@dvc.edu (Lindsay) or rrose@dvc.edu (Rudolf)). For more information, you may also contact Leslie Mills, DVC Scholarship Coordinator (lmills@dvc.edu).

Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity to help fund your college education.

Youth Shadow Day in Sacramento (May 24, 2012)

[Reposted from the John Burton Foundation Newsletter]

Youth Shadow Day at Capitol on Thursday

The third annual Foster Youth Job Shadow Day will be held on Thursday, May 24, 2012. This event, led by the California Youth Connection, pairs current and former foster youth with members of the Legislature. The day will also include a program from 5:00 to 7:00 in the CSAC conference room. For more information, follow this LINK.

 

Get a head start on college

The EOPS Summer Institute is a summer bridge college readiness program designed to prepare graduating high school seniors and current juniors for the transition from high school to college. The program is a six-week academic college readiness that helps prepare students for life as a college student. Through academic preparatory classes and an extended Orientation to College class, SI grads complete the program ready to be successful college students. The program combines academic advancement, with community building and fun activities (e.g., free field trip to UC Berkeley and free community pizza lunches) to help students build friendships and get ready for life as a college student.

If you are looking for a way to bridge the gap between high school and college, the Summer Institute may be the perfect opportunity for you. To enroll in the program, visit the EOPS Summer Institute link below:

EOPS Summer Institute

June 18 – July 26, 2012
Monday – Thursday
8:30am – 1:50pm

 

Diablo Valley College EOPS Applications now available

Applications to become a new Diablo Valley College EOPS student are now available in the EOPS Office. Students who are accepted in the program are eligible for a wide variety of valuable services to help them succeed in college, including the following:

• Priority registration – Be one of the first students allowed to register for classes
• Academic, career, and personal counseling – Two counselors are dedicated to seeing EOPS students only. This means it might be easier for EOPS students to get counseling appointments
• Book vouchers – Free money to help you pay for some of your expensive textbooks
• Tutoring - Free peer-to-peer tutoring available in certain subjects
• and much, much more!

To be eligible for the program, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a California resident
• Be a full-time student (enrolled in 12 or more units) your first semester in the program (a 9-unit minimum exception can be made for parent students and foster youth)
• Not have an Associate Degree or higher or more than 70 degree applicable units
• Be qualified to receive the Board of Governors Fee Waiver

The program will be accepting applications beginning Monday, July 2nd, but only the first 200 eligible students will be accepted. To ensure your spot in the program, stop by the EOPS Office to pick up an application, or contact your START coordinators for more information.

For more information about EOPS, visit their website: www.dvc.edu/eops

Need help picking classes?

With a course catalog over 300 pages, new degrees and certificates being offered every year, and more competition to get into classes, no wonder finding the right classes to take each semester can be challenging.

If you are current or former foster youth attending DVC, or looking to enroll at the college, and would like some help planning your classes for the summer and fall semester, your START coordinators are available to assist. Contact START today to set up an appointment to discuss your educational and career goals and make sure you are picking the right classes to prepare for your future.