Former Galveston County judge Ray Holbrook administers the oath of office to new College of the Mainland board member Rachel Delgado.

Three newly elected College of the Mainland board of trustees members – Bennie Matthews, position 1; Rosalie Kettler, position 4; and Rachel Delgado, position 6 – took the oath of office at a special-called board meeting Monday. Matthews has served on the board since 1983 and Kettler since 2007. This is Delgado’s first term.

Retired Galveston County judge Ray Holbrook administered the oath of office to Delgado. Following the ceremony, Delgado said she selected him because she was inspired by his work to allow employees to opt out of Social Security.
 
“I admire his creativity, energy and passion to find solutions for employees. I want to honor that legacy,” said Delgado.
 
COM employee and notary public Sally Austin administered the oath to Matthews, a former teacher in La Marque ISD.
 
Linda Butler, Dickinson ISD board of trustees member, swore in Kettler, who serves on the Association of Community College Trustees in addition to serving on the COM board.

“We welcome to the board Ms. Rachel Delgado. Her fresh insight into the nature of education and human relations will serve her well and the future of this College,” said board chair Ralph Holm. “We at the same time welcome back Ms. Bennie Matthews and Ms. Rosalie Kettler to continue their service to College of the Mainland. The future of the college is bright as we see the great interests of voters on the mainland in Galveston County to make COM the greatest value in education and best darn college in Texas.”

All three will serve alongside current board members Holm; Roney McCrary, vice chair; Wayne Miles; and Nick Stepchinski.

Bennie Matthews is sworn in for her sixth term on the College of the Mainland board of trustees.

Rosalie Kettler takes the oath of office for a second term on the College of the Mainland board of trustees.

Building a wall against the Mississippi River seemed like a good idea in 1722, but 300 years of levees holding back the water have wreaked havoc on Louisiana's ecology, said College of the Mainland student Kristin Barnes at COM’s first academic symposium. In her winning presentation in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) division, Barnes discussed the concerns and possible solutions to the increasingly pressing issue. She and six others earned scholarships their work on topics affecting the region and its residents today.

Also receiving first place awards were Lee College student Austin Eldridge in the social and behavioral sciences division, COM student Lizz Dobson in the fine arts division and COM student Matthew Suggs in the communication and humanities division. In the STEM poster category, Trey Gammon, Zach Martin and Abby Ficklin from Lee College won first place for "Living Shorelines: Small-Scale Restoration Efforts and Their Ecological Impacts on Local Communities,” which analyzed data regarding small-scale habitat restoration projects.
 
“It was an opportunity to see a love of learning in action,” Dr. Vicki Stanfield, Vice President of Student Services. “We’re glad to be giving our students a better understanding that every word they speak has influence.”
 
Students came from Lee College, Alvin Community College, COM and Clear Falls High School to discuss a variety of topics—from the Pleasure Pier to Texas City Disaster—at the event sponsored by the Gulf Coast Consortium of Community Colleges.
 
“We wanted the students to experience all important steps in academic discourse, from submission to presentation of their work,” said professor Veronica Sanchez, co-organizer of the event with professor Dalel Serda.
 
A lover of history, Barnes became interested in science in Sanchez’ class and worked to integrate the two in her presentation on how the Louisiana levees affected the region’s ecology.

“History is just gossip, who doesn't love gossip? It was compelling to learn how the actions of the people counteracted the natural mechanisms to create such a disaster for the Louisiana coast,” she said.
 
Other students explored historical conflict in the region. In his winning presentation, “Galveston Bay: 1979 to 1981—Racial Terrorism in a Small Texas Town,” Eldridge explored the antagonism that Vietnamese fisherman faced from the Ku Klux Klan. Eldridge became interested in the subject after honors professor John Britt mentioned it in class.
 
“I’ve lived in Kemah and League City all my life. When I found out about something that happened in my backyard, I thought, ‘I should research this,’” Eldridge remembered.
 
The fishermen went to court and won a federal injunction against the group. The story inspired him.
 
“Vietnamese refugees…bonded together as a community and with strong work ethic. Despite the efforts of the Ku Klux Klan, the Vietnamese overcame racial prejudice and established a strong presence in the Texas Gulf Coast fishing industry,” he concluded.
 
Fine arts division winner Lizz Dobson collaborated with other artists to create a compilation of images documenting post-Ike Galveston. A native of Australia, Dobson came to the U.S. after Hurricane Ike to volunteer with Youth at Risk and eventually settled in Kemah. After examining the evocative images, she titled her work “Sustained Through Time.”
 
“The devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike still echoes in the memories of Gulf Coast residents,” said Dobson in her artist description.

Other students crunched the numbers on topics that affect society. Suggs analyzed data from seven school districts to show how students’ various options affected the admissions benefits they received at universities in his presentation “High School College Credit Opportunities: The Foundation of Post-Secondary Academic Inequality.”
 
“It’s a topic that impacts us all. There’s so many options, especially here (in the Gulf Coast),” he said.
 
The symposium offered all students and participants the chance to discuss their presentations formally in question-and-answer sessions and informally during lunch and coffee breaks.
 
“What we wanted was a very academic dialogue, that camaraderie you strive for in an academic environment. I think we achieved that,” said Sanchez.  
 
Sanchez and Serda are already looking ahead to next year’s topic: “Controversy in Our Nation: Past, Present and Future.”

Girls in Project Cinderella needed no fairy godmother to transform from ordinary students into queens for prom. Students in the COM Cosmetology Certificate Program offered to do everything from their perfectly styled curls to trendy pedicures.
 
“At the end, (one girl) said, ‘I really do feel like a princess,’” said student Olivia Doak, who helped a 17-year-old senior prepare for the big night. “She made me realize how respected we are for what we do. It was a confidence booster.”
 
Instructor Jamie Powell coordinated the free makeovers after being contacted by Project Cinderella, a nonprofit that provided recycled dresses for girls in need. She notified her cosmetology students who volunteered to come on Saturdays throughout the month to give the girls coordinating manicures and pedicures and do their hair and makeup.
 
“We always try to do some kind of community outreach, and we could play makeup all day,” Powell said. “I’m sure we’ll do it again.”
 
Heather Bennett, a second-semester student, has already spent hours performing haircuts, manicures, pedicures and facials in the COM Cosmetology Salon that experienced students operate at 15009 Delaney Rd. in La Marque. She helped a girl who came in with her free-flowing hair falling in her face and left with beautiful updo.
 
“At the end she looked stunning,” she said. “These girls have been waiting for prom their entire lives.”
 
Not only did the makeovers impact the girls, but their families were grateful as well. One mother watched as her daughter wore makeup for the first time.
 
“I helped out with her makeup, making sure it matched her dress,” said student Brittany Martinez. “I just did something really soft. She looked like a completely different person. Her mom said, ‘My little girl’s growing up.’”

First-semester student Paulette Waldrop offered students an education while doing their hair. One girl had never blown her hair dry before and she showed her how. She also helped several other girls get ready, including one with Down Syndrome.
 
“She was a little gem,” said Waldrop.

Anna Raumaker works with a child in the gardens of the Child Development Lab School.

How to calm a crying baby is a skill every parent would love to have—especially at 3 a.m. In her “Little Things Mean a Lot” course on how to recognize and prevent shaken baby syndrome, Anna Raumaker discusses not only how to soothe babies but why they cry. For her presentation, the College of the Mainland adjunct instructor won first place in the SoftChalk 2013 Lesson Challenge, a national contest sponsored by SoftChalk and judged by educators from across the U.S.

Teaching since 2002 for the COM Child Development and Education Department, Raumaker created the presentation to train employees in compliance with state standards but wanted to “be more innovative.” As she added videos, current research, games and New York Times articles to her presentation, she showed educators how to prevent shaken baby syndrome, recognize infants’ cries and soothe a baby.
 
“The course went from being lecture-driven to being more constructive,” said Raumaker.
 
With 17 years in child care and a master’s degree in early childhood education, Raumaker has a wealth of experience to bring; however, education was not the career she originally planned.
 
“I said, ‘I’m not going into teaching, I’m not going into teaching,’ and I think I just figured out ‘Why am I fighting this?’” she said. “I love to plan things and teachers have to plan lessons all the time.”
 
A former Spanish prekindergarten teacher and child care trainer, Raumaker currently teaches preschool part-time at the Lab School.  She enjoys the outdoors and helped complete four gardens for the Lab School, funded by a grant she wrote. Continually working on new projects with children, she finds their excitement contagious.
 
“When they express an interest, I express an interest,” said Raumaker. “I like working with children because of their creativity, wonder and discovery, and it’s always something new.”
 

Winning team members display smile after their triumph. From left, Tige Cornelius, Paul Traquiez, Mike Perez, David Miller and Joel Reed.

Despite an unusually chilly May day, 64 golfers teed off for a cause in the College of the Mainland Annual Golf Tournament, which raised $3,500 for COM Foundation scholarships for students active in community service.
 
A total of 16 teams participated in the event at the Bayou Golf Club in Texas City; the winning team members were Paul Traquiez, Mike Perez, David Miller and Joel Reed. Aaron Trevino and Suzie Whittington won men’s and women’s longest drives.
 

“It really showed community support, people wanting to come play in that kind of day,” said organizer Tige Cornelius, COM coordinator of wellness and leisure activities.
 
The relaxed event also included competitions for closest to the hole and best potty shot. Participants also enjoyed lunch and dinner and competed in a raffle and silent auction.
 
“People gave their time and money, and it was a great event,” said Cornelius.

The COM Foundation provides scholarships for nearly 100 COM students each year.

COM student Kayla McDonald addresses the class of 2013.

Celebrating students’ accomplishments, College of the Mainland’s commencement ceremony honored 555 associate degree and certificate graduates, the largest class in its history. At the ceremony, 205 graduates of COM’s GED program were also awarded certificates.

“Our success is your success,” Dr. Beth Lewis, COM president, told the graduating class. “It takes a whole community to graduate a student. Everyone along the platform as well as you in the audience have played a part in your graduate’s accomplishments.”
 
Kayla McDonald, who was one of 50 students nationwide selected as a silver scholar on Coca-Cola’s 2013 Community College Academic Team, served as the keynote speaker and reminisced about her time at COM.
 
“I was surrounded by so many students who are diverse in so many ways, but we were all working toward the same goals—graduation,” said the student who announced her plans to double major in interior design and business at Texas State University. “Every part of life has its lessons, and those learned at College of the Mainland have given me the will and drive to achieve those goals.”

GED graduate Teresa Le was enthusiastic about the ceremony and grateful for program coordinators Josh Hayes and Elida Mathews’ support.

“They kept me going when I felt like I wanted to give up. They make you feel like you have a place at COM,” she said.

Daisy Victoria, a COM Collegiate High School student, received scholarships to enroll at COM while still a student at Texas City High School.

“I’m actually graduating with my associate degree before I graduate high school,” she said. “With COM’s tutoring and flexible hours, I was able to finish my goal.”
 
College of the Mainland offers a variety of nationally accredited associate degrees and certifications that prepare students for success in transferring to a university or entering the workforce, including programs in process technology, business and health care. We’re the launching pad for success stories throughout the Mainland.

The snow-colored ducks, clear-blue pond and springtime-green lawns of College of the Mainland are vividly captured in the winning images of the Picture This: Student Photo Contest.
 
COM student Curtis Gillentine’s painting-like photo of the lake view claimed first place, and COM Collegiate High School student April Walsch’s pictures of a lone white duck and of the Student Center’s reflection on the lake earned second and third place.
 
“We were excited to be able to showcase the many photographic talents of our students,” said Dr. Beth Lewis, COM president. “There are a number of visually interesting features on campus and felt that posting these photographs would be a great way to make the halls of the buildings more attractive.”
 
For his winning photo, Gillentine layered three images—one overly exposed, one correctly exposed and one underexposed—to give his photo its artistic look. The student began taking photography classes at COM as an elective and has advanced to COM’s Photography 3 class, which introduced him to the technique used in his photo.
 
“I was learning to use HDR (high-dynamic-range imaging) and was just playing around with it and ended up winning. I was more than shocked,” said Gillentine.
 
The class has spurred his interest, and he is now considering moving from a nursing focus to COM’s Graphic Design Program to allow him to continue pursuing art and photography.
 
“I’ve always liked taking pictures. I bought an SLR (single-lens reflex camera) and wanted to learn how to use it properly,” said Gillentine. “Now I’ve got it pretty well mastered.”
 
Second and third-place winner April Walsch is no stranger to COM photo contests. Last spring she won COM’s Oh Snap! cell phone contest. Her photos of a duck skimming the lake’s surface and of the Student Center’s reflection on the lake both placed. She also digitally enhanced her images, using her photo-editing skills “to make the colors pop on the water,” she said.
 
The junior in COM’s Collegiate High School will graduate with an associate degree next year and wants to major in business and minor in photography at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
 
“I plan on sticking with (photography),” she said. “When I look at a picture, I don’t look at it as is but as how it could be.”
 
The winning photographs along with seven other honorable mention pictures taken by college staff and students, including two more by Walsch, are on display in COM’s Technical-Vocational Building.

Thrilled to be running “the Super Bowl of marathons,” Al West set a personal best at the Boston Marathon: 3 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds.
 
“The roar was just deafening. You could hear nothing but support. People were screaming your number and name,” said West. “The atmosphere was so vibrant, so alive.”

On the subway home with his family, his celebration was quickly cut short with news of an explosion at the finish line he’d recently crossed.
 
“We missed it by ten minutes,” he said. “I was in disbelief because we just left there. I ran right past those bleachers. I couldn’t help thinking, ‘Were those bombs there when I was running by?’”
 
Safely home, he realizes their good fortune and empathizes with Boston residents.
 
“The people of Boston were wonderful. It was a big town with a small-town attitude,” he said.
 
The marathon had been West’s goal for the last three years—it was his eighth and first nonlocal marathon. A determined runner logging 55-80 miles each week, he hasn’t always been this active.
 
“I couldn’t even run three miles five years ago,” the 41-year-old said. “I started cycling and made up my mind to (run). I can’t do anything small. About three years ago, I made up my mind I wanted to run the Boston Marathon.”
 
By day, the Texas City runner is a project manager for Hewlett Packard. In his off hours, he’s hitting the pavement.
 
“It’s not so much a physical thing, but a character thing. (After that), everything you do, you know you can achieve it. I really attribute that to running,” said West.
 
One way he’s using the confidence running gave him is in applying for College of Mainland’s Associate Degree Nursing Program. This semester he’s taking prerequisites—medical terminology, microbiology and lifespan biology—in preparation for a field he hopes will give him more consistent hours. His current job requires international phone calls often scheduled at 10 p.m. or 2 a.m., sometimes in the same night.
 
“It’s time for a change. There’s so many more options (in nursing),” he said. Plus, “at the end of the day, you’re doing a good thing. You’re helping other people.”
 
 Now that some of the adrenaline has subsided, he’s had time to ponder his running plans for next year.
 
“I’m not going to have anybody tell me what I can or can’t do, especially cowards,” West said. “I’m definitely going to run next year.”

“Continuing education offers something for everyone. We offer a full range of courses from workforce courses to train individuals to enter the job market quickly to personal enrichment and fitness and recreation classes,” said Carla Boone, Dean of Continuing Education.

The Continuing Education Program offers courses in professional and technical training—such as welding, child care and health care—to help students meet their career goals. Individuals can also explore new interests with physical fitness, the arts or foreign language classes. Classes are held at the main campus in Texas City or the COM Learning Center-North County in League City.
 
The Senior Adult Program, located at the COM Learning Center-Delmar in La Marque, provides classes in painting, fusion glass jewelry, low-impact exercises and more. The program also sponsors trips to venues such as the Alvin Opry and Pirate Museum as well as lectures on topics seniors care about from fraud prevention to health care updates. Classes are targeted to adults 55 plus but open to adults of any age; trips and lectures are open only to those 55 and older.
 
For more information, call the Continuing Education Office at 409-933-8586 or the Senior Adult Program Office at 409-933-8226. To see the list of senior adult and continuing education classes, visit www.com.edu/ce.

An animal lover, Shirley Terry Lopez was driving home after taking her two rescue dogs to the vet when she spied other creatures in need.
 
“When I took the exit, I looked down the feeder and saw a mother duck and 14 babies in one of those potholes on the side of the road,” the owner of Beyond Beaute said. “I’m always rescuing turtles, but I had no idea how to herd ducks.”
 
She stopped at a nearby business to ask for help, and an employee suggested she call College of the Mainland police officer Sylvia Chapa, who runs the “College Duck Whisperer” Facebook page and previously helped herd ducks across the street. Chapa stressed that the important thing was to make sure the babies were not separated from their mother. Officer Felipe Zepeda came over to help corral the ducklings.
 
“They said, ‘Whatever you do, you’ve got to get the mother,’” Terry-Lopez said. “I took a leap of faith and prayed she wouldn’t bite me and got her. She was good.”
 
She and Zedepa collected all 14 babies as well and returned them to the pond on campus.
 
“Now they’re all swimming together,” said Chapa.
 
Chapa began her Facebook page after learning about a person who, in an attempt to rescue ducks, separated the babies from their mother. Without her care, all the babies died. Chapa began the page to educate individuals about proper rescue of ducks who sometimes wander over busy streets.
 
“It’s a myth that if you pick up a baby duck, the mother won’t accept it. The important thing is never to separate the mother from the babies,” said Chapa.
 
The page is also spawning other bird-related questions. Chapa heard recently from a couple who discovered two geese abandoned with dog collars around their throats.
 
“They sounded raspy, the collars were so tight,” said Chapa.
 
The couple called to ask if it was all right to catch them, and Chapa assured them that it was safe. The couple removed the collars and the geese are recovering.
 
“I’m a duck whisperer,” said Chapa.
 
Now she might have to change the title to “duck and geese whisperer.”

Professor Roger Stallings and student Donna Haney display her first place award.

Jaw-clenching, heart-pounding fear—that’s what many felt one Tuesday morning in September 2001. Donna Haney still remembers the moment she heard the news of the first tower’s hit and thought of one thing—her daughter in New York scheduled to interview that afternoon at a firm located in that tower.
 
“It was a horrible day,” she said.
 
Though her daughter called that afternoon to say that she was safe, the day is marked in Haney’s memory. This semester in Roger Stallings’ speech class, she began researching “fear” and came across the word “xenophobia”—which instantly brought back memories of that day and later news reports of some individuals’ anger against foreign-born Americans after the tragedy.
 
Her winning speech “Xenophobia and Prejudice,” delivered at College of the Mainland’s Roger Stallings Student Speech Contest, traced the signs and effects of xenophobia, or fear of foreigners. She recounted the shooting of Balbir Singh Sodhi, killed by someone who targeted the man wearing a turban.
 
“He was simply shot because he was different,” she said.
 
Through statistics and personal anecdotes, she shared about the causes and effects of the phobia and challenged her listeners to re-examine their own beliefs and feelings.
 
“Being a foreigner does not equate being bad,” she stated.
 
This semester while working full-time, Haney is taking 15 hours of classes online for convenience. Even her speech class is delivered online, with students sending in research and outlines before coming to campus three times per semester to deliver their speeches. Stallings had heard her speech in class and nominated her for the competition.
 
“She just blew me away when I heard her,” said Stallings.

He and other COM professors selected the top student in each of their speech classes to compete. After the first round of competition, COM students Michael Garcia, Tammy Spino and Sharnae Sanderson also became finalists. Each of their informative presentations highlighted a different topic, from the effect of Disney princesses on young children to how to treat victims of child abuse.
 
“I love to hear the students talk about topics they’re passionate about,” said Dr. Vicki Stanfield, who was one of four competition judges. “They were all excellent."

The COM Nursing Program is registering through May 17. For more information visit the Web page.

“I came out owing nothing and started working right away,” the 30-year-old Texas City resident said.
 
For Arroyo, work in the Gulf Coast area, East Texas and beyond is anything but sluggish.
 
“Here in Texas, there’s a boom right now in pipeline [welding],” said Arroyo. “I just go where the job takes me. If it’s a good opportunity, I’ll take it.”
 
After earning a one-year certificate from COM, Arroyo worked his way up, first in a welding workshop, then in Iraq and later in refineries. He currently works as an independent contractor and next has a one-year job with Bumpco as a rig welder. He feels confident of continuing opportunities.
 
“It’s a broad field. There are many ways you can go,” said Arroyo.
 
The field also offers the opportunity to continually try new things and fine-tune his skills.
 
“It’s a challenge. I’m interested in it and enjoy doing it. Plus, the money’s good,” Arroyo added.
 
At the end of the day, he feels the satisfaction of a job well done.
 
“I like making it as good as I can. Everyone welds differently. I like learning new things everyday,” he said.
 
Arroyo still stops by the COM welding workshop to visit with current students, sometimes offering a quick tip or direction, and to see former instructors.
 
“They’re the ones who got me started in the career I’m in,” he said.

Doc Miller, COM welding instructor, remembers watching Arroyo as he was beginning to learn.
 
“He was a premier student,” said Miller.

Arroyo’s story of steady work is a familiar one among program graduates, Miller said.

“There are jobs all across the U.S. It’s a good time (to enter the field),” said Miller.
 
In COM’s Welding Program, students may earn certificates to prepare them to enter the field or to upgrade their current skills. All former professionals, instructors guide hands-on practice in the welding lab and provide instruction in blueprint reading, welding principles, structural steel codes and welding inspection.

Classes begin June 3 and regularly throughout the year. For more information, call 409-933-8380 or 409-933-8454.

 

A simple “thank you” wasn’t enough for College of the Mainland students, so they launched a month-long campaign as their Phi Theta Kappa college project to show their appreciation for college faculty members.
 
“There’s so many people who’ve inspired students to get involved on campus. This was our way to give back,” said chapter officer Kadi Maxwell.
 
For their efforts, the chapter received the College Project Award of Distinction, the highest level of honor for a college project, at the regional convention in Forth Worth. The project tied for first place with Tyler Junior College.

“They are a good group of students, and we are very proud of the good things they are doing,” said COM President Beth Lewis.

After administrators suggested faculty appreciation as a topic for the chapter’s college project, chapter officers created ideas for events that members helped implement.
 
“It gave them the opportunity to gain leadership experience,” said Chris Allen, faculty advisor for Sigma Delta.
 
In a series of events, members distributed coffee spoons to faculty with a note saying, “Thanks a latte,” provided supplies for students to make teacher appreciation cards and delivered a homemade spaghetti lunch and dessert to faculty.

“We all got to do it together,” said chapter officer Kayla McDonald, of Santa Fe.
 
McDonald especially enjoyed delivering dinner and dessert.
 
“It was nice to see [teachers’] faces when we came,” said McDonald.
 
The project not only brightened the faculty members’ day, but motivated the students.
 
“[Faculty] really lit up. It was very rewarding. Most students on campus feel very appreciative of faculty. It was pretty inspiring to everyone,” said Maxwell.

Looking forward to friends, fun and fashion statements, many students eagerly anticipate prom, but for some students the event can create more trepidation than longing.
 
Enter “Dress To Impress.”
 
College of the Mainland students in the SO Psyched psychology club on campus suggested the prom clothing drive to collect dresses for those who could not afford them, and the group stepped into action. Collecting dozens of new and gently used dresses, they visited Kidz Harbor, a nonprofit shelter in Liverpool, Texas, to deliver the dresses to the girls there.
 
The girls were overwhelmed.
 
“There was one little girl that really touched my heart. It was a very humbling experience to see [her] go from smiling to crying to laughing,” said COM student Melanie Lauret.
 
As the high school girls selected their dresses, COM students watched and offered encouragement. Kidz Harbor volunteered to have dresses altered if necessary.
 
“I’m really glad we came up with this club. I love helping people, seeing the smiles on people’s faces,” said Lauret, who plans to go into social work. “This gives me experience.”
 
United in their desire to give each other and those in the community a helping hand, students and faculty formed the So Psyched club this spring and immediately launched a flurry of activity.
 
Besides, “Dress to Impress,” the group also recently coordinated a free Prenatal and Early Childhood Health Fair to distribute information and resources to parents. Students received training from the nonprofit Pregnancy and Parenting Support Center in Texas City and manned various booths with giveaways and demonstrations of topics from infant/child CPR to fetal development.

“It was so exciting seeing all the moms. There were a lot of students who stopped by, and a lot of people from the community came with their babies. The babies were so cute,” said student Nidia Valdez, who operated a station explaining to parents how they can reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. “I hope we do more activities like that.”
 
Joining the group about a month ago, Valdez was excited to be a part of an active group on campus.
 
“I always wanted to be part of club, so I just stopped by. I like it because we do things outside of school,” added Valdez.
 
The group also recently volunteered to serve at the Salvation Army in Galveston during lunchtime. As people came in, students talked to them and recorded demographic information necessary for the nonprofit’s funding. They also listened to individuals’ stories.
 
“There were a couple of students crying because they were hearing how people live. They realized there’s not a whole lot of difference between them,” said Lalanya Ennis, faculty sponsor of So Psyched with professor Doug Alvarez. “It made them more empathetic.”
 
For many students it was an unforgettable experience.
 
“They were willing to share their stories with me, about mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse issues. It was really eye-opening,” said Karmyn Spino-Chantre, club president. “I’d love to be part of that again.”
 
Continuing their momentum, the group will host regular meetings, the first and third Thursdays of the month, through the summer.
 
“We all propose ideas and see who’s interested in it. The group decides if it’s something we’re committed to,”
 said Spino-Chantre. “We’re always welcoming new members.”

Most College of the Mainland students commute fewer than 15 miles to class. Exchange student Omar Vela traveled more than 1,000 miles to study at COM as a participant in the U.S. Department of Education North American Mobility Program. An engineering student from Veracruz, Mexico, Vela is studying English, management and AutoCAD, a software program used in computer-aided design and drafting.
 
“I like all my classes the best,” Vela said. “I like to study so much, especially math.”
 
Between classes, he’s meeting other students from all walks of life.
 
“In this country, there are many different cultures. I have some new friends,” said Vela.
 
Funded by a federal grant, North American Mobility Program allows students to acquire language skills, exposure to other cultures and work-related experience in North America.
 
Professor Luis Sabido facilitates the program at COM and made arrangements for Vela to come. After learning his living expenses were not covered, Sabido alerted faculty and staff to Vela’s situation, and many stepped in to help. Mr. C's Deli and Bistro, the COM cafeteria provided a meal card, and COMPeers, a voluntary employee group, raised funds and donated a gift card. Other staff allowed him to borrow textbooks for class.
 
“Professor Sabido helped me so much. I am really thankful for him,” said Vela.

Despite the setbacks, Vela is continuing to thrive at COM.
 
“He’s very smart, gets very good grades,” said Sabido.

 Susan LeMaster, Vela’s reading instructor, also helps tutor him outside of class and is impressed with his progress.

“He’s learned a lot. He’s a hard worker,” said LeMaster.

Vela will graduate from his college one semester after he returns to his school. He would like to pursue further studies in the U.S., perhaps graduate school, and this semester is a step toward that goal.
 
“I have a dream and I want to study here in the future,” he said.

Angela Jordy is a newly elected College of the Mainland Phi Theta Kappa officer with a 3.75 GPA and a goal to be the first in her family to graduate from college.

While always a determined person, she was not always this determined to succeed in education.

By 11th grade, Jordy had attended 11 schools across the U.S. Her family moved frequently, and due to difficult circumstances Jordy dropped out of high school in her junior year.
 
“I had a lot of wasted potential,” the Bacliff resident said.
 
In October 2011 she decided to earn her GED and took the exam at College of the Mainland.  
 
When she got her score, she showed it to COM recruiter Earl Alexander. His amazed reaction to her score—nearly 3,700 out of 4,000 possible points—reminded her that she’d been a good student in high school and she still had a chance to succeed in education.
 
She took the ACCUPLACER placement exam and by December enrolled in her first semester of college. Studying hard, she excelled and earned placement in Phi Theta Kappa, the national community college honor society.
 
“[Education] is a way for me not to waste more time,” she said.
 
A parent and full-time student, Jordy still makes time for campus activities. She's actively involved in the So Psyched student psychology club, a senator in student government and the new co-chair for Phi Theta Kappa’s annual Honors in Action project.
 
“I want to experience school. I don’t just want to go,” she said.
 
With the So Psyched student club she initiated a plan to host a free Prenatal and Early Childhood Health Fair on campus April 16. At the event, coordinated with the Texas City nonprofit Pregnancy and Parenting Support Center, students will provide free educational resources for parents. Jordy will demonstrate infant/child CPR at one of the ten booths.
 
“She has great ideas. She went out and made phone calls and did the initial footwork,” said SO Psyched faculty advisor Lalanya Ennis.
 
Jordy has enjoyed setting the event in motion.

“[This] is my one thing to make a difference this semester,” Jordy said.
 
Asked what keeps her going despite juggling so many responsibilities, she responded emphatically, "My kids--they're the ultimate reason."
 
Besides her three children—ages 13, 8 and 3—she draws strength from the support of COM staff and friends. "I like the faculty. Earl [Alexander] is so encouraging,” she said.
 
She has also received help in the form of scholarships through COM Student Support Services and Lighthouse Christian Ministries in Bacliff, a nonprofit organization that provided her a mentor and first sparked her interest in returning to school.

“I appreciate every ounce of help I get to overcome the past,” said Jordy.
 
Another hurdle she conquered was the subject many students dread--math. Placement tests showed she needed to take remedial math before tackling college algebra. Enrolling in professor Alan Bigos’ developmental math class, she often asked the “why” questions, and Bigos helped explain the reasons behind mathematical formulas. Tutors in the COM Math Lab also walked her through problems step-by-step, and she came to the lab so often she began requesting her favorite tutor.
 
“I went from a D to an A in five weeks,” she said. “That was a lot of hard work.”

Jordy is now ready for college algebra, and she doesn’t allow herself to imagine failure in that class or in any other.
 
“I can see myself in the spring walking across the stage [at graduation], so if I drop the ball, I’d be robbing myself,” she said.
 
After she earns her associate degree, she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Experiencing domestic violence and a decade-long battle for custody of her children has motivated her to consider studying behavioral science or sociology. She eventually wants to serve as an advocate or in another human service role.

“I always needed help, and sometimes that was nearly impossible to find. I want to be that person I needed,” she said.
 
Alexander has watched her blossom on campus.
 
“We’re really proud of her. Just to go from no education to the honor society, she’s doing great,” he said.
 
Jordy has already planned her summer schedule—she’ll take two courses online to give her flexibility to stay home with the baby she’s expecting--and then come on campus for science labs in the fall.
 
“Even though I have a lot going on in my life right now, I’m not stopping,” she said. “I want to make a difference, and I want a better future for my family.”

Jordy with her daughter.

College of the Mainland student Kayla McDonald has been selected as a silver scholar on Coca-Cola’s 2013 Community College Academic Team, one among only 50 students given the honor nationwide.

 McDonald will receive a $1,250 scholarship and recognition at the Phi Theta Kappa Annual Convention in San Jose, California. She was selected based on her score in the All-USA Community College Academic Team competition, sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and administered by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
 
“To place as a silver scholar is a huge accomplishment because she competed against 1,800 applicants,” said Chris Allen, COM professor and Phi Theta Kappa advisor.
 
The award is not the first of McDonald’s accomplishments. A student in COM’s Collegiate High School, McDonald has earned a 3.712 GPA and will graduate in May with an associate degree from COM and a high school diploma from Santa Fe High School in June. An officer and active member of Phi Theta Kappa, McDonald likes helping coordinate chapter events.
 
“I’ve learned a lot (about) leadership,” the 18-year-old said.
 
Recently she and other chapter officers helped coordinate the group’s annual College Project. College administrators suggested they focus on teacher appreciation, and the group planned a series of events, including card-making and delivering lunches to faculty. Besides winning the regional College Project Award of Distinction, the project helped officers forge relationships with each other.
 
“I’ve become close to all of them. We all work together,” she said.
 
Besides staying busy with college classes, conferences and other projects, she has worked as a developmental math tutor at COM, a job she said “keeps my brain fresh.”
 
She enjoys taking college classes in Collegiate High School and the program’s atmosphere.
 
“I’ve liked being around people who are more goal-oriented,” she said.
 
Planning to transfer to Texas State University and major in business and fashion design, McDonald eventually wants to manage resorts. She feels that being a student in Collegiate High School and member of Phi Theta Kappa has helped her prepare for the next step in her education.
 
“[In Phi Theta Kappa] you’re up in front of people all the time. It’s helped me learn how to talk to people and professors,” she said.