Publish Date:  Jan 10, 2019

Hartnell’s Eighth Annual Student Success Conference on Jan. 10-11 included presentations about continuing projects such as preparing for Guided Pathways and AB 705 (pictured), as well as faculty-focused topics such as “Building Inclusive Online Environments.”

The keynote speaker on Jan. 10 was Dr. Melissa Salazar, founder of ESCALA Educational Services Inc., a minority- and woman-owned business based in northern New Mexico. Salazar, who spoke on “Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” worked for 10 years in the East Bay and Sacramento regions as a K-12 math and science instructor, as well as in other roles.

Dr. Sonja Lolland, vice president of academic affairs, opened the conference with welcoming remarks and an update on Hartnell's accreditation process, including a visit by the AACJC team on March 4-7, which she predicted would go well.

“Its purpose is to improve our institution and help us better serve students,” Dr. Lolland said.

A particular highlight on Friday was an on-stage interview by English Professor Michael Hooper of recent Hartnell graduate Darrell Sinclair. Now a student at CSU Monterey Bay, Sinclair is a Navy vet with PTSD who just completed a congressional internship in the office of U.S. Rep. Sue Davis (D-San Diego) through the Panetta Institute.