Find Your Pod Program

FIND YOUR POD

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER Justin Ericksen

WCC English Instructor Faculty Excellence Award Winner 2018 Justin Ericksen came to Whatcom Community College (WCC) in 2014 after working in Western Washington University (WWU) for three years, with the last one as Assistant Director of Composition. Before starting teaching, he practiced law for eight years and is still interested in investigating the relationships between law, rhetoric, argument, and writing in his English classes.

Ericksen is constantly trying to blend social justice, mindset theory, and habits of mind.

He also enjoys researching and practicing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Ericksen seeks using vulnerability and productive failure as change agents that can help students to recognize and optimize their innate potential. Justin believes in constant evolution and the power of asking critical questions. His other interests are transfer of learning through writing instruction, writing across the curriculum, popular culture and the humanities through the lens of podcasting and television studies, and multicultural literature.

He has been a facilitator for Faculty Learning Communities and Faculty Education Workshops at WCC, as well as being active in the WWU Teaching and Learning Academy.

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In June 2018, Whatcom Community College recognized Justin Ericksen with the Faculty Excellence Award, due to “his empathy, connection, respect, and genuine collaboration.”

When Justin is not teaching or working in his office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters, playing basketball or soccer, camping, hiking, reading, and travelling to sunny places. In his own words, “basically, if you give me my family, a book, a beach, and a ball, I’m all set.”

SCHEDULE

9:00 - 9:15

Check-in

9:15 - 9:20

Welcome

9:20 - 10:20

Keynote Speaker

10:30 -11:30

Breakout Session 1

11:40 - 12:40

Lunch and Club Tabling

12:45 - 1:45 1:50 - 2:00

Breakout Session 2 Closing and Prize Drawing

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BREAKOUT SESSION 1 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Sorting Pod Heiner 208 Perhaps you already know what you want your major to be and yet you don’t see a session in the program that you want to attend. Join Kunbi Ajiboye, Associate Director for Student Life and Development, and Surabhi Subedi, ASWCC Vice President for Clubs, and all the other students who feel just like you do at this moment! We will do some activities, help you find others in the room that can relate to you, and also provide you with information about how to start a club if you want to start and grow your academic pod!

Presented by Kunbi Ajiboye, Associate Director for Student Life and Development and Surabhi Subedi, ASWCC Vice President for Clubs Exploratory Pod Heiner 209 How do you connect to students with similar interests when you’re still exploring what those interests are? We’ll address that question in this interactive workshop.

You’ll leave with a plan to start connecting with campus groups to find your pod.

Presented by Sharon Link, Career and Academic Advisor Criminal Justice Pod Heiner 103 The Criminal Justice Leadership Program is an Associated Students of Whatcom Community College student club. This club is oriented towards students with a career interest in the field of criminal justice. Participation in the club allows students to further explore common interests in this career field. Through this Pod experience, the CJ club hopes to share the benefits and examples of networking with local criminal justice professionals, exposure to training seminars, guest speakers, fieldtrips, and the development of leadership skills by participating as a club officer or committee member. Check us out, bring a friend!

Presented by Criminal Justice Club 4

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BREAKOUT SESSION 1 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Sustainability and STEM Pod Heiner 210 Sustainability Club and STEM Club will talk about important topics related to social service and action. We are here to serve the sustainable dreams of our fellow Orcas and for students who desire to explore the extraordinary of the interdisciplinary study that allows us to accomplish a range of goals, including incorporating different fields of interests.

Presented by Sustainability Club and STEM Club

Cybersecurity Pod Heiner 101 WiCyS (Women in Cyber Security) club’s mission is to broaden participation in Cyber Security by recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in the field of Cyber Security, and to also improve the very low statistic of women in Cyber Security jobs.

WiCyS Whatcom will encourage all women and men in Informational Technology and Computer Science departments that are interested in supporting chapter goals to become members. In our breakout session, we will highlight the basis of Cyber Security, expand on what WiCyS Whatcom is, talk about the activities we have done in the past and what we plan to do in the future, discuss career pathways that relate to the club, and also share our experiences here at Whatcom and within the field of Computer Information Systems, Cyber Security, and IT. Presented by the WiCyS Club

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BREAKOUT SESSION 1 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Culture and Society Pod Heiner 102 The Intercultural Center’s mission is to provide support to students who have traditionally been underserved, and promote educational equity and academic achievement for all students by providing access to resources and a safe place, and to connect by co-creating a culture of inclusion, dignity, and respect. The intercultural center is home to four identity based clubs, Muslim Student Association (MSA), Native Indigenous Student Association (NISA), Black Student Association (BSA), and Latinx Leadership Club (LLC). We hope to build deep relationships while honoring, sharing, understanding, and respecting each other’s unique cultural backgrounds. In addition, power – sharing is embraced and methods of peace – making and reconciliation are employed. Hard work is put in by all involved to create an atmosphere of equality. The Intercultural Center provides different types of leadership events, as well as providing resources for students who come in uncertain about their career pathways to higher education.

Organized by all Four Identity Based Clubs, Native Indigenous Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Black Student Association and Latinx Leadership Club Presented by the Black Student Association and Latinx Leadership Club

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NOTES

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BREAKOUT SESSION 2 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM Impact Pod Heiner 101 From desk to field—learn how to transform your passions into action at Impact Club.

Every member has a voice, and behind that is a passion for a cause. While individual students alone may feel they do not have the power to change the world, a group of organized, passionate students who take action quarter after quarter can truly be the change they wish to see in the world. Join us at Impact and bring your change of choice to learn how to lead your own project and help other students with theirs all quarter long!

Presented by the Impact Club and ASWCC Orca Volunteer Program

Culture and Society Pod Heiner 102 The Intercultural Center’s mission is to provide support to students who have traditionally been underserved, and promote educational equity and academic achievement for all students by providing access to resources and a safe place, and to connect by co-creating a culture of inclusion, dignity, and respect. The intercultural center is home to four identity based clubs, Muslim Student Association (MSA), Native Indigenous Student Association (NISA), Black Student Association (BSA), and Latinx Leadership Club (LLC). We hope to build deep relationships while honoring, sharing, understanding, and respecting each other’s unique cultural backgrounds. In addition, power – sharing is embraced and methods of peace – making and reconciliation are employed. Hard work is put in by all involved to create an atmosphere of equality. The Intercultural Center provides different types of leadership events, as well as providing resources for students who come in uncertain about their career pathways to higher education.

Presented by the Native Indigenous Student Association and Muslim Student Association

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BREAKOUT SESSION 2 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM Exploratory Pod

Heiner 210 How do you connect to students with similar interests when you’re still exploring what those interests are? We’ll address that question in this interactive workshop.

You’ll leave with a plan to start connecting with campus groups to find your pod.

Presented by Sharon Link, Career and Academic Advisor Performing Arts Pod Heiner 209 What is Improv? That is the fundamental question! The Improv Club is a mixture of students, actors, and creators, who all just want to find a positive and supportive environment to interact with others. We work on storytelling, acting without a script, and team building games. We also try to develop quick thinking and improve selfconfidence in order to be in-the-moment without thinking while having fun at the same time. In this presentation we will teach the rules and basics of improv which involves “Yes, and…”, the development of C.R.O.W. (character, relationship, objective, and where) alongside giving examples on how incorporating improv ideals may prove useful to your academic and professional success. All of this will involve in having some of our club members perform some demos of short-form improv and engaging the audience with their participation in various improv games which all have an insightful purpose. So come along now and be prepared to join us for some fun learning and the doing of IMPROV! Presented by Improv Club Pride Pod Heiner 103 Hello! We are the ASWCC Pride club. In this breakout session we’d like to discuss scholarship opportunities at Western and how you can get them. We have Betty Desire coming as a guest speaker to provide more information on the Western scholarship.

Presented by Pride Club FIND YOUR POD

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NOTES

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NOTES

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UPCOMING EVENTS FEBRUARY 7 Zumba Party FEBRUARY 14 Consent, Cookies and Condoms FEBRUARY 15 A Dance to Remember FEBRUARY 28 Movie Night: Black Panther JUNE 5 Orca Day

Stay connected for our Students Leading Change Conference later this academic year on May 11.

Thank you to all who made Find Your Pod: Building Academic Success Through Academic Communities possible! Special thanks to all workshop presenters and facilitators, Orca Volunteers, club tablers, keynote speaker Justin Ericksen, Student Life and Development staff Heidi Farani, Kunbi Ajiboye, and Lucas Nydam, ASWCC Executive Board, ASWCC Programming and Diversity Board, ASWCC Senate, ASWCC Ambassadors, and you!

A big shoutout to Starbucks for donating coffee for this event!

WCC Student Life and Development Facebook.com/wccstudentlife

Event presented by WCC Student Life and Development Instagram.com/wccstudentlife WCC Student Life Find us on Snapchat

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Whatcom Community College 237 Kellogg Road Bellingham, WA 98226