CAMPUS LIFE EDITION
SPRING 2025
At Columbia Basin College, we offer wrap-around services and enriching experiences that enhance campus life, empowering Hawks with the resources and support they need to soar and achieve their academic goals.
CBC FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Melda Velasquez, Chair Kadlec Regional Medical Center
Douglas Christensen, Vice Chair & Board Development Chair
HMIS
Jaime Shimek, Treasurer & Finance Chair
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
CBC NEWS
CBC News
WALKING ALONGSIDE STUDENTS
Whitney LaMarche, Secretary
Hadron Intrinsic Consulting, LLC
Rebekah Dobbs, Gift, Estate and Planned Giving Chair Premier Mortgage Resources
Lynn Tegeler, Scholarship Chair Central Plateau Cleanup Company
Kyle Simmons, Fund Development Chair CG Public House
Rebekah Woods
Columbia Basin College President
Matt Backlund Community First Bank
David Billetdeaux
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Andrew Chung Gesa Credit Union
Maggie Esquivel Gravis Law
Marsha Halverson Educator, Retired
Ann Harper Artist
Kedrich Jackson
Columbia Basin College Trustee
Jack Janezic Trios & Lourdes Health
Moses Jaraysi
Leanna Nighswonger Washington River Protection Solutions
Shawn Nyman CBC Faculty Representative
Mitch Peterson CompuNet
Edgardo Quiroz-Moreno Coldwell Banker Tomlinson
Adan Tijerina
Columbia Basin College Educator, Retired
Michelle Twomey Kadlec Regional Medical Center
Tayler Welch Monte Nail, CPA
Paige Wyatt
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
STAFF
Erin Fishburn Executive Director
Devon Holze
Sarah Murphy
Timmy Song
Yumara has long dreamed of becoming a nurse. Stepping onto Columbia Basin College’s campus as a first-generation college student, she struggled with picking classes and charting a plan. But soon, that changed.
“I met Leida through CBC’s Math, Engineering & Science Achievement Club, and she started helping me figure out the best classes for my career goals,” Yumara said.
Leida, a CBC Completion Coach, works with students like Yumara to ensure they are on the right track.
“Many of our students have a specific goal in mind, but they often don’t know how to get there,” Leida explained. “As a first-generation college student myself, I had to navigate unfamiliar territory when I started, so I know what it’s like to feel lost in the process.”
First-year students are required to meet with a completion coach, but CBC encourages Hawks to stay in touch with their coach throughout their journey.
“We care for our students and are here to support them every step of the way,” Leida said. “We want to ensure they are successful by removing barriers and pointing them to additional resources and information they need.”
Now, Yumara is set to graduate and plans to transfer to a university nursing program. She credits much of her success to Leida’s support and guidance.
CBC CLUBS ENHANCE
The Associated Students of Columbia Basin College (ASCBC) student clubs offer programs and activities that provide Hawks opportunities to connect and grow academically, culturally and socially beyond the classroom. Each club must recruit a board that meets regularly and maintain a minimum number of members. This structure helps participants develop leadership and business skills while coming together around shared interests.
Completion Coach Leida & CBC Student Yumara
International Exchange Project Explores
THE IMPACT OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES
Last summer, Columbia Basin College Civil Engineering student Hasan stood in Japan’s Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, overwhelmed by emotions.
“I felt grief for the unimaginable suffering, awe at the resilience of survivors and deep reflection on humanity’s responsibility to ensure such tragedies never happen again,” he said. “Yet, I also felt inspired seeing how Hiroshima and Nagasaki have transformed.”
Hasan was in Japan for 16 days with students and faculty from CBC and Washington State University Tri-Cities (WSU-TC) as part of the Fukushima/Hanford Revitalization Project.
This bilateral international exchange program is a collaboration between Higashi Nippon International University (HNIU), National Institute of Technology-Fukushima College, CBC and WSU-TC. Funded by a Japanese government grant, the program covers most travel expenses for outbound and inbound exchanges.
Now in its third year, the project aims to connect the two communities and offers immersive cultural and educational experiences.
During their stay abroad, CBC students live with host families and explore the far-reaching impacts of nuclear technologies. In their predeparture orientation, they study environmental restoration at Hanford and economic development efforts in the Tri-Cities. In Japan, they observe revitalization efforts in Fukushima, which is recovering from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the city and damaged the Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
Hasan helped plan the itinerary for the students and faculty who visited from Japan in February and March of this year.
“This is a transformational experience for everyone involved,” said Noriko Ryder, a CBC Adjunct Professor of Japanese Language. “Locally, we hosted a Multicultural Festival, visited the REACH Museum, highlighted fields of study and more.”
Later this summer, another group of students from CBC and WSU-TC will travel to Japan with Noriko.
The project also includes curriculum development focused on Hanford’s nuclear legacy, a lecture series that reflects on Hanford’s 80-year history.
“The lecture series explores topics such as Hanford’s role in WWII, economic development in the Tri-Cities and ongoing regional clean energy initiatives,” said Katie Banks, CBC’s Dean for Social & Behavioral Sciences and Education, who co-hosted the lecture series in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Mark Triplett and WSU-TC’s Robert Franklin. The lectures are available on CBC’s website at columbiabasin.edu/HNLS.
“The program is more than a trip,” Hasan added. “It’s a bridge between cultures, fostering mutual understanding, respect and long-term relationships. It’s a deeply personal, life-changing journey.”
TO GET INVOLVED OR LEARN HOW TO SUPPORT CBC’S STUDY ABROAD EFFORTS, CONTACT JAMIE DUNCAN AT JDUNCAN@COLUMBIABASIN.EDU OR GIVE ONLINE AT COLUMBIABASIN.EDU/DONATE AND COMMENT “JAPANESE EXCHANGE.”
CBC ESPORTS TEAMS SOAR TO THE TOP
CBC’s Valorant, Overwatch 2 and Rocket League Esports teams continue to make a mark. These talented teams have earned impressive rankings at regional and national competitions. Valorant captured fifth through eighth, Rocket League clinched third and Overwatch 2 nabbed an outstanding second-place finish for the fall 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association Esports national playoffs. FOLLOW CBC’S ESPORTS TEAMS & DISCOVER MORE AT CBCHAWKS.COM/SPORTS/E-SPORTS
“Financially supporting the future careers of CBC students is what inspired us to be donors. We wanted to invest in our community and its students, and by establishing an endowed scholarship, we help meet this need on a long-term basis. In the end, it doesn’t matter how much you give, but that you give.”
NLEE PRINCE & MICHAEL GALGOUL Scholarship Donors
Hasan (front row right) and others welcome students from Japan as they arrive at Tri-Cities Airport in February.
DID YOU KNOW?
Construction is slated to begin this year on a new residential building at the corner of Argent Road and 20th Avenue on CBC’s Pasco campus. The four-story apartment-style facility will accommodate up to 160 students and a resident director in 46 units. The building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026 to meet the growing demand for student housing.
HAWK CENTRAL
CBC’S ONE-STOP STUDENT SERVICE CENTER
Columbia Basin College’s Hawk Central, a centralized location to support students, was launched in late 2012 to eliminate the “ping-pong effect” students experienced being bounced between departments when seeking assistance.
“Our goal is to resolve student questions without sending them to another department,” said Amanda Ursino, CBC’s director for enrollment services. “We treat students like customers, and our team is extensively cross-trained to handle a wide range of issues from admissions and financial aid to cashiering, student records and other services.”
This centralized hub, designed to answer student questions and resolve problems, is rare in higher education but has proven highly effective. Over the years, CBC has hosted tours for other institutions interested in adopting a similar model.
Hawk Central is just one of the many ways CBC fosters student success by streamlining processes and ensuring students receive the help they need quickly and efficiently, all within a friendly and welcoming environment.
“CBC is such a supportive place where I can go to college close to home, surrounded by a community of people who can help me achieve my goals.”
IRYNA - BUSINESS Scholarship Recipient