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A PUBLICATION OF THE MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE FOUNDATION

My

story NO. 7 / MAY 2015

highlights

The MJC story continues…

Featured Stories:

recent accomplishments of our students

• From the Valley to Hollywood • From Olivero Road to Harvard U

> MJC named 1,021 students meeting the criteria to be on the President’s List for Fall 2014. These students have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher with no grade lower than a C and have completed at least 12 applicable units during that semester.

events

MJC 19TH ANNUAL SUMMER SONATA July 16, 2015, 5:30 pm Gallo Center for the Arts $150 per seat Sponsorship Opportunities Available For More Information: 575-6619 Purchase tickets online: bit.ly/MJCSonata MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF NURSING EXCELLENCE… RECEPTION AND OPEN HOUSE Thursday, June 4, 2015 from 6:30-8:30 pm Glacier Hall 2201 Blue Gum Avenue (free parking available in parking lot 215) Free Event/Attire: come as you are

> Women’s Tennis Team - During the regular season they were the only unbeaten California community college women’s tennis team.

Named Big 8 Conference Champions, NorCal Champions, and took second place in the State Finals! > MJC Honors Students Jenna Castellanos, Kelly Dailey, Alex Golikov, Jody Strait, and Wyatt Bennett were accepted to present at the prestigious Annual Community College Honors Research Symposium at Stanford University this year. The competition was tough, with only 42% of the applicants from California community colleges honors programs accepted. However, 100% of MJC’s honor student applicants got in! > MJC is thrilled to have been selected as one of twelve California Community Colleges to offer a pilot baccalaureate degree program. The MJC pilot program is a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care that begins in 2017. This advanced level of care training for respiratory care professionals will address the unique needs of the Central Valley for practitioners skilled in treating the incidence of asthma and related respiratory disease. > MJC will award over 1,300 Associate Degrees by the end of the 2014-15 academic year. MJC’s 93rd Commencement Ceremony held on May 1, featured an address by student speaker Peter Quiales and presentation of the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award to Harold Peterson III, retired CEO of Community Hospice, and an estimated 450 graduates participated in the event. > MJC has been accepted into the 2015 Achieving the Dream National Reform Network cohort, beginning in June, 2015, for a three-year commitment. Achieving the Dream is a national network that helps community colleges in their efforts to create greater opportunities for student success.

TO READ MORE STORIES OR SUBMIT YOUR OWN, GO TO MYMJCSTORY.COM

talk to George GEORGE BOODROOKAS MJC Foundation Executive Director Two months ago, I received a very thoughtful note from an MJC graduate who was a veteran of the Vietnam War. This gentleman expressed his disappointment in the reception he got when he returned to our community those many years ago. He shared with me some of the things he experienced in Vietnam and how the return home

TELL YOUR MJC STORY AT MYMJCSTORY.COM

Clearing a Path to the future Emmanuel Escamilla attended Modesto Junior College from

MJC Veterans Resource Center now serves between 500 and 600 veterans of various wars, we was encouraged to hear of our college’s support for our returning men and women. He said, “keep up the good work!”

The generosity of our alumni is inspiring. Last month we received word from the trust of Mr. James Reilly, a 1947 graduate of MJC who passed away in 2014, that we would receive a percentage of his estate. It seems that Mr. Reilly visited his elementary school, secondary school, college and university before his passing and adjusted his trust to provide an equal share to each school! Then, just last week, we received word from the trust of Mrs. Patti LaPointe, who passed away in 2014, that this wonderful 1936 graduate of MJC had left a portion of her estate to Modesto Junior College.

These generous gifts will assist MJC to reach alumni, provide scholarships, support programs and grow the Foundation. We are grateful to the many alumni and friends who, over the years, have offered legacy gifts to MJC. Their gifts and the many endowments we are nurturing are making a strong impact on our college and our students.

ONLINE:

mymjcstory.com

MAIL: write your story and send it to

George Boodrookas / MJC Foundation, 435 College Ave., Modesto, CA 95350

EMAIL: george@mjc.edu MOBILE:

text “MJC” to 313131

My MJC Story Emmanuel Escamilla

semester in the fall of 2008, he was forced to support himself by working full-time.

Although he was employed, he always understood the importance of education and knew that earning a degree would clear a path to reach his career goals. He registered for classes as a full-time student. Balancing attending MJC as a full-time student with working forty-plus hours per week became too much of a workload and resulted in eight consecutive “withdraw-

Having struggled in college from 2008-2010, Emmanuel chose to quit his job and focus on his studies full-time; and in the spring of 2011 he returned to MJC. At that point in Emmanuel’s life he was living in the povertystricken community of South Modesto, a part of the city notorious for gang infestation, drug use and prostitution. During this time he lived on Olivero Road, labeled “the devil’s street” in a May 13, 2012, article in the Modesto Bee. He shared a single room with his having to rely on public transportation to get to and from school, Emmanuel was able to attain academic success. Each semester, from spring of 2011 to the spring of 2013, he earned Dean’s List recognition. He was also able to transfer to the University of California Berkeley, where he majored in Religious Studies and minored in Education. Emmanuel will be graduating from Cal this May and was recently accepted to Duke, Yale, and Harvard University Divinity Schools. In August, he will begin his studies at Harvard University in pursuit of his Master of Divinity degree.

FEATURED STORY

From the Central Valley to Hollywood My MJC Story | By Robert and Kim Ulrich Kim Johnston Ulrich was born in Ripon, CA (the home of the Almond Blossom Festival). She grew up playing in the orchards, swimming in the canals and cheerleading. Kim graduated from Modesto Junior College with an AA degree Kim moved home to Ripon and attended Cal State Stanislaus in Turlock, where she obtained a B.A. in Art. While attending Stanislaus State, Kim participated in a theatre class and perappetite for acting. It was during a production of “Camelot” in which Kim was doing the make-up for extra credit for an art class, that she met Modestan Robert J. Ulrich, who was playing the role of Lancelot.

Robert J. Ulrich hails from the wonderful town of Modesto. in Stockton, he earned his Master’s Degree in English from California State University, Stanislaus and moved to New York City to pursue a vocation in acting. He eventually returned to California to begin a career in casting.

Cannon & Associates, Robert met his future partners Eric Dawson and Carol Kritzer. In 1989, Robert and Eric formed their own company, Ulrich/Dawson & Associates, and two years later, Carol Kritzer came on board and they became Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting.

When Kim married Robert, they moved to New York City where

Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer is now celebrating its 27th year of cast-

marriage. It was in New York, where Kim began modeling and eventually started her career in acting. Kim’s Diana McColl on the CBS soap opera “As the World the soap, Kim and Robert moved to Los Angeles, and the next 15 years, Kim worked in movies and television and appeared in such shows as “Cheers”, “Wings”, “St. Elsewhere”, “My Two

Robert and Kim Ulrich were co-recipients of the MJC Distinguished Alumni award in 2012

and “Murder She Wrote”, to name a few. Kim played Allison Yates on the controversial NBC series “Nightingales” and in 1999 she re-entered the “soap world”, originating the role of Ivy Winthrop Crane on the quirky NBC soap opera “Paslater. In the past few years, Kim has guest-starred on CBS’s “NCIS”, CW’s “Supernatural”, ABC’s “Castle”, TNT’s “Major narrating the “audio” young adult novel “Willow”. Kim is married to casting director Robert J. Ulrich and has two children – Cooper and Tierney.

they have worked with a staggering array of talented producers including; Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Bruckheimer, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Brad Pitt, Wolfgang Peterson, Anne Rice, Steven Bochco, Aaron Spelling, Gail Berman, Joel Surnow, Jodie Foster, and Ryan Murphy. During the past several years, Ulrich/Dawson/ Kritzer has been busy casting the following television series: “C.S.I.:

Mentalist”, “Drop Dead Diva”, “In Plain Sight” “Supernatural”, “Dexter”, “American Horror Story” and “Glee”. Previous hit shows include: “Dark Angel”, “Saving Grace”, the critically acclaimed “Battlestar Galactica”, and the much loved 90’s series “Melrose Place”. In 2011, Robert won the Emmy for Outstanding Casting in a Comedy Series for “Glee”.

Robert’s career expanded to include on camera work as he was the host/mentor on Oxygen’s hit competition series, Ulrich and has two children – Cooper and Tierney.

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mymjcstory.com t i s Vi

Following my true passion Darin Jesberg, Class of 1994

where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in geology. I also earned a minor in business management.

I worked as an e-commerce manager, a marketing manager and as a marketing director. employed with the Modesto Fire Department as a Fire Captain. In my spare time I have become involved in numerous community groups that focus on improving the quality of life and the environment in our community. In addition I founded the Dry Creek Trails Coalition in 2009. We work closely with the Tuolumne River Trust and other trail user groups to ensure that the Dry Creek Regional Park is clean and family friendly.

Although my life path has been a long and dynamic adventure, I gained many skills along the way that I use in my current endeavors. I encourage And Tell Us others to diversify your studies and life experiences - you never know where life may take you!

My

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