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Phi Theta Kappa Members attend Regional Convention

ACC Phi Theta Kappa Mu Upsilon Chapter attended the 2024 Texas Regional Convention in Corpus Christi where it received the distinguished Five Star Chapter status.

Achieving Five Star Status is no small feat. To earn the Five-Start status, Mu Upsilon was required to complete several professional development programs from the organization, complete an Honors in Action project as well as a service project on campus.

Attending the conference were President Nadia Gotcher, Vice President Gabriella Griffith, Lead Faculty Advisor Amy Acord, and Co-Advisor Ron Smith.

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Board Recognition

The ACC Board of Regents recognized staff members for their contributions to put on the recent Discovery Day event. From left, bottom row: regent Darren Shelton, athletic director Dr. Estevan Vasquez, administrative assistant Marleyna Ochoa, Events coordinator Kayla Upton, recruiter Misty Abraham. Back row, from left: Grounds crew members Penny Garcia, Edwin Morgan, Robert Leal, Taylor Bass, Grounds supervisor Kenny Navarro and regent Kam Marvel. Not pictured: director of Recruitment and Enrollment Amanda Smithson and housekeepers Maria Recendez, Dora Arevalo, Paula Leija, Cecilia Garcia, Lidia Juarez and Norma Martinez.

The ACC Board of Regents recognized student Carina Rivera for recently being selected to participate in the NASA Aerospace Scholar program. From left: regent Darren Shelton, Carina Rivera and regent Kam Marvel.

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ACC Hosts SkillsUSA Competition

ACC hosted the annual SkillsUSA District 9 Competition on Campus on February 10.

Close to 100 students took part in the competition in a variety of media skills including: Advertising Design, Audio Radio Production, Computer Programming, Desktop Publishing, Digital Cinema Production, Information Tech Services Photography, Video Production, Video News Production, Graphic Image Sublimation and Screen Printing.

"SkillsUSA is so appreciative to have the support of ACC and the Communications Department," said Al Tag, SkillsUSA advisor from Friendswood ISD. "We love having our high school students not only compete in their technical events, but to see the beautiful ACC campus and work with the equipment and facilities available.  The ACC faculty and staff never hesitate to accommodate our needs and share their knowledge."

The students came from Alvin, Friendswood, Fort Bend and Stafford ISDs.

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ACC Foundation to Host 2nd Annual Designer Bag Bingo

The Alvin Community College Foundation will host its 2nd Annual Designer Bag Bingo on Thursday, April 4 at the ACC Gymnasium.  The event will raise funds for student scholarships, grants and program support.

Participants will play 20 rounds of bingo to win brand new designer handbags from designers such as Brahmin, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Consuela, Michael Kors and more. There will also be a raffle for a Louis Vitton bag at the event and door prizes all night.  Extra Bingo cards will be available for purchase for those wanting to improve their chances of winning one of the fabulous bags.

Sponsorships and tickets will be on sale beginning February 1 at 8:00 am.  Sponsorships are available between $500 and $5,000, and individual tickets are $60.  There will be limited seating at this event.

All individual tickets and sponsorship guest admissions include a swag bag, 1 set of 20 Bingo cards, a dauber, a light dinner, 2 drink tickets and 1 door prize ticket.

Doors to the event open at 5:30 p.m. First game begins at 7 p.m. Participants must be 21 years or older.

“We are so excited to be hosting this event again.  Last year was a blast, and people have been talking about it ever since,” stated Wendy Del Bello.  “We expect tickets to go very quickly!” For more information call 281-756-3600 or check out the website at http://bidpal.net/designerbagbingo2024

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ACC Hosts First Welding Showdown

ACC hosted the first Gulf Coast Community College Welding Showdown on November 4 which included students from seven colleges including ACC, Houston Community College, Wharton Junior College, College of the Mainland, Western Texas College, Texas State Technical College and Brazosport College.

“I feel like the turnout was great and I’m already looking forward to next year’s showdown,” said Leroy Brigman, ACC Welding coordinator.

Brigman said the competition was an idea that he and Western Texas College Welding instructor Jeff Stewart first began talking about a few months ago. Jeff Stewart helped Leroy get his pipeline career started after meeting in 2013. Both were glad to see the event come to life and provide students a chance to showcase their skills while also networking with their peers, Brigman said.

“We had 42 competitors from seven different colleges,” he said. “We had more than 100 people at the event.”

ACC students took third place in Tig/Stick, second place in the tig on pipe, the downhill pipe and the uphill stick on plate, and had a student on the first place sculpture team.

“As a team, I think we did extremely well this year,” Brigman said.

In addition to the schools competing in the showdown, Brigman credited sponsors Pipeliners Cloud and Alltex Welding, and the ACC Foundation for making the event possible for students to learn about job opportunities while also meeting with those working in the field. Food was also provided for the competitors from Kenjo's BBQ, Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stalman, Patrol Sgt. Jason Ringo and deputy Jay Burridge. Judges included Certified Welding Inspectors and construction managers Dee Win, Mark Thompson and Bud Womack.

Winners

5G - 8" Pipe Tig competition

1st College of the Mainland Jordan Swisher

2nd Alvin Community College Jennifer Havis

3rd Texas State Technical College Hector Guzman

6G COMBO-2"XXH  Pipe- TIG/STICK          

1st Texas State Technical College - Diego Perez

2nd Brazosport College - Edgar Delacruz

3rd Alvin Community College - Andres Nino

5G - 12" DOWNHILL Pipe       

1st Western Texas College - Samuel Hernandez

2nd Alvin Community College - Jonathan Gonzalez

3rd Texas State Technical College - Jack Bowman

4G "Overhead" PLATE - MIG/FLUX           

1st Western Texas College - Patricio Araya Bustamante

2nd Houston Community College - Mario Zavala

3rd Texas State Technical College - Olivia Garcia

3G "Uphill" PLATE – TIG

1st Texas State Technical College - Zitlaly Rangel

2nd Brazosport College - Victoria Newman

3rd Wharton County Junior College - Angel Vasquez

3G "Uphill" PLATE - Stick

1st Wharton County Junior College - Jakorie Taylor

2nd Alvin Community College - Cody Deaton

3rd Brazosport College - Eli Davis

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ACC Graduate Releases Book 'The Big Secret'

ACC alum James Markham recently published his book on creating steps for a better life. The Welding graduate used anecdotes from his career in the workforce to discuss faith-based methods to improve upon one's outlook and their life. It is now available through Christian Faith Publishing.

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ACC Places 5th at Sputum Bowl

The ACC Respiratory Care students placed 5th at the annual Sputum Bowl trivia collegiate competition hosted by the Texas Society for Respiratory Care. Students Jin Wang, Kat Macy, Emma Decker and Tisha Tyrell participated in the competition. Faculty member Norma Lahart served as the faculty life line.

In addition to placing 5th in the competition, the program also received a $1,000 grant from the Respiratory Care Foundation of Texas to assist a Respiratory Care student at ACC.

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Congratulations to the students from the Jester 3 unit who graduated during a ceremony on Saturday! ACC graduate Albert Yancey delivered the commencement address.

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TWC Commissioner visits ACC to Sign Check for New Beginnings Program

When Andres Nino was close to finishing his time as an inmate with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, it weighed heavily on his mind how he would support himself and his family.

It is difficult for former inmates to find work after incarceration and Nino knew it would be a struggle. He was able to turn his life around through the New Beginnings initiative at Alvin Community College by enrolling in the Welding program

“This program opened so many doors for me,” Nino said. Without New Beginnings, he said, “I would be right back where I came from.”

Nino spoke during a visit by Texas Workforce Commissioner Representing Labor Alberto Trevino III who signed a $350,000 check to support the program at ACC.

“It gives them the hope and the courage to become better,” Trevino said. “I’m excited to see their future and their independence moving forward. I think it’s vital that we equip Texas workers with the skills needed to excel.”

ACC was one of 18 colleges to receive support for New Beginnings from the Texas Talent Connection Grant program in 2021. New Beginnings provides training and education to students recently released from incarceration or are soon to be released.

“This program supported by the Texas Talent Connection has added truck drivers to the roads, line-men to the power grid, counselors to help those with addiction issues, chefs to the restaurants, welders to the construction industry, and educated entrepreneurs to the economic health of the state,” ACC President Dr. Robert J. Exley said.

“Alvin Community College and Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast are making a difference in the lives of people across Texas by ensuring second-chance individuals receive the skills needed to succeed upon reentry,” Trevino said. “This project demonstrates the leadership for groundbreaking programs to ensure every Texan gets a second chance.”

After signing a check during a ceremony, commissioner Trevino and others toured many of the programs and facilities that have been supported by the Texas Workforce Commission including Welding, Process Technology, Nursing and Cybersecurity.

Nino is set to graduate from the program in a year. Programs such as New Beginnings lay the foundation and gives hope for incarcerated students to change their lives and the lives of their families.

“I want this program to continue for other students,” he said. “This program provides opportunities that didn’t previously exist.”

The Texas Talent Connection Grants are awarded by the Texas Workforce Investment Council and administered by the Texas Workforce Commission. They were created to support innovative education and workforce skills training programs that lead to successful job placement, increased wages, and improved job retention, as well as programs serving workforce populations with special needs.

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ACC Community Band to Perform Independence Day Concert

For nearly 30 years the Alvin Community College and Community Band have been performing its annual Independence Day Concert on the ACC campus.

Members of the band include a combination of students and community members.

It was formed 29 years ago by former band director Jerry Perkins and the band has performed alongside the ACC Wind Ensemble and Jazz Combo at its many annual concerts.

There are roughly 50 members of the band who come from all over the Gulf Coast, including Angleton, Alvin, League City, and other area communities.

The band is open to any musician, regardless of age or skill level. Members include musicians of all ages from high school students to lifelong performers.

The Fourth of July Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. next to the Memorial Wall on the ACC campus. The concert is free and open to the public.

A fireworks display by the City of Alvin will take place afterwards at dark.

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Community Advisory Committee Meeting

President Exley speaks with the Community Advisory Committee during a meeting on June 6.

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Congrats to all of the local high school graduates who have received scholarships from the ACC Foundation! Last night Alvin High School students were awarded scholarships during Awards Night.

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Introducing our 2023 Excellence Award Winners! Michelle Bradford, Dacia Henderson, Barbara Merchant and Justin Morgan!

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ACC Regents Approve Campus Upgrades

The Alvin Community College Board of Regents unanimously approved upgrades to campus facilities and infrastructure during their meeting on April 27.

The board approved upgrades to a boiler system for Science/Health Science Building, classroom technology and the Lab School playground. Regents also voted to purchase new vehicular signage for the campus.

In other action, dean of College Access and Partnerships Dr. Jessica Ranero-Ramirez delivered report on the implementation of Talent Strong Texas Pathways. The initiative includes developing career pathways for Dual Enrollment students, microcredentials and stackable credentials, establishing career goals and improving students’ sense of belonging and wellness.

Ranero-Ramirez also spoke about the successes of the Pathways initiative from previous years that included vast improvements for students earning an Associate’s Degree within three years. The report also included information on improved completion of college level math and reading courses which doubled over seven years.

Regents also:

-approved monthly financial reports

-approved hiring Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

-approved hiring of personnel including Upward Bound director, Geology instructor, Math instructor and executive director of Continuing Education Workforce Development

-heard annual grant status report

-approved budget amendment

The board will have its next meeting on May 25 at 6 p.m. in the Nolan Ryan Center.

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ACC Disaster Drill

Alvin Community College Allied Health programs worked together during a disaster drill on campus on April 28.

The event included mock disaster scenarios that included patients suffering from gunshots, a drowning victim, injuries in a car wreck, delivering a child, operating an emergency room as well as dealing with multiple patients in simulated nursing wards. Drama students helped perform as some of the patients.

The event included students in several programs such as Associate Degree Nursing, EMS, Vocational Nursing, Respiratory Care, Neurodiagnostic Technology, Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography and more. Students also had an opportunity to visit with flight medics who arrived on campus on a PHI Air Medical Helicopter.

The drill recently received an Innovative Initiative Grant from the ACC Foundation fund another drill in the future.

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As the months get warmer and students start looking at applying for jobs and internships, the Career Closet has options for those looking for their best look for that interview. Contact Career Services to learn more. https://www.instagram.com/p/CqTEA89LjvO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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The ACC Art Club visited the @menilcollection museum today in Houston. https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLZuknMSAa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=