Read about the exciting things going on with our current students and alumni. Learn about job changes, professional achievements, a marriage or new addition to their families, gatherings with other YVC alumni or other significant news.
Do you have news to share with your classmates? Submit your news and photos by emailing communityrelations@yvcc.edu.
Step Up to College students present at conference
Adult Basic Education students who participated in the BEdA panel pose for a quick
photo. YVC students Araceli Montano and Kimberly Vasquez Armenta are pictured from
left. Photo by Liliia Chernyshova.
Three students studying in YVC’s Step Up to College (SUTC) program recently attended the 2024 Basic Education for Adults (BEdA) Biennial Conference: Literacy and Justice for All, held at the Three Rivers Convention Center in July. The BEdA conference includes providers and programs across Washington that provide quality academic and skills training for adult learners.
YVC’s students each had the opportunity to participate on panels sharing their perspectives and insights into what it’s like to be an adult learner. Josh Lacy participated in the Corrections Education Student Panel while students Aracell Montano and Kimberly Vasquez Armenta participated in the BEdA Special Programs Panel.
Each student panelist also wrote a bio that was included in the conference program. Below is a snippet about YVC student participants.
Josh Lacey
At a young age, Josh Lacey was put into foster care, going from home to home until
he was adopted at 7 years old. Shortly after the adoption, he started acting out and
getting into trouble, which included abusing alcohol and drugs. By the time he was
13 he was already addicted, which in turn led to him becoming homeless, dropping out
of high school and getting into legal trouble. “I have been in and out of jail and
prison consistently until this last time. I lost my big brother 10 days before his
23rd birthday due to this addictive disease. I was in Coyote Ridge Correctional Center
at the time, and I realized I wanted to do something different with my life,” says
Lacey. Once released, he decided that he wanted to start helping people, so he spoke
with a DOC officer and got connected with YVC’s Alex Bazan. “Alex helped me figure
out what I needed to do so I could help other addicts in the future. I am looking
forward to taking substance use disorder courses to help myself grow and learn more
about the disease, so I can help others and share my experience, strength and hope,”
he said.
Araceli Montano
Araceli Montano is a dedicated student who started at Yakima Valley College in the
fall of 2023. She returned to school with the goal of becoming a nurse. In addition
to taking a full load of classes toward her GED, she has continued to work part-time
to support her family. Montano’s life experiences and a positive attitude are a benefit
she brings into the classroom. Her level of self-discipline and dedication is displayed
in her daily preparation for class and her willingness to work through any challenges
that come up in not only the classroom but also in her life. She has the confidence
to express her thoughts, explain her rationales, and ask thoughtful questions.
Kimberly Vasquez Armenta
Kimberly Vasquez Armenta is part of the Step Up To College (Open Doors) program at
Yakima Valley College which allows high students to take Adult Basic Education (ABE)
classes at the college and receive their high school diploma through their high school.
Vasquez Armenta began the SUTC program in Spring 2022 quarter. Before joining the
SUTC, she faced a lot of obstacles to get her high school diploma. She is now expected
to graduate in the spring with her high school diploma. After she completes her high
school diploma, she would like to continue her education at Yakima Valley College
with the focus on earning her phlebotomy certificate.
STEM program supports glass recycling efforts
YVC STEM students volunteered for a glass recycling drive with Yakima Recycles Glass
on October 5 on the Yakima Campus. Photo by Cristy Rasmussen.
On October 5, Yakima Valley College’s STEM program partnered with volunteers from Yakima Recycles Glass to host a glass recycling drive on the Yakima Campus. Community members and local businesses were able to dispose of glass, food and beverage containers in a low-cost, ecologically sustainable way.
During the event, volunteers, which included students from YVC’s program collected approximately 6,000 to 7,000 pounds of glass.
“We proved that there is a hunger for glass recycling in Yakima by the many people who donated double and triple the amount of money we asked for based on the volume of their glass,” said Ron Shaw, volunteer for Yakima Recycles Glass and project manager for Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic.
In total, $1,579 was raised.
Yakima Recycles Glass is a group of volunteers formed to collect, transport and recycle glass in the Yakima Valley. For more information about the group contact yakimarecyclesglass@gmail.com.
AST Students earn scholarships
ABOVE: YVC Automotive Service Technology students Antonio Birrueta and Amber Vandever, middle,
pose with members of the Vintiques of Yakima Car Club members during a scholarship
presentation. BELOW: Birrueta, left, accepts a scholarship from Sun Country Mustang
Club. Photos by Murray Ruggles.
Automotive Service Technology students Antonio Birrueta and Amber Vandever recently received $1,000 scholarships from the Vintiques of Yakima Car Club during their “Un-Run” event held in October. The show features cars that don’t fit within the club’s larger August event.
Both Birrueta and Vandever are in their second year of YVC’s program. They also each received a cash award from a Cornwell Tools representative.
Later in October, Birrueta was awarded a $500 scholarship from the Sun Country Mustang Club during the group’s monthly meeting.
Rotary Vocational Scholarship awardees
Each year, Yakima Rotary offers Vocational Scholarships to students enrolled or planning to enroll at a post-high school vocational institution or in a 2-year vocational program at a community college. This October YVC students Arisela Alcala (Early Childhood Education), Misty Christiansen (Dental Hygiene), Emilse Orsorio (Bachelor of Applied Science in Agriculture), Dulce Quintana (Radiologic Sciences) and Nancy Salazar (Nursing) each earned a $2,000 scholarship to help with their education.
Dental Hygiene alumni visit campus
Members of YVC's class of 1974 Dental Hygiene Students on campus in September 2024.
Photo by Dustin Wunderlich.
Members of YVC's 1974 graduating class of the Dental Hygiene program were recently on campus for a 50th anniversary reunion celebration. Members who visited include Sandra Barcheck, Kristan Plank, Louice Stodds, Debbie Jongeward and Kay Hunziker. While on campus the group toured YVC's state-of-the-art dental clinic, shared photos and enjoyed reminiscing with eachother.
Chicano studies conference
Participants listen to Drew Gamboa, doctoral student at Washington State University, during the conference. Photo by Maria Cuevas.
Students taking Chicano/a courses had the unique opportunity to participate in the Fall 2024 Pacific Northwest Foco conference, held in the Kaminski Conference Center on the Yakima Campus in early November. Hosted in partnership with the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies, Washington State University and Portland Community College, this year’s event, “Unyielding Legacies: 500+ Years of Organizing, Acting our Dreams, and Crafting Futures,” focused on gaining justice for marginalized communities.
The event included workshops, paper presentations, roundtable discussions, creative panels and other presentations that examined and explored contemporary and historical resistance practices within Chicano/a community.
During the day-long event, participants were encouraged to explore how Latino/a community serves as a nurturing and sustaining force for this work and to consider the ways in which social justice actions, teaching, and/or community practices enable participants to reimagine our present and future.
Story by Stefanie Menard, AA-DTA ’05, communications consultant.