On January 12, President Diana Z. Rodriguez hosted a very special spring Opening Day ceremony with a memorable message for all staff, encouraging her colleagues to "shout" their dreams into reality during the 2017-18 academic year.

 

During the introduction of this theme last fall, President Rodriguez played a video that showed people shouting their dreams into a huge megaphone located in an open, public space. The message conveyed by the video was that, if a person had the courage to shout their dreams in public, it will make the attainment of those dreams feel more likely than if they are quietly kept inside.

In a public declaration of her own dreams for the campus during the Spring 2018 semester, President Rodriguez stressed the importance of mentorship in crafting student, staff, and faculty experiences at SBVC, recounting her experiences growing up in Southern California and how the existence of mentors throughout her life helped her to attain academic and professional success. All attendees were then given a branded SBVC megaphone to serve as a reminder of the year's theme.

Guest speakers at the event included three alumni--Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers, Thomas Robles, and Cassandra Thomas--and Shaniya Trotter, a current student. All speakers shared inspiring stories of their experiences at SBVC and how instrumental mentors were to shaping their success.