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Hire a Hartnell Intern From Our Career Technical Education and Workforce Programs • Addiction Studies • Administration of Justice • Advanced Automotive Technology • Advanced Diesel Technology • Agriculture • Allied Health • Business Administration To learn more about hiring a skilled and motivated Hartnell intern for your company, contact Belen Gonzales, job and internship placement coordinator for the Career Technical Education and Workforce Program. (831) 759-6066 CareerServices@hartnell.edu • Computer Science • Construction Management & Architecture • Early Childhood Education • Elementary Teacher Prep • Nursing • Welding Hartnell Agriculture Students Share Their Pride Five recent graduates and one current student from Career Techni- cal Education (CTE) programs in agriculture and automotive technol- ogy at Hartnell College offered a powerful en- dorsement of their Hart- nell education during a recent panel discussion. The group came together via Zoom with Clint Cowden, Hartnell's dean of CTE and work- force programs, to share their college and career experiences, including internships and leader- ship development. A vid- eo of the discussion was shared Feb. 24 and 26 with hundreds of Mon- terey County students and educators attending an online Career Expo as part of a nationwide Career & Technical Edu- cation Month. "Hartnell is building a reputation, and we're part of that," said Miguel Gomez, a Hartnell graduate in agricultural production who is now pursuing his bachelor's degree in agricultural plant and social sciences at Cal State Monterey Bay and working full- time for Taylor Farms. "We're helping, because we have the work ethic, the passion and we're just hungry to learn." Fellow CSUMB stu- dent Moises Gomez, also working full-time for Taylor Farms, stressed a point that was echoed by several of the panelists – that Hartnell instructors and staff are dedicat- ed to helping current and former students as they reach for their career goals. "You meet everyone in your class; you make great friends, colleagues; and you establish relationships with your instructors and your counselors," Moises Gomez said. "I mean, there are counselors that I still reach out to when I have a question. Any application that comes my way, I feel more comfortable going to them, and the same thing with staff or pre- vious instructors. "You can go up to them and ask them, whether it's a personal question, whether it's regarding what you should do next. So I really like that one-on- one environment that Hartnell had to offer." 2020 graduate Angeli- ta Cisneros-Aguilar, now studying crop science and horticul- ture at Chico State University, said she had opportunities for scholarships, work ex- perience and attending industry events during her years at Hartnell. "You know it goes a long way when you have those things in your resume," she said. Automotive graduate Jeremy Arcega shared how instructor Pete Escoto helped him get started on a career path that began at MY Chev- rolet in Salinas and has now taken him to work for Pape Material Han- dling in Yuma, Ariz. "I'm the youngest tech- nician on my fleet at 23 years old," Arcega said. "Everyone around me is 40, 40 and up, and I always look back, think- ing that before Hartnell, I didn't know anything. I didn't know what a wrench was, I didn't know what a ratchet was. I didn't even know how to take off a tire. "And if it wasn't for Hartnell I wouldn't be where I am now. And let alone me being out here in Yuma, outside of Cal- ifornia for the first time. That's such a big oppor- tunity for my family." As dean, Cowden ex- pressed his appreciation and admiration for the student panelists. "We appreciate you guys and we are so hum- bled by your success," he said. "Your professors, the people that know you the best obviously care tremendously about you, and I thank you so much." Provided photo of Hartnell graduate Miguel Lopez Salinas City Elementary School District, Raley's, and Comcast team up Partnership will provide equitable solutions to bring free reliable internet to qualifying SCESD families Salinas City Elementary School District (SCESD), Raley's and Comcast announced a new inno- vative way to provide Salinas City families with more reliable connectivi- ty to the internet without the use of hot spots. This new initiative, called SCESDConnect, with the generous donation by Raley's, allows SCESD to provide Comcast's Inter- net Essentials program to qualifying low-income families with internet access, provided they live in a Comcast service area. Over the coming weeks, SCESD will pro- vide families with more information including eligibility requirements and instructions about how to sign up for the program. "Addressing the Digital Divide requires shared leadership of both pri- vate and public sectors at the federal, state, and lo- cal levels. The persistent lack of connectivity is an infrastructure ineq- uity--and we urge the federal communications commission to expand E-Rate and our state legislature to address the broadband inequities for all," said SCESD Super- intendent Dr. Rebeca Andrade. "At SCESD we are appreciative that, through this grant from our local partners at Raley's, we do not have to wait for the neces- sary shared leadership, but rather serve as an example of what is possible. This grant will allow us to transfer 3,000 families from the current internet insecure system they have into an infrastructure that can sustain connectivity for the continued Distance Learning needs of their children from the safety of their home. This is the culmination of many conversations with our local elected officials, non-profit organizations addressing the digital divide, and the support of the California de- partment of education individuals." "We would love to thank Raley's for their wonderful donation," said SCESD Board Pres- ident Francisco Javier Estrada. "This will go a long way with helping our families and virtual learning situation, which has been a real task for all involved, most espe- cially, our children. This opportunity is inspiring and highly motivational for our SCESD communi- ty. We will make sure our families benefit, to the fullest, from this dona- tion." "The City of Salinas is incredibly grateful for the generosity of Raley's with their donation of $30,000 to SCESD," said City of Salinas Mayor Kimbley Craig. "The "dig- ital divide" is a very real problem in our commu- nity, and this grant helps close that gap. It's im- portant to bring equity to all areas of Salinas." "We've all been work- ing under difficult circumstances and have demonstrated incredible determination and grit. Our youth have done the same," said Raley's CEO Keith Knopf. "We are proud to support Salinas City Elementary School District with funding to strengthen their ability to support hundreds of families." Salinas City Elementary School District began Distance Learning on March 16, 2020, and has worked tremendously hard to provide and con- nect our students and families with chrome books, hot spots, and iPad devices. As well as, finding innovative and reliable ways to provide the support our families need. According to the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE), last March, it was determined that 8,500 students in Monterey County didn't have a de- vice at home and 11,000 didn't have access to the internet. After intense ef- forts by our districts and County office to close that gap, that number has drastically decreased, but more is still needed to close the divide. Since 2011, more than 8 million low-income Americans have been connected to the internet at home through Com- cast's Internet Essentials program, 90 percent of whom were not con- nected to the internet at home until they signed up through Internet Essentials. This includes more than one million residents across Califor- nia, which is the number one state, in terms of, overall participation in the program. Internet Essentials has an integrated, wrap- around design that addresses each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption that research has identified. These include a lack of digital literacy skills, lack of awareness of the relevance of the internet to everyday life needs, and fear of the internet; the lack of a computer; and cost of internet service. The program is structured as a partner- ship between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, librar- ies, elected officials, and non-profit community partners. For more infor- mation, or to apply for the program in seven different languag- es, please visit www. internetessentials.com or call 1 (855) 846-8376. 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