Monday, December 19, 2016

Service Learning Student Makes History

Twenty-year-old Chandler-Gilbert Community College Pecos Campus student, Matheu Gonzales, is using history to take service-learning to new heights.  Through his projects, Mr. Gonzales’ “service” is to create and preserve awareness of important historical people and events.  This impressive pursuit, its results and Mr. Gonzales’ account of his experience are vivid examples of the impact that service-learning can have on the student as well as society.  We had the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Gonzales what history, service learning and these projects have meant to him.

Connection: Your service learning projects are getting a lot of attention. Would you describe them to us?

Gonzales: My service learning topics included a biography of a man who played a part on making the Mexican School in Gilbert matter to the kids who attended the school. The man was Wayne McFrederick, he had no official biography until I was assigned to craft one for him.

Connections: Fascinating! How did you go about unearthing all the biographical information?

Gonzales: During this project I needed to work as a detective. With no formal information laid out in a single document I had to constantly research, send emails and letters to people who may know any information on Mr. McFrederick. It was a challenge, I began my research at the Gilbert Historical Museum. There I flipped through newspapers from the 1930’s on up. I moved onto data bases finding a little more than what the papers offered. I could not even find an obituary, or the actual day he had died.

Little by little, the information came and thankfully I was blessed to have received his obituary from a library in California, where he had moved and later died. I could not have found this without guidance and support from my mentor Danette Turner or the Gilbert Historical Museum which graciously allowed me to add to their collection of Gilbert History.

Connections: What has this project meant to you?

Gonzales: This project has meant a lot to me, I was trusted enough to share what this man had done for that community and those students. Being the first person to write about Wayne McFrederick’s life was an honor and a blessing, and I thank my professor Mrs. Turner for helping me on my journey

Connections: What about your other project?  Can you share a little about that?

Gonzales: My second project was scanning World War II pictures for the East Valley Jewish Society. During this I had to be very delicate with the photos. I wore surgical gloves to avoid damaging the photos with the oils of my hands.

Connections: Handling historical photos is not something most history students get to do.  What all did you see in these photos? 

Gonzales: I was able to see a theatre of war, as well what made World War II so infamous, pictures of the Holocaust. These pictures were taken by the United States Army themselves, they included more pictures of the horrid Holocaust.

After scanning these images, I was later told that they were traced back to the Monuments Men expedition. The expedition goal was to reclaim art, and history that the Nazis had stolen and were to be destroyed if Hitler lost the war. Hollywood made a major motion picture of the story, I am thrilled that I was somewhat a part of all of that…even if it only meant scanning the photos to my computer.

Connections: Wow, it must feel exciting to be a part of such magnificent history.  What did you learn throughout this experience? 

Gonzales: Doing this project had shed some light on everything that I have learned about World War II. It allowed me to see the war through a soldier’s point of view.  It also made me aware of the tragic reality that some historians claim the Holocaust never happened.  Pictures are a solid way of proving that it did; in a court of law it is said “It is not what you know, it is what you can prove in court” and I believe that’s a rule that is constantly followed in society. 

Connections: Where can fellow students and members of the community see your work?

Gonzales: Finishing this project will allow the East Valley Jewish Society, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Mesa Community College to create an exhibit with the photos I scanned. I am very proud to know that my name will be associated with this exhibit.

Connections: Clearly your passion is history and historical research.  Can you share why?

Gonzales: Text books that students are assigned to read starting in high school are worded in a way that the author wants you to think about the subject…bad or good. Researching raw information allows for an unbiased way of thinking, allowing you to take the information in and form your own opinion. History can be swayed easily to a view someone wants you to see.

Historical research also preserves what should not be forgotten, the Holocaust and World War II, and brings to light pieces of history that should not live in the shadows, Wayne McFrederick. 

Connections: After this rich experience, what is your perspective on service-learning?
       
Gonzales: At the start of service-learning I had no idea that it existed or what it was.  I now know what it is as well as how important it is not just to a history student but to every student. It allows you to gain valuable experience in the field in which you are majoring. I am grateful for service learning and the opportunities it has led to for me and can lead to for anyone.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Guess Who is Hiring?

Get a head start on 2017 with a new job. Here are more than 80 companies, government entities and non-profit organizations collectively advertising more than 25,000 open positions across Arizona this month. Each of these employers is looking to fill at least 100 jobs.

Stop by CGCC Career Services for assistance with resumes and interviewing tips.

Accenture, hiring 230. The company provides management consulting, as well as technology and outsourcing services. More info: www.accenture.com/us-en/careers/jobsearch.

Advantage Sales and Marketing, hiring 150. The marketing company has a variety of sales-related positions available. More info: careers.advantagesolutions.net.

Aetna, hiring 130. The health-care benefits company has openings ranging from customer service representatives to pharmacists. More info: www.aetna.jobs.

AlliedBarton Security, hiring 160. The security services company has openings for security officers. More info: jobs.alliedbarton.com.

Amazon.com, hiring 200. The online retailer is adding help at its Phoenix warehouse. More info: workatamazonfulfillment.com.

American Express, hiring 170. The financial services company is adding jobs in the Phoenix area. More info: careers.americanexpress.com.

Aramark, hiring 200. The food service and uniform maker has jobs available from cashier to information technology. More info: aramark.com/careers.

Department of Economic Security, hiring 130. The state agency has openings ranging from secretaries to case managers. More info: jobs.azdes.gov.

Arizona State University, hiring 320. The state university is filling an assortment of jobs, from receptionists to faculty instructors. More info: cfo.asu.edu/hr-applicant.

Army National Guard, hiring 140. The guard is looking for positions ranging from infantry to analysts. More info: jobs.nationalguard.com/ngb/browse_by_state/Arizona.

Bank of America, hiring 410. The bank and financial services company is adding positions in the Phoenix area. More info: careers.bankofamerica.com.

Banner Health, hiring 1,580. The non-profit company operates hospitals and other medical services. More info: www.bannerhealth.com/Careers/Job+Search+and+Apply/Job+Search.htm.

Best Version Media, hiring 270. The neighborhood information publishing company has openings in publishing, sales and design. More info: bestversionmedia.com.

Brookdale, hiring 230. The company is hiring for positions from nurses to social services directors. More info: www.brookdalecareers.com.

Celadon Trucking, hiring 850. The trucking and transportation company is adding drivers and other positions. More info: http://www.driveceladon.com/.

Chico’s, hiring 230. The fashion retailer that operates Chico’s, White House Black Market and Soma has openings for store managers and sales associates. More info: jobs.chicos.com.

Chipotle, hiring 250. The Mexican-themed restaurant is hiring for a variety of positions. More info: careers.chipotle.com.

City of Phoenix, hiring 160. The city has openings ranging from accountants to police. More info: www.phoenix.gov/employment.

Community Health Systems, hiring 250. The health-care company is adding jobs in Tucson from nurse practitioner to scheduling clerks. More info: www.careershealthcare.com.

CRST International, hiring 460. The trucking and transportation company is adding drivers and other positions. More info: www.crst.com/careers/opportunities/.

CVS Health, hiring 720. The company operates pharmacies and retail centers across the country. Locations in metro Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Lake Havasu City and Yuma have openings. More info: jobs.cvshealth.com/article/retail-jobs.

Deloitte, hiring 160. The consulting and financial advisory company has openings ranging from cyber-risk consultant to SAP HR manager. More info: http://jobs.deloitte.com/phoenix-jobs.

Department of Veterans Affairs, hiring 200. The Tucson and Phoenix offices have openings. More info: www.tucson.va.gov/careers/index.asp.

Dignity Health, hiring 680. The medical center seeks speech pathologists, certified nurse midwives, social workers and physicians in the Phoenix area. More info: dignityhealthcareers.org/careers/jobs.

Dish Network, hiring 200. The satellite television company is adding jobs from account managers to installers. More info: careers.dish.com.

Domino’s, hiring 500. The pizza delivery company is hiring drivers, customer service representatives and managers. More info: jobs.dominos.com/dominos-careers.

Edward Jones, hiring 320. The financial services company has openings ranging from insurance service specialists to team leaders. More info: http://careers.edwardjones.com/index.html.

Freeport-McMoRan, hiring 230. The mining company has openings ranging from chemist to mechanic. More info: http://fmjobs.com/.

Fry's Food Stores, hiring more than 1,170. The grocer with 119 locations in Arizona is part of the Kroger chain. More info: jobs.frysfood.com.

General Dynamics, hiring 240. The aerospace and defense company has openings ranging from software engineers to customer service representatives. More info: http://www.generaldynamics.com/careers/job-search.

Grand Canyon Education, hiring 190. The company operates Grand Canyon University, a private, for-profit Christian school. More info: jobs.gcu.edu/jobs.

Great Clips, hiring 150. The company operates hair salons across Arizona. Locations with openings include Casa Grande, Buckeye, Mesa and Phoenix. More info: www.greatclips.com.

Hilton Worldwide, hiring 230. The hotel and resort operator is adding jobs from housekeeper to engineer. More info: jobs.hiltonworldwide.com.

Home Depot, hiring 330. The home improvement and construction retailer is adding positions in the Phoenix area. More info: careers.homedepot.com.

Honeywell, hiring 150. The aerospace company has openings ranging from engineer to marketing associate. More info: http://www.careersathoneywell.com/.

HonorHealth, hiring 670. The company operates acute-care hospitals and outpatient centers, among other medical services. More info: jobs.honorhealth.com/jobs-page.

IASIS Healthcare, hiring 230. The acute-care health company has openings from admitting managers to business analysts. More info: jobs.iasishealthcare.com.

Indian Health Service, hiring 520. The government agency is hiring for positions ranging from administrative support to physician. More info: www.ihs.gov/jobs/index.cfm.

Intel Corp., hiring 170. The semiconductor manufacturer is adding jobs from data scientists to research engineers. More info:intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/jobs-at-intel.html

JCPenney, hiring 350. The retailer is adding positions in Tucson. More info: jobs.jcp.com.

JPMorgan Chase, hiring 370. The bank and financial services is adding positions across Arizona. More info: careers.jpmorgan.com.

Knight Transportation, hiring 220.The trucking and transportation company is adding drivers and other positions. More info: http://www.knighttrans.com/Careers/.

Legacy Traditional Schools, hiring 250. The charter school has openings ranging from teachers to food services. More info: careers.legacytraditional.org.

Lockheed Martin, hiring 140. The defense manufacturer has openings ranging from material handler to systems administrator. More info: www.lockheedmartinjobs.com.

Lowe’s, hiring 150. The home improvement and construction retailer is adding positions in the Phoenix area. More info: jobs.lowes.com.

Maricopa Community Colleges, hiring 120. The school system has openings ranging from systems administrator to student services specialist. More info: https://hr.maricopa.edu/jobs.

Maricopa County, hiring 100. The county has openings ranging from custodians to dietitians. More info: https://jobs.maricopa.gov/.

Maricopa Integrated Health System, hiring 170. The system is hiring for positions ranging from radiologists and registered nurses to appointment schedulers and food-service workers. More info: jobs.mihs.org.

Marriott, hiring 440. The hotel and resort company is hiring various positions at all levels across the state. More info: jobs.marriott.com.

Mayo Clinic, hiring 190. The hospital has positions ranging from instrument technician to pharmacist. More info: www.mayoclinic.org/jobs/locations/arizona.

McDonald's, hiring 260. The restaurant chain is adding positions. More info: www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/careers.html.

Northern Arizona Healthcare, hiring 110. The health system has openings for positions ranging from accounting to nurse practitioner. More info: nahealth.com/careers/current-positions.

Northwest Medical Center, hiring 110. The Tucson hospital has openings ranging from scheduling clerk to registered nurses. More info: jobs.northwestmedicalcenter.com.

Oracle, hiring 780. The company provides cloud applications, platform services and engineered computer systems. The company is adding jobs in Phoenix and Tucson. More info: www.oracle.com/corporate/careers.

Orbital ATK, hiring more than 100. The aerospace and defense company is looking for candidates for positions ranging from engineers to inspectors. More info: www.atk-jobs.com.

Panther Premium Logistics, hiring 340. The transportation company has openings for territory managers and other positions. More info: http://join.pantherpremium.com/HR.

Paradise Valley Unified School District, hiring 110. Paradise Valley schools are seeking to fill positions ranging from coaches to teachers and support staff. More info: www.pvschools.net/Page/158.

Peoria Unified School District, hiring 150. The Northwest Valley school system is filling jobs for a range of positions, from custodians to teachers. More info: applitrack.com/peoriaud/onlineapp.

PetSmart, hiring 170.The company provides pet supplies and services. More info: careers.petsmart.com.

Pizza Hut, hiring 430. The pizza restaurant and delivery chain is adding jobs in the Phoenix area. More info: jobs.pizzahut.com.

Raytheon, hiring 650. The company specializes in defense, civil government and cybersecurity. The jobs are mainly in the Tucson area. More info: jobs.raytheon.com.

Regis Corp., hiring 160. The hairstyling company that operates Supercuts, SmartStyle and other salons has openings for stylists and management positions. More info: http://www.regiscorp.com/NA/Careers/.

Republic Services Inc., hiring 110. The garbage collection company is filling positions ranging from drivers to analysts. More info: republicservices.jobs.

Sears Holdings Corp., hiring 250. The company includes Sears, Kmart and related brands. More info: jobs.sears.com.

Sonora Quest Laboratories, hiring 110. The laboratory system is adding positions ranging from laboratory technicians to sales and marketers. More info: www.sonoraquest.com/careers.

Sprouts Farmers Market, hiring 200. The Phoenix-based grocer is adding positions ranging from cashier to store manager. More info: www.sprouts.com/web/guest/careers.

Starbucks, hiring 150. The coffee company has openings ranging from barista to store manager. More info: www.starbucks.com/careers.

State of Arizona, hiring 350. The government is filling positions ranging from customer service jobs to grant coordinators. More info: azstatejobs.azdoa.gov.

Swift Transportation, hiring 680. The trucking and transportation company is adding drivers and other positions. More info: joinswift.com.

Taco Bell, hiring 400. The restaurant chain is adding positions in the Phoenix area. More info: jobs.tacobell.com.

Target Corp., hiring 190. The retailer is adding positions across the state. More info: jobs.target.com.

Tenet Healthcare, hiring 650. The company that includes Abrazo Community Health Network operates hospitals, outpatient centers, among other health services. More info: tenethealth.com/careers/join-our-team.

Toys “R” Us, hiring 170. The toy and baby products retailer has 13 stores in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. More info: www.toysrusinc.com/careers.

Tucson Medical Center, hiring 190. The hospital is looking to fill positions ranging from registered nurses to security officers. More info: jobs.tmcaz.com.

Tucson Unified School District, hiring 460. The school system is looking for candidates for positions ranging from teachers to custodians. More info: jobs.tusd1.org.

UnitedHealth Group, hiring 350. The medical insurer is hiring for positions ranging from phone-service representatives to nurse practitioners. More info: careers.unitedhealthgroup.com.

University of Arizona, hiring 630. The university is adding positions in Tucson ranging from counselors to research assistants. More info: uacareers.com.

UPS, hiring 160. The package delivery service has openings for package handlers and supervisors. More info: https://www.jobs-ups.com/.

US Bank, hiring 140. The bank is hiring for positions ranging from teller to small business specialist. More info: www.usbank.com/careers/index.aspx.

U-Haul, hiring 130. The transportation and propane-services company has openings ranging from customer representatives to area field manager. More info: jobs.uhaul.com.

Walmart, hiring at least 100. The retailer has a variety of positions available across the state. More info: careers.walmart.com.

Washington Elementary School District, hiring 110. The school district is hiring teachers, psychologists and nutrition workers. More info: jobs.wesdschools.org/jobs.

Wells Fargo, hiring 850. The company provides banking and other financial services. More info: wellsfargojobs.com.

Friday, December 2, 2016

CGCC Concert Choir Raising Funds for Dream Performance at Carnegie Hall

The 50-member Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) Concert Choir has been invited to the preeminent Carnegie Hall in New York City to attend the Mid-America Productions Spring Festival Chorus April 3-7, 2017. This milestone includes participation in musical clinics and a live performance on the historic stage. As one of only four choirs in the nation to receive an invitation, this honor arguably places CGCC among the leading concert choirs in the U.S.

“Beyond the much-deserved recognition and the thrill of traveling to New York, the educational component of this experience will be invaluable to music students,” expressed Marcus Denton, Director of Choral, Vocal and Piano Music Studies at CGCC. “It is a three-day residential clinic with Dr. J. Edmund Hughes (nationally known choral conductor and composer, and former director of the CGCC Concert Choir), studying one of the most revered choral works of the 20th century--John Rutter's Requiem, and culminating in its performance on the Carnegie Hall stage.”

For this reason, Denton, the CGCC Performing Arts Department, CGCC and the choir members themselves are actively seeking student sponsors and other donors to help make this dream a reality. The total cost of the trip is estimated at $72,000, or $1,800 per student, including travel, event registration, and hotel. Each student will contribute $750, or $30,000 total, toward that cost, and the college, with support from the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, is working to raise the balance of $42,000.  The reality is that this trip and performance will truly be life-changing for our students.

Denton has been crafting the performance quality of the CGCC Concert Choir for years and he understands that it takes a village, and determination, to build national recognition. “Many of the students who are going were part of previous Concert Choirs at CGCC, and have been part of the legacy that led up to the invitation,” shared Denton.  “Many are new and have come to us as graduates from our very effective surrounding valley high school programs, and have already contributed tremendous talent from Day 1 on this campus. Together, we have seen CGCC Choir become one of the premiere collegiate choral groups in Arizona and beyond, known for its quality and high level of musicianship.”

By sponsoring a student, one not only provides a “life-changing” experience but it is also a key contribution to the growing CGCC tradition of fine music making and excellence in the performing arts.  Anyone interested in sponsoring a student can visit www.mcccdf.org/carnegie and follow the simple instructions to make your donation.

CGCC & Intel Educate Latina Students in STEM

Over 200 East Valley middle school students attended the annual Hermanas: DiseƱa Tu Futuro (Design Your Future) Conference on Friday, November 18 at the CGCC Williams Campus in Mesa. The event aimed to raise awareness of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and Latinas in STEM related career fields.

Students participated in a variety of fun, interactive workshop activities about solar cells, DNA, coding, physics, astronomy and chemistry. During lunch, the students had the opportunity to visit with representatives from local colleges and universities during the college fair.  They also engaged in the Latina Town Hall session with special guest speakers Anna Tanguma-Gallegos with the Arizona Science Foundation and Erika Diaz a former Hermanas participant, University of Arizona graduate and current medical school applicant.


12 News’ JR Cardenas spent the morning chatting with Hermanas founder Gabriela Gonzalez and students about the importance of Hermanas and STEM education. 

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