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Inspiring, Igniting, Motivating

Volume X, Issue 1, February 13, 2024
As we look ahead at Spring ’24 semester, SMC in Focus celebrates the excellence of SMC’s faculty and classified (non-teaching) professionals, who bring their diverse life experiences and passion to the college, transforming students’ lives in the process. A professor who’s igniting a love for accounting in students and taking equity beyond the classroom. An administrative assistant who knows firsthand the challenges SMC students face, and is helping build an even more caring campus. A talented web services coordinator who refuses to let anything disable her dreams . . . and so much more. Read. Be inspired. #ProudToBeSMC

Greg Brookins

A Contagious Love for Accounting

Greg Brookins has been helping students fall in love with accounting since Little League led him to teaching. A former accountant for Ernst & Young and Fox Entertainment, Greg takes a passion for equity beyond his classroom.

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Ileana and Weasley

Illustrative Inspiration

“Tenacious and incredibly talented” Ileana Hernandez shares her creativity widely through drawings and designs — along with her web and social media work at SMC — while refusing to let a lifelong condition disable her dreams.

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Stephen Soucy and James Ivory

Stage, Screen and SMC

Director, producer and author Stephen Soucy helps Santa Monica College students raise the curtain on their careers and entrepreneurism with his online business communication course. With a wide-ranging career, Stephen is “making it everywhere.”

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Lauren

Going Global in Media Studies

Communication & Media Studies prof. and Stanford EPIC community college faculty fellow Lauren Movius hadn’t planned to teach at a community college. Today, this “quietly powerful educator” wouldn’t want to switch places with her researcher peers, not for a second.

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Bragging Rights

Bragging Rights

An SMC class creates a documentary featuring Grammy-winning artiste Stanley Clarke and his residency. This class’s prof. is also the newly elected Chair of the CA Arts Council. An associate dean is Malibu Woman of the Year.

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Christina and Leticia Montoya

Living her Best (SMC) Life

Christina Marcial’s job title may be ‘administrative assistant’ but ‘champion’ is more apt. This first-gen SMC alum knows first-hand the power of a caring campus and is a force for positive change.

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