Volume V, Issue 1, February 19, 2019

Bragging Rights: February 2019

 

  • ESL instructor Anita Gill had an essay “Hair” selected by writer Kiese Laymon as the nonfiction winner of the 2018 Iowa Review Awards. The essay is in the Winter 2018/19 issue of The Iowa Review. Congratulations, Anita!
  • Media Studies professor Nick Pernisco, has released a new book— called Parkinson's Warrior—about battling Parkinson's Disease. In the book, Nick describes his own battle with the illness, and provides fellow patients with information and inspiration. The book is now available in print and as an ebook on Amazon. We are so proud of Nick for helping others be warriors, too!  
  • Scott C. Silverman, Ed.D, Associate Dean of SMC’s Emeritus Program, has inked a deal to continue to edit the very popular college advice book “How to Survive Your Freshman Year”. As a special contributor for the fourth time (the sixth edition is coming this spring), Scott will contribute towards this book which is full of practical advice from college students, presented in a fun and lively way. “Many readers find the tips useful throughout their time in college, though admittedly, it was not originally written towards the Emeritus audience,” wrote Scott. Check out a current edition of the book.  
  • English professor Lawrence Driscoll is proud to announce the publication of a new textbook English Literature: Second Edition. This revised edition can be used as both a textbook for composition classes and as a survey textbook for literature classes ranging from the Renaissance to Modernism!  
  • Retired counseling/psychology faculty member (and former ombudsperson!) Tina Feiger published an article focusing on hungry and homeless students in a new edition of a journal called “New Directions”. She interviewed SMC administrators as well as the UCLA students who had developed the nation’s first shelter run for college students by their peers, called ‘Students for Students.’ In her spare time as a retiree, Tina found time to do research for this article, as well as to sing in the SMC Chorale and take a terrific creative writing class at SMC Emeritus. Now, that’s how to do retirement—the SMC way.  
  • Broadcasting instructor Mike Carlucci has a LOT of brags! This past summer, he was in Russia announcing soccer at the FIFA World Cup and in Korea announcing hockey for the 2018 Winter Olympics and sled hockey at the Paralympics...next up, Tokyo Olympics 2020 announcing baseball. Mike has had a prolific career—he’s worked for the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Anaheim Ducks and the LA Kings as well as on-air for Fox Sports. He has also done voiceover work in films/TV/videogames including "Ray Donovan", "Power Rangers Movie", "Call of Duty: Black Ops. 3", to name a few.  
  • Dr. Janelle DeStefano, Music Professor and Director of SMC Opera Theatre, gave a presentation and masterclass on zarzuela (Spanish operetta) for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Winter Workshop in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 5, 2019. Way to go (and represent SMC), Janelle!
  • Philosophy and Social Sciences instructor Micah Daily had a paper, entitled Kantian Neighborliness and Quarrelsomeness, published on January 1 this year in Global Conversations: An International Journal in Contemporary Philosophy and Culture. What a great way to start the year!  
  • Linda Jackson, who teaches at SMC’s Emeritus, is pleased to share that the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera’s Resident Opera Company at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church of Santa Monica, raised over $1,000 during its “Second Annual Benefit Concert” on December 1, 2018. Linda is the LA Metropolitan Opera’s artistic director—and the concert benefitted the Students for Students Shelter at Mt. Olive, which, under the leadership of the Reverend Eric Shafer, opened its doors to homeless college students.   
  • Nilofar Ghasami, who works in SMC’s Financial Aid department, had a very busy 2018: she was selected as delegate for 62nd Session of the Commission to represent UNA-USA in the United Nations headquarters in March; was invited on a radio talk show called “Marz Hayeh Danesh” from the Association of Professors & Scholars of Iranian Heritage (KIRN 670 AM) to reflect on her UN visit; and she received an award from CSULA for an outstanding dissertation. Plus, Nilofar was the first presenter from SMC for the conference California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a session called “Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Students in College”; and last but not the least, she submitted a chapter for a book series: “Equity in Higher Education Theory, Policy, & Praxis.”  
  • Crystal Robbins, Theatre Arts instructor and Lessac Master Teacher—along with Kellynn Meeks, Theatre Arts Adjunct Professor—produced and presented the Lessac regional conference "A Movement Bauhuas" at USC on January 13, 2019.  Ms. Robbins' workshop was titled, "Still PointA Comparison between Lessac and Widrig's Fierce Embodiment."  The conference brought together the influences of different voice/speech/body training disciplines and their impact on Lessac Kinesensic Training.  Fifteen SMC Theatre Arts students also participated.    

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