The year 2026 unfolded with hope—like most years—and, at least for those in the social media sphere, with a tsunami of nostalgia. SMC in Focus decided to jump on the bandwagon, to dive into our archives and look at some of our stories from 2016. They represent just a few of the things Santa Monica College is known for, and loved: lifelong learning; opportunities that meet community, industry, and student needs; education that parallels and often even exceeds what is available at premier four-year institutions. Plus, and most importantly: lives transformed, that go on to transform and touch other lives, an ever-expanding sphere of excellence and positive change.
May these 10 stories inspire us to build a future as illustrious as the past. The excerpts are presented as they originally appeared, with no edits or updates.
1. SMC Nursing Celebrates a 50-Year Calling (Feb. 9, 2016)
For more than half a century, Santa Monica College has prepared students to start a career in nursing, and with resounding success.
SMC’s first foray into nursing programs was a small job-training program launched in 1966 with funding through the 1963 Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA) and the Federal Vocational Education Act. The program, which provided basic training for students to work as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs), expanded in 1967 to offer training to become a Registered Nurse (RN), and also began offering an Associate Degree in nursing.
Over the decades, SMC’s nursing program has continued to evolve in response to changes and advances in the fields of medicine and healthcare. Today, SMC offers the Associate in Science (AS) degree in Nursing Program, better known as the “ADN program.”
Read More: SMC Nursing Celebrates a 50 Year Calling - Santa Monica College
2. The SMC Pathway to Entertainment Industry Success (Feb. 9, 2016)
Although more media outlets exist than ever, the greatest barrier to success in the entertainment industry remains getting that initial job. Since 2011, the 25 students selected each year for the Promo Pathway program at Santa Monica College (SMC) take an inside track to achieving their dreams. The 10-month program cultivates student creativity while teaching how to write, produce, and edit TV promotional spots.
“It’s an intensive program that builds those transferable skills – it allows them to enter the industry and thrive immediately,” says Steve Kazanjian, president and CEO of PromaxBDA, the global entertainment marketing association and SMC’s partner in the program. Now a state-approved certificate with transferable units, students can also pursue an associate degree in “promo”: entertainment promotion/marketing production. SMC is the first community college in the nation to offer this degree.
PromoPathway grew out of a desire to recruit under-represented creative talent into the entertainment field. When PromaxBDA — and the South Bay Center for Counseling, a former partner — sought a college to provide the training, they found a perfect match in SMC.
Read More: The SMC Pathway to Entertainment Industry Success - Santa Monica College
3. Lifelong Community: Emeritus (March 22, 2016)
"The name of the piece I'm going to read is called 'Pistol Packin' Mama'," declares Rhoda Newman, a student in a memoir writing class taught by Monona Wali at Emeritus, Santa Monica College's program for older adults.
"As a native New Yorker, I have always believed that no civilian has any need to own a gun," she begins. The class is transported to the 1950s when Newman and her former husband moved to a 30-acre farm in Deering, New Hampshire, which they bought for $5,000. "Shoot first, ask questions later," her husband instructed Newman. The piece ends with her husband turning in their guns after they've moved away from the farm, the day Robert Kennedy was shot.
. . . Newman – a former researcher at the Library of Congress – says that the first time she wrote creatively was when she came to Emeritus, after she moved to Santa Monica in 2009.
Read More: Lifelong Community: Emeritus - Santa Monica College
4. New Technologies Enrich the SMC Classroom (March 22, 2016)
From flipping and clicking to gaming and tweeting, Santa Monica College instructors across the arts and sciences are using technology to build a more active learning experience for students — and one that extends beyond the classroom.
The flipped classroom model expands the teaching environment by reversing the order of lectures and coursework. Online videos and other media enable students to absorb lecture content at their own pace and on their own time. Classroom time is reserved for discussion and working through problems together.
"It's a more in-depth way of learning," says Chemistry Professor Sehat Nauli. "They're not just copying what I wrote on the board — they actually have to do a lot of the work on their own."
Read More: New Technologies Enrich the SMC Classroom
5. SMC Student Head to NASA/JPL (May 11, 2016)
NASA is best known for interplanetary exploration, but here on Earth, one of NASA’s critical missions is to ensure that it has a diverse workforce with strong training in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math—a combination referred to as STEM—now and in the future. And now, thanks to three initiatives, Santa Monica College STEM students have a chance to experience NASA and JPL up close and personally, and discover what academic and professional options are open to them.
NASA’s National Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) brings students into JPL for four days to build a mock Mars rover and meet JPL scientists and engineers. The Student Independent Research Internship (SIRI) matches students with JPL mentors for a semester to work on research projects, concurrent with their coursework at SMC. And a new 10-week summer internship program funded by NASA offers an in-depth experience at JPL, working for a JPL researcher.
Read More: SMC Students Head to NASA/JPL - Santa Monica College
6. Sewing Up Careers in Fashion (July 26, 2016)
The fashion program's cross-stitching of design and merchandising appeals to students who want to understand—and prepare for—the profession's challenges. "I started off looking for a community college that offered fashion design and also a business merchandising degree," says Raquel Medina. Now an SMC graduate, Raquel assisted the producer on this year's LA Mode.
Raquel says SMC helped bring her dreams closer to reality by offering topflight training but as "an affordable place to go to." The small class sizes are another benefit, she adds. "I've been able to get a lot of experience I wouldn't have gotten at bigger schools," she says. "And the students here form tight bonds. Instead of being in competition, we're good friends who help each other grow."
Read More: Sewing Up Careers in Fashion - Santa Monica College
7. SMC Program Helps Feed the Pacific Rim Pipeline (July 26, 2016)
California is the nation's primary driver of job creation in the field of Global Trade and Logistics (GTL). Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's two largest ports, are gateways to the Pacific Rim economies. And with easy access to freight services via the Alameda Corridor, Southern California is a key logistics hub for more than 40 percent of all goods brought into the U.S., according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).
So…what is logistics? "It's supply chain, transportation, distribution, and operations management," says Sal Veas, chair of the Business Department at Santa Monica College. "Simply put, logistics looks at how an item and its parts came to be one, got packaged, got delivered, and arrived to you as you ordered it, on a timely basis."
At least 47,000 California firms currently employ more than three million people in logistics/supply chain activities. In the next three years, another 12,900 jobs in logistics are expected to be created. With its Associate degrees and certificates in Global Trade and Logistics and International Business, and courses offered through both traditional and online classes, SMC is well positioned to help supply that pipeline with qualified applicants.
Read More: SMC Program Helps Feed the Pacific Rim Pipeline - Santa Monica College
8. SMC Creates a Sustainable Future (Dec. 12, 2016)
Long before “sustainability” became a buzzword, “going green” was a way of life at Santa Monica College (SMC). Today, SMC leads the nation’s community colleges in many facets of sustainability, ranging from faculty, staff, and student engagement to curriculum, facilities, and transportation.
“More than two decades ago, a group of forward-thinking professors stepped up to create an environmental center at SMC,” says Ferris Kawar, Project Manager for Sustainability. The College acquired a house across from the main campus and created the Center for Environmental and Urban Studies (CEUS). The CEUS today serves as the home of Sustainable Works—a nonprofit contracted by the City of Santa Monica—and is a hub of sustainability on campus: a “living laboratory” of best sustainability practices that can be put to use in the home, and also a research and resource center and gathering place for students.
Read More: SMC Creates a Sustainable Future - Santa Monica College
9. SMC Police Protect, Serve, and Give (Dec. 12, 2016)
Raising money to support cancer research, collecting clothing and toiletries for foster children, and collaborating on a new play may not be the first things that come to mind when you think about law enforcement, but they are all part of how the Santa Monica College Police Department (SMCPD) serves the campus community, and helps make SMC a safer place to be.
SMCPD officers have a long history of community involvement, for both personal and professional reasons. "If we’re doing something to make our community a better one, then maybe we’re also going to make this a safer place for everyone," says SMC Police Chief Johnnie Adams, who has spearheaded an expansion in the department’s community outreach.
Read More: SMC Police Protect, Serve, and Give - Santa Monica College
10. Solid Starts for Children: ECE (March 22, 2016)
After earning her Bachelor's degree in film from UCLA and working in the entertainment industry, Emily Taylor-Mortoff wanted to shift gears and refocus her career on teaching young children, a field known as Early Childhood Education (ECE). Santa Monica College provided the perfect foundation in this dynamic discipline to help her fulfill children's needs.
Having friends who had gone through the ECE program at SMC, Taylor-Mortoff knew what to expect. "They loved it," she said. "They got a tremendous education, particularly for the value."
That value – and the programs offered – attracted Taylor-Mortoff to SMC. But one more factor clinched the deal: the faculty. "SMC has these teachers who have both tremendous life experience and stellar academic qualifications," she said.
Read More: Solid Starts for Children: ECE - Santa Monica College
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SMC in Focus Volume XII, Issue 1
Hope for the Unhoused
An assignment in SMC’s Homeless Service Work certificate program led Patricia Kusaba to launch an online toolkit to help people in need. Read Article
Frontline Responder
From award-winning journalist to first point of contact at the SMC Police Department, Erin O’Neill brings empathy and creativity to a vital role. Read Article
Woodshop Until He Drops
Meet Terry Kamibayashi, Santa Monica College’s reggae-loving, easy-going director of facilities maintenance. Read Article
Solo & Ensemble
SMC redefines the library experience to support both personal study and group collaboration. With a $1 million renovation, the award-winning 96,000 sq.ft. space has been reimagined. Read Article
Bragging Rights
The Architecture program recognized as an Exemplary Program. A counseling instructor appointed to statewide FACCC Board of Governors. A sociology prof interviewed on a popular Apple crime podcast. Read Article
#2016 Era SMC in Focus: A Look Back
SMC in Focus does a #2016Era throwback. Ten stories—Nursing’s 50-year anniversary, Emeritus, Promo Pathway, SMC students at NASA/JPL, & more—celebrate SMC’s excellence: past, present & future. Read Article