This year marked the 10th year of Skyline College’s Skyline Shines Award, presented annually to one College employee or group and one community individual or group who help Skyline College to shine in terms of its quality of programs and services and its reputation for quality.
College Winner: Amory Cariadus
This year’s college award went to Amory Cariadus, Director of Student Development. Amory has dedicated her career to supporting a campus climate that values students by placing them at the center of the college work, decisions, activities and efforts. Her leadership with the Associated Students of Skyline College helped create a robust and active student governance council that gives student voice to the many issues at the college.
Amory uses her position to ensure students have access to quality programs and services. She often takes the time to provide the student perspective in the participatory governance process. Amory works with college administration, faculty and staff to bring in notable speakers, providing enrichment for the college campus and community, and she leads the student governance council and organizations to provide robust connections to the community.
Amory transformed the student activities department to a Center for Student Life with comprehensive programing that supports students’ leadership development, academic excellence, a scholarly institutional environment and interesting social, political and career events.
Community Winner: Adult-Education College and Career Educational Leadership
This year’s community award went to Adult-Education College and Career Educational Leadership (ACCEL). ACCEL is the planning body for San Mateo County responsible for carrying out the charge and opportunity of AB 86. ACCEL is collaboratively rethinking and redesigning Adult Education to accelerate student success. They are a coalition of adult schools, community colleges and partners throughout the region and their mission is to support adult education students’ transition to college, workplace success, and community contributions. Skyline College’s own Mary Gutierrez is on their steering committee and Leigh Anne Shaw and Gary Nichols in the ESOL area are active and influential participants.
Since its inception in 2014, the ACCEL North Collaborative Action Team, or CAT, has embodied a students-first philosophy with an express focus on diversity. Founded directly in response to Assembly Bill 86 – Adult Education Consortium, this team has been active in devising creative solutions to education for the thousands of adults left unserved by budget cuts to Adult Education. The team had a good foundation in the decade-long established relationship between Skyline College’s ESOL department and the ESL departments at South San Francisco and Jefferson Adult School; AB 86 provided the opportunity for the ESOL and ESL faculty to turn their dreams into reality in the interest of their students, and they were joined by GED, Math, Counseling, and English faculty to round out the project.
