Rancho Mirage

MERCURY

VOL 22 JAN 2013

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR… 3

STAFF SPOTLIGHT… 4

BUSINESS CHAIR MESSAGE… 6

TAHQUITZ CANYON LORE… 8

MEDICAL CHAIR MESSAGE… 10

SBBC HOLIDAY LUNCHEON… 12

SBBCOLLEGE CARES… 14

ALLISON’S FAREWELL… 16

Facebook.com/SBBCRanchoMirage 

IN THIS ISSUE…

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Welcome to the beginning of a new year and a new term!  

For those of you who are new to our campus, I look forward to mee ng you all and ge ng

to know you a li le be er. I realize that con nuing your educa on at a new school can

make you feel uneasy and unsure of what to expect. Let me reassure you that all of the staff

is glad that you made the decision to a end SBBCollege – Rancho Mirage and we are all

here to support you. If you have any ques ons or concerns, please do not hesitate to bring

them to our a en on. My team is looking forward to helping educate you in your chosen

field and see you not only graduate, but become a produc ve and reliable member of our

working community.

For those of you returning to SBBCollege – Rancho Mirage, welcome back! I hope the few weeks off from your studies al‐

lowed you to spend quality me with family and friends, but also allowed you to re‐energize yourself for the start of a new

term. Your academic career with us is going to seem like it flew by, so I urge you to start thinking about life a er school.

We have a dedicated Career Services team which will help you with résumé wri ng, interviewing skills and job searches.

While we will do everything we can to get you ready for that next stage, it will ul mately be up to you to show a poten al

employer how professional and reliable you are. It is never too early to start preparing!

2012 was a great year here on campus. Through the hard work of our students and teachers, we had 105 graduates! Sever‐

al of these graduates were hired by the companies they worked for during their externship. The beauty of our externship

program is that it allows you the chance to audi on for an employer and earn school credit at the same me. As someone

who has been hiring people for close to a decade, I cannot stress how difficult it can be to decide who to hire. A résumé

and interview can only give an employer so much informa on. Actually being able to train someone and see how produc‐

ve and reliable they are is invaluable for an employer.

I would also like to congratulate Mr. Clint Miller, who was named the 2012 Teacher of the Year for the Rancho Mirage cam‐

pus! Mr. Miller teaches in our Paralegal program and focuses on classes such as Tort Law and Legal So ware. Not only is

Mr. Miller respected by his students as a great teacher, but he also goes out of his way to collaborate with fellow teachers

and the administra ve staff in helping our campus con nue to exceed expecta ons.

While I am at it, I would also like to congratulate Roza Seng for being named the 2012 Admissions Associate of the Year for

all of the SBBCollege campuses! This news will probably come as no surprise for those of you who know Roza. The past

year she has excelled at building rela onships with high schools in the community and ge ng them on campus to see all

we have to offer. This ini a ve will con nue into 2013 so we con nue to have strong rela onships with our fellow educa‐

tors in the community.

Please join me in congratula ng both Roza and Mr. Miller when you see them on cam‐

pus and let’s make 2013 even more prosperous than 2012.

See you on Campus,

CRAIG LANSLEY

BS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Ins tute, Troy, NY – Management

Connect with me on

h p://www.linkedin.com/pub/craig‐lansley/4/429/746

A MESSAGE

FROM THE

DIRECTOR...

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S TAFF S POTLIGHT

How Long have you been working for SBBC?  I have been 

at SBBC since December 2011. 

What inspires you to work at SBBC?  I feel that educa on 

is exci ng, expanding your mind to think and do whatever 

you like and what you love, because we all have poten al. 

What advice would you give students to stay in school?  

It’s faster than you think and it will pay off bigger than you 

imagine. It is a life payoff, life goes by fast and at the end 

you get to give back. 

What goals do you have for students? What should they 

get from your class?  My goals for students are to gain 

their confidence to retrieve that higher educa on, encour-

age them to keep going because everybody has their prob-

lems. Nobody is perfect. 

What obstacles did you face while going through school? 

While I got my Master’s I was young and supported my 

parents. The struggles I overcame were being a single 

mom and ensuring funds for my kids. But I didn’t let that 

stop me. My kids watched  me graduate and I received my 

Master’s degree. 

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AMIE OSMOND

ACADEMIC DEAN INTERVIEWED BY ARMANDO VELASQUEZ AND GUSTAVO RAMIREZ

Where  are you originally from? I grew up in Apple Valley, 

about 100 hundred miles away from here. It is not what 

you expect.

Where did you go to school and what degrees do you 

hold? I went to school at UC Santa Barbara and got my 

Bachelor in Poli cal Science and History. Got my teaching 

creden als at Chapman University and then my Master’s in 

Public Administra on. A total of seven years in school.

What ac vi es do you enjoy in your spare  me? In my 

spare  me I like to spend  me with my three kids, do yoga 

and read. 

Have you traveled out of the valley? Where have you 

been or where would you like to go? Do you think it’s 

important for students to travel away from the valley?  

I used to be a French teacher. I used to take my students 

annually to Europe. I have also traveled to other countries 

such as Mexico, Canada, and the Middle East. My goals are 

to travel to South America, New Zealand, and Africa. I feel 

that it is very important for students to travel.

What careers did you have before you began 

working at SBBC?  I owned and s ll own part of a 

weight loss dietary business and taught as a 

French teacher in Apple Valley. 

 

 

         Where  are you originally from?  

Mexico, Jalisco. I     grew up in Santa Cruz.

Where did you go to school and what degrees do you 

hold?  

I received my Associate’s degree at College of the Desert 

and am working on my Bachelor’s degree at CSU-San Ber-

nardino.

What ac vi es do you enjoy in your spare  me?  

Hang out with my family, take them to the movies, parks, 

and amusement parks. 

Have you traveled out of the valley? Where have you 

been or where would you like to go? Do you think it’s im‐

portant for students to travel away from the valley?  

I have traveled to Fresno and Santa Cruz. I would like to visit 

Hawaii, Italy, and Spain. Any me you get a chance to travel 

you get to know the different types of cultures, people and 

different ideas.

What careers did you have before you began working at 

SBBC?  

I would teach Business Office Skills and Science classes. I 

would also par cipate in a er school programs, outreach, 

and ac vi es for Breast Cancer awareness. 

How Long have you been working for SBBC?  

I have been at SBBC since September of 2012. 

What inspires you to work at SBBC? 

The atmosphere is nice and everyone is so helpful. I like be-

ing here, the students make me want to come to work every 

day. 

What advice would you give students to stay in school? 

Educa on opens up so many avenues to a be er life. Plus 

the more educated you are the more you are able to chal-

lenge yourself and others. 

What goals do you have for students? What should they 

get from your class?  

 

Be a well-rounded student who is open to business and technolo-

gy. I also want them to understand that each of us are special in 

a different way and that cultural differences are great! 

What obstacles did you face while going through school? 

Peer pressure telling me I could not do it since I was not as smart 

as others. And financially, I had to pay for everything on my own. 

INTERVIEWED BY

ARLENE CURIEL

AND YAYNE VEGA

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S TAFF S POTLIGHT

ALFONSO CUMPLIDO

FINANCIAL

SERVICES COORDINATOR

Happy Two Thousand Thirteen to SBBC Students, Faculty and Staff! Jan‐

uary brings resolu ons with fresh chances to start over. I would love to know what your New Year’s resolu‐

on is; so please stop by my office and write it down for me; I’ll post it here on campus!

O en as students of business or as students of other disciplines, we look at great and famous entrepre‐

neurs or business icons like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg and others and think

how they have it made, making millions or even billions of dollars and how lucky they are. We o en forget

that luck has li le to do with success while what o en ma ers is the hard work, personal struggle and even

failures these great people had to suffer on their way to the top.

Some of my students and I had the opportunity last quarter, to view a video on Youtube‐ a video with al‐

most 16,000,000 views‐ mind you. In the recording, the late Steve Jobs, co‐founder and former CEO of Ap‐

ple Computer, co‐creator of one of the first commercially successful personal computers, founder of Next

and former CEO of Pixar, (yes, he had all of these tles), delivers a commencement speech at Stanford Uni‐

versity. In the video, Mr. Jobs talks about his life, his successes, his failures and his struggles to get to the

top.

Let me recount some of what he says in his speech about his life‐ facts you probably did not know:

Steve Jobs was born to a young unwed graduate student and was put up for adop on.

He at mes had so li le money that he bought food with the deposits he earned from collec ng and

turning in soda bo les.

Periods of me in his life, called for him to sleep on the floors of his friends’ dorm rooms since he

lacked a place to live.

Apple Computer was founded by him and Steve Wozniak, in his parent’s garage.

He later got fired from Apple Computer‐ the company he started.

Being fired le him devastated; it was a very public failure and he had no choice but to start over from

scratch.

He was diagnosed with pancrea c cancer and doctors gave him only 3‐6 months to live.

Later, Steve was given a clean bill of health but passed away about 6 years later, in 2011.

6

How did Steve Jobs benefit from these trying mes? First, he says, if he had not gone through a me of

searching, sleeping on his friends’ floors and cashing in soda bo les, he never would have wandered into a

calligraphy class‐ a class in which he found himself fascinated by the various and beau ful calligraphy de‐

sign styles and the carefully measured space between each le er and word. Without being exposed to cal‐

ligraphy at that me, he never would have been able to, ten years later, design the Mac with its beau ful

typefaces or with the propor onally‐spaced fonts it possessed. This me of searching also led him to find

the career for which he was des ned‐ a career he absolutely loved!

Steve says being fired from Apple Computer turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to

him. Being forced to essen ally start over, over the next five years, brought him to found Next and Pixar –

the film studio that created the first computer‐animated feature film‐ Toy Story. Being forced out of Apple

Computer also brought him to meet an amazing woman, fall in love, and soon marry‐ which was the start

of his beau ful family.

Facing deadly cancer and what appeared to be certain and imminent death, helped Steve understand the

big choices in life and confirmed things he had already learned. Through it all, he says all external expecta‐

ons, pride, and the fear of the embarrassment of failure, simply fall away in the face of death. Thinking

he was going to die, helped him avoid the trap of believing he even had something to lose in death. He

says we are all already naked and really have nothing to lose so we all might as well follow our hearts,

seeking what WE are called to do‐ not following the well‐worn path that has been set out before us by oth‐

ers!

Few people have success and wealth handed to them, neither do they o en come upon it by mere luck.

It’s through the struggle and the tough fight of life that we become successful. It’s determining that we

will s ck with the task regardless of the obstacles that get in our way‐ like Steve Jobs did. We need to plan

in this New Year to give it our all here at SBBC using EVERY minute of our days wisely‐ balancing school,

work and family. We should not waste a minute of the me we’ve so graciously been given. Again, Happy

and Blessed New Year to All!

Lindy Bains Business Chair, SBBC, Rancho Mirage campus

From a commencement speech delivered at Stanford University, 2005:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

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Tahquitz

Canyon

Lore

Tahquitz Canyon is a beau ful area nestled on the base of the San Jacinto Mountains 

of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. It has a 60 foot waterfall, na ve plants, 

natural streams, and plenty of eerie history. The canyon is a place of serenity, beauty, 

history, and danger. Tahquitz Canyon has been forbidden for decades. It is said that an 

old Indian shaman was banished to the San Jacinto Mountains when he was accused 

of abusing his special powers for his own evil ways. Mad about be‐

ing shunned by his own people, he is said to have sur‐

vived by stealing people's souls.  

Photo by Colin Davis, available under a Crea ve Commons A ribu on license

h p://www.flickr.com/photos/roughgroove/3433747648/

Legend has it that Tahquitz s ll lives high in the rocky cliffs of the canyon 

and occasionally makes his presence know. During certain  mes of the year, 

early in the morning, you can see a shadow of a witch formed by the crevic‐

es in the canyon. It is also said that occasionally green or blue orbs shoot in‐

to the sky, and out of the canyons, because of his fury. I encourage everyone 

to come explore this ancient historical site  of Palm Springs, but stay on the 

trail or else beware!   

 -Alexandria Greenfield

Photo by Joe Bielawa, available under a Crea ve Commons A ribu on license

h p://www.flickr.com/photos/joebielawa/4532830883/

9

An old Chinese proverb says, “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”  

This quote speaks to the value and endurance of educa on. As we begin the New Year with

its tradi on of fresh beginnings, I want to challenge all of you to celebrate and be thankful

for the gi of educa on that you are receiving from Santa Barbara Business College. This gi

of learning is especially precious because knowledge is the one thing that can never be taken

away from you. Cherish and honor the gi .

I also want to express my apprecia on to all the students and staff who have given me the

pleasure of allowing me to teach and interact with them at SBBC. Instruc ng the Body Clas‐

ses during the winter quarter was very sa sfying. I was impressed by the effort that was ex‐

tended by the majority of my students, very encouraged by the authen c pleasure they ex‐

hibited a er mastering tough concepts, and truly touched by their apprecia on, respect, and

kindness. I can think of nothing more rewarding than seeing the pride and pleasure on my

day students’ faces when they were able to name the major muscles in the human body,

ra le off all the bones, or recite all

twelve cranial nerves without

pause. They worked hard to mas‐

ter the very intricate Nervous Sys‐

tem and the detailed Muscular

and Skeletal Systems along

with the myriad collec‐

on of disorders

and diseases

A MESSAGE FROM OUR MEDICAL CHAIR. . .

10

that accompany each. My night students worked equally hard mastering the Respiratory Sys‐

tem, the Reproduc ve System, the Special Senses, Endocrinology and Pediatrics. They, too,

displayed great pride in their successes and amazed me with their keen memories in re‐

calling the names and roles of the many glands and hormones in the Endocrine System, the

intricate structures and func on of the eye, and the anatomy and physiology of the complex

middle and inner ear.

In the process of teaching these students, I too, learned a great deal. Some reinforced for

me how important a culture of acceptance and caring is as they exhibited genuine kindness

in how they interacted with me and helped and encouraged each other. Others taught me

to appreciate that there are many different learning styles and that the best method is the

one that works most effec vely for each individual. Most impressed me with the way they

rose above the circumstances of busy and complicated lives to make their studies a priority.

And all my students reinforced for me the pleasure of learning, the rich reward of

knowledge that can never be taken away, and the vital importance of being a life‐long learn‐

er who understands that there is something more to know and learn every single day. I am

grateful for the lessons they have taught me.

In closing, the great Nelson Mandela once said, “Educa on is the most powerful weapon 

which you can use to change the world.” As we celebrate the New Year, I encourage you to

also celebrate the gi of your educa on, push on to learn more each and every day, and fi‐

nally, to go out and change the world.

-SALLY MAJIDIAN

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line. Guests were treated to food and refreshments on the highest floor of the hotel.

Staff and instructors had the opportunity to chat with other members from other cam‐

puses. Ma Johnston, President, spoke of the college’s current standings and about fu‐

ture goals for 2013 and beyond.

From L to R: Kris an R., LRC Assistant, Maria E., Admissions Manager, Amie O., Academic Dean, Mike S., Legal Instructor

SBBC HOLIDAY LUNCHEON Santa Barbara Business College held its annual staff holiday party at the Crowne Plaza

hotel . The recep on had stunning views of Ventura beach and the surrounding coast‐

12

Above:  

Roza Seng was awarded Star Performer of 

the Year for the Admissions department. 

Above:  

Clint Miller was awarded Outstanding  

Instructor of the Year for the campus. 

13

The latest SBBCollege Cares event involved helping the

Healing Horses organiza on set up a fenced area for the

future loca on of the organiza on in Thermal. Healing

Horses is commi ed to improving the lives of Special

Needs Children, specializing in Au sm, through the use of

314

therapy horses. The organiza on is currently based in the Polo Fields. Students and staff

volunteered their me by preparing newly‐bought land for horse pastures. One of the ma‐

jor tasks was crea ng large fenced areas for the horses to roam in. As a team, fencing was

set up around the perimeter. Heavy wooden pillars were placed in the ground, while other

SBBC members rolled out metal fence. Finally, the metal fence was

spliced around the poles and a ached. SBBC hopes to help Healing

Horses in the future once the new loca on is up and running.

15

BEST WISHES ALLISON!

SBBCollege would like to thank Allison Fedrick for 

her 3 years of service at the Rancho Mirage campus. 

Allison began her career at SBBCollege as the cam‐

pus LRC Assistant. She then began teaching English 

and psychology classes, un l she transi oned to the 

Career Services Manager posi on in 2011.  She will 

be missed! SBBCollege would like to wish Allison  

the best in her future endeavors!

16

Above:  

Allison Fedrick and Andreanna Vargas pose with the large  

Thank You card signed by students, staff and faculty. 

Below:  

A group of students get together for one last picture with Allison.

17

January is Na onal Blood Donor Month  

7 Jan—First Day of Term 

21 Jan—Mar n Luther King, Jr Day (NO CLASSES) 

February is Black History Month  

14 Feb—Valen ne’s Day 

18 Feb—President’s Day (NO CLASSES) 

March is Na onal Nutri on Month   

1 Mar—Employee Apprecia on Day 

16 Mar—Freedom of Informa on Day 

 

Important Dates 

Finding An Agent That’s Right For You New Hires 

Be sure to welcome the new members of our team here at SBBC! 

 

Monica Lovewell—Legal Faculty 

Sandra Taylor—Voca onal Nursing Program Director 

Renato de Guzman—Voca onal Nursing Instructor 

Diana Weaver—Voca onal Nursing Clinical Instructor