NAC Alumni Return to Mentor Students at 3rd Annual NAC Holiday Potluck & Alumni Panel Event

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NAC Alumni Return to Mentor Students at 3rd Annual NAC Holiday Potluck & Alumni Panel Event

On Friday, December 20, over 70 NAC students filled the library at Valley High School to listen to a panel of NAC alumni at the 3rd Annual NAC Holiday Potluck and Alumni Panel event.
The returning alumni, many of whom are first-year college students attending a diverse range of colleges, including Cal State East Bay, Hope College, Transylvania University, Birmingham-Southern College, UC Riverside, and Cal State Fullerton, talked to students about how they dealt with academic challenges, culture shock, homesickness, and financial issues while navigating their way through college.
On the topic of addressing academic challenges, NAC Class of 2013 alum, George Rodriguez, a first-year student at Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, told students he made an Excel spreadsheet to plan out every hour of his schedule during the semester so that he wouldn’t get behind in his studies.
NAC Class of 2013 alum Erin Davis, a first-year student at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, also found a way to address her academic challenges. Erin told students that she developed a reward program for studying. After studying for 40 minutes, for example, she would take a 10-minute walk and get a chocolate bar to snack on. One semester into her studies, Erin claims the “reward” program has worked.
To meet her academic challenges, NAC Class of 2013 alum, Brenda Benites, a first-year student at UC Riverside, told students she took advantage of TA’s & Professors’ office hours to ask questions & get to know school staff, especially for larger classes. Brenda also made sure to frequent the library, at times spending several hours per day while writing essays.
While studying away from home, most students experience some form of homesickness: depression, anxiety, withdrawn behavior, or trouble focusing. Sometimes, the symptoms surface almost immediately. In other cases, the symptoms don’t take effect until much later. NAC Class of 2013 alum, Hector Valencia, a first-year student at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, told students he didn’t really experience home sickness until the holidays hit, especially when a large number of his classmates travelled home to be with their families.
Another issue students face while attending college is covering their financial obligations, which one can understand with a quick glance at the average costs of tuition and board on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Colleges. NAC Class of 2010 alum, Favie Silva, who now attends CSU Fullerton, told students that she has saved money in school by preparing her own lunches as opposed to buying lunch everyday from the cafeteria or other fast food franchises.
NAC Class of 2013 alum, Sara Benitez, a first-year student at CSU East Bay, also talked with students about being careful while managing their money, especially when studying away from home. While attending CSU East Bay, Sara learned to navigate the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, but she found that traveling costs often left her with very little money to meet her other financial needs.
In addition to the panel, students heard from other alumni who were also present and willing to share their college insight.
NAC Class of 2010 alum, Genesis Luviano, a senior at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, told students to take class assignments seriously, noting that “skipping” an assignment should not be an option. “You just have to know that you have to get it done. It’s not a matter of whether you’ll get a B or a B-minus. Basically, just knowing that it has to get done, that you don’t have a choice, is always a good thing.”
NAC Class of 2013 alum, Jackie Martinez, a first-year student at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, told students that being “tolerant” while studying away from home helps when dealing with culture shock. “Some people, they’re curious, and they haven’t encountered people like you, people who are different.” She continued, “So, always be tolerant.”
After the panel, students mingled with each other and enjoyed a potluck dinner of pizza, pasta, tostadas, tacos, and more. The potluck also served as an alumni reunion, allowing alumni to catch up with one another while enjoying a home-cooked, holiday meal.
Click HERE to watch a short video of the event on our Youtube channel.
Click HERE to see a full picture gallery of the event on our Facebook page.
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adminDec 24No Comments

Fifth Annual NAC Thanksgiving Dinner Celebrates Santa Ana Student Revitalization

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Fifth Annual NAC Thanksgiving Dinner Celebrates Santa Ana Student Revitalization

(Excerpt from the official press release): SANTA ANA, CA. – NOV. 22– The Nicholas Academic Centers (NAC) held their fifth annual Thanksgiving dinner event last Friday with more than 450 inner-city high school students and their families, celebrating the impressive academic success achieved by NAC participants.
“We have top-ranked, major universities beating down our doors to court our students,” said Broadcom (NASDAQ:BRCM) Co-Founder and former CEO Henry T. Nicholas, III, Ph.D., who founded the NAC in 2008 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel.  “For those of you who are first generation college students, I admire the bravery it takes to be that path-breaker.”
Nicholas, who will match a portion of the funds, added, “You guys are on track to earn $2 million in scholarships, and I will be writing a check at the end of the year for an additional $1 million.”
Over the past few months, highly-respected academic institutions — including the University of Notre Dame, Columbia University and Stanford University — have sent representatives to meet with NAC participants.
Horacio Quezada, a 19-year-old senior at Valley High School in Santa Ana, hopes to attend Notre Dame after meeting representatives of the school on a trip funded by the historic university.  He holds a 4.2 weighted grade point average despite having been in the US only two years.
“I had to hit the ground running as a junior last year and could not have had this immediate success without the help I receive from everyone here,” said Quezada.
Since 2008, more than 350 students have graduated from the NAC program with 95 percent attending college at a retention rate of 90 percent.  90 percent of the college attendees from NAC are serving as first-generation college students.  Currently NAC alumni are attending top colleges around the country, including Georgetown, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley.
Retired Superior Court Judge Mandel says centers now have set their sights on Ivy League schools.
“We have had representatives from Columbia University contact us about meeting students,” Mandel explained.  “It is pretty incredible the schools that are taking notice of our students after only five years of existence.”
“We are making a difference for those of you who take advantage of this opportunity,” added Mandel.  “Tonight, we have something to be thankful for here in Santa Ana.”
After everyone was served an early Thanksgiving feast, Jessica Aquino, an NAC alumna and current senior at Colgate University, spoke to the crowd.
“The NAC changed my life in ways I never could have imagined,” explained Aquino.  “I think I speak for all of us here when I say that the NAC has been a second home, and it is that rock that keeps us grounded.”
Click HERE to watch a Video of the event on our Youtube Channel.
Click HERE to visit our photo album on Facebook.
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adminDec 02No Comments

NAC Students Take a Course on Immigration Law & Policy at Chapman Lecture with Marisa Cianciarulo

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NAC Students Take a Course on Immigration Law & Policy at Chapman Lecture with Marisa Cianciarulo

On Saturday, October 26, Marisa Cianciarulo, Professor at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law and Director of Chapman’s Bette and Wylie Aitken Family Violence Clinic, talked with Nicholas Academic Centers’ students at the Chapman Visiting Scholars Series about the current state of immigration law and policy in the U.S.
“The reason why we have such a high population of undocumented immigrants, people who don’t have lawful status in the United States, is because there is no law for them to apply under.”
During the lecture, Professor Cianciarulo debunked immigration myths about why immigrants do not have lawful status and informed students about the limited options immigrants’ have to become residents, which include applying for U visas for victims of violent crimes, T visas for victims of human trafficking, and asylum for those fleeing persecution.
According to Professor Cianciarulo, “The ways in which someone can become legal are pretty limited,” and even marriage and family connections are susceptible to long wait periods and can take up to twenty or more years. With marriage, for example, the law is different for sponsored immigrants who entered the United States without documentation. Professor Cianciarulo notes, “They are not eligible to apply for their green card in the United States.” Instead, the approved applications for undocumented spouses green cards are forwarded to the consulate in their country of origin. Then, upon returning to their countries of origin, spouses are barred from returning to the U.S. for a period of ten years. Waivers can be filed to expedite the process and cancel the bar if the separation causes extreme hardship for the parties involved. If the waiver is denied, however, there is no appeal.
Familial connections do not offer much hope either. The Pew Hispanic Center reports that 4.5 million US Citizen children in the United States have at least one undocumented parent. Unfortunately, U.S. citizen children must be 21 years of age before they can sponsor their parents, who must then return to their countries of origin and wait the requisite 10 years before becoming eligible to enter the U.S. legally.
Professor Cianciarulo shared experiences from her career as a lawyer to better explain how immigrants fleeing persecution can qualify for asylum in the U.S. When the Taliban outlawed education for females in the capital city of Afghanistan near the turn of the century, a number of women risked their lives and secretly educated young girls at home. Later, after these women fled to the U.S,, Professor Cianciarulo represented them in court and helped them get asylum, based on differences in religion, politics, and memberships in a particular social group, in this case, being women.
Professor Cianciarulo also explained the particulars of U visas, as well as T visas, covered under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. U visas and T visas are mutually beneficial for the victims and law enforcement. Before the visas were available, undocumented victims were often too afraid to come forward because of their illegal status. Now, with their cooperation, the perpetrators of crimes and human trafficking cannot threaten victims with reporting their illegal status. Law enforcement reduces crime, and victims become eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status. The accused does not have to be convicted of a crime for the visas to remain active.
Most students were surprised to learn that “DACA, which is kind of like the DREAM Act, is not a law.” Instead, it is “an order from the President, telling two agencies how they’re going to deal with a certain group of people. It can end with another letter, saying ‘this program is going to end.’ It can end with a change in administration,” whereas a law cannot end unless someone actually changes the law.
In the second half of the lecture, Professor Cianciarulo divided students into groups, each with a unique case study concerning various immigration challenges. Students applied what they learned about immigration laws & policies to defend their clients and help them gain permanent resident status.
One of the case studies involved a 20-year-old woman named Patti, an undocumented immigrant who has lived in the U.S. since she was 8-years-old, and is now married to an abusive husband, Steve, a U.S. citizen. After suffering a concussion during a confrontation with Steve, a hospital nurse encouraged Patti to file a police report. NAC students, serving as Patti’s legal counsel, weighed Patti’s options. With the U visa, Patti would have to wait three years to apply for a green card, and DACA would not grant her legal status either. Considering these factors, students decided that Patti would best be served applying for protection under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) because she’s married to a U.S. citizen who has been abusive.
In addition to discussing U.S. Immigration Policy, Professor Cianciarulo touched briefly on immigration policy in Canada, wherein a point system is used to qualify applicants based on criteria like education, family already legally residing in the country, and other factors. She also looked at Europe and Australia.
“Every country in the world struggles with immigration and struggles with multiculturalism.” Referring to current US immigration policy, Professor Cianciarulo adds, “Our problem, I think, is our laws just haven’t kept up with other factors, mainly economic factors and changing demographics around the world.”
To close, Professor Cianciarulo encouraged students to get involved with local community organizations like the DREAM Team of Orange County, among others, to advocate for positive immigration reform.
Click HERE to watch a video of the presentation.
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adminNov 25No Comments

NAC Students Discover the Rulebook of Success and Paulo Freire at Chapman Lecture

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NAC Students Discover the Rulebook of Success and Paulo Freire at Chapman Lecture

NAC students attending the Chapman Visiting Scholars Series lecture on Saturday, November 16, were treated to two presentations from esteemed Chapman faculty. Dr. Don Cardinal, Dean of Chapman University’s College of Educational Studies, shared his journey from a troubled adolescent to a college dean. He also explored the idea of discovering the “Rulebook of Success.” Dr. Peter McLaren, Distinguished Fellow in Critical Studies at Chapman University’s College of Educational Studies, talked with NAC students about his experience in the fields of education and critical studies; he then examined the life of author, educator, and philosopher Paulo Freire, noting his influence on the academic world, before finishing with Theatre of the Oppressed activities.
To open the lecture, Dr. Cardinal took an emotional “risk” and shared his personal background with NAC students, surprising many of them with the unlikely path he followed into a career in academia. Dr. Cardinal, a first-generation college graduate, nearly missed out on higher education when he was dismissed from community college with a low GPA. The dismissal coincided with a number of run-ins with the law, as well as the death of his father, and Dr. Cardinal’s family grew discouraged and began to withdraw their support.
One day, while working as a laborer on a punch press in a factory, Dr. Cardinal’s boss was fired without warning. This sparked an epiphany, and Dr. Cardinal decided, “I’m not going to have zero skills in my life, so that when adversity comes I can’t rebound.” He decided that going back to college and earning an education, which would prove no small feat, would provide him a better chance at stability.
To explain how and why his experience is relevant to students, Dr. Cardinal noted, “I need you to understand that no matter what you’ve gone through, no matter what your family circumstances are, no matter what you’ll still go through that are tough times, that you can transcend those; you can be successful no matter what happens in your life.”
While pushing through obstacles and moving closer to achieving his goals, Dr. Cardinal contemplated the existence of a “Rulebook of Success” and considered how such a guide could be created and used. Dr. Cardinal shared a few of the tips that he learned over the years while searching for, or rather creating, his own rulebook of success; tips he believes will help NAC students reach their goals. Among the elements listed, Dr. Cardinal included embracing hard work, working smart, finding mentors, knowing one’s self, and networking with others.
Dr. Peter McLaren opened the second half of the lecture by sharing his own story, charting his family’s rise from working to middle class in Toronto, Canada. While discussing his family, Dr. McLaren noted how different he was from his uncle, the war hero, who was more representative of the mainstream. “He didn’t like me because I was a hippy in the 1960s. I’d grown my hair long, I wore beads and bell bottoms, and I was part of the counter culture.” According to Dr. McLaren, he identified more with non-conformists because he shared their discontent, and he was unhappy with the injustice he saw in the world.
In 1980, Dr. McLaren wrote a book called Cries in the Corridors, about his own teaching experience in Canada in an effort to draw attention to the dire condition of the education system for inner-city students. During the process of getting his book published, the publisher insisted that he remove the analytical reflections of his experience and focus instead on the dramatic incidents that unfolded during his time teaching the Corridor kids. Shortly after its publication, the best-selling book rendered some unexpected and unfortunate results. “The community was demonized, and it had the exact opposite effect I hoped it would, writing that book.” The situation worsened when Dr. McLaren heard a white supremacist endorse his book on public radio, noting, “When you read how those dark-skinned kids act in class, you’ll want to change the immigration laws to keep them out.” Horrified, Dr. McLaren soon found a publisher in the United States willing to allow him to write a counter-book within the same book to talk about how the book should have been written. The “corrected” version is called Life in Schools.
Dr. McLaren’s new book caught the attention of Paulo Freire, and in 1987, Freire invited him to present at a conference in Havana, Cuba, for the Pan-American Psychology Association. Dr. McLaren, a noted Freire supporter and scholar, considered the late Paulo Freire his mentor, and while detailing events in Freire’s life, talked about how Freire’s experiences, books, and videos mentor him still.
For the latter part of his presentation, Dr. McLaren, with the help of Janae Dimick, the Director of Higher Education Services for the Nicholas Academic Centers, led NAC students in a number of Theatre of the Oppressed exercises.
In the first exercise, known as Columbian Hypnosis, students worked in pairs. During the exercise, one partner followed the hand movements of the other, keeping a close stare fixed on the moving hand. When the exercise was expanded to a group setting, a clear hierarchy emerged and students first noticed an issue of power.
Students also participated in an exercise called Blind Car, in which one partner led the other through a series of commands. The person in control, or the driver, signaled the blinded partner, or car, for changes in direction based on specifically placed touches on the back. A similar exercise followed in which students used unique sounds to lead their partners around the room. All of the exercises involved taking and relinquishing control.
Finally, in an appropriate conclusion to Dr. McLaren’s presentation, students studied structures of power by taking turns positioning and repositioning six chairs. Each layout demonstrated various unique models for the structure of power, ranging from one ruling the masses, to equal rule, to shifts in power over time.
Click HERE to watch a video of the presentations.
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adminNov 25No Comments

Chapman Lecture About Physician Assistants Inspires NAC Students To Achieve Their Goals

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Chapman Lecture About Physician Assistants Inspires NAC Students To Achieve Their Goals

The Chapman Visiting Scholars Series began its fourth year with Dr. Michael Estrada’s presentation, “Jobs of the Future – Physician Assistant: An Enterprising Profession for an Evolving Healthcare System.” During the lecture, students of the Nicholas Academic Centers learned more than the technical requirements of becoming a Physician Assistant, however. Dr. Estrada, the founding director of Chapman University’s new Physician Assistant Studies Program, shared his story with students and inspired them to pursue their passion and achieve their goals in whichever field they choose.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles, sharing a dirt-floor garage with his mother and grandmother, Dr. Estrada comes from humble beginnings. With no stove for cooking or running water for bathing, he learned to appreciate cooking outside on the grill and washing up in the morning by running through the sprinklers. Despite the hardships, he realized he had more reasons to give thanks than to give up. He had food, clothes, shelter, and a caring family.
Dr. Estrada’s trajectory into working in the medical field started at an early age, when he would take the bus with his grandmother to visit his mother while she worked as a switchboard operator at the hospital. Dr. Estrada remembers, “I think that was the first time that I ever got that vision of what it is I wanted to do.” At the hospital, a woman from payroll would give him an envelope with candies and coins. Dr. Estrada grins while sharing the story, adding, “Who doesn’t love chocolates?”
Since he was young, Dr. Estrada’s mother always told him to go to school and graduate so that he could get a good job and take care of his family. He notes, however, that as important as the family unit is, especially in the Latino culture, sometimes the family model has to be broken for greater success down the road, which often involves leaving the family to take advantage of academic and professional opportunities.
While striking out on his own, first at the University of La Verne, Dr. Estrada experienced culture shock, but he adjusted and learned to identify with those outside of his culture. Before long, he joined the Black Student Union. “It allowed me to appreciate other people’s cultures, and others’ perspectives on what it is they had to do to get where they were at.”
After graduating college, Dr. Estrada’s professional career in the medical field began when he became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). During a visit to Soledad, he met the mayor, who offered him a job managing an ambulance unit. “I had my abuelita and my mom, and here I was entertaining the thought of taking a job that was 500 miles away, and that’s hard, thinking about that, leaving your family.” Realizing the significance of the opportunity, Dr. Estrada adds, “As hard as the decision was, there I was in Soledad.”
It was Dr. Estrada’s experience in Soledad that led him closer to becoming a Physician Assistant. In a rural setting with the nearest hospital over 50 miles away in Salinas, Dr. Estrada’s skills as an EMT were continually put to the test. After he helped deliver a baby in a makeshift apartment for migrant workers, and because he spoke fluent Spanish, the local Latino population began to call him for basic medical services, like having a sore back or a fever. On one occasion, about a year and a half into his tenure in Soledad, Dr. Estrada received a call concerning a collision between a big truck and a train. After he found the truck driver, who had been pinned under the engine in a smashed-in cab, he called for an emergency helicopter transport. Unfortunately, no helicopters were immediately available, so the patient was taken to urgent care in nearby Gonzales. Before the medical team arrived via helicopter, a Physician Assistant prepped the patient. Dr. Estrada was amazed at what he saw. Before this day, he had never even heard of Physician Assistants. Because of this man’s skill, the patient had a chance at life. Dr. Estrada wanted to provide the same level of care.
A few years later, and not without obstacles, Dr. Estrada earned a place in the PA program at USC, where he later earned his Master’s Degree. He notes, however, that he realized his true calling while working in the ER. One day, a woman brought in a baby and asked for help. The baby had already died, and upon further questioning, the cause of death seemed to be shaken baby syndrome. The mother had sought the help of a sobadora (masseuse) to heal the baby, but the treatment did more damage than good. Most on the medical team believed the mother should have been brought up on charges of child abuse, but Dr. Estrada recognized the cultural disparity present in the situation. “If you don’t understand someone’s culture and beliefs, how can you say that they’ve done something wrong?” After moving on from the ER and entering family practice to work with patients of Latino backgrounds, Dr. Estrada took on a new mission. “My role wasn’t primarily to just see patients to help them, but also to educate them, and that’s the role of the health professional today.”
To better explain a Physician Assistant’s role, Dr. Estrada shared a Power Point presentation on the history of PAs and then asked students to divide into groups of 4 or 5 for a workshop. Dr. Estrada instructed each group to determine probable causes for a 16-year-old boy with an upset stomach. Students came up with several questions to diagnose the cause of illness. Some of the diagnoses included a ruptured appendix, ulcer, diabetes, constipation, and stress. The exercise, engineered to help students understand how to make basic observations, also revealed how familiar students already are with basic doctor-patient interactions.
Toward the end of the lecture, Dr. Estrada credited his family and mentors for helping him make it through. “It’s really important to understand that we’ve all arrived here, to this very moment, because other people stood behind us and pushed us forward. They were able to see whatever little light there is inside of you, and they know how to make it shine and make it bright so that you can get out there and do whatever it is that you envision in your mind that you want to do.” He closed with words of encouragement for the students. “It’s not going to be easy, but the good things in life cuestan (cost); don’t get discouraged because some day, you’re going to be standing up here presenting to [those who follow you].”
After the lecture, a number of NAC students shared their thoughts about what they had learned from Dr. Estrada. A first-time attendee of the Chapman Visiting Scholars Series, NAC student Marcy Lazaro stated, “This opened my eyes to different possibilities of what I can do to help people.” NAC student Gabriel Piñon remarked, “Although I don’t really want to pursue [becoming a Physician Assistant], Dr. Estrada really inspired me to follow my dreams like he did his.” And finally, NAC student Kathy Orozco added, “I wanted to go into the medical field, but this inspired me to get more into it.”
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adminOct 09No Comments

Into the Wild: NAC Class of 2010 Alum Jerry Zelaya Spends the Summer in the Jungles of Peru

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Into the Wild: NAC Class of 2010 Alum Jerry Zelaya Spends the Summer in the Jungles of Peru

In 2010, Jerry Zelaya left Santa Ana and traveled 2,500 miles in pursuit of higher education at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Shortly after he arrived, the seasons shifted, and Jerry, an Environmental Studies major, outfitted in t-shirts and shorts, found himself underdressed and unprepared for his new environment. Fall gave way to winter, and Jerry began to miss the sun as much as he missed his family and friends back home. Over time, however, Jerry adapted to his surroundings culturally, academically, and even climatically. This summer, before starting his junior year, Jerry decided to challenge himself to adapt to an entirely new experience, and he applied for an internship through Fauna Forever to spend two months researching wildlife in the Peruvian jungle.
What started as a Google search for “animal behavior and conservation” soon led Jerry to Puerto Maldonado, Peru. With Fauna Forever, a non-profit organization committed to researching and protecting Peru’s rainforests, Jerry knew he had found the hands-on experience he was looking for. “To get to know the organization, I looked at blogs of past interns and the work they did while interning. After reading about the positive experiences, I knew this internship was for me. It is very hands-on. Some wildlife internships do not allow a hands-on experience as they do not want to disturb the wildlife, but I received guidance for conducting my own research with minimal impact.”
From Puerto Maldonado, Jerry’s team traveled by car for one hour before embarking on a two-hour boat ride up the Rio Las Piedras. According to Jerry, the main purpose of his research was “to better understand the current challenges facing the rainforest and to see how the disturbance of habitat affects the species in the rainforest.” Jerry and his team monitored behavioral changes in species in relation to habitat disturbance caused by local industries: Brazilian nut farming, timber logging, and gold mining. To do this, they counted the species’ population, tagged birds, followed monkeys, and recorded their observations.
Jerry learned a lot while studying birds during the day and searching for amphibians throughout the night. He also accomplished his goal of learning more than he expected. “What I never expected to learn was using my sense of smell to identify any species that were once present in the area. In the jungle, you have to use your sense of smell and hearing to know what is around you. When I was on the bird team, I was taught to identify birds by their birdcall or stress call.” One of the highlights from the trip came when Jerry untangled a bird from “mist netting” without assistance. “It usually requires a lot of patience because the wings can be very delicate and the bird will flap and flop around. If the bird is tangled up for too long, it can become stressed and die on the scene. In a way, you are being timed.”
Though Jerry struggled at first to adjust to the jungle and the tasks he performed, he adapted. As the days passed, he improved in his duties and even learned to tolerate the mosquitoes, although conquering the metric system proved a worthy challenge. “One of my biggest challenges was learning the metric system, translating kilometers to miles or meters to feet.”
From here, Jerry plans to adjust his major from Animal Behavior and Environmental Studies to Environmental Policy and Photography. “As an avid photographer, I am aiming to do a project for National Geographic, to let the world see how scarce the rainforest is, and let them witness through my lens the negative impact humans have on wildlife.” After college, Jerry plans to spend more time conducting research before entering graduate school to pursue a doctorate.
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adminSep 17No Comments

Morningside College President John C. Reynders Joins NAC Students for Dinner in Santa Ana

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Morningside College President John C. Reynders Joins NAC Students for Dinner in Santa Ana

Getting through school is no easy task. Although the national high school graduation rate recently hit a 40-year high at nearly 75%, “an estimated 1 million students will fail to graduate high school this year, a loss of 5,500 students for every day on the academic calendar,” according to Emily Richmond’s article on a report from Education Week. Once in college, “as many as one in three first year students” does not return for sophomore year, according to a U.S. News report on freshman retention rates. Reasons for dropping out include personal, familial, academic, and financial struggles. These statistics build a strong case for the importance of maintaining consistent mentoring and support throughout a student’s academic career. Providing a strong support system is one of many areas in which a long-time Nicholas Academic Centers’ partner, Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, excels.
On Monday, July 22, the President of Morningside College, John C. Reynders, and his wife, Robin, flew out to Santa Ana and visited with NAC students and their parents for the third time in four years. President Reynders cites NAC Co-founder Judge Jack K. Mandel as a mentor and a source of inspiration for recruiting students from Santa Ana. “I see Judge Mandel as a mentor of mine. My respect for his passion for helping the students of Santa Ana attend and succeed in college has motivated me to replicate the program he started at Allegheny College at [Morningside College]. I believe in the program and the difference it makes in young people’s lives and am very pleased that we can participate.”
Also in attendance, Andre McWell, Morningside College’s Student Services Coordinator, knows that transitioning to college can be difficult for students, as well as their parents, especially when the college is nearly 1,650 miles from home. “I have only had contact with a couple of the students’ parents while the students have been on our campus. That’s why it’s so important for us to get out and visit with them in the summer. I look at the visit as a transfer of custody, and I want to go out and speak face to face with the parents and guardians of the students who will be on our campus and assure them that their kids will be taken care of, and answer any questions they may have in person. They are sending their kids not only out of state, but thousands of miles away.”
NAC Class of 2013 alum Desiree Ponce is one of seven recent NAC graduates who will begin their higher education journey at Morningside College in the fall. Desiree’s parents attended the dinner, and they expressed their appreciation for President Reynders’ visit. Desiree’s dad, who previously felt uncomfortable about sending his daughter to an out-of-state school, remarks, “Seeing President Reynders and the interest he and his wife have in seeing the new students and their families gave me peace because now I know and can see that they care about each individual. I feel happy that my daughter is going to a school that cares and takes the time to help others. I just want to say that the dinner was a great idea because I was able to see the current students enrolled [at Morningside] and see how happy they are to be there, and their parents are open to it; it shows me that my daughter is in good hands and on the right track.”
NAC Co-founder Judge Jack K. Mandel agrees that attending Morningside College qualifies as taking “the right track.” “Morningside College is an elite liberal arts college, which prepares young people for life, an effective life, in supporting the community and opening doors for graduate schools. Our young people have not had this experience, but they thrive on it when the opportunity is presented.” The Judge adds, “[President] John Reynders has created an open and warm campus where our students have had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Middle America, and do it successfully. There’s always apprehension as they leave the warmth and comfort of their homes in Santa Ana. I’ve yet to find any that have not had a superior response from President Reynders and his administrators at Morningside College in Sioux City.”
Also on hand at the dinner were several NAC alumni who already attend Morningside College. NAC Class of 2011 alum, Cynthia Antunez, took the opportunity to talk with incoming freshmen. “I spoke to several of the incoming freshmen about my own previous experiences, such as leaving home for the first time, getting used to the weather, and eating food. I mentioned that the food is very different and the weather is too, but I let them know they will get used to it just like all the other Morningside students have. Also, being homesick will eventually hit them, but it will be okay and that all it takes is a call home to say, ‘Hey mom and dad/sister or brother, I miss you; I am homesick, but I will be fine.’” NAC Class of 2009 alum and recent Morningside College graduate Mayra Orozco talked to parents of recent NAC grads, noting of President Reynders, “His accessibility is a great benefit, and he has become a friend for life.”
Morningside College is a top-ranked Regional Midwest college on U.S. News & World Report’s college-ranking list. The school features a 13:1 student/faculty ratio, and 99% of students find work or attend graduate school within 6 months of graduating. On average, Morningside covers 90% of tuition for NAC students.
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adminAug 06No Comments

NAC Students Get Hands-On Experience at Bucknell University Engineering Camp

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NAC Students Get Hands-On Experience at Bucknell University Engineering Camp

While many might argue that a glass is either half empty or half full, the four Nicholas Academic Centers’ students who recently attended the Bucknell University Engineering Camp in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, would likely argue the glass is simply twice the size it needs to be. For the second year in a row, NAC students have traveled to Bucknell University to participate in a weeklong, hands-on introduction to engineering.
From Monday, June 24, to Friday, June 28, NAC rising seniors Brayham Hernandez, Alejandra Dominguez, Estefania Huitron, and Kevin Vongsotsavanh spent nearly seven hours per day in classrooms and labs studying different fields of engineering, including Chemical, Bio-Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Solar-Power, Cosmetic, and even Nanotechnology.
Each class consisted of approximately one hour of lecture and another hour of hands-on lab work. Students were warned early on that the academic schedule would be rigorous, but also fun. Brayham Hernandez appreciated the challenge. “I enjoyed Mechanical Engineering because I like to make things. In the class, we were given a lecture on robotics. Then, for our hands-on project we were asked to make a robotic arm that could pick things up, and we could only use simple materials to build the arm: cardboard, paper clips, glue, tape, push pins, and a couple of other things. The challenge showed us how much we can do using only simple materials.” Brayham’s robotic arm was able to pick up half of the items it needed to pick up. Brayham notes, “All of the groups struggled, but it was a lot of fun.”
Estefania Huitron, one of only a handful of girls who participated in the program, found the “Atmospheric Particles” class, which is related to Chemical Engineering, to be the most interesting course in the curriculum. “I found it very interesting to learn about the atmosphere and what it is composed of. I especially enjoyed an activity in which we combined chemicals in order to form a gas cloud in a bottle.”
Alejandra Dominguez enjoyed Cosmetic Engineering, which touched on her fascination with make-up, and she was surprised to learn how versatile an engineering degree can be. “Our instructor emphasized that even if we have an engineering degree, we are not limited to just being an engineer. Engineers, basically, are problem solvers. These are the skills that can give us a boost in the cosmetics industry, or in any industry.”
One area in need of solutions for a sustainable future is the Energy Industry. While attending classes at Bucknell, Kevin Vongsotsavanh took a special interest in a class on Electrical Energy. “Electrical Energy caught my eye because balancing the supply and demand of energy is one of the most pressing issues in our generation, and the professor had a lot of experience in the field. In his lecture, the professor explored alternative options for energy and the class participated in a discussion about which alternative would be best. After that, we tried out some prototypes and went to see the Bucknell University solar panels and wind turbine.”
The Engineering Camp serves a dual purpose. The program allows high school students to experience a collegiate environment while it also encourages them to further explore various fields of engineering. Alejandra Dominguez credits the program for introducing her to her major. “After Bucknell, I discovered that I want to major in chemical engineering. I want to use this major to get into the cosmetic industry and become a cosmetic engineer. I can use the knowledge I gain from working with makeup in the lab and go into the business side of the industry.”
According to Brayham, “The Bucknell camp actually encouraged me even more to go into engineering. I wanted to go into the field before, but now I know I want to go into Mechanical Engineering for sure. The program opened new doors, definitely.” Estefania adds, “This program truly opened my eyes to engineering, what it really is, as well as how and where it is applied.”
Last year’s Bucknell Engineering Camp participant, NAC student Nancy Charco, stated that while the camp did not cover Environmental Engineering, her chosen field, it did increase her overall interest in engineering.
The Bucknell Engineering Camp is one of many summer programs NAC students will participate in this year. Other programs include Girls Inc., C.O.S.M.O.S Summer Program for Mathematics and Science at UC Irvine and UC San Diego, a summer program in England, the High School Latino Leaders in D.C. Program for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the ACE Mentor Program, and Project Self.
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adminJul 17No Comments

125 in 2013: The Nicholas Academic Centers Celebrates Its Fifth Annual Graduation Celebration

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125 in 2013: The Nicholas Academic Centers Celebrates Its Fifth Annual Graduation Celebration

The Nicholas Academic Centers held its fifth annual NAC Graduation Celebration on Saturday, June 15, 2013, at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel in Anaheim, California.  Nearly 700 people gathered to celebrate this year’s 125 graduating seniors, up from 81 graduates last year. As in previous years, this year’s guests included friends, families, high school counselors & administrators, community leaders, and more.
It has become a tradition to feature the Santa Ana High School Mariachi Band during the opening reception, and this year’s wonderful performance left no doubts as to why. While the music played, guests not busy eating chicken skewers & quesadillas took pictures in one of two photo booths located on opposite ends of the ballroom promenade. In addition to a collection of more than 60 posters featuring NAC students, four large screen TVs lined the hall and continuously played two separate slide shows; one featured a pictorial retrospective of the NAC over the years, and the other presented portraits and biographies of this year’s graduating class.
Soon after the ballroom doors opened, Dr. Nicholas took to the stage to greet the audience. “Tonight, we’re here to recognize 125 students and their families, who through their hard work, diligence, and superior academic execution have managed to overcome, in many cases, significant economic and cultural barriers to graduate the rigorous program we have at the NAC.” While on stage, Dr. Nicholas also shared a number of impressive NAC statistics, including the fact that this year’s NAC seniors earned over $1.5 Million in scholarships and grants, bringing the cumulative total to over $4.5 Million, including $700,000 in direct NAC Scholarships.
The Master and Mistress of Ceremony, Jose Valdovinos and Mariana Hernandez followed Dr. Nicholas and introduced NAC Co-Founder and Retired Superior Court Judge Jack K. Mandel. During the introduction, Jose stated, “Retired Judge Jack K. Mandel has been perhaps a different kind of philanthropist in our community, donating more intangible but equally invaluable assets: his time and intellect.” Once on stage, Judge Mandel thanked the students for their hard work and congratulated them on their success. “Your success has validated my dream and Dr. Nicholas’ strong response in creating and supporting the dream and theories that I had. The success is yours, and the success is America’s as you take your role as committed members of the community following your graduation.”
Rosa Diaz, Director of Operations for the Nicholas Academic Centers, followed the Judge’s comments, and she noted, “Today’s graduation, this being the fifth, marks a very special one for us because we have seen that our program works, and now we see the results.” Rosa then recognized attending NAC alumni who graduated college this year, including Julio Cruz from UCLA, Lizbeth Pedroza from Allegheny College, and Mayra Orozco from Morningside College. Other graduating alums that could not attend include Elizabeth Moreno and Laura O’Campo from Allegheny College, Rocio Hurtado from UC Davis, and Ana Aguilar from Denison University. Rosa also recognized several NAC partners, including counselors and administrators from the Santa Ana Unified School District, Dr. Daniele C. Struppa and Chapman University, as well as City of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, whom she welcomed to the stage to share a few words. Mayor Pulido mentioned how Dr. Nicholas’ work at Broadcom helped “create a better reality,” and he added, “Part of what the NAC is doing is enabling [its students] to get into the arena, to create a different reality, to dream and fulfill [their] dreams.”
For dinner, guests enjoyed one of three entrees, including steak, chicken, or vegetarian lasagna. Each meal also included a dinner salad to start and a chocolate mousse “bomb” for dessert. Shortly after dinner was served, Hugo Gutierrez, NAC Executive Director, addressed the audience. “I am continually impressed by the students, and I am also reminded of the many things we have in common.” Like many of the students, Hugo comes from a family who migrated to the United States from Mexico seeking a better future, and it was his parents’ support and the support of mentors like NAC Co-Founder Judge Jack K. Mandel that helped Hugo realize his goal of attending and graduating college. “All of you here today have a level of sophistication far beyond what I had when I was your age. If you continue your journey with the same dedication you’ve displayed so far, you surely represent the next generation of lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists, and leaders in our community.”
Immediately following Hugo, a number of graduating NAC seniors shared their NAC experiences. Daisy Espinoza, who will attend Georgetown University in the fall, thanked the NAC for allowing her to participate in a number of enriching activities, including museum visits, college fairs and presentations, Chapman University lectures, musicals, beach cleanups, and more. Hector Valencia, who will attend Hope University in Michigan, expressed his intent to “return the favor” for the support he has been given during his high school experience by becoming a “successful, devoted community member, a product of the Nicholas Academic Centers.” These and other student speakers were also featured in a video put together and presented by the NAC Media Club. (Watch It HERE.)
After the video, Mistress of Ceremony Mariana Hernandez talked about how she has spent her time in Washington D.C. over the last few years while attending Georgetown University. One of the opportunities she took advantage of was interning for the Honorable Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Congressional Representative for the local 46th congressional district, and Keynote Speaker for this year’s NAC Graduation Celebration.
During her speech, Congresswoman Sanchez congratulated the graduating class and thanked parents, teachers, and school administrators, as well as the NAC, for the support they’ve given to the students. Congresswoman Sanchez noted that the reputation for students in the City of Santa Ana does not reflect their potential, as is often the case for under-represented students. To illustrate her point, she shared the story of Elijah Cummings, the U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 7th congressional district. Congressman Cummings came from humble beginnings and experienced discrimination in the school system at a young age. Tired of being told what he couldn’t do, he applied himself, learned to read, and went on to become a lawyer for 19 years before his election to the House of Representatives in 1996. Congresswoman Sanchez encouraged NAC students to continue to apply themselves as they move forward. “Whether [the people in your life] help you or fail you, when the book is written on your life, it is really about you and the motivation you have inside. You have the power within yourselves to achieve your dreams.”
Following the Congresswoman’s speech, Dr. Nicholas, Judge Mandel, and Mayor Pulido took their places on stage and presented this year’s graduating seniors with NAC diplomas and sweaters from the schools they will attend in the fall.
Here is the list of schools this year’s NAC graduates will attend in the fall (in alphabetical order):
Allegheny College
Birmingham-Southern University
Cal Poly Pomona
Chico State University
Connecticut College
CSU Channel Islands
CSU Dominguez Hills
CSU East Bay
CSU Fullerton
CSU Los Angeles
CSU Northridge
CSU San Marcos
Denison University
Fullerton College
Georgetown University
Golden West College
Hope College
Humboldt State University
Irvine Valley College
Juniata College
Missouri Baptist University
Morningside College
New York University
Orange Coast College
San Diego State University
Santa Ana College
Transylvania University
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
University of San Diego
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adminJun 25No Comments

NAC Student Yadira Calvac Puts a New Twist on Taking the Road Less Traveled

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NAC Student Yadira Calvac Puts a New Twist on Taking the Road Less Traveled

Soon after she finished the fourth grade, Yadira Calvac left California with her family for what was supposed to be a visit to her grandmother’s house in Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala. Yadira’s uncle, who took care of her grandmother, passed away unexpectedly, and Yadira’s father did not want his mother to be alone. It wasn’t long before he announced that the family, including Yadira’s older brother and younger sister, would be staying in Guatemala permanently. Yadira’s parents returned to the United States to pack the family’s belongings, and she suddenly found herself living in a strange, new place.
“At first, it was strange because I didn’t understand Spanish.” Yadira’s parents only spoke English at home when the family lived in the United States. Now, living in Guatemala, her parents only spoke Spanish, and they expected her to do the same. “When I started learning to speak Spanish, my dad prohibited me from speaking English. Before it was no Spanish, and then it was no English. I would only speak English at school in English class.”
Culture shock really set in when Yadira left the house. “It was a challenge, even more when moving there, because I was an ‘American girl,’ and they treated me differently. They wouldn’t talk to me because they thought that I thought I was too good for them. At first, I would cry, and I wanted to come back, but it took a couple years before they treated me like everybody else.”
As the years passed, Yadira made friends and kept herself busy playing soccer and attending classes. While going to school seems a given in the United States, Yadira notes education is not equally valued in other cultures, especially for girls in Guatemala. “In Guatemala, you have to pay to go to school, and girls don’t usually study; they grow up thinking that they should stay in their houses, learning to cook and do other things for when they get married.” She continues, “Only women whose parents think differently go to college.” Yadira’s parents, who owned and operated an “American-style” clothing store in Guatemala, encouraged Yadira to take school seriously.
Eventually, the clothing store stopped being profitable, and after two of her uncles moved into the house to help take care of her grandmother, Yadira and her family moved back to the United States. Yadira returned to California as a high school sophomore, and once again, found herself having to adjust to a “new” culture and language. Yadira’s English teacher, Ms. Alvarez, suggested visiting the NAC for English tutoring, and Yadira started working with former NAC tutor Danny Keener. “I was having difficulty reading a book, and that’s when I met Danny. He helped me a lot.”
Since her return to the United States, Yadira has been busy studying in school and volunteering with the NAC volunteers, cleaning up beaches and packing food boxes for the Orange County Food Bank. She also volunteers 16 hours every weekend at the Royale Health Care Center in Santa Ana. “I started volunteering at the Health Care Center because my grandmother on my mom’s side of the family passed away, and that encouraged me to help senior citizens. My grandmother’s caretakers didn’t take care of her very well, and she died of dehydration.”
Now that she is about to graduate high school, Yadira is looking forward to attending Santa Ana College before transferring to a UC or CSU. She is thinking of majoring in Business Administration & Management so that she can one day open her own cosmetics business and beauty salon.
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adminJun 06No Comments