May 8, 2003
Inside this issue:
Hello All
By Claire Rubach
2
Dear Fast Track To
Work Students
By Shelly Skye
2
What Is The
Mentoring Program?
By Melanie Milrod
3
Hello Everyone!
By Catherine
Lachance
3
Summer
Timeline
4
Fast Track To Work
Newsletter
From The Director
By Dena Taylor
Fast Track To
Work is planning
a year-end party
on Sunday, June
8. It will be a BBQ
potluck with lots
of games and
prizes. Come and
celebrate the end
of the school year
with us! Call 4796344 to sign up
and get more
details.
This has surely been a time of stress
and uncertainty for the world as a
whole, and the college in particular.
The State’s proposed cuts to
Cabrillo’s budget will affect us all in
terms of class eliminations, staff layoffs, and reduced services. The
college is doing all it possibly can to
minimize the effects these cuts will
have on students.
Here at Fast Track To Work, you
will find business pretty much as
usual. We had a huge budget cut this
past year, and managed to weather
that storm. For the coming fiscal
year, beginning July 1, we will be in
fair shape, and hopefully will be able
to offer all the services you’re used
to. It is unclear at this time how
much academic counseling or workstudy money will be available, but
we are doing everything we can to
keep these services.
In March we held a wonderful
fundraiser, In Celebration of the Muse,
featuring local women writers. The
money will be used to help pay for
our academic counselors.
Also this semester we received a
grant from the Community
Foundation of Santa Cruz County
for our Mentoring Project. We have
hired a coordinator, Melanie Milrod,
who will be matching graduating
students with mentors from the
community to help those students
succeed in their jobs. See Melanie’s
article on page 3 of this newsletter.
To all students receiving CalWORKs
or WIA assistance, we are your link
to the County. Come in and talk to
us about child care money, book
vouchers, work-study jobs, academic
and personal counseling, free
clothing, and your concerns about
your classwork or educational plan.
We’re in room 802 and are open 8
-12 & 1-5 M-F. Call us at 479-6344.
Page 2
Fast Track To Work Newsletter
Hello All
By Claire Rubach
I hope this newsletter
finds you well. As the
semester comes to a
close, I want to take the
time to welcome you to
make an appointment
with me or Shelly
regarding your summer
classes and/or other
academic questions. Some
of you may have
questions about your
educational plan, scholarships, disability needs,
transfer or other such
subjects. We would be
happy to talk with you
and offer information.
We both will be around
this summer, but please
call the front office to
find out our hours as they
are going to be different
from our Spring schedule.
Congratulations to all of
you for another semester
of hard work. Give yourself a big pat on the back
for all your accomplishments and honor all that
you have learned whether
or not the lessons were
hard or easy.
Dear Fast Track To Work Students
By Shelly Skye
As some of you may
know, I am planning to
hike the John Muir Trail
in July of this year. The
trip consists of 221 miles,
climbing 9 passes over
10,000
feet
and
culminating in a summit
of Mt Whitney; at 14,495
feet, the highest point in
the lower United States.
Cabrillo College, which is
near and dear to my heart,
the Fast Track To Work
Program. I have been
privileged to work with
you all for the past three
years. During my time
here I have seen the
demands for our services
grow while our resources
continue to shrink.
Why, you may ask, am I
writing this to you? I have
decided to use my hike to
try and raise money for
our program here at
In the past two years, our
program has been cut by
over 47%. This means
that we have less money
to help students with
things like childcare, work
-study grants, and other
special assistance awards
we have been able to
make in years past. In addition, counseling hours
have been severely cut,
even while more
students continue to
request services from our
office. It is my hope that
this project will in some
small way help our
program with much
needed funds.
Fast Track To Work Newsletter
Page 3
What Is The Mentoring Program?
By Melanie Milrod
We believe in mentoring
here at Fast Track To
Work. Helping and
supporting you in your
journey towards your
dreams and goals is a
big part of what we do.
That is mentoring.
Achieving those dreams
and goals with a game
plan, follow-through
and a lot of tenacity is a
major success story. And
that can be you.
Fast Track To Work
received a small grant
from the Community
Foundation of Santa
Cruz County to use in
putting together a
mentoring program that
will match up a selected
number
of
our
graduating students
with volunteer mentors
in the community. The
student will set monthly
goals with their mentor
and will work on their
goals, journaling as they
go. We will be following
these students throughout the next year and
will
watc h
the ir
progress as they move
from
student
to
employee, growing and
flourishing in partnership with the guidance
and support of their
volunteer mentor.
We’re in the process of
making these matches
this month. We will
keep you posted as we
watch the program
grow. If you have any
ideas or questions
regarding the Mentoring Program, please feel
free to call me (831247-3275) or email me
a
t
melanie@sasquatch.com
Hello Everyone!
By Catherine Lachance
Spring semester is a time
of endings and new
beginnings and you all
deserve the highest praise
for your accomplishments! For those of you
who are graduating and
completing
your
certificates, I would like
to thank you for letting
me be a part of your
educational process. My
hearty congratulations on
your honors that we all
know took hard work and
did not come easily! I will
miss you but won’t forget
you!
And for all of you who
will continue on with
your educational goals, I
wish you continual
success and sincerely
encourage you to utilize
the services I can access
that are available for
students. Please make an
appointment through the
front office to see me
once before the end of
the semester to check up
on what needs or
concerns you may have.
It is a pleasure working
with all of you and I look
forward to seeing you
soon! Go FTTW
students! You’re the
BEST!
Available Services:
Academic Counseling
Personal Counseling
Help with Financial
Aid
Books and Supplies
for CalWORKs and
WIA students
Childcare
for
CalWORKs students
Tutoring
Job Search Help
Loaner Library
Emergency Resource
Information
Fast Track To
Work wants to
organize a
Children’s Art
Exhibit here
at Cabrillo
College. If you
have a child
whose art you
would like to
submit,contact
Catherine
Lachance at
479-6463.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Fast Track To Work
Cabrillo College
6500 Soquel Drive
Aptos, CA 95003
PAID
Aptos, CA
Permit No. 6
Fast Track To Work
Summer Timeline
April 28-June 14: Early registration
dates for Summer 2003
May 12: Last day to withdraw from
a full term course for Spring
2003
June 6: Graduation
July 4: Independence Day Holiday
June 8: Fast Track To
Work BBQ
July 14&15: Late registration for
last summer session
July 14-August 8: Summer (second
4-week session)
May 13: Fall schedule on line
June 12-August 27: new students
Fall 2003 registration
May 19-21: EOPS/ DSPS priority
registration for Fall 2003
June 16&17: Late registration for
first two summer sessions
May 22-30: continuing students priority registration for Fall 2003
June 16-July 11: Summer (first 4week session)
May 26: Memorial Day Holiday
June 16-July 25: Summer (6-week
session)
September 13: Last day to add/
register or drop full-term
courses with a refund or reversal of charges
June 18: Grades for Spring 2003
(projected)
September 27: Last day to drop
without a “W” on transcript
May 27: Fall schedule on campus
June 2-7: Spring Finals
September 1: Labor Day Holiday
September 2: Fall Semester Begins
September 2-13: Late registration