On March 23, 2016, Diversity Programs presented the 8th Annual Women’s History Month Celebration. This celebration
is an opportunity for forty women to be honored with the Diamond Award for demonstrating their “brilliance” in their commitment,
dependability, creativity, innovation, teamwork and leadership qualities while at the College. The event’s Panelists included Dora
Beltran, Selena Solis, and Ann Crawford McClure. Dr. Veronica Mallett, M.D., was the Keynote Speaker. The latter women gave
phenomenal speeches that inspired the hundreds in attendance.
2016 Diamond Award Recipients
Lori Acosta
Cynthia Aguilar
Arlene Alarcon
Laura Alcantar
Graciela Armengol
Adriana Badillo
Patricia S. Barrientos
Lydia H. Burrola
Marina Cano
Maria del Carmen Casavantes
Georgina Chavez
Isabel Chavira
Guadalupe Davila
Cristina Dominguez
Margaret (Margo) Endlich
Graciela Erivez
Irene Escalante
Nancy Gamez
Dolores Gross
Mary Beth Haan
Lorraine (Lori) Hoefner
Maria E. Lopez
Guadalupe Loya
Alma Loya
Juanita Martinez
Gail (Paula) Meagher
Lilia (Lily) Medrano
Elizabeth (Liz) Olguin-Ryan
Dolores Pavia
Joanne Peeples
Theresa Rivera
Margaret Rodriguez
Lucia Rodriguez
Elizabeth (Liz) Rodriguez
Leticia (Letty) Salas
Cristina (Raquel) V. Salas
Patti Sayers
Luz Terrones
Grace Vaughn
Angeles Vazquez
Panel Discussion & Bios
Dora Beltran is a member of the Tigua
Indian Tribe of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. Among the joys of
living a culturally rich Native American life in the heart
of an urbanized city, she also experienced the harsh life
of extreme poverty and the struggle that so many in her
community endured. It was the actions of her parents
that taught her to rise above the obstacles she faced,
not only for her immediate family but for her tribal family
as well. Mrs. Beltran began working at El Paso Community College Action-Migrant Program in 1966, and
through her employment met two doctors who were
willing to provide free medical assistance for the Tigua
community. In 1957, she became the first tribal employee,
and in 1974 became the first certified Tigua Policewoman.
Selena Solis is an Austin native who
adopted El Paso and the Southwest as her home in October 2003 when she became an Assistant Federal Public
Defender for the Federal Public Defender in the Western
District of Texas. She provides legal defense representation
in federal criminal cases to individuals financially unable to
obtain adequate legal representation. Ms. Solis received
her undergraduate degree in Latin American Studies from
the University of Texas at Austin. She is a frequent lecturer
and faculty at national training seminars for private appointed attorneys on indigent criminal defense topics in
federal court. In May 2013, Ms. Solis was elected to serve
a 6-year term as Board of Trustee for District 4 for El Paso
Community College.
Chief Justice Ann McClure is the
first female Chief Justice of the Eight Court of Appeals.
She completed her undergraduate education at Texas
Christian University in Fort Worth, and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in
Communications. In 1979, she received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center and
entered private practice with a preeminent family law
firm in Houston. Justice McClure relocated to El Paso in
1983 when she married attorney David McClure and
began a solo practice in appellate law. In 1992, she and
her husband merged their respective practices into the
partnership of McClure and McClure. Justice McClure
became Chief Justice in October 2011, the year the court
celebrated its centennial anniversary.
Dr. Mozella Garcia (Moderator) was
twice elected as Diversity Council chair at New Mexico
State University (NMSU). In addition to this position at the
university, she sevred as the NMSU Doña Ana Community College Student Success Center Director, El Paso
Community College Diversity Council advisory member
and National Council of Instructional Administrators
(NCIA) board member. Other leadership positions held
include chair of the NMSU Hispanic Faculty/Staff Caucus,
DACC Diversity Caucus and DACC Retention Executive
Committee. Prior to coming to NMSU, Dr. Garcia helped
confound The Midland Hispanic Cultural Center, a
center that provides children age 5-18 the opportunity to
learn arts, traditions, customs and culture.
Keynote Speaker – Veronica Mallett, M.D.
Dr. Mallett was born
in Detroit, Michigan. She attended
college at Bernard College, Columbia University in New York and then
attended medical school at Michigan
State University, College of Human
Medicine in East Lansing, Michigan.
After medical school, she did her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology
at Wayne State University in Detroit
where she also completed a Fellowship
in Urological Gynecology. In addition
to her extensive medical training, Dr.
Mallett has undergone leadership training by the AAMC, Covey Leadership Center, Scientific Method Inc., the Council on Resident Education
in OB/GYN (CREOG), Executive Leaders in Academic Medicine (ELAM),
the National Association of Public Health Hospitals, the University Health
Consortium Medical Leadership Program, and Patient Safety Improvement
Corporation. She obtained her Master’s degree in Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburg in March 2011. She has been an
invited speaker at numerous national conferences as a thoughtful leader
and expert. Dr. Mallett has also authored over forty articles, book chapters and abstracts. She has conducted numerous clinical trials and has a
fruitful research career. Dr. Mallett is a member of a number of professional organizations including the American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, American Uro-Gynecologic Society, and American Medical
Association.
Arlene Alarcon
Rebekah Bell
Aida Black
Michelle Chavez
Olga C. Chavez, Chair
Mozella Garcia
Lorena Navedo
Luz Roberts
Liz Olguin-Ryan
Diamantina Storment
M O T H E R S D AY A R O U N D T H E W O R L D
• In the majority of the world’s languages, the word for “mother” begins with the letter M.
• About 122 million telephone calls are made to mothers in the United States alone.
• Approximately $14 billion dollars is spent on Mother’s Day.
• It was President Woodrow Wilson who, in May 9, 1914, signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” in Different Languages
Welsh: “Sul y Mamau Hapus yn!”
Italian: “Buona festa della mamma!”
French: “Bonne fête des mères!”
Portuguese: “Feliz Dia das Mães!”
Inside the office - Diversity Programs
A closer look into the Diversity Program wor kplace.
Retreat
by Aida Black
This year, I had the privilege of attending EPCC’s 23rd Annual Staff
Retreat which took place April 21 through 23 in South Padre Island,
Texas. This year’s theme was Wellness: A Way of Life, featuring Jose M.
Baltazar, Ph.D., as the keynote speaker.
Participants were divided into four teams. I was honored to serve
with Team One, The Kardiacs, which focused on causes and ways to
relieve stress. Team Two, The House of Carbs presented on proper
nutrition, Team Three, Fit Maniacs on the benefits of exercise and types
of daily activities to be active, and Team Four, The Dream Team, on the
importance of rest and the effects on the mind and body.
I wish to acknowledge and thank the following:
• Olga C. Chavez, Director of Diversity Programs and my administrator for authorizing my attendance to this year’s staff retreat
• Dr. William Serrata, President, and Josette Shaughnessy, Vice President, Financial & Administrative
Operations/CFO, for supporting the staff retreat
• Alex Hernandez and Mari Reyes with Human Resources Development, for coordinating and organizing the staff retreat
• Dr. Jose M. Baltazar, keynote speaker, for sharing his expertise and insight with retreat participants
• Facilitation Team Members, Isabel Hernandez, Pablo Rivera, Pamela Marquez, Armando Salazar, Sabrina Campbell, Jesus Garcia, Bianca Tidwell, and Leticia Adame for leading the participants in lively discussions and fun breakout sessions!!!
W H AT K E E P S S T U D E N T S AT E P C C ?
Students and professors were asked about why they think students stay at El Paso Community
College. The following are some of the responses we recieved:
“Location, location, location. Tuition is much lower than university level. They [the students] get a more personal
experience here.” – Charles Miller, English Professor
“Low cost and familiarity.” – Saul Reyes, Business Major
“Affordability.” – Carolina Valdez, Media Advertising
“Student community.” – Juan Torres, Business and Accounting
“Low tuition.” – Sofia Chavez, Physiology
“Cheap.” – Rox Ann Moreno, Broadcasting
“Affordable compared to UTEP… Smaller classes.” – Cruz Lujan, Music Composition
Inside the office - Diversity Programs
A closer look into the Diversity Program wor kplace.
A NEw member of our team
Michelle Chavez has 12 years’ experience as a professional in an educational setting. She has been involved
with El Paso Community College (EPCC) since 2011. She’s
worked as an Administrative Associate at our EPCC
Marketing department and worked as a Manager at our
EPCC Fabens Education Center. Michelle has a Master’s
Degree in Education. She teaches EDUC 1300 as Adjunct
Faculty at Cotton Valley Early College High School.
As of October 2015; she is the Project Coordinator for
our EPCC Diversity Programs department. Michelle assists
the Director in the development of program evaluation instruments to monitor the effectiveness of the Diversity Programs Network. She assists and participates in marketing
and outreach activities as they relate to Diversity. She coordinates and participates in
community outreach presentations to promote Diversity programs to current EPCC students.
Some “life outside of education” facts about her... She’s a proud Mother to
Victoria, age 20, and Andrea, age 18. She’s been involved in church service all her life.
Michelle is an avid volunteer. “Volunteering,” according to Michelle, “is one of the most
womanly, noble and admirable things a woman can do. It’s also a great way to seek
fulfillment and to appreciate your own life more.” Michelle enjoys country music and “oldies.” She spends most of her time trying to do God’s will because, “Knowing God’s will is
the key to prayer, spiritual growth and fruitfulness in our individual lives.”
Student Success
Cesia I. Lerma-Orozco is a student at El Paso Community College since 2011. She began her studies in the ESL
program and then continued her education in the Associate degree program. She is married to Jorge Orozco who
was alumni at El Paso Community College, too. She has two
children, Benjamin, 13 years old, and Keren, 11 years old. She
is one of the Diversity Programs’ work studies since August
2015. She is a hard worker, model student, friendly, and a
helpful person. Cesia is a member of the National Honor
Society of Collegiate Scholars, which recognizes outstanding
academic achievement among first and second year college
students. She is also a member of the Run El Paso club. She has participated in several races and marathons in El Paso and Cd. Juarez. In collaboration with the Run El Paso club, she
has helped as a volunteer in the Houchen Community Center whose mission is to make
God’s love a reality in El Segundo Barrio and nearby neighborhoods through working to
meet the physical, educational, social and spiritual needs of children, youth, and adults.
This coming May, Cesia is going to graduate with an Associate of Arts Degree in Music.
She likes singing, playing the piano and flute. When she graduates she want to continue
her education and obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in music education.
Also a congratulations to Cynthia Flores on her graduation!
OFFICE
OF
THE
WEEK
Thanks to Michelle
Chavez, our office was
selected as Sunny 99.9’s
Office of the Week winner. Bill & Melissa from
the radio station’s popular morning show visited
our office to congratulate
us and presented us with
chocolate covered strawberries from Fudge-NMore, delectable pastries
from the Pastry Chef
Café, and Michelle was
gifted with an aromatic Taylor Swift perfume
and an exquisite bouquet
of flowers from Carter’s
Flowers.
Inside the office - Diversity Programs
A closer look into the Diversity Program wor kplace.
MeEt The Creatorsv
Alex Arellano - Graphic Designer
Alex Arellano has worked as a graphic designer for Diversity Programs for
about a year. During this time he has attended El Paso Community College (EPCC)
as a freshmen in college, as he works towards his associates degree in graphic design. Afterwards, he hopes to continue his education at the University of Texas at El Paso
(UTEP) under a double major in marketing and graphic design. Outside of EPCC he is the
graphic designer, lead vocals, and rhythm guitarist for the band XXII (Twenty-Two), where he
is known as Alex Bird. In his free time Alex enjoys to spend time with friends, write songs, and
take on other design opportunities as he builds his resumé and makes his name known in the
graphic design community.
Ismael Brando Moore - Editor
Ismael Brando Moore has worked for Diversity Programs since September
of 2015 and, as a student, has been here at El Paso Community College for almost
three years. He graduated from Montwood High School in the Spring of 2013 and immediately enrolled in college. Ismael is majoring in English in order to be a book publisher
in New York City or Los Angeles and is expected to receive his Associate of Arts Degree
in English this December. He aspires to be a fiction writer and jokes that he wants to be
“more famous and richer than Stephen King and J.K. Rowling combined!” During his spare time
Ismael enjoys reading novels, writing fiction, not doing homework, going to the cinema to see his
favorite celebrities, and listening to Britney Spears and other pop music.
2016 Hispanic Heritage Month
The Hispanic Heritage Committee is already planning this year’s 15th Annual Hispanic
Heritage Month. The committee will organize events that will occur from September
16 to October 15. The Mentors’ Dinner will be held October 14.
Special Thanks To Noland Richardson
All of us here at Diversity Programs would like to thank Noland
Richardson for attending our Remembering and Honoring our
Past event on February 29th during Black History Month. He
inspired everyone in the room with his moving speech before
taking the time to give autographs and take photographs with
the event’s attendees.
Olga C. Chavez, M.A., LPC
District Director
Office: (915) 831-3322
Fax: (915) 831-3326
Email: [email protected]
Aida Black
Administrative Associate
Office: (915) 831-3324
Fax: (915) 831-3326
Email: [email protected]
Michelle Chavez, M.Ed.
Project Associate
Office: (915) 831-2372
FAX: (915) 831-3324
Email: [email protected]
Alex Arellano
STS Intern, Graphic Designer
Cesia Lerma
Work Study Clerk
Ismael Prieto
Work Study Clerk
Cynthia Flores
Business Managment Intern
This newsletter was created and developed by Ismael Prieto and Alex Arellano.
For suggestions, comments, and improvements, please contact the office of Diversity Programs at (915) 831-3324
The El Paso Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.