Foundation News

Jan. 6, 2021 – (Moorpark, California) Moorpark College Foundation has received a $50,000 grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation to help fund Raider Central, the college’s student essential needs center.

According to a pre-COVID-19 study, 38% of Moorpark Students were food insecure in the previous 30 days, 49% experienced housing insecurity in the last year, and 16% identified as having been homeless.

Despite its academic reputation, its beautiful campus, and commitment to social justice, Moorpark College Students face financial challenges that affect their ability to succeed, Julius Sokenu, Moorpark College Interim President, said.

“We are at a pivotal point as a society and as a business community. The state of homelessness and food insecurity is at shocking proportions on college campuses throughout the country. We can step aside and do nothing, or we can lean in,” Sokenu said.

The center, which opened on Sept. 4, provides meals, social and emotional support, and emergency financial assistance to students and their families. The center also provides a place for students to connect with other community resources for food, housing, or financial support.

Since its opening in September, Raider Central has been hosting weekly food distributions and operating virtually by responding to student requests for resources and community referrals via email.

“The $50,000 grant to Raider Central is so vital to support our most needy students. The additional funding will purchase more food, hygiene products and assist our homeless students with housing stipends. We are very grateful for the grant. This is a great example of community building that directly helps our students,” Johnny Conley, Director of Student Equity at Moorpark College, said.

The Ventura County Community Foundation grant also will provide funding for the expansion of Raider Central’s physical space to provide a centralized space with shelving for clothing food and hygiene products. It will help with the purchase of refrigerators for perishable food items, operational start-up costs, and an emergency fund.

“The work being done by Moorpark College Foundation and its leadership team is absolutely vital. Hungry students cannot focus on their futures, and Raider Central is critical to student success and achievement. Especially during this challenging time, where homelessness and food insecurity is so common, we need to do all we can to help,” Vanessa Bechtel, President and CEO of the Ventura County Community Foundation, said.

Moorpark, California (Jan. 12, 2021) ― Moorpark College Foundation is pleased to announce it has been honored for the fifth consecutive year with a $25,000 Edison International grant to fund Moorpark College’s Southern California Edison STEM Scholarships.

The scholarship program provides funds for students pursuing education and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Last year 23 Moorpark College students benefitted from this scholarship.

“Without this scholarship, I would have had a much more difficult time trying to figure out how to pay for college. (Edison) made it all possible,” said Rhea Zaib, a 2020 recipient of the Southern California Edison STEM Scholarship.

Applications are now open for students to apply for the next round of scholarships to be awarded in May. Students can apply through the Scholarship Office.

“We are very grateful to Edison International for supporting the Moorpark College Foundation and our STEM students with their fifth consecutive grant for $25,000. Their grant helps our STEM students financially prepare for their careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  Thank you to Edison for their continued support,” Moorpark Foundation Board Chair Jill Haney said.

For more information about Edison’s community involvement, please visit http://www.edison.com/community.

Moorpark, Calif. (November 30, 2020) – After the success of the inaugural Job Ready Alumni Forum in September, The Moorpark College Foundation is pleased to announce a follow-up offering at 6 p.m., Dec. 17.  This hour-long panel discussion with questions and answers will be the first of four forums that focus on the Moorpark College Biotechnology program and the lucrative employment opportunities now available in Ventura County. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company is the forum’s sponsor.

The Moorpark College Foundation Job Ready Alumni Forum is an open discussion on how alumni found their way to Moorpark College, how the college positioned them for local internships, and workforce preparation, and/or transfer to a four-year university. It explores the relationships that exist between Moorpark College and local industries and how these relationships help students transition into the workforce. The intended audience is current students, returning adult-learners in career transition, or members of the community.

The forum is hosted by Moorpark College Foundation Board Members Paul Aguilar, Senior Director of Human Resources at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Samantha Sale, Human Resources Leader at Takada Pharmaceutical. The discussion is facilitated by Moorpark College Biotechnology Instructor, Subhash Karkare, and is delivered via Zoom webinar. 

“The Moorpark College Biotech program provides students a great career in biotechnology or a springboard for continued education in science,” said Aguilar. “At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we see students from this program as viable candidates for our BioFlex Apprentice Program and entry into a Biotechnology manufacturing career.” 

“At Takeda, we appreciate the foundation that the Moorpark College Biotech program gives students for future careers,” said Sale. “We have had great success hiring former students into roles with lots of growth potential.”

Panelists for this first Job Ready Alumni Forum will be:

• Beatris Cruz, AGILE Champion, Takeda Pharmaceutical - Cruz began her career as an upstream Manufacturing Associate (MA) I in 2008 and after a year was promoted to a MA II in Advate Bulk Manufacturing and is trained and qualified in both the upstream and downstream processes. Since that time, she has served as an Operations Analyst in the Formulation/Filling Support Department as a Non-conformance Investigator, Senior Operations Analyst, and Supervisor responsible for training and mentoring a team of nine investigators for the Deviation/CAPA Management department. In June of 2020, she took on a new role as AGILE Champion, performing Continuous Improvement projects, and supporting Change Management initiatives sitewide. Cruz has a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biology and a minor in Chicana/o Studies from San Diego State University, California, and holds an Associate of Science degree in Biotechnology from Moorpark College. 
• Uriel Gamboa Operator, Molecular Pre Production Team, Thermo Fisher Scientific – Gamboa originally started at Moorpark College as a Nursing major until he took a Microbiology course. At that point, he decided he wanted to work in a lab setting.  In January 2020, Uriel began an internship at Thermo Fisher and was hired after the internship was completed. Gamboa is currently working on his bachelor’s degree at California State University, Northridge. 
• Ryan Zastrow, Associate Scientist, Amgen - Following the completion of the Biotech program at Moorpark College, Zastrow transferred to California State University, Northridge, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. Shortly after graduation, he began his career in Biotechnology. Zastrow has held positions in clinical manufacturing, research, and process development and is currently an Associate Scientist for Cell Line Development at Amgen. The skills that Zastrow developed through his education, specifically the Biotech Program at Moorpark College, along with his time in the biotech industry, has allowed him to implement new technology and methods to optimize cell growth and protein expression. Zastrow is passionate about his role in the field of biotech, which allows him to explore new and exciting discoveries in the field of oncology research while working to improve the lives of the patients he serves.
• Daniel Armstrong, Site Quality, Takeda - Armstrong began his career as a swing-shift assistant supervisor at Allergan in 1997. After a year in that role, he transitioned to Allergan’s Supervisor of the product claims and product complaint department, where he worked for the next five years.  Armstrong left Allergan and worked 11 years at Amgen, where he held various roles within the Quality Department from product complaint investigator, quality on the floor, quality disposition, and in the operations strategic planning department responsible for representing operations on various in/out license business deals. Armstrong currently works for Takeda, where he has served in various roles within the Contract Manufacturing organization. For the last 14 months, Armstrong has been the Site Quality head of the Thousand Oaks manufacturing site. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara,  and a Master’s of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

“Biotechnology is one of the fastest-growing programs on campus,” said John Loprieno, Interim Director of Institutional Advancement, Public Relations, and Marketing. “The Advisory Board for this program consists of professionals from Thermo Fischer Scientific, Takeda Pharmaceutical, and Amgen. It’s not uncommon for our students to be workforce ready and enter into internships as they complete our Biotech program then transition into full-time positions that launch highly productive and well-paid careers.” This forum will both inform our students and community about the job placement process within our Biotechnology program as well as celebrate the work that Moorpark College alumni are doing in the pharmaceutical industry in our community.  

Future forums will feature discussions on one of the 23 other Career Education programs available at Moorpark College. The Moorpark College Foundation is proud to sponsor this follow-up event in our Job Ready Alumni Forum series.

Participants can register for the free Moorpark College Job Ready Alumni Forum at https://bit.ly/MCJobReady-Biotech. For more information on the Alumni Forum on Biotechnology event or the Moorpark College Foundation, please call (805) 553- 4760 or email mcalumni@vcccd.edu

Moorpark, Calif. (August 21, 2020) – The Moorpark College Foundation is pleased to announce its first Job Ready Alumni Forum at 6 p.m., on Sept, 2. This first hour-long panel discussion with questions and answers will focus on the Moorpark College Nursing program.

The Moorpark College Foundation Job Ready Alumni Forum is an open discussion on how alumni found their way to Moorpark College and how the college positioned them for transfer to a four-year university and/or workforce preparation. 

It explores the relationships that exist between Moorpark College and local industries and how these relationships help students transition into the workforce.  The intended audience is current students, returning adult-learners in career transition, or members of the community.

The forum will be hosted by Moorpark College Nursing Coordinator, Christina Lee, and will be delivered via Zoom webinar. 

Panelist for this first Job Ready Alumni Forum will be:

• Kathy Trigueiro, Los Robles Hospital, Market Director of Clinical Professional Development. 
• Gabriel Guillen, RN Coordinator, Palliative Care at Dignity Health - Gabriel graduated from the nursing program at Moorpark College in 2009 with his RN degree and later transferred to CSU Channel Islands for his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN)
• Alisha Taylor RN, BS – Alisha graduated from Moorpark College School of Nursing in 2004 and has worked through different clinical experiences at many of the local hospitals in the Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Room in Ventura County. 

“We’re excited to offer this first Job Ready Alumni Forum in Nursing,” said John Loprieno, Interim Director of Institutional Advancement, Public Relations, and Marketing. “The Nursing students at Moorpark College have a 95% pass rate on the National Nursing Exam and so many of our alumni are on the front line right now in our community with the Covid-19 crisis. This forum will both inform our students and community about the job placement process within our Nursing program as well as celebrate the work that Moorpark College alumni are doing in healthcare in our community.”  

Future Forums will feature discussions on one of the 23 other Career Education programs available at Moorpark College. The Moorpark College Foundation is proud to sponsor this first event of our Job Ready Alumni Forum series.

Registration for the free Moorpark College Job Ready Alumni Forum can be found at https://cccconfer.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DymCD_CFR-Wh3nrqJe5ykg

 If you would like more information on the Alumni Forum on Nursing event or the Moorpark College Foundation please call (805) 378-1469 or by emailing mcinfo@vcccd.edu.

• College's basic needs center acts as a 'Safe Haven' for students (Dec. 11, 2020, Moorpark Acorn)
• College career panel features alumni (Dec. 4, 2020, Moorpark Acorn)
• Raider Central rallies to meet student needs (Nov. 9, 2020,  Conejo Valley Lifestyle Magazine)