Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2003)
May 21, 2003 • The ClackarrTas Print • 5 FEATURE Horticulture students showcase skills students Kenny Chaffin, Taryn Kruger, Sorjen Simantel and Co-Photo Editor Jen Whiting finished in the top 20. Each student was allowed Five Clackamas Community to participate in up to five of College students participated in the 15 events, which ranged a landscaping competition dur from practical landscaping applications such as irrigation ing the 27 th annual construc Associated Land tion to sales scape Contractors “It’s a great and other of America Student opportunity for avenues of Career Days, held students... to business. March 13-16 at “It’s a great Hinds Community share ideas opportunity College near and for our stu Jackson, Miss. information” dents to Students from 51 have fun, different colleges Bruce Nelson share ideas and universities Horticulture instructor and infor competed in this mation, and year’s event, a com to meet bination job fair and student other students from around the competition. Of the more than 670 students competing, CCC country,” said horticulture Robb Egan instructor Bruce Nelson. The event is held at a dif ferent college or university eveiy year, and is sponsored by the ALCA for the purpose of showcasing career opportuni ties in the landscaping indus try, while sharing the best landscaping ideas and prac tices throughout the United States. “The companies who spon sor the event benefit because it gives them the opportunity to talk to and interview students educated and interested in the industry,” said Nelson. This year marks only the sixth year that CCC students have attended the event, and Clackamas is one of only a handful of colleges west of the Rocky Mountains to partici pate. relax between events at the national ALCA competition in March. They placed among the top 20 contenders. Mendoza broadens horizons Jordan cashes out Language student and tutor cuts back on tutoring awaits long vacation hours and class load, finds time for trip to France SUMMER MENDOZA Elisabeth Meyer Feature Editor Bekah Finch rhe Clackamas Print Sue Jordan has collected model lighthouses for a long time. Unfortunately, she has only been able to collect them in Oregon, since she has been working since high school. Maybe now that Jordan is retiring from Clackamas Community College, she will be able to expand her lighthouse search. Jordan said that her time working at Clackamas has been “one of the most pleasant in my life.” Jordan started out working in the general ledger and after three years moved up to payroll where she has worked ever since. Working hard is defi nitely not new to Jordan. She spent 10 years at her first job, which was offered to her right after high school. She worked as a stenographer, but knew that it wasn’t right for her. Working with the payroll is her niche. Jordan said she will miss Clackamas. “You spend all this time waiting and waiting to retire, and all of a sud den, it’s here,” she said. Jordan also said she wouldn’t retire so soon, but “since I can, I may as well,” she joked. Even though Jordan will be retired after this year, her husband still has a couple years to go. In the meantime, Jordan said she will prob ably do all the little things she has missed, “like sleeping in and staying up late.” Jordan admits after having a routine for so long she will have to find some way to stay busy, but she doesn’t plan on working or volun teering for work for a while. Hopefully, though, the summer will bring some travel for Jordan and her family. So whether it’s just visit ing with the kids and grandkids, or seeking out new lighthouses, surely Jordan will be enjoying the next chapter of her life. 1 1Ä- Ä3S11 - -ME » LgüP’’1 ““ Í K . 1 Summer Mendoza, tutor and lan guage student, said she’s “taking a break” her last term before heading off to PSU, where she wants to double major in Spanish and Russian and possibly minor in French. This term, she’s only taking one class and tutoring Spanish and French about four hours a week. That sched ule has given her enough time to take a short trip to France and study a little Romanian on her own. Why Romanian? Why not? After all, she’s been fluent in Spanish for years, speaks enough French to tutor second-year students, and she’s cur rently taking Russian. She’s tried German here as well. So really, it’s high time she picked up another lan guage already. “I think anybody can add another foreign language,” Mendoza said. “For myself, I know that being grounded in a second language before starting a third one helps.” Mendoza has been studying Spanish since her earliest opportunity in high school at Country Christian in Molalla. She said she started because she was fascinated by the history of Mexico. “I grew up in Molalla. It wasn’t racist or anything; there were just small horizons,” Mendoza said. After high school, Mendoza observed an ESL class, where she met her husband. Their four children speak English and Spanish, and Mendoza’s daughter goes to Russian class too, where she copies down the characters into her notebook. Mendoza has been tutoring first- year Spanish at Clackamas for three years. “I found that teaching something to someone else really made me study harder,” Mendoza said. ‘1 really enjoy clarifying things. The teachers here classes. Mendoza recalled a previous do an excellent job, but sometimes trip to France with Merrill when peo ple thwarted Mendoza and Merrill’s there isn’t enough time in class.” The .tutoring budget has gotten attempts to speak French by respond tighter since last year, and now the ing in English. “Jeannie would pretend she didn’t emphasis has shifted to “student speak English,” Mendoza laughed, need,” Mendoza said. “In the past I’ve had students that imitating her friend’s put-on face of just wanted a little extra help,” she bewilderment. “Je ne comprends.” said. “Now I’m seeing more students They spent five days in Poitiers, a who are struggling. It’s rewarding; town built on Gallo-Roman ruins, but hardly a tourist trap. otherwise I wouldn’t do it. “People seemed more surprised “TUtors are just fellow students that we were who may have a better there,” Mendoza understanding of the said. “I was really language,” Mendoza “(Tutoring) is happy to blend in, said, urging students to rewarding; to be a citizen not be intimidated by otherwise I going to the gro learning a language cery store.” and seeking help to wouldn’t do Mendoza noticed study. it.” Mendoza said one that, if anything, French people recurring theme in Summer Mendoza tutoring is introducing were even more Student and foreign friendly than on students to basics of language tutor previous trips. English grammar. ‘Taris has a rep “For whatever rea utation for being son, we as Americans do not study grammar very much, or snooty, but people went out of their we study it and then forget. The way to speak English,” she said. “I biggest problem (in learning another saw things—somewhat volatile arti language’s grammar) is students not cles on magazine covers, but individ having a background, not knowing ual people treated us with utmost the vocabulary,” she said. “They not courtesy. only have to learn the (second) lan “My philosophy is, if you make an guage, they have to learn about effort to respect another person’s cul ture, the other person is usually English” “You find that people coming out respectful,” she said. of the ESL program often have a bet ter understanding of English grammar than many native speakers,” Mendoza said. David Miller remembers Karen Hill Mendoza tutoring as long as he’s been The Clackamas Print the foreign language department chair. Experiencing an unfamiliar “Her Spanish is very good and culture. Facing life outside the very native-sounding,” Miller said. mainstream. Living in the minori Miller noted that non-native- ty speaking tutors are more likely to Author’s Night, Wednesday, clarify technical grammar points with May 21, will deal with issues like an instructor. “The good thing about those listed above. Featuring Summer is that if she doesn’t know Arab-American author Diana Abu- something, she’ll come and ask,” he Jaber, this event will give those said. interested a peek into a world out Earlier this term, Mendoza and old side their own. Clackamas friend Marilyn Fairbee During the evening, Abu-Jaber went to Europe to visit their friend will read from her novels, speak of Jeannie Merrill, who is studying at the past experiences, answer questions University of Poitiers in France.. and sell and sign her books. “I’d been planning to visit ever The established Portland author since I found out Jeannie was going,” has written two award-winning Mendoza said. Merrill had intro novels, “Arabian Jazz” and more duced Mendoza to French, giving her recently, “Crescent.” “Arabian a head start when she began French Jazz” won the Oregon Book < «|| ■ 2 SUE JORDAN Author to discuss Arab-American experience Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award and “Crescent” won the National Endowment for the Arts award. Abu-Jaber, whom English instructor Allen Widerburg describes as “a warm and wonder ful person,” enjoys writing based on her own life style and living experiences. “Her novels deal with what family life is like in an Arab- American household,” said Widerburg. Abu-Jaber, who was bom in Syracuse, N.Y., is a daughter to a Jordanian immigrant and an American mother. Although bom in the United States, she spent much of her childhood in both the Middle East and New York. “[Abu-Jaber’s] writing helps us understand what it’s like to be in the minority,” said Widerburg. “Because she has a foot in both worlds, she can help bridge the gap” According to Widerburg, hear ing the words and thoughts of Abu-Jaber may be just what is needed in times such as these. “There’s a great deal of prejudice right now,” said Widerburg. “It’s very important to understand not all Arabs are bad people. Her nov els help us to humanize the whole experience and understand these people are humans just like us.” Author’s Night takes place Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. in the Gregory Forum. It is a free event, but a $2 contribution to co sponsor Friends of the Library would be greatly appreciated. For more information contact Allen Widerburg at ext 2359 or 2284.
