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
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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.