Feb

27

Rain and Wind

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

Rain and wind continue to pummel the campus. The wind is the strongest I have felt since arriving in Merced in August.

The wind reminds me of my time driving from California to Arizona on the 40 during Winter Break.

I am not sure if the rain is going to let up anytime soon, but I wouldn’t mind a ray of sunshine tomorrow. ;-)

Feb

26

Day 3 and 4: Riverdale, Lemoore, a Tractor, Hanford

Filed Under Central Valley, IDEAL 2006, Personal | Leave a Comment

It has been about 8 hours since I returned to Merced from Hanford. I am near information overload and I love it!

On Saturday, I started the day with biscuit and gravy and the Comfort Inn in Hanford and carpooled to Errotabere Ranches in Riverdale. At the ranch, we met with Daniel Errotabere, Owner of the Ranches, and talked with him about almonds, agriculture, and water. It was about 46 degrees outside next to the almond orchard, but the engaging conversation kept me warm.

From the ranch, we drove to Lemoore and met with Craig Perderson, Managing Partner of Perderson Farms. We spoke with him in an old barn. After watching a video, we were able to ask him questions about agriculture, his decision to donate land to West Hills College and the future of agriculture in the Valley. During our interview, he remarked that housing is “the final crop” and I immediately wrote it down on my arm because I didn’t have paper with me. We ate lunch after the interview and I got to drive a tractor! That’s right, a huge green John Deere tractor! After I decided that my first major purchase in life will be a tractor (rather than a home or car), we returned to the Comfort Inn in Hanford and I took a nap.

After the break, the class met and we discussed our Independent Projects at the Veterans’ Building in Downtown Hanford. My IP is to establish Students for the Central Valley. Visit www.studentsforthecentralvalley.org for more information. It was a beautiful afternoon: the colors, the air, the people roaming through downtown were appealing and somewhat intoxicating. Then, we barked, meowed and hooted about what it means to be a citizen of the Central Valley. The barks, meows and hoots were great! ;-) But even greater was the intense, in-depth conversation we had: we talked about agriculture, water, land use, globalization, politics and history. The conversation served to sparked discussion later in the night.

For dinner, we went to the Hanford Chinese Kitchen and I do believe it is one of the best Chinese food places I have been to. I had a great roundtable conversation and fortune cookies always revealed something interesting about the world and the future. You got to love fortune cookies!

Instead of bowling, we got to together in a hotel room and talked for hours about the current and future state of global affairs with a local perspective. Sitting there, I imagined this is exactly the type of conversations that need to happen across the state, the nation and the world. Topics were explored to a depth that is seldom reached alone. I need to engage in such discussions more often.

After the big get-together, I spoke with a few of my IDEAL Fellows about education, the impact of No Child Left Behind and the need for more professional teachers. The night ended late.

Sunday morning, we were doing the Electric Slide, Hokey Pokey, and Macarena at the UC Extension, Kings County Cooperative. There we met with Steve Froberg of Ashwood Construction, Inc. He is incredibly smart and humble. To conclude the seminar, we conducted a Land Use simulation where we got in small groups, were assigned and played out particular roles. The simulation highlighted what’s going on the in the real world with regards to the negotiations about the future of the Central Valley.

At noon, the seminar was complete and I was back in Merced around 2pm. After returning to Merced, I realized that I lost my jump drive! If someone find it and reads this post, then please comment.

Like I mentioned before, I am near information overload. It’s great. I need to just sit, relax, digest the information and figure out what my next steps are with regards to utilizing the information I have learned.

Feb

24

Day 1 and 2: Merced, Reedley, Huron, Hanford

Filed Under Central Valley, IDEAL 2006, Personal | Leave a Comment

Agriculture, Land Use and Water are the topics for the 2nd IDEAL seminar this weekend.

It started yesterday; however, last night the Edgewater Inn in Reedley did not have broadband internet access so I couldn’t access the internet. Tonight is a different story. I am at the Comfort Inn in Hanford and the internet connection couldn’t be better. It is super fast!

Thursday was somewhat hectic. The night before I took a nap at 9pm and woke up at 10pm to organize myself for the seminar. Also, I need to write and turn in my essay for History 150. I woke up at 7am on Thursday and finished the paper around 11:30am. Then, I walked up the Chancellor’s Office and turn in my UC Student Regent application. At about 12:30pm I headed to downtown Merced and met with my interview team. We interviewed Steve Madison, Executive Officer of the Merced County Building Industry Association, and James (Jim) Marshall, City Manager of Merced. Both interviews went extremely well and I learned so much. In particular, I learned that I need to arm myself with the facts and about just how fulfilling public service is.

After the interviews, the entire IDEAL class met on campus at UC Merced. We met in Kolligian Library Room 460. I selected the room because it affords an awesome few of the area south of the campus, facing the quad and Science and Engineering Building. Everyone talked about their interviews and how they went. Moreover, we learned about the “top 5” growth and development issues of the Valley. To think in the next few decades, the entire region, and in particular the area south of the campus, will transform into something completely different is astonishing.

That night, we ate at the El Rincon de America restaurant in Reedley. Before the main course arrived, I ate a lot of chips and drank a lot of soda. So, when my cocido (beef stew) finally arrived, I couldn’t eat it all.

As I mentioned before, we stayed in the Edgewater Inn. Nice place but no high-speed internet access. Nonetheless, the next morning we went to the Reedley Opera House. It is a nice, intimate building; very snug. There we played the Newly Wed game, learned about Farm Labor Contractors and spoke with Holly King, Director of Agricultural Programs at the Great Valley Center.

After, we headed down the road and few of us got lost on our way to B&C Packing to meet Blake Carlson, a small/medium size farmer. At the packing plant, we got to interview Blake and tour the packing plant. It was awesome; but the place wasn’t in action so the machinery was not moving and peaches, plums and nectarines were not being packed. I was amazing at the apparent complexity of the packing operation. Cool stuff. Before we left, I learned about the “web of life” and realized that even though we (humans) cause a lot of problems, we can also fix them and we will.

Next we headed to Huron to meet with Stuart Woolf of Harris/Woolf Almonds, a large, corporate farmer. After asking him questions, we tour the massive facility. This place was huge and I mean huge! Giant wooden boxes filled with almonds, mountains of almond shells and large machines. I was taken by the sheer size and scope of the operation.

From Huron to Hanford, we checked into the Comfort Inn and went to eat the Purple Potato. I ate shrimp and steak and it was excellent.

I cannot blog all that I have learned about the last two days. I am simply amazed. The Central Valley is much more complex that I first thought. I am being exposed to different aspects of the region. Talking with a housing developer, city manager, “small” and “corporate” farmer and listening to their responses to questions, I know that I am just scratching the surface.

Earlier this afternoon, I was in the middle of the Central Valley and it was an incredible, although hazy, sight and I thought to myself that I have never driven on this highway before, but I will drive again on it some day.

Also, next time I need my camera because I need to take pictures of all these places! ;-)

Feb

17

Back in LA

Filed Under Personal | 1 Comment

I am back in Los Angeles and it took less than 6 hours!

Feb

15

Library, The Strauss, Publishing

Filed Under Personal | Leave a Comment

I was on the 2nd floor of the Kolligian Library for about five hours today. I was working on my Donald A. Strauss Scholarship public service project proposal. The scholarship award is $10,000 that can be used for personal education expenses or allocated to implementing the project.

My project is called Students for the Central Valley (SCV) and stems from my work in the Great Valley Center’s IDEAL program. SCV is a student-run organization that seeks to set up, sustain and expand a network of Central Valley high school and college students. As of now, I have a website for the organization that you can visit.

Moreover, I learned more about publishing by talking with my friend who is a graduate student. Publishing is difficult, but not as difficult as I believed. I am going to start reading more academic journals and identifying publishing opportunities.

Feb

14

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Also, tonight is a dance on campus and I am almost ready to go. I just need to finish some reading. My education comes first! ;-)

Feb

13

“Madera Hall South Rocks!”

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

Plain and simple. :-D

Feb

12

More Cows

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

I was on the 4th floor of the library this afternoon and noticed a lot more cows in the fields around the campus.

Before the end of the semester, I am going to take a picture with a cow. :-P

Feb

11

All-University Leadership Conference: Day 2

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

My alarm went off at 6:50am this morning but I went back to sleep until 8:00am.

Today was the Day 2 of UC Merced’s 1st Annual All-University Leadership Conference which was sponsored by the Office of Student Life.

At about 9:00am, Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey delivered the second keynote address of the conference to an audience of about 35 people, including 25 students in Classroom Building 105.

She defined leadership as “bringing people together to achieve a goal.” A leader must listen, travel, read, have and utilize tools, make decisions, ensure that everyone is represented, do what is right, take risk and look to the horizon. A major theme throughout her speech was the idea of multiple perspectives and how being exposed to multiple perspectives can enrich one’s life.

The Chancellor is an inspirational speaker.

Throughout the day, I attended two workshops and put on one. The two workshops I attended were “Building a Team: How to Create an Effective Club or Organization” by Allan Grimsby and Jane Lawrence and “Making the Leap from Good to Great” by Valery Oehler. Both workshops were informative and brought to light just how much I have changed as a person.

For the third session, I sponsored a workshop called “Public Speaking 101.” I love public speaking and it was a great opportunity for me to share what I have learned over the years with others.

Overall, the Conference was excellent and I foresee it getting bigger and better each year.

Feb

10

All-University Leadership Conference: Day 1

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

Tonight was the kick off of UC Merced’s 1st Annual All-University Leadership Conference in the California Room.

Carol Whiteside, President of the Great Valley Center (GVC), gave the Keynote Address. She described the three leadership programs offered by GVC: Catapult, IDEAL and Great Valley Leadership Institute. GVC offers such programs because, in her words, “stronger, visionary leadership” is needed in the Central Valley.

Carol stated that there is not one mold of leadership and catalytic leaders are needed. A catalytic leader is a person who works with others, knows what to accomplish, involves multiple players, is passionate, fair and even-handed, has a disregard for self, and has excellent timing.

When asked what are the most “pressing issues” facing the Central Valley, Carol remarked there are three major issues. First, there is an “aspiration gap” in the region. In other words, people just think of the Valley has “just” the Valley but it is so much more. Second, a “brain drain” is occurring. College graduates are leaving the Valley, but the region is in dire need of a high-educated workers and workforce. The third issue was the need for a “stronger, better vision” for the Valley.

I learned so much from Carol’s talk; she is awesome!

Next Page →