51����

He had a background in business and a head for numbers, but what Robert Caicedo lacked was a true professional purpose.

It wasn’t until he arrived at 51���� that it all started to add up.

Prior to enrolling 51����, Caicedo worked in business development and sales for about two years before hitting a wall. Struggling to find passion in his profession, the determined student knew he would have to take initiative to make a change.  

“I wasn’t really enjoying what I was doing,” says Caicedo. “It’s never what I wanted to do.”

The University of California at Irvine Master of Professional Accountancy Program (UCI MPAc) and 51���� (IVC) have announced a student referral agreement whereby IVC students can use selected IVC accounting courses to meet accounting course prerequisites for the UCI MPAc and to raise awareness of graduate program options at the community college level.  

The final round of ���հ�’s Idea Pitch Competition, where students pitch their product and business ideas to industry experts and professional entrepreneurs, took place virtually on May 11. This was preceded by the first round of the competition on April 20 which was structured like the “Voice”, where three industry mentors, David Ochi, Michael Sawitz, and Tiana Isaacs, battled over choosing three of the 12 contestants to be on their team.

���հ�’s Psi Beta Psychological Honors Society members attended the Western Psychological Association (WPA) Conference in Portland Oregon in the spring. Thirteen students presented independent research they conducted over the 2021-2022 school year. All of the students were accepted to present in their field’s general session, alongside professional research psychologists and graduate students.

IVC Assistant Dean of Health, Wellness & Veterans Nancy Montgomery was asked by the CA State Chancellor’s office to present alongside the state Vice Chancellor of Student Services Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy on the topic of mental health in our community colleges. The presentation took place during the Community College League of California Trustees Conference.

51���� (IVC) has named Rick Miranda as Vice President for Instruction. He will begin in his new role on July 11 pending board ratification. Rick replaces Dr. Chris McDonald who accepted the position of Vice-Chancellor of Educational and Technology Services for the South Orange County Community College District in March.

IVC's Commencement ceremony taking place on Thursday, May 26 at 5 pm will be livestreamed. If you're unable to attend in person, tune in starting at 4:45 pm.

Congratulations to Senior Administrative Assistant Dawn Pickering, who has been named ���հ�’s 2021 Classified Employee of the Year.

Dawn has held key classified positions at 51���� for the past 10 years. Her professionalism and skills have benefited the entire college community in her roles with the EOPS/CARE/CalWORKs/Guardian Scholars department.

She’s the first, but she doesn’t expect to be the last.

As a first-generation college student, and non-native English speaker, Lizette Perez Flores is redefining her family’s legacy – and her own future – with her 51���� education.