Issue 19
Alta Colleges Honored for IT Excellence
CIO magazine named Alta Colleges to its prestigious list of the 2011 CIO 100. The annual awards honor 100 organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and trategic excellence in information technology (IT) – companies that are using IT in innovative ways to create business value. “We are proud to be recognized by CIO magazine for our Power of One project,” said Segar Annamalai, chief information officer at Alta Colleges. “We are even more proud of how this new set of integrated systems has made our students’ lives better and improved their educational experience.”
Two of the Power of One initiatives include WConnect and MyPath, the student portals which were rolled out last year. How are they working to help enhance the student experience at Westwood?
Atlanta Northlake student Nathan Rosser says, “WConnect has been one of the best tools a student can have. Having access to your professors, grades, and research sites, such as Lexus/Nexus, is a big advantage for a student. You can check your school finances, your grades, and buy your books online from the bookstore. You can even access it from your mobile device.”
“This implementation is further proof of Alta’s continued investment in technology to help our students succeed,” concludes Annamalai. To view a list of all the companies honored, go to cio.com/article/683245/2011_CIO_100_Winners
Your Success Team
The first contact a new student generally has at Westwood is with an admissions representative. As part of the Success Team™, the representative’s job is to help students become familiar with Westwood and assist them through the enrollment process – from a tour of the campus, to directing a student to the financial aid department, to introducing staff and faculty. Contact your admissions representative any time for questions, concerns or to just give an update on how you’re getting along.
Ear to the Ground
PATH to Success Scholarship Winners Announced
Westwood students did it again! More than 330 students wrote essays in their efforts to win a PATH to Success Scholarship (Gold - $2,000; Silver - $1,000; Bronze - $500). Three scholarships were awarded at each campus, and three scholarships in each category were awarded at the Online Campus.
In addition to the campus scholarships, a $10,000 Platinum scholarship, selected from among the Gold winners across all the campuses, was awarded. The 2011 winner of the $10,000 scholarship is Marcello L. Ramirez, a construction management major at the Chicago Loop Campus.
Ramirez, who graduates with a bachelor’s degree in December, says that as he was growing up, his parents set the expectation for him to attend college. He did start college after high school, but in 1995 the economy was booming, so he entered the construction field and thought he’d have “endless success with the skill set that I had. Boy, was I naïve!”
When the economy tanked in 2008, Ramirez took the recession lemon and made lemonade. “Where some people might see tragedy, I perceived unemployment as an opportunity to finish what I set out to do 15 years ago,” he says.
Ramirez has used his well-honed organizational skills (he confesses to having such a neat childhood room that all his action figures were perfectly placed in their “designated” locations) to not only attend Westwood full time, but he simultaneously attended a community college part time to earn more credentials, all while working full time in a construction job.
Ramirez feels strongly about the power of networking and mentoring. “I immediately began to organize lists of contacts I wanted to reach out to,” Ramirez states. He also attended meetings for construction organizations and landed fulltime employment and internships. As president of Westwood’s Construction Management club, Ramirez has helped provide other students and instructors with access to his personal network, resulting in jobs and internships for them as well.
“This scholarship means the world to me. I’ll be able to finish my degree without worrying about how I’ll finance my education. For this, I am extremely grateful.”
View a list of all the winners.
Graduate Profile
Araceli Sanchez, 2008 Business Administration: Major in Marketing Management graduate
After graduating from high school, Araceli Sanchez considered attending a number of different California colleges. Her father, however, didn’t think a college education was necessary for a girl. When Sanchez learned she was going to have a child, she took matters into her own hands.
“When I realized I was going to be a single mother, I realized I needed to go to school,” recalls Sanchez. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to handle it, but she was my motivation.”And once she started attending Westwood’s Inland Empire Campus, Sanchez found herself wearing multiple hats as a full-time student, full-time single mom, full-time employee and, in the middle of it all, a full-time caretaker for her father who had cancer.
By cutting her sleep down to a mere four hours a night, Sanchez says she powered through and received her degree with the help of faculty members who were able to provide invaluable real-world experience.
Today, Sanchez works for the Unisys Corporation as a program manager of operations. “The best thing about the job is the flexibility, the respect and nice treatment I get from my colleagues, not to mention the daily satisfaction I get from the work I do.”
Watch an interview of Araceli.
Job Tips
As you start – or continue – your job search, consider joining a professional organization. And participate as much as you can! You can bring your expertise to the group or organize speakers in your field to be on a panel. Not only will a membership contribute to your résumé, but you’ll be well on your way to making valuable connections by networking.
Campus Briefs
Chicago Loop Grads Featured in Pop-Up Art Exhibit
In connection with the Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation, Westwood College – Chicago Loop Campus hosted the first-ever Student Portfolio Showcase as part of the foundation’s Pop-Up Art exhibit. Featuring the work of recent graduates, the exhibit was housed in a vintage storefront just around the corner from the campus. To hear from the graduates and see their work, go to thedesignloop.org/portfolio-showcase/.
Game Legends Help Students Plan Careers
For the third consecutive year, the Anaheim Campus hosted the Gathering of VideoGame Legends to help students learn more about the industry. More than a dozen “Legends” – accomplished professionals from across the gaming industry – shared their experiences about getting started in gaming, what they’ve learned along the way, and discussed current trends and the future of the gaming profession. Take a look at what some of the legends had to say and hear from the Westwood team that won the 2D Game Development competition.
On the Net
One Stop Resource for Everything
Westwood Westwood.edu is packed full of useful informationto help get you through your college journey and to answer some of the questions you, your family or friends may have about Westwood. The Q&A section offers frequently asked questions with answers supplied by the Westwood leadership team. Go to westwood.edu/qa and see if you learn something new!
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