Issue 3
Instructor offers Hollywood insight
Students at the Westwood College–Inland Empire Campus in Los Angeles are getting a real taste of Hollywood when they sit down in one of G.R. Claveria's classes. And, in some cases, these students are getting enough practical, real—life experience and skills to help get a foot in the often hard—tobudge Hollywood door.
Claveria is a national award—winning filmmaker and founder and director of several film festivals. And, for the past three years, he's taught cinematography, film, literature and writing at Westwood.
When Claveria is working on one of his own projects, such as his Shock Film Festival, he always turns to his current and former Westwood students for help. Over the last several years, he's been able to help students land jobs in the industry and enhance their résumés with hands—on experience.
"How important is it for students to get this type of real-world experience? It's a big, big, big, plus," Claveria says. "These students get to see firsthand what it takes to make it in Hollywood."
Ear to the ground
Think your degree will be valuable to you? The numbers don't lie.
The numbers tell the story when determining the value of a degree. College graduates earn up to 85 percent more in their lifetime than those who only earn a high school diploma. In dollars, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows college graduates earn, on average, about $20,000 a year more than those who only finished high school (not always starting in year one).
Westwood offers more than a degree. We coach students how to apply their skills in practical situations. And to keep enhancing the value of our degrees, Westwood works directly with employers to determine the skill sets students need to succeed and even helps arrange internships, where appropriate. As a result, many of our students get jobs with companies they've been training with while in school.
A great example of a successful business and educational collaboration is with Cisco. Our Cisco Networking Academy instructors are Cisco certified, and students are prepared to successfully attempt the Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) examination, usually before they graduate. It's a rigorous program, but those students who make it through are ready to hit the ground running when they graduate. And nearly all of them have jobs the day they get their degrees.
As a whole, about three quarters* of Westwood College graduates have jobs in their field of study. This does not mean Westwood, or any other college for that matter, can guarantee jobs for graduates. We are here to prepare students with the practical and job hunting skills they need to succeed. If you're curious about job placement rates in your field of study and want to get more information about how we can help, speak with a career services representative.
*The rate for combined accreditation reports is 76% employed as reported on the ACICS AIR and the ACCSCT PES which covers graduates form July 2007 through June 2008.
Three reasons to stay focused on school during the holidays
Granted, it's hard to stay focused on your school work during the holiday season, given the host of distractions–parties, shopping, family obligations and overall stress. But now's not the time to get distracted from the real present–your degree. This year's gift to yourself should be showing up and doing the work.
Besides working toward your degree, here are three other reasons to stay on track with school during the holidays:
- Showing up to class transfers to success in your career–employers reward (and expect) workers who show up every day and do the work–reliability is one habit you want to have.
- Employers can and do review school attendance records as well as your grades.
- Federal aid programs require consistent student attendance.
If, for some reason you can't make it to classes or have an emergency, be sure to contact student services. They can work with you to keep on top of class work, discuss any issues you're having and help you find solutions.
Job Tip
Job seekers are using more online tools to sell themselves and to keep their applications from disappearing.
Job tip: Use Linkedin. Recruiters are increasingly using the business networking site LinkedIn to find candidates for jobs. It can also help those looking for jobs find contacts within a company or background on key executives.
Graduate Profile
Peggy Shields, 2006 graduate from Westwood College
Five years ago, Peggy Shields' job in the health care industry changed, taking away much of what she liked about her job. Instead of reconciling herself to a job with less and less responsibility, she decided to make a change–not an easy decision for a 40—something mother of three.
Shields knew she had some talent in creating web sites, so she jumped at the chance to earn a bachelor's degree in Web Design and Multimedia from Westwood College Online. She graduated in 2006 and now runs her own business in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. She has between 75 and 100 clients, not including the five new ones she landed the week we talked with her.
Her business, Projects by Peggy focuses on creating web sites and web hosting for smaller companies and non—profits. So far, it's working out and her salary has nearly tripled from her days in the health care industry.
Westwood College Online
GarageGames competition
Westwood College and GarageGames recently participated in a game design competition that was open to all online gaming students. Four teams entered and spent several weeks making their games for the competition. "Noobs 'R' Us," with Brian Powell, Brett Canter, Adam Cohen, Greg Favre and Zak Higgins, took home first place. Each team member received a copy of the new Torque 3D Game Engine. Retail value–$1,000. Their game and a review of the design process will be featured on GarageGames' web site later this year.
Campus Briefs
Dueling campuses a big charity win
Students and faculty from our two northern Virginia Westwood College campuses came together recently for some friendly competition to raise money to support breast cancer research. Chasity Melvin and Angela Taylor of the WNBA's Washington Mystics refereed the basketball game, and the second annual sporting competition between the Arlington and Annandale campuses of Westwood College resulted in a tie. All proceeds will benefit the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
Campus presidents on the move
At the Houston campus, David P. "Skip" Higley was named as its new president. He comes with 30 years experience in education from institutions such as Sullivan College, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Southern Ohio College, to name just a few. Westwood College–Dallas Campus President Paul Kepic was recently elected as president of the Metro Area Careers Schools (MACS) in the Dallas—Fort Worth area. On the Net New site hits on awesome facts Westwood graduate Steve Wiiseman, who was featured in the November issue of The buzz, launched a new web site – www.westwoodisawesome.com. The site is full of great content about Westwood, including videos and testimonials. Check it out.
2009 holiday card contest winners
We sent out the call to our talented student body to create this year's holiday card for both print and animation. You didn't fail us! We received over 150 submissions. A panel of judges narrowed these down to 15, and from there they were voted on by students, friends, staff and faculty.
And the winners are:
Print winner: Veronika Rivera for Fly Away, a mixed media on canvas. Veronika is an Interior Design student at Westwood College Online. Originally from Bratislava, Slovakia, she currently lives in Richland, North Carolina. Fly Away symbolizes peace, freedom and transformation in the New Year.
Animation winner: Michelle Sunny for Window Frost. Michelle Sunny is an Animation student at Westwood College–DuPage Campus, on track to graduate at the end of the current term. She captured the holiday spirit in her animated eCard by bringing to life the fanciful winter experience of writing messages on window frost.
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