For Immediate Release
June 25, 2008

High School Students in Redwood City Are Exploring College, Career Options in Multimedia Thanks to Unique Partnership

Cañda College and Sequoia Union High School are offering college-level multimedia courses on the high school campus and exposing students to the possibilities of college.

A unique high school program originally designed to expose at-risk students at Sequoia Union High School to career and college possibilities in the multimedia field is now attracting a broad cross section of students thanks to a partnership between the high school and Cañada College.

Several years ago, Mike Kuliga, chair of the Electronic Arts Academy at Sequoia High School, approached Cañada College multimedia professors Dani Castillo and Jeannie Mecorney about offering college-level multimedia courses after school at the academy. They began this year with Digital Audio, Digital Imaging, and the History of Animation. Students receive college and high school credits and Kuliga said they begin to see how their work can result in a college degree.

"They have not only been exposed to college-level work but they can now see a clear path to college thanks to the partnership between the high school and college,"� Kuliga said.

The Electronic Arts Academy is like a school within the high school. Students learn Web page design, animation and other high-tech skills while also taking regular high school classes. The program has approximately 160 students. About 50 percent of the students accepted into the academy are considered at-risk for a number of reasons, including their socioeconomic status, attendance record or because they read below their grade level.

But Kuliga said the partnership with the college is attracting the attention of higher achieving students.

"In the past, the students in the Electronic Arts Academy were not your traditional students," said Kuliga. "They weren't AP, high-achieving students. But we're beginning to see a shift as students are exposed to college-level classes."

Katherine Sarabia was a traditional Electronic Arts Academy student. She didn't consider college an option until she was exposed to digital imaging by Castillo as part of her class work at the academy. Now she can see a clear path to college.

"It's a huge boost to their confidence to be successful in a college course,"� Kuliga said. "A number of our students have visited the college for events, including the opening of the art gallery where some of our students displayed work."

Sarabia was one of those students. She said having her digital art displayed at the college gallery gave her a big boost in confidence. �"I know I can do college level work,"� she said. "The program has made college real for me."

Castillo said having a prepared pool of students ready to enter the college's multimedia programs when they graduate from a high school is the goal of the program. "There is a need for web designers, video game artists, and people with digital imaging skills in our workforce,"� Castillo said.

Kuliga said he hopes to build on this year's pilot project. "We're hoping to take what we learned this year and improve upon it,"� he said. "We want to see these students graduate and move on to Cañada."

Castillo said the college is prepared to offer additional classes at the high school. "We want to build on the success we had this year,"� she said.

For information about enrolling in this unique program, contact the Cañada College Multimedia Program at 650-306-3330.

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340