All posts by Fitti Kolbe

Enjoy Brazilian Music with Jovino Santos Neto

May 17, 2016TravelFitti Kolbe

Three-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto, a master pianist and composer, is among the top Brazilian musicians performing today. Jovino and Brazilian jazz sextet O Som Do Jazz, join forces for a concert of original works by Jovino fusing jazz and northeastern Brazilian styles, as well as classic Brazilian Bossa Nova & MPB.

Rio de Janeiro-born and Seattle-based pianist, composer and flutist Jovino Santos Neto was a member of Hermeto Pascoal’s band from 1977 to 1992, He has toured with Sergio Mendes, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim’s group, Fourth World, as well as leading his own Seattle-based Quinteto.

O Som Do Jazz features Rio de Janeiro singer Andrea Moraes Manson backed by Austin Vickrey (saxophones), David Manson (trombone), Bill Pillucere (bass) and Mark Feinman (drums).

If you love Brazilian music, you will want to attend this very special concert!

Admission is $15, available only at the door. The SPC Music Center is located at 6605 Fifth Ave. North in St. Petersburg, FL 33710. For more information about Jovino, see click here . For info about the concert, click here .

Jovino Santos Neto & O Som Do Jazz (Presented by EMIT)
Sunday, May 22 at 3 PM
Music Center at St. Petersburg College

In addition, Jovino will discuss, answer questions and play piano the day before the concert. Come join!

Brazilian Music Q & A with Jovino Santos Neto
Saturday, May 21 at 4 PM
Music Center at St. Petersburg College
The event is free.

SPC’s Global Citizen Program takes off!

May 9, 2016Global Citizen Program, NewsFitti Kolbe

We congratulate Mary Walsh (left) and Marsha Nelson (right), the first SPC students who have successfully completed all requirements for the inaugural Global Citizen Program. They both graduated on Saturday, May 7, 2016.

Mary Walsh graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. During her GCP she participated in SPC’s Bonaire Study Abroad program where she was certified as a Coral Reef Restoration diver. During this Study Abroad experience Mary became very interested in pollution issues, which became the topic of her GCP capstone project. In addition to her dedication to becoming a Global Citizen graduate, Mary is an active member of Tri Beta National Biological Honors Society, is currently interning at a local wildlife sanctuary, and is also registered as a volunteer at the Humane Society of Pinellas. Mary’s goal is to work with animals in a zoo.

Marsha Nelson graduated with an Associate of Science degree in Health Information Technology. During her GCP, she participated in two different SPC Study Abroad programs: Costa Rica Spanish in 2015 and Italy Humanities in 2016. While in Costa Rica, Marsha not only studied Spanish, but also visited local hospitals and health care facilities. This experience sparked her interest in childhood immunization, which became the topic of her GCP capstone project. Concurrently with her commitment to becoming a Global Citizen graduate, Marsha is an active member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and Women on the Way. Additionally, Marsha interns at Suncoast Hospice. In the fall, Marsha will begin her studies in SPC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Health Services Administration program to prepare for her future career as a healthcare consultant.

We congratulate both of these very talented and driven women!

The Global Citizen Program (GCP) at SPC is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a competent global citizen who is ready to live and work in a diverse world. The GCP entails curricular, co-curricular, and capstone components that students complete alongside their degree program.

If you would like more information about the Global Citizen Program click here.

India – The Final Countdown

May 9, 2016IndiaFitti Kolbe

India is a large country full of cultural and religious diversity. In just 3 days Professor Steven Sinclair and his students will leave the U.S. to explore the beauty of this country. On their to-do-list are the cities Delhi, Jaipur Mumbai, as well as many famous sights such as the Taj Mahal.

If you have never been to India before, here are some helpful tips:

Forget maps – in bigger cities like Mumbai or Delhi it is easy to get lost. Ask locals for help or trust the rickshaw-wallah.
Crowds everywhere: Delhi is the second most populated city in the world, so you can expect crowds of people everywhere.
Be open-minded: India is different from the U.S. in many ways; the food, the people, the culture. Even though it may seem overwhelming at times, but that’s part of the experience and fun.

Australia – The Final Countdown

May 6, 2016TravelFitti Kolbe

Only 5 more days until Vet Tech students will go Down Under on May 11. During their 15-day-long travel students will participate in a clinical service program during which they get to work with local veterinarians. They will visit research and rescue facilities for marine animals. Lead faculty Tricia Gorham says her and her students are

“excited to work with a volunteer group to help with the rehabilitation of the sea turtle population on the Great Barrier Reef .”

But this is not the only activity that students can look forward to. In collaboration with other nonprofit organizations, students will be able to work with koalas, tree kangaroos and other local animals. The only challenge that students may face is: packing for a trip around world!

COIL Conference 2016

May 4, 2016TravelFitti Kolbe

The Center for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) held its annual conference from April 25-26, 2016 at the SUNY Graduate Center in New York. This year marked the 10^th anniversary of the conference, a leading international event in the field of Globally Networked Learning. The main idea of COIL is to create learning environments in which students gain valuable digital and cross-cultural competencies through collaboration with international peers.

Among the 400 attendees this year from across the U.S. and all over the world were two SPC faculty members: Jennifer Fernandes and Therezita Ortiz.

“The COIL conference was really instrumental in helping me find a program to start a partnership with and it also gave me a lot of ideas on best practices. It was very insightful and helped me get a glimpse into other cultures,” said Fernandes.

On June 2, 2016 both faculty members will share the highlights from the conference at 2^nd Annual International Symposium.

We are excited to hear about their experiences!

International Student Story: Bonjour from Ivory Coast

May 1, 2016International StudentsFitti Kolbe

My name is Georges Goa and I am from Ivory Coast, which is located in West Africa. My home country is a little bit like France because my country was colonized by France. The first language in my home country is French and people are known to be friendly and hard workers.

I came to the U.S because my father used to study in the U.S and when he got all his diplomas, he went home and actually lived a good life. Also, my sister lives here and so does my brother. I also wanted to be bilingual because this is a really good skill to have in my country. It makes it easier to find a job. I like to learn more about new culture because in America you meet people from everywhere and also living here without my family helped me growing up.

My sister is the one who found SPC for me and she has been living in Clearwater so it was convenient for me to go here. When I started studying at SPC everything was different for me because in my country we go to school from Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4pm. Here you choose your schedule and this is cool. Also, the school here makes you independent and you have to learn how to study on your own by making a good schedule that gives you time to study and to succeed without being disturbed.

My plan after graduation is to go to SPC in Largo for studying Management and Leadership for my bachelor’s program.

After 5 years, I see myself with all my diplomas and going back home and find a good job to make good money and to have the same life as my father gave to us or better than that.

Written by: Georges Goa

SPC students present their Global Citizen capstone papers

April 25, 2016NewsFitti Kolbe

Are you a global citizen?

One of the main character traits that employers are looking for in job applicants are intercultural skills and an understanding of societies and cultures outside of the U.S. The Global Citizen Pathway (GCP) at SPC is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a competent global citizen who is ready to live and work in a diverse world. The GCP entails curricular, co-curricular, and capstone components that students complete alongside their degree program. In May 2016 the first two Global Citizen will graduate from SPC: Mary Walsh and Marsha Nelson!

Mary Walsh is graduating from SPC with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. On April 14, Mary presented her paper to SPC faculty, staff and the Tri Beta National Biological Honors Society, in which she is an active member. In 2015, Mary participated SPC’s Bonaire Study Abroad program, an experience that sparked her interest in her capstone paper on global pollution issues.

Marsha Nelson is graduating with an Associate’s degree in Health Information Technology. On April 20, she presented her Global Citizen Capstone paper on childhood immunization to the members of the SPC Rotaract Club. Marsha recently participated in SPC’s Study Abroad program to Italy, and took part in the program to Costa Rica for Spanish language in 2015. The latter significantly shaped her opinion on childhood immunization, the topic of her capstone paper.

Do you want to be a Global Citizen? Join us at the GCP orientation seminar:

Date: Friday, June 17
Time:12:00-1:30 pm
Where: Clearwater Campus, ES 125

Click here to RSVP .

Study Abroad Collaborative Session

April 24, 2016NewsFitti Kolbe

On April 22, 2016 SPC’s Center for International Programs (CIP) hosted a Study Abroad Collaborative Session on the Clearwater Campus.

The session began with CIP sharing the changes and improvements that were implemented in response to last semester’s “Creative Conversations.” Some notable changes sparked by those sessions occurred in the areas of marketing, funding and active learning. After hearing about how SPC Study Abroad programs are developed and viewing the data about the increasing student participation, participants engaged in “Coffee Talk” conversations sharing ideas for improvements. This input produced many helpful ideas on how to move forward SPC’s commitment to offering divers Study Abroad programs. Click here to view the input during the session.

A special thanks to all SPC faculty and staff who attended the event! We look forward to the valuable insight from future collaborative sessions – which CIP plans on holding every Fall and Spring semester.

Do you have any questions, ideas or comments for CIP? Click here to submit your input.

Learn more: SPC International Programs.
Learn more: SPC Study Abroad Programs.
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SA Faculty receives awards!

April 5, 2016News, Study AbroadFitti Kolbe

Congratulations to our two study abroad faculty members, Jennifer Fernandes and Roxana Levin, who received the 2015 John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Awards from the League for Innovation in the Community College. The League is an international, nonprofit organization that is known for its dedication to catalyzing the community college movement in a continuing effort to make a positive difference for students and communities.

Jennifer Fernandes is an assistant professor of Biology and lead faculty of the study abroad program to Bonaire. She was awarded for Outstanding Student Engagement.

Roxana Levin is a Spanish professor and lead faculty for the study abroad program to Spain. She was awarded for Outstanding Student Engagement Online.

Testimony of an Auschwitz Survivor – April 7th

April 5, 2016Events, NewsFitti Kolbe

Speaker Mr. Phil Gans is coming to Clearwater campus this Thursday, April 7, to share with students, faculty and staff his testimony on life as “Prisoner #139755”, and his survival of the Auschwitz III Slave Labor Camp.

Date: Thursday, April 7, 2016
Location: Clearwater Campus, room ES 104
Time: 9:30-11:00am

The event is hosted by Dr. Zombek’s AMH class – for questions contact zombek.angie@spcollege.edu.