The Bakersfield College Foundation, along with the Bakersfield College Alumni Association, were proud to announce four outstanding honorees to be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame on July 7, 2022. The selection committee chose alumni who have made a significant impact through their profession, public and community service, or by making a positive influence in the lives of others. Honorees this year included:
Kevin McCarthy
Congressman Kevin McCarthy proudly serves California’s 23rd district and is currently the Republican Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kevin’s leadership at the local, state, and national level is well-known and is an excellent example of the type of success that comes out of Bakersfield College.
NaTesha T. Johnson
Among her many accomplishments, NaTesha Johnson is the founder and owner of Upside Productions Management, specializing in relationships focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion outreach. T is committed to helping local non-profits succeed and has helped raise more than $550,000 to benefit local programs.
Lou Barbich
Lou Barbich has over 40 years of experience serving the community as a certified public accountant, specializing in diversified and integrated agricultural operations. He has held many leadership roles in our community and in his profession.
Shirley Haney
Shirley has fostered over 109 children in her home, giving each of them a loving, caring, and compassionate start in life. She most definitely put her BC child development education to work as she impacts our community!
The 2022 Honors Celebration recognized student recipients of scholarships and/or awards for the Spring 2022 and upcoming 2022-2023 academic year. This pre-recorded event featured BC administrators and a keynote speaker, as well as name recognition for all student recipients. The 2022 Honors Celebration premiered virtually online on YouTube on Thursday, April 28th at 6:30 p.m.
A drive-thru medal pick-up event took place on the Panorama Campus on Friday, April 29th. Students who were awarded medals were recognized at this drive-thru celebration featuring a refreshments table and fun photo opportunity.
You can help earn donations for the Bakersfield College Foundation by signing up for Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile is a program where Amazon donates .5% of the price of your eligible purchases to a charity of your choice. Amazon shoppers generate millions of dollars in donations for organizations every year.
Thank you for supporting the Bakersfield College Foundation! Your donations go towards our scholarship funds and grants for students that help set them on a pathway to success.
The 2021 Honors Celebration recognized student recipients of scholarships and/or awards for the Spring 2021 and upcoming 2021-2022 academic year. This pre-recorded event featured BC administrators and a keynote speaker, as well as name recognition for student recipients. The video premiered on YouTube on April 29, 2021 at 7 PM.
Congratulations to our 2021 Honor Roll students! We are so proud of the work you put in this year.
2021 Honors Celebration Video Program
Watch the 2021 Honors Celebration at YouTube (opens in new window):
PANORAMA is the BC Foundation’s quarterly newsletter. This is where you’ll find news about our important updates to staff, programs, initiatives, events, and more.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Bakersfield College Foundation in collaboration with the Office of Financial Aid has created the Bakersfield College Student Emergency Fund to help our students weather this difficult time.
We encourage you to consider making a donation today to the fund to provide support to students in need of help with costs associated with gaps in technology needed to continue their education, medical and child care expenses, housing, etc. The goal of this fund is to provide relief now and in future emergency situations.
Donations can be made through the BC Foundation website, SupportBC.org and selecting “BC Student Emergency Fund” from the drop down menu or BC faculty and staff may set up automatic payroll deductions by contacting Foundation at foundation@bakersfieldcollege.edu.
Any amount is helpful and thank you in advance for your consideration. Together we can make a difference!!
The Bakersfield College Foundation welcomes Cheryl Scott as its new Executive Director.
In this new role, Ms. Scott will oversee and direct all aspects of the Foundation, including fundraising, operations, management of staff and consultants, and outreach to the community. She will work closely with the Foundation Board of Directors and Bakersfield College President Sonya Christian.
“On behalf of the Bakersfield College Foundation board of directors, I am thrilled to have Cheryl Scott joining the Foundation as our new executive director. Her previous leadership experience with the KEDC and KEDF, and her passion for community service as an active member of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club have uniquely prepared her to make an immediate impact leading the BC Foundation,” said Jeff Bell, Chair of the Bakersfield College Foundation Board of Directors. “We share a passion for higher education and I am excited to partner with her to support the unique learning opportunities Bakersfield College provides our community.”
“The support of the community has been a constant in the 100-year history of Bakersfield College, and the BC Foundation has been fundamental in strengthening and deepening this relationship. I am excited that Cheryl Scott said ‘yes’ to leading the Foundation in its mission of supporting our student Renegades,” said Dr. Sonya Christian, President of Bakersfield College. “Cheryl is smart, kind, committed to our community, connected to business and industry, believes in the transformational power of education, and has always been a friend to BC. I believe that the best is yet to come with the partnership of BC and the BC Foundation.”
Cheryl Scott enjoys strategizing in the areas of business, communications, and promotion, creating successful and rewarding partnerships for everyone involved. She is a lover of excellent customer service and has developed and conducted training programs to help others deliver top-notch service for clients.
“Throughout my entire career, I’ve been fortunate to work in roles where I felt I could contribute to local residents’ quality of life. After 15 years of working in economic development, I’m excited to join the Renegade family, where I can continue on that path,” said Ms. Scott. “I’ve seen, first-hand, the impact Bakersfield College has on individuals and local businesses by preparing students for career and/or transfer to four-year universities. I look forward to working with the BC Foundation team and its Board of Directors to support the college and its many programs that create countless opportunities for students.”
Since 2005, Ms. Scott has been the Vice President for Kern Economic Development Corporation. For the last three and half years, she has also served as the Executive Director of the Kern Economic Development Foundation. In her role with the KEDF, she led the launching of the Kern County STEMposium, created to help close the gap between the business and education communities. Ms. Scott also led the creation of the KEDF’s Women in STEM initiative, an effort to encourage girls and women to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The native Kern County resident earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Bakersfield. Ms. Scott currently serves as the president of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club, of which she has been a member for 27 years. She also was a member of the Bakersfield College Foundation Board from 2012-2019.
We hope you enjoy browsing the 2020 Honors Celebration Program – our way of celebrating your achievements during this period when we cannot celebrate them in person.
We also have custom Facebook frames you can add to your profile picture by going to Update Profile Photo -> Add Frame -> Search “BC Scholars”. We have a couple selections for our BC Scholars and parents of BC Scholars. We hope you’ll display them proudly as a mark of your dedication, focus and accomplishment this year.
The 11th annual Sterling Silver Dinner, held on Saturday, March 23, 2019, recognized exceptional support and service to the BC Foundation and to Bakersfield College. The beautiful event, which took place at Seven Oaks Country Club, directly impacts the Bakersfield College scholarship program by providing educational opportunities for Renegades both today and tomorrow.
The event brought together college supporters, donors, alumni, and friends for an evening of live entertainment featuring Kris Tiner and the BC Jazz Ensemble, along with culinary delights from Seven Oaks Executive Chef Paul Burzlaff and the BC Culinary Arts students. It was great to see Renegade supporters like Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Mayor Karen Goh, Assembly Member Vince Fong, and CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny in attendance.
Recognitions included Lynda and Stewart Resnick, Aera Energy, and Jerry Ludeke.
Check out the gallery below to see the wonderful photos taken by photographer April Massirio.
Bakersfield College lost one of its most generous sweethearts on October 21, 2018 with the passing of ninety-four year old Margaret C. “Peggy” Haight. A long-time neighbor of the college, Peggy frequently walked on campus and regularly attended BC events, including Foundation board meetings.
Back in 2008, Peggy created a stir when she appeared at the Foundation Office with a grocery bag full of money. (The campus still talks about her “Paper Bag Donation.”) The $100,000 she dropped off that day added to the $200,000 she had given previously. Her total giving approaches $1.2 million and touches various parts of BC, including culinary arts, nursing, industrial arts, the performing arts, and the library.
Because of concerns for her safety as a single senior citizen, her giving during her lifetime was anonymous. That suited Peggy because she never sought recognition. She simply loved Bakersfield College and wanted to help its students succeed in any way she could. She was particularly fond of President Sonya Christian and her accomplishments as a woman leader.
Peggy was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as Margaret Catherine McGinnis and spent her formative years in Toledo, Ohio, and Lansing, Michigan. She married Harry C. Haight in 1948. They later moved to California where, in 1961, she achieved her B.A. degree from then Sacramento State College. Peggy worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles in Los Angeles and later as a social worker for the Kern County Department of Human Services. Widowed in 1985, Peggy never remarried.
After retirement, Peggy volunteered at the Kern County Public Library and the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Peggy was a private person with a keen mind and dry sense of humor, who cared more about helping others than her own comfort. Her life’s project was making a difference at Bakersfield College, and she will be remembered for her kindness to the people she touched at BC and her generosity.
