September 2025

Vol. 21

From the Executive Director

The fall semester is off to a wonderful start, and it has been such a joy to see our campus filled with students once again. There is a special energy in the air this time of year as new and returning Renegades settle into classes and dive into all the opportunities Bakersfield College has to offer.

The start of the school year also means scholarship season is right around the corner. Applications for the 2025–26 academic year open in October, and we encourage all BC students (or those planning to attend next year) to apply. Scholarships open doors, and we are grateful to the many generous donors who make these opportunities possible! If you are interested in contributing to an existing scholarship or even creating one of your own, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Together, we can continue to change lives through education.

Looking ahead, we are excited to once again welcome our community to campus for the BC Alumni BBQ on Saturday, October 11. We are proud to partner with Harris BBQ as our presenting sponsor, helping us bring the community together for this special event. While we call it the “Alumni BBQ,” it is truly an event for everyone. This is a chance for our entire community to come together, enjoy great food, and celebrate our Renegade spirit!

We look forward to seeing you on campus this fall, whether it is at the BBQ or attending one of our other events on campus!

Warmest regards,
Cheryl

Kick Off Homecoming at the BC Alumni BBQ!

There’s no better way to kick off Homecoming than with a true Renegade tailgate! The Bakersfield College Alumni BBQ invites alumni, friends, students, and the entire community to come together for food, fun, and school spirit before the big game.

Guests can hang out and enjoy live music, family-friendly activities, and local vendors for free, and purchase a Harris BBQ meal featuring their choice of tri-tip, chicken, or all-beef hot dogs. A beer garden will also be available for guests 21 and over. Best of all, all attendees can head straight to the Homecoming football game afterwards with free entrance—a perfect way to keep the tailgate energy going!

Proceeds from the BBQ benefit the Bakersfield College Alumni Association, helping provide scholarships and resources that support past, current, and future Renegades.

Donor Spotlight: Honoring a Loved One Through Giving

Bakersfield College holds a special place in the heart of Veronica Slaton, who recently established a scholarship in honor of her late husband, Justin “Cody” Slaton. “Cody and I actually met here at Bakersfield College during our first semester, so BC has always been near and dear to our hearts,” she shares. “He was larger than life—the funniest person I’ve ever known and had a way of making everyone feel special. He was an incredible husband, father, and friend, and had a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. If it wasn’t for BC, we would have never met and built our beautiful life together.”

After Cody’s passing, Veronica found herself navigating life as a young widow with three children. Returning to school posed both an emotional and financial challenge. “When I decided to come back to school, finances were one of my biggest concerns. I quickly realized there were very few scholarships available for people in my situation,” she explains. “Now that my life has stabilized, it’s important to me to give back and support others facing similar situations as a way to honor my late husband.”

Scholarships, she believes, can have a profound impact. “I hope our scholarship can ease even a small part of a student’s stress or worry. Life is hard enough while dealing with grief and trying to move forward without the added burden of finances. If we can help someone on their college journey in any way, then we’ve succeeded.”

For those considering supporting BC students, her advice is simple: “Do it! Scholarships have such a big impact on students, and I was amazed at how many we already have here at BC. If you don’t see one you want to support, it’s easy to start your own. I’m so thankful I could create one to honor my husband’s memory by giving back.”

Through her generosity, Veronica ensures that Bakersfield College continues to be a place where students can pursue their education with the support, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed.

If you are interested in donating to an existing scholarship or starting one of your own, please contact us at foundation@bakersfieldcollege.edu for more information.

Alumni Spotlight: What’s Your BC Story?

    I started at BC in Spring 2014 with the idea of an A.S. for transfer in Computer Science. Shortly after starting, I started hearing about the Industrial Automation Baccalaureate program. I switched my major and concentrated on the prerequisites. In 2018, I completed an A.S. in Industrial Technology with a concentration in Electronics and in 2019, I completed both the A.S. and B.S. in Industrial Automation. Thanks to job fairs held on campus, I had already met my future employer before graduating and I started working at BRY, first as a contractor and then as an Automation Technician. I was promoted to Senior Automation Technician in 2022.

In 2023, I moved to Kansas to be the Controls Engineer for a state-of-the-art cheese making facility that was still under construction. I was recently promoted to Controls Engineer II and the plant has been operational for 9 months. I have learned a lot along the way of career advancement and I could not have gotten here without BC. I am currently enrolled in a M.Ed. program through ASU Online. I will finish in Summer 2026. I have some Spark now, but I’m Renegade Proud forever!

My name is Stephanie Cervantes and I graduated in May 2025 with my A.S. in Health Information Technology. I began my journey at BC in 2003, and after six attempts, I successfully completed what I had set out to achieve and earned my degree. I want everyone to know that it’s never too late to go back and get that degree, no matter what life throws at you. I want to thank all my Professors who were always willing and available to answer all of my questions and encourage me to complete my program. I want to thank my amazing husband Luis, my daughter Alexis, and my parents for always pushing me to never give up. A special thank you to Dean Howell for having faith in me when I doubted myself and always having encouraging words and even better advice. BC has given me opportunities that I could never imagine I would get to do, such as being the first President of the Health Information and Informatics Technology Society student organization. In this role, I met many classmates and had opportunities such as attending CHIACON in Long Beach, CA, where I was able to network and meet people who share my passion for health information technology. I also attended multiple events on campus for the health information technology program, and they are experiences I will forever hold dear to my heart.

Always remember to never give up on your dreams, as clichéd as that sounds. It will be hard, but I promise it will be worth it in the end. Through the many opportunities I have had and the many people I have met, I was blessed with a job and am now working in my field pursuing my passion.

I will also continue my educational goals and have signed up to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Administration at Western Governors University, starting in January 2026. 

The future for me is full of so many possibilities and I know as long as I remember my “why” I will accomplish them all.

We are BC!!!

Celebrating 70 years of Memorial Stadium

The Bakersfield College Memorial Stadium was not an easy feat for those credited with its creation, but certainly a triumph! The stadium was the first structure completed on Bakersfield College’s Panorama campus, and the construction plans were meticulously assembled. It required intensive research and close attention to detail by Theron McCuen, then Superintendent of the Kern County Union High School and Junior College District and its Board of Trustees, and then BC President Ralph Prator, who contributed significantly to realizing Grace Bird’s vision of a college on a hill.

According to the BC Archives Newsletter of April 2006, Prator appointed Bakersfield High School Athletic Director, J.B. ‘Cap’ Haralson to coordinate the construction of facilities and fields for physical education and athletics in 1953. With a community of officials at the drawing board, Haralson had a visionary team to help create a state-of-the-art stadium for Bakersfield College. The concept of constructing a double-decked stadium began with Theron Taber, then assistant to the Superintendent, who felt inspired by the stadium at Rice University in Houston. Later that year, Haralson recruited his respected friend Gil Bishop, the BC basketball coach to also help assist with the project (Covey 3).

As the pressures of designing a new campus settled in, conflicts were quick to rise. During the planning stages, Prator entered an intense debate through an exchange of letters regarding the decision to include a track inside the football stadium. As recorded in the Archives Newsletter of Fall 2015, Prator wrote, “…the implications (over the inclusion of the track inside the stadium) are far more serious than would permit the justifying of a conclusion on a premise of ‘I prefer it this way.’ If expense were no item, I would favor two and separate stadiums—one for track and one for football” (Mayer 2). Ultimately, passion prevailed and the decision to include a track in the football stadium was finalized on May 2nd, 1952.

When disaster struck in 1952, Haralson saw an opportunity. The genesis of a first-rate track began with an earthquake that shook the San Joaquin Valley, providing the raw material of brick rubble from the destroyed Courthouse. Haralson, who later became chairman of the AAU Men’s Track and Field Committee, realized his dream of a crushed brick track (later supplemented with volcanic ash), modeled after the historic Olympic Games stadium in Helsinki, Finland.

Memorial Stadium finally reached completion in the Fall of 1955, just before the remainder of the campus opened to accept students in 1956. The final plans for the stadium consisted of 16,546 seats with the potential to seat an audience of 30,000. The total cost of the stadium, according to reports dated July 1957, was estimated to be $1,159,569.04 (that is over ten million dollars today).

From earthquake rubble shaping the track to world records broken under the lights, Memorial Stadium’s story is filled with surprises and milestones. Read the entire article at the BC Archives: Memorial Stadium History Highlight

Renegade Innovation Fund Brings New Rhythm to Campus

The Renegade Innovation Fund was created by the Foundation to support creative projects that enhance the student experience at Bakersfield College. Each year, the fund provides resources for faculty and staff to bring forward innovative ideas that enrich learning opportunities for students.

This year, one of the approved projects will bring a new sound to the Performing Arts department. The fund supported the purchase of a full set of bata drums, traditional instruments central to Afro-Cuban music. With these drums, the Afro-Cuban Percussion Ensemble will be able to study and perform this unique genre of music for the first time at BC.

Until now, the college had no bata drums available, limiting the ability to explore this rich tradition in the classroom. By adding them to the department’s growing collection of instruments from around the world, students will gain the chance to connect with global cultures through hands-on learning and performance.

The Renegade Innovation Fund makes projects like this possible every year. If you would like to help support the Performing Arts or another department that inspires you, consider making a donation through the BC Foundation at www.supportbc.org/donate. Together, we can continue providing the tools and experiences that help students thrive!

Thank You for Your Suppport

BC Foundation Team