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DESCRIPTION:Foothill College Umoja Learning Community Now Accepting Students;\nAn 
 Education That’s Personal & Meaningful to Each Student\n \nMake your 
 college experience more meaningful by joining Foothill College’s newest 
 learning community: the Umoja Community at Foothill College. An innovative 
 instructional opportunity for all students, Umoja groups English, 
 communication, and psychology courses in a three-quarter program. Students 
 are admitted to the program each fall, and progress through the academic 
 year as a learning community cohort. \n\nMeet Umoja Students, Faculty & 
 Staff September 21—Prospective students can learn more about Umoja and 
 its exciting curriculum, and meet Umoja faculty and counselors at an 
 orientation on Wednesday, September 21, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Foothill 
 College campus in Los Altos Hills.\n\nThe Umoja Community–now at more 
 than 30 California community colleges, and expected to exceed 50 campuses 
 during 2017–provides courses that promote learning about African and 
 African American culture, comprehensive student support programs, on- and 
 off-campus enrichment activities, and a safe place for students to discuss 
 real issues that affect them and the broader community. “We believe that 
 when the voices and histories of students are deliberately and 
 intentionally recognized, the foundation for academic success is formed,” 
 says Foothill Umoja Co-coordinator and English Instructor Samuel White, 
 M.A. “We actively promote student success for all students through a 
 method of curriculum and instruction that is responsive to the legacy of 
 the African and African American diasporas.” White says that students who 
 tend to get the most out of the Umoja learning community are those who 
 generally prefer to work with a group of peers, and want to become active, 
 responsible, and conscious learners.\n \nUmoja also seeks to help students 
 develop a sense of pride, ownership and responsibility in their own 
 speaking and writing. The program coordinators see this as vital, given the 
 low numbers of African Americans in Silicon Valley. The Umoja Community 
 wants to educate students who may not be aware of the contributions of the 
 black community to the success of this area. “Engaging in the practice of 
 sharing historical importance enables students to experience language as 
 power,” says Foothill Umoja Co-coordinator and English Instructor 
 Kimberly Escamilla, M.A. “As Umoja faculty members, we are in a unique 
 position to share our stories and our experiences to humanize our classroom 
 instruction. Doing so, helps us create an environment that gives our 
 students the confidence to participate in deep learning and share their 
 individual stories and life experiences.”\n \nBy emphasizing a distinct 
 history created by their predecessors, students enrolled in the Umoja 
 Program study a variety of literary contributions from various authors, 
 such as Phillis Wheatley, David Walker, Malcolm X, Ta-nehisi Coates, Robert 
 Johnson, W. E. B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, 
 Langston Hughes, Desmond Tutu, Barack Obama, and other trendsetters, 
 artists and intellectuals.\n \nUmoja courses provide students with the 
 opportunity to not only discuss issues relevant to the African American 
 experience, but students are encouraged to critically analyze these issues. 
 As an example, students who enroll in Foothill’s four-unit ENGL 12: 
 African American Literature course, read Malcolm X’s speech, The Ballot 
 or the Bullet, which, when written in 1964, demanded deliberate action on 
 the part of America’s black citizens. Students write about the 
 implications of Malcolm’s call to action; they also conduct research to 
 determine how similar calls to action are issued today, and the associated 
 implications on present-day society, White says.\n \nTo support students, 
 Umoja prioritizes the powerful one-to-one relationship of the Umoja student 
 and the Umoja counselor. Data suggest that a major reason that students 
 drop out of college is that they have experienced isolation or alienation. 
 “To combat dropping out, each student works with a dedicated Umoja 
 counselor throughout their cohort schedule to develop realistic, and 
 attainable academic and career goals,” says Foothill College Umoja 
 Academic Counselor Tracee Cunningham, M.A. “The unique relationship 
 between a student and a counselor can often provide the encouragement and 
 motivation that a student needs to remain committed to achieving his or her 
 goals.”\n \nTo further enhance the student experience, the Umoja 
 Community features a dedicated study and social space on campus that Umoja 
 students can claim as their own. Also, significant to the program, are 
 Umoja’s recently signed pathways to transfer agreements with the 
 University of California (UC) system and Historically Black Colleges and 
 Universities (HBCUs).\n \nUmoja courses that will be presented during the 
 2016–2017 academic year include:\n \nFall 2016\nCOMM 4: Group Discussion 
 and\nENGL 1A: Composition & Reading or\nENGL 110: Introduction to College 
 Writing or\nENGL 209: Introduction to College Reading\n \nWinter 2017\nENGL 
 12: African American Literature and\nENGL 110: Introduction to College 
 Writing or\nENGL 1A: Composition & Reading\n \nSpring 2017\nPSYC 22: 
 Psychology of Prejudice and\nENGL 1A: Composition & Reading or\nENGL 1B: 
 Composition, Critical Reading & Thinking through Literature\nMATH 220: 
 Elementary Algebra (optional)\n \nFor more information about Umoja, visit 
 foothill.edu/umoja/. To schedule free English and math placement tests, 
 visit foothill.edu/placement/. To schedule an appointment with Umoja 
 Counselor Tracee Cunningham before September 21, e-mail 
 cunninghamtracee@foothill.edu.    \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/08/22/18790376.php
SUMMARY:Foothill College Umoja Learning Community Now Accepting Students
LOCATION:Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills CA 94022 (off I-280)
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/08/22/18790376.php
DTSTART:20160921T210000Z
DTEND:20160922T000000Z
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