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Dear Andrea,
From Groundhog Day to Valentine's Day to President's Day, February was, and continues to be, a very busy month!
We were excited to welcome students back to campus on February 18 for the beginning of the new spring semester. We look forward to the flurry of activity our students bring us each and every day! Before we know it, it will be Graduation Day!
Happy Warrior Wednesday!
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Andrea Sala
Executive Director
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Campus Spotlight: President Brenda Thames Honored at Torrance Chamber of Commerce Black History Month Celebration | |
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On February 13th, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its 24th Annual Black History Month Celebration, honoring Dr. Brenda Thames, Josh Gezahegn, Natisha Echevarria, Evelyn Lynch, and Reggie Cheney for their outstanding contributions to our community. Dr. Marlow Lemons, ECC Dean of Mathematical Sciences, accepted the award on behalf of President Thames, who was unable to attend. Congratulations to all!
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Campus Spotlight: ECC Nursing Students Participate in Local Healthcare Event | |
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On February 19th, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Navigating the Intersection of Business and Healthcare event which featured a panel discussion with industry leaders on the state of healthcare in the South Bay. Panelists included Keith Hobbs of Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Mervin Francisco-Passarella of Kaiser Permanente South Bay, Santiago Muñoz of UCLA Health, and Nate Mabry of Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance. Jac Folkert of UCLA Health served as event moderator.
For the first time, nursing and allied health students from El Camino College and California State University, Dominguez Hills were invited to attend. Students were introduced to panelists and had the opportunity to network and meet other healthcare professionals, gaining valuable insights.
Donna Duperron, President and CEO of the Torrance Chamber (far right) conversing with El Camino College Nursing and Respiratory Care students, and CSUDH Nursing students.
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Department Spotlight: ECC's Small Business Development Center Helps Local Eatery Reach Yelp's Top U.S. Vegan Restaurant Ranking | |
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South Bay residents Jason Cervantes and Scarlett Curtis opened their wildly popular lil’ Vegerie restaurant in Redondo Beach two years ago and have been busy gaining new customers ever since. In fact, the plant-based take-out eatery recently ranked No. 1 on Yelp’s 100 Best Vegan Restaurants in the United States list.
Experienced in restaurant operations and nutrition, the pair needed assistance with the business aspects of their venture. So, they reached out to the Small Business Development Center, also known as the South Bay SBDC hosted by El Camino College, for guidance with establishing and running a restaurant. Cervantes found information about pitching to investors, legal structure and permitting, financial forecasting, and business planning.
After working with the South Bay SBDC in 2020, the couple opened lil’ Vegerie in 2022. Part of El Camino’s Business Training Center, the South Bay SBDC provides education and training that strengthens the economic viability and prosperity of businesses. The SBDC is also a member of a national network, offering no-cost business advising by small business experts, help with securing debt/equity financing, and no-cost/low-cost educational events. Read more about the opening of lil' Vegerie with the help of the South Bay SBDC HERE.
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Department Spotlight: Center for the Arts Presents RENT The Musical | |
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RENT follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive in the early 90s and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Directed by Daniel Nakawatase
Choreographed by Liz Hoefner Adamis
Musical Direction by Gabrielle Maldonado
March 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29 @ 8 p.m.
March 23, 30 @ 3 p.m.
General Admission Tickets: $15 - $25
El Camino College, Campus Theatre
Please support this student performance by purchasing tickets HERE.
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Retiree Spotlight: Happy 100th Birthday to Coach Ray Southstone! | |
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Coach Ray Southstone has lived a wonderful life as an athlete, coach, and mentor, and we want to wish this sweet man happy 100 years young!
Southstone was a student-athlete at El Camino College in 1948 and was an ECC coach and professor from 1958-1985. In 1988, the ECC Athletics Hall of Fame was co-founded by Southstone and Dr. James Schwartz, former Dean of Health Sciences & Athletics, to celebrate the rich history, tradition and success of ECC Athletics. This tradition continues annually with the 2025 Hall of Fame Dinner scheduled for May 29th. Southstone was inducted into the ECC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
Photo courtesy of ECC Coach Dean Lofgren (retired).
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Community Partners Spotlight: Malaga Bank | |
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We are proud of our strong community partners and this includes our newest partnership with Malaga Bank!
Since 1985 Malaga Bank has delivered competitive personal and business banking services to local residents and businesses. As the largest community bank in the South Bay, Malaga Bank takes pride in its ongoing legacy of relationship-based banking and legendary customer service by a dedicated team of experienced bankers to help navigate the changing financial landscape. Community participation is an important part of Malaga Bank's corporate philosophy, having a long history of community involvement to help strengthen the communities they serve, demonstrated by the numbers below.
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1220+ Hours
Annual employee volunteer hours
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$106,000+ Dollars
Annual community investment
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104+ Groups
Annual organizations
served
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Thanks Malaga Bank for all your efforts to support El Camino and our students. We are excited about our current educational partnership and what our future partnership holds! | |
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Your generosity can transform a student's life.
Please consider making a gift to the El Camino College Foundation and designating it to a cause that is most meaningful to you.
Thank you so much! XOXO
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The El Camino College Foundation (EIN 95-3874302) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to fund and support student success programs at El Camino College. | | | | |
