The Promise @ San Jac Scholarship has been changing students' lives through debt-free education since 2021.
One of those many students, Lara Huynh, recently completed her first year as a Promise Scholar and is grateful for the opportunity.
2023 was a year to remember, and while we look forward to what 2024 brings, we want to celebrate some of our great moments from the past year.
After a tornado ripped through Pasadena, Deer Park, and Baytown, the San Jacinto College Foundation distributed emergency funds to help impacted students and employees. Thank you to everyone who donated, served meals, or donned work gloves to help our community rebuild. Read the story.
Eighteen future energy professionals graduated from San Jacinto College and American Petroleum Institute’s SkillsReady job readiness program. Focusing on underserved populations, SkillsReady builds a talent pipeline for the energy sector. Read the story.
San Jacinto College will serve as the resource college for 10 other community colleges in the Unlocking Opportunity network 2023-2028. This national network will improve students’ post-completion outcomes by providing credentials that lead to transfer or high-quality jobs, especially for students of color and low-income students. Read the story.
27 San Jacinto College music students made the Texas Music Educator Association’s two-year college All-State choir, jazz band, and symphonic band — the highest honors community college music students can achieve. Read the story.
San Jacinto College head softball coach Kelly Saenz earned her 700th victory when the Ravens defeated Kilgore College. At San Jac since 2004, Saenz has been a driving force in the softball program’s success. Read the story.
Empty Bowls Houston and San Jac invited students, staff, and the public to get creative to tackle hunger with a pottery bowl-a-thon. The group made 85 bowls. Read the story.
San Jacinto College celebrated two ribbon cuttings with Service Wire Co. The ceremony on the North Campus dedicated a computer lab in the name of the wire and cable manufacturing company in the campus’ Center for Industrial Technology. At the Generation Park Campus, the event celebrated the naming of a new learning space.
Congressman Brian Babin visited the 145,000-square-foot LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology at San Jacinto College’s Central Campus with college and industry representatives. Students were stationed throughout the tour to give the Congressman a first-hand look at the various industries they are studying, and San Jac faculty were available to answer any questions posed about the meeting the students’ educational needs.
San Jacinto College encouraged local students to “get their geek on” with the Mind Trekkers Adventures in STEM Festival March 9-10 at the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology. Children and their families engaged in more than 100 hands-on science experiments. Read the story.
The Texas Workforce Commission presented San Jacinto College, BayTech, and Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership with a second round of funding — more than $332,000 — for an aerospace technician training grant. Read the story.
The Aspen Institute recognized San Jacinto College as one of the top 10 community colleges nationwide, following previous recognitions as an Aspen Prize Finalist with Distinction in 2021, Aspen Prize Finalist in 2019, and Aspen Prize Rising Star in 2017. Read the story.
The San Jacinto College Ravens baseball team partnered with the North Shore Little League Challenger Division to commemorate its third annual Challenger Day Sunday. The day was celebrated by fans of the Challenger Division and Ravens alike with special guest Ken Wimbley from the North Shore Rotary Club. Read the story.
San Jacinto College students took first and second place at the 2023 North American Process Technology Alliance Troubleshooting Skills Competition — the College’s sixth consecutive year to participate. Read the story.
The San Jacinto College Foundation celebrated donors’ life-changing impact during its Donor Appreciation Luncheon. From July 2022 - April 2023, donors gave almost $3.5 million in cash and pledges to help students, and the Foundation awarded $2.7 million in scholarships and provided emergency assistance with meals, tuition, and books. Read the story.
May commencement saw 1,483 graduates walking, the youngest of which was 15, and the most senior was 75. There were also 42 veterans and 735 high school students earning their associate degree before their high school diploma.
San Jacinto College’s Maritime Propeller Club celebrated its first outgoing officers and soon-to-be graduates May 10. Started in January 2022, this Maritime Campus club is the only community college club of its kind worldwide.
Dr. Michelle Cantú-Wilson and returning trustee Erica Davis Rouse took the oath of office for the Board of Trustees. Read the story.
Kristine Kern, emergency medical services, paramedic professor and clinical coordinator, is honored with the inaugural American Ambulance Association’s Vanguard Award. Only awarded to 23 women across the nation, Kern is sole Texan and only educator among the ranks. Read the story.
On July 12, LyondellBasell and San Jacinto College celebrated recent process technology graduates who started solid careers at local LyondellBasell plants. Read the story.
San Jacinto College is among the list of prestigious winners in the Public Relations Society of America Houston Chapter’s 2023 Excalibur Awards. Read the story.
Current San Jac Raven, right-handed pitcher Cale Lansville, and two former San Jacinto College baseball players were selected in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. Read the story.
San Jacinto College celebrated the opening of Bezos Academy – North Shore, a tuition-free, Montessori-inspired preschool on the College's North Campus with a ribbon cutting event Aug. 21. Read the story.
Amanda Fenwick, vice president of marketing and public relations for San Jacinto College, has been selected as a 2023 Houston Business Journal Women Who Mean Business honoree. The Women Who Mean Business Awards recognize women leaders who have demonstrated excellence in their careers and community. Read the story.
San Jacinto College Softball Head Coach Kelly Saenz can add another Hall of Fame induction to her resume. Her alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University, announced the former Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year as one of seven inductees, along with the 1971-1972 men’s basketball team, into the 2023 EKU Hall of Fame Class. Read the story.
The Central Campus Gallery relocated to the Lee Davis Library. The 1,300-square-foot space features a main gallery, smaller “black box gallery” and is equipped to store 2D and 3D works. The gallery's inaugural exhibit was "Miguel Covarrubias: Caricaturista,". Read the story.
The San Jacinto College Board of Trustees was awarded the ACCT Western Region Equity Award by the Association of Community College Trustees for demonstrated evidence of leadership in setting policies that promote and enhance opportunities for institutional diversity, inclusion, and equity for women, persons of color, LGBTQs or members of any other underrepresented or underserved population. Read the story.
San Jacinto College theatre artistic director Dr. Jerry Ivins was named the 2023 Higher Education Educator of the Year by the Texas Education Theatre Association. Read the story.
Local seniors enjoyed socializing and accessing free health screenings and other resources at San Jacinto College’s fifth annual Senior Wellness Expo in October. Each year, the San Jac Continuing and Professional Development Community Engagement Division hosts the event, with community service providers distributing health and wellness resources designed for older adults.
Teri Zamora, Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs at San Jacinto College, has been named the 2023 Outstanding Chief Business Officer by the Community College Business Officers organization. Read the story.
The Aspen Institute has named San Jacinto College as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges. Read the story.
San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Member, Dr. Michelle Cantú-Wilson, has been appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board. Read the story.
Dr. Brenda Hellyer delivered the State of the College both virtually and in person, which concentrated on three areas: the success of students; the innovation and dedication of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff; and the impact on the community. Read the story.
San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Member Dan Mims has been named the Association of Community College Trustees Board of Directors Western Regional Chair. Read the story.
For the 16th consecutive year, San Jacinto College has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. Read the story.
Spanning from 17 to 76, approximately 950 graduates earned nearly 2,500 certificates and degrees at Minute Maid Park.
Dr. Tyler Olivier, San Jacinto College Generation Park STEM department chair, is the College’s 2023-24 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award nominee.