March 2024 Staff Spotlight: A Life of Service-Neelam Canto-Lugo

Chrystal GillmingStaff Spotlight, Yuba Spotlight

A Life of Service Sommer Hanson Back home in California after a recent trip to Bangladesh, Neelam Canto-Lugo still wakes up throughout the night. The retired Yuba College professor and volunteer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is used to adjusting to the different time zones. In retirement, Canto-Lugo is fond of waking up to the flowering … Read More

February 2024 Staff Spotlight: Bringing history to life- Claire Eberhardt

Chrystal GillmingStaff Spotlight, Yuba Spotlight

Bringing history to life SOMER HANSON Enter Claire Eberhardt’s home and it may feel like a museum. From Roman coins to a 1920s driver’s license, artifacts are on display at the Yuba College history and humanities professor’s home.“I try to collect something real or a replica from every time period I’m teaching in all my classes,” Eberhardt said. “I bring … Read More

January 2024 Staff Spotlight: The Animal Doctor- Dr. Kyle Mathis

Chrystal GillmingStaff Spotlight

The Animal Doctor SOMER HANSON While in Sri Lanka with the Peace Corps in the early 1990s, Dr. Kyle Mathis was given a book of first aid tips and life hacks to assist him if he or a neighbor needed medical attention with no doctor available. Reading about different health problems sparked an interest in Mathis to pursue medical school … Read More

June 2022 Staff Spotlight: Marc Flacks

Anabel TocheStaff Spotlight

Community Focused SOMER HANSON Coming from a long family line of activists, including a famous sociologist, Marc Flacks had no intention of staying in line. As an undergrad, Flacks attended Wesleyan University on the East Coast as an undecided major, and enrolled in classes that interested him. When it came time to declare his major, Flacks realized he was almost … Read More

August 2021 Spotlight: Jim Prager

Veronica CatlinStaff Spotlight

If you’ve been on the Yuba College campus for any amount of time, you’ve most likely have heard of, or even met, the legend that is Jim Prager. For half a century, Jim has been a visible part of the Yuba College community, from teaching an array of courses in reading and writing to performing in plays like “Death of … Read More

Faculty Feature: Doug Cornelius

Veronica CatlinStaff Spotlight

After 26 years as a college basketball coach, Doug Cornelius contemplated retirement. When the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown Yuba College and his men’s basketball team in what would have been his 20th season as head coach, Coach Corn as he’s known, got an early taste of the retirement life while stuck at home for a year. With half of his house … Read More

Classified Employee of the Year: Silvia Gonzalez

crystalferrerStaff Spotlight

Silvia Gonzalez in a pink jacket with her left hand on a tree

The California Community Colleges Chancellors Office and Board of Governors announced May 25 that Yuba College employee Silvia Gonzalez was one of five Classified Employees of the Year at the state level. “I was in shock after I got the news,’ Gonzalez said. “I’m still in shock, but I feel very honored that all of the hard work I’ve put … Read More

Faculty Feature: Alisan Hastey

crystalferrerStaff Spotlight

Alisan Hastey wearing a light blue collared shirt and a dark blue sweater with foliage in the background

Prolific Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel once said that you build better citizens for the community with an orchestra. Performing music with other musicians, even if the only thing you have in common with the person next to you is the music itself, creates a bond that echoes through the notes and passes on to those who hear it. … Read More

Faculty Feature: Liberty Harrison

crystalferrerStaff Spotlight

Liberty Harrison in a car with a black turtleneck and large bead necklace

The education experience is unique for everyone. It’s a path full of twists, turns and sometimes, even seemingly impassable roadblocks. Yuba College’s Liberty Harrison knows this all too well. At age 31, Liberty, who has dealt with severe dyslexia for most of her life, took a big step and began her college career at Yuba College. Like so many students, … Read More

Welding Technologies Instructor Finds A Way

crystalferrerStaff Spotlight

  Yuba College Welding Technologies Instructor Dan Turner has a philosophy he teaches his students at the Marysville campus: “The question is never ‘can we;’ it’s ‘how can we?’” When the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in stay at home orders and no in-person learning last spring, Turner went right into answering the question: How can he provide an environment that ensures … Read More