摘要:On Tuesday, my colleagues, Sidney Yu (俞仲秋), Zhi Wang (王执), and I visited Santa Rosa Junior College located 1 hour north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, also widely known for its sprawling wineries similar to its sister region, Napa Valley.
 , , , , Day 3: Tuesday, September 3, 2013
 , , , , Days Left: 27
 , , , , Current Location: Santa Rosa, California
 , , , , Let&rsquo,s start with a visualization exercise.
 , , , , Step 1: Close your eyes...do it really.
 , , , , Step 2: Take a deep breath...and then take another one.
 , , , , Step 3: Relax and clear your mind.
 , , , , Step 4: Now think about the following question.
 , , , , Question: What images or words come to mind when you think or hear the phrase&lsquo,community college&rsquo, (社区学院)?
 , , , , a. Do you think of ivy-covered brick buildings?
 , , , , b. Do you think of a 100-acre campus or a nearly 100 year school history?
 , , , , c. Do you think of walking on campus with thousands of American students?
 , , , , d. Do you think of one-on-one attention with advisors and faculty, often leading to higher degrees at leading global institutions such as UC Berkeley?
 , , , , I will tell you that I don&rsquo,t think of many of these things when I hear the words &lsquo,community college&rsquo,.
 , , , , But after yesterday, I eat my words.
 , , , , On Tuesday, my colleagues, Sidney Yu (俞仲秋), Zhi Wang (王执), and I visited Santa Rosa Junior College located 1 hour north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, also widely known for its sprawling wineries similar to its sister region, Napa Valley.
 , , , , Certainly, my impressions were tested, and my paradigms changed.
 , , , , Founded in 1918, Santa Rosa Junior College is a two-year community college with a 100 acre campus with ivy-covered brick architecture modeled after Stanford University. Most of its buildings are less than 10 years old, with state-of-the-art classrooms, a library, student activities' facilities, and a comfortable and welcoming environment for its 20,000+ student population. Its history of close ties with Stanford and UC Berkeley are reflected not only in the architecture and its mascots (the Bear Cubs closely linked to UC Berkeley&rsquo,s Bears mascot).
 , , , , Students, mostly Americans ( out of nearly 100 students that I saw walking around, only about 2-3 were Asians &ndash, not sure if they were Chinese students from the mainland or potentially American born/raised or from a different Asian country). Overall, out of over 20,000 students on campus, there are less than 100 international students.
 , , , , The opportunities are abound here - and organized in a way that makes students feel that they are not at a community college, but at an educational institution and preparing them for future pathways. What a warm welcome and visit...a nice jewel tucked away in the heart of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.