Columbia College–San Luis Obispo Dean’s List

Columbia College–San Luis Obispo Dean’s List


Derek Carnes

Sonya Melendez

Ronald Slaughter

Shannon Strano

Darren Threlkeld


The Dean’s List is an honor accorded to students who achieve academic distinction.

Students may be named to the Dean’s List if they complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of Columbia College coursework in two consecutive sessions (with a minimum six semester hours of credit in each session) and combined GPA of 3.50 or higher. Sessions used to establish Dean’s List eligibility will not be used to consider eligibility for future Dean’s Lists. (Excerpt taken from Columbia College AHE 2009—2010 Degree Completion Catalog page 34.)

Columbia College-Lake County dean’s list

Columbia College-Lake County dean’s list:

Christine Andrade

Polina Baklashev

Cressida Bradshaw

Traci Christopher

Cora Colvin

Rico Habersham

Matthew Hansen

Amber Hooven

Michael Hoover

Kimberly Leleniewski

Kimberly Mannes

Evangelia Mavrogiorgos

Lisa Napoli

Robert Paschke

Mark Peperdine

Scott Pounders

Lisa Regnier

Eric Rydberg

Gerald See

Teresa Sosnowski

Steven Spring

Scott Stosek

Adrienne Tyson

Dominick Wallace

Tara Weigel

Michael Welsch

Danielle West

Heather Wilkins

Jacqueline Wilson

The Dean’s List is an honor accorded to students who achieve academic distinction. Students may be named to the Dean’s List if they complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of Columbia College coursework in two consecutive sessions, and earn a combined GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Columbia College-Lake County welcomes new students

A new session means new students, and the Lake County staff and faculty would like to welcome all the students beginning their academic career with Columbia College in October:

Katherine Acker – Great Lakes, IL
Semaj Amen – Wadsworth, IL
Brigette Arnall – Lake Zurich, IL
Amber Arnold – Waukegan, IL
Giannina Barnhouse – Round Lake, IL
Steve Becker – Round Lake Beach, IL
Timothy Bishop – Great Lakes, IL
Latrice Boyd – Chicago, IL
Paul Boykin – Great Lakes, IL
Katherine Braden – Zion, IL
Marisela Bruno – Round Lake Beach, IL
George Cantu – Highland Park, IL
Juan Carethers – Glenview, IL
Liliana Carrillo – Waukegan, IL
Samantha Chiaramonte – Great Lakes, IL
Julie Cintron – Waukegan, IL
Nicholas Collori – Round Lake, IL
Terrance Counts – Chicago, IL
Troy Davidson – Great Lakes, IL
Dale Decker – Antioch, IL
Brent Delahunty – Highland Park, IL
Kurt Dillard – Gurnee, IL
Michael Dixon – Kenosha, WI
Beatrice Downs – Waukegan, IL
Sheila Drake – Grayslake, IL
Michael Duzenski – Gurnee, IL
Andres Escoto – Gurnee, IL
Angela Farinas – Waukegan, IL
Melonie Fiesta – Park City, IL
Mark Formosa – Honolulu, HI
Denisse Fuentes – Mundelein, IL
Sentoria Gilbert – Great Lakes, IL
Cristina Gonzalez – Waukegan, IL
Jennifer Gonzalez – Beach Park, IL
Elizabeth Greathouse – Wadsworth, IL
Abel Guerrero – Waukegan, IL
Letisia Gutierrez – Waukegan, IL
Martin Guzman – Waukegan, IL
Darwin Hoover – Winthrop Harbor, IL
Anthony Jenkins – North Chicago, IL
Amy Johnson – Gurnee, IL
Noiette Jones – Beach Park, IL
Brandon King – Waukegan, IL
Kathleen Kozlowski – Genoa City, WI
Nicole Lenz – Green Oaks, IL
Margarita Leon – Waukegan, IL
Roberta Lopez – Round Lake Beach, IL
Zepher Lyons – Gurnee, IL
Delyris Martinez – Waukegan, IL
Ryan Matus – Libertyville, IL
Terrance McClure – Kenosha, WI
Heather Mendoza – Waukegan, IL
Raulston More – Waukegan, IL
Jonathan Morris – Great Lakes, IL
Gabrielle Mulnix – Grayslake, IL
Enrique Navarro – Round Lake, IL
India Nix – Waukegan, IL
Kenneth Paul – Great Lakes, IL
Kimberly Ponce – Zion, IL
Amber Presley – Zion, IL
Alexander Racki – Zion, IL
Ana Ramirez – Mundelein, IL
David Reising – Great Lakes, IL
Ramon Richardson – Jacksonville, FL
Jennifer Roberts – Mundelein, IL
Stephanie Robinson – Kenosha, WI
John Scarbrough – Gurnee, IL
Regan Schraeder – Great Lakes, IL
Nina Sears – Gurnee, IL
Jamaal Sharp – Chicago, IL
Julie Skidmore – Mundelein, IL
Teresa Stiggers – Gurnee, IL
Eric Strickland – Waukegan, IL
Corey Suggs – Waukegan, IL
Julie Sworthout – Waukegan, IL
Mathew Tanner – Cedar Rapids, IA
Ethel Thompkins – Round Lake, IL
Randy Thompson – Zion, IL
Phillip Valdes – Great Lakes, IL
Richard Vargas – Great Lakes, IL
Nathan Weishuhn – Silver Lake, WI
Melissa Williams – Great Lakes, IL
Breanna Wilson – Greenville, MI
Deborah Winfield – Bristol, WI
We are here to help you with any questions or problems you may encounter. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you reach your academic goals!

Columbia College-Lake County bids farewell to Lynn Blake

On October 30 Columbia College-Lake County will lose a long-time staff member.


After six years of service, Lynn Blake will be moving to Michigan to be with her fiancé. Lynn started with Columbia College in September 2003 as an administrative assistant. While assisting students with registration, financial aid, and a myriad of other duties, she also pursued her bachelor’s degree with Columbia College. In May 2006 Lynn completed her bachelor of arts in general studies with minors in criminal justice and psychology, credentials that qualified her to become an academic adviser when a position opened in March 2007. Across her two positions, Lynn has had a unique opportunity to serve students at every stage in their pursuit of higher education.

“Lynn has been a terrific employee, who has never been afraid to speak her mind,” commented Campus Director, Stephen Stephany. “She will be missed by both the staff and the students she serves, but we wish her the best of luck in this new chapter of her life.” Lynn plans to continue working in education, while also pursuing her love of snowmobiling, scuba diving, and travelling the globe. Please join us in wishing her a fond farewell!

Patti Samsel

Patti Samsel was recognized as a Columbia College “Senior Academic Adviser I” this past week.

Washington state governor signs proclamation

Columbia College visits state capital for the signing of Veteran's proclamation.On Thursday, September 10th 2009, Columbia College was proud to attend a ceremony held at the state capital, as the governor of Washington State, signed a Veteran’s proclamation, in support of Washington States’ commitment to support United States Armed Forces Veterans in their pursuit of earning educational degrees. The majority of state’s private and public colleges and universities attended this ceremony and will signing this proclamation in the coming year.

Alumni update - Charles Thompson, bachelor of science in business administration

Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree with Columbia College–Lake County in October, 2008. We caught up with him one year later to find out how he has benefited from his degree. Read the interview below to find out:

1)Why did you want to complete a bachelor’s degree?

A bachelor’s degree is essential for a stable career path. Businesses have raised the bar in terms of education and I knew a bachelor’s degree would help me meet and exceed those standards. It demonstrates to employers that you are striving to learn and expand your business knowledge.

2)Why did you choose Columbia College–Lake County?

The tuition was less expensive than other programs, and the location is very convenient. Accelerated eight- week courses were also appealing as I would be able to obtain my degree faster. The professional and friendly staff cemented my decision and made the journey enjoyable.

3)How have you benefited from your bachelor’s degree?

More opportunities are available to me now. My degree has definitely provided a more satisfying career path and opened new doors.

4)Tell us about an important concept or lesson that was covered in one of your classes. How have you applied this information, either personally or professionally?

In my strategic management course, I was able to focus the theory I had been studying into creating a business plan. I apply this knowledge directly in current projects I manage. An employee’s value is noticed when you strategically achieve cost efficient and effective processes and the material covered in this course enabled me to do just that.

5)Tell us about an instructor who had a positive impact on you, either personally or professionally.

My favorite part of class discussions is enjoying the perspectives of my classmates and especially the instructor. Critical thinking was always encouraged and this had a great impact on me. I enjoy new ideas and I believe everyone can learn from each other. My accounting instructor, Joe Sebek, was very patient and a great help. He always explained material clearly and tied it to real world applications. Layne Wigle made learning statistics not just tolerable, but fun. Everyone felt the energy he brought to class. He always put a practical perspective on the material we covered and demonstrated its application and importance. I can honestly say I enjoyed all my instructors because everyone brought their special abilities to the students. I would like to say thank you to all my instructors for their hard work. Once I complete my master’s degree, I would like to teach, following the great examples they set.

6)What advice do you have for students who are considering pursuing their bachelor’s degree with Columbia College?

There will always be times when juggling your job, family and other commitments seems hard, but pursuing your education is definitely well worth it. It has even encouraged me to start a master’s program this year. I always appreciated the staff at Columbia College, including the directors, advisors and administrative assistants. The Lake County campus is a great environment to learn in, and the diversity of students and instructors will expand your competencies for teamwork and leadership.