Schools

Photo courtesy of Liliana Guillen / Special to the Town Crier
Liliana Guillen serves as keynote speaker at her 2015 graduation from Foothill College. After four years at Foothill and subsequently earning a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, she faces an uncertain future due to her undocumented status.

Liliana Guillen attended Foothill College and graduated last spring from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Like many students who return home after completing school, she took a temporary job while trying to determine a career path. But as one of California’s 222,795 residents covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Guillen’s future – much like the policy itself – is in limbo.

Coming to America

Guillen’s parents arrived in the Bay Area with the intention of working for a few years and sending money back home to their family in Guerrero, Mexico, then eventually returning to their homeland. However, the high cost of living in the heart of Silicon Valley proved to be more than the Guillens had anticipated. They moved their entire family to Menlo Park’s Belle Haven neighborhood when Guillen was 10.

Los Altos moms Ann Wolff and Christy Flahavan have dedicated much of their time to helping students. Now they are furthering their involvement with the educational system by working for Mentor Tutor Connection, a local nonprofit organization that supports area schools.

Courtesy of Foothill College
Noel Gaeta is able to play games, thanks to a lightweight exoskeleton designed by students in the Biomedical Devices Program at Foothill College. This year’s program launches Sept. 25.

When people think of cutting-edge technology, institutions like Stanford University immediately come to mind.

But even closer to home, Foothill College’s Biomedical Devices Program – the only one of its kind among California community colleges – brings together students at all levels in a collaborative, hands-on environment.

Grace Hase/Town Crier
While signs at the Aug. 29 Stand Up for Equality and Diversity rally at the Mountain View Civic Center were optimistic, a local high school student wonders whether they create real change.

“Why am I here?” I murmured to myself as regret and anxiety immediately enter my body. It was a sunny afternoon when I arrived at the Mountain View Civic Center Plaza for the Stand Up for Equality and Diversity rally.

Being a high school student from a relatively conservative family, I evaded questions and got out of my family’s car promptly to be greeted by a crowd of people in pink knit hats, “Love Trumps Hate” signs and majorly white faces. It was a typical start to many of the demonstrations in Silicon Valley, and much of the event was just as, if not more, predictable.

While some people spent time this summer trying to find the right pair of sunglasses, Justin Yu, a senior at Los Altos High School, started his own company.

Yu’s company, Arise, created a customizable virtual-reality headset for the visually impaired at MIT Launch, a four-week residential program designed to teach entrepreneurship.

Town Crier File Photo
California’s college master plan impacts the state’s public higher education, from the UC system down to the California community colleges, including Foothill’s science building, above.

State Assemblyman Marc Berman convened a first hearing this week for the committee planning the future of higher education in California.

The Assembly Select Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education in California will update a master plan dating back to 1960 that guides policy at institutions ranging from Foothill College to UC Berkeley.