CWI News—Feb. 11, 2022
In the Spotlight
Nearly 40 current and incoming CWI students showed up for Institutional Scholarship Night, Thursday, Feb. 10. Staff helped students apply for scholarships, shared information about scholarship programs at the College, and provided helpful hints for writing scholarship essays. Know a student who could benefit from a scholarship? Encourage them to check out all the 2022-2023 scholarship opportunities available.
President's Message
I am already a month into my time at CWI, and what a positive whirlwind it has been. I mentioned earlier, I'm beyond excited to be serving all of you in the role of President and am still bouncing out of bed each day with enthusiasm. Over the past 30 days, I have met people across the Treasure Valley, from Legislators to community members, who are interested in the story of CWI and are extremely excited to learn what's next.
I find sharing the story of CWI is easy, thanks to all of you, because our message is one that involves empowering students to access their dream of a better life. We help students find social and economic mobility, and this is accomplished through the great work you are doing, past and present. The magic that occurs here includes high-quality instruction, premier programs, services that support, and a culture that embraces a mission centered around empowering our community, one student at a time. I am honored to not only be a part of this culture, but to share the magic of our culture with those in our community and beyond.
My time has also been dedicated to fully engaging with the legislative session through presentations, one-on-one meetings, as well as attending a number of community events. This tour of advocacy has allowed me the opportunity to meet with statewide political leaders, business professionals, key stakeholders, and pillars of our community. In addition, I have been able to visit with our local media, affording me the chance to share our message even more broadly and bring an even greater awareness to our cause.
An integral part of this campaign includes building and strengthening existing relationships, as well as identifying where I can bring others into awareness, support, and collaboration with CWI. In support of that, I am excited to share news of a partnership project with Harvard Business School. Over 100 Harvard students will be traveling to work with 12 organizations in Idaho later this year. CWI will be the only educational institution they are working with in Idaho. They will be working with Patrick Tanner and Luis Caloca on goals related to retention. Retention of our student body is critical for students to achieve their educational and career goals. I can’t wait for them to learn from us, and I anticipate they will have ideas that we can also learn from and implement. Through this experience, I believe Harvard will become more familiar with our CWI story, and I welcome that.
I would add one highlight of the week was joining our teams for CWI Night at the Steelheads. Wow, what a fantastic night spent awarding scholarships, celebrating employee giving, and meeting in-person with our CWI Foundation Board! Over 500 CWI students, family members and supporters attended in the CWI section which was a record number! I encourage you to visit the News Room to learn more about our SCORE Big scholarship recipients and watch a short hype video from the night.
News Highlights
SCORE Big "Steels" the Ice
College of Western Idaho (CWI) took over Idaho Central Arena in a BOLD way Wednesday night during CWI Night at the Steelheads! With nearly 500 CWI group tickets sold, students, employees, family, friends, and the community came together raising nearly $2,500 for student scholarships, far exceeding funds raised during past CWI Night events.
The CWI Enrollment team shared the message of CWI handing out swag, interacting with fans, riding the Zamboni, and dancing with Steelhead’s mascot, Blue.
“It was an exciting and fun evening being able to socialize with future and current students,” said Latinx Student Services Coordinator, Bibiana Ramirez. “The Enrollment team was thrilled to be able to share the love and enthusiasm we have for CWI with those in attendance.”
Congratulations to Sydney Shoemake and Daniel Lam, this year’s SCORE Big Scholarship winners. Shoemake, a senior at Rocky Mountain High School, plans to attend CWI this fall to major in Occupational Therapy. Lam is a current student studying Mechatronics. President Jones, representatives from the CWI Foundation, and College leadership, presented each with a $2,000 scholarship on the ice.
“Last night was an incredible experience,” said Shoemake. “It was amazing getting to meet everyone and standing on the ice with a big check! When I first saw that the check was written for $2,000, I thought it was a mistake. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to tell my parents! When it really hit me that I had just received $2,000 to pay for my education at CWI, I was almost in tears! I am so grateful for this opportunity.”
“I was very grateful and humbled to be part of CWI night at the Steelheads and to be one of the scholarship recipients,” said Lam. “I am truly enjoying what I'm learning in the Mechatronics program, and receiving this scholarship makes it even more rewarding!”
Plan to join us this summer for CWI Night at the Boise Hawks June 16. Stay tuned for details!
Visiting Artist Series Welcomes Angel Abreu
Join College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Visiting Artist Series in welcoming artist, writer, and educator, Angel Abreu, for a virtual lecture and Q&A about his art practice and background.
Abreu studied philosophy, art history, and comparative literature at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University. Abreu joined Tim Rollins and Kids of Survival (K.O.S.), an artist collaborative based in the South Bronx in 1986, and has been a steadfast member working on all major works, projects, and exhibitions since joining.
Rollins and K.O.S. have exhibited their work, which is based on canonical literature as well as music, in art galleries and museums internationally. Their work resides in over 120 permanent museum collections around the world including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Tate Modern. Through his collaboration with K.O.S., Abreu was the youngest, at 14, to have a work acquired by and be listed on the artists’ roster of MoMA in New York City.
Wednesday, Feb. 16
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Join Abreu’s lecture and Q&A virtually, via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 910 2601 7999
Passcode: 262629
CWI’s Visiting Artist Series is made possible through a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Contact Goran Fazil at goranfazil@cwi.edu with questions or to learn more.
Applications Open for 8th Annual Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? College of Western Idaho students are invited to take part in the eighth-annual Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge (IEC), Thursday, April 7, hosted by Boise State University’s Venture College in the College of Innovation and Design. This statewide competition brings together Idaho’s most promising student innovators and entrepreneurs to compete for $50,000 in cash prizes, legal consultation, and accounting services to advance their startups.
Visit the IEC website to learn more about the event including rules and eligibility, read about past winners, and complete an application. Applications for the 2022 event are due by Tuesday, Feb. 25.
2022 Juried Art Exhibition
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Visual and Performing Arts department is proud to be hosting its sixth-annual Juried Art Exhibition. This year’s juror is Randy Van Dyck, a Boise-based artist and owner of Capitol Contemporary Gallery. One artist’s work will receive a $150 cash prize, in addition to a Connections Excellence Award.
Entries, open to currently registered CWI students, are open now through Friday, April 1. For full submission details, visit the Connections Project page in myCommons on Blackboard. Contact Karen Brown at karenbrown@cwi.edu with questions or to learn more.
