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February 2022 Blog Post

Home/Uncategorized/February 2022 Blog Post
2022-02-02T14:19:42+00:00 Print Page

February 2022 Blog Post

New Year; New You!

By Quynh Mihara, Fenez Perez, and Lilly Oh 

In honor of the Lunar New Year, our Enrollment Services team would like to share some of the celebrations and traditions of our diverse cultures and families. 

Lunar New Year is the biggest and grandest celebration in Asian nations. The New Year is a time of immense gratitude and generosity.  To set the year off on a high note, individuals and families go out of their ways to give gifts and spread good fortune. Schools and offices close down for several days to allow families to travel, visit their relatives, and start the new year with many blessings and joy. 

In Korean culture, families share ddeuk-gook (rice cake soup), which symbolizes a clean, renewed start to the new year. Children are told they must eat the ddeuk-gook to grow one year. Many family members wear traditional clothing called hanbok and formally bow to the elders to receive blessings, messages of good fortune, and money.  

Tet-our New Year comes with many unique traditions, from preparing for the festival and cooking traditional Vietnamese dishes to giving red envelopes to children and paying respect to ancestors and our elders. Part of ensuring good luck and positive energy in the upcoming year is showing gratitude to the ancestors by visiting our ancestors’ gravesites and offering to their altars. The underlying message of “Tet” means possibility and ringing in the new year as best as you can! Everyone treats each other more generously and forgives their differences before and during Tet. It is also believed that the first day and week of the Lunar New Year determines a person’s fate for the year ahead.  Therefore, our people often take extra care to start the new year off right to avoid any misfortune.

A New Year’s tradition in our family is to prepare tamales, a traditional dish from Mexico made of corn/masa and various types of filling that can be sweet, savory or spicy. Preparing a large meal is a must and we will typically include a variety of dishes from vegan to meat options. Seeing fireworks at midnight is a must, be it virtually or in person at the Space Needle in Seattle. The next day (weather permitting) my family will go on a hike and speak what we want into existence. On behalf of Enrollment Services are sending you well wishes in the new year with the languages of our Enrollment Services staff. 

Happy New Year!

Feliz Año Nuevo

새해 복 많이 받으세요 

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

 恭喜發財 – Gong Hei Fat Choy 

عام سعيد للجميع

Important Dates for Student Success

  • Feb 8: Winter 22 Residency for tuition purposes deadline 
  • Feb 17: Priority Registration for next quarter begins. See here
  • Mar 4: Graduation Deadline for Winter 2022

Student Services, Resource, and Activity Highlight

  • Reminder→ctcLink Outages
    • Friday afternoon, Feb. 25, 2022 to Monday morning, Feb. 28, 2022
  • Running Start Informational Webinars
  • Winter Leadership Retreat
    • The annual Winter Leadership Retreat, organized by the Center for Leadership & Service and Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence, is an opportunity for student leaders across campus to join together and explore leadership in depth. This year’s theme is Press Play and encourages students to consider the role that joy, fun, and play can have in their leadership, with a keynote workshop facilitated by Jeff Harry.
    • Keynote workshop February 3, 1-3 p.m. and breakout workshops February 4, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
    • Students must register to receive the Zoom link. https://cls.highline.edu/winter-leadership-retreat
    • Contact Georgia Pirie (gpirie@highline.edu) and Malaelupe Samifua (msamifua@highline.edu) for more information.
  • ASHC Council Meetings
    • The Associated Students of Highline College (ASHC) student government meets every other Tuesday throughout the quarter. Join to learn more about what is happening within student government.
    • Winter Quarter meetings: February 1, February 15, March 1, March 15, 1:20-2:30 p.m.
    • Zoom Meeting ID 810 8668 5685; passcode: ASHC22
    • https://highline.zoom.us/j/81086685685?pwd=VXV5R1R1K00reVRYNmlTekgxWFhEUT09
  • UW Martin Scholarship Alumni Workshop
    • Description: Join us for a panel of Highline alum who have received the UW Martin Achievement Scholarship! This scholarship provides $5,000 for a scholar’s next year in community college and then $12,000/year at UW for up to three years.
    • Friday, March 4th from 4-5:30pm via
    • Zoom Contact person and information: Kathy Nguyen, trio@highline.edu
  • Passport to Careers Scholarship
    • Description: The state-wide scholarship program supports the educational pursuits and aspirations of students who identify as former foster youth, homeless or at risk for homelessness, students who were emancipated minors or in legal guardianship. Students can receive $5,000/year until age 27 or after 15 quarters, whichever comes first.
    • Contact person: Gaby Osorio, gosorio@highline.edu
  • Free Tax Help
    • Safe, secure, easy and free tax help! Keep more of your hard-earned dollars and get free help filing your 2020 taxes. Trained and IRS-certified tax experts will be available to provide safe, secure and 100% online and in-person assistance in filing your taxes. Our experts know all the new tax laws and available credits, including those in the new relief bill, so that they can maximize your return and you can keep more of your money.
    • We can also assist with claiming stimulus check money and the advance child tax credits!
    • Bldg 1 Placement & Testing Center
      • Thursdays: 4:00 – 8:00, Saturdays: 10:00 – 2:00, Mondays: 4:00 – 8:00
      • Contact person and information: benefitshub@highline.edu
  • UW-Tacoma Application Workshop
  • Transfer Application Completion Workshop 3
  • CWU Transfer Information Session
  • CWU Business OR Computer Science OR Law & Justice Majors Information Sessions
  • Martin Family Foundation Scholarships Information Sessions
    • The Martin Family Foundation Scholarships are for exceptional Washington State Community College students who plan to transfer to the University of Washington. Highline has had several students receive this prestigious scholarship and offers support for those applying. The following information sessions are offered by UW:
    • Thursday, February 24, 2022, noon-1pm. online. Please register to attend.
    • Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 4:00-5:00pm, online. Please register to attend.
    • Session materials will be posted on the Martin Family Foundation website for those who can’t attend.
  • More on Highline College’s Transfer Center events calendar: https://transfercenter.highline.edu/events/

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Highline College COVID-19 Safety

Your safety is important. The face mask protocol follows State of Washington Department of Health order 20-03.4 Face Coverings – Statewide. The guidance follows CDC recommendations for individuals in areas of substantial or high transmission, like Washington State, to wear face masks in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status, with limited exceptions. Although a double layer cloth face mask of dense fabric is acceptable, Highline College recommends a higher level mask for better protection. For more information, click here.