SMCCCD Study Abroad

About the Program Provider: 

 TBA

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Meet Professor Danielle Powell 

Professor Powell is a high-energy educator who values the learning and educational process for students of all demographics and abilities. She has taught Communication Studies for 28 years at both 4-year universities and community colleges, including James Madison University, Wake Forest University, and at Cascadia College where she was a tenured faculty member before coming to Skyline. Professor Powell is a native of North Carolina but has lived and worked in diverse communities on both coasts of the United States. She earned a B.S. in Speech Communication from James Madison University, an M.A. in Communication and a Master’s of Divinity degree, both from Wake Forest University; and, a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Higher Education Leadership at Colorado State University.

Professor Powell has participated in and led multicultural immersions and vocational formation workshops for college students, and provided opportunities for her students to connect with students in Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Japan via international teleconferences. She has traveled abroad to European, Central American, Caribbean and African countries, including taking Skyline College students on an International Service Learning Experience to Antigua, Guatemala in Summer 2015, and led short-term study abroad programs to Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, in Summers 2017 and 2018, and to Costa Rica in summer 2022.

In addition, Professor Powell has participated in a missions' project in inner city London in which she worked alongside individuals from several different countries and helped at-risk youth whose parents emigrated from various countries across the globe. She also coordinates Skyline College’s Women’s Mentoring and Leadership Academy (WMLA). Through her travels and experiences, she’s acquired deep insights into the acculturation and adaptation process of living and working in cultures different from her own culture. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading a good book, and finding creative ways to rest!

Meet Professor Frederick Gaines

Frederick Gaines has been the Chair of Ethnic Studies since 2008 at the College of San Mateo (CSM) in San Mateo, California, and has worked in higher education since 1998. For 10 years, he worked as an adjunct professor at several community colleges including Contra Costa College, City College of San Francisco, Solano Community College, College of Alameda, and also San Francisco State University. Before he transitioned to higher education, he was the Principal of Walden Academy which was a part of a therapeutic community for adolescents. He served as the Educational Coordinator at Samaritan House, as Coordinator of the Urban Institute’s Stay-In School Family Resource Center at San Francisco State University, and as Executive Director of Aspire, a college prep and after-school program in North Central San Mateo. Frederick was born and raised in Prague, OK, and attended High School at Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, where he excelled in football and received a scholarship to play college football at Wichita State University. There he earned his B.A. in psychology. He later earned his M.A. in Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University and his doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of California at Davis. His research interest includes the African-American Male Community College Athlete and the African-American Male in higher education. He has taught a variety of Ethnic Studies courses which include: Asian-American Studies, Latin-American Studies, African American Cinema, Black Leadership Theory, The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture, Black Leadership, and African-American History and Culture. He also served as Co-Coordinator of the Umoja Learning Community at CSM from its inception to 2023 (10 years). He has been married for over 31 years to Jamie and has three adult children: Chrissa - USC graduate, Freddie - CSM, Cal Poly Graduate and Tiger – CSM graduate and presently attending U.C. Berkeley.

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