“It enriched my life, my lifestyle, and gave me the confidence to go out and succeed in the real world. It was much easier and less intimidating than I thought it would be.”

Sandoval is currently taking time off, but she will be reentering the workforce soon. Her major was CIS, and she was employed with Docucon for nearly five years as a Key Operator.

Palo Alto’s Learning Resource Center reaches out to the community by providing several venues for information, research and learning.

“We are not giving you a fish. We are teaching you how to fish,” said Sandra D. Hood, Professor /Academic Outreach Librarian at the Learning Resource Center. There are three different kinds of instruction offered at the LRC.

The first is reference, teaching students and the community how to find the information they need by using the available resources.

The second is bibliographic instruction, when instructors schedule a special class that may need specific resources or literature, or when classes are given a general orientation of the library.

The third instruction program is the Information Research Certificate, a series of five one-hour classes that cover an introduction to the library, on-line databases, Internet research and how to evaluate information.

There is also a lab, in conjunction with the LRC, that will give students Continuing Education credit. A Children’s Library, Internet services, and free tax preparation through VITA are also available to students and the public between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the LRC. The Children’s Library is open regular LRC hours.
An I.D. and a Social Security Number allows members of the community to check out a limit of four items. A student I.D. increases that number to seven.

The LRC is open Monday through Thursday, 7:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit the web at www.accd.edu/pac or call 210-921-5100.

El Pueblo, an Adult Education Program, located in the Ozuna Building, provides computer and health literacy classes free of charge to qualifying residents of the South Side and Bexar County. The purpose of the program is to assist the adult learners in entering or reentering college. For more information, visit the LRC or contact Jane Velasquez at 921-5174.

As a good neighbor to the community, Palo Alto also provides Toyota training in certificate or degree programs, such as Industrial Electrician/Electronics Engineering and Business Manager.

“It pretty much started out as an effort by the college to assist the community in offering courses that would improve their ability to find work or maybe advance in their present position,” said Juan F. Alvarado, a Program Manager in Continuing Education and Customized Training at Palo Alto.

Companies such as H.E.B. have partnerships with Palo Alto that provide internships for students in skill training such as Warehouse Specialist and Logistics Management.

A Paralegal Certificate Course is available through an intensive six-weekends program, with financial aid or loans available to those who qualify. Aviation, Food Management and Supervision/Food Service Workers Training and Web-Design are just a few of the examples of work-force skills training and educational programs provided to the community.

Leisure activities, such as button accordion, cake decorating, dance and horticulture/landscaping, are also available through Palo Alto’s Continuing Education Department, providing a wide range of interests to the community.

Another aspect of Continuing Education is that some courses are co-listed with academics. This allows students to take specific courses that target their needs without the process of degree registration. Students receive a certificate rather than a transcript.

GED preparation courses (in English and Spanish) and ESOL classes are also provided on the Palo Alto campus to further assist the community. GED testing is not offered on campus. For more information about obtaining a GED or taking classes, call Continuing Education at 921-5330, or visit the web at www.accd.edu/pac.

On-campus childcare is offered to students, faculty and the public. There is a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Schedule and fees are M-F, $98 per week; MWF, $58.80 per week; and T/Th $39.20 per week. Please visit the Ray Ellison Family Center or call 921-5490 for more information.

Palo Alto College has a long history of serving the surrounding community, and it tries its hardest to be a good neighbor. In every Continuing Education course schedule, it issues a survey that encourages the community to provide the college with some idea of what they want and need. The survey may also be completed online at www.accd.edu/pac/ce/ContEdHome.htm