On Sept. 27, a celebration was held for longtime Bakersfield College mainstay Cindy Collier honoring her twenty-eight years of service for and the district. Collier was well known for her work with Bakersfield College and her dedication to expanding and preserving medical programs throughout the years she worked in the Bakersfield area. She had been the director of Bakersfield College’s nursing and EMT programs as well as a registered nurse with over 20 years of experience. For years she was dedicated to doing the absolute best for not only our college but what was best for the students.

The celebration was streamed virtually on the Bakersfield College YouTube channel for approximately half an hour with multiple of Collier’s colleagues depicting stories and reminiscing on their encounters and experiences over the years with her. Stories were shared by many familiar faces from Bakersfield College such as the Program Director of the Energy Technology Transfer and Workforce Development department and Nicky Damania, the Dean of Students as well as multiple deans of instruction. Throughout all of the stories, multiple qualities shone through with each story. A warm smile, an optimistic upbeat attitude, and a calming presence. It couldn’t be stated enough what Collier’s contributions and attitude meant to them.

The presentation was capped off with heartfelt words from former Bakersfield College President and current Kern Community College Board Chancellor, Sonya Christian, congratulating Collier on all the amazing things she had accomplished in her time with and around our college. The video of the ceremony is posted on the BC YouTube channel for any who had missed the event.