Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Fast Track: Dr. Omer Uyuklu, director of education at the California College of Communications, stands in one of the computer classes that the school offers. Uyuklu and his wife, Leman, founded the school in April of 1992 as a way to offer short certificate programs in computer courses to people who need the skills but didn't want to spend years obtaining them.
The College of Communications celebrates its 10th anniversary
Campbell school helps immigrants get jobs and improve their education
By Michelle C. Crowe
When Omer Uyuklu started the California College of Communications in Campbell (CalCC) 10 years ago, he wanted international students to come together, share their science and computer skills along with their cultures, and improve their English speaking skills.
The idea was borne of Uyuklu's own experiences in 1977 as a young engineering graduate from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. "When we first came here, all we knew about the U.S. came from Charlie's Angels and Dynasty--so we assumed everyone here is wealthy and educated," explains an enthusiastic Uyuklu, who is president, director of education and co-founder of the college. "We didn't know there were poor people here who needed schooling."
After completing his master's of science degree in educational technology at San Jose State University, he earned his doctoral degree in instructional systems technology, with a minor in international education, from Indiana University.
Once Uyuklu's wife, Leman, finished her bachelor of arts degree in business management from Bogazici, a master's of arts degree in instructional technology from California State University, Los Angeles, and her postgraduate work in adult education at Indiana University, they were ready to work.
While the two didn't face blatent discrimination, they continually found themselves placed with other foreign-language-speaking students--and isolated from opportunities to communicate with English-speaking Americans. They also saw firsthand that just being educated or well-off wasn't enough to succeed here--international students without the ability to fluently speak and understand the local language soon found their voices unheard and ignored by others.
Uyuklu wanted to change all of that.
Originally the school was called the Computer Training Center when it opened at 591 W. Campbell Ave. From a core of six students and four computers in a single classroom on April 1, 1992, to the peak of 140 students in 1999 to around 70 students today, the school's faculty, staff and students have all traveled a road of discovery.
"When it comes to roots, everybody in America is international. Even if we come from somewhere else, here we find we have much in common," says college director Maria Esther Fraser.
Through their biweekly lunchtime potlucks, which have revolving cultural food themes such as "Latin America," they've helped dissolve social barriers. "Even the shyest person can bring a dish, and when people ask them about it, they start talking together in English--that's what makes the school work," Uyuklu says.
"We chose Campbell for the school's location because it is the central point between Sunnyvale and Morgan Hill," Uyuklu says. "Even now, when I travel to Japan or other countries to talk about our international programs, I show them a map of where we are, and they see we are surrounded by San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. I tell them they may not know about Campbell yet, but they will soon."
In 1994, the skills of Fraser, a credentialed Spanish-English language teacher from Bogota, Colombia, enabled the school to complete the rigorous accreditation requirements by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.
Originally a CalCC student, Fraser's previous work experience included stints with Arthur Andersen and several U.S. embassies. In April of 1995, the school moved to its present location at 700 W. Campbell Ave., Suite #210, and updated its name to the California College of Communications.
In 1999, the school began information technology programs such as Web design and computer programming, along with bilingual (Spanish-English) vocational education. The school is on the preferred list of trainers for the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (formerly the Job Training Partnership Act), and trains students from the Veterans Administration. In 2001, the INS approved the school to issue I-20 visas to enroll students from abroad to study English as a second language (ESL) and participate in vocational programs. The school has also created study/tour programs for Pacific Rim nations. Today, each class is taught in one of eleven computer labs or three ESL classrooms.
While offerings have always included classes in office management, accounting and computer skills, CalCC has also specialized in retraining students for new vocations. One such student is Dona Perez. A former 27-year employee of the now-defunct Del Monte cannery in San Jose, Perez was one of 24 company workers retrained at CalCC. Her resulting certification in computerized office management amazed her, as well as her four children--before CalCC, she'd never touched a keyboard.
Uyuklu's dream has definitely made a positive impact on Silicon Valley. In 10 years, more than 2,000 students have graduated from the school, with 70 percent obtaining jobs in the fields they studied. Some have been employed at companies such as NASA, Cisco Systems and IBM, while others, such as 21-year-old John Nguyen, have gone on to explore the ultimate American dream of owning their own business.
"You may not get work right after you graduate," says Nguyen, president of Cavy Webware, an Internet applications development firm, who recently encouraged students with his offer to help tutor them, as well as contact him about potential jobs. "By the time you are done, there's a good chance there's something out there waiting for you ... remember, I am an employer."
Starting June 10, CalCC will offer Unix and A+ certification courses, as well as Microsoft and Cisco networking courses. The school is already an authorized training school for Microsoft.
For more information about the California College of Communications in Campbell, contact 408.374.5066, or call, toll free, 800.843.6056, or visit the school's website at www.calcc.com.
Campbell, California
