In an attempt to centralize coordination of District outreach efforts to local high school students, their parents and other community partners, College of the Redwoods has hired several new staff members to form a full-time Outreach Team. Myke Magdaleno will lead the efforts as the Outreach Coordinator, with two Outreach Specialists, Athens Marron and Jonathan Bradhurst, joining at the end of April. CR Coordinator of Student Retention, Katrina Hanson, will facilitate community registration workshops along with the team.

“Formation of this full-time Outreach Team gives us an opportunity to reconnect with our community after the distance created by the pandemic, to build stronger partnerships, and to invite engagement with College of the Redwoods’ ongoing commitment to lifelong learning,” says Crystal Morse, Associate Vice President Student Success.

The mission of the CR Outreach Team is to provide quality engagements with the community and prepare prospective students to apply, register, and connect to campus resources. 

To actualize this mission, the Outreach Team will:

• Foster connections with students, families, and community groups to increase awareness of an encourage participation in College of the Redwoods programs

• Strengthen relationships with local school districts and community partners

• Facilitate college entrance by disseminating critical information and coaching students through the application and registration processes

• Advocate for historically underrepresented students to provide access and expand college opportunities

• Build confidence in students to navigate the college system by providing access to college classes, career exploration, and basic skills development

• Connect students to detailed information about campus support services and resources, to faculty and staff, to special programs, all to ensure a supportive and welcoming environment that inspires students to arrive

Additionally, the Outreach Team will continue to “open the front door” of the college by providing guided campus visits at our Eureka Campus, outreach to Del Norte and Klamath-Trinity campuses, and support to the Eureka campus Welcome Center. 

Working with the Humboldt County Office of Education and district high schools is a top priority for the team and we are anticipating even higher levels of engagement with programs such as HCOE’s College Connect.

"College Connect brings small groups of Humboldt County high school students to College of the Redwoods to learn about CR opportunities, and to observe college classes,” said Jim Ritter, Program and Event Coordinator for Humboldt County Office of Education’s College Connect Program.  “This new CR Outreach Team should streamline the coordination of our visits easily, and ensure high school students get support with CR registration, financial aid, academic counseling, and planning for a smooth transition from high school graduation to a college education."  

Photo: L-R Katrina Hanson, Jon Broadhurst and Myke Magdaleno.