West Hills College one of a handful of California colleges that won multiple awards at the dinner, held in Sacramento on Sept. 25. NCMPR’s District 6 is comprised of colleges from California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii.

WHCCD took home one Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze Medallions. The winning entries were:

• Gold, in the Feature Writing category, for a story by Tom Wixon on the unique grants culture at the college district, a salute to Cathy Barabe and her team for bringing in over $100 million in the past decade in government and private grants, enhancing programs and services for students and the communities served by the colleges. It appears in West Hills Magazine.

• Silver, for a television spot featuring students who benefit from the President’s Scholars program, designed to pay tuition and the bulk of book costs for students who graduate from local high schools with a 3.5 grade point average. The spot was directed by Frances Squire, executive director of the West Hills Community College Foundation.

• Silver, for graphic design of a package that included invitations, envelopes and a program for a   retirement dinner honoring 17 college district employees who retired last year. They were honored for 380 years of cumulative service to the district and its students.

• Bronze, Feature Writing for a story about West Hills College Lemoore’s Mia Carius, who overcame challenges including cancer and blindness and is now working on her college degree. Amy Seed wrote the story, which appeared in the college magazine.

• Bronze, Best Magazine, for West Hills Magazine, a publication launched by WHCCD in 2013. Earlier this year, the magazine won gold and silver awards from the California Community College Public Relations Organization and from the Public Relations Society of America (Central Valley Chapter).

“Winning these awards reinforces the fact that we are dedicated to serving our communities and our residents by communicating our successful programs and initiatives to a wide audience,” said Frank Gornick, chancellor, WHCCD.  “It’s just one of many ways we reach out to students, parents and the community at large to let them know we’re here to improve lives and fulfill dreams. The relentless pursuit of student success drives everything we do, and we want to educate our communities about the opportunities that exist and are open to them and their children. A college education remains the best pathway in America to move up the economic ladder.”