Four successful women were honored this week at the 2019 El Camino College Women's Wall of Fame Luncheon. The accomplishments of these award winners will be featured on the El Camino College Women's Wall of Fame (in the Schauerman Library) throughout the year. Congratulations to the 2019 El Camino College Women of Distinction:
Breeanna Bond is an adviser with CARE, a program at El Camino College designed to provide educational support services and meet the needs of single head-of-household students so that they can achieve their educational goals. Bond is known as a strong, compassionate leader who will drop everything to help students in need, making sure they know they are not alone in their journey through life and higher education. In addition, she teaches students how to deal with escalating emotions that come with difficult situations by talking it out, exercising, and knowing that it shall soon pass. A graduate of El Camino College, Bond continued her education at the University of California, Davis, where she earned a degree in sociology. She previously worked at ECC in the Office of Outreach and School Relations, serving as a student services adviser and as a student services technician.
Beth Crosse is a community volunteer who is enjoying a second career as a leader in the effort to reduce pollution, conserve resources, and protect our natural environment. She has improved her community by developing and implementing numerous drought-tolerant gardens at schools, community gardens, and homes. Working with the West Basin Municipal Water District, she developed 15 drought-tolerant gardens, and as a director for the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, she partnered with El Camino College faculty to provide volunteer opportunities to thousands of ECC students. Crosse also redesigned the Venice Victory Gardens, recruiting and coordinating 40 volunteers. With a focus on empowered learning, she offers "Hands On Workshops" at the Lawndale Library, educational programs at the YMCA, and teaches in the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. A lifelong learner, Crosse also spent a 25-year career in interior design.
Brenda Magid is in-house counsel and the director of contracts, records, and legal client services for the 1736 Family Crisis Center, which provides support for domestic violence victims, runaway and homeless youth, at-risk veterans, and community members who need extra help to create stable lives. She is also in charge of the organization's legal program, which specializes in several different areas, including family, immigration, special education, bankruptcy and housing law. She previously served as the 1736 Family Crisis Center's staff attorney for 11 years. Before attending law school, Magid was a victim-witness coordinator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, a position that solidified her goals of working with victims. Since then, she has dedicated her career to seek social justice for women, while helping them forge a successful future. Magid earned a bachelor's degree in biology from California State University, Long Beach and a Juris Doctor from San Francisco Law School.
As ECC's dean of counseling and student success, Dipte Patel strives to improve student access, success and support by working collaboratively with other student services programs and instruction. Efforts include increasing the availability of counselors through offerings such as weekend and online assistance, uniting programs in the RISE Center, and supporting the implementation of innovative technology programs such as ECC Connect and a new counseling appointment scheduling system. She is also the chair of the Undocumented Student Task Force, working with a dedicated team to ensure that students and campus allies have resources to support students. Patel joined ECC in 2001 as a counselor and then was director of the Special Resource Center from 2006-15 where she was a tireless advocate for students with disabilities. Patel has a doctorate in education from USC, in addition to a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling and a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary natural sciences – both from the University of South Florida.