Guest of Honor: A Visit from Congressman Fred Keller at SJVC Ontario

Students and staff at SJVC had the honor of meeting Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) during his tour of the Ontario campus on January 24th. The congressman was in town to visit educational institutes and chose SJVC as one of his stops.

The tour was led by Clinical Medical Assisting student Celine Cipres and department managers. Congressman Keller had the opportunity to connect with students and see them in action; he observed instruction, labs, and demonstrations in the Dental Hygiene, Electrical Technology, Registered Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, and Veterinary Technology programs. He saw teaching equipment at work, including a simulated birth using a high-fidelity mannequin.

“We shared with him what we do as a college, who we serve, how we support our students, and what we offer for hands-on learning,” says Shannon Koh, Campus President of SJVC Ontario. “It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we do in career education with someone who sits on educational committees.”

Congressman Keller was also welcomed by and met with Mike Perry, Chief Executive Officer and President, Joseph Holt, Chief Operating Officer, and Mike Abril, Chief Legal Officer of Ember Education; Nicholas Ewell, Academic Dean, Davina Cary, Dean of Student Services, and Shannon Koh, Campus President SJVC Ontario.

“Congressman Keller seemed very interested to hear about what we do at SJVC,” Koh adds. “He had quite a bit of medical background, so he asked our nursing and respiratory therapy students very thoughtful questions. He seemed excited to learn about the level of work they are doing, the hands-on learning they are doing, and the importance of schools like ours.”