Renah Wolzinger Receives Excellence in Teaching Award

Renah Wolzinger, Digital Media instructor, received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the California Community College Association for Occupational Education (CCCAOE) on March 22 at a conference in San Francisco. This prestigious award is granted to only one faculty in the State of California per year.

Wolzinger is a talented musician and an Apple Jedi Master Trainer (one of only a few in the nation). Renah’s students benefit from her passion for teaching and her 20+ years of experience working with vocalists, bands, dance teachers, and film directors. When Renah was notified that she was chosen for this award she commented, “It is a big honor for me to be recognized for something I really love – teaching!”

The CCCAOE was established in 1967 to serve as a statewide organization to advocate and promote interest and support of vocational education. It is the only state-wide organization for CTE and Economic and Workforce Development.

Congratulations Renah!

L-R: Van Ton-Quinlivan, CCC Vice Chancellor of Workforce and Economic Development, Dr. Omid Pourzanjani, Dean, CTE, Golden West College, Renah Wolzinger, and John M. Means, President, CCCAOE

Article from the CCCAOE Website http://www.cccaoe.org/News/awards.html

CCCAOE Excellence in Teaching
Renah Wolzinger, Golden West College

Renah Wolzinger began her teaching career at Golden West College (GWC) in 1994 where she had been a student in the Recording Arts Program and a business advisor on the Recording Arts Advisory Committee. When GWC decided to merge the Recording Arts program with the Broadcast Video Production Program, she helped with the creation of all the new course outlines and helped to guide the new curriculum through the approval process. To increase the credibility of the program, she became an Apple Master Trainer and helped the college become an Apple Authorized Training Center.

Renah and one other person have started the Campus Mobile App Project where any portion of the campus can be viewed by a mobile device providing detailed information of any building or program for interested students. She is also involved with High School Outreach and other campus video projects. Recently she secured a consulting position with the Aquarium of the Pacific to help them establish their education studio, helping them to deliver real-time training to grade school classes across the nation and providing Renah with cutting-edge industry experience.

Renah started, and is faculty advisor to the college’s rock band club and performs with the students at numerous campus events. In her free time, she continues to produce films, music, and perform (she is an international Klezmer clarinetist), but her passion is in teaching, technology, and mentoring her students to lead the way in creative thinking for tomorrow’s jobs. One of her nominators stated, “Renah exemplifies an instructor who is passionate about her profession – teaching students the skills needed for future employment in the field of Digital Media . . . she maintains a level of expertise that does not go unnoticed by her colleagues and students.”