MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College awarded tenure to four faculty members during the March 19 board meeting. Cade Levine, Melissa Heaps, Michell Valdivia and Justin Henley were all on their third probationary year and, after consideration from the board, were given tenure.  

“Every single one of the faculty that we tenured today, absolutely love the students and the classroom experiences that they are providing, are preparing them for wherever they’re going and whatever field they’re going into,” said BBCC President Dr. Sara Thompson-Tweedy. “It’s that combination of good instruction, support and care that defines all four of them.” 

Levine, who is an instructor for Aviation Maintenance Technology, is someone who Thompson-Tweedy said is an expert in his industry and takes time and care in explaining the subject to his students.  

Similarly with Henley, an instructor for Industrial Systems Technology, he has shown himself to be very intentional with the education he provides to students, getting them out of the classroom and giving them hands-on experience in the field. 

During Heaps’ tenure discussion, Thompson-Tweedy said Heaps has made great strides in her three years with the Basin Education for Adults department as she has worked with the students on providing them with contextualized learning and opportunities. The students that Heaps has been working with over the years have ranged from the high school level up to those who are looking to come back and earn their high school diploma. 

Every year, the BEdA program hosts an event where the students get the opportunity to showcase their classwork and present what they’ve learned, which the BBCC president said is impressive every time she attends. 

“Whenever I go to that, I’m always just so proud of what her students are producing,” said Thompson-Tweedy.  

Heaps said it is a great feeling to be awarded tenure, and she is excited to continue with the community in the BEdA program. 

“It was so nice to see so many of my colleagues here today supporting me through this process,” she said. “It’s been three years, but it’s been great.” 

One thing Heaps said she and the rest of the members of the BEdA program have been working on is working as a bridge to help high school students bridge and enroll in college courses.  

She said as the program moves into the future, they are going to work on adding more courses, integrating other departments such as WorkSource and other areas on campus to give the students more exposure to college classrooms. In this effort she wants students to go on tours of college classrooms, or they will bring in guest speakers from other departments of BBCC and talk to the students about the different pathways available at the college.  

“A lot of our students are really unaware of what they could do,” said Heaps. “A lot of that is just bringing those students in and then removing some of those barriers like helping our students get access to financial aid, get access to tutors, resources, writing centers, things like that, so they can have a positive experience in college.” 

Valdivia, from the Computer Science Department, is a graduate of BBCC herself and returned to the college to now educate the next set of students.  

“When students see her, they can relate to her,” said Thompson-Tweedy. “She’s first generation, she’s female in what has been considered a male-dominated profession. She’s opening up opportunities for students who may not have seen themselves in computer science.” 

It was a long road to get here, but Valdivia said she is stoked to be helping both the community and the students Big Bend serves.  

“It’s really about the students, being there for them, guiding them into the future, but also being led by the students into new trends,” she said.  

Being a graduate of Big Bend is something Valdivia said adds to her ability to assist students in their struggles. 

“It’s not just being a student, but a local student that has really helped me,” she said. “Hopefully, with my experience, I can help guide them to a better future.” 

The efforts of all four faculty members have all added toward Thompson-Tweedy’s goal for BBCC to be a place that provides educational opportunities to anyone who is interested.  

“If you have a goal, we’re going to help you meet it, and that’s the heart of the people at Big Bend,” she said.