Del Mar College’s Counseling Center Celebrates a Decade of Fun, Food, and Info During “Spooktacular” Mental Health & Resource Fair for Students on Oct. 24
25
October
2024
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16:57 PM
Europe/Amsterdam
College hosted 32 area organizations, along with campus services, for informative event addressing students’ mental health needs
Article by Richard Guerrero, Jr.
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The DMC Counseling Center offers free and confidential counseling services to students all year long. Staff also provide the College’s employees and students with consultations covering the Center’s services, and staff discuss how individuals can get help for themselves or for someone they’re concerned about.
“Our center typically has more than 1,000 appointments each year,” Edwards says. “Based off last year’s data, the top three concerns that students reported are anxiety, depression and partner relationship distress; we are seeing a similar trend this year so far. We also assist students who are experiencing a mental health crisis, such as experiencing suicidal ideation. Last year, we assisted 20 students in crisis who either were then stabilized by a counselor or needed support getting to a local mental health hospital.”
Among the organizations participating during this year’s fair were the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Amistad Community Health Center, Bayview Behavioral Hospital, Children’s Advocacy Center of the Coastal Bend, Coastal Bend Wellness (including Behavior Health and the Pride Center), Coastal Plains Community Center, Corpus Christi Hope House, Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District, Corpus Christi Police Department Victim Assistance Program, Council on Alcohol + Drug Abuse – Coastal Bend, Youth Continuum of Care Coalition, Counseling and Recovery Services, Family Counseling Services (including Crime Victim Services), Family Endeavor (Veteran Supportive Services), MHP Salud, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Corpus Christi, Nueces Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Oceans Behavioral Health, South Texas Family Planning & Health Corporation, South Texas Substance Abuse Recovery Services, Texas Adoption Center, Texas Department of Health and Human Services/Texas STAR, Women’s & Men’s Health Services, Women’s Shelter of South Texas (The Purple Door), Walgreens Flu Shot Clinic, Corpus Christi Public Library, Corpus Christi Regional Transportation, Coastal Bend Food Bank, Mobility Management Services – R. E.A. L. Inc., and New Life Direct Primary Care.
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There’s a very large need for cybersecurity professionals not just throughout the country but in our area and across Texas.” The funds the College received will support NIST’s Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) initiative in South Texas. NIST seeks to build multistakeholder workforce partnerships among employers, schools and higher education institutions, and other community organizations through its Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development Program through the funding awarding as part of the RAMPS initiative. The two key objectives of the DMC Cyber Center are: · Increase cybersecurity planning, awareness, and compliance · Add skills to cybersecurity students To that end, the DMC Cyber Center RAMPS initiative will utilize paid cybersecurity interns (students from DMC and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) to provide planning and training for business owners in the Coastal Bend starting in January. 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Recently, the Corpus Christi City Council approved a $140,000 grant that also provides funding support for the Cyber Center. Ken Treviño, Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend CEO, says Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend is honored to partner with Del Mar College Cyber Center to open new doors for individuals pursuing cybersecurity careers. “By expanding access to critical training and connecting businesses with skilled professionals, we’re advancing workforce development across the Coastal Bend and supporting the security needs of industries vital to our region,” Treviño says. The DMC Cyber Center RAMPS initiative will allow the Cyber Center to serve Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Refugio, and San Patricio counties. Employees looking to expand their skills set will also have the opportunity to pursue “Grow Your Own” cybersecurity education and certification opportunities through the College’s Cisco Certification occupational track paid for by Skills for Small Business grant funds provided by the Texas Workforce Commission. “We’re uniquely positioned because of Del Mar College’s existing collaborative relationships with the business community (small and large), business resource partners, the City of Corpus Christi, Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend and University partners to foster and support cybersecurity students seeking entry into the workforce,” Shaw says. “Leveraging the Cyber Center’s role in assisting small and mid-sized businesses with cybersecurity planning, awareness and certification addresses the needs of students for applied experience and the needs of businesses for cybersecurity professionals.” NICE, previously known as the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education and overseen by NIST, funds Cyberseek, which is a tool designed for use by employers, educators and students to, provide data on the jobs outlook for the cybersecurity industry. According to Cyberseek analyzed data, only 83 cybersecurity workers were available for every 100 cybersecurity jobs demanded by U.S. employers between September 2023 and August 2024, and there were 457,433 openings that requested cybersecurity-related skills this year (2024). In Texas, the supply/demand ratio of available cybersecurity jobs relative to employer demand in a particular location is 85%, or 2% more than the national average (83%). The Lone Star State has nearly 37,000 job openings this year according to Cyberseek. “The need for a skilled cybersecurity workforce continues to grow,” says Shaw. “That’s our mission by offering the new Cyber Center here at Del Mar College: Addressing area employers’ needs while giving students pursuing the field the opportunity to find local employment as cybersecurity professionals.” Editor's Note: In the banner photo, Dr. David Ma (from left), Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Ken Treviño, Workforce Solutions Coastal Bend CEO; Dan Korus, Dean of Workforce Development and Corporate Services at Del Mar College (DMC), DMC Computer Science major Noah Cantu; and Darcy Shaw, Cyber Center Program Manager with the DMC Small Business Development Center, attended the Cyber Center announcement at the DMC Center for Economic Development on Oct. 30.
