Advertise on podcast: Hancock Conversations

In this episode of Hancock Conversations, ASBG President Annabelle Ruiz sits down with Emily Limon, a nursing major, Fashion Club secretary, and student leader whose story is all about growth, resilience, and finding community at Allan Hancock College. Emily opens up about balancing the demands of nursing prerequisites with campus involvement, navigating anxiety and therapy, and learning to slow down in a world that constantly pushes students to do more. From dual enrollment and leadership in ASBG to fashion shows, local business connections, and life-changing personal experiences, Emily shares how stepping outside her comfort zone helped her build confidence and purpose.

With a fresh voice and a renewed focus on student stories, Hancock Conversations is back. In this first episode of the relaunch, ASBG President Annie Ruiz steps in as host, bringing a student-centered perspective to conversations that highlight real experiences from across the Hancock community. Annie sits down with fellow student Marcos Garcia, who shares his journey of leaving college, finding his way back, and discovering purpose through leadership, connection, and personal growth. From navigating uncertainty and changing majors to building confidence as a student ambassador and ASBG leader, Marcos opens up about the challenges he’s faced and the lessons he’s learned along the way. His story is a powerful reminder that there’s no single path to success, and that growth often comes from the moments when we feel most unsure.

Samantha Martinez is a Hancock student and the president of the college's Associated Student Body Government. She is also the founder and president of the AHC chapter of Active Minds, a mental wellness club for students. Martinez is a Santa Maria native and a recipient of the Hancock Promise, which provides the first year of college free of tuition and free to local high school students.

In this episode of Hancock Conversations,  AHC Trustee Greg Pensa, a longtime supporter and alumnus of Allan Hancock College, shares insights into the college during the late '60s and early '70s, highlighting the area's close-knit sense of community. Trustee Pensa also delves into his involvement with the AHC Foundation Board, his statewide leadership role on the California Community College Trustees Board, and his passion for the college's unique PCPA program.

Hancock Conversations is back! In this episode, we kick off 2024 with AHC Trustee Alejandra Enciso.  In this episode, Trustee Enciso (a first-generation Latina American and a Hancock alumna) shares her journey from a migrant farmworker family to becoming a college graduate and a trustee.

Hancock's Industrial Hemp Research Program is producing important research and preparing students for careers in a growing job sector. In this episode, we explored this exciting program with AHC Professor Dr. Anjali Misra and students Leticia Segoviano and Joey Kehoe.

In this episode of Hancock Conversations, we sat down for an interview with Hancock graduate Robert Martinez, also known as BobbyBeenFresh.  Martinez has been making and releasing music since high school. His style is described as “old-school gangster rap that incorporates newer, contemporary sounds throughout his extensive catalog”. Martinez is also a Hancock alumnus, graduating with a certificate in sound production. You can listen to his music on Spotify and follow him on social media.

AHC photographer and videographer Kevin Boland has worked to document life at Hancock for nearly a decade. In this episode, we sat down with him to talk about his career at Hancock and his family's close ties to Hancock and Santa Maria.

In this episode, we spoke with former Hancock Superintendent/Presidents Dr. Ann Foxworthy Lewellen and Dr. José Ortiz about how their leadership helped shape AHC and its mission to serve students in Northern Santa Barbara County.

Allan Hancock College's Fire Academy has trained generations of highly skilled firefighters. In this episode, we spoke with Associate Dean of Public Safety Mitch McCann,  retired  Fire Academy coordinator Andy Densmore,  and academy graduate and Carpinteria-Summerland Battalion Chief Robert Kovach about the academy and its legacy in our community.

After working as a salon manager and stay-at-home mother, Veronica Van Horn decided to pursue her passion for cooking and baking, going back to school and enrolling in Hancock’s culinary program. After graduating from the program, she started her own baking business, V’s Sweet Treats.

Heidi Mendiola is a 2020 Hancock graduate and former Class of 2020 AHC student trustee.  In this interview, she shares her journey as a Hancock student and talks about the challenges she and other 2020 graduates faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hancock film professor Chris Hite joins us to talk about his new documentary, Firestorm '77. The film chronicles the true story of a deadly fire near Vandenberg Air Force Base that took place in 1977.  Learn more about the film at  firestormthedocume.wixsite.com.

As Hancock prepares for the graduation of its centennial class, we talked about the college's history with AHC class of 1954 alumna Marilyn Cronk. Cronk is an art curator and painter who served as the executive director of the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art in Solvang before retiring at age 67. Three of her daughters also attended and graduated from Hancock, before transferring to four-year universities and moving on to successful careers.

2020 changed the world for everyone, including Hancock's students. In this episode, we spoke with Hancock 2020 alumnus and former Associated Student Body Government president Tyler Little about the challenges and triumphs of graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic.