With Veterans Day on the horizon, student veterans and their support staff on campus are gearing up for a week of activities to honor their service.

“We know that it’s not just ‘a’ day that we need to honor our veterans, it’s something that we need to honor every day,” said Ramiro Hernandez, Mesa College Counseling Department Professor. “Thankfully, here at Mesa, we’ve been able to make it into a weeklong celebration.”

San Diego Mesa College’s Languages Department hosts a Dia de los Muertos celebration on campus Wednesday, Nov. 2.

As part of the celebration, there will be viewings and discussions of the film “Days of the Dead: A Living Tradition” in room LRC 435 at 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and a second viewing at 11:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

San Diego Mesa College’s Communication Studies Department invites students, faculty and staff to mingle during this semester’s Common Grounds event at MC 211 A/B on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Each semester for the past three years, the department encourages the campus to meet on “common grounds” with conversation, coffee and cookies to make connections and find out more about the experiences of others on campus. In addition to cookies and coffee, attendees can be entered to win prizes if they have handed out cards to invite others to the event.

San Diego Mesa College’s School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences’ welcomes students, staff, faculty and the community to attend the STEM lecture series this fall semester.

Originally created as a Physical Sciences Lecture series in 2014, the wider categorization of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics allows for a greater range of subjects to be featured during the lecture series.

Bridges to the Baccalaureate scholar Emmanuel Gutierrez-Alfonzo from San Diego Mesa College was recently honored at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science annual National Research Conference in Long Beach, California for his chemistry research.

The research that received the top undergraduate chemistry award at the Oct. 13-15 conference was conducted by Gutierrez-Alfonzo and his partner Jose Rizo, a former Mesa College Bridges scholar and current student studying molecular synthesis and pharmacological chemistry at University of California, San Diego.

San Diego Mesa College Dance Company will present their fall dance concert “Visions in Movement” Nov. 3-5, with performances in the Joan B. Kroc Theater each night at 7:30 p.m.

With almost 60 dancers performing in the 14 faculty choreographed pieces, the show will highlight a variety of dance styles, to include hip hop, ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, modern and African fusion.

Alma Fuentes, a Custodial Crew Leader in the Facilities Department at San Diego Mesa College, has been recognized by the Committee for Diversity Action, Inclusion and Equity for having October’s “Smile of the Month.”

According to CDAIE Chair Judy Sundayo, the Smile of the Month was created in June 2016 as an informal way to recognize and honor the diversity, depth and humanity of employees at Mesa College.

“The person who suggested Alma Fuentes to be honored was impressed by her smile, her readiness to engage and help others and her commitment to her job and the campus as a whole,” Sundayo said.

Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe will visit San Diego Mesa College to speak to students, faculty and staff about the “Importance of Empathy” on Oct. 25 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in LRC 435.

Author of “Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies: On Myths, Morons, Free Speech, Football, and Assorted Absurdities,” Kluwe is not only known for his work on the football field, but also for his writing and outspoken nature in regards to the ethical treatment of others. His role as an ally for equality was first brought into the mainstream light after writing a scathing open letter on Deadspin.com to Maryland state delegate Emmet C. Burns Jr.