Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Monterey Peninsula College Offers Students Free Access to Portfolium


With more than 10 years of experience in the construction industry, Ryan Vucina is Chief Operations Manager of Vucina Construction in Pacific Grove, California. In preparation for his career, Ryan Vucina earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Monterey Peninsula College.

Monterey Peninsula recently began offering its students access to the Portfolium platform, a digital portfolio and career preparation network. The college provides both students and alumni access to Portfolium, in which users can develop visual records of their academic and professional achievements by uploading work samples such as presentations, photos, videos, and papers. In addition to their academic projects, students can incorporate information on internships and extracurricular and volunteer activities to provide a holistic picture of their college experience.

Portfolium also gives students valuable exposure to hiring managers at companies such as Google and Boeing. With free access, students can continue to update their profiles after graduation to reflect their academic and professional achievements.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The Hacienda Style of Home Architecture


As Chief Operations Manager of Vucina Construction in Pacific Grove, California, Ryan Vucina oversees luxury residential projects. Ryan Vucina’s experience includes building two custom-built Hacienda style homes on the Monterey Peninsula. 

Based on Mexican architectural styling, a typical hacienda is built on a rising elevation that commands a good view, such as the ocean. Its floor plan resembles a “U”, with the open end facing that vista.

The crossbar of the “U” consists of the home’s main living areas, such as the family room, kitchen, dining room, and perhaps an office. A second floor could accommodate a master bedroom.

Making up the wings of the hacienda are smaller bedrooms, each with its own private entrance and bathroom. Between the wings is a courtyard, often furnished with a garden or a fountain, that offers access from the bedrooms to the main house. Although the best view would be from the main house, each bedroom on a wing can look onto at least the courtyard.

The rooms on the wings, then, are suitable for family members and guests who like to come and go without disturbing anyone in the main house. This plan would also work for someone operating a bed and breakfast.