More than 100 students, faculty, and guests gathered to celebrate the Addiction Studies Concentration 2nd Annual Anniversary Bash. In attendance were representatives from community colleges, members of the credentialing body of the addiction community, and the community college honoree of the year, Pierce College, for its Outstanding Addiction Studies Program. This award included two $1,000 scholarships for future Antioch University Addiction Studies students.
Keynote Speaker was Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against the Stream. He is a Buddhist teacher, author and counselor who was trained to teach by Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. Ben Salazar, president of the California Association for Addiction and Drug Educators (CAADE), spoke about current credentialing requirements and the need for higher education in the addiction treatment profession. The student presentations stole the show with their heartfelt expressions of experience. The presentation were all very powerful, not just about being here at Antioch University, but what took to get here.