Long Beach City College hosted the annual Welcome Back Barbecue at the Liberal Arts Campus last Thursday, students visited booths and gathered community resources while discovering clubs, groups, and new opportunities.
A tradition for over 30 years, the event was organized by Student Activities Advisor Derek Oriee.
The staff spent the morning cooking up hamburgers and hot dogs as well as Beyond Burgers, a plant-based option to accommodate vegetarian students.
“It went well, our food didn’t even last an hour,” Oriee said.
The Order of Thor booth was filled with active members of the group, engaging students in conversation to inform them of the group’s goals for the semester.
Originating as a “mens only club,” The Order of Thor now prides itself on being all inclusive with 13 active members of diverse ethnicities and genders.
Kevin Rodriguez, the Candidate Foreman, is in charge of courting potential members and helping new members assimilate to club and campus life.
Rodriguez shared that the club’s mission is to give back to the community through volunteering while giving members an immersive college experience through participation in intramural sports and club events on campus.
Along with the return of the fall semester, a reintroduction of classes in the trade program was added to the existing roster of classes and clubs available to interested students including metalworking and fabrication club.
When trade programs were temporarily removed from availability at LBCC that meant the main metalworking programs were removed with them.
Along with the trades making a return, the metal fabrication and welding club is back.
“No experience needed, we’ll teach you everything,” Club Advisor Damon Skinner said.
Skinner is also an assistant professor for the newly reinstated programs for both Metal Fabrication and Welding.
With the return of trade programs, a wide variety of classes is now open to help students develop or expand their skills while students can explore new career paths while still obtaining college credit and maybe even finding their passion.
A full list of classes and any related questions or concerns can be provided by academic counselors on both campuses.
Students interested in participating in any of these programs may reach out to a counselor to see what is available to them.
