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A look into the services provided to undocumented students

Shelby Tiefenthaler
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A look into the services provided to undocumented students

As LBCC and other institutions across the country reintegrate back to in-person learning, counselors within the DREAM services hope to foster a culture of connection with students individually not only through academic counseling but through fulfilling social needs as well. 

A workshop was hosted on October 19 in the Social Justice Intercultural Center (SJIC) where undocumented students were able to gather and get to know some of the services offered to them.

Israel Carrasco has hopes and aspirations of advancing a career in computer engineering but has been hindered by being unsure of his out of state options, having few scholarships offered, and the constant rejection he dealt with from jobs and internships because of his documentation status. 

For students like Carrasco, choosing a college to attend and navigating the maze of higher education has a few extra challenges involved. 

“There’s a lot of internships that pop up… I would really like to get into them,” Carrasco said. Finding the internship opportunity is just the start, and he finds himself unable to complete the application process due to questions regarding social security or is rendered ineligible due to his status. 

“Things like that just exclude you,” Carrasco said.

He found himself in the SJIC with Jose Gutierrez, a faculty counselor at Long Beach City College, obtaining resources and guidance to assist him in his journey at the school. 

Gutierrez job with the school is to support undocumented students in the form of moving initiatives forward to assist in their time attending LBCC, and to get students involved in those initiatives. 

Israel Carrasco (left), Vincent Mendoza (middle) and another LBCC student eat and have discussion during the DREAM services workshop on Oct. 19, 2022. (Nick Eismann)

He started his involvement with LBCC about three years ago and was tasked with building support infrastructure for undocumented students. Since his time here, he helped students such as Carrasco navigate college and has pushed initiatives such as providing technology and laptops to students in need as well as providing stipends to campus involved students who are restricted from working due to their status. 

“The biggest challenge for them is just being a student in general, having to do with their undocumented status and knowing that they can’t apply like anyother student to a job or a work study,” Gutierrez said.

Growing up in a culture different from the American norm can already present challenges, add to that the status of undocumented and instil a sense of shame as well. 

Vincent Mendoza, an undocumented student came to the DREAM services workshop and luncheon on Wednesday in the SJIC room put on by Gutierrez and his colleagues. 

As students mingled and ate lunches provided by DREAM services, Mendoza and his newfound friends sat at a table discussing undocumented life.

“I tried to hide it,” Mendoza said. “In high school I didn’t mention I was in this situation… I don’t talk about it with my professors, or my admins, or my classmates because it’s not an easy topic to talk about.” 

Mendoza was very happy to return to in-person learning and instruction but found it hard to find community alongside his peers. He hopes to find community with other undocumented students through the very same workshops and mixers put on by DREAM services that afternoon.

Gutierrez expressed a sense of eagerness, seeing that in-person classes are resuming and life on campus is slowly returning to as it was before; he now has the ability to assist these students in person. 

“As we’re coming back [from covid] we certainly want to build that community presence to let them know ‘Hey, there’s students like you,’ ” Gutierrez said. 

Linda Olmos, who has been an active member in the undocumented community since a young age and is currently serving as the manager for systems impacted students, mirrored the sense of importance to get students connected with campus life.  

“You can have a very specific type of academic activities to support them in that aspect,” said Olmos,  “but if you’re not connecting with students as individuals then it lacks that one on one connection. 

“Here the goal is building community for our students…” said Olmos “Once that connection is established, students begin to thrive.”

Social life issues aside, LBCC’s DREAM services also hopes to ease the long and often confusing process of receiving documentation. Through the makings of personal connections, immigration attorneys and general legal counsel, students are able to seek out and access the help they need.

Nelson Casarrubias is one of the students taking advantage of these legal connections and has found great refuge and comfort in the services offered to him.  

“These lawyers are pretty good.” Casarrubias said. “They’ll consult with you, you can tell them anything personal that’s going on in your life.”

Other students have taken advantage of programs offered by the service. Carrasco is able to purchase reading material thanks to Barnes & Noble gift cards provided by the service and is hoping to look into their housing program which helps students find a place of their own and transition to independent living. 

Social stigmas, different cultural backgrounds, and what can seem like an overflow of information can make the process of obtaining a higher education more tricky than usual for undocumented students. DREAM services hopes to make the process easier and provide everything that a student might need to have the highest possible chance of success. 

“It’s really about building that community.” Olmos said. “Wherever our students need us.”

Whether an undocumented student is looking to start their journey at LBCC, or if they’re already somewhere along the path; DREAM services is here to help them along every step of the way. 

LBCC cheer team sets up for another national win

Emily D'Amico
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LBCC cheer team sets up for another national win

Earlier this year in March the cheer team took home the national title, showcasing the reward that head coach Diana Gailas-Chavez first led the charge to 25 years ago in the dean’s office when she voiced a new direction for the cheer team to open up and reach nationals. 

“There were only 13 girls who didn’t know how to stunt, tumble or have any sense for competitive cheer,” Gailas-Chavez said, remembering the first cheer team she had coached here on campus. 

She strived to make nationals, leading with determination and hard work. Following her ideals, “Immediate change was shown with co-ed, the first year with boys and girls was challenging but rewarding,” she said.

Former alumni and assistant coach, Louis Gonzales has been a cheer advisor since 2003, this being the first time he is returning to LBCC since 2005. On his return, he says having been a coach within competitive competitions he aids the team to reach a standard other competitions look for. 

This year itself has been a tricky one shifting from being purely online to back in person following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One of the cheer captains Ina-Marie Timbo shared her shift from online to in person stating, “It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be considering you cheer with a team and most of us were by ourselves with just a computer for a year. Planning ahead and following the zoom practices were big benefits.” 

Fellow cheer captains Melony Morales and Sydney Paris have been on the cheer team for three years, returning this semester as captains has been an adjustment but exciting. 

“It is a lot better in person, we’re able to do more and help out the team right away.” Morales said. 

As one of the captains, Paris likes to lead by example from her coaches. “Being comfortable in situations and being a voice with the students are some of the things I take pride in being a captain,” she said. 

Together they welcome all who share interest in the sport as well as push for the team to be as one.

When asked how they felt about the stereotypes labeled on cheerleading being a ‘girly, easy thing to do’ it was met with laughs and disagreements. 

“The whole point is to make it look easy,” Paris said. 

The practices are hours long and held multiple days out of the week, “It’s a very inclusive and committed sport, I’ve dislocated my shoulder 15 times being on the team!” Morales said. 

The practices are leading up to nationals and state competitions, “Already as we speak we are getting ready for competition season,” Gailas-Chavez said. The competitions start at the beginning of December and finish late January. 

The final goal for the semester would be traveling to Florida to make a return at the national championships, hopefully securing another win for the school.

Baxter supporters call on Ntuk to apologize for QAnon accusations

Maisie Vilchis
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Baxter supporters call on Ntuk to apologize for QAnon accusations

Seven supporters of Trustee Virginia Baxter took the stand for public comment at a meeting to call on Trustee Udak-Joe Ntuk to give a public apology to Baxter. Some even asked that he step down from his position after accusing Baxter of being a supporter of QAnon and replacement theory in an email to the Long Beach Post.

The day after the meeting, Ntuk sent the Long Beach Post an email thread between Baxter and Jeff Kellog as an example of her racially insensitive behavior. 

The emails pointed at a letter from retired LBCC library head Ramchandran Sethuraman who had praised the college and Ntuk for protecting the campus from white supremacy and beating Kellog out of the latest election for the board.

The emails sent between Baxter and Kellog to the LB Post read as follows: 

“Now you don’t have to be nice to Dr. Seth!” Baxter wrote.

“Don’t remember him or ever having a conversation with him,” Kellogg responded. “He sounds like a big supporter of mine and white people in general. Lol!”

“Yes but he loves me!!” Baxter replied.

“What happened is this teacher who loves me wrote this horrible thing about Jeff. I forwarded it because I would wanna know if someone said something negative about me which I probably shouldn’t have done,” said Baxter.

“I talked to Dr. Seth and I said, ‘ I am sorry if you think I insulted you and he said, ‘oh don’t worry about it was a long time ago,’” said Baxter. 

Baxter believes some of the accusations from Ntuk stem from her opposing vote in the firing of ex-faculty member Kashara Moore and his attempt to swing the election of the board in his favor in the upcoming election.

“I would say we had a good relationship before this,” said Baxter, referring to her relationship with Ntuk.

At the meeting on Wednesday, former LBCC professor, Charlotte Joseph spoke out in support of Baxter. 

“The board president used his position, played politics, and unjustly made claims that are untrue, are false and only could benefit his political future or claims,” said Charlotte Joseph.

Baxter also sent dates to Viking News to prove she has been an advocate for ethnic studies unlike what Ntuk has said.

Baxter voted in favor of the motion on Oct. 28, 2020, Dec. 21, 2020, and Mar. 24, 2021.

Ntuk said to the Long Beach Post, “I do not have an apology and certainly not a resignation for speaking truth to my lived experience with my colleague.” 

Dana Buchannan was the first out of the seven to take the stand opening with a letter written by the hall of fame inductee, John Malvo, who is also president of the Long Beach Central Area Association. He wrote of his familiarity with Baxter and acknowledged the work she had done with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as she had been honored by them in the past.

Buchanan then followed the letter with her comments.

“I am appalled and disgusted at the politicization of your position Udak, shame on you for maligning her good name,” she said.

Several other residents followed after her including Felton Wiliams, a former LBCC dean, who requested that Udak Joe give a public apology along with several other community members that requested the same.

“The comments that were made are disrespectful to someone who has dedicated their lives to students and this college,” Williams said to the Viking.

Robyn Gordon Peterson read a statement at the podium on behalf of Naomi Ray Pearson, President of the Long Beach Branch of the NAACP. 

“I was born in Mississippi during the tumultuous civil rights and definitely know and understand racism. Dr. Baxter is not a racist,” said Peterson on behalf of Pearson.

“We should be working collaboratively as a team to generate student enrolment so that we don’t have time to disparage,” Williams added. 

Newsom set to hold pro-abortion rights rally at LBCC

Maisie Vilchis
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Newsom set to hold pro-abortion rights rally at LBCC

Governor Gavin Newsom is set to hold a rally on Sunday at Long Beach City College’s LAC from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to encourage people to vote yes on the right to abortion in the upcoming midterm election after the Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs. Wade in June.

The rally is part of an ongoing campaign to pass Proposition 1 which, “Amends California Constitution to expressly include an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which includes the fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives,” according to the California Voter Guide.

Governor Newsom made two notable visits to Long Beach City College in the past.

In 2021 Governor Newsom came to Long Beach to campaign for his recall election along with Joe Biden. Hundreds of people showed up in support of Newsom in 2021 but several conservatives came out to protest the rally.

In 2019 Governor Newsom made another visit to Long Beach City College to attend a meeting to discuss affordable housing. 

College officials confirmed that a rally would be taking place but declined to give more detail as to who is speaking.

Governor Newsom sent out an email to supporters of the Democratic party announcing the event, however the exact location has yet to be announced.

Those interested in attending the rally may register at: https://www.mobilize.us/cadems/event/536187/?utm_source=ggn-text-221102-a 

Poet Liz Gonzalez speaks on her work and Hispanic heritage at LBCC

Desary Vailencour
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Poet Liz Gonzalez speaks on her work and Hispanic heritage at LBCC

On a quiet afternoon on Oct. 12, the poetry room at LAC was filled with students and professors ready to hear the work of Liz Gonzalez, a poet and former instructor at LBCC.

Gonzalez, who has won numerous awards from the Long Beach Arts Foundation, is now a creative writing instructor at UCLA.

Gonzalez has a history of doing philanthropic work. She has received awards from the Arts Council of Long Beach and is one of the founders of Uptown Word and Arts, a program that promotes literacy and the arts.

Gonzalez read her book of poems Dancing in the Santa Ana Winds: Poems y Cuentos new and Selected (Los Nietos Press 2018) which has a constant track of  Gonzalez intertwining her hispanic heritage with her poetry.

“I was raised to be assimilated,” said González. “But, I really love Mexican culture, I naturally gravitate to it in my work.”  

As the read goes on, González notably describes her life in the inland empire during the 1970’s.

González also expressed why she left LBCC as an instructor.

“My migraines were debilitating, I couldn’t even go to work everyday anymore.” said González.“I did a lot of work on healing. Now I want to celebrate people and experiences.” 

With the topic of being hispanic being a constant discussion during the event, Jeff Epley, who organized it, explained why he invited Liz González to speak at LBCC. 

“It is Hispanic Heritage Month. She represents the great voice of Southern California.” said Epley, “There is a huge Latino population here.” 

Reply explained what the importance of having a woman of color speak about her work and life at a college meant to him as a poetry professor.

 “It’s equitable. It provides access to many different voices, and it is important to see writers of your own ethnicity,” said Epley.

Liz Gonzalez has her own website where she explains her love for poetry, her philanthropic work, as well as upcoming events she is hosting. 


For more information on Liz González and her work, you can visit https://www.lizgonzalez.com/pages/bio.html

Filipinx meet and greet hosted to jump-start revival of a club.

Desary Vailencour
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Filipinx meet and greet hosted to jump-start revival of a club.

Long Beach City College continues to celebrate Filipino American History month with a meet and greet welcoming members of the community to interact with fellow Filipinx students and staff. 

The meet and greet took place in the Social Justice Intercultural Center of the E building on Oct. 25. Upon walking into the room, one could find flags representing the Philippines hung up around the walls, as well as mini ones decorating each table. 

The room had an aroma of tasty foods, such as Lumpia, a traditional Filipino dish, and music played from various artists of Filipino heritage.

The event pulled a small, but lively crowd of  students and staff into the room. The head of the event and chair of the APID affinity group, Loo Loo Tupua, was pleased with the outcome of the meet and greet. 

“The main goal for us is for everyone to meet and mingle amongst each other, get to know one another, and feel a sense of welcoming for Filipinx members here,” said Tupua.

After this event, she hopes to achieve her largest goal of bringing back the Filipino club to campus and opening more chances for those interested in the topic. 

“The big goal for me is to welcome the club back and expand to show students who identify with the heritage there’s a place for them to feel welcomed while here at school.” said Tupua.

Ruben Page (right) and Brandon (left) participate in the icebreaker game at the Filipinx Meet and Greet, which gives attendees the opportunity to get to know each other while finding someone in the room to answer a question on their paper on Oct. 25, 2022. (Juleah Corzantes)

During the event, students and staff participated in an icebreaker game to get comfortable with one another, as well as learn a few things about each other. “It was a nice, great quality group that welcomed everyone,” Tupua said. 

She was focusing on letting those in attendance know that they all have a spot that feels like a home away from home. “There is a large population here in Long Beach of the Filipino community. A lot of us have settled here and since then have continued to grow.”

“It is important to have these events to show that we’re heard and celebrated, even taking small gestures such as the food served here today to bring the authentic meals and settings one would see in a Filipino household,” she said. 

Tupua leaves the event encouraging those who want to join that they will be welcomed, “Any potential students who feel recognized in the culture, feel free to join and reach out there is space for them to show their pride of the heritage and will always be welcomed.” 

First-time student and nursing major, Red San Pedro, made the move from the Philippines to Long Beach six months ago. “Entering the event today I felt anxious and nervous as I didn’t really know anyone, but felt welcomed,” he said. 

“It was perfect timing, with me just moving here and still getting to know the school and area. It was nice finding a community I can be comfortable and familiar with.” said San Pedro after leaving the meet and greet.

Multiple raffles were played during the event and San Pedro was lucky to call himself a winner of a majority of the prizes, including common Filipino snacks and goods as well as a humorous COVID-19 test. 

He gave insight into the differences between life here compared to back in the Philippines, “The history month is not actually celebrated back home as it is just a normal month to us and we often have dedicated celebrations throughout the year, but it is nice to see the heritage celebrated  on campus, it really showed a welcoming approach.” 

Another first-year student and transportation technology major, Jomar Hontiveros, was sitting at the second table with Tupua and other participants, he was engaging with others during the bingo icebreaker, which had everyone going around the room looking for someone’s name to write down that fit a question asked on the game sheet. When the win went to San Pedro, everyone was in high spirits and seemingly more comfortable after. 

Hontiveros heard about the event from a flyer hung around campus. “Funny enough I wasn’t aware a month existed celebrating Filipino heritage,” he said. 

Hontiveros comes from a first-generation family starting here, and when seeing the event post he was more than happy to engage. “I wanted to get more involved in the community and was actually seeking it during school. It was nice to get in touch with everyone and it is empowering that the community is here and are the most welcoming.”

When the call came that the event had come to an end, everyone was in no rush to leave and continued to celebrate and converse with one another. The Filipino American History month helps bring those of the Filipinx community together. 

Bernie Sanders supports L.A. mayoral candidate Karen Bass in local rally

Nick Eismann
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Bernie Sanders supports L.A. mayoral candidate Karen Bass in local rally

Hundreds of Angelenos gathered at Playa Vista Central Park’s Bandshell on Thursday evening to support California representative Karen Bass’ mayoral campaign who was joined by Senator Bernie Sanders.

Bass, who is running against billionaire Rick Caruso in this race, hosted a rally with Sanders as a guest speaker, and other community leaders and influencers to gain support for her campaign. 

Doors to the event opened at 5 p.m. and onlookers began trickling in within an hour and a half before the rally began.

Attendee Eric Chavez stated he didn’t know much about Bass saying, “I came because I am not familiar with her values or her goals for the city.”

Planned Parenthood, Youth for Karen Bass, and USC Democrats were among a wide variety of organizations that endorsed and rallied in support of Bass.

Each speaker was granted stage time to tell the public about why they think voters should elect Bass for mayor rather than Caruso.

Bass’ political party affiliations were a popular point made throughout the evening. Bass has been registered as a Democrat for over 10 years and Caruso, a longtime Republican, registered as a Democrat in 2022.

Speakers went on to criticize Caruso’s campaign funding, stating he has spent over $90 million on advertising. They compared it to Bass’ campaign, which presents itself as a grassroots campaign.  

Music performances were also brought forth by the campaign. Mariachi Magnolia, a locally run female-owned music group, and ICYOLA, a youth orchestra organization, both got the crowd dancing and singing along prior to Bass’ and Sander’s speeches. 

Coordinated by the Karen Bass mayoral campaign team, Mariachi Magnolia performed for the crowd of supporters and encouraged listeners to vote for Karen Bass during Thursday evening’s rally at Playa Vista Central Park Bandshell. The Mariachi Magnolia is an all-female owned organization. (Veronica Towers)

In the large crowd of supporters, much of Bernie’s merchandise could be seen; amongst them was supporter Sonia Rodriguez Flores who voted for Sanders in the 2016 primary presidential election.

When asked what brought her out to the event, Flores stated, “I am not part of it (Bass’ campaigning group). I was a big Bernie supporter.” 

This appeared to be the case for a lot of people present in the crowd. 

Sanders took to the stage for approximately 25 minutes and openly endorsed Bass for mayor of Los Angeles. 

He took time to discuss his aversion to Caruso and other billionaires professing, “You know what these billionaires are addicted to? They’re addicted to greed.”

After two hours of energetic rallying, the event came to a close.

Future study abroad programs are hopeful amongst professors

Shelby Tiefenthaler
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Future study abroad programs are hopeful amongst professors

Study abroad programs have not run since 2019 at Long Beach City College, but a handful of professors have started to show their eagerness in reinstating these vital programs to help raise after-graduate student success. 

Multiple studies prove that experiencing life as an expat increases the percentages of success in students’ career fields after they graduate by almost double. These sorts of results alone make it crucial for LBCC to prioritize traveling programs that can earn students credits for their courses. 

Emad Faltas, a professor of history at LBCC who was born in Egypt, has studied classical civilizations, ancient Egypt, and earned his bachelor’s degree in Greco-Roman history, archaeology, and literature, advocates for study abroad. 

“In the classroom you are limited with space, limited with time, and limited with what you can explain and show,” said Faltas, “But when you are in front of the things you see you see them for real. You see the reality.”

Faltas expressed his interest in bringing back a study abroad course as soon as the next academic school year. He and professor Mary Marki, another history colleague of his at LBCC, have been in talks regarding this matter.

“We are thinking of doing Western civilization, which is ancient Greece and Rome and maybe we can add Turkey or Egypt to that.” Faltas said, “This could potentially be the equivalent of giving students three credits as if they were to take History 1A.”

Professor Faltas has experience with leading groups of up to 40 people throughout the Middle East for almost a decade. He recently completed leading a group last January. Students at LBCC were welcome to attend this trip and seven of them did. 

“It is all just talk right now because this needs a lot of preparation,” said Faltas.

They have ideas surrounding the possibility of implementing a study abroad program to their classes that would account for at least three credits for students.   

Faltas communicated that in order to get the ball rolling on these opportunities, students must express their interest in participating in traveling courses. 

Currently, Marki is on sabbatical, but come the 2023 academic school year more serious conversations can be expected.

This sort of expedition requires an intense amount of preparation and organization. There are matters of expenses, liabilities, spreading awareness of the program, and so much more. 

The world languages professor of Spanish at LBCC, Francisca Meja-Lopez addressed this issue at a recent board meeting. 

“It was communicated that although we would love to begin planning our next trip,” said Meja-Lopez, “we currently do not have a Study Abroad Coordinator. In order for planning to take place, that position needs to be filled.”

The status of that position is currently looking to be filled, which would help fast track this program.

Student and staff show off costumes during Halloween contest

Matthew Walker
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Student and staff show off costumes during Halloween contest

LBCC President Mike Munoz teamed up with the college’s Classified Senate Council on Monday to present a special on-campus Halloween event for staff and students to have the opportunity to show off their Halloween costumes.

Although the event was catered towards the college’s employees, students were more than welcome to join in on the fun. 

Out of the 23 contestants who participated in the costume contest, only three were named winners by the Classified Senate and only one single winner was named by President Mike Munoz.

LBCC students Kyci McCaffrey who was dressed as Big Man from Splatoon 3 and Edith Rumps dressed as Harrowhark Nonagesimus, along with LBCC’s EOPS coordinator Deatrice Shernell dressed as a pirate were all voted winners of the individual costume contest. 

“I was expecting nothing less but to win…I really love dressing up for Halloween so it was awesome to be named one of the winners today,” said Edith Rumps after being named one of the contest winners. 

The president’s award went to LBCC student Brandon Baker, who was not only dressed as Michael Myers, but acted in character throughout the entire event.

LBCC student Brandon Baker going on stage dressed as Michael Myers during the costume contest portion of an on-campus Halloween event. Baker went on to win the president’s award for best costume chosen by LBCC President Mike Munoz. (Paul Jimenez)

The event took place at the kinesiology lab and aquatic center multi-purpose room located inside the brand new W building at LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus.

“One of the things we felt was important coming out of COVID-19 is finding opportunities where we can be intentional about building community for our employees here at LBCC,” said President Mike Munoz, “this Halloween event led by the classified senate was a perfect way to do just that.”

There were only two groups who participated in the group stage of the contest, one being LBCC’s welcome center staff who dressed up as crayons and the other group made up of members of LBCC’s OLET, IITS, and Learning Resource Center departments dressed as a group of garden friends. 

The variety of garden friends gave the crayons no chance, as the mixed departments who teamed up took the prize.

A mixture of LBCC’s OLET, IITS, and Learning Resource Center members putting their costumes together to create a group of garden friends. They went on to win the group portion of the costume contest during the event. (Paul Jimenez)

“I love the idea of everyone coming through for the holiday to enjoy food and just the camaraderie…making the most of the space this new building gives us I sure hope we can continue this kind of event next year as well,” said Brandon Tejada, who’s both a member of LBCC’s Classified Senate and an IITS support specialist.

There was no doubt that the main attraction of the event was the costume contest, but there were definitely other surprises as well.

Food, drinks, treats, and a cool 360 camera booth were all available for free as part of the event.

LBCC President Mike Munoz (right) and LBCC IITS help desk support specialist Andrew Chavez (left) serving themselves a plate of food. Quinoa salad, mac n’ cheese, fruit, BBQ pulled pork sliders, and desserts were among the options available for those in attendance. (Paul Jimenez)

Those who attended were welcomed outside the entrance with candy that was passed out by members of the senate and other LBCC staff.

Staff and students also felt the spooky vibes as soon as they walked through the door when they were greeted by clouds of fog that lingered throughout the room.

The walls were covered with all sorts of webs, tomb stones and skeleton decorations while each table had a Halloween prop placed in the center. No matter where you were in the room, it really felt like Halloween Day.

There’s no guarantee that the Halloween event will go on next year, but with the way everyone enjoyed this year’s gathering, it points to everything going in the right direction. 

Anthropology professor tells of culture shock and their fieldwork in Ghana

Desary Vailencour
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Anthropology professor tells of culture shock and their fieldwork in Ghana

Imagine you spend so much time in another country you ingrain yourself into the local community. When you return home, that home has become alien to you. That is the experience of Ama Boakyewa, a LBCC anthropology professor who undertook fieldwork in Ghana and learned to integrate herself into the community while researching a centuries old shrine with great importance to Ghanaian culture.

“You have to make the strange familiar, in order to live in a place, in order to absorb a place directly…Whatever was strange when I first went into the field became very familiar by the time I left, in fact, I didn’t even want to leave Ghana, I was so comfortable,” said Ama Boakyewa.

As part of her anthropology education, Boakyewa undertook fieldwork in Ghana, a country in West Africa which she was familiar with after having both visited and learned the language before her field work.

“It helped the fact that I had traveled to Ghana several times before my fieldwork, I had already known the culture, I knew people there, I knew the protocol,” said Boakyewa.

 “That’s probably the most important thing, you have to know the protocol,” she added.

Boakyewa studied two subcultures for her fieldwork, the more populous Akan culture, and the less populace Guan, each of which have their own language.

Boakyewa spent all of 2008 within Ghana, spending eight weeks beforehand in intensive language training.

“After that one year, I felt I was more Ghanaian than I was American… that’s what happens to anthropologists,” Boakyewa said.

Doctor Ama Boakyewa stands in front of a glass cabinet full of replica skulls at LBCC LAC on Oct. 17. (Matthew Walker)

The type of experience that Boakyewa referred to is known as “culture shock” and occurs when entering another culture,  and then again when returning to your own culture.

“In Ghana you don’t waste water, because it’s very precious,” said Boakyewa,  describing a small example of culture shock she experienced after noticing she had become more aware of water being left running and wasted.

Boakyewa spoke of how much more centered on family the Ghanaian culture in Larteh was compared to back home in the United States, where our lives are much more “compartmentalized.”

While living in Ghana, she lived in a compound with about 20 other people at any given time and took public transportation to get around, usually in crowded minivans called “trotos.”

“I had no running water, no working toilet or shower… I took my bucket baths in a concrete shower room outside with privacy provided. I had to walk to the outside toilet which needed another bucket of water for flushing. This was a communal toilet,” Boakyewa said.

Boakyewa spent her fieldwork in Larteh, a town in eastern Ghana home to the Akonedi Shrine, a traditional shrine from the 1800s.

“It was extremely popular. Presidents of the country had come to the shrine for healing, for work, for consultation,” Boakyewa said. 

Much of Boakyewa’s fieldwork consisted of interviewing the different families within the town of Larteh, gaining contacts and building trust between her and the people of the town.

Her research also focused on the priests and healers of the Akonedi Shrine and its religious significance to the people of Larteh and Ghana itself.

When interviewing these priests and healers, Boakyewa would ask for them to tell their life story, learning of their lives from the very beginning to the present.

She even visited at least three funerals of priests, with funerals being an important ritual in the culture of Ghana which links back to how much Ghanaian culture is focused on family compared to the United States.

Boakyewa first found interest in the field of anthropology when she began working part-time at the African Burial Ground Project (ABGP) in New York City. At the time she was still working full-time as a system’s station master at the railroad company, Amtrak.

After leaving the ABGP in 1996, she decided to return to Indiana and complete her undergraduate degree in Pan-African studies at the University of Louisville  then immediately went into a PhD program in Anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington.

Boakyewa now teaches several anthropology classes on LAC, including cultural anthropology and even a class on Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion.

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