LBCC men’s baseball team won 6 to 1 after center fielder Myles Fendrick, who went 2-4 and had an RBI triple, in Saturday’s game against Rio Hondo at home.
This game felt like a must win for the Vikings as in their previous game they lost 9-1 against Cypress, so this victory helped them bounce back.
Vikings infielder Garret Rodriguez, spoke on getting himself and his teammates ready for conference play as this was the first conference game of the season for the Vikings.
“ It’s very important to get the guys going for conference play because this is the first game in conference, these games matter more then the other ones so it’s nice to get the first one out the way and it makes things a lot easier,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez went 2-4 in with an impactful RBI allowing his teammate to bring in a run.
The game started off slow for both teams, but the Vikings scored back-to-back runs in the third that helped their momentum and there was no looking back for the Vikings.
Center fielder Myles Fendrick hit a two-run triple to center field in the bottom of the third inning to bring the Vikings’ first runs and take the lead of the game.
The Vikings never gave up the lead as they executed well on offense and defense.
“It felt good. It felt really good. I got a good pitch to hit, and it really paid off our rally,” said Fendrick.
The Vikings’ bullpen pitched well, with starting pitcher Will LeBlanc struck out four batters while allowing one run.
Everything seemed to mesh perfectly for the Vikings, creating momentum to finish off strong.
“I think what we need to focus on is staying in the moment. Dugout presence and energy has been great, especially today,” said head coach Philip Visico.
The Vikings’ record improved to 4-8 after this win, and they will play their next game on Saturday at El Camino.
Most college students hurry across campus to head to their next class, worrying about deadlines but for 52-year-old Herica Paniagua, every step across the A-quad at Long Beach City College is a reminder of how far she has come and how close she once came to never returning at all.
After surviving the unimaginable loss of her teenage son, 15 years of addiction and more than a decade without stable housing, Paniagua is not only rebuilding her life, but will walk the stage this spring semester alongside her son Edrick Salgado, who never stopped believing in her.
Long before addiction ever entered her life, Paniagua was a single mother raising four children in West Long Beach. She worked, studied and pushed toward a better future, eventually earning a human services certificate in 2004 and becoming a certified drug and alcohol counselor.
“I was working, I was going to school, I was trying to be a mom,” she said. “I wanted to give my kids the best.”
But being the only parent, with teenagers and a newborn, came with constant pressure.
Years later, Paniagua would question whether chasing education and employment meant she missed warning signs happening inside her home.
On July 18, 2010, her 17-year-old son committed suicide. The trauma ripped open everything she had been holding together. And that moment would haunt her and her youngest son, Salgado, forever.
Just seven at the time, he was the one who found his brother.
A month later, Paniagua’s son-in-law died in a car accident, leaving her daughter with a newborn baby. Soon after, her cousin, who had just come home from prison, also died by suicide.
“In one month, everything fell apart,” she said. “I didn’t see hope.”
Her grief didn’t find counseling or healing, it found addiction.
For nearly 15 years, Paniagua was unhoused and addicted to hard drugs, moving from hotel to hotel with Salgado.
“My son never complained,” she said. “But he was the one being the parent. He was paying for hotels. He was trying to snap me out of what I was going through.”
Salgado recalled moments from his childhood when his mom would drop him off at school.
“I remember being seven or eight and crying when she dropped me off because I didn’t know if I would see her again,” he said.
Still, Paniagua couldn’t escape the cycle. “I didn’t know how to be part of society anymore. I didn’t want to be seen.”
One day in 2023, Paniagua and Salgado were walking when an LB Transit bus passed them. On the side were two words, ‘You Belong.’
“And I said to myself, I do belong. I need to go back and finish.” And that’s exactly what Paniagua did.
She returned to LBCC and so did Salgado, who was once enrolled at LBCC but took a break.
When his mother got sober and returned to school, he watched her come home excited, motivated and full of new energy.
That inspired him to register the following semester.
“I thought, if she can do it, after everything, then I can too,” Salgado said.
Walking across campus together still felt surreal for him.
“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m walking with my mom at school.’ People tell me they wish their mom could go to college with them. It makes me realize how lucky I am,” Salgado said.
Last June, Paniagua earned her Associate’s degree in Psychology. This past fall semester, she graduated again, this time with her Associate’s in Sociology, making her a double major.
Paniagua transferred to CSULB this spring semester, but plans to come back and walk the stage at LBCC, right beside Salgado, where he will also earn his Associate’s degree in Sociology and then transfer to CSULB following in his mothers footsteps.
Coming back to school for Paniagua after 15 years without having technology skills and without support would have felt impossible without the Justice Scholars Program at LBCC.
JSP supports formerly incarcerated students and system-impacted individuals integrate back into society.
Salgado isn’t part of JSP but entered school with LBCC Phoenix Scholars, a program designed to support gang-impacted youth and young adults.
Currently, the two programs are combined, attesting to Paniagua and her son on the impact the older generation has on the adolescent.
“We combined JSP and Phoenix Scholars to inspire the younger generation that if the older generation of system impacted students can go to school, so can the younger generation,” said Rosa Martinez, the outreach and recruitment specialist of the Justice Scholars Program.
Today, Paniagua has regained her family relationships. She is sober, involved and present for her grandchildren.
“If you graduate, they graduate,” she said. “That’s what motivates me.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated the wrong location for LAC’s art gallery.
An art exhibition featuring bold student artwork in various media like photography, ceramics, sculptures and paintings will open Saturday at LAC’s art gallery.
The opening event will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the K building in room 100.
This annual exhibition named the Juried Student Art Exhibition, is put on by LBCC’s Visual and Media Arts department and has a contest component.
The top three students will be announced at the closing event on March 26, and $2,000 will be given out in prizes. The first place winner will be awarded $1,000, the second winner $600, and third place $400.
Among the competitors is studio arts major student Hannah Justesen, who experimented with film photography for the first time in preparation for the show.
Her piece, a large-scaled 24 by 36 inch photo print, was created using a traditional darkroom technique known as a “negative sandwich,” a process that combines two separate images into one during an enlargement process.
A submitted photograph to the Juried Student Art Exhibition that was created by studio arts major student Hannah Justesen is displayed. (Jacyn King)
“So it’s a picture of an arm and a mouth put together in an enlarger,” Justesen said, “It was a new medium and it’s film photography and it was something that I’ve never done before. So it was a lot of trial and error especially with an experimental technique like developing two photos together, trying to get things in focus was just a little difficult.”
The imagery in her work is centered around themes of self-consumption and anxiety, referencing personal experiences and symbolic references.
“… I worked from images of self-cannibalising, so eating yourself as a way to express mental anxiety… I started from images of ‘Ouroboros,’ the serpent that eats its own tail, looking at that idea of what consumes our time, what consumes our thoughts … Experiencing anxiety and also experiencing the body that doesn’t always function in the way that I want it to, so having to sit with my thoughts a lot just was a jumping off point for it.” Justesen said.
Despite the competitive nature, Justesen explains what the event means to her, “It’s a nice way to look at everyone’s work and kind of celebrate the program and the professors and the students because a lot of people work so hard. I think it’s more about making connections with other students, people I want to work with. I think that’s the best thing to come out of this show”.
Solomon Weekly, an art major student, is also in the running, submitting an animated music video to the competition. This is his second semester at LBCC, and he learned about the exhibit through campus promotion.
Weekly’s submission is an animated music video built around an original character he created, inspired by the song “Garbage” by Tyler the Creator.
“When I hear music, it inspires me to make visuals for it,” Weekly said. “ I love storytelling and story building, so with this song, I wanted to create a character and make a mini cinematic story for them.”
Weekly, who has been working in animation for some time, said the Juried exhibit offered a professional platform to showcase his work.
While all students, regardless of art experience, can enter the competition, there will be an initial screening to determine who will make it onto the exhibit.
According to ceramics professor Gerardo Monterrubio, one of the judges involved in the selection process, the goal was to find pieces that stood out.
“It has to be dynamic enough to catch your attention,” Monterrubio said. “Something about the work has to be visually intriguing.”
A painted clay sculpture of a pair of overalls stands among the rest of the artwork submitted by students to be judged, chosen and eventually put on display during the Juried Student Art Exhibition. The chosen artwork will be displayed at the on-campus art gallery at LAC starting Feb. 28. (Jacyn King)
In addition, the art department is aiming to award students impacted by ICE a $1000 prize.
Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS), a binational artist collective documenting life at the border through art and mutual aid to advance pro-migrant narratives in the U.S. and Mexico, donated $500 to the added prize pool.
While Karla Aguiniga, the art gallery director, expects to raise the last $500 through donations.
“There’ll be the separate at least $500 for this… I think we are calling it the “Art without Borders prize,” said Aguiniga.
“…For the past two years we had an art prize where at least one of the three top winners was an undocumented student out of their own merit. So this year, I was like, … it should just be a given that we give a prize to a student who is undocumented out of, like, just obviously, stuff is really hard right now. So just kind of out of awareness of the immigration crisis, obviously all the raids, like that’s impacting a lot of our students,” said Aguiniga.
Monterubbio, reflected on the diversity of the student body, highlighting how immigrants and undocumented students have been represented on campus.
“We are showing the talent of a lot of students here, undocumented. People are here to get an education, and when they get an education, they contribute to society. Historically, the best societies are those that are diverse in ideas and backgrounds,” said Monterubbio.
He goes on to add that the exhibition is reflecting just that, featuring work from students across disciplines and experience level, from ceramics, sculptures to paintings and video graphics.
“ICE is terrorizing our communities and people rightly fear this,” said Monterrubio.“For art to provide some type of symbolic piece that maybe celebrates the positive contributions that students provide in the art world and in society in general. I think because we are showing the talents of a lot of students here, undocumented… you know it’s the opposite of crime, it’s talent.”
The exhibition will conclude with a closing reception and award ceremony March 26 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m also in K-100. Prize winners will be announced during the event.
Jennifer Morales, an instructional associate in ceramics at LBCC, looks through jewelry and metalworking pieces by students submitted to the Juried Student Art Exhibition. The exhibition opens on Feb. 28. (Jacyn King)
The Vikings lost 2-1 to the Cerritos Falcons on Feb. 17 after pitcher Adalise Valenzuela went all seven innings, moving their record to 9-1.
The Cerritos Falcons were first on the board. Fortunately, catcher Zara Mineo played an intense first inning, hitting a double, stealing third and then running home to tie the game at one at the end of the first inning.
“We treat every team the same. This is a conference game for us and so they’re a big cross-town rival. We’re only 10 minutes away and so a lot of players know each other and we’ve coached against each other for 10 years and so it’s just an exciting game,” said Megan Martinez, head coach.
Viking’s pitcher Adalise Valenzuela, faces Cerritos for their first conference game Feb. 17 at LAC. The Vikings defended their title in a pitching dual with a loss 2-1. (Diosa Hippolyta)
As the game continued, Valenzuela shut down the Falcons with a key tag at home by Mineo and clutch strikeouts, while the outfield defense kept the game close.
Valenzuela commented on how she did being in the game for so long.
“I think I did good, probably could’ve done better. They said I hit my spots but no, I’m always hard on myself, but it’s okay. There’s little things we need to work on, we let the moment get bigger than us sometimes. This loss should not be held down and we will get it back next time,” Valenzuela said.
Although the Vikings created several scoring chances, they ultimately came up short in the 6th inning, when the Falcons scored a run.
“Cerritos is one of our biggest competitors…. And I think we came into it knowing that, we knew they were gonna be our biggest competitors. We knew they were gonna put pressure on us. We knew we had a target on our backs. But I think the next time that we see them, it’s definitely going to be different,” Mineo commented.
Even though the Vikings came up short, they will see Cerritos again March 17th.
As the game came to a close, the Falcons ended the game with a 2-1 lead, leaving the Vikings record at 9-2.
“It’s hard losing on our home field, especially to a team that we beat twice last year. I think we had everything right. Everything that we did was great. The pitching was great. The hitting was great. We just need to find the fight. We all have it in us somewhere…we just need to figure out how to pull it out,” Mineo commented after the game.
The Vikings’ current record is 10-4, with their next game being held on Friday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. against Canyons
Even with an impressive 10-kill game from Viking Alden Jacobs, the LBCC men’s volleyball team lost 15-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-17, 15-11 in a close matchup against Golden West on Wednesday.
LBCC dominated the first set 25-15, which was crucial for the Vikings as they had not won a set in their first meeting with Golden West.
“The first time we played this team was the season opener, there was definitely a lot of nerves going into that one that got us, a bit out of shape,” LBCC head coach Joshua Nehls said.
Following this dominant first set, Golden West would go on to win two of the next three, showing impressive skill throughout and much higher intensity.
“We were getting blocked a lot. They were really fast on offense and on setting their blocks, so we just had to do something to match their tempo,” Nehls said.
Golden West would jump out to an early lead in the final set and maintained it throughout, edging out a 15-11 victory and winning the match.
Vikings men’s volleyball player Ryder Tuaolo hits the ball against Golden West during their match on Wednesday at the Long Beach City College Hall of Champions. The Vikings lost the match 3-2, which makes the Vikings’ record 5-4. (Alexandra Rios)
“Today, I think we saw what we can do and what we are able to achieve. Now, the challenge is gonna be finding that consistency and just rolling with it,” Jacobs said.
While this loss may not have been the outcome LBCC had hoped for, the team is taking out several different positives from the game.
“I think we made a lot of different hustle plays, with lots of them going all the way to the wall or past the net,” middle blocker for the Vikings, Jerami Jeffer,y said.
Matches that go to five sets, as this one did, it can be physically taxing for the team’s best players to compete throughout the entire match.
“Our biggest thing is just protecting our bodies. Later in the game, we had some players that needed to sit out with smaller injuries and that didn’t help us,” Jeffery said.
Nehls also noted the improvements that he and the team have witnessed through the first few matches of the season.
“I think we’re very confident after this game. We’re watching these games, looking at what we want to get better at and seeing it show up during the game. We just need to make sure we do that at a faster pace than the other teams by the end of the year,” Nehls said.
The Vikings, now holding a 6-4 overall record, will play their next game today at 6 p.m. against Moorpark College at Long Beach City College.
LBCC’s Student Life and Basic Needs will host their free pancake breakfast event at TTC tomorrow outside the student union, Building EE, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or while supplies last.
The next event at LAC will be until March 18 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m, also outside the student union, Building B, and these events are planned to continue throughout the semester.
The free pancake breakfast bar will have an assortment of toppings for the pancakes like bananas, strawberries, whipped cream and syrups in the flavors of chocolate, strawberry and caramel on top of regular syrup.
Free coffee, tea and hot chocolate are also available.
Students and staff expressed positive comments about the free pancake bar.
“Well it’s an exciting time here at TTC. We always want to appreciate our students right here and want to make sure that they’re nourished, ready for class and have the energy to study and the energy to focus and stay engaged while they’re in class or just studying in the library,” Derek Oriee, Student Activities director, said.
Student Lagi Atoe weighed in on the benefits of the free bar.
“Having this resource and access to that for students here is definitely a benefit that can help them learn better as they’ll have a full stomach,” said Atoe.
Both Student Life and Basic Needs continue to collaborate on projects and events that encourage students to engage with other students and staff from other programs during a community setting.
The free pancakes program was an idea that was started in the mind of ICC president, Samuel Perez.
“We started with two bags in the beginning, but now we are using over eight bags of mix,” said Perez.
Perez shares how we are all so busy getting from one place to the next, so he designed a slow food breakfast concept that would allow students to prepare their custom pancake stack and share time with those on campus creating unity in the community at LBCC.
“Come to breakfast. We will be there for you. This is a family and I want students to feel that this is your home,” Perez said.
The continued dates of the free pancake breakfast bar at TTC are on March 23, April 20 and May 18 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on all days.
For LAC the next events are on April 15 and May 20, also from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
All events are outside the student union at each designated campus.
“If you haven’t been, stop by. It’s very well received. People love the pancakes and all the little ingredients. Come by and see our TTC student union. We have lots of opportunities here. This is your incentive to come and check us out,” Oriee said.
A fresh to LBCC actress will be performing a reimagined version of the lead role of Little Red Riding Hood in this upcoming spring musical “Into the Woods,” hoping to inspire other disabled performers with her modified performance that represents her wheelchair use.
Freshman and theater major Charlie Banister was one of the few first-time actors at LBCC who was cast in this musical.
Banister is no stranger to performing theater as she has loved it since high school, and her passion continues to grow at LBCC pursuing a general theater degree that covers both acting and the technical side.
“I did the pathway at my high school for theater and fell in love both with acting and the technical side of it. I originally wanted to major in theater tech but hearing about the musical I wanted to dip my toes back into acting, and I love it,” Banister said.
Banister expressed that playing the role of Little Red Riding Hood is like a dream come true.
“It’s a role I wanted so badly. I grew up watching and listening to the Disney adaptation of the movie, and I was singing it all the time, so this is a show that I’ve held so close to me for so long,” Banister said.
The character’s story arc resonated with Banister, especially the themes of the character being preyed upon by her antagonist, the Big Bad Wolf. She hopes to present the character with a new interpretation due to the use of a wheelchair.
“I feel like (Little Red Riding Hood) works so well as someone disabled and using a mobility aid works well with her story as disabled people, especially women, always seem to be belittled. I think she and her sassy and outgoing attitude is something I want to especially highlight,” Banister said.
Throughout the show, Banister’s interactions with other cast members are modified, especially with actor Erik Morelos, who plays the Big Bad Wolf, during their song “Hello, Little Girl.”
Erik Morelos, left, who plays the Wolf, and Charlie Banister, right, who plays Little Red Riding Hood, do a tango-inspired dance move during their practice for the song “Hello, Little Girl” at a rehearsal for LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods” on Jan. 13. (Dom Maddan)
Morelos is working with Banister to nail the usual exaggerated and sly expressions of the wolf along with the movements that occur during the song, while also working to emphasize Banister’s wheelchair use throughout the number.
“I will be grabbing her wheelchair without her (Little Red Riding Hood’s) permission and spinning her around throughout the performance,” Morelos said.
These changes were all Banister’s idea, adding that “we are focusing on the aspect of Little Red (Riding Hood) and the real-life scenario of disabled people being overlooked and overtaken. The Wolf touches her wheelchair and moves her around, she doesn’t really know how to deal with that.”
Cathy Crane, who plays Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, said that working with Banister is the same as working with a non disabled student.
“She comes to rehearsal very prepared and it’s great! She isn’t different from really any other student and I like it that way. We do have some concerns for a major scene in the second act, though, we’re trying to figure out the technical side really,” Crane said.
Overall, Banister hopes that her depiction of Little Red Riding Hood will open doors for other actors with disabilities looking to perform both at LBCC and beyond.
“You don’t often see wheelchair users in live theater, it’s barely authentically happened. So to be able to bring that to LBCC, I’m excited to do it for the performance aspect. I really hope that this shows that other disabled performers really could audition and perform,” Banister said.
Outside of acting, Banister also performs on stage as part of the junior division for the Rollettes, a premier dance group in Los Angeles with exclusively wheelchair-using performers.
She shared that working with the group helped boost her confidence in herself in both performance and her personal life.
“Into the Woods” will open on Friday, March 13 and run over the course of two weekends for six shows.
Tickets for purchase are currently available online at this link, along with the full schedule.
Students cost $10, while staff, senior and veteran tickets are $15, and general admission is $20.
LBCC kicked off Black History Month with the city of Long Beach’s second ever Pan-African Flag raising and with a celebration that included drummers, a singing performance and a dance party at the end on Feb. 10.
The Pan-African flag-raising ceremony was the first event of the kickoff and took place at the flagpole between LAC’s T building and the nearby parking garage.
Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk spoke about the significance of the flag raising in his speech.
“We were the first,” said Ntuk. “Last year we raised the (Pan-African) flag as the first in the city of Long Beach to do it.”
Brianna Pinkerton, the event’s director and Administrative Assistant of Academic Success, Inclusion and Student Services at LBCC, described one of the purposes of the flag-raising ceremony.
“I see it as like a prelude to the kickoff, we start there and we gather, and it’s like a crowd grabber, because we want to make sure that folks are enjoying the program and being able to be in the culture,” Pinkerton said.
Right before the flag raising, Eric Becerra, director of Student Equity, introduced the “Drummers of Compton” who played as the flag climbed the flagpole.
The Drummers of Compton, Franklin Leonard, left, Christina Williams, middle, and Jahsyr Berry, right, fill up the room with powerful cadences, which received a standing ovation from the crowd, during the Black History Month Kickoff event on Feb. 10. (Paloma Maciel)
The drummers then led the crowd to room T-1200 where the event continued with food and festivities, such as a recitation of Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise” by student Ruby Denmian and dance tutorials.
Among the festivities was a live performance of Leon Russell’s song “A Song for You” that was sung by Stephanie Holden, a member of LBCC’s Lyrical Workers choir group.
LBCC student Stephanie Holden peacefully enjoys performing the song “A Song For You” by Leon Russell at the Black History Month Kickoff on Feb. 10. Holden is a part of an advanced vocal jazz group at LBCC named The Lyrical Workers. (Paloma Maciel)
“It was an honor, I felt liberated to even be a part of this whole event and when I was asked (to sing) I couldn’t believe that they asked me to do it. So, to represent the culture and to be asked to come by way of music, I was completely excited and ecstatic,” Holden said about her performance.
This year’s theme for the kickoff was “A Hundred Years of Joy: Celebrating Our History, Legacy and Power.”
Event director Jerome Hunt, who is also a professor at LBCC, gave insight into the chosen theme.
“This year’s the hundredth year anniversary of what is now Black History Month. It started out as Black History Week, and that’s where that hundred years comes from. We really wanted to talk about not just celebrating our history, but also the legacy, the struggle, the power, the resilience of the community. And that’s really what we’re really focused on for this year,” explained Hunt.
Vice President of Academic Affairs O. Lee Douglas had some closing words for the event.
“This celebration of joy reflects that as Black people we are not shaped by our tragedies, but that we’re shaped by our triumphs. That as a people we have been able to overcome so much and still maintain joy, still maintain that sense of community and love that we have. That has just been amazing,” Douglas said.
DJ Jamese Ferguson, middle, dances along with guests at the Black History Month Kickoff on Feb. 10 during the line dancing learning party. Ferguson and her sister Shakeema Prescott, who was in attendance, host line dance parties where Prescott teaches the audience as Ferguson DJs. (Paloma Maciel)
Candace Jones, middle, vice president of Adminstrative and Business Services at LBCC, claps along with the crowd during The Drummers of Compton’s energetic performance at the kickoff event for Black History Month on Feb. 10. This event featured live musical performances, a libation ceremony, speeches and an interactive line dancing learning session. (Paloma Maciel)
Despite a two-hit performance from Vikings shortstop Seth Dahlenburg, including an RBI single, LBCC lost 14-5 in its second straight game against Fullerton College on Feb. 10.
LBCC jumped out to an early 3-1 lead after the first three innings, putting together a slew of hits for multiple RBI singles.
“Our guys were playing good ball, hitting the ball into the middle of the outfield, so we were able to get ahead early,” head coach Phillip Visico said.
As LBCC’s offense slowed down at the midpoint of the game, Fullerton’s offense exploded, scoring nine runs through the last three innings of the game.
“We need to find a way to stay in games. When we make an error, or they make a big hit, we need to stay in it and fight to get back in games,” Vikings outfielder Myles Fendrick said.
One of the major issues for LBCC this season has been the health of the squad, which has greatly impacted their performance.
“We have a few guys injured so I think that definitely changed this lineup a bit. Once we get those guys back, we should be back rolling for the start of conference,” first baseman Carson Slager said.
After the retirement of former Viking Baseball head coach Casey Crook, Visico has taken on the role and has remained optimistic about their future.
“One of my main focuses has been trying to keep everybody together. I still think we have a good team, despite all of our losses,” Visico said.
Visico was also vocal about the areas in which the team will need to improve when its first conference game comes up on Thursday.
“We need to take advantage when we have runners in scoring position. Instead of going for home runs or doubles, we need to start just hitting the ball through the middle of the infield,” Visico said
LBCC will play its first conference game against Rio Hondo at 2 p.m on Monday.
Valentine’s Day is a day to share chocolate, flowers and other small gifts to show your love for your friends or for that special someone.
However, compared to other holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, many LBCC students agreed that it doesn’t hold the same level of hierarchy.
One reason Valentine’s Day is viewed differently from other major holidays is that it doesn’t have the same universal appeal.
Three-year couple and LBCC students, Jordan McGruder and Jasmin Cannon weighed in on this opinion.
Jasmine Cannon, left, shows off the balloon that her boyfriend Jordan McGruder, right, gave her earlier in the day on Feb. 12. (Keith Lewis)
“Valentine’s Day is not on the same level as Christmas or Thanksgiving because not everybody can celebrate or have someone to celebrate it with,” McGruder said.
Cannon also showed disapproval for the holiday, feeling that, “Love should be celebrated everyday, not just on one day.”
In a conversation about Valentine’s Day, LBCC nursing student Esemaiai Lemusu offered a thoughtful perspective.
“Valentine’s Day is not viewed the same as Christmas or Thanksgiving. More like a side holiday, one you can spend with family or friends but not put too much effort into it,” Lemusu said.
Lemusu shared how she likes to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
“Having a nice outing with some of my girlfriends, kind of like a Galentine’s Day, is my ideal way to spend Valentine’s Day. You can never go wrong with something related to self-care,” said Lemusu.
For LBCC students, Valentine’s Day is a lighthearted holiday about having fun with their friends and loved ones.
It’s a chance to celebrate friends, self-care and a little indulgence without the pressure of a major holiday.
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