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Students presented highest honor at LBCC

dylan keith
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Students presented highest honor at LBCC

The 2019 Viking Award winners were bombarded with cheers from fellow students and ASB members in the Valhalla room as Interim Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Alisia Kirkwood presented them with awards of recognition on Thursday May 16.

The Viking Award is the highest honor a student at Long Beach City College can receive.

There were seven recipients of the Viking Award this year: Kristyna Blazkova, Allysia Covarrubias, Danielle Crowder, Taylor Karp, Jason Meintjes, Jason Walsh, and Jerry Wright.

Viking Award recipients are selected as role models for LBCC students by exemplifying the best in scholarship, leadership, and service to others.

Nominees for the award can be nominated by either peers, staff, or by themselves.

Emphasis for the award is placed on continued contributions to the campus and community for multiple semesters.

The nominee must also have earned an honor certificate, a leadership award and a service award to be considered for the Viking Award.

During the ceremony Dr. Kirkwood gave advice to students who want to receive the award in the future.

“Be yourself, get involved, and great things will come.”

“Get involved and see the impact you can have on others through regular student engagement activities,” Kirkwood said.

Former winners of the award were also present, including current ASB President Jan Paolo Canteras.

“For me personally, this is the best group because the majority of them are not traditional students,” Canteras said.

“Just the fact that I was referred is a wonderful honor and unexpected. My wife is really involved on campus and that kind of gave me an inkling,” one recipient of the award Jason Meintjes said.

Though the physical award was not given, winners received a recognition and will receive the awards during the Student Life Reception on May 23 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Nordic Lounge at LAC.

Future educators get a boost from mentoring program

shani crooks
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Future educators get a boost from mentoring program

Long Beach City College students from the Future Teachers Club (FTC) celebrated teacher appreciation day with a thank you card campaign with fellow students for their LBCC professors.

The club advisor, Megan Kaplinsky, explained how the club wants to give credit to whom credit is due.

“I believe that teachers can be underappreciated because there is so much work that the teachers do behind the scenes that no one sees. They grade beyond their office hours and their time with the college. They dedicate a lot of time to things like outreach, events, clubs and student life. This is a great opportunity to appreciate our teachers,” Kaplinsky said.

Some students who attended the event shared similar viewpoints with the club advisor.

LBCC student Priscilla Aletory emphasized how professors aren’t just people who teach a book to students, but they also give life lessons.

“All of our professors teach us more than just the material they are supposed to teach in class. They leave little gifts or fragments of themselves in each student. The students can take or leave whatever they learned from them,” Aletory said.

“But in the end, teachers have gone through many experiences in their life and in each of those they learned a lesson that we have not yet. Perhaps, they want to share that with you and that is priceless.”

Student Brandon Ordornia explained how he recognizes the struggles that some professors may go through and how sometimes they can be underappreciated.

“I feel like the work and effort that they are putting in working with other students, the expectation of them having a good life is there. They work very well with students and I do not see why not appreciate them. Their lives are given to this and maybe they struggle beyond the classroom, we just do not see it,” Ordornia said.

The students also gave shout outs to professors who had a great influence on their educational journey.

“I want to say thank you to professor Sterling who teaches Philosophy of Religion here at LBCC,” Aletory said.

“For me, I want to thank Professor Smith who teaches English 1 for the different ways of approach writing which helped me more,” said Ordornia.

This is the third year that the FTC has done a Teacher Appreciation event in order to remind professors that their hardwork and dedication to students has not been left unnoticed.   

Distraught Laker fans held protest outside of Staples Center

malik reeves
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Distraught Laker fans held protest outside of Staples Center

Laker fans protest the failed attempt of hiring former Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Ty Lue among other mismanagements at the Staples Center in Downtown L.A. on May 10.

University of Arizona graduate student Charlie Rivers organized the protest on the social media website Reddit just the day before.

According to Rivers, the protest was in response to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss’ decisions that have impacted the overall ability of the Lakers organization to operate as a successful franchise.

Rivers and many others find it disturbing at the amount of influence that Lakers Senior Advisor Kurt Rambis and Lakers Executive Director Linda Rambis have on the organization.

Laker fans arrived with their faces painted, donning jerseys and banners, while chanting “fire Rambis,” throughout the protest.

Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers fans also arrived to the protest to interrupt the Laker fans.

Clipper fan, Clipper Darrell yelled to the crowd of fans and the media, “The Laker era is over!”

Around thirty fans arrived at the protest while the rest of crowd was made up of news media covering the protest.

Despite the protest, the Lakers hired Frank Vogel as the new head coach on May 12.

(Video) LBCC students showcase their ink

steven matthews
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(Video) LBCC students showcase their ink

At Long Beach City College students express themselves through their style and for some students that means the art that is tattooed on their skin.

The style of a person can change from one day to the next, but for those with inked skin, a piece of their old style remains.

From a reminder of a loved one, to admiring the work of specific artists, or even a drunk night out, there is always a story when it comes to the tattoos on a person’s body.

Tattoos are self-expression and allow people to showcase what is important to them with the art that is on their body.

With stories from just a few students, you can gain insight as to who students are here at LBCC based on their ink. 

Math success center coordinator named LBCC 2019 Classified Employee of the Year

shani crooks
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Math success center coordinator named LBCC 2019 Classified Employee of the Year

Mathematics is more than a job for math success coordinator Sundee Dominguez, it is also a way to rise up and out of poverty.

“I grew up poor, we lived in a single apartment. I was like, this isn’t how I wanna live,” Dominguez said, “It wasn’t a question for me, I knew I was going to college.”

Dedicated to eliminating barriers for all students, Sundee Dominguez personifies student focused education.

With this dedication for student success, she was awarded the 2019 LBCC Classified Employee of the Year award on May 6.

The Long Beach Community College District presented Dominguez with a plaque recognizing  her “continuous and unyielding service” as well as “outstanding commitment to the college mission and tireless dedication to the students we serve.”

Including the recognition by the college, Dominguez has been nominated by her colleagues for the statewide Classified Employee of the Year.

The statewide award recommendation was announced at the LBCC board of trustees meeting in February by the board president, Sunny Zia.

“Sundee Dominguez embodies the California Community College (CCC) mission in every role she takes. When supporting Math Success Center (MSC) students, she initiated programs that effectively lowered the cost of education by providing free access to textbooks and calculators for students. These resources saved thousands of dollars for students each semester. She initiated the “Every Class Every Semester” classroom orientations to help ensure that every student was informed and had a point of contact to reach academic services tailored to their needs,” Zia said.

Each year a handful of employees are nominated by their peers for the statewide Classified Employee Awards, an honor bestowed on those that show the highest level of commitment to the CCC’s Vision for Success and professionalism in their work at the community college level.

The statewide Classified Employee awards will be announced at the May’s CCC board of governors meeting.

An LBCC alumnus, Dominguez began her own journey in higher education here before pursuing her Bachelors in Liberal Studies with an Emphasis in Mathematics at Cal State Long Beach, where she earned two teaching credentials.

“I feel when you grow up poor, there is a mental barrier to what you can achieve, community college can start to tear down that barrier,” Dominguez said.

In addition to her role as MSC coordinator, Dominguez’s more than 8 years at LBCC has lead her to multiple leadership roles in the shared governance of the college.

“When I started here, I said to myself I’m not going to join anything, I’m just going to focus on the center. Then you start to see things: this isn’t fair, the students deserve this, we should change this. You can’t make change if you just stay in your area, you can’t complain about it if you’re not going to step in and do something about it,” Dominguez said.

Now, Dominguez is a Classified Senate Council Senator, a communications officer for the Classified Union Executive Board, a Tri-Chair of the school-wide Guided Pathways task force and a member of the Guided Pathways coordination team.

Classified Union President Susan Trask works with Dominguez on the union executive board.

“I am grateful to have someone that has the desire to always give more,” Trask said.

A leader in the Guided Pathways program, Dominguez helps develop and refine roadmaps for the entire school, which is another testament to her commitment to remove barriers for all students.

“I was always geared toward education. At some point you establish yourself and figure out who you are, and what it is you want, for me it’s helping others succeed,” Dominguez said.

Mother to both a son and daughter, Dominguez and her family enjoy cosplay and their two dogs.

Dominguez is an avid animal lover who daydreams of a way to create a dog rescue as part of the MSC where support animals could comfort students with math anxiety.

At Comic Con a few years ago, Dominguez and her daughter both cosplayed as Rey from Star Wars.

An appropriate choice as Dominguez and Rey are both survivors from humble beginnings who are a part of something much bigger than themselves.

Sundee Dominguez believes in public education and the opportunities it can provide to all students.

“That’s why I’m on Senate and Guided Pathways and doing all the things I’m doing. I am here for the students to help them succeed and advocate for them in every way I can,” Dominguez said.

Students gain insight on teaching with mentoring program

dylan keith
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Students gain insight on teaching with mentoring program

The student population at Long Beach City College has those who can envision themselves going into the educational field while others are unsure if teaching is something they should consider for their future.

During the Fall 2019 semester, the Faculty Assisting Mentoring Program will allow students the opportunity to explore options in educational careers by working one-on-one with a professor in a college classroom setting.

Students participating in the program will co-teach with a mentor, attend meetings, teach individual students or a small group, plan for lessons, and assist with preparations.

The program will also allow students the opportunity to explore options in educational careers.

“Some people think ‘well I don’t want to teach kids’, or have another major they want to do already, but when you look around Long Beach City faculty, or any faculty, you’ll find that a lot of them did not go into teaching, your science teachers did not go into teacher education, a lot of them majored in science and then realized ‘what am I going to do with this degree’, well I can teach with this degree,” said Alina Yang, the assistant professor for the Reading and Teacher Preparation department.

Students in the program will benefit from building their resume and work experience for future jobs while they gain confidence and skills in a professional work environment.

“I’m interested in this program because I felt that it would help me when I prepare for grad school, for me to set the tone now will help me tremendously, networking and building authentic relationships with the faculty,” said student Sreymum Suos, who is majoring in Early Childhood Education and Child Development.

Yesenia Carrase, an ultrasound major, is interested in going into an educational career.

“I am interested in going into teaching because I previously have worked in the field before but trying out and seeing this program can help decide if I really want to or not,” said Carrase.

In order to qualify for the program, candidates must be a full-time or part-time student at LBCC  pursuing a degree or certificate, registered for at least six units, have a GPA of at least 2.5 and fill out an application.

Upon selection, students will be required to spend a minimum of 25 hours with a mentor of their choice on campus.

Once they complete the 25 hours students will receive a certificate of recognition and a $300 stipend for their participation.

For applications contact Alina Yang at ayang@lbcc.edu.

Student orientation trainings will be held at PCC, September 19 at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. and at LAC September 24 at 11:30 a.m.

Professors of LBCC speak out about PCC lockdown

andrea ramos
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Professors of LBCC speak out about PCC lockdown

Correction: Some corrections were made to this article to fix clarity and editing issues.

The suspected gunman alert at PCC was an anxiety inducing experience for both Long Beach City College students and faculty, who were right beside one another in classrooms when the notifications were sent out.

The thought of having an active shooter has made many professors begin to reflect on what they would or could do if thrown into this situation.

LBCC has trained many of their faculty members on what to do in emergency situations, like accounting professor Maureen Baker.

“The training I’ve been to, the focus is don’t just stay, you gotta plan on fighting back. It’s all about what we can do to fight back if we’re stuck,” Baker said.

For faculty, alternatives are given, but when facing the last resort, fighting the threat to keep everyone safe is the last priority.

When dealing with the emotional impacts lingering within students, food and nutrition professor Lilli Wells has taken measures into her own hands.

“A gunman on the campus is going to leave a similar impact for many people. So I try to invite students to stay after class and talk about it,” Wells said.

Wells dedicates her time to students who are exposed to violence so that their anxieties do not distract them from their education.

The food and nutrition professor wants to maintain a productive and academic atmosphere for students while being aware that the environment has become hostile.

The situation turned out to be a false alarm, and now, it is fitting that the college reflect on the response of the faculty, the police, and school administrators.

Superintendent-President Reagan Romali was pleased of the work that was put in to keep students safe at the Pacific Coast Campus.

“I have never seen such a show of force to come out for our students, faculty, staff, and administrators, it was a phenomenal support response,” Romali said.

Though no one was during the lockdown, this can be considered a rehearsal for LBCC on what can happen in a real school shooting.

Queer Space has left the building

andrea ramos
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Queer Space has left the building

Correction: A change has been made to the spelling of an interviewee’s name to make it accurate.

Queer Space, the only LGBTQ club at Long Beach City College, has lost its charter due to not having a representative of the club attending three of the club senate meetings.

At LBCC, a club charter defines the roles of the organization’s members and the club functions such as events and fundraisers.

LBCC club senate rules prohibit clubs from missing more than three club senate meetings or the clubs may lose their charter.

Professor of health education, Jennifer Musick, is also the club’s advisor.

Toward the end of March, Musick said that Queer Space hasn’t had a meeting all semester and currently has no president.

In mid April, ASB Senate President Heidi Alsangak said a representative for Queer Space has been attending all the required meetings for club senate this semester until recently.

However, Musick doesn’t even know that there has been a representative going to those meetings.

According to Kiani Wish, who was part of the LGBTQ panel, Safe Zone, the biggest issue for clubs is not being able to get people to attend those meetings.

Another student from Safe Zone and former member of Queer Space, Shoup Shoup, said they have not gone to a Queer Space meeting in two years and that it is really difficult to get people involved in clubs.

It was confirmed by Alsangak on Tuesday  that Queer Space officially lost its charter which means that the club isn’t registered with ASB anymore so they can’t have events on campus.

Superintendent-president Reagan Romali confirmed with Alisia Kirkwood, dean of Student Affairs, who oversees the club charter, that Queer Space lost the charter.

The club has received notifications from the vice president of ASB club senate concerning its lack of attendance at senate meetings.    

Romali expressed concern over the importance of having Queer Space on campus.

“All voices matter, all voices are important in this world,” Romali said.

On OrgSync students can see which clubs are on campus, where they have club meetings, which campus, what time, and room location.

Despite losing their charter this semester, Queer Space can apply again next semester.

LBCC Viking Chorale to preform “Gloria”

abel reyes
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LBCC Viking Chorale to preform “Gloria”

The Long Beach City College Viking Chorale is set to perform “Gloria” by Antonio Vivaldi as part of a joint performance with the California State University Dominguez Hills Chamber Choir, they will be performing the “Cantata #11”, which is part of the Ascension Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach.

The performance will take place on Mother’s Day at the Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church located at 370 Junipero Ave. in the Bluff Park neighborhood at 2:00 p.m.

Sunday’s concert isn’t the first time the chorale has performed at this church, in fact, students have been performing there for various choir concerts for over the last 10 years.

Concert director, Skye Angulo says the Lutheran church is a great place to have the performances because of the accessibility of the venue and the acoustics in the church.

Angulo and the director of the CSU Dominguez Hills Choir, Dawn Brooks, went to postgraduate school together at USC and have collaborated once before in the past.

“A lot of our students do transfer to Cal State Dominguez Hills, so it’s a great little recruiting thing between the two of us,” Angulo said.

Angulo explained the inspiration in choosing a Vivaldi piece for the performance this Sunday.

“We were talking last summer about what we wanted to do and we decided that we wanted to do an all baroque concert, from the baroque period, and Vivaldi is from the baroque period… we instantly thought ‘Vivaldi’, because it’s a really popular piece,” Angulo said.

Vivaldi, who worked as a priest in an all girls orphanage, Ospedale della Pieta, wrote the piece around 1715 in Venice, Italy.

The piece is considered to have universal appeal due its strong orchestral opening and joyous choir input.

“Audiences love it, choirs love to sing it, it’s accessible, so it doesn’t require a professional chorus. It’s beautiful, and it has a smaller orchestration, because we hire an orchestra to play with us, so we have professional players, which is really neat,” Angulo said.

Carolina Garcia, the section lead of the soprano section, is also excited to perform with the orchestra because the choir rarely gets a chance to perform with an orchestra.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing the orchestra…. Now that the concert is coming, I’m looking forward to hearing how the choir and the orchestra sound together,” Garcia said.

The concert on Sunday is open to the public and the cost is $7 dollars at the door for students, staff and seniors, and $12 for everyone else.

Honor students attend banquet to recognize their accomplishments

cassandra reichelt
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Honor students attend banquet to recognize their accomplishments

LBCC honor students took a well deserved break at the Honors Program banquet on Tuesday to receive praise for their hard work and to be presented with their honor cords for the upcoming graduation.

The honors program, coordinated by professor Jeff Wheeler, has had about 100 students, most of which are now preparing for graduation or transfer this semester.

Despite the increase of students advancing there is no average major in the honors program but an array of majors that Wheeler sees.

The most popular places of transfer for Long Beach City College’s honor students is Cal State Long Beach, followed by UCLA, with UC Berkeley capping out the top three.

One of Wheeler’s many goals as the honor program coordinator is to get as many high quality students on campus to join.

He emphasizes that having just one or two honor courses can reflect well on a transferring students transcript.

“If you’re really focusing on your education, I do try to encourage as many students as I can to join because it will give them a plethora of opportunities,” Wheeler said.

Students taking honor courses attend their classes with as few as 13 students.

Honor students finally got to enjoy a break, as the honors prgram
put together a banquet, to praise student. (Cassandra Reichelt)

Smaller classes yield higher student engagement with classmates and professors, while creating a sense of community within the program.

Honor courses also require a more intensive study session than the average general education class.

The academic program helps balance student workload with field trips and guest speakers to enhance their knowledge.

Lee Douglas, dean of language arts and communications, has always supported and recommended his students to the honors program.

“My students always raved about the program and how well it prepared them for universities. I just wish I joined when I was student,” Douglas said.

Alpha Gamma Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa were two honor societies represented at that banquet.

Student trustee Donnell Jones was honored at the banquet as a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma.

Jones is also in the Umoja scholars program and the student leadership program.

“I didn’t expect to be honored when I first enrolled. A year before I enrolled I was driving the Viking Voyager,” Jones said.

Students interested in joining the honors program can see the requirements online at https://www.lbcc.edu/honors-program

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