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On April 16, at the TTC campus, students and community members of Long Beach gathered to celebrate the Cambodian New Year, a tradition that is rooted in spirituality, generosity and renewal. 

The event also acted as a form of resistance, highlighting the importance of preserving Cambodian culture. 

The Cambodian New Year is a three-day celebration that occurs during mid-April with each day carrying its own meaning. 

“The first day marks the arrival of a new angel who’s descending from the heavens to welcome the year ahead,” said Joan Lee, an organizer of the event. 

_{Performer Dawnsavann Pham, right, acts out a mythology story as speaker Mea Lath, left, narrates it during the Cambodian New Year celebration event held at LBCC’s TTC campus on April 16. (Thavarath Ellis)}

She continued, “The second day is about generosity, giving to elders, to those in need and honoring ancestors. And the third day is purification of renewal and showing respect to their elders and the traditions that they carried forward.” 

For Lee, the celebration is deeply personal and tied to the Long Beach community.

“I was raised and educated here in Long Beach,” Lee said. “As a child, I would go to Cambodian New Year parades and celebrations at El Dorado Park. So much of this is about keeping that culture alive here.”

Lee continued to voice the meaning that cultural events like this one have to him. 

“To me, it means keeping that hope alive, that resilience alive, honoring our community and honoring both future generations and those who came before us,” Lee said. 

The event featured traditional Cambodian dance performances, which told stories rooted in mythology, emotion and cultural identity.

“This is our third year back, and for our presentation, I try to do something different each year,” said Mea Lath, who helped lead the performances. “This year was focused on storytelling and mythology.”

^{Performers Dawnsavann Pham, left, and Chakra Sokhomsan, right, perform “Robam Monosenchetana” or sentimental dance at the Cambodian New Year celebration event held at LBCC’s TTC campus on April 16. The dance portraysa prince and princess that fall in love before ultimately separating. It allows dancers to practice expressing deeper emotions such as sadness. (Thavarath Ellis)}

One of the featured dances was the Apsara dance, an iconic form in Cambodian culture that reflects grace and heritage. 

Another performance, “Robam Monosenchetana” or sentimental dance, portrayed a prince and princess falling in love before ultimately separating, allowing dancers to express deeper emotions such as sadness.

“It’s a way for dancers to learn how to express emotion, not just happiness,” Lath said 

Beyond performances, the event also included traditional Cambodian food provided by Little La Lune, a local restaurant that has supported the event for several years.

“It’s great to have a local restaurant provide meals for this event,” said Catherine Konchada, who helped coordinate the food distribution.

Menu options included ginger chicken and beef lok lak, also known as “shaken beef,” both commonly enjoyed Cambodian dishes.

For many students and others who attended, the Cambodian New Year is also a time for reflection and renewal.

“What’s unique about being Cambodian is that we celebrate multiple new years,” Lath said. “This one gives us another chance to reset our goals and reflect.”

As music played and dancers performed in traditional attire, the event created a space for cultural pride and community connection on campus.

^{Young dancers perform the dance Flowers of the World, at the Cambodian New Year celebration event held at LBCC’s TTC campus on April 16. The dance celebrates the children’s growth. (Thavarath Ellis)}

^{Dancers bow after their performances at the Cambodian New Year celebration event held at LBCC’s TTC campus on April 16. (Thavarath Ellis)}

In a world of artistry, community and legacy, full-circle moments carry an added resonance. They don’t just reflect personal growth but also echo connecting influence, identity and purpose that almost feels “serendipitous.” 

Michael Rivera recalls these full-circle moments, when it came to his artistic journey, each one rooted in the risk his mother took without certainty. 

When he was young, his mother caught him tagging a trash heap behind their house with a spray paint can he found in their garage. At first, she was upset. 

“I don’t think you’re doing anything bad or malicious, but it is something you can get in trouble for, so just know you are making your own decisions,” she warned him. 

Her perspective shifted when she saw how passionate her son was and she even offered him a wall in their house to practice on, he said.

“I think that had a big reason for me, staying into art and find(ing) a way to do it myself.” Michael continued, “while she was here, I don’t think she got a chance to see me make it into something, but she is here in this building.”

As he prepares to create a mural honoring his late mother, Jenni Rivera, on the Performing Arts Center at LBCC that bears her name, the connection between past and present becomes evident.

The same encouragement she once gave him as a child, allowing him space to explore his creativity, now will live on in a public tribute that Michael hopes will inspire others.

“It’s really beautiful to honor her,” said Michael, right after the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building was over. 

“The building itself came out really good. So for them to even invite me to be a part of it, it’s really exciting. I’m really proud,” Michael said.

After years of talk surrounding the mural, the project was confirmed on March 26, at the ceremonial grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Jenni Rivera Performing Arts Center. 

That same day, Michael met with LBCC’s Superintendent-President Mike Munoz and reviewed the space. He has begun planning what will soon take shape on the wall. 

“Its really happening now,” Michael said. “I got the measurements and now it’s time to start conceptualizing. It’s going to be a process, but I want to do it as soon as possible.”

His vision goes beyond a traditional portrait. While his mother remains the focal point of the mural, Michael is carefully thinking through every element, including color, symbols and meaning. 

“I want to highlight the different programs the Performance Arts Center offers,” he explained, “not make it just about her.”

Still, elements that represent his mother and his own artistic identity will remain. Butterflies, a recurring symbol in his work regarding his mother, will take on a deeper role this time. 

“I want to make the metamorphosis more direct,” Michael said. “Like how people come in as caterpillars and this is where they cocoon, and then they leave as butterflies.”

That idea of evolution is deeply personal. What began as a childhood passion, encouraged by his mother in a small and personal space, has now evolved into a public setting rooted in legacy. 

“I’ve had a lot of full circle moments in my career,” Michael said. “And this is another one. I don’t let them pass me by without really acknowledging them.”

As far as the color palette, he wants to use a lot of reds that match the school. However, as of now, he is still working on the logistics of it all.

One thing is for sure, as Jenni would say, “It gotta look good and it gotta match me,” Michael said in reference to his mother’s high standards. 

She made it a point to instill the importance of education in her children, despite them not choosing a traditional academic route. 

Michael expressed that his mother encouraged him and his siblings to pursue their own passions, giving them the freedom to explore who they were and what they could become.

As he prepares to transform a blank wall into something meaningful, Michael is carrying forward an artistic vision, one that began as a mother giving her son space to express his creativity and is now something lasting in her memory, in a place designed to inspire generations to come and countless others who will walk through the center’s doors. 

In that way, the mural shows ​​reconciliation and encouragement that will actively shape others.

“She planted the seed, and now I get to put a little bit of what she encouraged me to do into something that honors her, in a building that is in her honor.” He continued that not only is this building pivotal to him in his career but “Her legacy is going to be attached to all the legacies that come in and out of here.” 

The growth of Michael Rivera, at this moment, carries a distinctive significance than the many accomplishments his mother received in her career. While awards celebrated her music, this recognition, embedded in her home community, hits different.