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Vikings baseball secure another close win against Cerritos, 7-6 

Isabel Murty
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Vikings baseball secure another close win against Cerritos, 7-6 

The Vikings baseball team continued their winning streak with another close win against Cerritos 7-6 on Thursday. 

Cerritos was in the lead with a 0-3 score for most of the game until the Vikings closed the gap in the seventh inning. 

Cerritos managed a home run at the beginning of the eighth inning with three runs placing them three runs ahead.

Pitcher and designated hitter Aaron Mingo hit a home run for the Vikings during the bottom of the eighth inning and closed the gap yet again with a one run lead.

Pitcher and designated hitter Aaron Mingo celebrates his home run at home plate with his teammates Myles Fendrick (Left) and Cross Stephens (Right). (Brianna Apodaca)

With two runners already on base, Mingo’s home run secured the Vikings victory by a slim margin. 

Mingo commented briefly on the challenges of the game against the Seahawks.

“We definitely faced adversity, we did a good job coming back in the end and having good energy in the end,” said Mingo.

Outfeilder Myles Fendrick celebrates the comeback win with his teammates after the game. (Brianna Apodaca)

Left handed pitcher Logan Carr kept a positive attitude for the next game. 

“We just got to keep competing…if we can still just stay on top of the ball and have some fun out there,” said Carr.

Shortstop Jackson Pohl throws ball to get the runner out at home plate in the bottom of the third inning. (Brianna Apodaca)

Head coach Casey Crook briefly analyzed what some of the failings were during the game.

“We always seem to have an inning or two on the mound where we walk,” said Crook. 

Crook also mentioned the self-awareness that the team has and their spirit to keep working on it. 

“These guys know when they’re messing up, they know what they have to work on, they know they got to dig deep and get it done,” said Crook.  

The Vikings are currently on a six game winning streak with a total of 13 wins and eight losses.

Women’s History Month kickoff promotes triumph in times of tribulation

Addie Farris
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Women’s History Month kickoff promotes triumph in times of tribulation

On March 5, Long Beach City College hosted a kick off event to celebrate the start of Women’s History Month. 

This celebration provided refreshments and resources for women of color, offering a space for people to join together and listen to each other’s stories. 

During the event, several speakers took the stage, one of which included student Aniya Lewis, who performed a song from the production “The Color Purple.”

When asked about why she opted for singing rather than a speech, Lewis said, “Singing and performing has been a medium where I can showcase how I feel.” 

When Lewis was asked about if she felt she effectively gave her message to her audience, she went on to describe her reasoning behind the song and its meaning. 

“This helps signify these trials and tribulations for women that experienced it in the past, and how we have achieved so much now. This was the perfect song to sing,” said Lewis. 

Another speaker that took the stage was Karla Aguiniga, who is best known for her art exhibits held at LBCC’s art gallery on the LAC campus. 

Located in the V building, this on campus art exhibit displays pieces created both by students and other members of the local Long Beach community, and entry is completely free. 

Last year some exhibits included the “2024 Alumni Exhibition” or “Natural Encounters,” which showcased pieces from a mother daughter duo who had created art together to demonstrate themes of ecology and sustainability. 

Aguiniga went on to describe her life and the tribulations that came along with being a Mexican-American, speaking about what it was like growing up in Tijuana, Mexico. 

Aguiniga said, “ I just get so emotional when talking about this subject.” 

Another woman in attendance was Angela Fowlkes, who works at the Black Student Success Center as part of the leadership team, assists in events, and helps unite students of color. 

When asked about the event and her participation in it she said, “ I feel blessed to be invited in this Women’s History Month to be able to be seen.” 

The kickoff was decorated in bouquets of flowers and Fowlkes encouraged attendees to take the flowers while also picking some for herself. 

When asked what events like this mean to Fowlkes, she said, “That you’re worth it, you can do it.”

Opinion: There’s a lack of advertising for pride events on campus

Emma Lloyd
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Opinion: There’s a lack of advertising for pride events on campus

LGBTQIA+ events are significant events that deserve to be recognized all over campus, these events are important and should be advertised more because they help connect and allow students to uplift their community. 

LGBTQIA+ events are held in various places on campus, however the lack of attention and advertisement for these events is a concerning issue.

Around campus, there are hardly any flyers or welcome decor near these events being held on campus, while most events on campus have signs inviting students to the event.

Oftentimes pride events and workshops are also not on the LBCC website under the upcoming events tab, making it hard for students to know when and where these events are being held.

These events should be more popular around campus and should include a larger turnout.

Pride events are scheduled once a month to discuss different topics in the LGBTQIA+ community, however for how frequent these events are held, there is a lack in promoting these workshops and events.

Students that are part of the LGBTQIA+ club and a part of the Pride Scholars program are the only ones acknowledging these events. 

The lack of promotion makes students who are not in this program or club unable to learn about different communities of people and how to be allies. 

These events are important on campus, and are important for students that are part of the same community to share their experiences and learn from each other.

The pride events on campus deserve to be advocated for, and they deserve to be acknowledged on campus. 

There should be flyers around campus as well as promotion and welcome signs near the event.

Students that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community deserve an outlet and space to come together, and students not a part of the community should be able to engage and stand in solidarity.  

Small Sounds: Jackson Wilfong explains how music influences filmmaking

Kay Pham-Nguyen
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Small Sounds: Jackson Wilfong explains how music influences filmmaking

Former LBCC student and film director Jackson Wilfong joined a podcast only episode of Small Sounds to talk about his directorial debut, getting crew positions on higher end productions, and how music influences how he writes, directs, and casts his roles. 

In this episode, Wilfong also gave praise to LBCC professors for encouraging his pursuit of the film industry, as well as releasing the cast and plot of his debut short film “Blazers Stained in Burgundy” which is set to premiere in June. 

Small Sounds is a live performance video series for artists to showcase their music in a scaled-down setting, often accompanied by a podcast interview.

Mindful Moments workshop lowers stress levels for students

Addie Farris
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Mindful Moments workshop lowers stress levels for students

Long Beach City College students gathered for the Mindful Moments workshop on March 11, where speaker Daisy Cook, who is a mental health clinician for the student health services on campus, spoke about mental health and coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety.

Cook passed around a worksheet that allowed students to write down how they felt and ways they can manage their feelings.

Students were able to share with one another different reasons why their mental health is the way it is, and how they like to take their mind off their stress. 

“I mainly feel stressed out from taking exams, and then seeing my score after can have an impact on my mood,” said student Terry Berry.  

Cook explained how our nervous system works and the overall effects it can have on our bodies.

“When our nervous system is activated we feel the tension all over our bodies, and it may show up as symptoms like stomach aches or headaches,” said Cook. 

Cook presented a breathing exercise for students to follow along to.

“Breathing exercises are beneficial in losing all over tension in your body which can help you to concentrate better,” said Cook. 

Cook wanted students to leave the event learning two new stress coping mechanisms, she also presented students with a grounding exercise.

“Grounding exercises are best for targeting your five senses,” said Cook.

“This event was very helpful. I was never aware of the resources that were here on campus. I plan to use them in the future,” said student Elizabeth Rios. 

Cook ended the event by encouraging students to seek out resources and to get involved in future mental health and wellness workshops. 

“You are never alone and there are always resources on campus to help,” said Cook. 

The student health services offer students a wide variety of resources including mental, social, and medical services for students. 

The student health services are a great way for students to stay informed about their health and wellness.

LBCC hosts annual ‘Career and Transfer’ event with UCLA and CSUDH guests

Penny Lott
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LBCC hosts annual ‘Career and Transfer’ event with UCLA and CSUDH guests

The LBCC Communications Department invited special guest speakers from UCLA and a communications professor from California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), for the annual ‘Career and Transfer’ event on Tuesday Mar. 4, offering students information about transferring to universities. 

A special invite was granted to communications professor Brant Burkey alongside UCLA and LBCC alum, Nate Hoffman who partnered up with LBCC’s communications department, answering typical questions students may have about how to navigate with a degree in communication studies.

UCLA currently offers the Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP) program that helps community college students academically prepare for transferring to four year universities.

“The transfer prep program that we have helps students apply for the UC system and the comm studies event is to inform them of what they want to do with their career,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman is a public speaking tutor at LBCC and also previously took communications classes here at LBCC.

“One thing that resonated with me was Nate was my student and he’s back here helping students trying to transfer, giving back to the school,” said communications professor Laura Mayuga.

The two guests spoke upon what struggles they faced in their college as well as their careers, giving students an idea on what type of struggles may arise when faced with similar situations.

One of the questions that arose was from communications student Tonia Davis who was curious about how she should approach her college path. 

“How do you double major and how to escape from being stuck on something you don’t want to do?” Davis asked.

“You don’t have to limit yourself to ‘I have to choose’ and you don’t have to do just one thing. You can do multiple things, figure out what you want to do, the sky’s the limit,” Burkey said.

LBCC communications department administrative assistant, Betty Mendoza, applauding for the guest speakers at the LBCC ‘Career and Transfer’ event on Tuesday Mar. 4, 2025 at the Liberal Arts campus. The ‘Career and Transfer’ event is held annually to inform students who plan on transferring to a four year university. (Tenoa J. Stewart)

Many professor’s also attended the event showing support for students and staff, such as communication professor Melinda Manlowe.

“It’s a chance for students to connect to different schools, see what they have to offer and learn how to get more of an advanced degree. It’s really helpful to hear about the possibilities that are out there,” Manlowe said.

LBCC hosts events similar to this one for students to connect with their professors and discuss career topics related to what they may be majoring in.

Vikings volleyball extend win streak with 3-2 win against Santa Monica College.

Isabel Murty
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Vikings volleyball extend win streak with 3-2 win against Santa Monica College.

The Vikings men’s volleyball triumphed over Santa Monica College 3-2 during a challenging home game on Wednesday, continuing their current four game wining streak.

The Vikings won the first set, with outside hitter Bryce Bowsher setting the stage as the top scorer, ending with 30 of the 63 kills of this match.

“I’m actually a transfer student from SMC… there was this big rivalry rematch between us and LBCC when I played for SMC, and we couldn’t take down Long Beach. I just came back to show that Long Beach is the better school,” said Bowsher.

However, the Santa Monica Corsairs switched to a defensive approach during the second set, blocking crucial plays against the Vikings.

Losing the opportunity to catch up in the second and third set due to various errors, it was clear the Vikings had begun to lose faith.

“I feel like we deserved to win the whole time, and we let that mentality get the best of us… that’s why they were able to take those two sets,” clarified Bowsher.

This led to doubt among the team, convinced a loss was in sight, but head coach Joshua Nehls had nothing but hope for his team’s success.

“Honestly, towards the end there it wasn’t about volleyball. We just needed to find the fight, to bring it out. I told the guys going into the fourth set we’ve got to change our emotions, we gotta stop making it about our mistakes… I think it hit them hard, realizing this game is an important match for playoffs,” said Nehls.

The Vikings were able to bounce back during the fourth set, forming the largest point lead they’d seen the entire match, fortifying their own defensive playstyle that allowed Bowsher to capitalize on the open space left on court.

The Corsairs were left fumbling the ball at the end of the set, managing to score a service ace on themselves under the exceeding pressure.

What followed was a tense back-and-forth, with the Vikings breaking through the now scattered defense line, and making it out on top with a two point lead.

Opposite and outside hitter freshman Sebastian Kim reflected on his playstyle after the team began losing its footing with head coach Nehls’ guidance in mind, and a reminder of why the sport they play is great.

“My playstyle is usually to just rip [the ball] really hard, but coach Nehls said we gotta make some shots, lower the pace, be smarter about [our plays], and that change is important.. Every play is completely fresh, so you get an opportunity to try something new,” said Kim.

Final call to attend LBCC’s production of ‘In the Heights’, today March 16

Enrique Martinez
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Final call to attend LBCC’s production of ‘In the Heights’, today March 16

CORRECTION: A previous version of the story misspelled “Barbara” in “the Bob and Barbara Ellis auditorium” as “Barbra.”

The final weekend of LBCC’s production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” drew a large crowd of people to the Bob and Barbara Ellis auditorium.

Attendees started to arrive almost an hour before the musical started at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 14.

The family of the lead character Usnavi, played by Joel Rodriguez, came to support him. 

Danny Rodriguez, Joel Rodriguez’s older brother, came all the way from Arkansas to see Joel perform. 

“I was proud of him,” said Rodriguez after he found out his brother had received the lead role in the musical. 

“For as long as I could remember, he’s always been really good at doing stuff like this. He’s always pretty goofy and he’s pretty serious too, but it’s kind of weird to kind of see how natural it could be,” Rodriguez said. 

One of the most climatic moments was during the beginning number of the musical “In the Heights” as Rodriguez, playing Usnavi, raps and introduces himself as well as the rest of the cast, while everyone around him dances their heart out. 

Throughout the play, ombre background lights set the tone for most scenes, with a recurrent sky fading from blue to pink representing a casual day.

In moments of intensity, vibrant, yet deep colors took over the background. 

  • Dimly lit stage for the play ‘In the Heights’ on Tuesday, March, 4 2025 at LBCC Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium. The play will open for the public on Friday, March, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16. (Jose Calix)
  • Joel Rodriguez who plays main character, Usnavi, stands center stage in the beginning number of “In The Heights” musical at the Bob and Barbra Ellis Auditorium, March 4. “In The Heights” will play six shows at LBCC beginning March 7. (Sam Villa)
  • The cast of the musical “In the Heights” dances in the first act of the show during the dress rehearsal on Tuesday, March 4. “In the Heights” will run for six shows at LBCC beginning Friday, March 7. (Paloma Maciel)
  • Melodee Fernandez, who plays Abuela Claudia in the musical “In the Heights” acts during the dress rehearsal on, March 4. “In the Heights” will run for six shows at LBCC beginning Friday, March 7, 2025 and it’s ending on March 16. (Paloma Maciel)
  • The cast of LBCC’s rendition of the musical “In the Heights” acts during Nina’s welcoming dinner during the dress rehearsal on March 4. “In the Heights” will run for six shows at LBCC beginning March 7, and it’s ending on Sunday, March 16. (Paloma Maciel)
  • Joel Rodriguez, who plays main character Usnavi, stands in the first number of the musical “In The Heights” at the Bob and Barbra Ellis Auditorium, March 4. “In The Heights” will play six shows at LBCC beggining Friday, March 7. (Sam Villa)
  • Actor Natalia Carrera who plays Vanessa, left, dances along with other cast members, looking at actor David Chhom who plays Graffiti Pete, right, during the song “The Club” at the Bob and Barbra Ellis Auditorium, March 4. “In The Heights” will play six shows at LBCC beginning Friday, March 7. (Sam Villa)

When Daisy Johnson, who plays Nina, performed the song “Breathe”, the stage turned a deep purple, as she voiced the overwhelming pressure she felt because everyone expects her to be successful.

Next up in the performance, the club scene was amongst one of the most memorable, as the whole cast changed into fancy, colorful dresses and formal trousers with button ups. 

Meringue and salsa were danced with crazy flips, lifts, and even the splits.

Suddenly, at the end of this scene, the lights completely shut off on stage and in the entire theater representing the neighborhood’s power going out. 

With the changing of the background from cotton candy ombre to represent the day and to bright solid colors to express dramatic moments, the play followed the pattern of having a climatic moment, slowing down, then escalating once again. 

Johnson, as Nina, sang powerful and emotional ballads such as “Breathe,”  “When You’re Home,” and “Sunrise.” 

Natalia Carrera, who played Vanessa, also belted throughout the musical, most notably in “It Won’t be Long Now” where she is passionate in leaving the neighborhood of Washington Heights in hopes to make a better life for herself.

Along with numbers like “No Me Diga (You Don’t Say)” or in “Champagne” where Vanessa begged Usnavi to stay in their neighborhood and not move to the Dominican Republic.

The show’s costume design consisted of casual streetwear pieces with the ensemble wearing jeans, t-shirts, and button ups.

Yet the hues of hot pink, bright orange, blue, and yellow mixed with funky patterned tops made each scene captivating to behold. 

Along with the live orchestra that was a part of the production of the musical, three ASL interpreters attended the event making the event accessible to anyone who would want to attend. 

Venus Robertson, who is a part of the theatre program at LBCC and auditioned to be in “In the Heights” was present near the auditorium before the musical started. 

Robertson wasn’t going to watch the musical that night, but is eager to watch it on its closing night the next day to support her friends who are in the musical.  

“This is like the first musical in like 18, 20 years and you know I’m so happy that we’re finally able to put on a musical and I’m so happy that our dean, or the vice president Dr. Munoz, I’m so happy that he wants to fund the musical, he wants to fund the theatre department so that we can put on more musicals. And I can not wait to see that happen and for more future shows to come, and I can not wait to be a part of that,” Robertson expressed. 

After two months of preparation for this musical, where cast members underwent rigorous training in acting, singing, and dancing, and with the collective efforts of the director, the orchestra, and a world of designers, “In the Heights” will come to an end on March 16. 

“Getting to perform it was unbelievably fun. We get to experience what it’s like to have an audience, just like to have people sit and wait, and sometimes they’ll applaud after a scene, if they’re surprised by the acting. But every scene has a song in it and the audience is just so excited that it just reinvigorates your energy every scene, every time you’re on stage, it’s fun,” said Jaylen Ferrera, a cast member part of the ensemble.

LBCC’s next musical production will be “Into the Woods” and it is set to perform in March of 2026. 

The director of the musical is not yet known, but auditions will start in early Dec. of this year. 

“In the Heights” will have its closing performance on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. in the Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium located in the J building on the LAC Campus. 

Tickets can be purchased at www.lbcc.edu/performingarts under the section “Purchase Tickets” or before the show starts at the box office in front of the auditorium. 

Part-time professors win class-action lawsuit for livable wages

Kay Pham-Nguyen
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Part-time professors win class-action lawsuit for livable wages

Long Beach City College lost a class-action lawsuit served by part-time professors over its failure to pay adjuncts a fair and livable wage, a ruling that will hold extensive financial repercussions for the college and change the state of higher education.

The recent win causes LBCC to pay part-time faculty for the work they do outside of the classroom, in addition to instructional hours.

Judge Stuart M. Rice’s verdict opens up the possibility for LBCC to provide back pay to adjunct professors going back to 2019.

However, the college’s budget will not be able to accommodate back pay for the thousands of hours of work done by adjuncts since 2019. 

The lawsuit was originally filed by adjunct art professor Karen Roberts, who was then joined by adjunct art professor Seija Rohkea when the lawsuit turned into a class-action.

LBCC has been completely aware of the lack of compensation given to part-time faculty. 

“One of the things that the judge said was that Long Beach City College knew that they were asking us to work outside of our teaching hours,” Roberts said. 

Part-time professors have long felt unsatisfied by their wages.

“We are only paid to teach, we are not compensated for office hours, grading or any non-instructional hours…We insist on a living wage for part-timers for all the work that they do, not just instructional work, all of the work,” CHI Union President Crystal Huckabee told the Viking in 2023. 

CHI, which stands for the Certified Hourly Instructors, is the union for part-time employees at LBCC. 

Full-time faculty receive compensation for work both in and outside of the classroom.

“We get paid probably a third of what full-time professors do. When you think about it, part-time faculty make up two-thirds of the faculty on campus. We’re held to the same standard, we teach the same students, but all of the prep work and emails? None of that is compensated,” Huckabee said. 

Regardless, these professors continue to work despite performing unpaid labor for the good of their students.

“I teach about eight hours every week. When it comes to grading, I could easily spend 10 hours outside of the classroom,” LBCC English adjunct instructor, Michelle Draper, said.

These hours easily add up semester to semester, and Roberts took notice.

The lawsuit turned into a class-action in 2022, meaning any part time professor at LBCC could join Roberts in the fight for fair wages. 

“The CTA (California Teachers Association) legal team felt that we might be able to bring a class action lawsuit based on proof that we are not exempt from minimum wage laws. If we could prove that we are not exempt from minimum wage laws, that would mean that the district needs to be paying us for the additional work that we do,” Roberts said. 

Rohkea, who holds a full-time position at Fullerton college, used to refer to her teaching position as “fun and free work.”

“All of that work was being done for free, and it was no longer fun. I started really feeling the exploitation of our labor. So in 2022, when I was asked to hop on board with this class action, I was more than ready,” Rohkea said.

This was not the first time that adjunct professors have asked for better wages.

“I was president of CHI for eight years, every time we’d go into bargaining the district refused to pay us for the work that we do outside of the classroom, ” Roberts said. 

The CHI union contract with LBCC states, “The District shall provide CHI time during College Day of each school year to conduct a general membership meeting and meet with bargaining unit members regarding association business.”

The bargaining done by the union provided little achievement for the adjuncts. 

“The district has never allowed us to bargain the hours we are paid. They have not budged on the poverty wages. I am sorry that it took a lawsuit to change it,” Huckabee said. 

Roberts, Rohkea, and other part-time professors were advocated for by attorney Eileen Goldsmith. 

“How has this been allowed to go on for so long and what can we do about it? The college continues to exploit part-time faculty, they can barely make ends meet. It’s a terrible system, we’re trying to reform it,” Goldsmith said. 

This lawsuit gives precedent to other community college adjuncts to ask for the same wages. 

“To set precedence for other adjuncts is the reason we do this. I’m hoping that the California Ed code eventually changes because of this. A disservice on one is a disservice on all,” Rohkea said. 

Currently, there are four other lawsuits in California regarding the same issue, namely one against the Los Angeles Community College District. 

According to their website, the Los Angeles Community College District is the largest community college district in the nation and consists of nine colleges. 

“There are approximately 40,000 adjunct faculty teaching in higher education in the state of California alone, so most higher ed uses adjunct faculty,” Roberts said. 

LBCC still has the chance to appeal the decision, which Roberts believes is what will happen.

“I would hope not. They’re breaking federal labor codes,” Huckabee said.

Goldsmith believes that it would be difficult for Long Beach City College District to appeal the decision successfully. 

When asked for a comment, LBCC President Mike Munoz and Carl Kemp, the executive director of public affairs both answered, “We don’t speak on pending litigation.”

LBCC is faced with the decision to either comply with the ruling and burden themselves financially, or to appeal the decision and attempt to continue underpaying their employees. 

Vikings Baseball wins rematch against LA Harbor 3-2

Isabel Murty
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Vikings Baseball wins rematch against LA Harbor 3-2

The Vikings baseball narrowly won the Saturday 12 p.m. home game 3-2 against LA  Harbor, which was the Vikings’ third game against them this week. 

After an 18-5 win on Tuesday and 20-8 win on Thursday, this game was the closest of the three. 

The Vikings struggled in the first inning, scoring no runs while the LA Harbor Seahawks scored the first point of the game, ending the inning with a 0-1 score. 

In the second inning, the Vikings earned their first runs which tied them 1-1 with the Seahawks. 

The next five innings saw no scores for either team. 

However, the Vikings managed an impressive double play, tagging two opposing players out at second base and first base in the same play, in the fifth inning. 

“That double play boosted our energy. After that happened there was a flip in the switch in the dugout and energy was up from there,” said first baseman Aaron Mingo about the double play. 

With the help of Mingo, pitcher Max Ghiglieri made the next run for the Vikings in the eighth inning. 

Ghiglieri made the first hit of the inning, a double, and remained on second base until Mingo made his hit, which allowed him to complete his run to home plate. 

“The plan was to sack there and then eventually just drive him in there with a hit,” Mingo revealed. 

Unfortunately, the Seahawks also earned another run in the ninth inning, taking away the Vikings’ lead.

With a 2-2 score, the game continued until the 11th inning.

Finally, with Mingo on second base, outfielder Caleb Brandon made the final hit of the game, which allowed Mingo to come home for the winning run. 

“We were confident with this game coming in. We already beat them twice, and we just came back strong,” said pitcher Ryan Lopetegui, who hit the first home run in the previous home game, which was also against LA Harbor. 

“I think that’s the first time we won every game of the week,” revealed coach Casey Crook. 

With this win, Vikings’ Baseball has a winning streak of four, making their overall record 11-8, and their conference record 6-3. 

The next Vikings Baseball game will be against Cerritos College on Monday, Mar. 11 at 2 p.m.

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