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Healing circle event provides mental health resources and safe space on campus

Kiomi Valdez
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Healing circle event provides mental health resources and safe space on campus

Nikita Gupta is a health educator who is available to students through mental health events, these events taking place in room M128 at the LAC campus.

Gupta’s main focus is to help people explore one’s self and the process of accepting one’s time living. 

These healing circles offer a space to better understand how the body and nervous system works. 

The work practiced in these circles is aimed at reducing harm to the mind. 

Gupta started the meeting off with a check in, and then dived deeper into attendees emotions. 

“There is so much heart here on this campus,” Gupta said.

The healing circle is one of many on campus resources that aids in mental health support for students as well as staff. 

Gupta provided fidgets when in these events as a positive way to express emotions is what she describes as the power of discharging. 

Students were also able to scan a QR code with a toolkit to help in healthy mindsets and restoration. 

This toolkit included strategies such as breathing exercises, gratitude reflection, and discussing self care plans. 

“It’s good to know there are different actions for different healings,” said Gupta. 

An attendee in the healing circle was alumni and current staff member Melissa Rodriquez. 

While not a student, Rodriguez does take part in on campus activities as well as being a part of the student union at LAC, where she helps to prepare events such as the upcoming Mobile Grocery Store. 

Melissa Rodriguez takes part in discussing mental health exercises in Healing Circle in room M128 at LAC. Rodriguez actively engages with mental health strategies to develop health coping skills. (Regina Melchor)

Along with Rodriguez,  Ali’i Oglesby has also attended previous Healing Circles as well as also working with the student union. 

“My experience was very relaxing and helped to connect my mind,body, and spirit,” Oglesby said. 

The healing circle is described as a safe space where those who are present are able to relate and mingle with one another. 

Not only is it limited to the classroom, Gupta also holds yoga sessions as well. 

“I use some of the exercises we learned when I feel stressed or just need to relax and take a break,” Oglesby said. 

While not many students were in attendance Gupta hopes that students will make an effort to explore one’s emotional expression, and plans to hold more sessions in the spring semester. 

Vikings’ women’s soccer advances to 2nd round of state championships after thriller versus Orange Coast

Kameron Hendricks
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Vikings’ women’s soccer advances to 2nd round of state championships after thriller versus Orange Coast

LBCC’s Laila Alfadheil had the game winning goal to advance the women’s soccer team to the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Wednesday after a thrilling game against Orange Coast College that went into double overtime and came down to penalty kicks. 

The penalties ended in a 6-3 victory for LBCC which means the Vikings will be facing Saddleback College on Saturday in the semifinals for the chance to advance to the 3C2A State Championship game. 

Goalkeeper Jackie Garibay had five crucial saves in the game, including three of the Pirates’ penalty kicks at the end to help secure the Vikings’ win. 

“I think we played phenomenal, honestly we gave it our all. Our season did not deserve to end there. I mean we put in the work here, we’ve put in the work at practice and I’m so proud of our girls. We deserve this and we deserve to savor it all and I can’t wait to get back to training tomorrow,” Garibay said.

Freshman forward Lorena Moreno scored the first goal of the game for the Vikings in the first period to put Long Beach up 1-0. 

Less than a minute later, the Pirates’ Clarissa Sullivan answered with a goal of her own to make the score 1-1. 

At the 29 minute mark, Laila Alfadheil, the freshman midfielder from Garden Grove High, scored the second goal of the game with assists from Samantha Soria and Josefina English to put the Vikings up 2-1. 

In the second half, the Pirates came out with more intensity and Grace Graham scored within the first minute to tie the score 2-2 with 44 minutes remaining in the game. 

The game was scoreless for the remainder of regulation and went into double overtime where both teams failed to score. 

The game came down to penalty kicks where the Vikings sealed the victory.

LBCC’s defender Charlotte Grace sets up the ball toward her teammates during a home game against Orange Coast on Wednesday. The Vikings beat the Pirates on penalty kicks 6-3. (Heaven Herrera)

Midfielder Sydney Trump spoke about how the players deal with the pressure that comes with having to decide a tough game with penalty kicks.

“Honestly we just gotta hype each other up even if you don’t feel confident. I was telling one of my teammates ‘you’re gonna make it’ because she’s been not as confident with doing (penalty kicks) lately and she’d miss it. But she was the last one to go tonight and she nailed it,” Trump said.

Tensions were high at the tail end of the game as the Vikings’ head coach Agustin “Tino” Nunez was ejected from the game after receiving a red card and was forced to watch his team win from outside of the pitch.

Coach Nunez said he felt relief once Alfadheil’s penalty kick went in and solidified the Vikings’ victory.

“I’m happy for the group. I know they’ve been working and fighting so I’m just proud of their fight and just happy that they’re able to move and that our season’s not over,” Nunez said.

As for preparing for the semifinals game versus Saddleback College on Saturday, Nunez said the coaches will be working hard to set their team up for success.

“We’ll enjoy this one tonight but we just gotta start looking into our next opponent and seeing what we have to do to make sure that we go in there ready to go. Our job as coaches is to find as much info on our opponent and try to help our girls go into the game prepared,” said Nunez.

If the team wins on Saturday, they’ll advance to the third of four rounds of the State Championships on Nov. 26th. 

LBCC’s women’s basketball defeats Porterville 73-50 in first home game of the season

Kameron Hendricks
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LBCC’s women’s basketball defeats Porterville 73-50 in first home game of the season

LBCC’s women’s basketball team defeated Porterville College 73-50 in their first home game of the season Tuesday night after a stellar 28-point performance from reigning South Coast Conference Player of the Year Brillana Boyd. 

“I think we did really good, we had good energy. Of course there’s always room for improvement but we had great energy today and that got us this win,” Boyd said.

The victory snapped the Vikings’ two-game losing streak and improved their record to 3-3. 

Freshman center Taylah Paepule recorded her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds in only 21 minutes of play. 

Kimberly Cruz-Martinez, a sophomore who earned a first-team All-Conference selection last season, contributed with a game-high 12 assists as well as 8 points and 4 rebounds. 

After a dominant 2023-24 season which led to a South Coast Conference Championship, Cruz-Martinez said the expectations for this team aren’t any different.

“We have high expectations this season honestly because we have a wonderful group this year and everybody understands that we’re all trying to win at the end of the day and trying to get a ring,” Cruz-Martinez said.

Freshmen Yesenia Garcia goes up for a layup in the third period of the game. The Vikings defeated Potervile 73-50 on Tuesday in their first home game of the season. (Brianna Apodaca)

Serving as the new head coach for the team this season is Dominic Freeman, an LBCC Alum as well as a former assistant coach for the women’s basketball team. 

Even though Coach Freeman is facing a lot of pressure to get the program their fifth consecutive South Coast Conference Division Championship, he said he’s excited for the journey ahead.

“I’m just super geeked to be back at Long Beach City College. My mindset is to elevate this program. It’s been really good the last few years and honestly they had a really good program last year that did really well and now it’s trying to get past the Elite 8 and continue to elevate the girls not just on the court but off the court as well,” Freeman said.

This year, the Vikings have 6 returning players and 6 freshmen. Cruz-Martinez said a huge difference between this year’s team and last year’s is that they’re focusing on building more team chemistry.

She said the team goes out of their way to hang out with each other off the court and they even stay after practice to help each other grow and become better players.

“We tried to get our chemistry early this season because last year we didn’t catch on until later down the season during playoffs, but now this year we’re having better chemistry and there’s no bad energy or anything like that at all. I feel like now we’re just growing as one team instead of individually,” Cruz-Martinez said. 

The next home game for the Vikings will be on Dec. 3 when they take on Ventura College at 5 pm.

Women’s water polo advances to the second round of the 3C2A state championships after dominant 13-3 win over Merced

Brianna Apodaca
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Women’s water polo advances to the second round of the 3C2A state championships after dominant 13-3 win over Merced

No. 1 ranked LBCC women’s water polo team defeated the No. 4 ranked Merced Blue Devils 13-3 Thursday morning in the first round of the 3C2A state championships.

Sophomore Olivia Slavens led the team with 5 goals, 4 steals, and 1 assist while Lola Annear contributed 4 goals of her own, 1 steal, and 1 crucial block to keep the Blue Devils from scoring. 

The reigning South Coast Conference Champions put on an impressive defensive performance, keeping Merced scoreless in the second period and only allowing three goals.

Avery Reyes and Avery White each had 4 steals while Jennifer Connelly added two of her own.

Head Coach Chris Oeding detailed the Vikings’ strategy going into the game, especially since the Vikings never got to play Merced in the regular season. 

“Merced’s a dangerous team. They’ve got a lot of weapons offensively and so we were trying to focus on our defense and just trying to get stops to be able to give ourselves the opportunity to not be perfect on offense and still have the chance to win the game,” said Oeding. 

He also said it can be a challenge to prepare to play a team you haven’t faced yet but he trusts his team to play their own game and learn as they go.

“We try to play as many teams across the state as possible during the year but there are teams we don’t see. I was telling our team keeping our main thing the main thing and doing what we do and having them just have the flexibility of learning throughout the game and kinda gathering what (the other team’s) tendencies are and what schemes they tend to run and just make adjustments throughout the game,” said Oeding. 

While the Vikings are no stranger to the 3C2A state championship tournament, this is the first year that it has been hosted at the newly renovated Aquatics Center on the LBCC campus.

“It’s exciting, the energy is really good and having our family and friends here is nice. It’s nice to have that home town support,” sophomore Olivia Hurley said.  

Freshman Maya Lopez said that while hosting the championship is an advantage it does also make the ordeal a little more anxiety inducing. 

“It’s cool being here and it’s cool seeing the team give it their all. We definitely keep on pushing each other and reminding each other that being nervous is a good thing and that we should channel it and bring it on against the teams that are trying to bring it on against us,” Lopez said. 

The Vikings will next be taking on Riverside College Friday at 10:30 a.m. The winner will move on to the third round of the 3C2A state championships and be one step closer to the championship title.  

LBCC’s men’s water polo move on to the second round of 3C2A state championships after buzzer beater from Colley Ochoa 

Brianna Apodaca
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LBCC’s men’s water polo move on to the second round of 3C2A state championships after buzzer beater from Colley Ochoa 

LBCC’s men’s water polo team came out victorious in the first round of the 3C2A State Championships after a thrilling buzzer-beater from Colley Ochoa to put the Vikings up 9-8 over American River College on On Thursday.

“I mean I created an advantage off my guy and I had a lot of space so I flipped on my back and saw my teammate Max had the ball. We made eye contact, he threw it to me, and then I saw there was like 3 seconds left so I turned around and just threw (the ball) where I thought it’d go in and it went right over the goalie’s head,” said Ochoa. 

The victory came after four grueling quarters with both teams scoring neck and neck until the last second of regulation play. 

“Obviously, there’s always stuff to improve but we got the win, that’s all that matters. I’m just proud of them because we were giving up goals but we stayed in it and fought back so I’m proud of everybody right now,” said Ochoa. 

Sophomore Sandro Pueyo had an impressive game, scoring five of the Vikings’ nine goals. Three of which were scored in the third quarter alone. 

“We played really intensely in the beginning. We knew it was not gonna be an easy game because American River has a good team. I think the key was to keep working even though some of our things didn’t work in the beginning. When you keep working and keep fighting, at the end everything pays off,” Pueyo said. 

Cooper Haddad contributed with two goals of his own and one crucial steal to keep American River from scoring. 

Freshman Maxwell Earheart also had a goal and a team-high 4 steals and 1 block in a fantastic defensive effort to pressure American River into making bad passes.

Thomaz Figueiredo and Louis Hackett each had two assists that helped the team stay afloat. 

While the two teams never had the chance to play each other in the regular season, LBCC’s Matthew Kingston said they knew they had to come out hard and come up with a winning strategy.

“The main goal was to look around for our team and our center and getting the ball in the cage. Next game we may just have to work on our awareness and finishing but I’m proud of how today went,” Kingston said. 

The Vikings are now set to face defending 3C2A state champions Golden West College on Friday at 1pm. The two teams have met twice in the regular season, most recently Nov. 2, with the Rustlers coming out victorious both times.

The winner of Friday’s game will go on to play in the semifinals of the State Championships. 

Chromebooks out of stock at Welcome Center since semester start

Isabel Murty
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Chromebooks out of stock at Welcome Center since semester start

LBCC’s Welcome Center has been out of Chromebooks for students to borrow since the beginning of the semester, according to the signs posted around the A Building.

Normally, students have the opportunity to receive a Chromebook through the school if they lack sufficient technology to pass their courses. 

Some students on campus rely on these Chromebooks in order to have access to their courses and course materials, as most if not all classes require some kind of internet access.

Director of Student Equity Eric Becerra said that one of the main reasons for the lack of Chromebooks is the fact that the program initially started with COVID-19 relief funds, which are now dwindling.

“We’ve been working with the inventory that we have. Our stock was mostly from when remote learning was mandatory, and that was five years ago now,” said Becerra.

Becerra also mentioned that maintenance on the Chromebooks is also a factor in their lower numbers.

“Unfortunately, the Chromebooks’ lifespan is not the best, so we’re contingent upon the availability of funding,” said Becerra.

Armane Wheeler-Kane, a student working in the Welcome Center, said that their stock of Chromebooks quickly depleted at the beginning of the semester.

“They all kinda flew off the shelves at the start of school,” said Wheeler-Kane

The process of getting a Chromebook is usually very simple, according to Wheeler-Kane.

“You give us your student ID number, fill out an emergency aid application that says that you don’t have proper technology for the semester, and your name gets put in the system,” said Wheeler-Kane.

Wheeler-Kane said that there is no return date for the Chromebooks, and that some students have even held on to their Chromebooks for multiple semesters.

Becerra said that students do not need to rely solely on the school’s supply of Chromebooks to meet their technology needs, as there are many resources on and off campus that students can use.

“Colleges aren’t the only places that support. The city of Long Beach has programs. There was a laptop gift program recently that was based on a grant. There’s often additional support that comes and goes,” said Becerra.

Becerra also wanted to emphasize that LBCC still has other resources available for students in need.

“Part of that is making Wi-Fi available, and having computers available in several locations like the library and the student equity center,” said Becerra.

lawrence maminta, a librarian at the reference desk of the LAC library gave some details about the computer lab located on the second floor of the library as an alternative while Chromebooks remain out of stock

“Computers are available Mondays through Thursdays until 7:50 p.m., Fridays until 1:50 p.m., and Saturdays until 3:50 p.m.” said maminta.

maminta wanted to emphasize how the computer lab is a space for students, and is always available to those who need it.

“Students should feel free to come in, study, use the computers, relax, use it how they see fit.” said maminta.

As there is no return date, the Welcome Center doesn’t know when Chromebooks are expected to be back in stock, however they are hopeful that by the end of the semester, some will be returned.

LBCC Sip’s N Paints to Celebrate Filipino American History Month

Kiomi Valdez
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LBCC Sip’s N Paints to Celebrate Filipino American History Month

LBCC held their monthly Sip N Paint event where students and faculty gathered to celebrate Filipino American History Month by painting the Filipino hibiscus flower, gumamela and enjoying traditional Filipino food.

Administration assistant for Transfer, Counseling, and Student Support Services Department, Bri Pinkerton was thrilled by the turnout of the event and how each person drew and interpreted the flower differently.

“I chose the gumamela for us to paint today because it’s native to the Filipino land and it represents beauty, essence, resilience, and even romance,” Pinkerton said.

Pinkerton loves holding these events because it’s a great opportunity for participants to relax and connect with their peers outside of the office and classroom, while having a delicious meal.

“I’m just happy that everyone’s enjoying themselves and they get to take a breather from the emails, phone calls and doing all that office stuff,” Pinkerton said.

Bri Pinkerton, who hosted the sip and paint event paints a hibiscus flower design onto her canvas during the event. This was the second sip and paint held at LBCC, each being themed after and highlighting different cultures on Oct. 30, 2024. (Nick Eismann)

Student Jamie Sage has walked by previous Sip N Paint events held at LBCC and has always wanted to check it out, so she decided to attend this one and was very glad that she did.

Sage shared that she loves to paint, but has been in a sort of creative rut, so she was excited to get back into it.

“Painting today has actually been really relaxing, I’ve really enjoyed it, and the fried rice is so good,” Sage said. 

Sage encourages more students to attend Sip N Paint because it’s super relaxing and fun, there’s a really lively community of people, and the food is delicious.

Administrative Assistant for the World Languages and Reading and Teacher Prep Department, Gina Montufar came out to this event to celebrate Filipino American History Month and was thankful for Pinkerton’s mini lecture on the symbolism of the gumamela flower.

“I’m glad that I came because I met someone who I kind of worked with in the past, but have never put a face to the name,” Montufar said.

Montufar added that she also got to see some of her coworkers that she usually sees at events like this, so she’s thankful for the bonding experience. 

Montufar is pleased with how her painting came out and is going to display it on her desk.

Those who attended said that they really enjoyed the food, people and painting, and students can catch many more held by LBCC in the spring semester.

Nutrition Club serves up horror-inspired smoothies for students

Kiomi Valdez
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Nutrition Club serves up horror-inspired smoothies for students

The Nutrition Club is an on campus organization formed in 2017 whose main goal is to spread awareness of good nutrition as well as sharing the love of tasty foods. 

Grace Gonzalez, a former officer of The Nutrition Club who now works for the Nutrition program as an Instructional Assistant, is still staying involved in an advisory role. 

“As a smaller club we typically try to get involved in any and all on-campus opportunities that are made available to us,” Gonzalez said. 

On November 1st the club had attended the annual Halloween Carnival at the TCC campus. 

Instead of handing out sweet treats and candies like other booths, The Nutrition Club chose a healthy alternative of what they called Spooky Smoothies. 

Taking inspiration from the website Food Hero, these smoothies consisted of Vampire Punch, Green Goblin and Pumpkin potion all displayed next to their respective recipes. 

Gonzalez created graphics to display next to the smoothies considering the fact passersby may have allergies. 

 “We wanted to share the recipe ideas with community members attending the event and in case of food allergies or restrictions,” Gonzalez said. 

In the attempt to make a vegan based smoothie member Shameka Anderson described how the recipe being served was adjusted. 

They adjusted the smoothies by substituting yogurt with avocado in the Green Goblin smoothie to become more vegan friendly. 

Shameka Anderson (left) and Tiana Davis assist in Spooky Smoothies. Helping to serve healthy Halloween themed alternatives. The spooky smoothies event took place at TCC on Nov.01,2024.(Regina G Melchor)

Shamkea Anderson, a representative of the Nutrition Club, served passerbys excitedly and encouraged them to try “Green Goblin”. 

“This one is actually vegan. You can make these all at home.” Anderson said. 

Vampire Punch is a beet and berry smoothie that contains frozen berries, pineapple juice and beets.

Green Goblin is a spinach and avocado dessert filled with orange juice, pineapple juice and fresh spinach leaves. 

Pumpkin Potion is a pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg smoothie perfect for a spooky sweet treat.  

Club President Ericka Crisp encouraged attendees to take photos of the recipes for further use. 

 “We encouraged people to take photos of the recipe if they enjoyed it to make it themselves again at home,” Crisp said. 

The Club’s next goal is to recruit more officers into the organization as many members have graduated as well as growing a bigger presence on campus to further expand their healthy nutrition awareness.

Holding their first general meeting on November 20th as well as planning to give a helping hand in the upcoming  Viking Village market for the first time. 

Food of resilience: Indigenous cooking class teaches students Native recipes

Samantha Navarro
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Food of resilience: Indigenous cooking class teaches students Native recipes

As a way to celebrate Native American Heritage Month, the Native American Indigenous Club along with the Culinary and Baking club partnered up to cook and eat culturally important dishes. 

Julio Maya who is head of the Culinary and Baking Club helped in directing those in attendance in assembling the recipes as well as bringing togetherness and community through the decided dishes. 

“We invite you in to see the kitchen and what we do, and just to get a taste of what happens,” Maya said.

The club provided an open space for those who came to prepare their own meals with the opportunity to expand their taste palettes as well as celebrate and better understand the food being made. 

Justin Mendez (left) and Quinn Marchio prepare food for Indigenous Cuisine event. This was part of a series of Indigenous Heritage month celebrations. (Regina G Melchor)

“It’s to show appreciation, that’s what we’re doing, collaborating and making semi-traditional food,” Maya said.

Some of the food that was prepared included fry bread along with toppings of meat and beans, as well as a corn ice cream and berry dessert.

Jennifer Galvez was one of the attendees who participated in the event and was already familiar with the dishes being made.

“When I went to the CSULB (Cal State Long Beach) event where they had Native American food, that was the first time I experienced that cuisine. So I was excited to hear about this partnership where we can make it this time around,” Galvez said.

President of the Native American Indigenous Club Ezra Lobianco announced the significance of the cuisine that was prepared. 

“It’s not a traditional food, but it’s a food of resilience. You’ll find this at any Pow-wow. It doesn’t have the best origins, but we made it ours,” Lobianco said. 

Lobianco refers to the origins of fry bread as it originated as a way to sustain oneself through a high calorie meal, as there was not access to traditional foods but instead rations. 

After guests prepared the meals they were invited to sit down, eat and talk amongst one another in an act of bringinging togetherness and celebrating the food they had made as a community. 

Opinion: LBCC desperately needs to modernize its online resources

Sam Villa
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Opinion: LBCC desperately needs to modernize its online resources

LBCC’s recent on-campus projects, including the construction of a new performing arts center and the remodeling of the E Building, reflect a clear investment in improving the educational experience for in person students, but not so much for online students.   

Although these updates are necessary for the advancement of the school, crucial online resources for current and future students are being neglected.   

LBCC needs to prioritize funding to modernize its online resources, just as it has with its classrooms and buildings.  

LBCC’s website remains severely outdated and difficult to navigate. A search for ‘class schedule’ presents a page from May 2017 as the second most relevant source. 

Resources to make counseling appointments are unnecessarily difficult to use. Making these appointments online should be easier than doing it over the phone or by email, not harder. 

Many students rely on taking classes online, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

They are often presented as classes students can take to get an easy A, rather than being challenging and advantageous to their education. 

With LBCC recently achieving large college status, the school will be receiving an extra $2 million annually. 

This money will be used for “additional student services and academic programs”, according to the school’s website.  

The Board of Trustees should consider using these funds to invest in an improved website and online courses. 

LBCC’s website can get the updates it desperately needs, including sorting and archiving articles, making applications more user friendly, and ensuring information is up to date.

Online classes can receive more advanced materials and engaging curriculums that can make these courses worthy of students’ time and money. 

These improvements will benefit current and future students in the long run just as much as new or remodeled buildings. 

LBCC has definitely shown its commitment to bettering its campuses for the next generations of students. 

The school needs to start showing that same dedication to its online resources. 

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