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Financial aid specialist experiences life-changing Ghana trip

Veronica Towers
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Financial aid specialist experiences life-changing Ghana trip

Correction: A previous version of this story identified the program “A2Mend” as “8 to Men”, it has now been corrected.

Eight faculty and staff members were chosen by Superintendent President Mike Munoz to embark on a trip to Ghana, or as attendees have described it, the motherland in Sept. 2022.

Initially, LBCC representatives were told to go to Ghana with an open mind and not go in with any expectations or assumptions but to embrace it and accept it for what it is. 

With that, one of the first changes trip attendees Angela Fowlkes noticed was how different she felt about her physical body while in Ghana.

“It was life-transforming for me. It made me love myself more. When I was with the natives they were very simple people. They are not vain, they are not into vanity. When I went, I forgot my brush and I was looking for mirrors because I was so self-conscious about my appearance. I realized that I was able to relax and accept myself. It was more of a journey of self-acceptance for me,” said Fowlkes. 

Financial aid specialist Angela Fowlkes wears a daishiki dress which is a traditional African dress, a head wrap and holds a handmade purse and fan designed by African natives in Ghana in the conference room located in the A building on April 17 2023. Fowkles stood in front of African paintings purchased from flea markets. (Grace Jones)

Fowlkes continued in depth about her innate feelings of insecurity and how she overcame it through mindfulness and reassurance from the Ghana native’s way of life and culture.

“When you see the picture of me in the annual report you see that I just have on jeans and a shirt because I have never been exposed to any African traditional clothes like head wraps or anything. So I felt very self-conscious and out of place,” revealed Fowlkes.

“My hair was gray and I didn’t feel good about myself, but once I got there and got around the native people I realized they are the proudest, most beautiful people. They don’t get up in the morning every day and compare themselves to Western beauty standards and society, just me being natural is enough and I have never been this happy in my entire life,” she added.

This trip was commenced by the A2Mend program as a way for LBCC staff members to experience unique African culture and gain knowledge and insight into the Ghana lifestyle, food, societal norms, tradition and most of all historic revelations and history behind the infamous slave trades and colonizations. 

The A2Mend program is an African American male program that consists of different community colleges from the state of California to get the opportunity to visit Ghana and learn about the education systems, culture and values. 

Fowlkes felt honored to attend as an LBCC representative and felt the need to gather knowledge on African culture, ethics and societal customs to instill in African American students at LBCC. 

“This was the catalyst for me to accept and love myself. When I came back, that’s what I wanted to instill in the students here,” added Fowlkes.

Fowlkes also mentioned the Cape Coast slave dungeon which she and seven other members visited for educational purposes and to experience how grim and terrifying the conditions were for Ghana slaves during the 1660s. 

Angela Fowlkes shows off her Ghana souvenir in the conference room at the A building at LAC. Fowlkes describes this school-sponsored trip as life changing. (Grace Jones)

Fowlkes reflected on how being in the slave dungeon was heavy on her heart and traumatic for her as an African American. 

“We went to the Cape Coast dungeon and were shown the trails and paths the slaves were led down. When I got to the dungeon I was a tourist, I went in with a tourist’s eyes. I was so excited to take pictures of everything. When I came out of the dungeon I came out through the lens of a slave. It took a toll on my body physically,” revealed Fowlkes.

“I had to be alone on the bus and it stripped me of my humanity. They took us to the next place and the next place each time it got worse and worse. They gave you the visualization and the smells from 400 years ago were still there,” she added.

Close friend of Fowlkes and financial aid advisor Michelle Bowen had immense praise as well as insightful observations on Fowlkes’ attitude and character after her return from the Ghana trip. She was even enticed to go herself.

“I am one of Angela’s colleagues, both Angela and I have worked for the last several years at the level of specialist, but I’ve noticed since Angelas’s return from Ghana that not only her mood changed but her actual physical appearance changed, a glow, a drive that she had since her trip. It’s actually something that’s inspired me to possibly take a trip myself and follow her lead,” Bowen said.

Denim Day empowers sexual assault survivors to speak out

Veronica Towers
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Denim Day empowers sexual assault survivors to speak out

Long Beach City College students and faculty participated in the annual Denim Day event, in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month on Wednesday.  

Denim Day happens every year on April 26 and is a day where individuals are encouraged to wear jeans with the purpose of supporting survivors and educating others about sexual assault. 

The campaign began after an Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction. The victim was wearing tight jeans during the assault and the justices concluded that the victim must have had to assist in the removal of the jeans, making the assault consensual.

The following day, women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in support of the survivor. The organization Peace Over Violence started the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. 

With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, LBCC hosted a week full of events and activities to promote awareness of sexual assault and support students. 

Young Women’s Christian Association of Greater Los Angeles and LBCC Student Affairs paired up in doing a Clothesline Project and Denim Day. 

There was a visual display of shirts that gave a voice to personal experiences. Students were able to create a shirt in support of survivors of sexual violence.

“This is our seventh year of collaborating with YWCA GLA and hosting Denim Day here on campus for students,” said Paolo Canteras, a coordinator from Student Health Services. 

Many students and staff gathered around the quad to participate in the activities and show their support or share their stories.  

Students customize a box with denim fabric pieces and powerful messages on Denim Day, April 26, 2023. Students were encouraged to share their stories and experiences. (Bianca Urzua)

Sexual assault can be a heavy topic to discuss and creating a safe place for people to share their stories is important. Students shared positive and thoughtful words at these events.

“I am so happy to see our college host events like these with YWCA GLA to support our students and let them know that they are not alone here at LBCC,” said Susana Duran, a staff member who was participating in the activity. 

At the event, YWCA GLA was there to share information and provide sources with students about the organization, if they were in need of any help or resources. 

“I am the sexual assault coordinator at YWCA GLA and I work with multiple colleges on providing the help for students in need of our services, we want to empower survivors with tools to help them with their healing journies,” said Yesenia Garcia, a YWCA GLA associate. 

Students received guidance, aid and resources on how to grow and heal from the trauma they have experienced.

No. 1 LBCC Vikings dominate on their road to LBCC’s eleventh championship

Veronica Towers
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No. 1 LBCC Vikings dominate on their road to LBCC’s eleventh championship

Undefeated in conference, the number one California community college men’s volleyball team heads into the championships this week with key players in the forefront.

The Vikings are undefeated in conference with a record of 12-0, an overall record of 19-1 and a winning streak of 18 games.

The goals that were set at the beginning of season were being conference champions and making it to the playoffs, which they achieved.

The team has dominated this season with players like Matthew Pennala, Cian Slade and Georgi Binev being big point scorers for the Vikings.

There has been a target on their backs this season because every team they play against wants to be the team to take the Vikings down and break their winning streak.

“I think it’s kind of cool. It’s something I think we need in order to push us,” said outside hitter Pennala.

“We’ve been in this position throughout the entire season, so the fact that we’ve been able to ride that wave this long also says a lot about our ability to stay focused while at the top,” added Pennala.

(Right to left) Cian Slade, Georgi Binev and Matthew Pennala take time out of practice to talk to The Viking about their successes this season in the gym on April 22, 2023. The Vikings are 18-1 overall and are ranked number one in the state at the Community College level. (Emily D’Amico)

Few struggles arose for the Vikings this season, but next-play mentality and keeping good connections were big factors.

“We addressed [next play mentality] really early on in the season,” said middle blocker Slade, “for me, on the floor, it’s not affecting me as much as it did before and it’s really easy to move on now.”

“I think our biggest struggle throughout conference and even still right now, is that we need to make sure we understand what it feels like to be down a couple points, to be in a little bit of a hole, to have those bad moments, and we need to figure out a quicker and more efficient way to climb out of those holes and really come together,” said Pennala.

The Vikings’ mentality for playoffs is that of one who’s determined to win, the boys are hungry for that championship title.

“Our communication is really strong, so that’s helping us a lot,” said opposite and outside hitter Georgi Binev.

With Pennala, Slade and Binev all being freshmen this year, there is a high chance the Vikings can do this all again next season with a strong team.

Uncertainty is in the air for whether or not some will be returning next season, as school and transferring is a major priority for these boys, but regardless the Vikings are in a mode where they’re ready to take on whatever is thrown at them.

The Vikings secured several conference awards this year with Sean Nguyen receiving Player of the Year and Jonathan Charette receiving Coach of the Year.

Pennala and Binev made First Team All-Conference while Slade and outside hitter Cole Oliver made Second Team All-Conference.

The team defeated Santa Monica in the first round of State Playoffs last week, dominated San Diego Mesa in the semifinals on Thursday, and will be taking on Orange Coast College in the CCCAA championships on Saturday, April 29 at El Camino College at 7 p.m.

No. 1 Vikings head to finals after 3-0 sweep of San Diego Mesa

Veronica Towers
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No. 1 Vikings head to finals after 3-0 sweep of San Diego Mesa

The Vikings keep on rolling with a 3-0 sweep over the San Diego Mesa Olympians in the CCCAA state semi-finals on Thursday.

With this game, the Vikings improve to a 19-1 record and increase their win streak to 18 games. 

The first set was dominated by the Vikings as they continuously had big kills from hitters Matthew Pennala, Georgi Binev and Cole Oliver.

“My whole year I’ve been trying to get better and get ready to go to the next level,” said Oliver.

The first set ended with a score of 25-16 with the final point coming from a kill by Binev.

The Vikings cheer together after they defeat San Diego Mesa in three sets in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. The Vikings are ranked number one in the state at the community college level and currently hold a record of 19-1 this season. (Emily D’Amico)

The second set was even more of a blowout as the score ended 25-12 thanks to a fantastic defensive effort from the Vikings.

Attacks from the Olympians were combated with big blocks from the Vikings by Cian Slade, Georgi Binev, Sean Nguyen and Matthew Pennala.

“We were able to just stay together throughout the whole match, especially during those first two sets where we were just dominating,” said Pennala.

A slow start to the third set gave the Olympians an early edge. San Diego had solid serves, multiple kills and put the Vikings on their heels.

LBCC would battle back and reclaim the lead. It was a back-and-forth affair the rest of the set.

“We just got lost in the moment, I think we had to recenter ourselves and luckily there was enough game left for us to do that and catch back up,” said Vikings head coach Jonathan Charette.

After a close set, the Vikings would edge out Mesa 25-22 on a service error by the Olympians.

“I think it was a combination of us having a lot of momentum and maybe misusing it a little bit,” said Pennala, “maybe that confidence we had going into the third set turned into a little bit of cockiness.”

“San Diego Mesa did a good job of applying a lot of service pressure on us…but the guys refocused, trusted on each other, leaned on each other and they did a good job,” said coach Charette.

  • Outside hitter Matthew Pennala goes up for a kill against San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. Emily D’Amico)
  • Middle blocker Cian Slade goes up for a kill against San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. The Vikings beat San Diego Mesa 3-0 on Thursday. (Emily D’Amico)
  • Opposite/outside hitter Georgi Binev and middle blocker Lucca Mamone throw up a block against San Diego Mesa’s opposite Austin Kinnear in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. (Emily D’Amico)
  • Middle blocker Cian Slade goes up for a kill against San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. The Vikings beat San Diego Mesa 3-0 on Thursday. (Emily D’Amico)
  • Outside hitter Matthew Pennala puts up a jump serve against San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. The Vikings are ranked number one in the state at the community college level and currently hold a record of 19-1 this season. (Emily D’Amico)
  • Setter Sean Nguyen puts up a block against San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. (Emily D’Amico)
  • Outside hitter Cole Oliver goes up for a kill against San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA semifinals at El Camino College on April 27, 2023. The Vikings are ranked number one in the state at the community college level and currently hold a record of 19-1 this season. (Emily D’Amico)

With this win, the Vikings are in position to win their 11th state championship in history.

“All these guys have t-shirts that say ‘Road to 11’ so this is a goal that they’ve been working towards since the fall, we’re excited to be here, we’re excited to go back to Long Beach City, practice, and then come back here and be in the moment,” said coach Charette.

The Vikings will take on Orange Coast College in the finals on Saturday, April 29 at El Camino College at 7:00 p.m.

LBCC Fashion Club pop-up at LAC brings in student customers 

Veronica Towers
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LBCC Fashion Club pop-up at LAC brings in student customers 

Correction: An initial version of this story contained an incorrect date for the event of March 18. The event was on April 18 and has been altered.

A pop-up tent stood out amongst the cloudy gray weather with colorful racks of bathing suits, tote bags, scrunchies, pins and bandannas for sale accompanied by soft indie music at the Fashion Club pop-up on Tuesday, April 18.

As a tribute to Earth Day coming up this week, fashion club members wanted to express their creativity and support of Earth Day through accessories and bags as well as expose the fashion department, and club events to students not involved with the fashion department.

The LBCC bistro located next door to the fashion club pop-up helped with foot traffic as students were able to buy pastries and drinks while they shopped. 

The artistic texts and graphic designs of earth-theme images on white tote bags were a fan favorite amongst the fashion club members, as well as the event coordinator and fashion design and merchandising professor Chantel Bryant. 

“ I love the tote bags, because two students designed the artwork and the fashion club voted which artwork they wanted to go with,” fashion design professor Bryant said.

Bryant then stressed the importance of earth day and reflected that belief by mentioning the prevention of clothing going to the dump by taking clothing donations instead 

“All of the fabrics we used here except for the swimwear are all donated upcycled fabric. The tote bags are recycled cotton and 100% organic. So we are just trying to educate students on earth day and sustainability,” stated Bryant.

“The swimwear is sampled from the fashion industry and if we hadn’t taken the donation then it would have ended up in the landfill. So we are preventing fabrics and garments from going into the landfill,” Bryant added.

LBCC business communications student Caroline Hunter speaks to fashion design student Maria Moreira, fashion merchandise student Teresa Palomo and fashion merchandise student Krystal Gallego, at the fashion club stand at the LAC campus. The pop up was held near the V buidling on April 18 2023. (Grace Jones)

The assortment of bathing suits was very popular amongst customers who were browsing. One LBCC student couldn’t help but gush about all the colorful patterned bathing suits but was slightly disappointed with the sizing. 

“The bathing suits were very nice and colorful but since I’m on the bigger side I didn’t find my size. I would love to see more diversity in sizes,” said LBCC student Caroline Hunter. 

The swimsuits ranged from extra small to extra large and were sent from a local swim manufacturer. However, this made it so fashion club members had no control over the sizes available at the stand. 

When asked why fashion is important to individuals, fashion club members insisted that fashion is a passionate form of self-expression.

“I think fashion is important to express yourself through clothes and you can express your culture, pop culture, or just anything artistic that you want people to know about yourself,” said fashion merchandise student Krystal Gallego.

“It is important to have this pop-up to expose the fashion department. I feel like people don’t know there is a fashion department here. We are a small old building,” Gallego said.

No. 1 Vikings sweep Santa Monica 3-0 in the first round of playoffs

Kameron Hendricks
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No. 1 Vikings sweep Santa Monica 3-0 in the first round of playoffs

A dominant game from the freshman duo of middle blocker Ciane Slade and outside hitter Matthew Pennala lead to a clean sweep of Santa Monica College in a 3-0 victory on Wednesday in the first round of the California Community College Men’s Volleyball State Playoffs. 

The win extended the Vikings’ winning streak to 17 and pushed them through to the semi-finals. 

The Vikings struggled a bit on the defensive end at the beginning of the first set due to a lack of communication and some spacing issues and trailed SMC 7-2 after nine points. 

After a couple of quick adjustments, the Vikings were able to comeback and lead the set 24-23 at game point. A critical kill from Georgi Binev clinched the 25-23 set win.  

“There were a couple rough spots but the important thing was that we kept coming together, we didn’t let it affect us too much, and we were able to push through it,” freshman outside hitter Matthew Pinnala said.

The second set saw a dominant defensive performance from freshman opposite hitter Lucca Mamone who had three solid blocks and Slade who had back to back crucial kills and put the Vikings in the lead 16-11. 

SMC was only able to score 5 additional points before the set came to an end due to a serving error from the Corsairs. The Vikings went on to win set two with the final score  25-16.

“I always take a deep breath and I always acknowledge everything that’s around me and just make sure to slow down in the moment, focus on my breathing, and just know that everything I worked for is gonna pay off,” Slade said.

The third and final set of the match had the Vikings coming out strong and establishing a quick 18-10 lead after a stellar performance from Pennala. 

SMC was only able to score 8 more points before Pennala ended their season with a forceful kill and a 25-18 final score.

After the victory, Pennala acknowledged that there is still work to be done in terms of working better as a team in order to ensure they come out for their next game even stronger. 

“It’s just really little things. We need to keep pushing, practicing hard, and we have a good system in place right now that’ll carry us forward,” Pennala said.

With this win the Vikings are now 18-1 overall and will move on to the second round of the California Community College Men’s Volleyball State Championships. 

This extends the Vikings’ set win streak to 45. They have only lost four sets the entire season.

The Vikings take on San Diego Mesa College on April 27th at 7:00 p.m. at El Camino College in a fight for a spot in the championship game. 

LAC hosts M building ribbon cutting ceremony

Veronica Towers
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LAC hosts M building ribbon cutting ceremony

On Thursday, an estimate of 100 people gathered to witness LBCC hositng a ribbon ceremony, celebrating the completion of the new M building located on the LAC campus.

LBCC’s board members, directors and faculty presented the final touches of LBCC’s new M building also named the “Disabled Students Programs and Services” building. A neighboring office of the “Student Success Center’s Writing and Reading Center”.

“As a person who has done a lot of speaking and advocacy and representation work I’ve always said that blind people are just people and that disabled people are just people,” said Rachel Ng, a blind student who spoke at the ceremony. 

“Being included is important and I am and I’m sure many disabled students are appreciative of that,” added Ng.

The project was the first state funded design project in California, a 77 million dollar project that brought together LBCC and LBC in its ribbon ceremony. The three-story-building, 82,000 square feet, took over two years to complete.

The M building will be the new home office for the Communications Department. Samira Harah, head of the department explained that it’s been over ten years since the department had its own permanent office.

Most of the state’s money was used to house the science and math department. With the building’s multi use, it will offer prep courses for students seeking analytics to teach in the K-12 fields. 

Additional features are its cutting edge technology, comfortable new chairs and desks, as well as its well designed bathrooms. All amenities that are designed to keep the student and faculty happy with their time at LBCC.

Board of Trustee members accompany LBCC president Mike Munoz in the ceremonial ribbon cutting of LAC’s M building. The new building will house the communication department, making it the first permanent office for this department in 10 years. (Lesly Gonzalez)

In the ceremony, Mike Munoz, the superintendent-president of LBCC, mentioned the building’s new and advanced designs were made using different methods. In collaboration with HPI Architecture and C.W. Driver for contracting the construction of the new M building. 

New technology such as computers will allow students and teachers to communicate from home. Where many online and hybrid courses are taking place. “Students can gather and meet while at home doing online courses,” Munoz announced.

The M building will be a perfect place for students who struggle with English or are trying to learn a new language. It will also hold other services such as computer labs, and open lab hours where people can go in to study or relax. 

In addition, the new technology will help students with disabilities have access to classrooms, supplies and socialize. 

The ceremony ended with the cutting of a ribbon, where faculty and its attendees gathered to see the cutting. It was all smiles in the end of the event, as catering with cake and more refreshments were served.

LBCC hosts annual Veteran Resource Fair

Veronica Towers
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LBCC hosts annual Veteran Resource Fair

Upwards of 300 LBCC students attended the Annual Veteran Service Health and Resource Fair held on Wednesday at the Liberal Arts Campus. 

The Veteran’s Fair helps students who served in the military access resources they may not have known were available to them before, whether it be mental health, financial, or physical struggles, each booth provided information on different services they offered.

Students were immediately drawn to five labrador puppies with Canine Companions, an organization that provides service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities.

Canine Companion representative Jim Pull showcasing his service dog (right) along with a service dog in training (left). Canine Companion provides adults, children, and veterans with disabilities service dogs that can help them achieve greater independence. (Kameron Hendricks)

“I got my dog back in February 2019 and she’s been with me ever since,” Jim Pull, a Canine Companion representative said. “This is an option for people who experience PTSD or need extra help,” he added. 

Pull spoke to students about his experience with the program and how he benefited from it.

His service dog helps him complete tasks that are more difficult for him to do as a wheelchair user. 

These dogs provide services for people with vision impairments, people who suffer anxiety disorders and those who are confined to a wheelchair, among a multitude of other services.

Another booth showcased LBCC’s Healthy Vikings Initiative and provided students with information that could help them secure mental health assistance. 

Representatives for multiple organizations including the Veterans & First Responders Service Dog Training, the LA Sheriff’s Department Evaluation Team, and Team Red, White, and Blue (RWB) provide resources to LBCC students at the annual Veteran Health and Resource fair on April 12th. (Kameron Hendricks)

Paolo Canteras, the Healthy Viking coordinator, promoted the use of TimelyCare to students, which is a free virtual health and well-being app that recently partnered with LBCC in March. 

This app provides students with on-demand access to licensed mental health providers and medical care.

“The health of our students is important and that’s what we’re here to help with,” said Canteras.

Canteras also spoke about how great the turnout was for the event.

“The turnout was amazing, based on the food they said there were over 300 people and based on the people I interacted with. I spoke with over 100 plus and that was just me,” Canteras said.

 The Veterans and First Responders Service Dog Training Team, the LA Sheriff’s Department Mental Evaluation Team and the US Department of Veterans Affairs all had booths promoting services that are all currently available to LBCC students.

James Goodman, an LBCC student and military veteran, said he hoped the fair was able to attract the attention of people who were unaware that LBCC offers so many different programs for vets. 

“Our criteria is to get more vets acclimated because a lot of them don’t even know about the programs until you tell them because I was in that same situation. But talking with other vets I found we have a lot offered to us. They basically helped me out in the long run,” Goodman said.

Goodman said he likes to utilize the Disabled Students Programs and Services as well as the math and writing centers to help him with school work. 

Students had access to free food from the Habit Burger & Grill and were encouraged to visit the booths as representatives from a multitude of organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Healthy Vikings Initiative and the California Department of Veterans Affairs provided them resources.

The event was considered a huge success and Goodman hopes other student veterans were able to find something that could help them with their personal and educational goals.

Formerly incarcerated student shares his story during weekly Healthy Vikings virtual healing session

Veronica Towers
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Formerly incarcerated student shares his story during weekly Healthy Vikings virtual healing session

A formerly incarcerated 25-year-old, among other community college students, came together in a virtual healing space organized by the LBCC Healthy Viking Initiative and headed by a certified Health Education Specialist.

Edgar Griss is a 25-year-old community college student at Long Beach City College who was previously convicted and incarcerated.

After his release, Griss began the complicated process of continuing his education and feeling like a normal person again by working with organizations closely involved in justice programs. 

He moved on to become a member of the LBCC Scholars Club and has been accepted to California State University of Long Beach as a communication major.

Two of the programs he works with are Project Rebound and the Rising Scholar Network, where other formerly incarcerated people band together to make sacrifices to ensure their mistakes are not repeated. 

This aspect of Griss’ life was shared during the first of five weekly virtual healing meetings organized by the Healthy Vikings Initiative in collaboration with Nikita Gupta. These meetings are designed to give LBCC Students the space to learn strategies and tools to help manage their mental health.

“Education is a solution, not incarceration,” Griss said. 

He further explained that life outside the penitentiary is different now and that the treatment and discrimination he’s faced has created barriers for him and others alike. His need to find a job was the push Griss needed to return to school and seek help.

“I am very grateful for LBCC to have given me a second chance and the Department of Corrections and Justice for giving people as myself a second chance,” Griss said.

The Zen Den is a room enclosed in glass and lined with ivy, located in LBCC’s library. Programs and resources at LBCC are used to create spaces to help students advance in their studies. (Lauren Benson)

The first event began with a short survey that asked questions regarding the students’ mood asking how their emotional, physical, mental and spiritual being felt to them.

Gupta put together a presentation that asked students to slow their breathing and take deep long breaths. This was done as an effort to make students feel invited into her meeting and was paired with asking all attendees to get comfortable with their surroundings. 

In order to create an appropriate virtual atmosphere Gupta altered the tone of her voice and asked everyone to turn off their distractions such as their phones, technology and to close their doors.

She continued with what healing spaces could look and feel like and asked participants to self-reflect, breathe and slow down again to highlight what biological healing looks like.

This activity required participants to write down their thoughts and feelings toward each part of their body. The participants articulated what each part of their body felt like highlighting that at times our bodies feel heavy or tense. 

Before the Zoom meeting ended, Gupta suggested a list of positive affirmations such as allocating time to practice self-care and how that can positively influence others. One affirmation stressed the importance of being able to determine what’s enough and when to stop to rest.

“See the beauty in the moment by highlighting a self hold, by integrating restoration pauses that could look like taking deep breaths, meditating almost or doing yoga,” Gupta said.

Programs and resources at LBCC are used to create spaces for those willing to collaborate with people from all backgrounds, neighborhoods and communities to help students advance in their studies.  

Services by the Viking Health Department are available on campus and online at lbcc.edu.

Geology club hosts weekly Camping Closet rental

Veronica Towers
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Geology club hosts weekly Camping Closet rental

Free camping gear was available for LBCC students to rent as a sentiment bestowed by the geology club to students who cannot afford the gear.

The geology club held its Camping Closet grand opening on Thursday, April 13 during the afternoon at LAC behind the D building on the grassy field area for students who have personal interests in the outdoors. 

The process of renting the gear requires students to show up to the geology department on Fridays to rent gear from the president of the geology club. The sign-up sheet records their name and a student ID number.

President of the geology club Alexander Gill believes this is an opportunity for all students to rent gear for personal interests and at no cost.

“This will be something we do weekly. We are currently thinking of Fridays when students can come in and rent gear. It’s just an opportunity to allow students to rent gear and experience the outdoors on their own time,” Gill said.

Geology club member Kristina Metalis sets up a tent available for loan at the geology camping closet opening in between building D and E at Long Beach City closet opening which ran from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The camping closet aims to provide free camping equipment to LBCC students. (Grace Jones)

The camping gear consists of 5 backpacks, 5 sleeping pads, 5 cooking sets and 5 tents.

Field camping and sightseeing at different locations are essential to the geology club and are considered field classes. 

“In geology, we do a lot of field camping. We often go out into the field for several days and experience all these scenic locations. For the field classes, we have been to places like Death Valley, Mammoth Mountains and the Grand Canyon,”  Gill said.

The Geology Club president Alexander Gill, secretary Monet Pedrazzini and club member Kristina Metalis chat with participants at the geology camping closet opening in between building D and E at Long Beach City. The camping closet aims to provide free camping equipment to LBCC students. (Grace Jones)

Mona Davis, an LBCC student believes Camping Closet is important for those who cannot afford camping gear, but are interested in a camp lifestyle to receive gear at no expense. 

“I think it’s essential for folks who cannot afford camping gear because it’s very expensive and being able to have access to this type of stuff it’s a great thing for students,”  said Davis.

On April 26 students from the geology club will be going to Palamore Mountain as an outdoor event which is in popular demand as the list is full of eager students awaiting the trip. 

“We do outdoor club activities. We are going to Palamore Mountain and that is going to be an event for the club, and it’s open to anybody. Currently, the sign-up is full,” said Gills.

Vice president of the geology club Crystal Pardon was handing out pizza to students next door from the camping closet booth for students who want to rent gear as well as have at least two slices of pizza.

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