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Opinion: Study abroad programs are vital to student success

Matthew Walker
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Opinion: Study abroad programs are vital to student success

Some students are able to retain and empathize with subject material by looking at pictures and reading texts in literature but after-graduate success is proven to be greater for those who seized study abroad opportunities.

The emotions that run through a person when they touch real tombstones, connect with locals in the market, taste culturally authentic food, or are able to feel how deep the grooves are in hieroglyphics, help bring about a deeper understanding to any lesson. 

Students who take advantage and explore norms outside of American traditions and familiarity are better prepared for what is to come after they earn their degree. 

These sort of experiences are just a few reasons why Long Beach City College should prioritize bringing back study abroad programs. 

Studies show that students who explore what the world has to offer outside of the United States have higher starting salaries and will find jobs quicker than their peers who did not seize the opportunity to travel during their schooling.

A survey conducted at the University of Merced showed that 97% of study abroad participants found employment within 12 months after graduating. That is almost double what their college graduate peers found with only 47% securing jobs one year after graduation. 

UC Merced also reports that 100% of study abroad students found a GPA increase, and 90% were accepted into their first or second graduate program of choice. 

Unfortunately, LBCC hasn’t run a study abroad program since before the pandemic in 2019, when the group traveled to Paris. 

Emad Faltas, a professor of history at LBCC has spent his life traveling and has been leading tours throughout the Middle East and Europe for almost a decade.  

“After I finished my first time traveling where I studied for six months abroad, I became a different person,” said Faltas. “I felt I had grown 20 years.” 

In order to truly learn material, students should feel a connection to the topics and there is no better way to study foreign material than to become physically and emotionally acquainted with it. 

Classroom settings can only describe varieties of culture, but nothing compares to the feeling of culture shock when American norms are broken and the comfort that the nation has to offer is suddenly dissolved.

“It is worth it. In America here, you guys have a big lack of knowing the outside world,”  said Faltas. 

The greater the risk, the greater the reward and pushing students to take the step to travel to grounds they haven’t yet walked on will bring the highest of rewards. 

All of this combined creates a new perspective for students. New perspective minimizes the chances of making decisions with bias, judgment, and conflict wrestling around in the back of the mind. 

Seeing the world through the lens of a voyager removes the blanket of comfort and familiarity, and students are forced to break their judgment and are put at the center of diversity. And that is just what study abroad can offer to students. 

However, if students want a traveling program that is still able to offer credits towards their degree, there needs to be a vocalized desire coming from their end. If no one asks for these opportunities to be implemented, then who is going to assume anyone truly wants them. 

If LBCC wants to continue to help their students reach higher success, higher salaries, and obtain a more well-rounded sense of the different individuals that surround them, then it is vital the school makes study abroad programs one of their top priorities.

CSULB’ Undocumented Empowered Leaders visit LBCC

Matthew Walker
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CSULB’ Undocumented Empowered Leaders visit LBCC

 “Growing up I always knew I was from Mexico but I didn’t know what undocumented meant. It wasn’t until high school that I realized…,” said Luis Luna, a member of California State University of Long Beach’s (CSULB) For Undocumented Empowered Leaders (FUEL) Club.

A panel of students from CSULB’s FUEL Club were warmly received by a crowd of students on Monday, answering questions about a variety of topics, from university life, making connections, and advocacy work as undocumented student leaders.

Luis Luna, Jafet Ortega, and Althea Roble were all members of the panel, sharing their varying experiences living, working, and studying as undocumented students.

Founded in 2007, FUEL was originally called the AB 540 Club with AB 540 being the code designated to the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption act, which allowed many eligible noncitizens in California to attend and pay tuition to the state’s public universities.

It was a club meant to advocate for undocumented students on campus and it was them that advocated for the creation of the DREAM Center at CSULB.

Jafet Ortega, a student leader of FUEL, spoke about the importance of getting involved on campus, especially as an undocumented student. “If you put in the time you can find a community that can help you grow professionally and personally.”

“It’s about getting the opportunity to grow and build your resume, if you’re looking for a space to find friends or grow professionally just put yourself out there,” said Luna, building on the idea of college being a place for growth, regardless of status. “If you try to build that community, you’ll find someone, just reach out.” 

“It’s not just about growing your resume but getting to know people, being there, being out there, being present…rather than think ‘I should just retreat,’” said Roble. 

All three panelists are also community college transfer students and commented on the idea of “transfer imposter syndrome” which is defined as the feeling of inadequacy one may experience in a situation where they feel they don’t belong. 

“I definitely had that feeling,” said Luna.

Roble concurred with Luna. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve things because of my situation…but there is hope for everyone,” he said. 

“It just takes the resilience and willpower to keep going,” said Ortega in addition.

Panelists also fielded questions from the audience, giving sincere and in depth answers to student’s queries.

Oliver Martinez, an LBCC student, asked “How do you balance working and school as an undocumented student?”

“It is hard,” said Roble. “Sometimes you just have to make sacrifices.” 

She also explained that in her younger years as a student at Saint Mary’s College she took advantage of essay scholarships, at times relying on them to sustain herself in times where work was difficult to find. “They have the money, so take it!”

 “It’s also important to remember you have to take care of yourself first,” said Ortega. “You can’t succeed if you’re not.”

Another student asked about the relationship the three had to the label “undocumented” and how it has changed over time to the point where they are now, as vocal members within a dedicated club for their identity.

“I didn’t start identifying as undocumented until the end of high school,” said Ortega. “But because I was in spaces where it was ok to identify that way…I felt safe. There is still that fear sometimes when talking to staff and faculty but a lot of the times, they’re there to learn from me about my experiences.”

Roble shared an anecdote from her younger years, wherein applying for a job, she disclosed her status as an AB 540 student. 

“I told them I was AB 540 and they were like ‘What’s that?’ … I had to explain what it was,” Roble said.

“Now I can say undocumented…but when I was in high school I never thought I would be in this situation…I wasn’t ever the one to say I’m AB 540, or say ‘Hey I want to hang out more with undocumented students’…I also didn’t want the pity of ‘Oh you’re undocumented.’”

“It’s been kind of weird,” said Luna while explaining the various stages of his acceptance of the label.

“It was weird applying to colleges …when I was introduced to the DREAMERS club, I thought it was crazy, like ‘y’all are just saying you’re undocumented?’ But that’s what made me feel more comfortable.”

Roble added another comment. “It really depends too,” she said. “Talking to your peers versus talking to a professor…you get scared telling them your situation and them maybe blaming you for all these things…”

To close off the panel they were asked about the importance of creating a community voice for undocumented students in higher education.

“You either voice your concerns or you end up regretting it,” said Roble.

Despite a late start, Jesus Moreno has been a critical player for the Vikings

Soderek San
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Despite a late start, Jesus Moreno has been a critical player for the Vikings

After missing the first three games of the season due to lacking the required units needed, LBCC men’s sophomore soccer player Jesus Moreno would put in the effort to ensure he could show up for his team and guarantee that his presence would be known.

Due to a low grade in one of his classes Moreno was told to put in an early withdrawal form  which was recommended by his counselor. 

This ended up taking the units that he needed away. Moreno contacted his professor to get the grade put into the system and was able to bring his units back up to the eligible amount needed to play. 

Moreno’s impact would be shown as soon as he started his first game against Antelope Valley College during the pre-season, scoring a goal and an assist that led the Vikings to a 2-0 win. 

Midfielder Jesus Moreno (#7) scores a sensational bicycle kick in the 61st minute to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead. Moreno registered a goal and assist during the Vikings victory over Antelope Valley College on Sept. 13th. (Photo by Marco Haynes)

During his time playing at Millikan High School, Moreno was moved up into the varsity team as a sophomore, playing three years in the starting eleven and winning one Moore League title.

LBCC men’s soccer head coach Jorge Reyes would soon notice him through his connections with the coaches at Millikan. 

Most of Moreno’s standout performances were heavily influenced by coach Jorge Reyes who was a substantial motive for Moreno choosing to attend Long Beach City College over Golden West College. 

“I came to LBCC, because of the head coach. I was going to go to Golden West but I ended up talking to him for an hour and he was telling me about the players he was bringing in who were big for the team,” said Moreno. 

Moreno’s first year playing at LBCC consisted of him scoring seven goals and getting six assists in 19 games and saw the Vikings beat Cerritos and Mt. SAC in the season but were knocked out early in the playoffs for the conference title.

This season the Vikings have a talented and hungry group of players eager to win the conference and state titles with Moreno playing an important role. 

“Nene (Moreno) is an important player for the team and has shown it this season with him scoring goals when we needed them most and setting up for others. He runs a lot, works hard, and brings a lot to the team,” said coach Reyes. 

The Vikings this season have an overall record of 6-3-4, scoring 25 goals and conceding 14 goals, with Moreno scoring four of these goals with five games started.

“It’s all up to the whole team, we obviously have guys who are more talented than others but the goal for the team is we make it for us to bind together and work hard as a team. You know top teams, individuals don’t win games, don’t win titles. It comes down to the team coming together and working hard as one in order to compete,” said Moreno.  

For the last 2 years coach Reyes has had an impact on his overall game and the team’s. As claimed by Moreno, he is one of his favorite coaches because of the knowledge and experience he has that contributes to Moreno’s improvement on the field and picking out the small details that he does not notice to work on. 

“He has so much knowledge and we learn from it which is big learning from a coach like that. It adds stuff to our game that we never thought we had,” said Moreno on the importance of coach Reyes. “He has taught me a lot and sees stuff on the field that I’ve never noticed and he brings it up to me.”

As motivating as this season has been, Moreno and the team have endured obstacles amongst the squad with their egos playing a significant role but the team made sure the problem did not go unnoticed.

“Sometimes our egos get in the way but we talked about it. When we had that 2-2 tie against L.A. Mission, we talked in the locker room for about an hour and figured stuff out,”  said Moreno. 

Since their game against L.A. Mission, the Vikings have won three of five games. 

The Vikings’ next conference game is at home against L.A. Harbor on Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. 

Horticulture moves departments in search of more support for program

Matthew Walker
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Horticulture moves departments in search of more support for program

The grass looks greener for the horticulture department after undergoing a change in departments this semester from Career Technical Education (CTE) to Life Sciences since facing challenges that impeded on the department’s learning experience to the students.

Along with this, the department is getting ready to implement their long awaited ADA garden and a new ‘healing’ garden where LBCC students can use the space to relax and even do yoga.

These two projects were originally announced during the Spring 2022 semester but were delayed because the horticulture department did not receive the supplies needed to get the projects going.

“Under the new dean we finally got the ADA beds to be able to instruct disabled students,” said full-time horticulture professor Jorge Ochoa.

Ochoa has seen the move as being a positive one for the department’s future, as well as the students in it. He hopes that the move will provide a better learning experience and add more resources to the department along with preventing scheduling issues which have been a problem in the past.

“Traditionally we’ve been a part of trades so now that we are a part of science there is going to be more support from science, but we still are going to be a career technical trade class,” said Ochoa.

“The previous dean was not supporting horticulture students,” he added.

The horticulture department was originally being overseen by Gene Carbonaro, a CTE dean who is in charge of providing instructional services and funds for the trade classes.

Ochoa says he feels that the department has been neglected in the past after having trouble with class scheduling and getting resources for horticulture such as a hands free hand washing sink for the department’s instructional garden and supplies for the students to use in class.

“If I can get tools and supplies to present the students with a good learning opportunity and environment of learning…then that’s a win-win for everybody,” said Ochoa.

Ochoa is hoping that under the lifescience department students will have access to supplies for the garden without having to spend so much money out of their pockets. As of now students in horticulture have to provide their own supplies to get through the curriculum.

When Carbonaro was asked about the absence of the hand washing sink, he said he had approved and tried to fulfill the request numerous times but couldn’t due to supply shortages.

“There is nothing more I can do, it’s a supply issue problem.” said Carbonaro, “He fell into something that everybody fell into. Wanting something that you couldn’t get due to the supply chain issues of COVID-19.”

According to Carbonaro, the instructional supplies Ochoa requested were not fulfilled because he says Ochoa requested them improperly. In order for programs to receive funding for supplies, faculty need to present quotes for items and vendors in order to be granted the proper amount of money based on the purchase needed.

“Sometimes you don’t get support because you don’t participate in the process,” said Carbonaro.

“All the problems professor Ochoa has is because he doesn’t want to participate in our process… I’ve helped hundreds of faculty members and have been known to help students. I am for any student program but he is very hard to work with,” said Carbonaro.

In response to Carbonaro’s comment, Ochoa said, “Yes I followed the protocol and I brought it up in a department meeting…at the end of the day it is the dean’s responsibility to ensure that the faculty have the materials to provide a good learning experience to the students.”

Opinion: The LAC parking structure is too dangerous to navigate

Matthew Walker
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Opinion: The LAC parking structure is too dangerous to navigate

LBCC’s parking structure is unsafe for the students and staff that utilize it and LBCC has not taken enough safety measures to better control the flow of traffic in this area.

From 2018-2022 (2021 has been omitted due to campus closure during COVID-19) eight accidents were reported in the structure alone according to the Long Beach Police Department.

Within this time frame, three accidents occurred in the G and H parking lots behind the C and D building and four accidents occurred in the Veterans Stadium Parking lot (one took place during a motorcycle meet). 

There are less accidents in the three parking lots mentioned combined than in the J structure.

When the parking structure on campus gets congested, it becomes increasingly dangerous, with cars rushing down the structure, turning through blind narrow corners that can hardly fit two cars.

Not to mention, students are forced to walk through the crowded narrow roadways since there are no sidewalks, crosswalks, or safe ways to the staircases that lead to the exit of the structure.

The floor of the parking structure reads “SLOW” yet there is nothing implemented within the parking structure to encourage this. 

Students wait in a queue to enter the lot before school in search for parking close to campus. (Photo by Nick Eismann)

There are several low cost solutions available that the school could add to make the parking situation safer for those attending LBCC. 

Safetysign.com offers four different solutions to make parking lots safer. Those being: controlling the flow of traffic, designated parking areas (the structure already has this), control speed, and creating safe sidewalks.

To better control the speed of traffic, adding speed bumps at the turns going up the narrow driveway will force drivers to slow down and remain vigilant at blind corners. 

Speed bumps can be purchased for as little as $80 each and the installation process can be easily done in a day.

Flexible delineators which go for under $40 dollars each on most websites are also a great way to divide the traffic at narrow turns to avoid head on collisions and prevent people from making turns that are too wide.

Some of the staircases students take to exit the structure lead directly to the structure’s car entrances and exits which doesn’t allow for students to exit the parking structure safely. 

Students have to cross this to get on campus with no signage, designated crosswalks, or traffic spikes to slow down drivers at the entrance.

On each floor there are two different lanes you can take and at the moment none of them have a controlled flow. At the end of these lanes there are no stop signs or any other signs that warn you to merge and the traffic is expected to converge when reaching the next level.

The school plans to conduct a safety audit sometime soon which the parking lots and structure will be a part of.

LBCC has recently updated their budget which now sits at $163 million.

A project to add signage, speed bumps, and lane dividers would drastically make the parking lot safer and would not cost more than $50,000.

For a school that claims to put their students first, the safety of the students should be one of their top priorities. $50,000 out of the schools budget is a minor sacrifice to prevent harm from happening on campus and possible lawsuits.

New healthy vending machines coming to campus

Shelby Tiefenthaler
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Long Beach City College will be installing new vending machines that offer healthy meals at an $8 to $9 price point in the upcoming weeks. 

The meals, provided by the Farmer’s Fridge company, will come in recyclable jars and contain foods such as salads, yogurts and wraps that offer a full serving of fruits or vegetables. 

The idea for bringing these vending machines to campus was brought about by Barnes and Noble. The school has already partnered with this company to provide textbooks and other items at the student store. 

Barnes and Noble created an agreement with Farmer’s Fridge that allows the school to expand their food options to more than just the treats the other vending machines around the college offer.  

These vending machines are arriving in response to the recent feedback students have given about the school’s other food options that they claim are either too expensive or not nutritious enough.  

“We’d like [students] to get something healthy and affordable—not just a bagged or microwaveable item, but a good, filling meal,” stated Raymond West, who is vice president of business and administrative services. 

“We were really excited about these vending machines when we found them,” West continued, “but now it’s just a matter of getting them here.” 

The new vending machines were scheduled to arrive back in September but there have been logistical issues that have delayed their arrival. West and his team have been calling the Farmer’s Fridge daily to get these machines in the school as soon as possible. 

When they arrive, these vending machines will be located inside the E building at the Liberal Arts Campus and the GG building at Pacific Coast Campus. 

Students can continue to expect more of these quick food options while the school prepares for a complete renovation of the cafeteria happening next year.

Following the closure of the cafeteria caused by the unexpected contract termination with S&B foods, the college scrambled to find temporary food solutions for students. However, LBCC has decided not to sign a new food vendor contract until after the new cafeteria is complete.

“We are currently working with a food service consultant expert for strategies on providing better and more food solutions while the cafeteria is built,” said Robert Rapoza who is the director of business support services. 

But the cafeteria project is expected to take approximately 18 months, which means these temporary food solutions will likely stick around in the long term. 

There has been no mention of rebuilding the cafeteria at the Pacific Coast Campus and it seems that they will also have to wait for the completion of LAC’s cafeteria to sign back on to a food contract.  

In the meantime, the school will continue to look for healthier food options such as these vending machines to hold students over in the long months to come.  

Where to go in your community for Day of the Dead

Desary Vailencour
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Where to go in your community for Day of the Dead

Droves of children with face paint dressed up as characters like Miguel from Coco is what Day of the Dead looks like for many across the U.S., a Pixar retelling and commodification of an indigenous holiday that is centered around community, family and honoring one’s ancestors. 

Most people from Southern California have had exposure to the holiday before the Pixar movie debuted with the large population of latinos being present, the tradition has persevered and evolved from its indigenous roots to the celebrations we see today.

Milo Alvarez, a history professor at LBCC, shared the history of the holiday. He said, “it was a time of growth, a time of coming together, you have a harvest going on, a gathering of ancestors and everything combined with the idea that we’re people of maíz, people of corn.”

In many of the Latin American cultures, a recurring theme is the importance of corn and peoples religious ties to the crop.

As time passed, colonization settled in, catholicization came and waves of immigration brought Latinos, reinforcing their culture here in the U.S. The celebration morphed from a year-long act of honoring one’s ancestors to a weekend festival of sugar skulls, altars, pan de muerto (a type of Mexican sweet bread for the holiday), face painting, as well as markets with food and music.

With the prominence of Coco and events like Hollywood Undead, a concert at a famous cemetery in Los Angeles, or Dia de los Muertos Halloween Time at Disneyland, it’s important to remember the local events that give back to the community and the people that they bring together.

A majority of these local events are fun but also focus on their community and promoting culture, education, and giving back. 

All the following events are free to attend and are filled to the brim with vendors, food, drink and performances. Some just started more recently and others have been going on for 20-40 years.

Here at LAC on Nov. 1 the school will have a Dia de los Muertos family film showing from 4-6 p.m. and a procession from 6-8 p.m. across the campus. Also on Nov. 5 in downtown Long Beach on Pine street, the first Day of the Dead parade will be held and students can sign up to be in the parade and will receive a special event t-shirt.

Front of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach with trees and a metal statue in front.
Photo: Rene Trujillo Jr.

In downtown Long Beach the Museum of Latin American Art on Oct. 30 will have an all day event with performers, vendors, and guest speakers like Emmy award winner Jorge R. Gutierrez, a Mexican animator that helped create movies such as The Book of Life and shows like El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera. 

Nearby, in Los Alamitos on Oct. 29 the St. Isidore Historical Plaza will be holding an event with vendors and an altar display competition. The altar display competition is a $35 buy in and the winners will be judged by a panel and the local community.

Tanya Barraza, the vice president of the board said, “Dias is one of our biggest events, it’s a labor of love and a grassroots effort but every dollar of profit from the event goes into paying off the mortgage for the plaza.” Which shows exactly why supporting and attending smaller local events in your community is so important.

A couple walks down the red brick walkway in Olvera Street winged by vendors and their goods on each side.
Photo: Rene Trujillo Jr.

Moving up north, The Olvera Street Merchants Association has been throwing a multi day festival in DTLA for 35 years, with this year’s celebrations occurring from Oct 25 to Nov 2. One of the only events in the area that span over the course of nine days, their celebration starts and ends with a Mayan blessing and is lined with altars made by the community.

The usual itinerary for the days starts with a blessing then is followed with Aztec dancers, followed by “living muertos,” participants dress up as skeletons, and each night the procession leads to the “kiosko,” a covered outdoor stage, to honor a different loved one from the community while free Mexican sweet bread is passed out to all attendees.

Right across the street, La Plaza De Cultura y Artes on Oct 30 will host their family day celebration with a schedule of art and food workshops and performances throughout the day. Students grades K – 12 can pick up an activity guide and after collecting stamps at each activity will get a special Dia de los Muertos gift.

Virgin Mary covered in tiles in front of a Self Help Graphics branded trailer in the parking lot of their studio in East Los Angeles.
Photo: Rene Trujillo Jr.

Self Help Graphics & Art right across the river in East Los Angeles has been putting on Day of the Dead events for 49 years now. They’re a community based art collective and for 2022 they have planned a slew of exhibits, workshops, performances from Oct 8 all the way to Nov 28. Their main event will be on Nov 5 with exhibitions, live performances and local artisan and food vendors.

Over in Orange County, Santa Ana throws a couple of larger community events. El Centro Cultura de Mexico has been putting on a Noche de Altares, night of the altars, for 20 years and this year the event is on Nov 5. The event is all volunteer run by their community and will feature altars made by the people and organizations in their community. 

The next day Nov 6 the Bowers Museum will partake in the festivities with a free event in their courtyard. They’ll be giving guests free Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muerto and will have a large altar set up that any visitor can bring a photo of a loved one that has passed and add on to it.

Although the movie Coco was a great and heartwarming story and large events like Hollywood Forever and Disney Dia de los Muertos are fun, it’s important to remember that this holiday stems from family, community and honoring your ancestors. Check out a Day of the Dead event in your local community to have some fun and give back to your neighbors. 

MOLAA Dia de los Muertos – Long Beach

St. Isidore Historical Plaza Dia de los Muertos – Los Alamitos

Olvera Street Dia de los Muertos – DTLA

La Plaza De Cultura y Artes Dia de los Muertos – DTLA

Self Help Graphics Dia de los Muertos – East Los Angeles

El Centro Cultural de México Noche de Altares – Santa Ana

Bowers Museum Day of the Dead – Santa Ana

The chicanx punk collective from hell: OVARIAN PSYCOS

Desary Vailencour
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The chicanx punk collective from hell: OVARIAN PSYCOS

A small crowd of students congregated in one of LAC’s D building lecture halls this past September to watch a screening of the rackous documentary Ovarian Psycos, bookended by commentary and a small Q and A section with one of the documentary’s main stars, Xela de la X.

O.V.A.S (One Very Angry Antiauthoritarian Squad) a Chicanx, feminist collective based in Boyle Heights, had this documentary created about them and filmed over the course of 4 years, almost constantly in front of the camera placed there by the film’s two directors.

Also known as the Ovarian Psycos, the group focuses on community providing services to the Boyle Heights community to fight against violence, oppression, and gentrification in their neighborhoods. 

Ovarian Psycos, follows three different women within the group, one being Xela de la X. Xela (pronounced Che-lah) is one of the original co-founders of OVAS, forming the group as a “refuge for the runaway, for the throwaway.”

Xela grew up in Boyle Heights, facing hardships in her family life. The documentary takes the time to talk with Xela about her childhood, and how the dysfunction and violence that shaped her life eventually drove her to create her own community with the Psycos.

The group, in its inception, was a cycling squad. A group of women from Boyle Heights taking back the streets and rallying against the violence everyday women face. Xela, and eventually other members, would organize group bike rides, “Luna Rides”, on the full moon every month. 

These rides were meant to be in the spirit of community, to “promote autonomous community building” not just within Boyle Heights, but all of East LA. Rides would be attended by other collectives and everyday people who believed in what OVAS stood for. It’s what the Ovarian Psycos became known for.

One guest, Karla Ramirez spoke of the impact Ovarian Psycos left on her. “It was really emotional for me,” she said. “It made me cry because women of color are still being attacked, it could happen to my own sisters and friends.” 

After the documentary screening, attendees were able to ask questions to Xela de la X herself through a Zoom meeting, the floor open for anyone in attendance to speak with the co-founder featured in Ovarian Psycos. 

There were some technical mishaps, as there always tends to be, but soon enough, Xela appeared on the large screen projector, her voice greeting the few guests seated in the lecture room.

With no questions from the audience quite yet, Xela began to speak. She spoke to what she felt the main takeaway of the documentary to be: that community is vital and necessary, especially in neighborhoods so deeply impacted by the struggles of poverty, violence, and generational trauma.

She also expressed some of her dissatisfaction with the documentary in retrospect, commenting that she wished the opportunity had been more practical to her, rather than “voyeuristic” in its attempts to document the intimate lives of OVAS members like herself.

As the crowd warmed up, questions trickled in. One such question being about the OVAS current activities. 

“We’re focused more on community now,” Xela said. “We still do food and clothing drives, but not the [Luna] rides.” 

She explained that since the 2016 documentary, OVAS has strived to increase the amount of resources it can provide to the Boyle Heights community, opting to stay locally involved and remaining a collective rather than becoming any sort of non-profit organization.

This community-centric mentality is clear in all of De La X’s responses. “When we see our community as underfunded, we miss what it already has”

Another audience member asked about Xela’s five year plan for OVAS. Xela laughed. “There is none! We’re all gonna die.”

The response drew laughter from the crowd, some nodding along in agreement with the sentiment of her comment. She elaborated that with the way the collective works, there are rarely any set plans. She did add that she hoped to venture into media production in the future, spreading the anti-athoritarian beliefs Ovarian Psycos are so fond of.

”We embraced the psychosis” she stated, “because trying to live life like everything is normal is crazy to us”

Former Laker girl excels in dance and education as LBCC’s sociology professor

Emily D'Amico
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Former Laker girl excels in dance and education as LBCC’s sociology professor

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the names of Brian Garcia and Shaquille O’Neal.

A former Laker girl now operates as a full time professor at Long Beach City College. But dancing for Los Angeles’ most popular NBA team was just one stone in her mountain of success. 

LBCC’s sociology professor Karyn Daniels, danced with the Los Angeles Lakers between 1999 and 2001 through the years of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant dominating championships together. She even holds an NBA championship ring to show for it.

Daniels was one of only two sociology professors at LBCC when she started dedicating her additional 20 plus hours to the Lakers. 

She lived in a world of dance, but also in a world determined to grow her education and to educate others. Although dance was one of her passions, she never prioritized time with the Lakers over time with her career as a sociology professor.

“I never gave up anything from work for the Lakers, which in retrospect maybe I should have. But at the time this was my career and I really owed my students,” said Daniels.

Her students and her degree were of the utmost priority. These priorities shine through in her bachelors degree from UCLA and her masters degree from Yale University.

Daniels recalled a handful of times when she had to miss certain events and parades for the Lakers to continue to teach and be there for her students. 

There was one specific parade that she missed in order to focus on her work and her students.

Daniels remembered hearing the announcers on the radio note that one of the Laker girls was missing from the group. They described her as being ‘the Laker girl that graduated from Yale.’ 

Hearing this made her laugh because people were unable to picture a cheerleader and Yale graduate as the same person. These terms were supposed to be separate and accomplished by two seperate women, but in fact, Daniels did it all. 

Despite the stereotype that seemingly still revolves around dancers and cheerleaders, most of the women on the Laker girl’s team were accomplished in ways that many people will never be. 

“They were amazing women who are overachievers. You don’t make it to that level if you’ve just taken one dance class like in the eighth grade… Everyone had gone to college and everyone had these other things they were doing. It was very aspirational to be surrounded by women who were still striving,” said Daniels. 

She worked with the Clippers Spirit for three years, two while attending UCLA and one year after she graduated as she took a ‘gap year’ before attending a graduate program. 

During this transition year she was sure that she would choose her alma mater, UCLA, for her graduate program. However, after a Christmas party she attended with one of her fellow Clipper’s teammates, she saw her plans shift.

This teammate’s brother planted the idea that she apply to Yale’s graduate program, as he had attended and spoke so highly of the college. She had only seven days to apply at this point, and that she did. 

She explained this rash decision saying, “I got it together. It was kind of like a dare.”

Two years later she returned home to her same waitressing job in Orange County.

Daniels admitted, “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was in a PhD, but I left it because I was just very unhappy on the East coast.”

She then joined the Clippers again, where she experienced a camaraderie that she hasn’t had since.

“Even to this day I still dream about having been on because the connection with the other women was amazing….It’s just people who were dedicated to dance, who were dedicated to excellence in whatever they do,” said Daniels.

At 26, Daniels started teaching part time at LBCC. The following year, the school offered her a full time position and naturally she accepted. Now, Daniels has worked with LBCC for 25 years.

“It felt like home,” Daniels said.

Three short years later, the night before the Laker girl tryouts, she decided she would jump in with both feet and audition. Sure enough Daniels obvious talent and dedication to hard work landed her a spot with the L.A. Laker girls. 

Daniels shared that as a young girl she watched the Laker girls dance on T.V. and she decided she was going to do that someday. 

Her pattern of success is clear. Once Daniels fixes her eye on a goal, nothing can stand in her way of getting to where she wants to go. 

Current sociology professor, Karyn Daniels, holds an exact replica of the NBA championship ring she received in the year 2000, when she performed as a Laker Girl. Her arm rests on her favorite uniform from her years (1999-2001) as a Lakers girls. (Photo by Shelby Tiefenthaler)

Although Daniels marvels at her time with the Lakers, she admits that the job came with serious requirements and anxieties when it came to managing the team’s weight requirements. She said, “They told us, ‘this is the weight I’m hiring you at and this is what you’re staying at.’”

That sort of pressure weighs on any person, and for a perfectionist like Daniels it weighed on her more than others. She admits that she would oftentimes find she was underweight because she was scared of the scale their coach would pull out from time to time. 

Through all of this she remained a remarkable teacher for her students everyday. 

Brian Garcia, former student and current English professor at LBCC, attests to that, saying, “I remember once she told me that I needed to work on my follow through because I wasn’t pulling my weight as a student. I think I had been floating through school on natural ability for a while and I wasn’t putting enough effort in… and she was right.”

He proudly admits that she was one of his top three most influential teachers. 

 Daniels suggestion to anyone looking to try something they might fear is to, “take advantage of the weird opportunity you would have never thought of. If you can walk in, then you can walk out.” 

Even after all the years that have passed since her dancing days have ended, Daniels still does eight kicks on each leg in the morning to make sure she’s ‘still got it.’

The Healthy Viking to host Zoom Suicide Prevention Workshop

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The Healthy Viking to host Zoom Suicide Prevention Workshop

A suicide prevention workshop is being hosted by The Healthy Viking at LBCC on Nov. 1 2022.

The workshop will be led by Sergio Grimaldi, the Healthy Viking coordinator and student health services representative. 

According to Grimaldi, the Healthy Viking program is provided to students to promote mental health and medical care awareness.

“The goal of the Healthy Viking program is to destigmatize mental health and increase access for all students”, Grimaldi added.

Grimaldi has worked for the school’s Student Affairs department since Feb. 2018 and is currently the appointed interim director of the program. 

As coordinator, Grimaldi creates events and activities catered to destigmatizing mental health. This is done through a multitude of equitable and intentional services and resources provided by the program.

The online meeting will cover a wide range of topics surrounding suicide prevention, such as the risk factors of suicide in youth and young adults and information on seeking help. 

The Healthy Viking hosts semester long series of workshops on stress, anxiety, depression, and more. “We have workshop series for student parents, former foster youth, and more”, states Grimaldi.

Chris Concepcion, a current student at LBCC, points out the importance of hosting a workshop surrounding the topic of suicide. 

“I think it’s a wonderful idea. Suicide is a serious and prevalent affliction despite today’s advancements… Awareness and identifying there is a problem is the first step towards taking action”, says Concepcion.

Due to the delicacy of the subject matter, the workshops are facilitated by trained mental health clinicians. 

Students can follow the Health Vikings on Instagram @lbcc_healthyvikings for all upcoming events and workshops.

The workshop will be held over zoom and is open to all interested LBCC students at https://www.lbcc.edu/event/suicide-prevention .

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