This brief documentary showcases a few tattoos found at Long Beach City College and the stories behind them.
Everyone has a story and tattoos are just one of many ways to tell that particular story. LBCC students Dylen Rivera and Mika Dutile, and Professor Jessica Heffner go in depth on the true meaning behind their ink, discussing topics such as friends, family and mental health.
Take these stories and use them as a tool of realization to empathize with all around you.
The finding of another act of graffiti, this time in a men’s restroom, at Long Beach City College last week has been deemed noncredible, the Long Beach Police Department said.
Officers responded to a report of vandalism in the E Building on Thursday, the investigation is still ongoing, Public Information Officer Jennifer De Perez said in an email.
This act of graffiti comes in the same week after a separate report of graffiti in a women’s restroom that included the word “shooting” and a date.
Police did not reveal what was written, but additional patrols were around the campus in high visibility locations as a safety precaution.
Vertigo has landed Emma Charles a spot on NOW That’s What I Call Music! #72 in the portion of the album titled “NOW What’s Next” which features artists Ariana Grande, Lil Nas X and The Jonas Brothers.
Newest single “Vertigo” from LA-based singer-songwriter made its debut to the world on October 18 and the album released on October 25.
The folk-pop singer wrote Vertigo during a time where her life was changing fast.
To put in the simplest terms, this song would be the perfect soundtrack for an early 2000’s drama series breakup scene.
“Vertigo” is about feeling displaced and losing my sense of self. I graduated college, moved across the country to Los Angeles, and then immediately left to go on tour- all in the space of three crazy months. I was trying to write songs while my head was still spinning and I never felt quite grounded- and this is the song that came out of that,” Charles said.
Charles puts her emotions on full display in her following lyrics, “It’s hard to cling to the edge / If you haven’t got a home / I’m locked up in this gyroscope / I’m numb from Vertigo…”
The rawness of Charles’ emotions are relatable to any person who is in that awkward stage of trying to figure out their place in the world.
Putting yourself into the perspective of a recently graduated high school student, life becomes pretty fast paced when you need to figure out whether you want to continue your academic career, join the work-force or both.
Having only released singles, Charles is set to release an EP of her own at the end of the year compiling of Vertigo and three additional tracks. The EP will definitely be a milestone in her career.
Charles has 13,026 monthly listeners on Spotify and hit 53,703 plays on her single Scorpio which was released on August 2.
Charles’ past singles “Comfort In the Chaos” and “Scorpio” were produced by Doug Schadt. Schadt is best known for his writing and production on fellow folk-pop singer, Maggie Rogers’ album “Heard It in a Past Life.”
Vertigo showcases Charles’ powerful vocals and gives off an eerie sound thanks to the piano and guitar that are evident throughout the song.
Vertigo seems like the ideal song for doing something impulsive like running away from home to begin a fresh start that we all dream of. Playing this song during a commute home will be sure to make you feel as though you’re doing so.
You can listen to Vertigo on Spotify, Youtube and any other related music streaming platform.
For one day only, Burger King changed its name to Burger Town in collaboration with Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, on October 24 at the Burger King restaurant at Bellflower Boulevard and Spring Street in Long Beach.
Activision has collaborated with Burger King to bring in a real life version of Burger Town from the Call of Duty series celebrating the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Long Beach City College students, local residents, and gamers from across Southern California arrived to Burger Town to buy the themed food and receive codes for exclusive in-game content.
Eugene Wood Representing Activision Said, “We just wanted to give back the community of Call of Duty. They have been with us for over 15 years. And we wanted to do fun things with big partners and we thought this was a good way to launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.”
Attendees arrived in line to get a chance to play in teams of two against two professional Call of Duty players, Yousef Abdelfattah (FaZe Apex) and Seth Abner (Scump).
Attendees received a free Burger Town Keychain, a Call of Duty themed crown and a raffle ticket to win a Burger Town shirt and a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for Playstation 4 or Xbox One.
Local Long Beach resident Max Case attended the event after seeing a tweet about the event on twitter.
“I’m a fan of Call of Duty since Call of Duty 4 came out, it’s cool they’re doing this. It’s local, so I came to check it out.” Max said.
Scump was streaming the event on Twitch along with FaZe Apex playing against everyone as well as signing autographs and taking photos with them during the event.
LBCC student Steven Espio majoring in Nursing, came with his friends who invited him to come to the event to win against Call of Duty professionals FaZe Apex and Scump.
“I’m definitely excited to see the full version of the game, excited to see some of the bugs fixed during the beta, and excited to play against the best players and we want to win,” Steven said.
Grubhub is also doing a promotion on selected Burger King locations in 16 cities in Los Angeles County with exclusive codes for in-game content when delivered, while nationwide locations will receive Call of Duty themed meals.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has named Board of Trustees Vice President Uduak-Joe Ntuk the new State Gas and Oil Supervisor where he will supervise a division of approximately 400 people.
A celebration was held for Ntuk Wednesday October 23 for his new job at the Department of Conservation.
“I think it gives us a stronger connection to Sacramento. A lot of bills and funding come directly from state legislature, so I’ll be working there as my day job but I’ll still be here on the board part-time,” Ntuk said.
Ntuk’s new objectives as Oil and Gas supervisor will be to develop carbon footprint reduction projects and working alongside the energy industry and the state to bring feasible solutions for environmental challenges.
Ntuk was elected to the LBCCD Board in 2018 and plans on continuing his duties for the Board while working for the Department of Conservation.
“We know he’s going to represent us well and we’re excited LBCC has gotten recognition at the state level,” said Romali.
“We’re incredibly excited. When we got the news that he got the job we were so thrilled. He’s a wonderful man, he’s going to do great things,” Superintendent-President Romali said.
Long Beach Councilmember Roberto Uranga who served on the Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2014 was present at the event and praised Ntuk for his dedication to the Long Beach community.
“He has been a long-time advocate for community activists in Long Beach. I met him through those kinds of circles: working together to make some positive change,” Uranga said.
As a California Coastal Commission member, Uranga explained how Ntuk’s new role will impact Long Beach and the oil wells near the city.
“His job would cross with me at a certain extent when it comes to the development [of the coast] and how we handle oil fields, oil protection, and how we are able to protect our coasts from oil spills and from contamination of oil wells in the coasts,” Uranga said.
The event took place at LAC where Board President Vivian Malauulu and Superintendent-President Romali congratulated Ntuk on his new achievement.
There is current discussion on a possible name change for the Pacific Coast Campus to better reflect the programs that are offered on campus.
Superintendent-President Reagan Romali will determine if it is in the best interests of the District to rename PCC specially.
“Whatever best reflects the students and the faculty at PCC, I’m for it,” Romali said.
The Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees discussed the possible name change at their October meeting.
Board President Vivian Malauulu represents area 2 which covers West Long Beach, including PCC. She led the discussion of the name change during the meeting.
“I think it should be changed. It’ll give students and faculty morale boost they need at PCC,” Malauulu said,
“Even if it doesn’t, at least I’m doing my job on listening to the community.”
Professor of Electrical Technology Lynn Shaw wrote a letter addressed to the Board of Trustees about the name change.
“Long Beach City College Pacific Coast Campus needs an identity beyond its current designation as PCC. This designation is a location not a community identity. The quality programs faculty, students, and staff deserve a name that defines the quality teaching and learning that takes place there,” Shaw said in the letter.
“I urge you to give the Pacific Coast Campus a name that recognizes Long Beach City Colleges role in career education, including the trades. Career Education and the students of today are interested in skills and competencies. The work of the PCC campus should highlight and promote the connections between college and career.”
All recommendations for the renaming of PCC will be submitted to the Board of Trustees by Romali.
PCC was originally called the Business and Technology Division, also known as the “BTD” campus or the “BTC.” The name reflected the focus of the 1950’s and 1960’s occupational programs.
This re-naming is coincided with the expansion of programs and services, such as child development, horticulture, photography, english as a second language, and basic adult education.
LBCC’s football team presented a watch party for their second episode of “Redemption,” a documentary series that follows the team, coaches, and athletics department for the entire season.
This is the first time that LBCC to have a documentary series of behind the scenes of the football team.
“This season the team’s motto is “redemption” because the message is to redeem themselves from their disappointing season last year as they finished 4-6,” head coach Brett Peabody said.
At first, Peabody was hesitant on participating in the documentary.
“I was really hesitant and unsure because of what I tell the boys and how it comes out, all the men curse, I curse and I didn’t want it to be controversial,” Peabody said.
“They’re here from 8 a.m. in the weight room, go to classes, come back to practice, and some of them even have jobs. The amount of work the men put in is unbelievable.”
Peabody eventually agreed to be apart of it because he wants the players to be recognized for the hard work they put in, and that’s exactly what this documentary will do.
The documentary series sheds a lot of light on the preparation the players have to go through, plus, following players off the field.
Sophomore linebacker De’Anthony Jones was one who was nervous being recorded at home.
“I was not used to being recorded all the time. Now it’s just like the camera isn’t even there, and it’s really cool being apart of this, it’s definitely different but I like it,” said Jones.
Media producer Brad Crihfield hopes to expand this project with other sports at LBCC in the future but is honored to be a part of a team with talented men.
“I love doing different projects and this group of young men is amazing to work with,” said Crihfield.
“I’m like a fly on the wall, I don’t want them talking to me, I don’t want them paying any attention to me,” Crihfield said.
There is a guarantee on at least five episodes, but it all depends on how far the team will go.
Episode 3 of “Redemption” will be released on Nov. 27 and will be shown on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Outside hitter Anisa Lopez threw down the hammer for a total of 13 kills to lead Long Beach City College to a sweeping victory over the visiting Rio Hondo Roadrunners 3-0 with scores of 25-17, 25-20, 25-19 on Wednesday evening.
Additionally, Lopez contributed six digs and an essential serving ace to help secure the win over the Roadrunners.
“It was a good team win,” head coach Misty May-Treanor said after the game. “Rio has a lot of heart and they were tough to beat on their home court.”
Outside hitter Cairon Fido and setter Lexi Randolph added a whopping 35 combined assists as the Vikings held on to their number two position in the South Coast Conference.
“Our performance was great,” said middle hitter, Destinee Sampson who recorded two crucial kills during the third set, both assisted by Randolph.
“We have had some ups and downs,” she said, “But we played better than we did at their home.”
Sampson was impressed by the performances of Fido and Randolph and gave them both high praise for the level of aggression they brought to the game.
Outside hitter and defensive specialist Brooke Earkman had a solid performance in the Vikings’ win over the Roadrunners, adding six kills and thirteen digs.
“There is a highlight from each girl,” May-Treanor said. “We’re just looking for a leader.”
Kathleen Shields, mother of opposite hitter and setter Alana Shields, said after the game she was delighted by her daughter’s performance in the game. “She played well,” Shields said. “They all played well. They’re fun to watch.”
Shields was most impressed with her daughter serving ten times in a row during the second set of the match, those ten serves resulting in two service aces..
The Vikings are away next game to face Cerritos College on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
LBCC forward Gustavo Cervantes scored two goals in Friday’s game, but that wasn’t enough to overcome Pasadena City College, losing 4-3 at Vets Stadium.
The loss can be attributed to the amount of injuries that the men’s soccer team attained.
The men’s soccer team faced adversity as Pasadena City College player Erneto Angulo scored in the 12 minute.
After an assist from Jaelyn Agu, Cervantes scored his first of two goals in the 21 minute.
As halftime passed, LBCC tied the game at two, after Pasadena forward Asher Smith scored in the 48 minute, Gustavo Cervantes scored his second goal just a minute later.
Pasadena forward Mario Urbina scored in the 57 minute and Pasadena added another in three minutes.
Facing a 4-2 defeat, LBCC forward Alejandro Galvan scored one last goal to finish the game as a 4-3 loss.
Cervantes voiced his take on the injuries the team faced, “We’ve got a lot of people injured and we can’t played with a majority of the team injured.”
Coach Cameron Bealuc confirmed that the loss came to injuries, having lost five starters to injury.
“Our poor communication and how we kept swinging the ball and missing it,” Bealuc said.
LBCC forward Jaelyn Agu said, “I don’t think the intensity was there in the second half.”
“If we could’ve stepped together and more, we could’ve forced the ball back to their centerbacks. Also, we weren’t that comfortable with our feet.”
The LBCC men’s soccer team takes the field again at home vs LA Harbor College, at 7:30 p.m. on October 22.
Another act of graffiti has occurred in a restroom at the Liberal Arts Campus, in the same week of someone vandalizing a women’s restroom with the word “shooting” and a date.
Police did not disclose what was written, when it was written and who wrote it, but the vandalism was found in the men’s restroom of the cafeteria in the E building.
The Long Beach Police Department have been notified and have started to conduct an investigation, Officer K. Stinson said.
The Viking will update this story as more information becomes available.
