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 Lela Asi leads LBCC softball team to 9-1 victory over a hot Cerritos College team

Liam Hollon
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 Lela Asi leads LBCC softball team to 9-1 victory over a hot Cerritos College team

A four RBI game from LBCC right fielder Lela Asi helped propel the Vikings softball team past the  red hot Cerritos College Falcons in a 9-1 win for the Vikings on Tuesday.

Both teams entered the game on large win streaks, with Cerritos having won 14 in a row and LBCC 10 in a row. 

This, however, was seen as just another match for the Vikings, who didn’t let Cerritos’ impressive streak impact their confidence. 

“I think it’s helpful to not read into what the other teams are doing and just focus on how I can be successful,” starting pitcher and first baseman Ella Haugo said. 

The Vikings offense shined in the early stages of the game, putting up five runs in the first two innings and setting the stage for what would be a blowout victory. 

Haugo pitched an impressive nine strikeouts in the matchup along with a base hit, helping her team greatly on both sides of the ball. 

LBCC Viking infielder Ali Calderon is running past second base during the Vikings 9-1 win over the Cerritos Falcons during the conference playoff game on Tuesday. The Vikings move passed to the next round of play where they play the LA Habor on Friday. (Keith Lewis)

Being patient in the batter’s box was a sentiment many on the team shared that was on the forefront of their minds throughout the game. 

“During the game, I just kept reminding myself not to let the moment get too big, to calm my breath and calm myself down,” Asi said. 

Head coach of the Vikings, Megan Martinez, noted the importance of the team’s collective mentality going into each and every game this year. 

“We play every game like it’s a conference championship or a national title, and we prepare for it every single day, whether it’s the last-place team or the first-place team that we’re playing,” Martinez said. 

Haugo also added how much the team has improved since the middle of the season, allowing them to make this late push in their division before the playoffs begin. 

“I think that everyone is just doing their job, whether it’s in the field, in the circle and in the batter’s box, everyone’s doing what they have to do,” Haugo said. “In the middle of the season, no one was really doing that and we were kind of at a low.”

LBCC Viking catcher Zara Mineo is throwing the ball back to second base almost getting the runner out on second, during the Vikings smashing 9-1 victory over the Cerritos Falcons on Tuesday at the conference game. Mineo is from Orange County and a sophomore at LBCC. (Keith Lewis)

LBCC played its final regular-season game on Tuesday against El Camino College in a 5-3 loss and we begin regional play on Friday.

Mentorship and inspiration: UCLA surgeon and LBCC alumnus share their experiences through medicine

Heaven Herrera
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Mentorship and inspiration: UCLA surgeon and LBCC alumnus share their experiences through medicine

Sharing their experiences on helping provide medical care in Honduras, Dr. Christian Miguel de Vergilio, vascular surgeon and department chair of surgery at UCLA and LBCC alumnus Alex Suarez discussed the role of mentorship in guiding a student’s career on April 20th at the Sip n Science on LAC campus.

Dr. de Vergilio began by using a metaphor that he would repeat multiple times throughout the event to illustrate struggle.

“So during your voyage through the river of life, you may hit rough patches, you may lose your way, you may feel lost, you may need to rest at times, you may need to reassess your path, and you will also undoubtedly need help,” said Dr. de Vergilio

His own journey was filled with turbulence, with Dr. de Vergilio developing anuric renal failure during childhood and only being saved due to the local doctors donating their own blood.

Dr. de Vergilio credits this event and his uncle, who took him under his wing, with inspiring him to not only go into medicine but to help mentor others as was done for him.

On the topic of his uncle’s mentorship, he said, “But not everyone gets that opportunity, and getting that spark or that interest or that motivation when you’re a teen can be a big motivator in helping you decide that medicine is perhaps something that you want to do.”

This mentality is what brought him to Honduras, where he was giving disadvantaged people AV Fistulas, providing them a safer method of getting dialysis treatments in comparison to the more common catheters available in the country.

The trip was funded by the Hackett-Hemwall-Patterson Foundation, which focuses on providing medical care to underserved patients through programs such as sponsoring service-learning trips like the one to Honduras.

Though he didn’t take this trip alone, he brought along the student he was mentoring, Alex Suarez, an LBCC alumnus and biology student, who had been working with him back in the United States. 

Suarez talked about his experience working with Dr. de Vergilio before going to Honduras, “I shadowed him for a couple months in the clinic, I went to the OR (operating room) with him, and some of his residents.”

The experience gained from working during the trip and in the hospital allowed both career knowledge to be gained, as well as to give back to those who don’t have the means to receive the best care possible. 

Dr. de Vergilio offered some words of advice, “How you respond to failure is really what defines you, seek mentors, sponsors, and counsel. You will be better off on your journey in the river of life if you learn to be a giver, find your ikegai (purpose), learn to be optimistic, take breaks in life, and take care of your health…”

This spirit of giving, positivity, and pursuing passion resonated with students. Adriana Salazar, a pre-nursing student, said, “I contemplate changing and giving up a lot, so I come to these things to remind me of why I want to do it.”

Conference advocates for intersection of Ethnic Studies with math, fashion, and science 

Heaven Herrera
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Conference advocates for intersection of Ethnic Studies with math, fashion, and science 

LBCC held an open-to-all summit to discuss ethnic studies, culturally relevant teaching and education advocacy in the T-Building at the LAC on March 28.

The summit consisted of four main breakout sessions discussing different relevant topics such as fashion as a form of resistance, the relevance of culture in math, language compromise, which means how to be more flexible in academic settings when it comes to the type of language being used, and cultural lenses being applied to learning. 

The latter session, called “Helping to Free Our People,” was coordinated by Los Angeles Unified School District teacher Janice Chow.

“There is an intersection of science and ethnic studies and so there is a discussion to be had about that overlap and also about developing counter-narratives to traditional western science,” said Chow about her session.

Chow then gave examples as to how cultural lenses can be applied to learning, such as bringing up melanin when discussing evolution as an evolutionary advantage, and bringing in indigenous perspectives when discussing the topic of climate change. 

“Ethnic studies is such a crucial part of how we learn and how we see the world and it’s also how we can empower people to change the world,” Chow said.

One visitor who attended the “Fashion as Resistance” session was Melvin Villaver, an adjunct professor of African-American studies for the Los Angeles Community College District.

“I really appreciate how our panelists were looking at popular culture, like fashion, as the cultural milieu of black, brown, indigenous peoples over time and how we represent ourselves is in how we appear,” said Villaver. 

The summit was open to not just students and educators at LBCC, but to high school students and educators, and students and educators from other colleges and districts.

“I’m interested in learning more about what is going on, on the ground level at community colleges in terms of the field of ethnic studies,” said Villaver when asked why he felt motivated to attend. 

Some visitors at the summit registered to attend beforehand, and signed in upon entering. 

Frank Perez, an associate professor of ethnic studies at LBCC, explained that there were practical reasons for this such as knowing how much food to provide for the event, but that there were also other reasons.

“We do the registration so that we can report the information back. Information regarding who’s coming. It’s primarily community college people coming, but there’s also faculty, and high school people. It’s a fine dance of making sure we are knowing who’s accountable and that we are using money well to support outreach for our students,” Perez said.

Miguel Zavala, associate professor of teaching at UC Riverside, began the summit with a keynote discussing the nature of ethnic studies.

Zavala proposed a three-fold understanding of what ethnic studies is, which includes identifying the hurdles faced in academia by marginalized communities, identifying the systems that have enabled the hurdles and what schools can do to help students and educators overcome these hurdles, as well as putting new ideas and systems in place to minimize these challenges in the future.

Alex Palou wins Long Beach Grand Prix, his third win of the season

Liam Hollon
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Alex Palou wins Long Beach Grand Prix, his third win of the season

IndyCar driver Alex Palou made the critical pass for 1st place in the pit lane during Sunday’s race to win his first Long Beach Grand Prix and third win of the season. 

Palou finished the race 3.9 seconds ahead of second place, showing impressive pace and stamina during the later stages of the race. 

The race featured only one caution, but it proved to be the deciding factor in who would come out victorious.

During the caution, both Palou and front-runner Felix Rosenqvist went to the pit lane, where Palou’s faster pit stop allowed him to exit just in front of Rosenqvist.  

“The pressure that they had at that moment was pretty high, so incredible the work they did,” Palou said of his pit crew. 

Rosenqvist led for the majority of the race and likely would have won had it not been for the full-course caution. 

“I knew it was going to be yellow at some point. It’s a bit frustrating, but at the end of it, Alex did a better job under pressure,” Rosenqvist said. 

Olympic gold medalist in speed skating Jordan Stolz, right, gives IndyCar driver Alex Palou, left, the first-place trophy for winning the Long Beach Grand Prix on Sunday. Palou now has three wins in the early season and leads the championship. (Bella Schultz)

Following the pit stop pass, Palou managed the race masterfully and extended his lead throughout the remainder of the Grand Prix. 

Palou noted that without the full course caution, a pass for the lead was very unlikely and would have been very difficult to execute. 

“My confidence was high, but my chances were low. I was not going to give up, but I think it would have been very, very tough for us to get it today,” Palou said. 

IndyCar driver Alex Palou hugs a member of his team after winning the Long Beach Grand Prix on Sunday. Palau started third on the grid and won his third race of the season. (Bella Schultz)

The win at Long Beach makes Palou the points leader in the IndyCar series and puts him in a prime position to win his fifth IndyCar national championship. 

Letter from the editors: ASB story removed

The Viking News
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CORRECTION: The headline and article have been updated to include that the story has been removed.

On Tuesday an article was published by The Viking News regarding the spring 2026 Associated Student Body election, making the mistake of not including one of the candidates running for Student Trustee.

The article did not include the candidate running for re-election, Pise Leiataua, the current Student Trustee for Long Beach City College.

The article also did not give fair coverage to the candidates, as it did not give them a chance to explain why they are running for elections, which would let students make an informed decision. 

We take full responsibility as your Editors in Chief and Managing Editor for the publication of this article and our mistakes and apologize to both our readers and for not fairly covering the election.

The article has since been removed from our website.

Going forward, we will be making the necessary changes towards our paper in order to ensure our readers get accurate and unbiased information. 

The Viking News is committed to holding each staffer accountable and will take the time to thoroughly look at each article submitted to the paper.

First off, we will be taking the time to individually talk to each of our reporters about every story to ensure fair coverage and that they have a full understanding of the stories that they are writing. 

Secondly, holding our section editors and ourselves accountable for doing proper research, so that we are able to check the information that our reporters provide, before it’s published. 

Holding these standards as a paper will ensure that we eliminate the potential for bias and misinformation. 

If anyone has questions or concerns, The Viking News can be contacted at lbccvikingnews@gmail.com or visit the newsroom located in room P-135. 

Paloma Maciel, Bella Schultz and Sam Villa

From Texas to Toronto, Demetrious Maxie lives and breathes football

Liam Hollon
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From Texas to Toronto, Demetrious Maxie lives and breathes football

From Texas to Toronto, former defensive end at LBCC and current assistant head coach for the Toronto Argonauts, Demetrious Maxie has always had a love for football. 

Demetrious is a Grey Cup winner as a coach for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League and credits LBCC with being the stepping stone that got his professional career started, as well as assisting him academically. 

Demetrious’s mother, who was in the medical field, pushed him to follow in her path, which meant education was vital for him at LBCC. 

“Education was first, and I rebelled against that for a bit, but coming here really made me open my eyes and realize that I need to do more in order to get as far as I possibly can go,” Demetrious said.

Following his time at Long Beach City College, Demetrious played at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he excelled as a key standout on the defense.

Despite having conversations with NFL teams coming out of college, he was never signed to a team, but this was not the end for Demetrious, rather just a new opportunity. 

“When my NFL opportunities fell through, Canada was there to say, ‘ Hey, it’s not over, we can give you an opportunity here,’ so I went there and had a grand old time and made it into my home,” Demetrious said. 

Demetrious went on to play 13 seasons in the CFL, winning three Grey Cups as a player and earning an All-Star spot in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. 

Following his playing career, Demetrious still felt as if he had more to give to the game. 

“After playing, I went back to UTEP and I became the assistant defensive line coach, and then I realized that I needed to get back into professional sports,” Demetrious said. 

When he made his return to coaching, Demetrious made sure to set high standards for himself to ensure he could be the best coach possible. 

“I always told myself that if I decide to coach after I’m done playing, I’m gonna be better than the coaches I have,” Demetrious said. 

He would return to the CFL and begin his coaching career in 2016, where he would rise up the ranks from defensive line coach to assistant head coach for the Toronto Argonauts.

Leadership was something that Demetrious had always seen in himself, even back when he was a player for the Argonauts. 

“Because of the strong mindset that I had that wanted to have more and the skill set of the people around me, they pushed me to be a leader,” Demetrious said. “I thought I was an ok football player, but they thought I was a great football player, and I embraced that.”

Demetrious’s wife, Maria Maxie, who has been with him through his entire coaching tenure, noted some of the qualities that Demetrious has that make coaching come naturally to him. 

“He is very passionate and he loves what he does. When you are involved in something you enjoy, it does not feel like work,” Maria said. 

Demetrious Maxie, right, with his wife, Maria Maxie, left, at Long Beach City College’s Hall of Champions induction ceremony on March 26. Maxie was a football athlete who went on to play in the Canadian Football League, where he now coaches the Toronto Argonauts. (Liam Hollon)

A close friend of Demetrious’s, Nikia Young, also explained the qualities in him that allow him to connect so well with players.

“He encourages all of the people around him to be better, no matter what,” Young said. 

While Demetrious has risen to incredible heights in the CFL, he still has his sights even higher for the future. 

“I’m thriving for more and I want to be a head coach soon. I believe I deserve it because of the hard work, what I believe in and the good people in my corner,” Demetrious said. 

The Toronto Argonauts will be playing their first game on June 4, which will be Demetrious’s first game as an assistant head coach. 

LBCC alum and current Toronto Argonauts assistant coach Demetrious Maxie shows his Grey Cup ring at the 21st Annual Athletic Hall of Champions on March 26. (Liam Hollon)

Vikings complete the comeback in a 5-4 win

Alejandro Diaz Lopez
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Vikings complete the comeback in a 5-4 win

The Vikings win on a late inning rally, scoring three runs to take the lead from Mt. San Antonio, with the help of their ace pitcher Dylan Proost pitching a complete game on Thursday. 

Proost got into some trouble in the top of the third and fourth inning, giving up two runs in each of those innings, giving Mt. San Antonio a four run lead, but would smoothly get past hitters for the remainder of the game.

Things started to look good for Mt. San Antonio’s starting pitcher Hudson Castillo, but the Vikings would score two runs off of Castillo in the bottom of 6th, getting closer to get the lead. 

LBCC’s designated hitter and third basemen Aaron Mingo and second basemen Garret Rodriguez led their team to win, giving them the lead by batting in three runs off relief pitcher Juan Verduzco in the bottom of the 8th inning, giving Proost the chance to get the complete game and win the game 5-4 against Mt. San Antonio.

Coach Phillip Visico praised his ace pitcher Dylan Proost for completing the game, helping them overcome the four run deficit against Mt. San Antonio.

“He (Proost) filled up the strike zone with a lot of strikes and got a lot of weak contact, some punch outs, and that was definitely huge for us. They did go up on us four to nothing, but we definitely scratched the claw back, and it was very nice to see from this group,” said Visico.

The Vikings are looking to finish off the season strong with three games left in the regular season. 

“Finish strong, that’s what I have been praising for this all week, just finish strong.” Visico said. 

When asked about his bounce back and the complete game he pitched, Dylan Proost found a way to attack Mt. San Antonio in the strike zone after the 4th inning. 

“My approach was basically just trying to attack either a fastball or curveball. I didn’t really have everything with my off speed today, so I went mostly with the fastball, but it seemed like it was surprising them a little bit and just wanted to attack the zone for sure,” said Proost

Aaron Mingo, who was 3 for 4 at the plate with 2 RBI’s, talked about his approach, which led his team to victory in the bottom of the 8th inning.

“I definitely wanted to hit something hard, just try to get on base and help my team win the ballgame,” said Mingo. 

LBCC Vikings will play L.A. Harbor on Tuesday @ 2 P.M. at home. Their current record is 16-20 and they are 11-10 in their conference. 

Cast and crew of ‘Into the Woods’ open up about experience in musical

Ryan Guerrero
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Cast and crew of ‘Into the Woods’ open up about experience in musical

Cast and crew members of LBCC’s production of the musical “Into the Woods” answered questions from prospective performing arts students at two Q&A sessions on March 18 as part of the Meet the Performing Arts event. 

The event invited students from four local high schools from the Long Beach Unified School District, including Renaissance, Wilson, Millikan and Lakewood high schools. 

The students engaged in tours, breakout sessions with professors and experienced an abbreviated performance of “Into the Woods” before the Q&A sessions. 

Among the panel was Phyre Romero, who played the role of the Witch, production stage manager Jade Abbott, and Director Andre Brown. Along with actor Christopher Johnson, who played the Mysterious Man, Aden Cajudo, who plays Jack and Charlie Banister, who plays Little Red Riding Hood. 

“In choosing that panel we wanted to be sure that we encompassed not just performers, but all of our disciplines,” said Skye Angulo, the vocal director for “Into the Woods,” who also coordinated the event. 

The panelists answered questions about their favorite lines and what they liked to do when they weren’t onstage.

Romero answered that her favorite line was “You’re so nice,” from the second act song “Last Midnight,” and that backstage performers are usually eating or mouthing the lines spoken or sung by whichever characters are actually actively onstage at that time, as they wait for their own cues. 

Another question asked to the panel was how difficult it was for them to balance being in the musical while also being in classes. 

The panel responded with how they have managed to succeed despite the challenges, mentioning the program’s accommodations like schedule accommodations, and Romero mentioned her additional commitment to track and field. 

“It was a new experience but it felt nice giving advice about balancing work and school. I know it was a struggle for me in the beginning, so it was nice to give hope that it’s possible to achieve what you want while still pursuing your education,” said Abbott, expressing how it felt to be part of the panel.

Other questions included what the panelists’ goals were in their careers, how the actors tapped into their characters and if the LBCC production took any liberties with the source material. 

The latter question was mostly answered by director Andre Brown, who highlighted changes such as the unique characterization of the narrator character to be more relatable to a Gen Z audience. In LBCC’s production of “Into the Woods,” the narrator was a college student who uses Tiktok, as opposed to in the original musical it’s an older man. 

Brown also explained that the script itself, the dialog and songs, was followed exactly as originally written, in accordance with the performance license required to perform the show.

“I love to see young people interested, because if we don’t have audiences, we ultimately won’t be able to grow the program or have arts. So, we always have to make sure that we’re inspiring these audiences so that we have, not just only students, but art makers in the future,” said Brown, reflecting on the event’s turnout.

Tailgate event for softball game celebrates women during March

Diosa Hippolyta
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Tailgate event for softball game celebrates women during March

Flowers, with fun and lots of food hot off the grill, brought students, faculty and staff out to the softball field to celebrate LBCC’s Women’s History Month Meet Your Village Tailgate Party event honoring many involved in the success of the school.

Quesadillas, hot dogs, chips and cookies were all available for students and staff gathered at the LAC right outside the softball field for a quick tailgate before a noon game.

After playing a strong game against East Los Angeles College and sending the Huskies home with a 10-1 mercy rule loss on March 26, the Vikings were right back at the field the next day for a showdown against Southwestern, but not before a little bit of fun and games honoring the women at LBCC.

Music and dancing mascots were all part of the pregame tailgate celebration.

The event brought out LBCC students as volunteers and some even brought high school family members to participate and experience the celebration honoring women.

“I mean, I wanted to do it last year, but my car broke down and I was really excited to do it,” said Jamesuniq McAlister, an LBCC biology and business major student. 

Flowers in glass vases and bouquets in buckets were ready to be handed out to the guests during the opening ceremony.

The Women’s History Month Tailgate pregame celebration is in its third year and continues to grow and has the attention of parents of both teams as they prepare for the noon game.

The Viking caught up with the father of Alianna Calderon,  a first year second base player from Cerritos High School. 

“She’s enjoyed her experience here. She likes the camaraderie, the coaching staff, her teammates, she’s very close with all the girls,” said Antonio Calderon.

Calderon shared how the experience on the softball team has helped his daughter grow and work hard, training to earn a secure spot and play whenever the opportunity arises in a game.  

“She’s having a great time, I mean, you can’t go wrong with the experience,” Calderon said.

And then with a focus on women this month, he shared his thoughts about being a father.

“I just feel like giving these young ladies these extra days, these extra opportunities to enjoy being a woman. You know, women are very powerful. So I think it’s great that we’re celebrating them and all their achievements and, you know, and raising good, strong, independent women that can, like, support themselves and do things on their own,” Calderon said.

Vikings outfielder Mikaela Pacheco’s dad was in the stands waiting for the opening ceremony that honors his daughter.

“I think it’s important to celebrate women’s sports. My daughters have been involved in softball since they were little, so to see this side, this sport that my daughters have been able to participate in for years now. So it’s nice to see my daughter be able to play at this level,” Victor Pacheco said.

Vivian Malauulu, LBCC board trustee, arrived with her son Koa and shared some thoughts.

“I love attending Long Beach City College softball games. This place has a very special place in my heart,” said Malauulu

She shares how she is a mother of two softball players and the oldest played with LBCC’s assistant coach Mike Rogers on his USA Athletics team and how the softball field was their practice field.

“I spent many years here, even before I was on the board, because this is where they practiced.

Before this beautiful facility was built, we would practice on the soccer field and practice,” Malauulu said.

Malauulu ended with a message for all the women being honored during the event and beyond to the community as the music was playing.

“So it’s not about being the best on the team. It’s being on the team. I wasn’t going to win an athletic scholarship, but I have great memories,” Malauulu said.

The crowd continued to grow and more staff and some key organizers arrived to enjoy the celebration.

Deborah Miller-Calvert, Dean of Student Affairs, shared how the event started as just a casual conversation among two colleagues to celebrate women that has now become an annual LBCC tradition.

Miller-Calvert explained the importance of events like this celebration which fosters belonging for students. 

“You need to feel supported and welcomed so that you can finish matriculating, and so if you don’t feel like you belong or don’t have a sense of belonging,  those other things might be a little bit more difficult,” Miller-Calvert said.

As the clock kept ticking towards noon, the crowd headed towards the field with a welcome tunnel for all the women in the house that gathered in the center of the field for the opening ceremony with the singing of the National Anthem.

The Vikings went on to win 3-0 against Southwestern and have gone on to win undefeated in the conference series making history in the moment.       

Evangelical preacher and influencer Sister Cindy Speaks at CSULB

Luke Neuhaus
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Evangelical preacher and influencer Sister Cindy Speaks at CSULB

Evangelical preacher and social media influencer “Sister Cindy” spoke at California State University Long Beach about female promiscuity on Friday.

Cynthia Smock, known online as Sister Cindy, has gathered an online following for her preaching about female promiscuity with the catchphrase “Ho No Mo” and urges women to follow God and reject modern ideas of “hoeness” and sexuality. 

Cindy is one of many campus preachers who make a name for themselves traveling to colleges and universities across the country and spreading religious messaging.

When asked, Cindy cited her reasoning for why she preaches about female immodesty.

“I used to wear the hoe chain, after a while, the hoe chain grows heavy! …But then I found out God didn’t plan for me to wear the hoe chain,” she said while holding a physical chain to represent the “hoe chain”. 

While Cindy spoke, a small crowd of students formed around her, actively engaging with her instead of arguing about who she accommodated, moving her setup to the shade so students could sit and listen. 

However, most in the crowd did not seem to take her seriously, with many even making jokes at her expense. 

Most seemed to simply be indulging her because they found her talking points funny and after about an hour of her speaking, a majority of the crowd had thinned out.

This seems to be a standard whenever Cindy visits a college campus, as when she visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the school’s student-run publication, “The Daily Cardinal”, reported a very similar response when she spoke at the campus last September.

Despite this, there were some students who seemed to take her more seriously and even seemed to agree with her words.

“I like it when she comes here… she tells people ‘hey, don’t ruin your lives,” said Valerie Meulenberg, a student at CSULB and self-proclaimed Catholic.

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