Share: Genesis Holmes is a second-year business major at Pasadena City College. Originally from Tennessee State University, a historically black college (HBCU), she came to California to continue her education at PCC. Through family members and her experience as a black woman, Holmes had always felt system-impacted, so she joined and took a leadership role in the Community Overcoming Recidivism through Education (CORE) program to highlight that experience and to have a voice for other marginalized groups, especially the roughly 4% of black students at …
A paper crown prize for PCC’s ultimate Smash Bros. player
Share: Adorned in a paper crown fastened together with packing tape, Jose Chavez took his bottle of original-flavored Ramune and Super Mario Bros. mushroom-shaped candy container and held them up high in victory. These were the rewards of conquest for Chavez, who was the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament champion. The audience of 30-odd club members, some former opponents of his, applauded. Using only Dr. Mario, Chavez played in what could only be considered a surgical fashion, breaking down contestant after contestant on his way …
From The Archive: Sorry Class of 1960, still no jet powered motor scooters
Share: [Note, 2024: The 1960’s brought the continuation of the space age, a time when the world was fascinated with technological innovation and a vision of what the future would bring. Many imagined that modes of transportation would greatly shift in the next decades, envisioning flying machines such as the “unicopter,” “space cycles” and “jet powered motor scooters” dreamed up in this piece. After the postwar boom of the 1950’s and the approaching space race, the question on everyone’s minds was ‘what will the future …
How a queer, undocumented poet remains positive in a neglectful society
Share: Before formally introducing himself and delving into his presentation about his life and the opportunities for success in which he took advantage of despite being an undocumented migrant, poet Yosimar Reyes reads a poem of his entitled “Undocumented Joy.” The poem expresses Reyes’ inability to accurately remember the exact moment he crossed the border and the direct impacts of crossing the border at such a young age. The poem set the tone of the presentation, giving some insight on the source of his embracement …
A wave of change: PCC joins Save Our Beach for Coastal Cleanup Day
Share: Microplastics washed up with the currents and were scattered along the sand. In the area where the San Gabriel River meets the coastline, small pieces of garbage floated down the stream and larger pieces were wedged into the surrounding rocks. The trash that washed up ranged from wrappers and broken glass to styrofoam and furniture scraps. “It was very eye-opening to see how much trash there really was,” said Anna Mendoza, a PCC student who witnessed it firsthand. On Saturday, Sept. 21st, 193 students …
From the Archives: The Courier covers college’s conception
Share: [Editor’s Desk, 2024: The birth of Pasadena City College in 1947 didn’t just mark the start of a new institution—it also brought about a transition for its student newspaper. With the merging of John Muir College and Pasadena Junior College, the Pasadena Chronicle, which had served as the voice of the student body, was set to evolve into something new: the PCC Courier. Much like the college itself, the newspaper faced the challenge of building an identity from the foundation up. The Pasadena Chronicle …
Ceramics artist uses mythology to challenge stagnant gender roles
Share: “Only one drop revives stagnant water,” were the words of Jewish, transdisciplinary artist Nicki Green when asked about her latest piece. This is a recurring theme in many of Green’s ceramic pieces, which intersect aspects of trans identity and queer history with traditional Jewish ritualistic practices. Green, a ceramic artist and professor at Alfred University in New York, spoke in PCC’s very Westerbeck Hall on Monday, October 7. Green began her talk by acknowledging the anniversary of Hama’s coordinated attacks on Israeli targets and …
Filipino American heritage month kicks off with a party
Share: Two long bamboo poles rest on the floor of the Circadian room while the smell of BBQ and the sound of a Sarah Geronimo power ballad blasts on the overhead speakers. The poles are for a traditional folk dance from the Philippines called “tinikling,” where two people clap the bamboo poles together while dancers step over and in between them, weaving it all into a seamless partner dance. Miguel Bernardo, the new president of The Reunited Organization of Pilipinx Americans (TROPA) together with inter-council …
From the Archives: College concert celebrates the end of WWII
Share: [Editor’s Desk, 2024: At this point in May 1945, Pasadena Junior College had planned an eventful week for the students. Our top story from this edition covered five women from PJC, one of whom would be crowned “queen of the wartime carnival” at the Hawaiian Paradise Ball. But there were other events happening all the way across the world. World War II had begun to come to a close. Germany had surrendered only a few days prior, on May 7. The war engrossed the …
‘A DIY Ethos:’ History prof on studying, skateboarding, and his identical twin
Share: Dr. Bradford Johnston is a history professor at PCC, but in another life he might have been a lawyer. So what stopped him? “I was set to enroll or matriculate in law school with my twin brother, and at the last minute decided not to do so. Perhaps I was having too much fun skateboarding,” Johnston said. Johnston remembers how, at age thirteen, he noticed many neighborhood kids skateboarding, saying, “I instantly thought that it was cool. I was intrigued.” Before this, his exposure …