Share: Students of all ages are packed into chairs in the Creveling Lounge as Dr. Shreyas Vissapragada looks out across the audience and asks, “Are we alone? What kinds of worlds are out there? Do they look like ours?” On Tuesday, April 1, Vissapragada gave an enticing presentation on exoplanets, discussing the idea of a new scientific “revolution,” discovering the existence of other solar systems. Vissapragada taught the audience about the complexities of discovering planets via tracking stellar motion or through the use of a …
After losing everything to fire, PCC student is named scholarship semifinalist
Share: When the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena and Pasadena in early January, it left behind a trail of devastation—including the home, belongings, and pets of Pasadena City College student Jose Gadea. Amid the ashes, Gadea, a third-year natural sciences major, continued his studies from a temporary shelter, applying for one of the nation’s most competitive scholarships: the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Annually, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation awards this prestigious scholarship to a number of high-achieving undergraduate community college students planning to …
Student-led ‘Afro April’ event awards and admires acclaimed educators
Share: If you happened to be walking past the WiFi Lounge this past Thursday, April 3, you may have possibly heard the entrancing and complex symphonies of the Ray Briggs Quartet, providing a vibrant soundtrack of live bebop jazz to Afro April as students and teachers alike danced, ate, and played games in celebration of black excellence. The student-led event dubbed “Afro April” had much to offer for visitors and honorees alike. There was a virtual visit and Q&A from keynote speaker Bronx educator and …
Journalist sets out to clear César Chávez’s name ahead of his holiday
Share: Students gathered in the Creveling Lounge bright and early to secure their seats and plates of chilaquiles. The beats of the Puerto Rican band, El Gran Combo, played in the background as journalist Julio Ricardo Varela walked up to the podium to recite the letter César Chávez sent to the editor of the San Francisco Examiner in 1974. On Thursday, March 27, Varela spoke to PCC students in celebration of César Chávez Day about the letter advocating amnesty for migrant workers and how it …
Metal, graffiti, and ceramics: Student artists debut their ‘Genetically Modified’ exhibit
Share: Bright colors and textures of blue, gold, yellow, and red surround everyone within the gallery walls. The tone is one of excitement and expression as three artists passionately explain their creations to observers. Ceramics, metal, and graffiti are the central focuses of the night; each room featuring its own medium. Each and every piece in the gallery is diverse and represents a different inspiration, but as each artist shares their inspiration for their art, a common theme of memories emerges. On Friday, March 28, …
Octavia E. Butler sci-fi festival lets kids get hands-on with real science
Share: Clad in black armor, the soldiers flank their leader, surrounded by middle-school children. One child, raising money for her school’s glee club, offers them nachos. Heavy, mechanical breathing emanates from Darth Vader as he considers the offer. “No, thank you,” his deep voice reverberates out of his mask. “It doesn’t agree with me.” This past Friday, March 21, Octavia E. Butler Magnet Middle School transformed into a portal to a galaxy far, far away. The school’s annual science fiction festival brought Mars rovers, droid-building …
Fire victims cope with catastrophe through dance
Share: The Altadena and Los Angeles communities came together for an afternoon of dance and connection on Sunday, March 9, at Pasadena City College’s Hutto-Patterson Gym. The event, hosted by The Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA), provided a moment of healing for those impacted by the recent Eaton fire. The event was part of the “Dancing in The Light: Healing with The Arts” dance series of community-driven events aimed at bringing people together to heal from the effects of Eaton Fire through the power of …
Football and soccer teams set records in historic year for PCC athletes
Share: The year is 1938. A young man attending PCC stepped onto the football field and set a record for the most touchdowns and points in a season, which would stand for 63 years. Later, he broke his brother’s national community college record for the longest broad jump in Track and Field, not only making history in PCC’s Football and Track and Field team but as well as the Basketball and Baseball teams. That young man was none other than the legendary Jackie Robinson. Now …
“Belonging is not a privilege”: Father Greg Boyle on second chances
Share: “The only praise our exhausted God has any interest in,” Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, shared with the audience, “is that the systems change when people change, and people change when they are cherished.” These powerful words resonated deeply as Boyle introduced his new book, Cherished Belonging, during an unforgettable event hosted on Tuesday, March 11, by the CORE program and the Retirees Association. The event, filled with a palpable sense of hope and inspiration, was not just about the book launch, …
Take a slice of STEM at Pi Day Conference
Share: The Creveling Lounge bubbled with chatter as young students wove around chairs and tables to mingle, some squeezing past each other to gather around the already crowded displays. Among these displays were a sleek robotic arm waving from side to side, a robotic dog made by the AI and Machine Learning Club bobbing its head, a table full of carefully crocheted colorful Möbius strips, and an underwater robotics demonstration. PCC’s annual Pi Day Conference last week was all about AI. This two-day event, which …