Share: Amongst the buzzing Student Success Center of the D building, Director of External Relations for the PCC Armenian Student Association Andre Dionysian shares how the purpose of the club has changed since he became a part of its leadership this past fall. “Since we’ve taken over, the Armenian Student Association has had a major refocusing effort,” Dionysian says. “In the past, the ASA at PCC and other community colleges were more focused on sharing Armenian culture with the community of the college. We wanted …
Getty Villa opens doors to students for free night of ancient wonder
Share: Explorations of ancient customs beguiled student guests Wednesday March 22 at the Getty Villa. The doors opened for an evening of gaiety specifically for collegiate attendees. The opulent halls were filled with music and laughter as patrons from community colleges and universities alike mingled in their laurel wreaths as peers, all brought together to enjoy College Night at the Villa. In a room tucked beneath the marble staircases, Wayne Perry, Los Angeles based artist, educator and PCC alumni, taught students the art of the …
Queer Alliance’s Promapalooza: ‘It’s always a good idea to have a party’
Share: Lady Gaga and Britney Spears’ music cloud the hallways at PCC’s Promapalooza. The Queer Alliance at PCC held a Promapalooza Thursday March 23, 2023 at Pasadena City College. “In general it’s always a good idea to have a party” Jaren Rhodes (he/him/his) pre law major says. A common theme among those who graduated in 2020 and 2021 was not being able to attend prom at all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity due to Covid-19. Rainbow balloons and pride flags covered the Creveling …
Occidental’s bird specimen lab exhibits expansive biodiversity
Share: An old urban legend used to justify the abundance of parrots in Pasadena goes like this: Back in 1959, a pet store on Colorado Boulevard caught on fire. The owners, scurrying in the face of the blaze, set the parrots free before they could perish in the flame. Since then, the surviving parrots settled across Pasadena and reproduced in flocks, much to people’s annoyance. The legitimacy of this story is up for debate. What it gets right is the long-standing rivalry between residents and …
En garde: Lunge into PCC’s fencing club
Share: Coach Daryl Taylor provides swift demonstrations for a dozen students on the proper techniques of fencing. After the demonstration, it becomes the students’ turn to replicate these moves with strength and agility. These students are members of PCC’s very own fencing club named Salle Lancier Fencing Club. Vice president Catherine Rivera became a part of fencing last year in the Beginning Fencing class. From there, she joined the club after having heard about it. Rivera spoke on how fencing benefits her. “I’m not really …
Beam me up: AlienCon attendees encounter otherworldly experiences
Share: Dressed up as little green men and stormtroopers, humans ages 0 to 100 gathered in the Pasadena Convention Center to share a collective fascination for all things extraterrestrial. There are several people who claim to have seen aliens up in the sky or theorize how these creatures could potentially look like. AlienCon is for those with an interest beyond fictional space conflicts. Held in the Pasadena Convention Center, AlienCon opened its doors to thousands of fans on March 4 and 5. Many discussions were …
PCC students build solar panel water bots for global contest
Share: It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon on campus. The empty hallways echo every footstep and the classrooms’ lights are all dark. All but one. “What do you guys think of this one?” says Thet Paing Da Na as he shows his teammates the logo the team has been working on. Across the table plumes of smoke rise from Rene Nunez’s soldering. In his hand is the circuit board for the rover’s power train. On the other side of the room, Doug Foster and Puthyrath Hy …
How volunteers and Instagram are giving hope to the rabbits at North Central Animal Shelter
Share: In 2017, when Kat Laskey started volunteering at North Central Animal Shelter in Los Angeles, she quickly realized that the rabbit room would become her second home. While working with the dogs and cats was enjoyable for her, after seeing the neglect for the rabbits and other small animals she knew that her time as a volunteer would be best spent with them. “I went in as a dog person,” Laskey says. “I very much still am, but when I discovered the rabbit room …
PCC ends Black History Month celebrations with bystander intervention workshop
Share: Allies from all kinds of identities and backgrounds gathered on March 1 to learn how to support our Black peers. Through a workshop titled “Bystander Intervention to Stop Police Sponsored Violence and Anti-Black Racist Harassment”, attendees were trained how to safely de-escalate situations involving anti-Black racism. The workshop was presented by Right to Be, an organization dedicated to educating people on creating a harassment-free environment. Right to Be educates people on how to intervene in situations in which a person of a marginalized identity …
White-nose syndrome targets bats, but humans shouldn’t turn a blind eye
Share: A bat colony prepares their hibernation in a North American cave during the cold hours of fall 2007. Until spring comes in time for insect populations to increase, these bats will remain in a deep sleep largely uninterrupted, living off accumulated fat that will last through the winter. The caves themselves drop down to temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Far too bitter for humans but ideal for bats escaping the incoming winter winds. These temperatures are also ideal for a particular strand …