Share: “You really do become family.” That’s how Madeline Woodman, class leader of Pasadena City College’s first Wildland Fire Academy, or Wildland Fire Academy 1, described the eight relentless weeks of training — weeks that, in her words: “pushed every one of us physically, mentally, and emotionally,” forging a group of strangers into a unit shaped by fire. On the morning of April 12, that unit, 38 strong, gathered into the Creveling Lounge to celebrate what they’d accomplished. As friends and relatives filled the room, …
PCC alum uses poetry to find strength through struggle
Share: The first of April was a warm and welcoming afternoon as students made their way to the Writing Success Center eager to indulge in poetry. Words filled the room as author Adrian Ernesto Cepeda recited poems from his book, “La Belle Ajar,” a book with pages and pages of inked-out poems inspired by the iconic book written by Sylvia Plath, “The Bell Jar.” On Tuesday, April 1, the Writing Success Center hosted a reading, Q&A, and writing experience in celebration of the start of …
My Territory: A love letter to Griffith Park
Share: It’s 2:37 p.m. on a Tuesday; my room is scattered with school work and books; my brain is overflowing with words. I stand up, grab my keys, walk out to my car, and pull out onto Riverside Drive. It’s 78° and sunny, and all my windows are down. The smell of wood and laurel sumac fills the car as my hair gets tangled in the wind. Songs by the Eagles are blasting throughout the interior as I speed down the road. I turn onto …
My Territory: The Rose Bowl inspires my Pasadena pride
Share: The wind starts to pick up on a warm summer night, and the sweat beads on my face prickle as the breeze blows by. It’s Independence Day, the summer of 2015, and my son and I are sitting in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl Stadium alongside dozens of rows of tailgaters and other spectators eagerly awaiting the traditional light show. An eerie silence falls amongst us as we anticipate the first sounds. Boom! Boom! Boom! We hear the fireworks shoot towards the …
Inspiration LA wraps a marketplace, museum, and party into one damn good time
Share: To the thousands of visitors, clothing vendors and vintage fashion enthusiasts alike, who attend the Inspiration Los Angeles vintage clothing fair each year, the event may have all of the hallmarks of a marketplace, yet it is often described as an experience more akin to what you would encounter in a museum. With one-of-a-kind archival clothing pieces often being fitted on mannequins instead of on racks for trying on, some dating as far back as the 1800s, it’s easy to see why. However, the …
Huntington garden curator balances Chinese culture with SoCal roots
Share: According to the Huntington Library, more than 1 million people step foot onto its grounds every year. Liu Fang Yuan, or The Garden of Flowing Fragrance, welcomes tourists from different parts of the world to learn about their heritage and culture at this popular destination. This past Thursday, April 3, PCC’s Circadian hosted keynote speaker, founding curator of the Chinese Garden, June Li to discuss the creation and significance behind the highly esteemed garden. After almost 20 years since the garden’s completion, Li discussed …
Space talks explain ‘exciting’ exoplanets
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 …