In the age of misinformation, writer-in-residence Lynell George values a reader’s trust

Share: South Los Angeles, 1992. Four LAPD officers were on trial for criminal excessive force, caught on video beating a man named Rodney King. Every Black person in the city was keeping an eye on the trial.  Lynell George was a journalist at LA Weekly, working on an unrelated story about the Great Migration and the landscape of Louisiana migrants, which is one of the largest migrant groups to California from the south.  “I’m sitting in this Louisiana [style] restaurant with this older woman and …

Plant professor has a passion for parade floats

Share: In less than two months, the 136th annual Rose Parade will commence driving down Colorado Boulevard while bystanders in the stands watch every rose-pedaled-designed float pass by. Every float is handled with the greatest care months before the event on New Year’s morning. Katie Rodriguez has volunteered for three decades for the Rose Parade. She knows firsthand the hard work and stress that goes into every year. “It’s just like an amazing experience to go down that parade route, and if you have the …

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 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 …

Incoming director plots new partnerships for Pride Center

Share: Located on the fourth floor of the R Building, the Pride Center is a small, essential space for members of the LGBTQ+ community on campus. But the Pride Center was facing a time of transition after staff turnover. Resource advocates, like Lucy Rokitski and Bryce Simon, had moved on, leaving a vacuum… but also opportunity. Ana Bernal filled that vacuum. A former student of PCC, Bernal has been the new director of the Pride Center for one week. Ana Bernal is staying busy in …

The ‘Nanostars’ of PCC’s synthetic biology research program

Share: A group of students and their professor are working together in an undergraduate research program in DNA nanotechnology funded by the National Science Foundation. They are the Nanostars of this program, students who work together on projects regarding using the tools of biology to build materials of the future.  “Our goals are synthetic biology,” said Dr. Jillian Blatti, the Principal Investigator of the program. “My role is education and workforce development, to provide a training program for undergraduate students to learn the skills of …

PCC’s new film club set to debut this fall for club rush

Share: Club rush is right around the corner, where PCC’s new film club will make their debut to the world with a booth in the quad amongst other clubs. Founding member of the club and second year student at PCC, Jake Hofman, desires to bring all kinds of people together with the art of film by providing quality education from professionals in the entertainment industry, as well as hands-on creativity by frequently making short films, forming an open community for members to enrich their interest …

‘It’s a little lonely in the STEM community for women.’ This club aims to change that

Share: Even through a Zoom call, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)’s cabinet radiates excitement as they share their visions and aspirations for the club. President Blanca Navas and vice president Sherlin Hakopian eagerly detail the club’s importance in providing a space for women in engineering to develop a system of mutual support and understanding. “It’s a little lonely in the STEM community for women,” Hakopian said. “It’s a very male-dominated field, so sometimes it might feel difficult to feel like you belong and to …

Summer means student transfers, but news never quits for Courier news editor

Share: A typical Monday in the Courier staff room during the semester starts with the student editors reading out story pitches for other writers to take on. For the past four semesters, Seamus Bozeman has been pitching each news story. He has been the news editor for the Courier since fall of 2022 when he accepted the role his second week of class. “A lot of new people came in,” Bozeman said, “…and we had to somehow fill these roles and news was just one …

From court to classroom, Myles Watkins is Male Athlete of the Year

Share: Participation versus engagement. Both share similarities in the beginning stages, but over time the results of both practices start to become visibly different. There is a contrasting level of focus, drive and enthusiasm behind the action of engagement. His discipline and engaging attitude is what separated Myles Watkins into the upper echelon of student athletes, leading him to becoming this year’s “Male Athlete of the Year.”  Just a few weeks before graduation there were two more things that needed to be added to the …