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THIS SUMMER AT CITRUS...
Tickets on sale July 1st
CITRUS THEATRE COMPANY presents
FATHER OF THE
Bride by Caroline Francke directed by Neil H. Weiss
Stanley Banks is overwhelmed by all of the turmoil – not to mention finances – caused by his daughter's out of control wedding. Wedding planners, florists, dress makers, and pretty much everyone and everything that goes with a wedding invade his home as the wedding plans get bigger and more outrageous by the day! If you enjoyed the movie versions with Spencer Tracy and Steve Martin, you'll love seeing it live onstage!
July 21, 22, 29, 2017 at 7PM July 23, 30, 2017 at 2PM Presale Tickets: $15 Student/Senior: $10 ALL tickets (regardless of age) $20 at the door • Citrus Little Theatre
Citrus Summer Conservatory presents Based on the iconic animated film, with an Academy Award®winning score by Alan Menken, HowardAshman and Tim Rice, Disney’s Aladdin JR. is sure to send audiences soaring on a flying carpet ride filled with romance and adventure.
July 28, 2017 at 7PM July 29, 2017 at 2PM Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice Book Adapted and Additional Lyrics by Jim Luigs Music Adapted and Arranged by Bryan Louiselle Based on the 1992 Disney film, Aladdin
HAUGH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Presale Tickets: $12 Student/Senior: $10 ALL tickets (regardless of age) $15 at the door • Haugh PAC
1000 W. Foothill Blvd., Glendora, CA 91741
Tickets: (626) 963-9411 • www.haughpac.com
LOGOS
contents
SPRING 2017 Volume 2 • Issue 1
CULTURE 10 Food Review: Luscious Dumplings 14 Food Review: The Meat Cellar 58 Over It: The Editorial Board have some things that they would like to toss out for 2017
CAMPUS 34 TV Party: A first look at the eSports community at Citrus 50 Never Forget: Citrus student veterans talk about PTSD
OPINION 06 Monunemtally Fracked: Opinion on Trumps review of the San Gabriel Mountains 42 A Model Student: Staff Writer Garrett Lopez’s decision to take a Gap Year 46 Up In the Air: Staffer Riley Myles’ took a 7000 mile trip to China
FEATURE 18 Drivers ED: Mika Victoria is a freeway flyer student who attends four different schools 26 Tech Support: Elina Hughes uses Assistive Technology to live a normal life. 38 School Spirit: University students making the switch to community college
“
26 Elina hughes
I EXPERIENCED MY DISABILITY AS A PART OF LIFE THAT WAS AS NATURAL AS IT COULD BE.”
LOGOS C I T R U S
C A M P U S
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SPRING 2017 ISSUE 1 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Darius Johari ART DIRECTOR Evan Solano CONTRIBUTORS Destiny Dominguez James Duffy Garrett Lopez Riley Myles Alejandra Ramirez PHOTOGRAPHERS Jonathan Bojorquez Daniel Escamilla Alison Thai ADVISER Margaret O’Neil Logos is produced by communications students and is distributed three times a semester. Views expressed herein do not represent those of the adviser, faculty, administration, Associated Students of Citrus College or the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees. © 2017 Logos Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
contact:
0 logos@ccclarion.com f /logosmagazinecc T @_logosmagazine Logos Magazine 1000 W. Foothill Blvd TC123 Glendora, CA 91741 Tel 626.914.8586 Web logosmagazinecc.com Cover Image “Eye of the Beholder” by Darius Johari & Evan Solano
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letter from the editor “...Standing on the shoulders of giants”
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My heart was pounding. After a pep talk I was pumped and felt ready to take the next step on my new found journey as a designer and journalist. I had just finished telling my adviser that I was ready to become the next Editor-in-Chief for Logos Magazine. When I left my adviser’s office the hype settled down. I realized what I had just done and the fear of not knowing what could come out of this decision sank in. I was good at what I did and could essentially run a student publication but I thought to myself, “Could I really do this?” I started out working with The Clarion as a page designer in the Desktop Publishing class. Then I went on to work with the returning of Logos Magazine after it had been shelved for 7 years. I helped with both publications but I never really considered taking part in a lead position. I was hesitant to move forward because I had big shoes to fill. We had won awards before at the Journalist Association for Community Colleges and so expectations were high. Despite my fear I decided to take the chance and run with it. Serving as Editor-in-Chief was a humbling experience. I still have a lot to learn but my experiences from this semester has taught me the importance of communication and time management. Most importantly, serving as EIC has helped me develop my leadership skills. It was a struggle trying to manage writing, organizing the photography and designing while at the same time juggling a part-time job and somewhat of a social life. Thankfully I was still able to make it with the help of my peers. This semester we took a different approach and put out one issue for the Spring of 2017. With this issue of Logos Magazine we really wanted to step into the shoes of our subjects and see the world from their point of view. We touched on a variety of topics like post-traumatic stress
disorder, travel, education and a student with disabilities and her means of communication through technology. To help us bring our subjects story to the light we collaborated with the photography department. The collaboration really helped alleviate stress and the photographers helped shape our vision for Logos Magazine. In the future we hope to reach out to other departments for collaborative work. We have yet to work with the graphic design students, fine arts students and English department. Logos Magazine is about campus, culture and lifestyle and with everyone on board we could truly make Logos a student publication that everyone can appreciate. Every student and faculty member has a story to tell and our goal at Logos Magazine is to be the storytellers through words, art and photography. This is only beginning as the saga will continue. I appreciate the hard work and dedication my staff, the photography contributors, my advisers and my art director has put into making this magazine a reality. Of course, much love to the administration and Citrus College for believing in the communications department. Yours truly,
Darius Johari Editor-in-Chief djohari@ccclarion.com
the spring 2017 logos staff
reader meet author evan solano // art director
Evan Solano is a contributing writer and art director for Logos Magazine. This is his fifth semester as part of the Citrus College communications program, having also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Clarion newspaper in Fall 2013, Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 as well as Editor-in-Chief for Logos Magazine in Spring and Fall of 2016. He is a journalism major who is currently working as a page designer for the Southern California News Group and moonlights as a freelance writer, designer and photographer. His favorite magazines are New York Times Magazine, Esquire, GQ and LA Times Magazine and is heavily influenced by their style. He is a self-proclaimed font nerd and design geek who loves Lakers basketball, good fonts and Morrissey and knows more about “Gilmore Girls” than any 31-year-old man should.
destiny dominguez // staff writer
Destiny Dominguez is a current freshman at Citrus College and a first time staff member of Logos. Destiny is also involved in cheerleading and Student Government at Citrus. She hopes to transfer to a four year university in the midwest next spring. When she isn’t running around campus you can find her wandering around Disneyland, singing Broadway tunes, binge watching “Law & Order: SVU” on Netflix or just chilling at Coffee Bean. Destiny’s dreams are to be a Disney Princess or a Public Relations Manager for a major sports team. Or both. She is beyond grateful for all the opportunities student publications has given her and she is sure you haven’t seen the last of her.
james duffy // staff writer
James Duffy V loves to sing a song of one’s self. He is studying journalism at Citrus College and aspires to a career in writing. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University. He cultivates interests in politics, finance, experimental medicine, religion, literature, music, art and gardening. More than any other flora, James would like to sprout like the mythical flower the Chinese say springs from a good scribbler’s pen. He firmly believes the first responsibility of a journalist is do justice and let the heavens fall. Rapier wit, movie star good looks and imperial sense of confidence—what’s not to love?
garrett lopez // staff writer
Garrett Lopez is an inspiring menswear designer with a passion for the ocean, men’s fashion and music. Modeling for almost ten years, he has lived and worked in New York City and Milan, Italy. Garrett has been on covers of magazines such as Vice and Satellite. During those years, he fell in love with menswear and found self-expression with clothing. Garrett’s dream is to showcase the elegance of a man’s wardrobe while incorporating a sense of cool that embodies where he is from: California. Garrett is honored to be part of Logos Magazine and hopes to inspire people to be more creative with fashion without having to compromise who they are.
riley myles // staff writer • social media manager
Riley Myles is a student at Citrus College and a first-semester journalist for Logos Magazine. She is a lover of music, dogs, travel, fashion, makeup, and Netflix binges. She plans on transferring next year after earning an associates degree in communications. Her hobbies include spending time with friends, eating Chick-fil-a, and playing with her dog, Spencer. After college she plans on pursuing a career in something, however she does not know what this thing is yet. She hopes to combine her love for writing with her creativity and love of style and make a career she is passionate about. Riley is extremely proud of this issue of Logos Magazine and excited for everyone to see the hard work put into this issue.
alejandra ramirez // staff writer
Alejandra Ramirez transferred from San Francisco State University and is in her third semester at Citrus College. She is a communications major with an interest in public relations and she is planning on transferring to a university in a year to finish her degree. Alejandra joined Logos magazine to gain experience in a variety of skills for future endeavors. In her free time she enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and watching endless amounts of Seinfeld, Friends and Grey’s Anatomy. Alejandra knows that her time at Logos will help her achieve her goals in the communications world and broaden her horizons overall as a student. Her dream job would be to work in the communications department at Warner Brothers Studio or the social media department at Kaiser Permanente.
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culture
opinion
MONUMENTALLY
FRACKED Trump signs executive order to review national monuments including the San Gabriel Valley Mountain National Monument. Oil fracking and fossil fuels could be the culprit behind this. There is nothing more beautiful to me than waking up every morning and looking out my window to see the San Gabriel Mountains alongside my house. I often find myself sitting on the patio, playing my guitar while I stare at the majestic mountains. They provide me an escape from reality, where I find myself in another world. These peaceful mountains are at risk of losing their protection status from our new Commanderin-Chief. On April 26, President Trump issued an executive order to review 27 national monuments, including the San Gabriel Mountain National Monument, which were protected by former President Barack Obama on Oct. 10, 2014. The order could be an attempt to free up millions of acres of land for oil drilling and fracking. The order will review any national monument that has been designated since 1996. If the executive order passes, the San Gabriel Valley Mountains and other national monuments like the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mojave Trails in California and the Pacific Remote Islands in Hawaii, could have their protection revoked, allowing the monuments to be resized or modified for oil exploration. I love everything about the monument. The life, the beauty, the nature. Passing the executive order would take all that away. Wildlife would be driven out of the mountains and oil fracking machines would disrupt the nature and destroy the beauty of it. I can’t bare to see that happen to our monument. The San Gabriel Mountains are beneficial to all life. The deep canyons filled with streams provide habitats for the unique wildlife that call this land their home. It is also a site for recreational activities such as horseback riding, hiking, biking, fishing, off-roading and picnicking. Only a businessman like Trump would be acting against the Antiquities Act, a law used by presidents to designate public land into national monuments and keep them preserved and protected from commercial development. No president has ever attempted to weaken the Antiquities Act or revoke national monument designations. In fact, between 1996 ILLUSTRATION AND PHOTO BY: EVAN SOLANO TEXT BY: SABRINA GONZALEZ
and 2017, former presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton protected millions of acres under the same act Trump is now setting for review. These presidents, from both sides of the aisle, had designated these monuments in an attempt to protect land that was important to the environment, whereas Trump’s review and potential rezoning of federal land would destroy the environment through oil fracking. I would be devastated to find out that the mountains that I love so much, were to become just another housing project, strip mall or oil refinery . These mountains serve our communities, protect our health and support our economy. They are also popular amongst the four million tourists who visit every year. People come from all over to enjoy the beauty of these Southern California mountains we have taken for granted for years. Trump has not been shy about the fact that he plans on expanding opportunities for oil drilling and coal mining instead of exploring new alternative forms of energy. If the oil and coal industry were to gain access to the monument, then drilling would inevitably follow. The fossil fuels in the ground make the monument unique and oil fracking would decrease their value. Environmental concerns will become an issue because the oil extraction process has long-lasting negative impacts on the surrounding environment. Air and water pollution could potentially affect the healths of local residents. In 2015, the Aliso Canyon Gas Leak was harming residents after a gas began spewing out of an oil well. The amount of gas that leaked left a carbon footprint so massive, that it was the largest gas leak in U.S. history. Oil spills from fracking would harm the surrounding vegetation and kill the soil. Former presidents, like Obama, have spent years trying to phase out fossil fuels in favor of alternative energy sources. By doing so, green jobs employed more Americans than jobs in the coal industry, as reported by The New York Times. The administration’s naive support of coal and fossil fuels could be what
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is driving the push on this executive order. Trump claims that reviving these archaic, environmentallyharmful industries would create new job opportunities, but this is a short-sighted mentality, putting immediate job growth before longterm environmental effects. We must take a stand to preserve our San Gabriel Valley mountains. By going online at www.regulation. gov, comments can be made by web or by mail to Monument Review, MS-1530, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20240. Those who wish to comment on the issue have 60 days from May 5 to try and save our mountains. Together, we can make monumental noise, and save our national monument that is the San Gabriel Valley Mountains. Its ironic that someone as superficial as Donald Trump can only sees the potential of what is inside these mountains instead of their surface beauty. The possibility of there being oil brings dollar signs to his eyes. L
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Above: Former President Barack Obama signs a proclamation dedicating the San Gabriel Mountains as a national monument on Oct. 10, 2014 at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas.
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LUSH LIFE culture
San Gabriel’s best kept secret, Luscious Dumplings gives partons an authentic taste of Eastern culture
TEXT BY: RILEY MYLES PHOTOS BY: DARIUS JOHARI & EVAN SOLANO
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rom its quaint exterior, Luscious Dumplings looks like just another Chinese restaurant, but the San Gabriel eatery is actually a hidden gem to get some of the best dumplings and noodle soups in L.A. County.
Located in a small strip mall off Las Tunas Drive, finding parking at Luscious Dumplings was easy. There were many open spots in the parking lot to find a parking space right outside the restaurant which was extremely convenient. On a Tuesday night, around 6 p.m., it was quite busy. Every table was filled except for one, which I quickly sat down at. The ambiance was quiet, as most people were focused on their meals. The staff was scurrying, making sure patrons were satisfied.
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Luscious Dumplings
704 W Las Tunas Dr, Suite 4, San Gabriel, CA 91776
hours: mon: closed tues-sat 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5 p.m.-8 p.m. sun 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Despite the heavily Southern California surrounding, Luscious Dumplings still gives patrons the authenticity of a true Chinese restaurant. If you are looking for forks or fortune cookies, you won’t find them here. The traditional table settings include a small plate and bowl, a soup spoon as well a pair of wooden chopsticks. From the table settings to the sign outside and the look inside, it is easy to tell the restaurant prides itself on staying true to its Chinese roots.
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Employees of Luscious Dumplings were quiet but attentive and happy to answer any questions about the menu and providing suggestions when needed. The cash-only eatery is closed Mondays and open Tuesday Through Saturday for lunch for three hours (11 a.m.- 2 p.m.) and for dinner (5 p.m.- 8 p.m.). Sundays they are only open for lunch hour, so it is important to plan your visit accordingly. The establishment specializes in dumplings, which originated in China. They are typically small pieces of dough filled with meat and vegetables and cooked either by steaming, frying, boiling. They are a key part of Asian food culture that have now migrated to places all over the world. The first dumpling brought to the table was the chive, egg, pork and glass noodle fried dumpling. When I first bit into the dumpling, the flavors rushed into my mouth. I could taste all of the flavors equally and immediately. The filling was cooked excellently, very moist and juicy with the outside remaining crisp and crunchy.
Chive, pork, egg and shrimp dumpling with a side of bok choy, a Chinese cabbage.
Top Right: Cabbage, pork and shrimp dumpling with chili oil dipping sauce. The condiment is a chili infused vegetable oil commonly used in Chinese cuisine.
Bottom Right: Chive, pork, egg and glass noodle fried dumpling and a plate of small bok choy.
The menu is short and sweet, offering dumplings, noodles, or a combo of the two. On this visit I had the chive, pork, egg, and shrimp dumplings, the cabbage, pork and shrimp dumplings, and the chive, pork, egg, and glass noodle fried dumplings. The next dumpling was the cabbage, pork, and shrimp dumpling and again, the filling was cooked perfectly with the dumpling wrapper being soft and chewy. The last dumpling I had was the chive, pork, egg and shrimp dumpling. This dumpling was the most flavorful out of all three, with the flavors of chive and shrimp really standing out. The dumpling was appetizing, however, it was almost too much for one bite. Equally as important to the dumplings themselves is the dipping sauce that are paired with them. On the table there was soy sauce, chili sauce, and vinegar. When these three are mixed, they make a perfect compliment to the flavors of the dumplings. For three orders of dumplings and one soup, the bill added up to less than $30. The meal was shared between three people and was still very filling for everyone, making this a great deal. L SPRING 2017 | LOGOS | 13
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MEeT \
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a e t m
is a the
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TEXT BY: DESTINY DOMINGUEZ PHOTO BY: DARIUS JOHARI & EVAN SOLANO
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: DARIUS JOHARI
CULTURE
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The Meat Cellar, a butcher shop and cafe located in the heart of Claremont, celebrated its first year in business. The atmosphere and food selection is sure to please anyone’s palate.
The interior of the cafe immediately draws you in with the art on the walls, including those outlining the cuts of pigs, cows, and chicken. There are also many decorations that are welcoming, the entire restaurant feels like a cozy hipster twist on a butcher shop. The restaurant has a wide variety of alternative music playing and offer local beers including claremont ales and as well as local fruits and vegetables that are for sale. There are also bottled wines that can be purchased spread around the restaurant. The restaurant’s customer service is phenomenal. All of the Cellar’s crew were upbeat and ready to start a conversation. They were very helpful with finding the right options specifically for you on the menu and let you know what are other customers favorites. Staff say the restaurant is “fast casual,” meaning guests pick their own seats, grab their own utensils and pour their own water. On my first visit to the Meat Cellar I was introduced to a cured ham called Iberico. The meat comes from heritage pigs, which are fed a diet exclusively of acorns, resulting in one of the world’s finest cured meats, the taste of the Iberia almost resembles that of sweet candy. The menu includes appetizers, salads, tacos, sandwiches and
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steaks. The Meat Cellar also offers a brunch menu that include Tater Tots Poutine, a French Canadian classic usually served with French fries and gravy with a twist. Twice-fried, the Tater Tots are smothered in a veal gravy cooked with sausage, melted pepper jack cheese, cilantro and thyme seasoning that are blended with the gravy and lastly an over easy egg on top to give it that delicious Sunday breakfast feel. Another hit is their Caprese Salad. For those vegetarians feeling out of place it will make you feel like you right at home. You will never see tomato and mozzarella the same after witnessing the presentation of this Caprese. The red and white alternating colors on a glossy white plate make one not what to mess up the display. It is hard not to tackle the plate with your fork when you smell the delicious vinaigrette, which is carefully drizzled on top. The first bite is soon followed by the last once you try the incredible flavors of this dish. It proves the Caprese isn’t just for vegetarians but also meat lovers. One of the top sellers at the Meat Cellar is the Coachella grilled chicken sandwich. It is prepared with free-range boneless and skinless chicken thighs, topped with roasted red bell pepper strips, a basil/cilantro aioli, all atop on a ciabatta roll. This sandwich was
a top seller during this year’s Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals with fans of The Meat Cellar coming back for seconds. The Meat Cellar is a great addition to Claremont’s already expansive and varying eateries. With its friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere and terrific service, Executive Chef Anthony Villegas has designed an incredible menu. Though he currently only has 8 tables to serve in the confined restaurant, patrons will soon be able to savor the same delicious flavors in a significantly bigger environment located in Claremont’s longstanding Wolfe’s Market. Wolfe’s Market lasted 100 years and is now pulling out of the grocery business and giving The Meat Cellar a tenant opportunity. Recurring customers can only hope that the restaurant would live up to it’s already successful run and one day celebrate a centennial. L
CULTURE
The Coachella grilled chicken sandwich is not your typical chicken sandwich. It has a pleasant blend of flavors, topped with roasted red bell pepper, basil and cilantro aioli in between a ciabatta roll.
Photo to left: The Meat Cellar varies in price depending on cuts and weight of the meat. The most expensive steak cuts on the menu are about $45 per pound. Photos to the right: Slices of Iberico are given to customers while they browse the menu. Included in the menu is a Canadian Poutine
smothered with gravy and topped with pepper jack cheese, cilantro and thyme.
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features
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It’s common to hear about adjunct professors that travel from from one school to another, but one student commutes across the Southland to get to class.
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TEXT BY: GARRETT LOPEZ PHOTOS BY: JONATHAN BOJORQUEZ
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MIKA VICTORIA
WAKES UP IN
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N THE MORNING,
EATS BREAKFAST,
MAKES A CUP OF COFFEE,
GETS READY AND HEADS OUT THE DOOR TO CLASS.
BUT WHICH ONE OUT OF THE FOUR COLLEGES SHE ATTENDS DEPENDS ON THE DAY OF THE WEEK.
While commuter students, or students who drive to campus from their home, are not an uncommon part of the college experience, Victoria is not your typical student who attends classes on a single campus. Currently she travels between Citrus College, Mt. San Antonio College, Pasadena City College and Santa Monica City College simultaneously. Needless to say, Victoria’s schedule consists of a lot driving. Commuting to four colleges resulted from yet another problem that impacts students: registering for classes. “It’s been nearly impossible to find every single class that I’ve needed at one school that also happens to be open,” Victoria said. “Or the campus simply doesn’t offer the course that I need which forces me to look elsewhere.” Even though it is the furthest campus, Mika chose Santa Monica City College, because it has a better program for her major, environmental science. “Choosing to attend Santa Monica City College was a no-brainer. I wanted a change and loved the area, but they also happened to offer a wide variety of environmental courses,” Victoria said. On the days she has to make the 48 mile trek to Santa Monica, Victoria’s alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. She hits the snooze button, gets dressed, and slips on her favorite pair of Birkenstocks and rushes out the door by 6:30 a.m. “I have no time for breakfast,” she tells herself as she grabs her backpack and her chicken wraps that she made for dinner. Climbing into her 2001 Honda Accord, Victoria drives into the darkness of the early morning on an empty stomach, half awake, and prepared for the two-hour drive to Santa Monica for her 9 a.m. botany class. This is just one day in Victoria’s hectic week. Altogether, she drives an average of 800 miles a month between all four campuses. “I usually spend about $40 a week on gas. I am so lucky to drive a Honda,” she laughed. While commuting from various community colleges for students is seldom, adjunct professors who travel from campus to campus is quite common. Professor Catherine Culliver is an adjunct professor at Citrus College who teaches public speaking. Culliver also teaches communication research at Cal State Fullerton and human communication at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. “My office is my car. Between working for three different colleges, I barely have time to grade let alone eat lunch,” Culliver said.
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After getting past the 605 interstate and 10 interstate junction, Victoria immediately gets into the carpool lane using her FasTrak, an electronic toll collection system in California. “I wouldn’t get to class on time without using a FasTrak on the 10,” she said. For an environmental science major who tries to be mindful of the effects that humans have on their surroundings, Victoria can’t help but slightly laugh at the carbon footprint her weekly drives have on the earth. “I know right? It’s ironic that I am leaving this huge footprint while studying to become an environmentalist,” she said. Though she jokes, her passion for her major was something that she had nurtured since she was a young girl who always enjoyed the trees, flowers and the atmosphere. “I love the outdoors. Growing up in La Verne, I’ve always loved hiking the San Gabriel mountains. Nature brings peace to my soul when life becomes hectic.” It was a week long hike in 2015 with her childhood friend that inspired her to switch her major from English to environmental science. The two took a trip with other friends backpacking through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California. There, Victoria explored the untouched land and pristine spots not accessible to many people. From sunrise to sunset, she hiked 15 hours a day. “I wanted to protect our precious Earth. When I was exposed to untouched land and pristine environments, I was immediately passionate about preserving and saving nature,” she said. “I just didn’t know exactly what field I wanted to be part of.” When searching for environmental classes nearby La Verne, Victoria discovered Santa Monica City College which had exactly what she had been looking for. From student run organic gardens to an actual greenhouse, Victoria became completely inspired toward her major and students who shared the same passion as her. “I love the classes and the science minded individuals that I was surround by. The environmental courses and environment were completely stimulating to be a part of. I knew this was the campus for me,” she said. Whether you are a student or a
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professor, commuting is not an easy task. With two completely different reasons, but parallel lives, adjunct professors and students are working toward achieving their academic goals. Culliver, like most adjunct professors, commutes from campus to campus as part her job until a full-time tenured is offered. Though different reasons but parallel lives, both Culliver and Victoria embody what it’s like to commute in the 21st century. Whether the goal is to receive a degree or to use one, it takes a determined and strong individual to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sitting at Mantra Coffee in Azusa —
“I LOVE THE OUTDOORS. NATURE BRINGS PEACE TO MY SOUL WHEN LIFE BECOMES HECTIC.”
one of the many coffee shops Victoria enjoys on her travels across the Southland— she smiles as she sits with her books and papers strewn about the table, knowing that her campus to campus odessey will soon end when she transfers in the fall to Cal Poly Pomona. After all of the early mornings sitting in two hour traffic, the stress of getting classes all while juggling work and school and trying to have a social life, Victoria is ready to switch lanes and focus on the future. “I am going to enjoy every single moment of it,” Victoria said. “Knowing that I can sleep in til 8 a.m. and have a normal life is going to be the greatest feeling in the world.” L
ON THE GRIND
Mika breaks down some of her favorite coffee spots on her weekly commute.
mantra coffee
615 N San Gabriel Ave, Azusa, CA 91702
The atmosphere at Mantra is what draws me in the most. I like the tranquil environment while enjoying my favorite drink, the lavender latte.
Café Bolivar
1741 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Cafe Bolivar is the place where I get my favorite snacks, their mango sandwiches and homemade arepas are perfect from my hectic day.
copa vida
70 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
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I like to drive down to Old Town Pasadena to Copa Vida for their amazing indoor atmosphere and really good Wi-Fi. While you are there, don’t forget to order the almond croissant, that is my favorite.
features
When the so called “grammar nerd” took Dr. Salwak’s class, she was captivated by not only how he taught the class but the works of literature that were taught in his classroom. Victoria said, “Dr. Salwak made everyone feel special and he genuinely listened and took the time to read everyone’s work while giving back positive feedback.” “He is one of the most genuine, humble, and knowledgeable person I have ever met.” In Winter 2016, Victoria took a statistic class with Professor Nguyen. While learning about stats, Victoria says, “Nguyen made the class easy to understand” and really enjoyed that she used real world data in her problems. Victoria really grasped the formulas and enjoyed how stats was applicable to the real world. Being an English enthusiast, Victoria loved the use of wording, interpreting the question and data given to her, and figuring out how to solve the problem. Victoria being a curious person at heart says, “Stats was a way for me to explore data and to ease room to explore my curiosity about real world data.” and that “Stats is an never ending question.” After taking Professor Nguyen’s stats class, Mika was inspired and curious about a major that both incorporated environmental studies while adding statistics. She didn’t want to go down the traditional route of biology so she did some research. She found it. Environmental Statistician. Environmental Statisticians are responsible for the analysis and interpretation of environmental data, for the design of environmental studies, and for the dissemination of statistical methods and concepts to staff working within the environmental sector. After traveling to four different campuses, Mika finally found the perfect career for her. Even though her journey has been a struggle, Victoria has learned much about herself and her college journey. Without the commute from campus to campus, she would have never furthered her major of environmental studies. While some people complain about their college schedule, Victoria has taken this experience as a chance for her to grow and push herself. Juggling four different schools while also working full-time as a server in Pasadena for the past three years, Victoria has finally reached her last semester of having to travel around the Southland before she finally transfers to continue her major, at one campus, Cal Poly Pomona. When asked about only attending one campus in the fall, Victoria says, “It is going to be very relaxing and also amazing to be at a university.” SPRING 2017 | LOGOS | 25
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IN AN AGE WHERE TECHNOLOGY IS MINDLESSLY USED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, ELINA HUGHES USES ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE.
t s e u c p h p TEXT BY: DARIUS JOHARI PHOTOS BY: DANIEL ESCAMILLA
o r t
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Unlike the other students who would solely use their voice to communicate, Hughes turns to technology. In addition to using her laptop to write, draw and speak, she also operates an iPad to compose complex sentences, gestured sign language and has her aide Vazquez to help translate. Hughes was born with athetoid cerebral palsy, a neuromotor disorder caused by damage to the developing brain. This type of CP causes abnormal, involuntary movement. Hughes does not have control over her limbs, which makes everyday functions like walking and eating difficult. CP can cause stiff muscles, spasmodic movements and speech impairment. Such a disability might cause a person to doubt their ability to navigate life, but for Hughes, this disability is a obstacle, but hardly a showstopper. At the age of 3, Hughes was enrolled in the Conductive Education Program in Claremont, which helps children with neuromotor disabilities develop skills to function in society. She remembers feeling frustrated because she was unable to move like other kids. After countless therapy sessions and assistance through Conductive Education, Hughes quickly learned how to independently sit on a stool without back support, how to walk with a ladder device on wooden ski-type slats and how to crawl on all-fours. Hughes wrote some of her responses on WRISE, a text-to-talk app on her laptop. “I experienced my disability as a part of life that was as natural as it could be,” she said. “I get asked a lot if I got tired of all the different kinds of therapy that I was involved with, but I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends, outstanding teachers, and awesome assistive technology developers if it weren’t for all my various disability activities.” In the second grade Hughes attended Danbury School in the Claremont Unified School District where she was introduced to assistive technology. Her teacher, Mrs. Ginny McKee had taught special education in California for 37 years. McKee worked with many Department of Education ‘exceptionality groups’ in the Pasadena School District before teaching special education in the Claremont Unified
“People don’t think I am intelligent because of my speech and I am able to use assistive tech to show them that they are wrong.”
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HER PERSONAL CARE AIDE MARIA VAZQUEZ. ALTHOUGH SHE HAS HER LAPTOP AND IPAD TO ASSIST IN COMMUNICATING, SHE ALWAYS MAKES AN EFFORT TO SAY HELLO.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF: ELINA HUGHES
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Elina has dozens of YouTube videos of her progress through the years, she has gone to a number of conferences for people with disabilities and is a prominent advocate for AssistiveWare and people with disabilites.
The photo to the far left shows elina protesting for the women’s march in 2017. on her protest sign is her rendition of “rosie the riveter.” To the right of that photo is Elina trying out the new ipad pro and the proloquo4text application. the second person to her right is david niemeijer, ceo and founder of assistiveware.
the top two photos were taken at Danbury School on claremont, california. SPRING 2017 | LOGOS | 31
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School District for nine years before she would retire. She started at the district as a program specialist involved with the tech committee. She then started helping students with disabilities use assistive technology. McKee said that the second grade class she co-taught was “an absolutely beautiful blending of education [involving] motor education, life skills education as well as academics.” Borbala Goda is the program Conductor-- a specialized teacher who keeps students engaged in movement and exercises. The students were instructed to park their wheelchairs by the door and utilize special furniture to help with balance and movement in order to maintain their well-being. McKee taught the curriculum and introduced students to various low-tech and high-tech devices to foster independence. McKee noted that much of the technology had not yet been as developed as they should have been and that the class was more about physically supportive activities through Conductive Education. It wasn’t until the fourth grade that Hughes would become a “techie”, and her journey with assistive technology would get underway. With help from Ginny McKee, Elina would meet David Niemeijer, CEO and founder of AssistiveWare. McKee would first meet Niemeijer at a conference at California State University Northridge Assistive Technology Conference. She knew that the software at AssistiveWare would benefit Elina and the other students and so she adapted the tech into her curriculum. A couple months later Niemeijer would reach out to Elina to observe her development and learning process. Niemeijer met with Elina and her family in 2007 to film Elina’s computer demonstration and progress through assistive technology. Elina and Niemeijer have developed a strong relationship since and he has seen a significant growth in her development through assistive technology. “When I started AssistiveWare it was my dream to create products that would help people with physical, vision or speech impairments to achieve their full potential and be limited only by their talent and motivation,” Niemeijer said. “To me, Elina is one of the many people I have come to meet over the years who lives that dream!” Elina would go on to try other gadgets like touch screens, trackballs and a head mouse, a device that tracks a person’s head movements and translates it to a computer mouse movement. It took about a year before Hughes would finally find a system that worked easily for her. “That system turned out to be a Mac laptop, using AssistiveWare’s Keystrokes and Proloquo with a slow speed joystick and a switch,” said Hughes. “It all fell into place and I could finally write, speak, and even draw independently.” KeyStrokes is an on-screen keyboard while Proloquo is an Alternative and Augmentative Communication tool, known as AAC. Proloquo
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provides a voice for people who may have a difficult time speaking or for those who cannot speak. While Hughes was demonstrating her typing skills on her laptop her aide Vazquez said that the joystick and switch is essentially a device that acts as a mouse. The joystick moves the computer cursor while the switch is like the clicker on a mouse. Elina Hughes is now in her second year at Citrus College and has a schedule like any other college student. At 8 a.m., the Hughes household is still half-asleep as Elina is awakened by the warm, wet kisses of Zoe, her Canine Angels Service Dog. With help from her family and Maria, she gets dressed, gets her school things packed, grabs a bite to eat and heads to school with Vazquez. Means of transportation varies whether it be by Access van, The Metro Gold Line or by car. Elina is excelling in all of her course, going above and beyond what is required and always getting ahead in her courses. “Elina is possibly one of the most hard working individuals I know,” said Vazquez. “She is full of life and makes everyday a new and educational one for anyone that knows her.” Elina continues with her Conductive Education Tuesdays and Thursdays at Danbury School in Claremont. The rigorous two-hour course pushes for socio-cultural integration of children with motor disorders by assisting the individual to develop problem solving skills in daily living. When she isn’t studying, doing homework or doing Conductive Education she enjoys painting in ArtRage, a computer program that simulates natural art, swimming at her grandparents house and playing pranks on her friends and family. Karla Hughes recalls a time when Elina bought some Roach-O-Ramas. A gag toy that included a pack of fake cockroaches that moved and looked like the insect. While Elina was out camping she had her assistant put the roaches in some of the boys sleeping bags. Elina had just gotten back from the camping trip. Karla Hughes remembers the moment vividly. “When I was cleaning out her backpack, I freaked out!” Little did she know Elina kept the roaches in her backpack for safe keeping. Although Conductive Education has helped Hughes maintain her mobility and confidence, the use of assistive technology has helped revolutionize her life. Elina plans on getting into public relations and helping others develop with assistive technology. Whether it be written in a text document on a computer or announced by the text-totalk feature from Proloquo2Go, her words are spoken with confidence and praise to the opportunities given to her with assistive technology. “In all aspects, A.T. has changed my life,” Hughes said. “People don’t think I am intelligent because of my speech and I am able to use assistive tech to show them that they are wrong.” L
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Don’t talk about anything else they don’t wanna know. They’re dedicated to beating their high scores.
SMASH PARTY TEXT BY: DESTINY DOMINGUEZ PHOTO BY: DANIEL ESCAMILLA
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T
Their blue-lit faces are transfixed to a TV screen as their fingers frantically hammer game controllers. All around players are talking smack and cheering their friends on as all eyes are glued to the images of Super Mario and Bowser battling to the death in a digital coliseum.
us to broaden that competitive spirit within our students into other areas.”
This digital bloodsports is just part of the routine fun competition had during “Mega Smash Mondays,” a “Super Smash Bros.” Gaming competition at the eSports Arena in Santa Ana, California. Here, a group of “Smashers,” who range from casual players to pros with six figure salaries gather weekly to battle one another on the popular video game.
Friends would invite other friends over to challenge each other in games such as Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt and Donkey Kong, it didn’t take long for corporate sponsored tournaments to begin popping up across the country.
The history of eSports traces back to the 1970’s when video game arcades drove local kids to compete against each other’s high scores all to see their name on the screen and claim bragging rights until the new first player was crowned.
just an “It’s amazing game
eSports, short for “electronic sports,” is a competitive form of video gaming. But to many college students around the globe, it is more than just competitive gaming. At its core, eSports is a global, young, diverse and passionate community of professional and casual gamers, enthusiasts and collaborators. Universities across the Southland, such as Azusa Pacific University, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach, University of La Verne, University of California Irvine as well as UCLA, are among those who started varsity eSports teams on their campuses. Some colleges have even started to offer scholarships to these competitive gamers including Robert Morris University Illinois who recently announced that they will be giving scholarships that will cover up to 50 percent of tuition and 50 percent of room and board. “Not every student wants to play football or basketball or hockey,” said Nicole Farinella, Robert Morris University’s vice president of enrollment. “This really allows
that’s brought on such a following and great community.” The Citrus College smashers recently started their own program on campus for their weekly dose of Nintendo-based battle. They hope to expand into a club in later semesters so that they can be available to all students. Founder, Anthony Villegas Jr. built the team based on his passion for competitive gaming and the camaraderie that playing video games with friends builds. “I love the eSports community, he said. “I wanted to continue competitive gaming as well as give others the same opportunity.” The group’s mission statement is to make competitive gaming as accessible as possible to all students on the Citrus College
campus. eSports team member, Fernando Rivera, among many other members has had the opportunity to take part of the team. “Through Smash I’ve met so many great people, made so many great friends,” Rivera said. “It’s just an amazing game that’s brought on such a following and great community.” The team has given many students from all different majors and programs an outlet to express their commitment and passion for competitive gaming. “Actually, it’s made me realize how I think and also how much I can be pushed to think as an individual,” Josh Cole said. All team members started lone. It started by everyone playing Super Smash Bros. On their Nintendo 3DS’ in the Campus Center until they all realized the had a passion for the game and wanted to put more time and effort into it together. People approached each other and asked if they played smash and when someone responded that they do they instantly bonded in competition. From 1 vs 1 to multiplayer modes up until they reached the numbers they have now. “I was shown the competitive scene behind Smash. I saw how much more complex and deep the game is. It’s always changing and there’s always more to be discovered,” Rivera said. Because of the recent renovation of the Campus Center the Smashers have moved below to the Owl Café to continue their virtual fight club. Regardless of the location, every new day walking on campus is always another opportunity to destroy their friends in a competitive environment. continued >> SPRING 2017 | LOGOS | 35
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MY WAR ”SUPER SMASH BROS.” MAY HAVE SPAWNED A CULT FOLLOWING WITH GAMERS, BUT ITS HARDLY THE FIRST VIDEO GAME TO TURN FRIENDS INTO RIVALS.
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GOLDENEYE (1997) N64 Cited as one of the greatest video games of all time, Goldeneye pioneered features like atmospheric single-player missions, stealth elements, and a console multiplayer deathmatch mode.
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The team meets on Mondays and Wednesdays in the Owl Café eager to battle their friends in between classes. Some bring their own custom controllers to identify what character they “main,” or put all their time and focus into perfecting the knowledge and execution of. The players get to campus early in the morning to plug in their Nintendo Wii U and flat screen monitor they bring from home. The competitions and casual playing continues throughout the day with teams alternating to allow members time to go to class and finish homework. While gaming at school has become a favorite pastime among the team, They also enjoy hosting their own tournaments at each other’s houses, when they are not attending public tournaments at the Claremont Colleges, LAN Hero, Mega Smash Monday and True Combo Thursday.
MARVEL VS CAPCOM
(1998) VARIOUS A series of crossover fighting games developed by Capcom, that originally started as an arcade game. The games incorporated tag team battles.
“I feel like there is enough room on campus for both of us,” Hansen said. “I look forward to see how we can collaborate on endeavors.” Even though the clubs have the same hopes for their students, the eSports club wants to be known as more of the competitive. With this season to train, club members hope that they will be competing in full scale collegiate conferences coming in the fall. That would put them in the ranks of nearly 1,000 colleges in the world. “A lot of schools are adopting eSports teams so it keeps Citrus College up to date with recent trends from schools across the country and helps students succeed in competitive gaming,” Villegas said.
The groups model is very similar to the Gamers Guild Citrus College. The Gamers Guild a Citrus sponsored club, six years and going is no stranger to these team building games and activities.
The eSports team on campus wants to be seen as an actual competitive team like any other conventional sports team on campus. When the gaming is done for the day, fights are won, and bragging rights are given the group remembers the real reason they came together, for the love of the game.
Gamers Guild President Michael Hansen is excited about the beginning of a new gaming club similar to his on campus.
“At the end of the day we’re just a bunch of friends who really enjoy smashing, it’s all fun,” Villegas said. L
CALL OF DUTY (2003) VARIOUS
The series began on Microsoft Windows, and later expanded to consoles and handhelds. The earlier games in the series are set primarily in World War II, but later games are set in modern times or in futuristic settings.
FIFA
(1993) VARIOUS The series of association football video games or football simulator, released annually under EA Sports.
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sch ool spirit
The haunting feeling o The haunting feeling
end but for some returnin end but for some return
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G Growing up with the renowned Claremont Colleges in your backyard, makes it unfathomable to consider going to a community college after high school. I grew up thinking a four-year university was my only option. My family has usually supported my choices, but attending a community college after high school was not considered ‘in the cards.’ My parents hoped I would be more successful than they were. They wanted me to thrive. My mother did not want me to make the same mistake she did by dropping out of school. Although she eventually earned her degree, she frequently told me that if I went to a community college, I would get stuck or it would be harder for me to transfer. Society tends to view community college as a ‘13th grade’--a place for students without a future. This stigma that community college is not ‘real college’ is completely false. Rather, community college is a wonderful alternative because it can
housing problems and exorbitant Bay rental prices took a major toll on my family and me. For the rest of that semester, I did not attend school. I needed to figure out my next move. Even though I had thought of attending Citrus College in the fall of 2015, I still decided against it. I did not have the courage to tell my parents what I wanted. The thought of being considered a failure by my family was overwhelming. Instead, I attended Woodbury University in the fall of 2015 in Burbank, CA. I was doing a two hour commute every Monday and Wednesday for a full day of classes. The realization of the enormous debt I accrued was the last push for me to decide to attend Citrus College. I started my first semester at Citrus College in the spring of 2016, but in the eyes of society I should have been halfway done with my second year of college. Now attending Citrus College, I realize that stereotypes about community colleges are completely wrong. All the classes I needed to take were at Citrus and I was still getting a great education. I just needed an alternative to attending, yet another university. According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office, CCC are the largest provider of workforce training in both the state and nation. As of January 2016, 24% of community college students nationwide attend a California Community College. I soon became aware that I was not the only student who had come from a university. This happens quite frequently, but is not widely discussed due to the stigma that society has spread about community colleges. Kari Quiñonez is in her third year of her college journey. She grew up in Pomona, CA and graduated from Claremont High School. She is the first of her family to attend college. After a year and half at Cal State LA, she transferred to Azusa Pacific
of life away from a university can feel like a dead of life away from a university can feel like a dead
ng to a community college is an educational revival. ning to a community college is an educational revival. serve any student in any situation. As a high school senior, you have the pressures of college applications, letters of recommendation, placement exams, learning about FAFSA and deciding where you want to spend the next four years. Getting caught up in the excitement of leaving home and independence is all an 18 year old could ask for, but I was unprepared to board the roller coaster of change that awaits college freshmen. I attended San Francisco State University in the fall of 2014. I majored in communications and I was ecstatic for what I thought the Bay Area had in store. That dream was short lived as I moved back home spring semester of my first year. Unexpected
University. Quiñonez attended APU for a year before deciding to transfer to Citrus College in the spring of 2017. Ethan Muro is also a student that made the decision to leave a four year and for a community college. He grew up in Monrovia, CA and graduated from Bonita High School. Coming from a family where education is highly regarded, community college was never an option. He attended San Francisco State University in the fall of 2014, but left after the first semester. He started at Citrus College in the spring of 2015.
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QA What is your major? Where were you going to school before Citrus? Kari Quiñonez: I started off as a nursing major, however when I was attending Cal State L.A. My counselor at the time advised me to change my major because I was barely passing my chemistry class. However, I always knew I wanted to go into the medical field, so I am now going to school to become a Physician Assistant. I am now majoring in Biology. I spent a year and a half at Cal State LA One year was spent living on campus in a dorm and my last semester I was commuting. I then spent a year commuting to Azusa Pacific University . What made you decide to go to APU over Citrus? KQ: Well, at the time I was researching for a good Physician Assistant program closer to home. However, I was only looking at universities. I never had the thought of looking into community college because it was not in my plans nor did my mom agree with the idea of me attending a community college. After all the researching I did, I found that APU had the best program for the prerequisites I needed. How does your experience at Cal State LA differ from APU? KQ: Well the class size is a major difference. At Cal State LA, there is big lecture halls and you don’t get to know your professors or your peers in the class you are taking. When I was at APU, the classes were super small. There were about 15-30 people in my class and the professors really make an effort to get to know you as a student. I felt like I could truly get to know my professors and actually have them remember my name whereas at a public you have a room of 100 students with one professor lecturing. You are not able to get to know them on a personal level. Were you always more encouraged to attend a university over a community college? KQ: Yes. I am the first in my family to go to any type of college, but one thing that my mom always told me was that she did not want me attending a community college. She always thought I would be stuck there and never graduate. 40 | LOGOS | SPRING 2017
What made you decide to finally attend Citrus? KQ: Well, after my second semester, I suddenly became very aware of the fact of the debt I would be in once I finished at APU. I was conflicted because I kept thinking to myself, “A lot people do this, why can’t I do this?” I realized the amount of debt I would be in would take a major toll on me in the future and that scared me. So, I began to search for other options and that is when I looked into what Citrus had to offer. I can take all the prerequisites I need to take without taking the
added religion course that was mandatory, without the major commute to Cal State LA, and without spending an enormous amount of money. To be honest, I wish I just went to Citrus first. It would have saved me a lot of money and time. Now that you are at Citrus, how has your view changed? How have you changed? KQ: Well, I feel way more on track than I ever did at Cal State LA or APU. I feel like now I actually have a plan on how I am going to finish and where I am going. Knowing that I am only going forward now
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is such a relief. I realized that everyone is on their own path and time. Like, not everyone is going to finish in four years. You just have to do what fits you and get it done. I have accepted that I am not going to finish in four years and that is completely okay. Why did you decide to attend San Francisco State University? Ethan Muro: I went there because, well I am not sure why I went there exactly. I did not really want to attend college. I didn’t really like school, but my mom is a teacher
so it was basically a school or die type of thing. I was kind of forced to go to college in a way, which I was fine with because I wasn’t super against it. I just was not passionate or dedicated about going. What was it like to go to SFSU? EM: It was cool. The people were cool, the city was fun. The school part of it was well... I just wasn’t into it. I wasn’t putting enough time to be super successful. What made you decide to go to Citrus? EM: [After my first semester]I started to learn about student loans, I didn’t really
pay attention to that type of stuff before. To tell you the truth, my parents took care of the money stuff for me, as far as setting up loans and figuring out how much everything would cost. They were helping me out, but most of my expenses were through student loans. I realized that the loans add up pretty quick. Once I started to learn about what I was doing financially it made me really nervous and I did not want to go down that route of drowning in debt. Debt stays with you for a really long time and I knew I would for sure need to be out in those four years otherwise none of that would be worth it. Especially because I wanted to have a job and I wouldn’t be able to work if I had stayed up there. What did your parents think of you going to Citrus? EM: I am an only child, so they are not really pushy with a lot of things. They give me a lot of freedom, but they also knew I was still super young. So when I told them about this, my mom knows what it is like to be in debt. She went to Cal State Long Beach got her bachelor’s and then she went to Cal State Fullerton to get her Master’s. So once I told her my plans to go to Citrus, they were okay with is. They just wanted me to have a plan, no matter where I attended college or how I got there. As long as I was getting my education done somehow, they were going to support me. What is your opinion of why so many people frown upon CCC? EM: I mean I understand it, because I have seen a lot of students who are unmotivated at a community college. You can tell they are kind of forced to go here, rather them wanting to go here. So I get why it is frowned upon. Citrus has a lot of students that are trying to get things done and are motivated. Do you feel like you have changed as a person that you have come to Citrus? EM: I think I have grown the same amount that I think I probably would have grown at SFSU. However, there is a pretty big difference on responsibilities from then and now. I think if I would have stayed at state, I would have been independent, but it is more of a false independence. The only thing that would have made me independent was that I did not live with my parents, but my parents still would have been paying for me to live on my own. I would have still been living off of my parent’s paycheck. The only difference now is that I live with my parents, but I am still working and still getting my school done. I can actually pay for things on my own now. L SPRING 2017 | LOGOS | 41
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THE From the moment we leave high school we are told to jump right into a college career.
MODEL But sometimes the best lessons and opportunities are learned outside the classroom.
STUDENT TEXT BY: GARRETT LOPEZ PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: EVAN SOLANO
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from
an
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age, we are told that education is our number one priority. We dutifully attend school, determined to achieve academic success and lay the foundation for a successful life. Society tells you to finish college, to earn your degree, to work extremely hard to get where you want to be. They urge you to finish as one of the top students in your class. They want you to get hired by a prestigious company. What they don’t tell you is what you are missing while you’re so focused on school and your career. I was comfortable in high school and content with my life. I was excited to finally graduate and attend college. However, after having completed my first semester, I was burned out. My gap year happened unexpectedly and then it morphed into a four-year hiatus. During those years, I gained real world experience, I learned to appreciate what I had and I was educated in humility. What is success? My definition of it is doing what makes you happy as opposed to what our culture values: lavish lifestyle, expensive cars, a big house in a prestigious neighborhood, a family and a job that pays well. My “baby boomer parents are firm believers that school is the only pathway to success. To them, people without college degrees were doomed to low income jobs with no chance of getting ahead in life to support themselves.
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I understand where my parents are coming from but they tend to forget that we millennials are in charge of our own lives. With the unpredictability of the economy and life, some students feel anxious about going to school for so long. A gap year refers to students who take time off to explore what the world has to offer outside the classroom. These students may travel, volunteer or work fulltime instead of jumping right into a full class schedule. As a student whose gap year morphed into four years out of school, I am a firm believer in taking time off to reflect on what young people want to do with their lives. School is absolutely important, but it becomes truly meaningful when you can use it to find a career that you truly love. When I was 20 years old, I had no idea on what I wanted to do. I have never been one to go with what other people tell me to do, so I decided to take an extended break from school for a while. Soon after, I came across the opportunity to be a model, wanting to take a chance and try something new, I took it. During the course of my six year modeling career, I lived in New York City and Milan, Italy. During that time, I gained so much knowledge about myself but about the real world. Having to pay rent in New York City while working two jobs to support myself, and modeling, taught me more than taking any class in Southern California did. After seeing parts of the world that I never thought I would ever visit, I gained a new perspective on how important education is. After about six years of hustling and trying to make it, I realized that the industry in which I had invested so much time and effort was only temporary. Modeling does not lead to a lifelong career. Models are considered disposable, I found the strength to realize my personal values, knowing that I was better than the superficial world I found myself in. Modeling has never defined me, but the experience exposed me to a world that I would never have encountered otherwise. Although I worked hard, I was barely
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able to make a living. I was exhausted and hungry all the time, but my determination fueled me during those rough times. Being part of the fashion industry, I grew accustomed to talking about topics that had no personal value to me. Modeling is all about looks. Instead of talking about a book that we had read, most people talked about which celebrity that they hung out with the night before. Instead of talking about important issues in our country, most people talked about how much they spent on Rodeo Drive. I grew tired of not using my mind. I did not want to be defined by materialistic items and shallow ideas. Looks are fleeting but knowledge remains forever. I still love fashion and menswear but fashion isn’t my life. But had I not taken a break from school, I probably would not have become the person that I am today.
After seeing parts of the world that I never thought I ever visit. I gained a whole new perspective on how important education is. During those years, I figured out who I was and what kind of career interested me. My time off of school exposed me to all sorts of different career paths in the fashion world. I tried designing and was immediately drawn to it. I had always loved wearing suits and I want to work on eventually starting my own menswear clothing line. A gap year has an odd way of showing us that a career that we thought we were going to be doing may not the path for us. We have this constant pressure about the future and where we are supposed to be at a certain age. We are made to feel guilty for taking time off while our peers graduate school and move on with their lives. We are made to believe that we are failures, but that is not the case whatsoever. Think about what makes you happy and go for it. I would rather take time off deciding on a career than rushing into life to soon. Everybody is different and you only have one life so make sure you aren’t living somebody else’s life but your own. L
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It would take a 14 hour plane ride to another time zone for staff writer Riley Myles to finally step out of her comfort zone.
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: RILEY MYLES
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I DIDN’T WANT TO GO, I WAS TERRIFIED. I DIDN’T
TERRIFIED.
A 14-hour plane ride, three weeks of training and planning, a month without my family and friends, being in a country 7,000 miles away, I was dreading all of it. When I first received an offer to teach English in China, I was skeptical, but the pressure from my family to seize this opportunity was too great and I had no choice but to take it. The night before my flight, I didn’t sleep –I couldn’t even if I wanted to. My nerves kept me up all night playing every possible scenario that could happen to me. What if I got lost in a foreign country? What if I got robbed of my passport and money? What if I got kidnapped? Thankfully none of these things happened. What did happen was a complete shift in my worldview. The first few days of China were spent in Shanghai, a very large tourist city. While there were a lot of interesting sights to see there, most of my trip was spent in a smaller city, Jinhua, about two hours south of Shanghai. It was in Jinhua where I taught a group of 300 seventh-graders English for three weeks and learned so much about myself. Through the teaching of these kids, paired with the newness of being in a foreign country, combined with the bonding of my fellow teachers and I, I truly disconnected from what I considered “my world”. “My world” being everything around me in my daily life and everything I thought I knew about the people in it. I had lived in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the same city I grew up in for the last 19 years. I knew where everything was, I knew the people around me, my neighbors, teachers, coworkers, friends. I was used to knowing it all, and not realizing just how much else was around me. While in Jinhua, I detached from the world I knew and realized that there is 48 | LOGOS | SPRING 2017
A 14-HOUR PLANE RIDE, THREE WEEKS OF TRAINING AND PLANNING, A MONTH WITHOUT MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, BEING IN A COUNTRY 7,000 MILES AWAY, I WAS DREADING ALL OF IT. pleasure in the unknown. I realized that there is an excitement of not knowing what is around the corner and there is anticipation to find out what is around every unturned shadow. I realized that the discomfort of being in a new place and not knowing any of your surroundings makes one grow as a person. Being out of your comfort zone can expand your view on the world. The people I met and interacted with in Jinhua were calm, collected and mindful. They were mindful of how they treated others, how they spoke to others and how they showed respect to others.
They were not focused on the time, their outward appearance, or how others might judge their actions. They were all about being in the moment, something I have rarely seen in America’s busy world. This is one of the cultural lessons that continues to influence my life greatly. My students in Jinhua taught me just as much – if not more – than I taught them. They showed me a level of respect I have never received before and reminded me just how important student-teacher relationships are. They taught me the importance of being silly and making fun of yourself, even when you are under pressure or feeling stressed. They showed me love and gratitude, and I am forever thankful for that. As enlightening as it was, when my time in Jinhua began to come to an end, I was ready to return. I began to miss my bed, my family, my dogs, and American food. While traveling can provide amazing experiences, the best part of a trip can sometimes be coming home. While all of these mental changes were happening to me in China, I didn’t notice them until I came home. Once I landed back in Los Angeles, it was apparent that I was different. I was less judgmental, I was more collected with my thoughts and more understanding of the situations of others. It was as if all of the negative thoughts and feelings I had before the trip had melted away. I realized that my small hometown was much smaller than I originally thought it was and that the Earth is much smaller than I expected it to be. If I could explore a city 7,000 miles away and make it feel like home, then perhaps there are more similarities between countries and all it takes is time and effort to be able to compare and contrast. Without the experiences I had in China, I would not be the person I am today. I would not have the capability to be sensitive and love others the way I do now after having this experience. My world would be much smaller than what it is now and the thought of not knowing what else is outside of the 909 area code would drive me crazy. That is why it is so important to travel while you are young, while your worldview is still flexible and interchangeable and while you have the freedom. Travel shapes you, it shapes how you view others and yourself and doing it while you are still finding out who you are can make all the difference in your life without even realizing it. L
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SIDE
THE OTHER
LIKE RILEY, STUDENTS COME STATEWIDE TO EXPAND THEIR VIEWS ON OTHER CULTURES. XIAO LI FROM BEIJING SHARES HER EXPERIENCE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Do you like Beijing? A: Yeah, very much. It’s my homeland, so everybody loves their homeland. I have childhood memories, my best friend, my family, and my job over there. It’s not only a place, it’s my life. What is your best memory of living in Beijing? A: I think it’s because more and more people are going to Beijing. So it’s not the original Beijing of my childhood. Now it’s a big fashion, modern city. It’s not only Beijing, it’s the capital of China so it’s very different. Now it’s not a town, it’s a huge city. Chinese people have a dream of Beijing just like people have a dream of U.S.A. They go to Beijing looking for more chance, more opportunities for jobs, for life. When you first moved here to the U.S., what was the most shocking thing? A: Everything is huge! There’s no small bags, there’s always big bags. Bigger cars. We go to Costco, we go to Sam’s Club, it’s too big! Everything is huge. So you have a job in China? What is that job? A: I am a dentist in China. I have my own dentistry in China. I have five dentists that work together with six dental assistants and two hygienists. There’s over 5,000 patients. I work six days a week. Wow. Do you miss that? A: Yeah, very much because right now I do nothing every single day. Why did you move to the U.S.? A: Oh, because my motherin-law has cancer. This time is
Name: Xiao Li Birth Place: Beijing, China Occupation: Dentist
the second time. The first one was breast cancer and this time it’s lung. It’s bad. We made a decision and we gave up everything in China. So tell me how you met your husband. A: When I finished college, I had a chance to work in a program for the U.S.A. They have a program for some data from our medical school so they sent me here to help the professor finish the data. The mathematic students helped me analyze the data, so I met my husband because we worked together. When you met your husband did you love him right away? A: No, my husband is a quiet person and he never says ‘I love you’ just like that, he’ll just do something for you. I think because he’s the only kid in his family and I was the only kid in my family so I think it’s impossible together. I had a job in China and he was still studying at a university so after the program, I went back to China but we kept in contact as friends. One day my coworker told me somebody was downstairs waiting for me. I thought it was maybe my family or friend so I just went to see who was there and I said, “Oh, why are you here?” And he said, “I’m looking for you!” And he told me he found a job in China. Do they like living in China or the U.S. more? A: I think for the kids they’re happy every day. They always say they want to go back to China so they can see their grandma and grandpa, their auntie, their uncle, and their cousins. But here they like Disney. They go to school, they like their teacher. For the kids, everything is good. SPRING 2017 | LOGOS | 49
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f o r g e t
PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY: EVAN SOLANO
n e v e r
TEXT BY: JAMES DUFFY PHOTOS BY: ALISON THAI
N E V E R FO RG ET
Although troop withdrawls in Iraq began six years ago, for a handful of student veterans, the war still lingers.
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Post-Traumatic xxxx Stress Disorder xxxxxx xxx xx is a condition that the xxxxxxx military, up until recently, xx xxx would not xxxxxx discuss xxx publicly. xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxx xxxx Gabriel Gomez’s voice shakes when he recalls the day he crossed the border into Iraq. He remembers when he received word that his closest friend from boot camp was killed in Afghanistan. It was Gomez’s first deployment. It was his first of two wars. Troop drawdowns in Iraq began in 2011, but combat operations continue to this day. Paired with the war in Afghanistan the United States is currently engaged in the longest continuous era of warfare in its history. The student veterans are captivating storytellers. They can’t help but be. Many of them have had to share their experiences with therapists and family. Try as they might, they cannot escape memories of war. Citrus College Marine Corporal, Raul Cervantes is an imposing figure. Now studying to become a registered nurse, his job as a Marine corrections officer at the Al-Qa’im Iraqi prison – located near the Syrian border – was to make sure military interrogators did not use excessive force on their Iraqi prisoners, many of whom were classified as “high value detainees” considered to have crucial information about impending terrorist attacks on the United States. “It’s not an experience I would want any young person to have, but it did turn me into the person I am today,” Cervantes said. He is a somber, large man. He is not given to extravagant speech, but his vivid recollections of seeing fellow soldiers inflicting harm on innocent civilians, sometimes even children, gives a stark contrast to what civilians think of when we imagine the behavior of soldiers in war. “They’re just assholes,” Cervantes said bluntly. “You got two types of people that go to combat: the extremist and the one that doesn’t want to be there, but he’s an idiot and he joined the military….I was the idiot that joined the military.” Despite the often brutal conditions of the prison, Cervantes feels confident that intelligence extracted from his
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detainees was useful. He describes one prisoner whom he guarded as Iraq’s second biggest bomb maker behind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of ISIS. After weeks of interrogation, the bomb maker gave information that led to “Operation Steel Curtain,” which killed 246 Iraqis and retook control of Karabilah from insurgents. Considered a “tactical victory” by the U.S. military, critics of the operation claim that up to a third of those killed were civilians. Cervantes returned from Iraq and decided to pursue nursing to give back to the community of veterans he has met at Citrus College. “We’re all like a family,” he said. “For me it’s about helping others. That’s one of the reasons I joined the military,” Cervantes said. The Veterans Student Success Center was founded in 2003 by Bruce Solheim, Ph.D., history professor at Citrus College. Solheim saw his own brother struggle with post-traumatic stress after returning from the Vietnam War. The Veterans Student Success Center has been a resource for student veterans from all over Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Headed by psychologist Monica Christianson, Ph.D., the center feels like an oasis to assist the rising numbers of student veterans who need help transitioning to civilian life. Decommissioned weaponry, flags and profiles in heroism adorn walls painted in cheerful colors. A mannequin in military fatigues stands in corner as the veterans’ friendly sentinel of the college base. The Department of Education cited Citrus College in 2010 as a national model for college assistance to veterans. Much of the veterans center’s funding precariously relies on grant applications. Several professors and campus administrators have long argued that the center’s funding should be added to college’s annual budget. Long-time advocate for student veterans and math professor Paul Swatzel
stresses a campus-wide approach for working with student veterans who sometimes need special accommodations. He encourages faculty participation in the Vet Net Ally program, a sensitivity training on veteran issues for college faculty and staff. Returning soldiers face specific challenges that can be constructively addressed with the right education and training. “I’ve had students, combat vets that will only sit with their back against the wall because they don’t want anyone to come up behind them,” Swatzel said. As of 2017 there are approximately 500 veterans are enrolled at Citrus College. Author David Finkel wrote in his 2013 book “Thank You for Your Service,” that 20 to 30 percent of returning veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which would indicate approximately 100 Citrus veterans may have the condition. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs only has five full-time therapists to serve over 300,000 veterans in Los Angeles County. 137,000 of those veterans live in cities that the Citrus College district serve. “There’s so much bureaucracy and red tape with the VA, if they miss that phone call and they miss their appointment it could weeks or months before they get another one,” Swatzel said. Solheim believes American leaders needs to pay more than lip service to the veteran community. He connects ongoing wars to a burgeoning defense industry, lobbyists and a complacent media. “Democracy in Iraq could take a hundred years to take effect. Americans don’t want to hear that. They want us to be done by Christmas,” he said. Like Cervantes, who joined the military to see the world, Citrus College veteran, Sgt. Ivan Garrett wanted to leave the rural Mississippi confines he grew up and worked as a chicken farmer. “The only other option I had was joining the military,” Garrett said. He crossed the border into Iraq
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It’s xxxx not an experience xxxx I would want any young person xxxx xxx to have, but it did turn me xxx into the person I am today. xx -RAUL CERVANTES
3rd Battalion, 11th Marines
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My kids xx xxx are getting older and they’re xxxxx starting to notice xxx x something’s wrong with daddy.” xxxx xxxxx xx -IVAN GARRETT
Army sergeant, light infantry
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from Kuwait on his fifth anniversary of joining the Army in 2003. As an infantry squad leader, Garrett recalls both the feeling of invincibility he had before he entered combat and the crashing reality once he experienced the fight firsthand. “I was young, ten feet tall and bulletproof. It was fun and games for me until it was not,” he said. “The first time you hear that first round snap by your head it’s no longer training.” The feelings Garrett describe echo the reports of numerous soldiers interviewed in the film adaptation of Finkel’s, “Thank You For Your Service,” which was shown by the Veterans Success Center and VA on April 19. Garrett is reluctant to evaluate the ethics of his mission there while in Iraq. “If I go tomorrow and get a job at Burger King, I’m not going to get upset flipping burgers,” he said. “When I became a squad leader, I had myself, seven other people and a radio operator to worry about. It’s all muscle memory at that point.” Garrett’s statement reflect the broader picture of the psychological impact of military service on returning veterans. Soldiers are trained to act with reflexive urgency to respond to mortal threats. Christianson says the memories of combat come out of the brain’s ancient limbic system. “Everything is stored there, memories, all emotions, everything’s in the same area,” she said. Gabriel Gomez was a petroleum supply specialist in the Army for nine years. After finishing his tour in Iraq he volunteered for a second deployment in Afghanistan. The decision to return to a new war was to avenge the death of his friend who was killed there. “The only reason I deployed to Afghanistan was because I wanted to see what he saw. If I ended up getting killed while I was out there, so be it. That’s my job,” Gomez said. He recalls when he got mortared after two months in Iraq. He was playing solitaire when it happened. He didn’t know what to do so he kept playing cards. He takes long drags off his vape, shaking as he describes his time in Iraq. “Sometimes I wake up screaming,” he said, “I used to love going to a club and being on the dance floor. I can’t do it anymore because of people being around twirling their arms.” While PTSD is just starting to be understood more fully by neurologists, the disorder may have a much longer unknown history than anyone realized. William Shakespeare broached the subject of traumatized soldiers in “Henry IV.” Recent neurological research shows the effects of PTSD closely resemble that of traumatic brain injury. The student vets interviewed had all been involved in explosions. They all became emotional discussing their experiences and say they regularly relive memories of war. “My wife has told me where she’s seen me fighting in the middle of my sleep, with my pillow choking it,” Gomez said. Author and war journalist, Sebastian Junger’s 2016 bestseller, “Tribe” was repeatedly referenced by VA representatives at the April 19 campus event.
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Junger reports that numerous medical studies have revealed psychological trauma and traumatic brain injuries are not codependent factors in PTSD. The condition can arise from a moment of terror, such as witnessing someone killed. “Some bells you can’t unring,” Garrett said, “The first time you see a crowd of people explode you’ll never forget that. You’ll be a little wary of crowds.” Even everyday occurrences like seeing road debris can trigger memories of roadside bombs. “The other day my wife and I were driving out to Ontario and a piece of Styrofoam blew across the street and I stopped like this was a pedestrian. I wanted this Styrofoam to go wherever it was going,” Garrett said. Gomez occasionally catches himself driving in the center of the road because IED’s were usually placed along the side of the road in Iraq. Soldiers also drive fast to avoid explosives. “I drive aggressively,” he said. Garrett feels vulnerable without a firearm because he never left his Iraqi base without it. “If I leave my house without my pistol, I feel like I’m riding passenger in someone’s car without my seatbelt on. I’m working on changing that. My kids are getting older and they’re starting to notice something’s wrong with daddy,” he said. Gomez explained that feelings he had suppressed for years in Iraq came rushing back months after he left the Army. “Now all the emotions I have denied myself from having are coming in this
huge hundred-foot wave of emotions ready to crush you.” Each soldier interviewed was disappointed by the rise of ISIS and the continuation of sectarian fighting that leads to more and more veterans returning home with physical and mental condition. Ignoring the realities of perpetual warfare is a psychotic attempt to evade responsibility. “An investment in a war is not just sending people to battle, but also taking care of them and their families long after the war’s over,” Solheim said. “Wars have lasting and pervasive consequences in the communities soldiers return from and come back to.” Fourteen years after Solheim founded the campus veterans center he still hopes for a less militarist society, but he and the network of support will always be there to help students coming home from war. “What would be nice is if we could feel connected and work together without having to be under fire,” he said. The community within the Veteran’s Success Center is something every veteran interviewed appreciated and wants to contribute to long after their time at Citrus College, a sentiment that is beautifully echoed again in Junger’s “Tribe,” in which Junger focuses on the camaraderie that connect disaster survivors. Rates of depression and other mental illness often drop for populations in crises because everyone plays an essential role in the survival of the group. “We don’t give up on each other,” Cervantes said. “Even through the hardest times.” L
“BY ANY OTHER NAME”
Shakespeare was not the only person to make allusions to warriors and soldiers who would return from war with what we now know as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Throughout our own country’s history the term has evolved over the course of our involvement in wars both overseas and at home.
SOLDIER’S HEART
U.S. doctor Jacob Mendez Da Costa studied Civil War soldiers with these “cardiac” symptoms and described it as overstimulation of the heart’s nervous system, or “Da Costa’s Syndrome.”
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SHELL SHOCK
At that time, some symptoms of presentday PTSD were known as “shell shock” because they were seen as a reaction to the explosion of artillery shells. Symptoms included panic and sleep problems, among others.
BATTLE FATIGUE
During World War II, the shell shock diagnosis was replaced by Combat Stress Reaction (CSR), also known as “battle fatigue.” Lieutenant Gen. George S. Patton, did not believe “battle fatigue” was real. Up to half of World War II military discharges were said to be the result of combat exhaustion.
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I loved going to a xxx club and being on the dance floor. xxxx xx I can’t do it anymore because of people xxxxx xxxx xx being around twirling their arms.” xxxx xx xxxxxx -GABRIEL GOMEZ
Petroleum supply specialist
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opinion
Over it
We are only halfway done with 2017 and the editorial board already has a list of grievances.
100 flavors of coffee
WTF ringers!
As people become desperate to keep up with the latest trends, coffee flavors continue to evolve in ways that are just outright ridiculous. The introduction of the Unicorn Frappuccino from Starbucks is a great example of this. Not only are drinks like these a waste of money, but they also clutter social media feeds and make lines for coffee longer than they need to be. If coffee flavors like these continue to be frequently made, then who knows how long it will take to get a regular cup of coffee.
Seriously it’s 2017. Why do we even need to have ringtones for our phones? The fact that we are STILL having to remind people to silence their phones before movies and performances is so ridiculous. Your annoying, cheesy ringtones for your friends is not clever. Use the vibrate option or even better keep it on silent. I guarantee that there is nothing SO pressing in your life that we all need to be subjected to your crappy taste in music, and please don’t use the “it’s so I know who is calling” excuse. There’s a reason your phone has a screen on it. Keep it quiet.
By Sabrina Gonzalez
Just say you can’t make it By Sahara Barba
Making plans takes effort. Sometimes it just takes one person to ruin the plans for everyone, like if everyone was pitching in a certain amount for gas money. It’s understandable that people might not be available the day of the event, but it’s annoying to go along with the planner just to please them, knowing full well
By Evan Solano
that they will be busy. I’d much rather receive an “I can’t make it” instead of an “I should be able to make it” and scrambling to rework plans the day before. People need to learn how to just say “no” without fear of hurting others’ feelings.
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Skin Care is Not Gendered By Xela Quintana
Men need to start practicing a skin care routine. Skin care and cosmetics in general are seen as exclusively feminine and even compulsory for women. Men need to be held to the same standard because it is getting out of hand. Men are out here suffering from crusty lips, dry skin, and untamed eyebrows. Sorry that your masculinity can’t handle a little chap stick in the morning but please wash your face. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: DARIUS JOHARI
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