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G L E N D A L E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R Friday, June 1, 2018
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Volume 111 | Issue 6
Graduating Supermoms: Strolling Through GCC To some, Glendale College wasn’t just another step, but a whole new beginning
By Marian Sahakyan Managing Editor Strolling through GCC, the graduating supermoms To some, Glendale College wasn’t just another step, but a whole new beginning. To most, graduating from community college seems like no sweat; though it takes someone who has crossed the long, bumpy road, to frankly understand ‘the true struggle’ of a community college student. As hundreds of students walk down the aisle to receive their certifications and degrees on June 13, they will each take away something beyond the hardcover diploma. Some in a form of a lesson, others in the form of lifelong friendships and memories. As they collect diplomas, turn their tassels to the other side of the cap, they also mark the turnaround of a new milestone in their lives, a change and chance to celebrate all that they’ve acquired and achieved during their years here at Glendale Community College. Among those graduating, are three supermoms, Anna Sargsyan, Armine Sahakyan and Tamara Grigoryan, who despite many mommy challenges, cultural differences and some language problems, stuck to their goals and built a brighter future for themselves. With the help of one another, their loving husbands and caring professors, they, along with many of their peers and friends, deviated from the old Armenian tradition of a ‘stay at home mom.’ Sometimes they took classes that were hard, which kept them up all night, studying much harder than a typical student would. A new language, different norms and a whole new world of education, were just a few of the things these women had to deal with. Well, at first. All three ladies even got pregnant around the same time in 2016, and went through pregnancy together, as they had done with school. They watched one another’s other kids when needed, helped each other with schoolwork at other times.
Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer
FAMILY VALUES: Three graduating mothers pose with their kids. From left to right: Tamara Gregoryan, Armine Sahakyan, and Anna Sargsyan.
They created a friendship that will last a lifetime. Anna is the strongest friend. Not just physically, but also emotionally. Her strength and positivity empower her friends daily. When Anna and her husband moved their two young sons to the United States from Sweden, they did not know too many people in their new country. She described the transition as ‘smooth.’ One thing she did struggle with, though, were mommy things here in the U.S. She did not have a big support group of moms to tell her what products are good for her kids, or tips on how to keep the Armenian identity in their kids. She created a private Facebook page, naming it “US Armenian moms.’’ This will soon become a destination for 4,700 Armenian moms for any kind of advice.
She started to go to college, to take some classes here and there, when she decided to go back to her biggest passion in life, photography. Aside from photography, she recalls painting as a young child. She says that she got her love for art from her mother’s side. As a kid, she collected money so she could purchase her first camera, which she still owns. She continued to photograph nature and people, through the scenic towns of Sweden. Then here in Los Angeles. So when it came to picking a major in college, it was a no brainer for her. Photography it was. Last year, when Anna lost her baby to complications, her world came crashing down. But once again, she found an escape through the lens of her camera. She started taking photos. Every click of the camera became a reason for her to love and live.
She’s had some good days, and many bad since the event. On bad days she simply escapes to capture her raw surroundings. Her perseverance has been stronger than her misfortune. Among the incredible women graduat[See GCC Moms, page 2]
IN THIS ISSUE News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16 Entertainment.. . . . . . 17-18
Liam’s Life: The People’s Protector
Advocating for organ donation and lowering alcohol blood limits in California By Christopher Daniels Staff Writer
Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer
AWARENESS: Marcus Kowal talks to the audience about the hazards of drunk driving.
Swedish MMA fighter Marcus Kowal and his wife, Mishel Eder, visited Glendale Community College on May 16 to speak about the hazards of drunk driving and talk about their harrowing experience of losing their baby to a negligent driver. They set up an organization, Liam’s Life, which aims to change the culture of drinking and driving through awareness and knowledge, promote safety and educate people on the demand for organ donation. On Sept. 3, 2016, the 15-year-old sister of Eder took their 15 month-old-son Liam Mikael Kowal on a walk not far from the Hawthorne training center that Kowal operates. As she took Liam through the cross-
walk in his stroller, they were struck by the vehicle of a 72-year-old drunk woman. Donna Marie Higgins, the woman who killed Liam Kowal that day, was sentenced to six years in prison in August of 2017 for vehicular manslaughter. Kowal described the tragedy from his point-of-view. “I woke up from sirens and I thought it was the alarm from the gym downstairs,” he recalled. “I said to my wife, ‘the alarm in the gym is going off.’” She replied, “No, it’s police and ambulance sirens.” Eder called her sister numerous times with no answer, as she left off in search for them. “One of my neighbours came to the stairway and I came out from my apartment, and she said to me, ‘Your baby, your baby.’ [See Liam’s Life, page 2]