Journalism inspires change

By JUAN CEBREIROS

Editor-in-Chief

Becoming leader of the Los Medanos College Experience newspaper is something

I knew I wanted to try, but was a path I was skeptical to take. I’ve never had the loudest voice or strongest personality in a room, but I always had confidence to get things done. While being a quiet and reserved person I remain humble about getting the job done, until it was completed.

I was hesitant at first to become a journalist but after spending a few weeks my first semester on the LMC Experience staff, I knew this was something I would fall in love with. Becoming a journalist slowly pulled me out of my quiet and reserved shell. I began to realize that I have a job to do and, no matter how uncomfortable it may make me, I need to get it done. This role is helping me overcome my anxiety and fear of speaking to people I do not know.

For this spring semester I didn’t expect to become editor-in-chief. However, with the previous editor stepping down and our advisor Cindy McGrath knowing my experience both on and off the staff, I was ready for the task at hand. I still have only been a journalist for six months, but I am determined to learn at a rapid pace to become the best journalist and editor I can be for the LMC newspaper. Coming back, I knew our staff was going to be small, but full of strong minded and hard working individuals. None of us have had a lot of experience on the staff but I am confident we will be able to produce credible news for all of Los Medanos College to read and enjoy.

Juan Cebreiros designs the front page.

ExpEriEncE Staff rEadEr OpiniOn pOlicy

Editor-in-Chief ................... JUAN CEBREIROS

Managing Editor ........... MOHAMMAD NAJIMi

Perspectives Editor ........................ RAY KOPF and ALIYAH RAMIREZ

Features Editor ..................... JADEN FORTIER

Sports Editor ................ MOHAMMAD NAJIMI

Photo Editor ................. KATHERINE MUSTAR

Voices

“I’m a Raiders fan, so I hate the Chiefs, so I really hope they lose. I don’t have any hate for the Eagles, I hope they win.”

Nikohlas Higgins

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“I’m sad that San Francisco didn’t get in, but that’s OK since we have the Chiefs. The Eagles are kinda trash.”

Micah Simms

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The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write.

If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, drop them off in Room CC3-301 or email them to LosMedanos.Experience@gmail.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion.

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder for consensus.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Ray Kopf

We should lower the voting age

The other day I randomly received a voter registration ballot in the mail.

I thought I had previously submitted my ballot when I turned 18 so I was confused as to why I received one, then I read a little further down and something donned on me. The age to vote in public elections in the United States is 18 years of age and minors are eligible to preregister to vote at age 16.

As I thought about it further I realized that at the age of 16 you are eligible to apply for your drivers license in the state of California. At first I thought nothing of it, but as time went on I felt something wasn’t right about the fact that you aren’t eligible to vote until you’re 18. If I am legally allowed to operate a motor vehicle at the age of 16, then why wouldn’t I also be able to vote for who I think should be the next president?

Think about the ramifications of operating a vehicle and what could happen if you were to lose control of said vehicle. If at 16 you are able to have enough judgment to operate a machine that can potentially take lives, then why don’t you have enough judgment to vote for public office?

If you bring up the argument that a 16-yearolds brain is still developing and shouldn’t vote for officials that lead our nation into the future, then should that same 16-year-old really be operating a vehicle given the fact that their brain is still developing? It just doesn’t make any sense. At 16, I was able to form my own viewpoints and make my own conclusions on politics.

The same argument can be applied to marriage. In most states the minimum age to marry is 16 with parental consent. California is one of the few states to allow minors to marry at any age with parental consent and a court hearing. And yet the minimum age to vote in our country is 18.

It’s absurd when you think about it. Minors can get married and operate motor vehicles all before they can vote. Marriage is a life-long commitment and requires a good sense of judgment, the same as operating a motor vehicle.

Not only can minors marry and operate a vehicle, they can also enlist in the military at the age of 17. They’re not even a legal adult yet and they can sign a contract that binds them to four years of active service. Of course this is entirely their choice and that’s what this argument boils down to: choice.

As I continued to think about it, the topic of abortion came to mind. Abortion laws around the country are different, but in California it is legal and minors do not need to either notify or recieve permission from their parents. Minors can simply get

See AGE, page 3

What are your thoughts about the upcoming Super Bowl?

C ompiled by K atherine m ustar

“I am very excited for the halftime performance! The team I was rooting for didn’t make it so I’m not as interested.”

— Mina Romingquet

“I could care less about football. I only watch the Super Bowl for the new and funny commercials and the halftime.”

— Nicole Castellanos

“I don’t really know anything about the Super Bowl, but I am looking forward to seeing the Rihanna halftime show.”

— Ebuniohukia Femi-Oioj

“Everyone is always talking about their excitement for it around me, it brings community together.”

— Chimera Mohammadi