Volume 135 Fall 2021 Roundup Issue 11

The Eighteenth Annual Motor 4 Toys charity event kicked off Sunday morning at Pierce College in parking Lot 7—a toy drive for kids sponsored by Porsche Woodland Hills and Supercar Sunday Director Dustin Troyan.

Motor4Toys is a charitable foundation dedicated to helping as many children as possible during the holiday season. The program is geared to distribute toys and cash donations to more than 30 non-profit organizations throughout Los Angeles to underprivileged communities where the need is great this holiday season.

“I was loading up a car full of toys this morning, realizing every toy is a smile,” General Manager of Porsche Woodland Hills Scott Stanley said. “This is a great event. It’s going to help a lot of children in our communities this holiday season.”

Review: 'Eight Nights'

Healing trauma and beginning conversations with unheard voices

BY PAMELA KALIDASAN Reporter

It’s one thing to record history as a matter of fact, but it’s another thing when that history is told through a narrative.

“Eight Nights,” directed by Esdras Toussaint, delivers a powerful, tear-jerking story with strong characters who share a tale of how an untold story ripples from one survivor to another, like a compass, the world recognizes their stories, including how difficult it is for immigrants to adjust in a new place. The show runs for one more weekend.

Some of the themes covered in the play are Jim Crow, discrimination, racism and systemic oppression of marginalized communities, including resilience of concentration camp survivors, African American descendants of slavery, interned Japanese Americans and current refugees from Africa and the Middle East.

The actors delivered a jaw-dropping, impactful performance. A few honorary mentions are younger Rebecca (Miller Friedman), Aaron (Itzhak Matos), Lacey (Laura

holds its

Motor4Toys is a community and sponsor led event there are no paid staffers and those working the event could be heard cheering on and applauding for those making their way to the staffers table behind a large Motor 4 Toys tent to drop off toys.

The goal for Motor4Toys is to grow outside of the car community and bring awareness statewide so they can help as many kids as possible during the holiday season.

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield was in attendance and praised Pierce for getting involved in community events, including being a mass vaccination site.

“Pierce College is such an incredible part of the community,” Blumenfield said. “They stepped up when we needed to do the mass vaccinations. That happened right here. It was the second largest mass vaccination site in the city. Second only to Dodger Stadium. Pierce stepped up, Pierce always steps up. We’re very proud of Pierce.”

Every local car club imaginable supported the event, from Ferraris and Lamborghinis to classics, imports, hot rods and 4x4s and everything in between.

“I’m a gear head but love helping great charities like Motor4Toys,” attendee Ronie Hatanaka said. “Every time someone walks up to drop off a toy they applaud and yell, it’s exciting hearing the noise it makes you feel good inside.”

The car and the local community supported this great event by coming out in record numbers. Last year because of COVID-19, the event had been postponed at Pierce but toys were still donated to Porsche Woodland Hills. The goal today was to reach over $50,000 in cash donations plus the hundreds of unwrapped toys and the event proved to be a success.

“We had a private sponsor that would match funds up to $25,000, so our goal today was $50,000, and we’re really close to making that happen this morning.” Stanley said.

Lyles) and Joram (Amir Hossein Nikbin Moghaddam).

However, Older Rebecca (Diane Feldman) carried the torch, as it was almost impossible to stop watching her perform as she perfectly emoted each moment beautifully and surprised the audience with humorous remarks and how unpredictable she can be with her character.

One of the most impactful scenes is watching Older Rebecca being interviewed by Matt (Norman Anthony Thatch IV). As she speaks about what had happened to her, images of her repressed inner child and past memories surface and she displays a visceral reaction. She screams, flips a chair and cowers under the table. It was absolutely groundbreaking.

Another surprising character is Rebecca’s father Erich (Paul Michael Nieman). The performance is believable as he acts like a dad who is trying his best to comfort his daughter after feeling guilty that he left her behind to suffer for all those years.

There are several moments in “Eight Nights” that are emotional and heart-wrenching, including the conversation between Arlene (Whitney Evans) and Older Rebecca,

where they both share their disagreements on whether or not their kids should know about their past trauma.

Older Rebecca remains adamant in saying she doesn’t want to share her story with her daughter Amy. Arlene says that Amy is old enough to understand her, just as she and her husband Benjamin (Emmanuel Odaibo) had to teach their sons about how their father served in World War II and was victimized by Jim Crow laws.

The style, from the scenic design, costumes, hair, makeup and lighting enhanced the storytelling of the play. It is ethereal and almost enchanting to watch.

“Eight Nights” runs Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m at the Dow Arena Theater. Parking is available in Lot 6 and tickets can be purchased online with prices ranging from $15 for students, $18 for seniors and $23 for general admission. Patrons must follow health guidelines, filling out a visitor COVID-19 survey and masks must be worn inside the theater.

For more information please check out: Eight Nights (brownpapertickets.com)

Photo by Pauline Gener Minas Stambulyan gives his toy donation to Tikesha McNulty at Motors4Toys held by Porsche Woodland Hills at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021.

The event has a strong family connection for attendee Brett Michaelson.

“I lost my dad two years ago and together we would come to these events to showcase our

Ghostbuster mobile and support the cause,” Michaelson said.

“He would dress up as Santa, so I keep coming back to continue the tradition.”

participate, or to donate, please visit: www.motor4toys.com

Opinions.............................2 News....................................3 Photo Essay ...................4-6 Features..............................7 Sports.................................8 worellana.roundupnews@gmail.com

pkalidasan.roundupnews@gmail.com [see NEWS on pg. 3] Athletic director returns to teaching

Dreaming of a decorated campus

is located down the street from Pierce at the intersection of Lubao and Oxnard Streets.

If Pierce was to put up lights and other displays, it could draw attention and promote itself to the people headed to Candy Cane Lane.

The decorations do not have to be big and expensive, like a 30-foot Christmas tree or a giant inflatable snowman.

It can be as simple as hanging wreaths on the doors of classrooms.

Another way could be wrapping up the light poles with colorful lights.

They could also hang ribbon above whiteboards in classes and along the top of some of the bigger buildings.

Community fridges on campus

As the calendar flips to December, it means the holidays have arrived. A great way for Pierce to kick off the season would be to decorate the campus.

Putting up festive lights, wreaths and ribbons throughout the campus would get students, faculty and the community into the holiday spirit. There are many colleges that decorate their campuses and host festivities this time of year.

EDITORIAL

In an article by onlineschoolcenter.com, they rank the best 50 college towns with Christmas displays. UC Berkeley is featured on this list, alongside seven community colleges across the country.

Putting up Christmas and holiday decorations is not something new to the community surrounding Pierce. The popular “Candy Cane Lane” is an eight-block residential area lined with homes fully decorated. It began in 1952 and

And while they are at it, they could place Santa hats on the statues of the Brahmas on campus.

Although it may seem early to decorate because Christmas is at the end of December, some holidays begin early this year, including Hanukkah which begins on Nov. 28.

With the semester winding down and finals approaching, it would be a small gesture that could go a long way in spreading holiday joy to the Pierce community.

Sharing winter cheer, one greeting card at a time

The holiday season can be a joyous occasion for some, but COVID-19 is making it more difficult for others.

If Pierce College had a seasonal card program to give to those in need, it would be a way to spread holiday cheer throughout the community.

The Red Cross Holidays for Heroes program provides holiday cards for members of the military, veterans and

their families, and Pierce could partner with them.

The Angel Card Project sends greeting cards to those in need and Pierce students could gather in the Great Hall to volunteer their time to write messages for those who might feel forgotten. The best part of this program is that there’s no limit to how many cards can be sent out and if there’s someone you think needs one of these cards you can submit their name.

Students could also develop a holiday gram program, designing cards to sell for a local charity.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a program called Operation Santa that pairs letters from children and their families with the public to fulfill their holiday wishes. If even one Pierce student or employee could provide a moment of cheer for someone then it would be worth it.

With the fall semester rapidly coming to a close, many of us will be taking a well-deserved break, where most of our stresses will fi nally be put behind us until the following year.

But, some within our community aren’t so fortunate. For the members of our Pierce College family who face food insecurity, the search for a healthy and consistent meal doesn’t end here.

Because of this, Pierce College should consider installing community fridges on campus.

The school’s size offers up the ability to install fridges in multiple locations. Pierce can use this as an opportunity to offer their student body a stable and consistent option for healthy and fresh food

Also, the presence of fridges on campus can raise awareness on an often forgotten issue among our community, leading to people donating food to put into those same fridges.

The size and portion

of students that face food insecurity may not only be underestimated here at Pierce, but it also may be underestimated across the country.

Temple University’s “Hope For College” runs an annual survey investigating ways in which students may face challenges, such as food insecurity, throughout their academic careers.

In their 2019 survey, which included a respondent pool of ~167,000 students from more than 100 4-year colleges and more than 50 2-year colleges, it was revealed that 39% of the students who participated faced food insecurity in the 30 days leading up to the survey.

If a community fridge can even slightly help alleviate this problem among our student body, Pierce owes it to them to help alleviate this stress. Especially with pandemicinduced infl ation and supplyshortages continuing to affect all goods, including food.

A community fridge can also help bring Pierce’s community

closer together.

At the University of Southern California (USC), a studentrun community fridge was put in place last year. The fridge has also gained attention from the surrounding community as “several restaurants in the L.A. area have agreed to donate food regularly to the fridge.”

The same way that the LACCD was previously able to partner with Kroger and hand students gift cards to use at their grocery stores, perhaps that partnership (and new ones) can be called upon again to gain access to produce and goods that may be otherwise disposed of.

Finally, the food provided to students from the community fridge can also be integral to providing fair equity among our student body. Research reported on an article from ScienceDaily found that many colleges "report lacking access to a reliable supply of nutritious food...which can affect their ability to learn."

Pro: Going away for college Con: Join the stay home club

BY GISELLE LOMELI Reporter

As this semester comes to an end, many Pierce College students are submitting their college applications. It can be difficult to decide where to apply, so students should not limit themselves to local areas, and instead understand that a new setting could make for a healthy fresh start in life.

Some students plan to travel out of state once they graduate from a university. What they tend to forget is that there are many opportunities to travel out of state for college.

This means not only would the student be getting an education, but they will also get the chance to explore and be independent.

The idea of living in a dorm sounds so exciting, but what it also does is create responsibility that all students should take on and learn from considering college offers support to students during this most important part of their life.

According to an article on the College Raptor website, Some colleges have scholarships and tuition waivers to enhance a students desire to attend their university.

While applications can be difficult to navigate without help, students still manage to complete them in time for the due date.

But for those who are applying for the first time, it can be nerve racking.

Once it is complete though, students should see it as another learned skill. This is all part of becoming an independent person.

By going to college out of state, students can have a fresh start. Meeting new people can grow confidence and students can make new friendships.

Being away from what someone has known all their life can help them find out who they really are without the opinions of family or others a student cares about.

Many know that California has many job opportunities, but with that comes a lot of competition. Opportunities out of state are still available and involve less competition.

Some may look at being away from family and friends as a negative to going away for college, but it is actually a positive.

Even when a person moves out of their parents house, they tend to have better relationships with their parents afterwards.

Still being in the same state might still give the parents the authority to give their opinion on certain things which is okay, but the goal is to grow independence.

Some students change their major while they are away, because it might not have been what the student wanted but what the parent wanted.

Parents try to make sure their child always makes the right choice, but messing up sometimes can actually teach lessons and mold people into better humans.

Whether it be going out of state to New York or Arizona, a student can experience life away from their home town and figure out what they really want for themselves.

Being homesick is a normal reaction to being in a new setting, but it can make the student realize how much they need a change for themselves to no longer be dependent on others.

College is the first step to growing into a young adult, but moving out of state for college is the first step to growing into one’s true self.

glomeli.roundupnews@gmail.com

BY ALANA KING News editor and reporter

Many students are struggling to decide between what college they want to transfer to after graduation. Students tend to look at colleges out of state to get a new experience and gain independence. This sounds appealing, but for a lot of people it isn't realistic.

Going out of state for college will cost a pretty penny. According to ValuePenguin.com, a majority of these colleges have an out of state fee of $20,000 or more. A lot of state schools offer grants and scholarships that outof-state students can’t apply for, which is a red flag for those who need the extra assistance with paying for school.

According to the College Raptor website, “Many states offer their eligible students scholarships or grants for staying in-state to attend college. When students attend a college in a different state, they cannot take advantage of the free money to help them pay for college.”

Also, out of state schools are harder to get into. There's more competition because some of these schools have different requirements, which means more classes and higher grades need to be a priority.

There is also a higher cost of travel to get to the school in the first place. It’s a lot of unnecessary money and fees being spent that could go towards in-state tuition. It's only cost efficient if a student is meticulous about their expenses, but most of the time it's still just simply too expensive.

It may be silly to say but by choosing to stay in state, they’ll be closer to home. When they go away they can’t go home as often as they’d like and sometimes that can take a toll on a student's

mental health. If they’re used to being around family and friends, this will be a difficult adjustment.

According to Medium.com, “an average of 34 percent of students dropout of college due to stress from separation from home.”

Photo by Trisha Anas

A Santa doll sits in an antique car decorated in Christmas lights at the Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021.

File photo by Jose Samour

Photo illustration by Dominique Duñgo

Should I stay or should I go?

Athletic director steps down

BY FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor

After being confirmed on a permanent basis in July, Pierce College Athletic Director Susan Armenta has decided to step down from her position to return to teaching.

Interim President Ara Aguiar said Armenta is an "amazing person and great athletic director."

“She has chosen to go back into the classroom and we have to honor that,” Aguiar said. "I can’t thank her enough for everything that she’s done and I know she’s worked extremely hard."

Aguiar confirmed they are in the process of hiring someone temporarily.

“We will have to bring in someone to replace her. We are looking at what our options are,” Aguiar said.

Aguiar said they can go through the whole process of hiring and interviewing according to HR rules as well as putting in a job description.

She mentioned that their intent is to be as thorough as possible they can with doing the search.

Armenta took over as interim athletic director in Jan. 2020 where she led the program through the pandemic.

She also helped athletics

Hybrid? Dual-delivery?

Pierce offering new form of instruction

BY ANASTASIYA OREL Reporter

As the fall semester comes to an end, students are beginning to enroll into spring semester courses. Pierce College is offering a variety of ways for students to learn.

In-person, online, hybrid and dual-delivery classes are all expected to be available for students to accommodate those who are unable to submit vaccination proof, have travel issues or may have other restrictions.

Hybrid classes were introduced during the school’s transition because of the pandemic. Students were provided the opportunity to split the class and come partially in person and partially online.

Interim President Ara Aguiar said these options provide students, faculty, and staff flexibility with their schedules.

understanding with the faculty guild has limited the campus classes to 28 students,” Aguiar said. “We are looking into a model where we could expand the class up to 40, and that expansion would be online synchronous.”

The transition from inperson to online classes at the beginning of the pandemic enabled Pierce to implement new technology within the classroom, including the OWL.

An OWL is a camera, microphone and speaker combined into a single device to provide a 360-degree angle of the classroom. This device would allow students joining class online to feel further involved and present during lectures and meeting times.

Distance Education Coordinator Wendy Bass said the OWL has been Pierce’s first experiment implementing more technology to help with dual-delivery classes.

students will help, and we’re really interested in students’ feedback.”

Transitioning to online and in-person can be difficult for students who have already adapted to a new learning style—or who haven’t adapted at all.

Walsh said he thinks providing students, faculty and staff different options for classroom instruction will help strengthen Pierce’s efforts, enrollment and environment.

“I hope we’re ushering in the future here,” Walsh said. “I think that crisis yields opportunity, and this pandemic has forced us to think elastically about how we do things. Students are now looking for new and innovative ways to be educated, and I don’t see this hurting us at all, which is why I’m so excited.”

into the start of conditioning before competition started in August.

Armenta said the decision to step down led to a lot of factors.

“This job isn’t easy. Unfortunately, neither the college nor the district make the job any easier. The processes in place are not set up to have a successful program,” Armenta said. “I take it to heart so much that I don’t want to let my coaches and athletes down. I’m the type of person that won’t sleep until I get things done, and, unfortunately, I haven’t slept.”

Armenta said the coaches have been supportive when she told them of her decision.

She said that the coaches don’t want to see her leave.

“It has been a really hard decision,” Armenta said. “I went back and forth. I was absent for a bit because I needed to take a stance. Not too much has changed. Administration talks about supporting athletes and me in my role, but there is so much more support that we need.”

Armenta said she was proud to have led the program through the pandemic and the return to competition, but doesn’t want to take credit because it was a team effort.

Under her watch, women’s basketball returned and have played two games already. Armenta said she was happy to see them play in their home

opener against Compton.

“Coach Charles White, Les Thompson and the assistant coaches got the job done,” Armenta said. “They did the work. I gave them the platform to do it. I’m proud of them.”

Head basketball Coach Charles White said it is unfortunate for Armenta to leave her position.

“I love her. I hate that she is stepping down,” White said. “First, Bob [Lofrano], then Moriah [Van Norman] and now Susan. We have to find a way to keep good people. Just hope that the next person is just as committed as our AD.”

White criticized the apathetic response from the administration regarding the position.

“The administration has to be as passionate as the athletic director that they hire,” White said. “If you hire someone just because, we will be repeating this cycle every two years.”

Armenta wished athletics the best and said she will continue to be supportive.

“Athletics is a gem on campus,” Armenta said. “Fully supported, we can be a powerhouse in the state and country. All of the things that we talk about in our meetings to get student enrollment up is what athletics is doing already. We can continue to lead the charge. I’m still the number one fan.”

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“You’ve got to experiment, be open to trying things out,” Aguiar said. “The key is to serve 40 students with the same faculty member, and the methodology of how it’s delivered is going to be up to the student and working with the faculty member.”

Dual-delivery is a new system that faculty and staff are implementing starting in the spring semester. It provides students the option to attend an online or an inperson class, both under the same professor. The catch? Students who choose to sign-up for the online course are required to stay online, while those who selected an in-person class are able to fluctuate, depending on the size of the class and the professor’s course. With enrollment at Pierce dropping, Psychology instructor Jennifer Moses said dual-delivery could help motivate students to attend classes.

“The district I think is around 73% of historic enrollment right now, 86,000 out of 108,000 capacity,” Moses said. “I have found students to be much more adaptable in terms of changing modalities. I think the dualdelivery is a great pilot.”

Aguiar said the goal is to have an even split of students doing in-person and online classes.

“The new memorandum of

“It’s supposed to make it a bit more seamless and more about your teaching, and not feeling like you have to stand in a certain spot,” Bass said. “We have professors that had to go online and weren’t equipped for those technology components. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible so they can focus on their content and not so much on the design of the course.”

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 1521 Chapter President Brian Walsh said implementing technology as a component of classroom instruction may make online classes more efficient and convenient for students and staff.

“What we want to do with this technology is to create another option so students can see what works best for them and their learning style,” Walsh said. “I think once it becomes clear to our student population and community, technology is going to be here to stay.”

Chair of Distance Education and Instructional Technology Committee Clay Gediman said he hopes to see an enrollment increase because of different options for classroom instruction.

“It’s a retention thing,” Gediman said. “I hear from students that they have to drop classes because they can’t make a certain time due to transportation or other obligations, and I think this will actually help them. I think making it flexible for

Hyflex: An older system of simultaneous in-person and online classes.

Dual-delivery: Same system as Hyflex, but those who have signed up for online classes need to stay online because of the required proof of vaccination (students online do not submit the proof, therefore cannot attend class on campus).

Hybrid: The professor selects a day or days within the week the class will meet both online and in person (it splits the class meetings methods by the professor's choice).

Pierce still losing the battle versus the bots

Fake students still a problem within online class enrollment

BY AJ WERNER Reporter

Enrollment numbers have been declining for almost two years, and it will take some time to fi gure out if they are going up in the spring. That’s because many of the names on class rosters may be bots.

The Academic Senate discussed via Zoom on Dec. 6 the problem with fake students infi ltrating classes.

“I just want to assure everyone that the district is working on this diligently,” Interim President Ara Aguiar said. “They are very much aware of the situation, they are working on this behind the scenes.”

Aguiar also mentioned that while the district is doing they’re best to fi x the problem, they cannot share what is being done because the information released could be used against them in their fi ght against the bots.

“This is a very diffi cult problem that if you put up too much information, they’ll utilize that information and reinvent themselves in terms of what relates to this whole fake student situation,” Aguiar said. “But it is being taken

seriously.”

This problem has not been unique to Pierce College and has been a statewide problem at various schools, according to Aguiar.

The Senate also discussed the Cleared4 program and how it would be used for student enrollment.

“Enrollment into spring is going to be based on making sure that the information is all complete,” Aguiar said.

One issue for students to know is if they haven’t uploaded the necessary information to their Cleared4 profi le, they would be put on the waitlist for a class instead of the actual class roster.

Once students are approved, they will automatically move from the waitlist to the class roster.

Associated Student Organization (ASO) President

Qais Azizi mentioned that this Thursday, Dec. 9, from noon to 1:30 p.m., ASO will be hosting a Destress Fest.

“A lot of students might be cramming right now. We want to remind students to place an emphasis on self-care,” Azizi said. “We’re looking forward to have good engagement so far.”

The Senate turned to the school’s participation in the Military Articulation Program,

which is designed to help student veterans who enroll at Pierce get credit for their military service.

Curriculum Chair Margarita Pillado explained what the program would do.

“This is actually for the benefi t of our student veterans to help them expedite their articulation getting into Pierce College with a clear path for completion and making sure they are not forced to take unneeded units,” Pillado said.

“It’s just a great opportunity to be a part of.”

Psychology professor Angel Belden reminded Senate members to let their students know that they can use CircleIn to connect with their classmates to study for upcoming exams.

“I know that with fi nals coming up it can be very stressful for students and sometimes they just need a little bit of extra support,” Belden said. “They can study together, they can create fl ashcards, they can ask questions, that sort of thing.”

Senate members thanked Interim Vice President DonnaMae Villanueva for all her work during the past year and a half.

“You’re my favorite administrator I’ve worked with at my time at Pierce,”

just want everybody to know that Donna-Mae is always

Screenshot by AJ Werner

Barbara Anderson smiles during an Academic Senate meeting via Zoom on Dec. 6, 2021.

File Photo by Benjamin Hanson

Athletic Director Susan Armenta at Shepard Stadium in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Feb 25, 2020.

Motors 4 toys

Thick

fog was not the only thing rolling into Pierce College last Sunday morning.

Antique cars filled Lot 7 for Supercar Sunday’s Eighteenth annual Motor4Toys event. The entry fee was a new toy with a value of at least $20.

Festive volunteers dressed in Santa hats and stood behind tables lined with Christmas decorations to collect donations from participants.

Toys ranged from stuffed animals to Lego sets, and included a sea of baby Yodas.

Copy by Trisha Anas

(Right to left) Council member Bob Blumenfield awards Supercar Sunday founder Dustin Troyan with a certificate of recognition for organizing the annual Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021.

Photo by Trisha Anas.

Lydia and Jaun Huaman hand their donation to Isamar Mesta at Motor4Toys held by Porsche Woodland Hills at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021. Photo by Pauline Gener.

Toys sitting on top of the hood of a car at the Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021. Photo by Trisha Anas.

The donation table is filled with toys at the Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021. Photo by Trisha Anas.

A Porsche Macan S is filled with toys at the Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021. Photo by Trisha Anas.

Gerry Wasson points toward the donation table at the Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021.

Photo by Trisha Anas.

Toys sitting on top of the hood of a car at the Motor4Toys event in Lot 7 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2021.

Photo by Trisha Anas.

Lighting up the Night

Copy by Raquel Frohlich

Photos by Ginina Pulcinella

On the fourth night of Chanukah, the Pierce College Chabad Club hosted an event to celebrate the holidays.

The tables at the Chabad at Pierce Student Center were covered with art projects, dreidels, latkes and donuts for students to enjoy.

Later, the night was bright as the menorah was lit.

(L to R) President of Chabad at Pierce Eric Isayan, Adi Nahgary and David Tahoor laugh while Omid Minazadeh makes a dreidel out of clay at the Chanukah event at the Chabad at Pierce Student Center on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.

Liad Lalehzari paints a menorah with watercolor at a Chanukah event in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.

(L to R) Mimi Kluwgant, Mayan Benhamo and Rabbi Isser Kluwgant admire paintings of the menorah at the Chanukah event in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2021.

Mushka Kluwgant makes a dreidel from clay at a Chanukah event at in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2021.

(L ) President of Pierce Chabad Eric Isayan lights the menorah as Rabbi Isser Kluwgant recites a blessing at the Chanukah event in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2021.

'The Good Place' is in the writers' room

Former Journalism adviser is working with producer Michael Schur

BY RYAN FLEISHER Opinion Editor

It usually takes writers up to 10 years to get their first big break writing for a major TV show or movie. For Sean Collins-Smith, it only took one interview.

Collins-Smith, a Pierce College cinema professor and former media arts

Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a master’s degree in journalism.

“My goal going into high school and college was not necessarily to become a writer,” Collins-Smith said. “I always knew that I was good at it because I would wait until the last minute to write all of my essays, and my teachers would tell me they were great and gave me A pluses. I thought to myself, maybe if I actually put forth some effort towards it I could be really good.”

For the last decade, Collins-Smith has been teaching and working in the journalism field. It was not until he wrote his first two pilot scripts in 2017 that he decided to take his writing career to the next level.

In 2018, after his pilot scripts won awards at multiple film festivals, Collins-Smith and his wife Allison Collins-Smith decided to make the move to Los Angeles to give Sean more career opportunities.

instructional assistant, was hired as a staff writer for the new Peacock series “Field of Dreams,” a reboot of the Academy Award nominated movie from 1989 starring Kevin Costner.

Collins-Smith said he is excited for the opportunity to work alongside Michael Schur, the creator of the shows “The Good Place” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Schur also wrote for the shows “Parks and Recreation” and “The Office.”

“This is my first paid writing job ever,” CollinsSmith said. “I got very lucky because most people have to spend years and years as assistants before they can become a writer.”

Collins-Smith grew up in Richmond, Va., and attended

“I never thought I would leave the east coast because it is where my family is, so when we decided to make the move it was exciting and kind of exhilarating,” Allison Collins-Smith said. “It was also a bit scary, but we were doing it together so it made it more comforting.”

Sean Collins-Smith began working at Pierce in the fall of 2019. He grew to love the campus and what the school is all about.

“I gained a newfound respect for community colleges,” Sean CollinsSmith said. “I have only ever attended and worked at the university level, and the one thing I have learned is that students that leave here to attend four year colleges

have a leg up on those who have only been in those four year institutions.”

Media Arts department chair Jill Connelly appreciated the time he spent at Pierce dedicated to working closely with students and teaching them valuable skills.

“Sean is a dynamic teacher and helped our students in many ways, including using Adobe InDesign and Premiere to edit. He was always very patient and I will miss his unflappable personality.” Connelly said.

Allison said that she’s proud of her husband’s accomplishments leading up to this opportunity.

“Watching Sean the last three years pursuing his screenwriting career and being at the point now to have someone like Schur, who is one of the most talented writers in Hollywood, want him in his writers room is amazing,” Allison CollinsSmith said.

Sean Collins-Smith may be embarking on his new career in writing, but he said he will not forget about the many memories he made during his time at Pierce.

“I am going to miss the physicality of the campus a lot,” Sean Collins-Smith said. “On my breaks, I used to just put my headphones in and walk around the campus because I loved the atmosphere of it. But the thing I will miss the most is the people. Everyone from the students to the faculty was so hardworking, and it made my time here that much more enjoyable.”

Photo by David Pashaee

Former instructional Assistant Sean Collins-Smith poses behind the desk in Pierce Media Arts Department at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Nov 10, 2021. He left the Pierce Media Arts to write for a TV show after two-and-a-half years.

Photo by David Pashaee

Former instructional Assistant Sean Collins-Smith organizes newspapers in Pierce Media Arts Department at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Nov 10, 2021.

"The thing I will miss the most is the people. Everyone from the students to the faculty was so hardworking, and it made my time here that much more enjoyable."

- Sean Collins-Smith Journalism adviser

Brahmas of the Semester Fall 2021

Kiara Washington Forward

Season stats

Games played: 18

Games started: 14

Goals: 21

Assists: 3

Points: 45

Shots: 69

Shots on goal: 49

Season stats

Games: 6

Goals: 6

Assists: 4

Steals: 12

Shots: 5

Shooting pct: 120

Season stats

Matches: 13

Sets: 45

Kills: 80

Total attempts: 279

Service aces: 6

Digs: 72

Points: 95

Season stats

Games played: 6

Rushing yards: 155

Receiving yards: 32

Returns:

PR: 3

Yards: 48

The Brahmas of the Semester were the top Pierce players in their respective sports. They were selected by The Roundup News Sports Editor based on their stats on lapcbrahmas.com.

KR: 13

Yards: 246

In a turbulent season for the football team, Dennis Jones was one of few players to step up throughout the season. The team finished 0-9.

Photo by: Cecilia Parada/Roundup

Photo by: Cecilia Parada/Roundup

Photo by: Felipe Gamino/Roundup

Kiara Washington was vital as the soccer team returned to the playoffs after missing out in 2019. The team finished 11-5-4.

Julia Nederlk was considered to be the catalyst on the team. She played an important role in the team’s only win. Volleyball finished 1-13.

Julia Nederlk Middle blocker/Opposite hitter

Maria Sandoghdar, according to her coaches, had the best season. The team finished 0-6 reaching the conference tournament .

Maria Sandoghdar Driver

Dennis Jones Running back

Photo by: Raquel Frohlich/Roundup