Volume 138 Spring 2023 Roundup Issue 4

Pierce performers take a crash course in auditioning to land their dream roles

BY ALEC BENNET Reporter

The auditioning process can be a difficult and nervewracking opportunity for new performers looking to make it in the arts and entertainment industry. For Pierce College music students, Ann Baltz’s Masterclass allowed them to get first- hand feedback and practice with the professional musician.

Baltz’s class was part of the LAPC Music’s free Thursday concert series held at the Performing Arts Building.

BY NICOLE KHAIT REPORTER

Kicking off spring with a bang, the first annual Pierce Day gave middle school and high school students a chance to explore what it would be like to be enrolled in a community college on Thursday.

Welcoming over 600 new faces, Pierce also invited community members and current Brahmas to learn about the opportunities that are across the 426-acre campus.

Outreach and onboarding coordinator Julia Mendoza spoke about the significance of Pierce Day, where young students got comfortable with the campus and explored different career pathways for their future.

“We invited high school and middle school students to do career and campus exploration,” Mendoza said. “It really is focused on ninth through eleventh graders because we really want them to start thinking about it earlier rather than later.”

Dean of Student Engagement

Juan Carlos Astorga was adamant about students getting to know the Pierce campus and the supportive community built around it.

“We’re expecting about 650 students from multiple schools,”

Baltz is also an educator who has helped over 3,000 opera performers improve their confidence and stage presence.

One student who had the opportunity to perform for Baltz was Choral Music Education major Hasti Almasi. She hopes she can improve her confidence and performance capabilities outside of her singing skills with Baltz’s advice.

“The mock audition really is for those that want to go into any opportunity that requires an audition,” said Almasi. “This was specifically more for music students, yes, but this can also be applied to

anybody.”

The main commentary that Baltz gave performers was based on improving posture and carefully keeping track of the student’s stage presence.

Baltz put emphasis on remembering that every second of the audition process is witnessed by the casting director. Walking in with confident posture and hand placement will always be noticed by the viewer. Even before the audition actually begins, Baltz spent the majority of her introduction reminding the audience that every single second of your audition time

truly counts.

Almasi was very grateful for Baltz’s feedback and commentary on her performance. She felt that her confidence using the stage space was better when Baltz gave her a second opportunity to perform the song “Lullaby of Birdland” by George Shearing.

“All the tips that Ann Baltz gave were incredible,” said Almasi. “They proved to be useful for so many different areas.”

Music major Jonah Matos attended Thursday’s mock auditions. Matos said he was impressed with not only the singing skills from

those that performed, but also with Baltz’s advice regarding confidence and stage space efficiency.

“I feel like they had such beautiful performances,” said Matos. “They really embodied the essence of what their songs are, and what they represent.”

Associate Professor of Music and Choir Garineh Avakian was hoping to sharpen the performance skills of her students by bringing in a professional like Baltz.

“A lot of our students in music, theater and dance, at some point, have to audition,” said Avakian. “For vocalists, it’s nice to bring in

people that actually listen and give feedback on how to audition–what to do, what not to do, what to listen for, how to prepare and how to deal with nerves.”

Avakian believes that the students who auditioned were a great representation for the Applied Music Program at Pierce. While the auditions held were only for practice, the students felt that the advice Baltz gave them was valuable for their music careers.

Astorga said. “Part of what we wanted to do is really highlight and showcase our campus, our Guided Pathways CAP communities, and introduce to middle school students, high school students, and community members what Pierce College offers.”

As it was the first annual event welcoming students to tour the campus and learn about the programs and services Pierce offers, Astorga acknowledged the importance of creating traditions.

“As we create annual events, it's an opportunity to really create traditions,” Astorga said. “I want us to talk about events that are traditions so that we look forward to it. Those of us that work here can then really put our efforts in and recharge our batteries when we see new students.”

Over 20 different booths were set up for students to ask questions, earn prizes, and get free Pierce merchandise. Faculty and staff were on hand to talk about the various classes, services, and departments Pierce brings to the table.

Senior Office Assistant Chris Lauterdale ran the honors transfer booth in hopes of educating students on the benefits of the program.

“We're hoping to encourage high school students to come to Pierce,” Lauterdale said. “We want to show

them what we have to offer and of course, the Honors Program is a good way to transfer and get ready for upper division coursework.”

Vice President for Student Services Jason Cifra wished for younger students to explore different programs, meet instructors, and learn about different majors.

“The goal is to really connect with our younger students to help them be career-ready,” Cifra said. “When they know their career early on, they know what they want to major in, but if we can get them onto that track, it’s going to be easier for them. If they are undecided, this is the best time to be undecided and explore.”

Mendoza shared insight into the future events that will be held at Pierce for new and incoming students.

“This is kind of the kickoff to our spring events,” Mendoza said. “We have our Brahma days coming up, and that is focused on our seniors and getting them onboarded. We'll have our Brahma Fest in May, which is a huge event to welcome them onto our campus and get them ready for the fall semester.”

With future Annual Pierce College Days, the goal is to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable on campus.

PHOTO BY WYATT SANCHEZ. Professor Izzy Goodman (left), Dale Fields (Back), Nick Ferandilli (middle), Ashley Boles (middle righr), and Nadine Do (right) observe the chemical changes of dry ice. Taken March

PHOTO BY Kyanna Hojati. Lance Merril on the piano, AMP voice mojor Stephanie Keledjian, Jazz voice major Hasti Almasi and Master Class instructor Ann Baltz at Pierce College PAB Mainstage. On March 16, 2023.

PHOTO BY AUDRINNA MEZA. Pierce College kicks off their First Annual Pierce College

to

with the

PHOTO BY KYANNA HOJATI. Master Class instructor Ann Baltz plays the piano next to music professor Gaga Avakian at Pierce College PAB Mainstage. On March 16, 2023.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON THE USE OF CHAT GPT FOR WORK?

EDITORIAL: From the desk of the Roundup

Career closet is a good start

The Career Closet provided at Pierce College lays out business attire free for students.

But this accommodating service has the potential to reach more than just the surface.

Students may pick up these items from the Career Closet with the intention to feel more confident in the job interview process, maybe even to meet a work-appropriate dress code at the jobs they already have. But this pop–up service can transform into a presentational event that offers tips on how to

“If there's a limited extent to it, then I thinkit’sperfectlyfine.Ifyouuseitasa tool,notaGetOutofJailFreecard,then there's the difference.” - Kaden Lewis, veterinarysciencemajor

excel in a job interview and offer an inside look on how to navigate a professional workplace.

The event could be hosted in the Great Hall by a career counselor, along with a panel of professors providing enlightening career stories, job interview tips with a follow–up Q&A for students to receive more personal insight.

The panel of professors would be favorable because it would create “representatives” for the majors the average student pursues at Pierce. Students that attend the event can

directly talk to the professors that have experience reaching similar goals in their career journeys.

Students striving to achieve their goals outside of academics can feel a bit lost, because unlike studying for an exam or working at their part-time job, accomplishing your aspirations doesn’t come with a simple instruction guide. Pierce has already given students the wardrobe, and now they can help set the stage for their career desires by starting with the basics. The presentation itself could

contain the Do’s and Don'ts of what to put in your resume and cover letters, how to leave the employer with a good-impression, how to know if a specific position at work is right for you and how to confront workplace tension.

Al these things could potentially be answered by enrolling in a counseling class offered at Pierce, but many students lives’ are already jam packed and on a strict budget. Instead of having to take a whole class for a semester a Career Closet presentational event could

be offered twice a semester. Especially with the resurgence of our campus life in recent months, adding this event to Pierce’s calendar can bring students together to bond over their similar aspirations.

The Career Closet should still be in attendance at the presentational event, but this additional support can have Pierce students not only dressing for success, but feel prepared for it.

ChatGPT will be the way of the future

BY RUEBEN SANTOS Reporter

Chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT) is the future of the world we live in. It has the incredible ability to provide real time data analysis, enhanced data accuracy, and it supports multiple languages. Most of all, it can automate routine tasks.

“Ithinkyoushouldn'tbeabletouse chatGPTorAIjusttowriteyour essaysbecauseit'snotagradethat youearned.It'dbetheequivalentof payingsomeoneelsetowriteitfor you.”-LuisMartinez,psychology major

Ultimately, the biggest advantage of ChatGPT is the fact that it can change the way resources and time are distributed. This is what gives ChatGPT its uniqueness.

Also, GPT powered chatbots can respond naturally in real time. This means that any individual can have the opportunity of interacting with these chatbots in a human-like conversation.

An article by Ruchir Shulka titled “What Are The Long-Term Pros And Cons of OpenAI’s ChatGPT?” explained, “AI chatbots can

“I'mfullyagainstitbecauseit'snot atoolthatactuallyhelpspeople.It's atoolthatkindofhindersyourown growth.”-NicolasCarter,psychology major

provide quick and efficient customer service 24/7. The chatbot can use data about customers to provide more tailored interactions and improve their overall experience leading to improved customer satisfaction and wait times.

“AI chatbots can handle simple tasks such as answering frequently asked questions, allowing human employees to focus on more complex tasks, leading to increased productivity” Said Ruchir Shulka

“Implementing chat bots like ChatGPT can lead to significant cost savings for businesses. It eliminates the need for human customer service representatives, reducing business expenses.” said Ruchir Shulka.

There are many important key aspects of ChatGPT from a business point of view.

“It (ChatGPT) can be programmed to understand

and respond to multiple languages, making it an ideal tool for businesses that operate internationally. This feature can help better serve customers who speak different languages.” said Ruchir Shulka.

ChatGPT truly is a natural language processing tool that allows anyone to generate any sort of content they like with very minimal effort. ChatGPT gives you the ability to not only save time, but you don't have to sacrifice good quality work when using it.

Ian Hammond, in an article titled “Pros and Cons Of Chat GPT,” wrote, “ChatGPT also offers a great way to streamline workflow by eliminating tedious manual processes. With its ability to analyze complex data quickly and accurately, ChatGPT can help automate mundane tasks like data entry or categorization, freeing up your team's work for more important work.”

“Additionally, the technology can be integrated in existing applications such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems or other business intelligence tools to provide even greater efficiency gains,” Hammond said.

As time passed, we have already seen the effects that technology has had on society as a whole. Technology consumes all of our lives regardless of age. There's no doubt that this technology offers promise in terms of accurate in depth research.

In an article by Johanna Leggatt and Alberto Riva titled “What is ChatGPT? A review of AI in its own words,” it is elaborated “ It performs rote, perfunctory tasks to a high standard: ChatGPT can give you a list of blog ideas to take into a meeting or provide a quick overview of a niche topic. This makes it a sound starting point for further work

ChatGPT will do more harm than good to education & learning skills

BY SOPHIA CANO Reporter

Connection. It’s one of the staples of human needs. But with the introduction of AI technology, is this pillar being pushed to the backburner for the sake of expediency?

“Students shouldn't use it because thatwouldn'treallyhelpthemdo betteronpapers,especiallyifthey havetodoapaperduringatest.It'd be better for them to know their own skills.” - Annabelle Moore, film andmediastudiesmajor

A new artificial intelligence system, Chatbot GPT, is causing a lot of commotion in the teaching community.

To summarize, Chatbot GPT is a system that can generate essays and form algorithms to answer complex questions, more than any popular system that has been introduced so far.

It’s no wonder teachers are concerned. These systems, without proper regulations, can undermine the effects of teaching. Students can have the option to put in a prompt, click a few buttons, and let AI do the work for them. Without the need to write those papers for themselves, students aren’t going to be taking in the information they need to learn something from their classes, and it could be damaging to their education later on when they no longer have the option to use shortcuts like AI programs.

It should also be noted that these programs still make errors in logic and substance. Students could take AI answers to be absolute truth, even when these systems are open to mistakes. There’s no better way to learn the information than to do the research yourself.

A paper by David Aldridge called

"Cheating Education and the Insertion of Knowledge” voices the concerns of an AI system trying to influence human knowledge. It says “if we could predict the outcomes of a learning process with an appropriate algorithm, we would have solved an “AI complete” problem. But intelligence is not such that it can be replicated by an algorithm.”(622)

The rise of technology has already impacted students, most prominently from the online shift in 2020. They were robbed of the sources they use to make friends and interact with teachers and their peers. AI is further impacting them because instead of connecting with other students or asking for help with assignments, it is giving them the option to help them with their work, which could end up impacting their ability to form connections at future jobs or solve problems without the help of AI systems. A report by the Consortium for school Networking, as reported by Edweek.org states that “this approach has the potential to further perpetuate education inequity by advancing a cheaper but inferior education system. For example, if students spend more time interacting with or through technology than in face-to-face settings, it could negatively impact their ability to interact socially.” (4).

Students also need to have the opportunity to utilize everything education has to offer, and with the advancement of AI systems, the dangers

of creating an imbalanced system are imminent. People in disadvantaged communities as opposed to wealthy communities will have unequal access to AI resources, so the opportunities to use AI could end up only being available to people who can afford the technology needed to access it.

According to a survey by Pew Research Center, white students are more likely to have access to traditional home or portable computers than black or hispanic students, with 80% of white students having computers and network connections at home, as opposed to 6070% of hispanic and black students. Without a stable network at home, minority students would be negatively affected more with the advancement of AI systems.

Students are at school to build their knowledge and skills, and AI makes it harder to accomplish that effectively. Besides that, the unequal access to these systems are creating an environment in which some students will be forced to work harder and more honestly for their education than others, which is something all students should be striving to do. AI technology will ultimately have a negative impact on our learning abilities and should be avoided.

scano.roundupnews@gmail.com

on a project.”

Another useful feature of ChatGPT is that it can in fact refine information for you in real time.

If, for example, the AI provides you with a paragraph on the ramifications of inflation on an economy, and you like more detail, you can ask for more information and it will regenerate its response based on your new inputs.

Artificial intelligence will have a degree of dominance in our worlds within the next decade. We see it today with the likes of robot food servers, Siri, Google assistant, Alexa, and Cortana. The past is the past, the present is turning into yesterday, and the future is now, and that future is a world with artificial intelligence. It’s simply inevitable.

Photos by Audrinna

Copy by Nicole

“Iuseitasawaytogetideasbut Iputthemintomyownwords becauseIdon'twanttoplagiarize. Youneedtoputyourowncreativity, andyourownmindintothinking andnotletabotdoitforyou.”MarianeAvila,nursingmajor

A couple inches underwater

Faculty faces disruptions and inconvenient circumstances due to rain

NICOLE KHAIT Reporter

Imagine walking into your office, your home, or even your bedroom, inundated with water from the heavy rain Los Angeles has experienced over the last two weeks.

Pierce College faculty and staff dealt with inconvenient circumstances and office damages due to the flooding in the Alder Building.

Dean of Academic Affairs

Susan Rhi-Kleinert was surprised when she saw her office completely flooded.

“For us, it was just inconvenient and shocking,” Rhi-Kleinert said. “It does feel like it must have been like a flash flood because when I got here, there was a little bit of sand, debris and wood chips.

The general foreman determined that it was not safe for Rhi-Kleinert to stay in her office after doing a building assessment.

“We did a quick assessment of the entire building and looked at every room to see how much water there was around,” RhiKleinert said. “Administrative Services took over immediately. The general foreman did come really quickly and suggested that I leave the building because it was not a safe place.”

Faculty members faced disruptions in their workflow due to their offices being flooded and having to relocate to a dry workspace.

Senior Office Assistant Chris Lauterdale was relocated due to the office flood so that she may do her job.

“I was warned that it was a mess,” Lauterdale said. “There were probably a dozen fans in here and things were flying.

I called the assistant to the facilities manager and asked her if it was okay for me to work there and she said no. I went down the hall to the main Academic Affairs Office and figured I'll settle in there for a while. Things were just all over the place.”

Companies that specialize in water cleanup, restoration and carpet cleaning were contacted immediately to take action in the Alder Building. They were able to absorb the water from the carpets, and they thoroughly shampooed the carpet as well.

“They took immediate action and they brought some of the people the same day,” Rhi-Kleinert said. “In the afternoon, they already had the machines from Servpro to suck all the water from the walls, the cement and the carpet.”

Luckily, no electronics or important documents were damaged, except for boxes and other things on the ground. Public Relations Manager Doreen Clay said the floor baseboards experienced the most damage.

“It was a couple of inches underwater and they had to take the baseboards off on this entire side of the building,” Clay said. “When I came in, it was Monday and there were giant

loud fans going everywhere to dry the carpet.”

Clay worked from home and then came back into the office to get her work done while the fans were still on.

“I worked all last week,” Clay said. “I even worked with the fans. It was loud and hot, but I was doing my newsletter and I needed to get it done. It was very inconvenient, but I was

able to work around it. I hope they look at the whole situation and figure out a way to mitigate the damage in the future.”

For future rainfall, Lauterdale insists that Pierce

builds preventative measures in hopes of decreasing the chances of flooding.

“If they could put that curb outside in front of the sidewalk so that water can't come down, that would be really helpful,” Lauterdale said. “It would save the district and the taxpayers a lot of money going forward.”

The Alder Building is still not up to par, but progress has been made. Sandbags have been laid in front of the building to make sure there will be no leaking again when it rains.

Faculty members are back in their offices and dealing with minor repercussions.

“I’m pleased that they took immediate attention to the situation,” Rhi-Kleinert said. “I have to give credit to them and the fact that they took care of everything so quickly.”

Other places that were affected by the heavy rainfall include the tennis court fence, which was destroyed by a falling tree.

Interim President Aguiar said that they recently removed a lot of the weight from the trees around campus.

“Thank goodness we trimmed our trees,” Aguiar said. “There was only one tree that fell.”

Aguiar said that they are looking into the option of either fixing or replacing the fence.

The Roundup News will provide updates with developments.

nkhait.roundupnews@gmail.com

Accounting and nursing student Shabnam Malakoot Tabary accounting and nursing student conversates with previous student Hermineh about womens history at Women's History Month Trivia

TOP PHOTO BY KYANNA HOJATI. Adler Building suffers water damage in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Feb 27, 2023.

BOTTOM PHOTO BY OWEN MEZA. Updated flooding in Alder building near near Parking Lot 1 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., On March 17, 2023

Photos by Ashley Shellmire

Accounting and nursing student Shabnam Malakoot Tabary accounting and nursing student conversates with previous student Hermineh about womens history at Women's History Month Trivia at Woodland Hills Calif., on March 15th, 2023.

Coffee and conversations Students open up about their college experience

The anxieties transitioning out of high school and being a first-year college student can be hard to shake.

To help put students at ease, the Peer to Peer Mentor Program at Pierce College hosted a ‘Coffee and Convo with Peers’ event for students to chat about their experiences while bonding over freshly brewed coffee and pastries on Thursday.

The program’s goal is to help students succeed, academically, socially and emotionally.

According to Peer to Peer Program Adviser Sidra Bahada, the peer mentors hold a caseload of nearly 100 students each and students in the past have asked for this event to come to fruition.

The Peer to Peer program wanted to make it happen and help students realize that they don’t have to be alone in their academic journeys.

“There’s other students on campus who have gone through the same things they have and there is a support system here,” Bahada said. “We want students to walk out of here feeling like they’re not alone and that there are people on campus here to support them.”

To welcome the students to the event, Dean of Student Engagement Juan

Carlos Astroga gave a warm greeting to the attendees. To encourage conversation, peer mentors and faculty from the Multicultural Center shared the universities and colleges they received their degrees from upon arriving at Pierce.

“This year we’re hosting it in-person and we’re just talking about topics that are very relevant to students like transferring

anxiety, choosing a major, just their experience as a first year student,” Bahada said. “So those are the type of conversations that we kind of wanna lead today. It’s nice with Pierce because they relate to each other a little more.”

Peer mentor Eliana Pride understands that many first-year college students need a glimpse into the experiences and opportunities that are offered at Pierce.

“It was nice sharing my experience just so other students are able to kind of know what’s coming up in the future,” said Pride, who is also a psychology major. “ I hear a lot of students being nervous and wanting to tour different schools and just me giving information about it really helped. This helps students by knowing what’s coming up in the next year, especially with transferring.”

Each student was given the opportunity to share their personal stories on how they experience stress and how they handle it. Faculty and peer mentors also shared their thoughts on stress and how they came up with coping mechanisms to relieve those nerves. As the atmosphere grew calm and inviting, so did everyone’s comfortability talking about their perspectives.

The event led the students to fall deep into conversation–going half an hour past the event's planned end time.

“People brought their own experiences of their family, their classes, their perspectives into the conversation,” Communications major Jazmine Minches said. “I liked how everybody was really welcoming and really engaged. Everybody had something to say.”

cpasillas.roundupnews@gmail.com

Under the big blue dome

show is that the universe is grander than they know and a lot easier to understand than they imagine.”

people didn’t always have TV to entertain them.

If you want to watch a show at a planetarium, you don’t have to drive all the way to the Griffith Observatory. Pierce College has a big blue dome that would even impress the late James Dean.

The Planetarium Show took earthlings of various ages on a two-hour educational trip through the cosmos on Friday at the Center for Sciences, where attendees learned facts and history about space.

The free event was hosted by astronomy professor and Physics Department Chair Dale Fields, and it was open to not students and staff, as well as the general public.

Fields projected space objects starting from homebase Earth and ending to as far as the most sophisticated telescopes can see. The show gave the illusion of zooming in various directions and distances—from the moon to the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the farthest place in the universe that astronomers are able to see.

Fields talked about the eight planets in our solar system, but that only scratched the surface of the presentation.

“This is the time to be alive,” Fields said. “What I hope that people get from this

People who grew up learning about space in the 1990s may have only known about our own solar system, or they may have read books that said that Pluto is a planet.

“When I was a kid, the only planets that we knew of were the ones in our solar system,” Fields said. “Now we have proof that there are thousands upon thousands of planets out there in the universe.”

Fields connected astronomy to history by explaining how ancient civilizations used stars as a form of entertainment.

Among the many light-years the show took viewers on, it gave people the opportunity to see the other side of the moon and to travel through asteroid belts. Fields would sporadically clarify misconceptions about space that pop culture gets wrong. The show concluded with Fields talking about the frontier of astronomy–how astronomers may one day prove current theories about the universe.

Planetarium Show attendee Sandra Martinez brought her 6-year-old daughter to the show, as she finds fascination in planets.

“I enjoyed seeing her happy,” Martinez said. “We drove all the way from LA with traffic and were able to catch a good hour of the show, so we are happy with that.”

Board of Director with the Los Angeles Astronomical Society David Yakerson compared the show to the planetarium shows that used to be presented at Griffith Observatory.

As figures such as Orion, Ursa Major, Scorpius and other constellations filled the dome, Fields said that we found out a lot about our ancestors that looked up at the night sky through the 88 official constellations.

“The night sky is a bit of a Rorschach test,” said Fields, as he reminded attendees that

“I thought it was fantastic,” Yakerson said. “We should do this over at our Griffith Observatory as well. We’re working towards that right now because the shows have gotten away from what they should be doing.”

The next LAPC Planetarium show is on April 18.

CLEMENTE PASILLAS Reporter

Photo by Fabiola Carrizosa. Astronomy Professor Dale Fields answers audience questions after the Planetarium Show in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 17, 2023.

Student Engagement listening to fellow students about their experiences as a first-year students in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 16, 2023.

Photo by Jay Abril

Photo by Jay Abril

Keke Gbewonyo (Left) and Pooja Camarajugadda (Right) grabbing food at Coffee and Convos with Peers in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 16, 2023.

“ This is the time to be alive. What I hope that people get from this show is that the universe is grander than they know and a lot easier to understand than they imagine.”

Dale Fields, Astronomy Professor

FABIOLA CARRIZOSA Editor-in-Chief

Preview: A tale about the immigrant experience

On March 24, LAPC’s Theater department will be opening their production of “Ironbound,” and the cast and crew are anticipating a great show.

“Ironbound,” running two weekends at the Dow Arena Theatre, was written by awardwinning playwright Martyna Majok. It follows the story of a Polish immigrant named Darja and her three relationships that span 22 years.

Pierce’s production of the play is directed by Christian Barillas, who has previous experience as an actor and play director and is passionate about this project.

“Something that I found inspiring in the material is that she [Majok] captures something very true and difficult about the immigrant experience,” Barillas said. “It's ultimately a very human story.”v

The cast consists of Pierce students Olia Panasenko, Kris Hernandez, Joshua Gould, Angelo Rosales, Itzhak Matos and Jacob Gonzalez.

Panasenko plays the role of the main character Darja, and the other four are the love interests Tommy, Maks and Vic. Both Gould and Rosales play Vic. Gonzalez plays as the understudy for Tommy.

The cast has been rehearsing since January, and during that time they have learned and grown closer to one another

which makes them excited to finally get to show the production to an audience.

“The cast is phenomenal to work with,” Matos said. “They make a really emotionally difficult show easy to get through with the support that we all have for each other.”

The production is already in its final stages, and Barillas

and the cast members seem to be both confident and nervous as the closer opening night approaches. There are feelings of stage-fright and nervousness but also excitement.

“The audience can expect a story that feels true to life in all its complications,” Barillas said. “In its heartbreak and its humor and its irony. And I

hope they come away moved and looking at people that come to this country in a way that is more in admiration and less judgment.”

“There's always a little bit of a sense of butterflies because you're not quite sure how everything's going to come together but usually it kind of magically does,” Barillas said.

“The audience is what I like to think of as the last character in the play. So really the play isn't complete until the audience is there to witness.”

“Ironbound” is different from the last few productions that have been held at Pierce, according to Matos.

“It really covers all aspects of human emotion and human experience in a very real way that a lot of shows don't really do,” Matos said.

According to the cast, the play shows realistic experiences and characters that are genuine. It follows Darja through all her challenges and doesn’t shy away from showing how life truly is for a lot of people. Audiences are anticipated to laugh, cry and truly relate to the characters.

“It’s not an easy show to watch,” Hernandez said. “This show is pretty much like one massive roller coaster where one thing is happening and then another, and then another, and then another.”

For tickets, call 818-7196488, or go to https://www. brownpapertickets.com/ event/5747459.

nm.miranda.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Power of Love French Film Festival opens with homage to Céline Dion

The French Film Festival made its mark at Pierce College for the first time in three years with the opening of the film “Aline,” at the Multicultural Center Thursday.

“Aline” is a Césarnominated film that details a fictionalized portrayal of Quebec singer Céline Dion. The movie was chosen for its ability to merge both French cinema and music, marking it as an interdisciplinary film between the French and Music departments.

French Consulate representative Benoît Labat was in attendance to reintroduce the event at Pierce. Labat, who helps lead the promotion of the French language in Southern California, spoke about the importance of events that support cultural immersion.

“It's a part of my job, and our job at the Consulate to support the initiative, especially Los Angeles where movies and the individual sector are so strong,” Labat said. “The embassy has programs and tools to help universities and community colleges implement events, such as Albertine Cinematheque. It's a great way to enter into

a new culture through art.”

The festival brought in participants from all over campus, who were welcomed by event organizers French Professor Dennis Pra and English Professor Donna Accardo, who issued free raffle tickets for prizes before the screening. Attendees

could then grab a pastry from local shop and vendor Pascal’s Patisserie before making their way to the seating area.

Music major John Matos attended the event out of curiosity for the festival and a love for musical icon Céline Dion.

“I had seen posters and flyers

around campus, and I have an interest in cinema and film in general, so I figured I would come and learn more,” Matos said. “Also if this is about Céline Dion, I love Céline Dion.” Film Club President Elyse Miller said she was excited to observe the differences in

French and American cinema with the movie selections.

“I was curious because I am a film major, so I am excited to see what kind of French films are being presented, as they are different compositionally from American films,” Miller said. The festival’s mission to be

known as an interdisciplinary event was met with the inclusion of Music Professor Garineh Avakian, who was a speaker at the event’s Q&A panel.

Avakian said the goals of a performer are fully encompassed by all aspects of their life.

“I saw that there was a lot of similarities between my life and her life. The training, the discipline, the focus, and the concentration that she had, and still has in her life and career. I wanted to bring up some of the vocal issues and the lifestyle a performer leads,” Avakian said. “The extraneous agenda, and performance schedule. It's tasking on the voice, and also emotionally, and physically. Everytime we perform as performers we are dealing with an adrenaline rush and our entire nervous system does a 180.”

The French Film Festival continues on Monday, March 20 at 4:30 pm at the Multicultural Center with “Slalom,” which addresses the subject of sexual abuse in sports. The film will be followed by a Q&A panel with Professor’s Deborah Hefter and Susan Armenta from the Department of Physical Education.

KYANNA HOJATI Reporter

Photo by Wyatt Sanchez

English Professor Donna Accardo (left) and French Professor Denis Pra (right) open up the festival giving thanks to the multitude of people that came together for this cultural presentation in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 16th, 2023.

PHOTO BY OWEN MEZA

Alex FaGalde, Pierce College Pitching Coach sitting in the dougout with reporter Jennifer Tanzil from the Roundup news pape, conducting an interview.. Photographed at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif on march 15, 2023

PHOTO BY OWEN MEZA. Actors Olia Medkova and Chris Hernandez rehearsing at the Performing Arts building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March 16, 2023

PHOTO BY OWEN MEZA. Director Christian Barillas watching the Ironbound rehearsal at the Performing Arts building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March 16, 2023.

NATHALIE MIRANDA Reporter

A major changeup

BY JENNIFER TANZIL Reporter

From playing in the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league system to playing in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, Alex FaGalde has thrown a baseball in various places.

His current setting is the Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College. This time around, FaGalde isn’t the one standing on the mound– he’s working behind the scenes as a pitching coach and lending his expertise to student pitchers.

FaGalde, a Sacramento native, played various sports growing up, including basketball and soccer. He found baseball to be his calling and tested out different positions before finding the right fit as a pitcher.

“Pitching is where I found myself to be most competitive– it’s a position where the game doesn’t really start until you do and I enjoyed that aspect of it,” FaGalde said. “It’s nice knowing that when you’re on the mound, you’re probably the most important person for that play.”

After playing baseball throughout high school and college, including two years at UC Riverside, FaGalde was drafted by the Cardinals in the 30th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

“It was something that I always hoped would happen and something I worked hard for,” FaGalde said. “To have that dream become realized was something really special for me.”

FaGalde went on to play at various levels in the Cardinals’ minor league system in his four years with the organization, recording a cumulative ERA of 2.72 in 301 innings pitched. He reached Triple-A, the highest level of the MiLB, with the Memphis Redbirds in the 2021 season.

Among one of his most memorable experiences while playing professional baseball was getting to perfect his cutter with the help of Cardinals’ Legend and two-time World Series champion Yadier Molina.

“I started to throw a cutter and it wasn’t any pitcher or pitching coach who taught me the cutter– it was Yadier Molina,” FaGalde said. “He said that was a pitch that he thought could really change the way I attacked hitters.”

After throwing a few bullpen sessions and a

get on board

5 hits while Cuesta had 11.

BY JOEL ROBLES

Editor

Brahmas baseball was held scoreless Thursday as Cuesta rolled through 7-0. Pierce managed to record

Pierce also had two errors.

The Cougars scored 3 runs in the 1st inning and kept their lead the whole game. The Cougars managed to close out the game with 3 runs in the final two innings.

The Brahmas left 2 LOB and five players managed to

get one hit each. Moorpark’s starter played the whole game, while Brahmas Jorge Romero played 7 innings and recorded 8 strikeouts. The Brahmas will strive to rebound as they host Oxnard on Friday, March 24. First pitch is at 2:30 p.m.

spring training game with him, FaGalde found the right grip with Molina’s guidance and continued to use the pitch until the end of his professional career.

“Getting to throw to Yadier Molina is something I’ll always remember,” FaGalde said.

FaGalde’s experience around big leaguers helped him pass down some knowledge to those around him through his coaching position.

“He’s done a really great job at bringing the experience he’s had in an approachable way to the kids,” assistant coach Jackson Briscoe said.

“All of these players want to get to as high of a playing level as they can and having someone that has played minor league baseball at a really high level is something all the kids look up to,” Briscoe said. “I think it gives whatever he says even more credence.”

In 2021, after dealing with a recurring shoulder injury that kept him from playing for a portion of the season, FaGalde was released by the Cardinals in what he described as a “disappointing” moment.

“It was tough but there’s so many memories to look back on,” FaGalde said. “It’s like that age old saying, ‘everybody is going to have a last game.’ For some people it’s 12 years old– for others it's 18. Luckily for me, it was at 27, so I feel lucky to have been able to play that long.”

FaGalde pondered on his future and whether or not he could continue playing professionally. He likened that time in his life to graduating college and not having any next steps planned.

Given his history of injuries, he knew he was headed toward the end of his professional career.

“Eventually there in Triple-A, my body just kind of broke down and my shoulder had finally told me enough was enough,” FaGalde said. “I think it was more important for me to watch my health and spend more time with my family.”

Before retiring for good, he gave pro ball a few last shots that included playing winter baseball for the Criollos de Caguas, a team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League.

The prospect of coaching became a reality to FaGalde through LA Valley College’s coaching staff, with whom FaGalde befriended through the many years he spent training there during offseasons. They informed him that Pierce was possibly seeking a pitching coach.

After reaching out to Head Coach Bill Picketts and testing out the waters, FaGalde deemed coaching to be a good fit and hasn’t looked back since.

He said the biggest challenge has been getting familiarized with the facilities and the field, but he added that coaching has been an enjoyable experience overall.

“My goal for my pitchers is to be able to help them move on to the next level,” FaGalde said. “If they want to chase a dream, then I want to do everything I can to not only help them develop, but help them get there and have success.”

When he’s not on the field teaching pitching mechanics, FaGalde can be found spending time with his girlfriend and her family, taking part in fishing or golfing. He’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology at Cal Baptist University, which keeps his schedule packed. Brahama’s shortstop and second baseman Isaac Samano credited FaGalde for helping him better his mindset on the field.

“Coach Alex has given me talks about staying calm, how to keep pushing myself and how to handle the mental approach of the game,” Samano said. “He is a really smart guy– he has a lot of knowledge about the game and he’s very experienced.”

Outside of the mental aspect, FaGalde seeks to instill a sense of competitiveness within the team.

“A lot of times, the fear of failure holds us back from truly trying our best,” he said. “For me, allowing them to have that sense of conviction or confidence and be able to be aggressive as a pitcher, those are things I definitely want to instill with my guys.”

So far, he’s confident that the team will pick themselves up and do better in the second half of the season after a rough first half saw the team go 4-15.

“The frustrating part is that there is good talent here,” FaGalde said. “Now it’s just trying to have that cohesion and making sure that the guys are well-prepared.”

And as long as there are players with a dream of moving up towards their goals, FaGalde will be doing his part in supporting them and sharing his knowledge through coaching– something he sees himself doing in the long run.

“I think right now, I do feel like I’m where I should be,” FaGalde said. “I’m enjoying this stage in my coaching career and in my life. I enjoy coming to work everyday and doing what I’m doing now.”

PHOTO BY HUNTER HAMMEROT Alex FaGalde, Pierce College Pitching Coach sitting in the dougout with reporter Jennifer Tanzil from the Roundup news pape, conducting an interview.. Photographed at Pierce College in Woodland Hills Calif on march 15, 2023

Former professional baseball player takes on his next role- Pierce College Baseball’s newest pitching coach.

PHOTO BY OWEN MEZA. Pitcher Jorge Romeo throws a ball at home base at the Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March 16,

Sports

PHOTO BY OWEN MEZA. Hitter Dante Zamudio swings at a ball at the Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on March 16, 2023.