Navigating sustainability in a world of overconsumption
Examing media literacy across the generations
Questioning the ethics of AI art and its impact on artists
SERVE, SPIKE, SCORE
An inside look at Palomar women’s volleyball team
To say that the fall semester at IMPACT/ The Telescope was a busy one is an understatement.
The semester kicked off with news that the staff had been anticipating for the past year, Palomar’s football stadium opened and coverage was intense. Along with covering this exciting news, we also covered Palomar’s Governing Board election, which included interviewing candidates before the election and staying in the newsroom until 11 p.m. on election night to see the results. On top of all of that, we decided for the first time ever to publish two issues of IMPACT this year.
The stress of this workload was amplified due to most of the staff graduating in the spring. Imposter syndrome was alive and well in the newsroom, with most of us doubting our work or questioning our career goals. Many of us were grappling with the uncertainty of the future, including transfer worries and the ever changing political climate.
However, the IMPACT/The Telescope news team came together to push through these stresses and self-doubt. In between interviews, writing, and, editing we still found time to talk about our struggles and find solutions. These conversations strengthened the bond felt in the newsroom.
In my time at IMPACT/The Telescope, I have always felt like I was part of the team. However, it used to feel like we were all just colleagues. This semester, we’ve all become friends.
Art Director
Blanco Lead Designer
Garcia Assistant Designer
IMPACT is Palomar’s award-winning, student run magazine. Publishing since 2011, IMPACT is the work of students studying in the college’s journalism program. IMPACT Magazine publishes annually each spring semester and is produced by the staff of The Telescope, the independent newspaper of Palomar College.
Connor Larson | Sports Editor
Taylor Leonard | Sports Copy Editor
Tori Gudmundson | Opinion Editor
Monica Garcia | Arts & Culture Editor
Sofia Alvarez | Podcast Editor
Sofia Alvarez | Social Media Editor
Erin Hiro | Impact Adviser
Jay Schultz | Design Adviser
Melinda Finn | Photography Adviser
Under the Lights: Palomar Men’s Soccer
Sofia Alvarez and Connor Larson take an in depth look at the Palomar College men’s soccer team, highlighting their resilience, teamwork, and pursuit of excellence on and off the field. Through exclusive interviews and game footage, they captured the spirit of a program that unites players and families.
Unlocking Palomar’s Resources
Terra Turner and Ana Resende speak with Dan Dryden from the Disability Resource Center for insight on how the program is helping students with disabilities on campus.
Listen to these podcasts, and others, on Youtube.
any athletes balance school, work, family, training, sports, and more, which puts a lot of pressure and anxiety on them to ensure they are on track. Not many athletes know the resources around them, but there are always ways to help them overcome what they might be going through.
Mental health is increasingly a struggle for athletes and students. A supportive environment and prioritizing mental health resources in the sports community can help athletes thrive both on and off the field. Over the last few years, fans of sports have seen this topic gain a lot of interest, as athletes struggle with anxiety, depression, and high expectations that can impact their mental and physical well-being.
While California community colleges cannot offer athlete-based scholarships, Palomar provides many resources to help studentathletes succeed.
Palomar’s athletic director, Daniel Lynds, has extensive experience in sports. He played football for Palomar in the early 90s and returned to the school in 2020 as its athletic director. He has worked hard to help Palomar create additional resources for athletes.
“Any type of basic needs and resources that we can give them through our Student Life and Leadership department lets the athletes know resources are there,” Lynds said.
Palomar College has many resources for student-athletes, such as Behavioral Health Services, the Disability Resource Center (DRC), and two academic counselors dedicated to student-athletes. These resources can help the students talk to professionals about what they experience and how they can overcome the obstacles.
The Healthy Minds Survey recorded that 19% of students would rather deal with issues independently or with support from family and friends. This is the same percentage of students who say they don’t have enough time to deal with their struggles, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Curtis Coronado, a former football coach at Palomar College and a behavioral health counselor, explained how athletes can have a more focused mind on and off the field.
“[When] you go out on the field and you make a mistake, you feel like you let your team down and aren’t good enough to be on the team. It’s very hard,” Coronado said.
Sometimes, athletes may put themselves down over their mistakes and completely isolate themselves from the team or family. They are not able to realize talking to someone
about their mental health and getting support will improve their physical performance overall.
Around 35% of elite athletes have mental health concerns regarding burnout, depression, and anxiety, according to a 2019 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
A few signs of depression in athletes, according to McLean Hospital, include a lack of motivation and losing interest in the sport. The study mentioned athletes struggle with sleeping and eating due to the anxiety and pressure put on them to perform.
Multiple professional athletes have opened up about their mental health, including former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Olympian Simone Biles.
Phelps, who publicly spoke about mental health in 2015, told
You go out on the field and you make a mistake, you feel like you let your team down and aren’t good enough to be on the team. It’s very hard
Healthline, “[You] work so hard for four years to get to that point, and then it’s like you’re… at the top of the mountain, you’re like what the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I?”
It’s easy for athletes to get lost in the negative thoughts.
“The higher level of play you go, the more challenges you’re faced with. One thing that can be humbling is always being successful and then as it gets harder, getting discouraged, leading to doubt affecting their performance negatively,” Coronado said.
Patrick Savianao, a licensed psychologist and Palomar College’s Director of the Behavioral Health Department, explained how athletes can overcome anxiety challenges.
“Academics, work, and relationships are determined by mental health. But with athletes, they work, take classes, and train, which adds up to anxiety or depression because of being overwhelmed. It’s important to stay on top of mental health for athletes so they can perform at their best,” Savianao said
Two key factors of being an athlete are getting good sleep and eating well. Athletes must keep hydrated and consume the right calories for a healthy body and mind.
A great tip that Coronado said when asked about what coping strategies athletes can do to prevent stress was, “mindfulness meditation can be useful, as anxiety takes you to the future, and depression keeps you stuck in the past.”
Athletes need to be in the present and focus on what they can do now instead of worrying about what happened or what will happen, such as seeking help to figure out how to battle it rather than waiting or doing nothing.
Thomas Kreissig, a former player on Palomar’s men’s water polo team, stressed the importance of mental health awareness. “The best thing coaches can do is try to get more on a personal level with the kid and see where their head is and what they’re thinking,” Kreissig said.
As it becomes more of an issue every year, coaches, staff, and family should make it more known to the players that they are there for them and can talk about any mental health struggles they might be facing.
Injuries can be a very hard thing to deal with, and injuries can be detrimental to athletes’ mental health, limiting their ability to do
the sports and activities they love most. These athletes fear that they’ll be easily reinjured after a return, and that’s where the worries can kick in another layer of induced anxiety.
“Even though injuries can make people feel powerless, the way you get that power back is to accept the negative feelings and then find ways to effectively cope with them,” said psychologist Andrew Arendt, a former college basketball player, in an interview with Nebraska Medicine.
Understanding the effects that mental health can have on athletes, especially after suffering a serious injury like a concussion, Kreissig knew he needed to think about the present and returning to the season.
“You can’t think about the pressure, you just have to go in and get it done regardless of what happens. I try to have it motivate me more knowing that I have to do
and perform well with this,” Kreissig said.
Going back to what Curtis Coronado said, depression or negative feelings can keep athletes thinking about the past, and if they keep thinking about reinjuries, they’ll have trouble ruminating themselves.
Mental health is gaining more awareness daily, and athletes are starting to speak out about their struggles.
Family, friends, and staff are a support system for athletes to talk to about their struggles and help them achieve their goals.
Combined with the use of coping mechanisms, mindful meditations, and good physical health practices, athletes can find a better way forward.
“If you don’t talk about what you’re struggling with, you can feel completely alone and isolated,” said Coronado.
Understanding what we see online is an essential skill needed for everyday life.
Some generations were born and raised with technology and others watched its creation and evolution into an essential part of our everyday lives.
The way we consume media has changed drastically within the past 50 years.
The Silent Generation in their prime consumed media through printed newspapers and radio. Baby Boomers consumed most media through the home television, the home phone, and printed newspapers. Growing up Gen X experienced the home television and the introduction of the personal
computer. These generations witnessed the creation and development of media and got the opportunity to see a world without prevalent or any digital media use.
Millennials had mobile telephones and laptops with the development of social media like Myspace and Facebook. Lastly, Gen Z had access to modern technology all throughout their development such as the smartphone with access to Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook. These generations continue to see the evolution of technology but were exposed to digital media in daily life from adolescence or younger.
The rise of technology in daily life is astounding and we may not be able to function properly as a society
without it as a result. However, with online media being so busy nowadays it’s not always easy to find what you are looking for.
“Online social media literacy is defined as participation, access to online social media, understanding, and awareness of the content disseminated in online social media,” according to The Political Science Association of Kasetsart University.
By understanding what media literacy means, we can discover its effects across different generations. Older generations tend to be less media literate when it comes to identifying misinformation in comparison to their younger counterparts, according to a Scientific Reports research paper.
Lisette Ordorica Lasater, associate professor of English at Palomar College, is from the end of Generation X. Throughout her life, she has experienced a wide variety of different technologies. She talked about her memories growing up, reflecting on her experience learning how to type on a typewriter in middle school and getting to see the evolution of computers.
“I think it’s a challenge for a lot of young people now…they come into this slick iPad interface and they don’t necessarily always get how it works… like where’s the file storage?” Lasater said.
Currently, Lasater browses Reddit on the internet to discover current conversations, recipes, or niche interests. She has Instagram and Facebook but mostly scrolls, follows art organizations and writers, and finds out about local events.
In addition, she also uses TikTok with the motivation of staying informed on current trends to connect with students. She also has an X account but doesn’t use it anymore.
“With TikTok it’s often just very entertaining… there’s a lot of bad things about social media and online media and it has become very toxic,” she said. “I also recognize how it can be a great place for communities to form… especially during the pandemic.”
daily life scenarios.
When asked if she faces challenges while searching online, she said occasionally but she is confident in her level of media literacy. For internet browsers, she tended to lean towards using chrome and sometimes safari but also research databases for gathering information.
She said frequently with Google the first things that pop up are ads or sponsored content and part of the challenge is sorting through the algorithm to find the information she is looking for.
“I do a pretty good job of Identifying false information or bias information,” she said even with having to search multiple web browsers or databases.
Lasater said because of ads and disinformation she is increasingly unable to get the results she wants from looking up information online — especially when it comes to relevant information.
Gabriel Rosenthal, a Gen Z student from Palomar College, shares his experiences with digital media.
“I had access to the internet from a very early age, I think I got my first computer at 6 or 7 years old and it wasn’t monitored closely… Attention to media and what children are consuming should be monitored pretty closely,” Rosenthal said.
When it comes to staying updated, he mainly uses YouTube and Instagram and occasionally uses Facebook for his family. His motivations for using apps like Instagram or YouTube are for entertainment, information, news and socializing.
Nowadays, 39% of adults under 30 say they regularly get their news from TikTok, according to Pew Research Center.
Rosenthal finds it difficult to find articles online that come from a credible source.
“Google Scholar… is meant to be for finding credible sources but I find that a lot of them are put behind a paywall which makes it pretty difficult to find things from a reliably credible source,” he said.
When looking for information online, he said it ultimately is 50-50 because of frustrating websites, ads, and an influx of misinformation. He expressed that he’s very frustrated with this increase of misinformation, and those who consume this content unintentionally or not.
““Digital media, in a sense, a lot of it is not quite encouraging the truth in a lot of instances and is more encouraging of what gets more interaction for more views for ads,” he said.
Rosenthal added that the media has gone through this transformation over time from being informative to being a majority of what gets the most attention according to an algorithm or wanting ads to be seen to make profit.
Between these two very different individuals there are a lot of similarities but also major generational differences. A major difference was the way they grew up consuming media.
evolution of computers being made and learning about websites for the very first time.
One commonality is that they both observed the challenges of trying to search through ads, paywalls, and algorithms in order to get to the information they need. This is a way of showing and understanding the level of media literacy of these two people.
We learn so much by the messages we consume via the media. Do we have the skills to be able to discern and think critically about all of those messages? “
Rosenthal had major access to the internet from a very young age. Whereas, Lasater grew up with the
Professor Wendy Nelson currently teaches media studies at Palomar College, which gives her professional insight on media literacy and generational differences.
“We learn so much by the messages we consume via the media. Do we have the skills to be able to discern and think critically about all of those messages?” Nelson said on the impacts of the media.
She added that being media literate also involves putting together and understanding media to shape stories. This can be through understanding and creating writing, film, or art to create a message through it.
“This is my opinion, that younger generations are more media literate.. Then y’know some older audiences only because they’ve grown up using the tools,” she said.
Nelson added that out of all the countries in the world, the U.S. ranks 15 in media literacy. Some schools are currently taking measures to address the lack of media literacy. California has become the fourth state to require media literacy for all K-12 students, according to NPR.
Her advice to students in terms of usage of digital media is to be aware that media can be distracting us from important things like homework, chores, or exercise.
Other pieces of advice she recommended was limiting time on digital media, spending more time with friends and family, and spending time reflecting with yourself and tuning in. Especially in an age of phone addictions it’s important to set healthy boundaries.
Nelson also said having an overall life balance with digital media as far as social media while also being aware of media you consume and how it may affect you on a daily basis. She emphasized the importance of critical thinking as well when finding resources online.
and crowded no matter your generation, you should pay attention to what you are consuming day to day online. Despite our generational differences, we still currently share our experiences, research, thoughts and ideas on the same internet. It is ultimately up to us to improve our
“I don’t like it when people my age or my generation are like ‘kids nowadays are so addicted.’ It’s like we are, truly we are too. We were there from the beginning but we are all in the system now,” said Associate Professor Lisette Ordorica Lasater.
cattered papers marked with rapid sketches, jars of murky water with wooden-handled brushes breaking the surface like sunken ships, a large smooth tile covered with puddles of color layered and mixed haphazardly next to a well-loved easel positioned next to a sweeping window overlooking a flower-dotted garden — an artist’s studio seemingly right out of a picture book.
An older woman with wild salt and pepper hair tucks some larger canvases into a nook to make some room before pulling up a stool, a wry grin playing across her lips.
“I am a painter primarily, but like most artists I know, I dabble,” she says, waving a hand at some charcoal and ink drawings in progress across her desk behind her.
Miriam Claasen recounts her youth filled with finger paints and torn paper collages with nostalgia before her expression turns serious in response to the mention of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“The world of art is always in flux. Artists and creatives are a passionate bunch and, as a group, we rarely agree on much. There’s
always some new argument going on. Every generation has it. Art historians study it,” Claasen noted.
“Many things have changed quite rapidly over my lifetime… uniquely so. The dissonance between artists and technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. AI is just the newest topic.”
Since the recent advancements in AI capability, artists have seen an unprecedented surge in AI-created art, frequently to the detriment of human artists. Claasen was one of many who has felt the sting of her creative work being fed into the AI algorithm to teach it to make better, more convincing art.
What type of impact has AI had on the artistic practice of 100 artists surveyed by Impact magazine?
To highlight the artist vs. AI discourse, half of this illustration was created with OpenArt.ai.
The rate of artists impacted by the scraping of their work to teach AI models
media. This makes it all the more concerning when Instagram and, more recently, X (formerly Twitter) added policies to their user agreements that allows them to take user data, art included, to train their respective AIs. Even more so when artists are either without the option to opt-out or an option to request to opt-out that can be denied.
This year, in particular, there has been a trend of companies making digital spaces once used by artists full of AI-generated content and problematic AI policies. A policy update made by Adobe at the beginning of this year made vague allusions to the use of artists’ personal work saved in the Creative Cloud to improve their AI components. While Adobe has since clarified that it doesn’t intend to use unpublicized works, the trust was already broken and many artists took to their communities for program alternatives.
“I think if these companies were less profit-driven and more interested in ethical long-term solutions, they could have approached this differently. They should have reached out to artists and asked for consent. The default should have been opt-in, rather than putting the onus on the artist to opt out,” said Kelly McKernan, a fantasy artist best known for her work on Dark Horse Comics, in an interview with Creative Bloq.
Responding to a need for artists to have a scraping-free space to share
“We believe that the future of creative industries will involve heavy use of AI, and it’s paramount that our governments work to regulate the rampant unethical data usage as well as provide safety nets for the impact AI will have on our society,” stated Cara’s about page, which highlights the concerns many artists have with the uncharted waters of AI ethics.
When Meta announced its AI policy this summer, membership on Cara exploded from 40 thousand to nearly a million.
“I have personally seen artists’ work scraped against their will without consent or compensation, and have felt a crushing blow not only to my
own resources (image references, online info, safe posting platforms, etc.) but to the deeply essential human need for artistic expression as a whole,” said artist Olivia H.
As Miriam Claasen noted, the art world is once again facing a major change and artists are split on whether that change is positive or negative. It is evident that digital art and graphic design careers are seeing a massive shift away from human artists to AI. Even so, some artists see the value of AI as a new
Digital artist Liam Hunt found
“It’s a weird world out there for creatives these days. Jobs that sprung up in the past thirty or so years where artists could directly use their skills and passion and get paid well for it are suddenly gone. I was one of those. My boss thought
I
my
passion for much longer — however I know that there is no guarantee of that in a profit-driven society
He noted that the shock made it hard not to be bitter and disillusioned about the future of his field, a sentiment many of the artists surveyed echoed.
“I was angry at first. I ranted at anyone who would listen… it still stings a bit to feel replaced like that. I’ve heard it over and over in the community: book illustrators, video game concept artists, animators, graphic designers are all struggling,” he said.
However, as with any life-changing development, everyone experiences it differently.
While some artists feel disillusioned, others have taken it in stride, incorporating AI into their process to streamline some of the more tedious aspects. In fact, of the artists surveyed, nearly half said AI has positively impacted their artistic practices.
provide as well as its use as a tool to simplify areas of their practice. Over 60% confirmed they would or might use AI in their practices, including Hunt.
“At the end of the day, AI isn’t going anywhere. I’ve got a new job and a new boss who values what a human artist can bring to the table while, at the same time, utilizing AI. Learning to view it as a tool. To use it ethically. That’s the key,” Hunt said.
While the shifting landscape inspires diverse emotions from those already vested in creative fields, future artists don’t seem to be deterred. Of the 40 Palomar art students surveyed by IMPACT, more than 80% are still planning to pursue a career in an art-related field.
Like Hunt, students agreed that AI is a tool, nothing more, but nearly half reported they would only use it with caution. Over a third reported they
ethics of how AIs use artists’ work and the current trajectory of their chosen career paths. While passionate about their futures, fears and doubts still loom over their decision to continue toward creative professions.
“I have considered giving up on my dreams of becoming an illustrator/ novelist due to the surge of AI media popping up everywhere, and I hope I won’t have to worry about dropping my lifelong passion for much longer — however I know that there is no guarantee of that in a profit-driven society, especially as someone just starting out as an independent artist,” said Palomar student artist Nico Chmura.
Others, like Mason Guthrie, were more confident in the future, with 75% of respondents believing AI won’t be able to effectively take the place of working artists.
“It hasn’t impacted, nor impeded, my growth as an artist. It is merely a tool that will never be able to do
what an artist can. It only creates images that look good at a quick glance,” said Guthrie. “[Generative AI (GenAI)] can’t create designs with intent behind it, nor can it use design techniques. GenAI can only
leave it at that,” Claasen said with a short laugh.
“I’m too set in my ways to make use of it or combat it, and there likely won’t be systems in place to
Artist Voices:
“It has a depressive effect. A lot of artists, especially young artists, are very discouraged. They are losing income, and note increased lack of respect for artists. We are also seeing a lot of hostility and disdain from AI users who are angry that artists might try to get legislation to stop or hinder AI.”-Anonymous
“AI is a very touchy subject, but I believe that with regulation, it can be used to increase creative flow for artists. Generally, AI is fed different prompts from various places such as the internet, the real world, and actual pieces of art. But unfortunately, a lot of people have had their art scrubbed, taken and fed into a program outside of their consent... I personally feel that AI art should be used properly and should legally stipulate that one has to ask for permission to feed art to an AI.”-X
“I don’t think AI in the art world is inherently bad. I think it’s ultimately a tool that any artist in the industry should be allowed to use in order to off-load some of the work. The problem comes when you try to use it to replace actual artists.”-Anonymous
“AI may progress to the point where it’s detailed, polished, and looks good, but it can never replicate the emotion and passion put into it by real people. Studio Ghibli for example, Hayao Miyazaki’s work is breathtaking because of his vision and the love he has for his art. As well as that, AI cannot generate art or videos without web scraping. In simple terms, it steals the work of artists to mush together into something new, without the artist’s knowledge or consent.”-Sarah McDowell
“It has a place, albeit not a large one. I have seen it used for brainstorming and referencing, and I personally use it to expedite my photo editing, but it will never take place of real, handmade art. The hard work, blood, sweat, and tears that goes into making a thoughtful, emotional, and moving piece of art can never be replaced with dumb computers.”-Johnston Skinner
“AI can be fun to mess around with to build your own ideas. You can draw inspiration from what it spits back out, but I don’t think it will ever be used in big art industry jobs like design, comic art, and animation.”-Ashlee Ford
From a survey of 100 artists done by Impact:
Computer scientists from the University of Chicago set out to give artists the tools to defend their works and even fight back.
artists use AI in their artistic practice?
From a survey of 40 Palomar College student artists done by Impact:
For defense, the team created Glaze — a program that makes small inperceptable changes to the pixels in the artwork to cloak it from being used by AI to mimic style.
For offense, they created Nightshade — a program that makes similar small inperceptable changes to the pixels on an artwork that confuse the AI and distort future reproductions.
Though the programs provide artists a sense of security, there have been reports that AI creators have bypassed these securities.
effectively take the place of working artists?
There is a saying in Japanese.
Mono no aware.
The saying is not easily translatable to English. Literally, it means “the feeling of things,” and can be described as the feeling of awe. This barely scratches the surface, but the loss in translation creates so much meaning as well.
Mono no aware is far easier to explain than define, and there is no better way to do so than by describing the cyclical nature of the Japanese cherry blossom trees, also known as the sakura tree.
As the cherry blossoms bloom they create a feeling of awe. In their descent they bring joy, laughter, togetherness and warmth amongst many other emotions. After the fall, the blossoms are at their aesthetic precipice, they exist in a state between life and death and create a new landscape as the beautiful, yet decaying petals blanket the ground.
The branches of the sakura trees, devoid of blossoms, stand as a stark reminder of the ever-changing essence of life, for they will inevitably bear new buds.
But what if the cycle was not to be?
What if the branches remained bare and did not produce new flowers?
The blooming period of the sakura tree is short. This is akin to the cycle of students at Palomar College.
Given the nature of a community college most students at Palomar are not here for a long time before they move on to their next phase in education and in life. Even so, the
It is inconceivable to think the blossoms of the sakura tree would not return each year, just as it is inconceivable to think new students would not replace those who graduate. But that is exactly what is happening at Palomar College.
Japanese student representation at Palomar College is in a free fall.
Only 33 Japanese students are enrolled at Palomar this semester, according to the campus’ Office of International Education. If trends persist, this number will continue to plummet.
Unfortunately, Palomar College and other higher education institutions don’t normally advertise themselves internationally. Instead, community colleges and universities send staff members around the world to recruit these students.
At Palomar, Yasue O’Neill oversees the recruitment efforts as the International Education Coordinator. For 30 years, her main focus has been increasing the international diversity on Palomar’s campus.
“My goal is to expand the program. Not only increasing the number of international students but increasing the number of countries that these students are coming from,” Yasue said.
International student attendance at Palomar depends not only on the hard work of Yasue, but also on whether it is feasible for prospective students to leave their native country.
The state of the country plays a huge role as well and in Japan there are several societal issues making it less likely that Japanese students will study abroad.
Japan had a population of over 126 million people in 2020. That number graduates are replaced with incoming freshmen at the start of each school year.
is expected to fall to 87 million by 2070 due to an increase in mortality rates and a decrease in birth rates, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
Yasue O’Neill in her office surrounded by memorabilia from her years as Palomar College’s International Students Coordinator.
“Not many Japanese people and others of this generation are getting married, and they choose not to have kids. So, the younger population is decreasing while the older population is increasing in Japan,” Yasue said.
With less of the population made up of college-bound individuals, it makes sense that the number of Japanese students attending schools in the United States would also fall.
But the decrease in population is twofold when it concerns Japanese students studying internationally — with fewer college-aged individuals in Japan, there is a much better chance to be accepted by otherwise highly competitive Japanese universities.
In 1997, the United States had its highest enrollment of over 47 thousand Japanese students, according to statistics from Open Doors. In 2023, that number dropped to 16 thousand Japanese students. While it is a slight uptick from the 2021-22 school year total of 13 and a half thousand, it is still a far cry from its peak.
The decreasing numbers are not the only issue. Most of the students who choose to come to the United States to receive a higher education will attend four-year universities that can offer large scholarships over a two-year community college.
If they do not receive a scholarship to an university in the United States, Yasue explained that it’s more likely
Japanese students will study abroad in countries like the Philippines.
“Because the Japanese yen is so weak compared to the American dollar right now, it is hard for parents to support their kids through college, and these closer countries can still help them to speak English,” Yasue said.
Yasue brings up a great point that the money used in Japan, the yen, is very low in value compared to other global currencies including the US dollar.
According to Macrotrends, at the end of 2023, one dollar was worth 141 yen and in 2024, one dollar was worth nearly 152 yen. This is more than a 7% decrease in the value of the yen in less than a year.
The discrepancy in currency has an adverse effect because many Japanese students now cannot afford schools in the United States. The exchange rate is too high and many, including Palomar’s Japanese students, rely on their families to support their enrollment financially.
Ayano “Aya” Tsuda, a sophomore at Palomar College from Nagoya, Japan, is very aware of the financial difficulties associated with attending school in the United States.
“Recently, the Japanese yen is so cheap compared to US dollars. It’s hard. I am so appreciative of my parents who helped me be able to come here,” Tsuda said.
Despite having a small international student base, the Japanese students are very driven to succeed.
The average GPA among Japanese students at Palomar is above a 3.0. Outside of academics, they actively participate in school activities like sports and the student-founded Japanese Culture Club.
Many of the students who stay for two years will transfer to wellknown universities like Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tsuda is a student-athlete at Palomar and competes with the women’s water polo team as one of their top goal scorers. She ranked second on the team, and ninth in the entire conference this season with 39 goals scored.
“First, I was going to go to MiraCosta College, but I really wanted to do swimming sports in college. But they do not have a swim team. I found Palomar College had a water polo team in the fall semester and a swim team in the winter, and so I came here,” Tsuda said.
Tsuda came to school in the United States with the goal of learning English to pursue a career with Emirate Airlines. English classes at Palomar College have greatly improved her spoken English, but she attributes much of her knowledge to participating on the water polo team.
“Thanks to the friends, the water polo girls, and the coaches, my English has so improved,” Tsuda said.
In addition to playing for the water polo team, Tsuda is also on the women’s swim team. She is the only native Japanese student-athlete at Palomar. When she graduates at the end of the semester, there will be none.
“I love the friends I’ve made and my coaches. Playing water polo for two years here has been such a precious time, and I am so sad to be done,” Tsuda said.
Hinata “Hina” Watanabe is another sophomore at Palomar College. She is from Tokyo, and is close friends with Tsuda. When Watanabe graduates she will transfer to California State University, Northridge.
“Everything that I’ve experienced at Palomar has been so amazing. A good memory I have is doing a big project with five native [English] speakers. It is difficult as an international student, but it is good for me,” Watanabe said.
With the current population and economic situation in Japan, is there really a solution to the declining number of Japanese students enrolling at Palomar?
“It depends on how much resources and funding the district and school can provide us. But some things like the economic situation [in Japan] are out of our control,” Yasue said.
Before 2020, Yasue used to go on more recruitment trips to multiple countries, but COVID-19 and the current financial situation now limits her to merely a couple of these trips per year.
The change makes it difficult to recruit not only Japanese students at Palomar but also international students overall.
Unlike Palomar, other community colleges like Santa Monica City College, De Anza College, and Foothill College, allot enough funds to have a whole department of international student recruiters.
This enables those other colleges to bring in several thousand international students to their campuses every year.
Yasue was recently in Vietnam and spoke with other international student coordinators from various
community colleges. They were stunned that she could bring in even 33 Japanese students. Their own numbers fell as low as the single digits. Comparatively, our numbers at Palomar are good despite continuing to decrease.
Both Tsuda and Watanabe were unaware of the low presence of Japanese students on campus, and were shocked when they learned just how quickly the numbers are falling.
“I was surprised, because my friend went to Palomar as an international student. At this time, I think he said the number of Japanese students was 80. But 33 is so small,” Watanabe said.
In 2016, 127 Japanese students attended Palomar, the highest number in the past decade and is almost four times the total enrolled this semester.
The entirety of Palomar’s Japanese international students can fit comfortably in a single classroom. There is a looming possibility that one day, not even a single desk at Palomar College will be occupied by a Japanese student.
Americans tend to focus on loss and disappearance in a negative way. In Japan, mono no aware and the cherry blossom trees paint a picture of all things being part of a greater cycle. One should appreciate every moment, including moments when things are lost or fading away.
There may be fewer and fewer Japanese international students attending Palomar each year, but that does not detract from the positive contributions of students like Aya Tsuda and Hina Watanabe. Their accomplishments and the memories they make here will have a lasting effect on the school and on their own futures.
Mono no aware reminds one that life, and all things in it are short and fleeting. Though the branches are devoid of blossoms now, in the future they will be full of life, beauty and vigor once more.
Palomar as an international student.
At this time, I think he said the number of Japanese students was 80. But 33 is so small
country located in central West Africa, is filled with fascinating marvels. In its tropical forests, gorillas pick the fruit off shrubs, elephants fan themselves with their large ears, and rock pythons slither across the grassy lands. Approximately the size of California, the country is one of the most diverse in the world with over 250 cultures, languages,
Ojahngoe carries the rich heritage of his roots in Cameroon where he
Though it has been years since he left his homeland, Ojahngoe vividly recalls the striking landscapes and
Cameroon is home to the Kupe Manenguba twin lakes, which the
referring to them as female and male. Ojahngoe explains that while the female lake is the lake of life, the
“If anything goes in there, it dies. Like, no one is allowed to swim there... Tourists have gone there
The land is rich in oil and aluminum as Cameroon is one of the highest exporters of oil globally and the highest exporter of aluminum in central West Africa. It is also one of the highest exporters of timber.
“The trees are massive… I’ve seen a tree so big, I was scared to touch it,” he said.
The tough trunks of trees grow over 200 feet tall and, like these trees, Ojahngoe stands confident in himself and in his cultural roots.
“It’s really important to keep your culture and tradition because it creates a lineage, a lineage of witness or cultural practice, something that the kids could look back to during hard times.”
Ojahngoe now lives in California by himself, where waving palm trees poke out from behind San Diego’s city buildings. Although he enjoys experiencing American culture, Cameroonian heritage remains a major part of Ohjangoe’s identity.
“I stick to my culture so much because I know that’s who I am, and that’s where I’m gonna be, and that’s where I’m gonna leave on Earth, and that’s where my kids are gonna become,” Ojahngoe suggested.
A majority of Cameroonian tradition values family and the traits passed from one generation to the next. According to Ojahngoe, parents are responsible for their children until about the age of 30, when they become adults upon marrying and starting their own family.
younger than the husband due to economic challenges and limited education, according to a 2024 study published by the African Development Review.
“Eighteen is not really an adult. That’s still a kid,” Ojahngoe said.
When choosing a marriage partner, it is customary for marriages to be arranged in a way that focuses on a woman’s age and positive traits.
It is also crucial to be mindful of who a Cameroonian chooses to have children with because the parents’ traits will be passed down to them. The mother is believed to pass traits down to her child as she carries them throughout pregnancy. Positive traits like care and ambition in a woman are influential in having a healthy family. Similarly, honesty and level-headedness in the father are important factors to pass down.
I stick to my culture so much because I know that’s who I am, and that’s where I’m gonna be
Polygamy is a common practice in Cameroon. Men get assigned multiple wives which, according to Ojahngoe, is largely out of necessity to care for the women of the tribe and have children.
Men may get married to multiple wives, however, “after the first, the second wife is not more a thing of fun, it’s a thing of necessity,” he explained. The husband creates
opportunities for his wives and children by sponsoring them through school.
“The wealthier the man is in Cameroon, the more responsibility the community expects him to take,” Ojahngoe said.
Ojahngoe said that without tradition, people can feel lost and unsure about their identity, which can lead to a lack of confidence. He encourages AfricanAmericans to go to Africa and learn about their heritage.
Programs in Africa educate African Americans about their history through the African lens, rather than the teachings of European colonizers. For instance, Ashanti African Tours hosts Ghana Heritage Tours where members of the African diaspora from around the world connect with their cultural ancestral heritage and become informed on their background.
As a member of Palomar’s Umoja Club, Ojahngoe encourages others to find their community on campus. The Umoja Club focuses on enhancing the cultural and
educational experiences of African Americans and others.
“Umoja is a very inclusive space… It’s by unity,” Ojahngoe said.
The club provides students with resources, such as counseling, workshops, and tutoring, to help them succeed in college.
“African American and Black students have a place on campus where they know they belong,” Umoja Club President Kaya Quarterman said.
Umoja shares a list of 18 practices to live by, and Quarterman’s favorite is “Everybody’s Business.” This principle highlights the importance of acting as a village and including everyone to support one another.
“If you’re bothered, I’m bothered. If you’re happy, I’m happy. I share that same feeling with you,” Quarterman explained.
The rule exemplifies the club name’s direct translation—a Kiswahili word for unity. Umoja gives Palomar students a space to belong through community support.
Adrian Reyes Cabezas, another club member, has created strong friendships and connections with others.
In the age of micro trends, overconsumption is subtly being normalized to a dangerous degree.
After a long day at school, a girl drops her bag on the floor, gets onto her bed, and lets out a deep, exhausted sigh. Unconsciously, she pulls out her phone and opens TikTok only to be immediately confronted with an ad. Anxiously skipping past it, she scrolls for a few minutes through “get ready with me” (GRWM) videos, “spend the day” with me vlogs, and random memes.
Not even 15 videos later, she lands on another ad. This time it looks like all the other videos she just watched, but the link for the girl’s purse is right there near the caption. It’s such a cute purse, she’s seen it everywhere. She clicks on the link, but notices a hesitation. She feels judged. Or watched. She feels like it’s wrong.
I think we are used to unethical clothing being too cheap. I think instead of asking the question of why sustainable clothing is so expensive, we should be asking why cheap clothes are so cheap
equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles, according to Earth.org.
Fast-fashion brands are able to produce clothes in as little as 5 days, providing a constant flow of inventory. This also makes them accountable for 20% of the overall global wastewater, Earth.org found, but companies are not being
GlamourDDive, a YouTuber and dumpster diver, has over 150 videos going behind the buildings we all shop in. She sifts through the trash
of brands such as Coach, finding perfectly usable merchandise that ultimately would go to waste.
That’s direct corporate wastefulness.
The product’s perceived shelf life is over, even if it’s not food, and it’s no longer profitable for the company.
When fast fashion brands use cheap materials, their clothing feels cheaper and wears out quicker than clothing made of cotton or leather. It can cost corporations as little as $0.25-0.75 per shirt.
“I think we are used to unethical clothing being too cheap. I think instead of asking the question of why sustainable clothing is so expensive, we should be asking why cheap clothes are so cheap, at what expense,” ASG member Isabel
ASG now runs Comet Closet at Palomar’s San Marcos campus, where free donated clothes are available to anyone. There are sustainable options such as this to find clothing you haven’t seen thousands of other people wear online.
Objectively, as a buyer, you are wasting money on something that is so cheaply made, even if it feels like money was saved in the transaction. If you have to buy five $10 tank tops a year, why not invest in a multi-use piece that’s $50 but has longevity?
The leather industry alone produces 800,000 tonnes of waste, according to Kresse Wesling in an interview with Burberry. On the bright side Wesling explained his company, Elvis and Kresse, has
But it has longevity. Again, take the extra time to think —
Palomar student Lyrik Martinez stated, “It’s a gray area since, yes, staying on trend is a big deal in the fashion world, but at the same time, it’s overworking for the creators because they have to be on top of every single trend that comes out.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world experienced an economic recession, resulting in a frantic hoarding mindset, especially regarding money. SHEIN was one of the online fast fashion brands that were being used during COVID-19 due to its accessibility.
Consumers became accustomed to the prices these companies offered, and with everyone locked inside, attention turned to social media for connection. Inflation and financial insecurity rocked the world, but
there was comfort in the people who kept us entertained.
The world is still recovering and there are irreparable changes to the way we shop as consumers. But because these impulsive habits have been kept up, fast-fashion companies remain funded.
SHEIN is one of those companies that is still popular today but has been the subject of multiple allegations of harsh working conditions. According to a 2021 article from the BBC, workers reported working three shifts per day, which is only one day off a month.
There is no real way to get clothing items for extremely cheap, made with good quality materials, and be ethically sourced. But there are ways to curb direct involvement and support of the fashion industry.
One way to combat the social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry as a whole is to practice sustainable shopping, and it can be affordable.
Thrifting, reselling, and giving clothes to people in your life actually makes a change. It’s perfectly possible to curate a personal style and get more valuable or higher-quality items through these avenues.
Apps like Depop and Facebook Marketplace allow those who prefer online shopping to continue to sift through the hangers by scrolling. It’s even possible to do pick-up if the seller is local. Quick service is preferred to lengthy shipping waits of 5-7 business days.
Locally, shops such as Flashbacks in Carlsbad, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) thrift store and Brother Benno’s in Oceanside, and Straight from the Heart Resale in San Marcos offer accessible and fashionable clothing.
There are even locations such as Seahive in Oceanside that specialize in vintage clothing. What’s offered in vintage stores differs from thrift stores, and the price ranges reflect that. However, vintage stores have pieces that have already lasted a long time and can be recycled.
Pieces that last have value. That’s how you beat overconsumption, take something used and reuse it. Until you can’t anymore.
Maybe it’s the shortened attention spans or constant overstimulation, but this generation is beginning to lack creativity. They see a creator wearing something, buy it, and wear it the exact same way.
This cyclical nature of fashion has been ever-present. Jacob Jacobey claimed that consumers have a set cycle of acquiring, consuming, and disposing of goods and services, according to the article
“Reacquiring Consumer Waste: Treasure in Our Trash?”
Consumers aren’t confined to just one form of acquisition.
They have the power to acquire their goods in a specific way that provides them with the best possible consumption experience and doesn’t contribute to mass waste.
You don’t have to thrift or buy from eco-friendly brands right off the bat. A great way to start sustainable shopping is to curate a capsule closet.
The concept of a “capsule closet” has existed for much longer than this generation, but it recently had a resurgence. It starts with knowing your style and what type of basic and statement pieces you’ll need. If something is going to be worn every day, invest in the ethically sourced and quality option. Then, add accents to your closet, highlighting different aspects of your style. These are best sourced second-hand.
and even ways to rework the silhouette of one article. If we can start by minimizing our buying there’s one step complete.
People shouldn’t be shamed for wearing the same outfit or shirt every other week. Clothes were made to be reusable. Matching items with different outfits is the whole reason why fashion even exists.
There are millions of ways to put together different pieces of clothing,
This lack of originality and drive to duplicate funds fast fashion. An introspective moment needs to be taken, evaluating the real implications of supporting outsourced work and contributing to landfills, while also denying self-expression and clinging to invisibility.
Being seen shouldn’t be so scary. Wearing your heart and mind is not a cry for attention, embarrassing, or too much. Authenticity and vulnerability are natural, and denying yourself feeds dark mindsets, such as detaching from the fact a child sewed your shirt.
he women’s volleyball team at Palomar College has had a season to remember filled with competitive athletes who are determined to win. Impact Magazine sat down with athletes and coaches to talk about the successful season they’ve had so far and get their thoughts on what it means to be a Palomar Comet.
Within the first couple of games this season, the team was competitive, having a 3-1 record against teams throughout the Pacific Coast Atlantic Conference.
Head coach of the volleyball team, Karl Seiler, is a five-time Pacific Coast Conference women’s indoor volleyball Coach of the Year and has been a part of the program since 1995.
“We have a lot of sophomores this year which is very helpful, and have a beach volleyball team in the spring. So a lot of the athletes got really close and have good team chemistry,” Seiler said.
When it comes to the energy during games, Seiler mentioned that the athletes are enthusiastic and motivate each other to be successful.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, the Comets have been struggling to win games. Last season’s focus was on rebuilding the team with athletes that are determined to be successful. The change of focus lead to a positive result, ending with a 13-11 record for the team.
“Last year was a good building year, but with all the freshmen coming in, our experience level wasn’t as high,” said Seiler. “However, this year, with the new athletes joining the team there has been a good compliment
with the returning players from last year.”
Selier’s goal for the team is to compete in the playoffs and bring the championship trophy to Palomar, and for his athletes to recognize how far the team has come.
“I have three outstanding freshmen that will be returning next year along with recruiting new athletes so my expectation is to maintain the level that we are at now and keep improving,” Selier said.
Ashlynn Craven, a setter on the team, mentioned the athletes on the court are hard-working and encouraging to each other.
“I would describe our team as a whole as very competitive. We always want to be here and I think that’s shown on the court,” Craven said.
Craven noted how the athletes are playing at a higher level than expected, along with proving themselves on and off the court.
Throughout her career, the biggest challenge Craven has faced is has been changing her position on the court from being an outside hitter to a setter, but the coaching staff at Palomar has been supportive during the transition. Despite the challenges, she has been able to stay motivated through her passion for volleyball and drive to be successful on the court.
“It’s been hard to balance for sure but I love volleyball... I coach high school and middle school during my free time and ref as well so that definitely keeps me motivated,” Craven said. “I also want to play at the next level so that pushes me to where I’m at now.”
Craven’s advice for incoming athletes is to figure out how to balance your schedule with the different classes and stay on top of your
Emma Bambe, an outside hitter, mentioned her advice for incoming freshmen is to balance your schedule and make sure to do assignments on time rather than waiting until the last minute.
“I would describe the team as being passionate and very competitive. I think we all want to be here and you could see that once we get to practice, we just want to get started right away and that shows our love for the game,” Bambe said.
As for this season, Bambe mentioned that, despite being a new athlete to the program, the
I think just all the rewarding moments in volleyball, like playing against teams that are notably really good like Mesa, prove to ourselves that we could play someone like that
team is playing well and athletes are able to connect.
Throughout her trials, Bambe mentioned the mental aspect has been the most difficult challenge she has had to overcome.
However, playing for the love of the game has helped reaffirm her passion for volleyball and is a good reminder for when she is going through difficult times.
Bambe finds self-motivation by squaring off against hard teams the challenge has encouraged her to continue playing on the court.
“I think just all the rewarding moments in volleyball, like playing against teams that are notably really good like Mesa, prove to ourselves that we could play someone like that,” Bambe said.
“It shows that the possibilities are endless.”
Janell Spires, an outside hitter for the Comets, mentioned the significant amount of growth from last year, and how entertaining it is to watch the team succeed at a higher level.
“So far our season has been going really well, we’ve been achieving things that we didn’t last season and have been competing against strong teams that are known to be higher in our conference,” Spires said.
During the season, Spires was able to motivate herself by spending quality time with the athletes on the team and supporting each other through the difficult trials they have faced in life.
“My passion for volleyball started when I was nine years old, and began
to love the sport after touching the ball,” Spires said.
Spires advice for incoming athletes is to find people with similar interests because they will be there for you during challenging times.
Between school and volleyball, Spires stayed motivated by focusing on what’s more important at the moment.
“Setting my priorities. I’m more of a procrastinator so learning how to do what you have to do and not wait until the last minute,” Spires said.
Spires has found her place on the volleyball court, encouraging athletes to continue doing what they love and inspiring others to find their passion one set at a time.
purple fluorescent sign reads ‘Welcome Home Beautiful’, warm against the cool pink undertones of San Diego’s LGBTQIA+ bar, Gossip Grill. Hanging flamingos, vibrant umbrellas and draping lights indeed signal a welcoming space for queer women and others. Bea Bautista, security, watches the swell of commotion. It grows thick, palpable on every crevice. It seeps through her veins, whispering some things and screaming others. The electrifying displays, Bautista knows, are quick deflections from an omnipresent and dangerous reality.
NBC San Diego’s “Hillcrest” tag drops down to several stories harboring words like “hate crimes,” “attacks,” “gun,” and “shootings” in their headlines.
Hillcrest, the center of San Diego’s LGBTQIA+ scene, is home to beloved bars, international restaurants, cafes, and shops, amongst other touristic wonders.
Yet, the local landmark, like many other LGBTQIA+ centered spaces, remains a bright target for violence.
The National Library of Medicine conducted a national hate crime survey from 2017-2019, which found
that LGBT victims were more likely to be women than non-LGBT victims.
According to the Human Right’s Campaign, “More than 1 in 5 of any type of hate crime is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias.” They also note “a horrifying wave of fatal violence against transgender people, especially Black transgender women.”
The patterns indicate that although queer people as a whole remain targets of violence, queer women and women of color stand at some of the lowest bars in the movement toward inclusivity.
“In the late 1980s, an estimated 200 lesbian bars existed in the United States. By 2019, researchers believed only 15 remained,” wrote Sarah Marloff in her article “The Rise and Fall of America’s Lesbian Bars” for Smithsonian Magazine.
Draped in feminine-inspired art, neon lights, a blossoming patio and known for its electrifying sapphic energy, Hillcrest’s Gossip Grill remains one of the few womencentered bars in the country.
Bea Bautista, Queer Security Consultant and self-proclaimed Gatekeeper of the Lesbians, works security at Gossip Grill.
Bautista’s journey toward private security and digital marketing has provided her a unique insight to the highs and lows of queer nightlife in San Diego.
Though anti-discrimination laws have cleared the path for many queer communities, there are no laws against the fetishization and objectification of queer spaces.
“We’ve had issues where we hired straight guys and they’re all concerned with just getting girl’s phone numbers and it becomes a distraction,” Bautista said. “It becomes a real big problem sometimes.”
Despite Gossip Grill’s reputation as hosting space for queer women and others, it also stands as a target for the unwanted attention of a select group of the I’d-wish-he’d-take-ahint kind of guy.
“It’s not always a man, but it’s usually a man who’s not with anybody, not drinking any alcohol, just kind of like standing in one spot staring… that’s usually kind of a red flag,” Bautista said.
NBC San Diego published a story in 2024 about the revamping of security measures in bars like Gossip Grill and Rich’s, found right across the street.
A security guard at Rich’s was shot in the eye with a gel-pellet on May 18, 2024 where at least four other attacks happened that night, according to NBC San Diego. Amidst the Pride Parade in July, Gossip Grill and Rich’s installed license plate reader security cameras to prevent further dangerous situations in the area.
born with these skills, and frequently, it takes two trained officials to de-escalate a situation.
“Well, we try to always do, the buddy system, right? If someone’s being a problem, you don’t want to approach them alone,” Bautista said.
“But sometimes you don’t really have a choice.”
For a queer woman at a bar, the mere seconds before security intervenes can be quite sobering. The intoxication of impending danger doesn’t come with a chaser.
Trans women, regardless of race, they are fetishized, and their bodies are commodified and objectified
Even as a certified security guard, Bautista struggles with her own anxiety, especially when it comes to the individuals creating an unsafe space in her workplace. Like most women, despite the gnawing urge to shrink away from danger, Bautista looks it dead in the eye nearly every day.
After leaving the Navy in 2019, Bautista started a blog focusing on the military-to-civilian transition in hopes of giving others the resources she needed several years before. Loss, vulnerability and fear are universal emotions regardless of queer identity.
The self-proclaimed Gatekeeper of the Lesbians continues to bring justice to the title as she assists the Hillcrest community with her solidarity and skill.
Still, solidarity comes at a high price.
Patriarchal practices and outdated beliefs continue to hinder the success of women-centered businesses.
When looking at society from a historical lens, the blocks set in place against queer women and people have been evidently strengthened throughout time.
“Historically, in mainstream heterosexual relationships... the role that tends to be expected for cis, straight men is one of pursuing right, being dominant, assertive and pursuing,” said Devon Smith, professor of sociology at Palomar College.
When cis-gendered straight men enter women-centered spaces, oftentimes the goal is to be entertained or to pursue. Women’s queerness is commonly regarded with amusement — an all-you-caneat platter of fantasy and objectification.
“It is a narrative that we see laid out in media and in real life, which is that there are certain people and certain bodies that are not deserving of autonomy,” Smith said.
The survival of these spaces is what many marginalized groups rely on for safety. Their resilience falters when the resources and protections are not prioritized.
“I’m certainly not saying that every man does that,” said Smith. “I’m saying that we live in a society that sends messages that is somehow acceptable and okay.”
Queer women often feel the need to conceal within the very spaces they seek comfort in. More so, the disparities are much more drastic for queer people of color.
The Human Rights Campaign released a report in 2023 which revealed the disproportionate number of attacks affecting women, women of color and gendernonconforming people. The report found that within a year, 83.3% of violent crime and murder victims were transgender women, and 62% of those victims were Black transgender women.
“Anytime we have a dominant group... and we have a person who is marginalized on a number of levels, they are going to be seen as perhaps even less than human, right?” said Smith.
Standing at the intersection of not only racial but heteronormativity and gender conformity can be incredibly dangerous.
“Trans women, regardless of race, they are fetishized, and their bodies are commodified and objectified,” said Smith.
The very spaces that transgender women and others rely on for
safety are continuously being challenged. The funding necessary for their security and resources is rarely achieved at best.
Historically, women-owned and women-centered spaces have not been economically prioritized.
“In 2019, only 3% of total investment went to all-female
businesses,” according to the Harvard Business review.
This percentage only decreased in 2020 and 2021.
The trends indicate that female entrepreneurs experience a much higher rate of loan rejections than their male counterparts. While the entire LGBTQIA+ community faces discrimination, male-owned and
centered spaces are much more likely than women-owned spaces to receive the resources necessary to survive.
When rent increases strike, women-owned businesses scramble for monetary support. Oftentimes, these issues get undermined due to the progress in modern-wave feminism.
Yet, the numbers stay the same.
The protection of these safe spaces often relies on the effort of a few select individuals who actively choose to fight for change.
When an intensifying economic state and a polarized political climate threaten the well-being of queer spaces, local communities are the first to stand against injustice.
Benny Cartwright is president of Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest AllInclusive. Kiwanis is a non-profit organization focused on serving children’s projects, transgender support, and a community support network.
Kiwanis is sponsoring one of Hillcrest’s developing projects, which is currently known as the Hillcrest Community Patrol.
Representatives from the San Diego Police Department have also attended the meetings to provide patrol safety tips. Although the support is appreciated, Cartwright understands the complex and often negative relationship that law enforcement has with the LGBTQIA+ community and communities of color.
Devon Smith, professor of sociology at Palomar College, explained that the institutions that practically dictate our lives–governments, schools, justice systems, hospitals — are all incredibly slow and hesitant to change.
“Oftentimes outdated ideas about gender to a lot of people are still floating around in these institutions and are coming at us,” Smith said.
Their goal: Establish a presence that may deter violence in Hillcrest.
According to Cartwright, the Hillcrest Business Association has offered to provide T-shirts for patrol members as a branding image.
The Kiwanis Club has evolved from its tainted 1990s image. Misogynistic ideals were still very prevalent amongst members. The organization changed drastically over 20 years as Cartwright was tasked to help rebrand the club with his experience in LGBTQ+ activism at San Diego State University.
In his first year of presidency, Cartwright witnessed club membership doubling while Kiwanis shifted back to community service.
“We’ve made it clear,” Cartwright said. “We’re not going to be working in tandem with police... it’s about visibility, and I hope we eventually want to also provide education on what to do if you’re a victim.”
Although still in its early stages, Cartwright notes a consistent group of people interested in the project. Two security guards at Gossip Grill have expressed their interest in leadership roles for the Hillcrest Community Patrol.
Security consultant Bea Bautista attends the meetings in diligence. “It’s about watching people,” she said. Oftentimes, vigilance is the only option for victimized and vulnerable people. For many, it is a skill learned early on.
In the late 1800s, the peak industrial age and production efforts played a significant role in establishing some of the gender roles that are still prevalent today.
In order for the Industrial Revolution to succeed, society required a system in which one parent — usually a man — would work to sustain a family. Women, in turn, were predominantly encouraged to take on the role of homemakers.
Literary and mass media developments like the printing press and cinema also further encouraged the behaviors of the hetero-normative society. Mass media outlets were presenting the roles expected of people at the time.
Yet, hope sparks in the eyes of those who’ve been watching long enough.
The bars and nightlife found in places like Hillcrest are a part of San Diego’s collective history. Their existence stands as a reflection of the many people who gave their lives for their survival.
“This isn’t just your average nightclub downtown,” said Cartwright. “These are very special places that our community has organized in, we fundraise in, we take care of each other, and we mourn together in these spaces.”
“Capitalist industrial societies really, really benefit from a particular type of marital arrangement, which is very much connected to gender roles,” said Smith.
When the gender binary and heteronormativity have been driving forces behind working families and achieving capitalistic success, there is less space for gender-nonconforming and non-traditional relationships and people.
“The irony of that in the United States is that traditional family dynamic is almost gone. Fewer than 25% of families still look like that,” said Smith.
While powerful institutions still advocate for profit increases, the people standing in the intersections are advocating for their right to exist.
tarting a business as a woman is a struggle that needs to be addressed more often.
Women face challenges like gender or race inequality, unfavorable work environments, and, an inadequate support system. Favoritism is found in all workplaces but it especially impacts women. They are underrepresented in the highest leadership positions, earn less, and get promoted less. Creating a solid support system will boost women to succeed when owning their small businesses.
According to a 2019 article on Fox News, many owners say they are misunderstood and discounted. These types of problems that women face are the reason why they need to start and own a business.
Owning a small business and being a full-time student can often become a challenge when you don’t know where to start. Palomar’s own Hana and Jana Ibrahim are twin sisters on campus who run their own small business. The twin sisters set out to create hand-drawn customizable stickers.
“We wanted to create stickers that will have a long lasting memory that can be stuck anywhere,” said Hana.
“I enjoy making stickers, so others liking them as much as I do makes me feel great”, said Jana.
The sisters started their sticker business in October 2022, when their mother gifted them a Cricut machine. Ever since the twins have strived to make people happy with their art. They value spending their time doing something they love and bonding as sisters, something their business was able to provide.
The Crusader, the student newspaper of Bonita Vista High, said “establishing a business allows for students to become proficient in areas that school can not teach.” Allowing students to experience a business standpoint
They struggled to promote their business because they didn’t know how to start a business and deal with customer interactions. Hana and Jana began talking to their high school teachers for advice and asked them to inform the class about their business.
source of gaining customers. They currently don’t sell at farmer’s markets but they are looking into Etsy and creating a website to expand their clientele.
“This business has taught me to be responsible with people’s time and money,” said Jana.
Building a community of other founders and customers is another way to create a support system, according to an article on Buffer. The article explained that
The combination of being a high school student, a college student, and a business owner can be challenging to balance. For Hana and Jana, these challenges can be amplified when also balancing a personal life.
“Owning a business and going to school can be a little challenging just because of struggling to keep up with orders and assignments,” said Jana.
They create their stickers by hand which can take a bit of time and frustration when something
An article on Jumpstart reported that supporting businesses owned by women creates more diversity and inclusion in a male-dominated field.
This diversity creates new ideas and perspectives in these markets. While the current lack of diversity in businesses has led to racial and gender inequality, this has not been a challenge that set Hana and Jana back.
We do feel it’s important for women to have their own small business. Because, if a woman has something beneficial to share, why not share it?
One solution to this frustration, according to Talisman Wealth Advisors, is promoting education and training programs for minority women. This will help them gain the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to succeed in the business world. Other solutions include mentorship and advocating for more policies that will promote diversity and inclusion.
According to SME Capital, collecting and reporting data on gender and ethnicity in finance is pivotal for following the progress of the gender gap. It can also allow for improvements in areas that are needed.
These resources can help women like Jana and Hana, who were not aware of these skills, gain knowledge that will better their business. Many women today are still fighting to get access to funding and resources. Women still have to navigate through gender bias and stereotypes.
Closing the gender gap is another issue that is presented in the business world. Based on an article from the World Economic Forum, women entrepreneurship is growing around the world but men still outnumber women 3-1 when it comes to business ownership.
Women in business create diversity, improve economic growth, and empower other women around the world. More women must open a business and gain knowledge and skills that schools may not have taught.
Talisman Wealth Advisors stated that an advantage of womenowned businesses promotes resilience and determination. Minority women-owned businesses can access grants and funding to encourage the growth and success of these businesses.
“We do feel it’s important for women to have their own small business. Because, if a women has something beneficial to share, why not share it?” said Hana.
he sky was darkening as the evening classes on San Marcos’ campus were just beginning. Meanwhile, Leanne Maunu was getting ready to leave for the day.
Stepping out of her office in the humanities building at Palomar College, she saw a man standing outside. He looked to be in his 70s and was holding a piece of paper. Though barely seeming able to speak English, he was determined.
When Maunu asked if he needed help, the man said that he really wanted to learn English and was looking for his class.
“So, I looked at this piece of paper, and I’m like, let me walk you to your classroom. You know, I walked him to the door, and he just repeated, ‘I really want to learn English,’” Maunu said.
As the dean of the ESL department, Maunu was moved by this man’s drive to learn despite his age. It’s
interactions like this one that remind her of the program’s beauty and strength.
“I think it’s just an amazing program. You get students from all over the world. You have wonderful staff and faculty who really support students and want to be there to help,” Maunu said.
The department serves a diverse group of students, ranging in age from mid-teens to 80s, according to ESL Student Advisor Marcela Gomez.
Palomar College is also a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), as stated by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the school’s website. The U.S. Department of Education defines an HSI as having at least 25% Hispanic students enrolled full-time. Therefore, the program helps to serve members of the Hispanic community.
ESL classified staff help bring students to classes, while faculty
teach them. As a result, students get hands-on support from the beginning to the end of their college journeys.
Incoming students can start by heading to the ESL office on their campus — whether at San Marcos, Escondido, or Fallbrook. There, they can get help with submitting applications, receiving a student ID number, completing their selfplacement test, and enrolling in classes.
“For non-native speakers, we’re one of the first filters on campus for them to achieve their goals,” San Marcos Student Support Specialist Alex Medina said while describing the ESL office located in H-116.
At the San Marcos office, if students need further help, they are referred to Marcela Gomez, the ESL Student Advisor. In a conversation with her and co-chair Nicole Siminski, Gomez shared that she often explains residency status, tuition fees, and possible financial aid to students.
If needed, Gomez connects students to other departments on campus as well. She works closely with the Dreamer Success Program, which provides helpful resources like citizenship and human rights workshops.
“It’s not always friendly for international students or immigrant students or DACA students... It’s really important for them to know this is a safe space,” Siminski added.
In the fall, Gomez visits Palomar’s ESL classes and provides an orientation. Then, in the spring, she does outreach in high schools. There, she gives orientations about Palomar to seniors who are currently taking, or at one point took, ESL classes.
Because the process is often a new experience for students and their families, they receive valuable tips while submitting applications.
“Sometimes people think it’s just a language barrier, but it’s a cultural
It’s not always friendly for international students or immigrant students or DACA students... It’s really important for them to know this is a safe space
barrier. It’s an educational level barrier. There’s a technology barrier. There’s so many things that happen,” Siminski said about difficulties with applying.
The department offers credit and non-credit classes that make learning financially accessible to most, and a benevolent fund may cover fees for students with financial hardship. Non-credit coursework can also be reviewed to potentially be recognized as credit.
ESL certificates, such as grammar, conversation, pronunciation, listening and speaking, and more can be taken as credit or non-credit. Students can learn English from the ground up with a non-credit certificate program. In addition,
a completely free, online, noncredit citizenship class prepares students for the citizenship test.
The biliteracy certificate has recently become available at Palomar as well. To receive it, students can take ESL classes along with classes from the World Languages Department, such as Spanish for heritage speakers.
“The biliteracy certificate is new. So I would love that this could get attention, because we would like more people,” Siminski said.
Computer skills classes help students overcome difficulties with technology while learning English. At the San Marcos campus, H-121 is the ESL computer lab and H-118 is the tutoring center. Embedded tutors in the San Marcos and Escondido classes can help students meet their goals, too.
“As a faculty member, [it] makes me happy to see the intentional programs that we set up, the way that we’re responding to student
needs in the community,” Siminski said.
A non-credit certificate program called Instituto Nacional para la Educación de los Adultos (INEA) is also available, with classes held at various locations.
According to Marcela Gomez, INEA allows students 15 and older, whose first language is Spanish, to complete the equivalent of Mexican elementary and middle school. The program is a collaboration between the Mexican consulate in San Diego, Palomar, and Mexico City.
“Once they finish their middle school, we’re hoping that, from there, they can transition in taking the ESL classes...because then it’s not going to be as difficult for them to learn a second language,” Gomez said about INEA students.
Community classes, like INEA, are essential to the department. These classes are offered at churches, elementary schools and more. One
location even has built-in childcare.
“A big part of our goal is to go meet students where they are,” Siminski said.
To support students’ continued learning, credit classes can count for general education (GE) requirements. Some of these work alongside Child Development and, coming soon, Emergency Medical Education (EME) courses.
Despite the benefits, there are consistently more non-credit than credit students in the program. Only 10% to 20% of students have taken credit classes, while 80% to 90% have taken non-credit classes in the past five years, according to Palomar’s public records.
While sharing insight on why this happens, Gomez noted that most ESL students come to Palomar to improve their English skills. But once they’re established in the program, they see the opportunity
to take credit classes and progress from there.
Student Support Specialist
Alex Medina works in the ESL office on Palomar’s San Marcos campus.
ESL Student Advisor
Marcela Gomez (left) and ESL Department
to help them and wants them to be successful,” Gomez said.
Gomez herself was one of these students. In high school, she transferred her education from Mexico and graduated. Then, she came to Palomar and went through the ESL program. At that time, she was undocumented and waiting to get her papers.
“Like our ESL students, I just wanted to improve my English. But then I saw that, ‘Okay, maybe that I can do more and more and more,’” Gomez said.
While studying at Palomar, a professor offered her an office position at the school, encouraging her to keep going. Gomez went through the certificate programs at Palomar, then got her associate’s. She received her bachelor’s degree from California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and master’s degree from the University of San Diego (USD).
“I like helping ESL students, because I think they need somebody that truly, truly wants
Alex Medina, Student Support Specialist, was also encouraged by faculty and staff when he was an ESL student.
Medina, who was born in the states, moved to Mexico City at age 10. After 12 years living there, he decided to move back and started taking Palomar’s evening ESL classes to improve his English skills.
Medina began working in a parttime custodial position at Palomar. He then worked full-time as a custodian for seven years, after hearing about an opportunity from his professors. While doing this job, he got familiar with the ESL faculty and staff, and they told him about his current position.
“It helps you with your day-to-day life. And it helped me to even achieve a full-time position here at Palomar College,” Medina said about the ESL department.
Medina never forgot the advice of Professor Lihe Chen, who said practicing English individually was
crucial. He encouraged Medina to use music, diary writing, and YouTube videos and to keep conversing with people, regardless of his pronunciation abilities.
Medina shared making connections with other students from all around the world made the learning experience especially impactful and enjoyable for him.
When asked what advice he’d give to current and incoming ESL students, Medina said: “I really encourage students to come and... keep coming... Always practice on your own... Don’t be afraid of asking questions... Somebody will help you here.”
The ESL department provides thoughtful support to meet an important need, which should be recognized.
“We have a strong multilingual population on campus,” co-chair Nicole Siminski said. “Recognizing what it means to be embracing the multilingual components of people’s identity... I think that’s something to see that the community is driving.”
hen Nicole Siminski began working at Palomar over ten years ago, she joined as a part-time faculty member. While she was excited to teach and connect with students, she wasn’t sure about one thing: How open should she be with her students about being part-time?
She worried that if her students found out she was part-time, they would drop her class to enroll with a full-time professor. She was concerned that students would think she didn’t have time for them.
Unlike her full-time colleagues, she couldn’t offer the same extensive office hours, leaving her with a
choice to either work off the clock or not provide the additional support her students needed.
There was an anxiety that students would see part-time faculty as less available than full-time faculty. Because of that anxiety, there was this internalized fear to keep the truth of her position a secret.
Five years later, when Siminski began working as a full-time faculty member at Palomar, those fears were confirmed. A student chose to drop a class and enroll in hers instead, solely because the other professor was part-time.
“That was heartbreaking, because then I knew it was going on when I was part-time,” Siminski said.
Community colleges, like Palomar, rely on part-time faculty to provide most of their student support. During the 1970s, there was a push to fill more college classes with part-time faculty. In 1969, part-time faculty represented 19% of higher education faculty nationwide. Today, that number sits at 76%, according to a 2023 Faculty Association of California Community Colleges Education Institute study.
At Palomar, part-time faculty make up 70% of the faculty, and they teach roughly 50% of the classes offered, according to the Parity Project.
In 1988, California passed AB 1525, a bill to balance the workloads of part-time and full-time faculty. It
aimed to have at least 75% of instruction credit courses led by full-time faculty. However, according to a 2019 study, the percentage of credit instruction taught by full-time faculty has remained at 56% for the past four decades.
Looking back on her past self, Siminski wondered what she could do to help part-time faculty.
“I was like, ‘My life is so different now, moving from part-time to full-time. Not just job security but the way I’m compensated, the way my voice is valued, the way I’m seen on campus. So, I would really like to be involved,’” Siminski said.
As she asked herself how she could get involved, she began conversing with Barbara Baer, the part-time co-chair of the Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF).
Barbara Baer, an economics professor at Palomar, was the PFF part-time co-chair from 2017 to 2022. Her main responsibility in that role was to listen and respond to the needs of part-time faculty and relay those conversations to the rest of the PFF.
1. The state or condition of being equal, especially regarding status or pay.
The Parity Project at Palomar states that they are committed to improving the lives of faculty, full-time and part-time.
The Parity Project bases its beliefs on the One Tier/ One Faculty project, which calls for equal work for equal pay. It’s designed similarly to how K-12 teachers are paid, rather than a multi-tiered system based on hours.
Barbara Baer, one of the creators of The Parity Project, explained that a single-tiered model could prevent pay discrepancies and job insecurity.
One Tier/One Faculty works on a scaling model. If a part-time faculty member has 40% of the workload of a full-time faculty member, it believes that faculty member should receive 40% of the benefits offered. As their workload increases, so would their benefits.
“It was very clear there was a disparity between the two faculty groups,” Baer said.
She began to look into disparities in pay grades, such as advantages for full-time faculty to increase their pay that weren’t available to part-time faculty. Baer discussed this and other disparities with the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) to brainstorm solutions.
After all the discussions and meetings, Baer and Teresa Laughlin, the PFF’s Full-time Co-Chair at the time, sat down and created the Parity Project. It was the first step in what they knew would be a long but worthy journey to full parity. They then appointed three faculty members to lead the Parity Project.
Nicole Siminski, Shelbi Hathaway, and Anastasia Zavodny were selected to lead this new union. As the first official members of the Parity Project, they refer to themselves as “The Original Three.” Siminski explained that their roles are less about who’s full-time and part-time and more about creating equity between all faculty and classified staff at Palomar.
In 2022, the Parity Project was established, and the fight for equity began.
Shortly after, the Parity Project had its first big win. Ten PFF members joined the CFT in Sacramento to lobby for health insurance coverage for all faculty. The result was full healthcare parity for part-time faculty members, once they hit 40% of the full-time workload, giving them the same plan options and coverage as full-time faculty.
“The state changed the way funding for healthcare went, and Palomar
was one of the first to have it in the books,” Siminski said.
After that, the Parity Project began its first “Thank You, and…” campaign. They wrote and read a letter to Palomar’s Governing Board thanking them for their support and collaboration while highlighting remaining disparities for part-time faculty, such as paid office hours and institutional responsibility.
Since then, the Parity Project has run various campaigns to raise awareness about the disparities between part-time and full-time faculty. “Don’t Glaze Over the Facts” was a campaign to reach students and faculty to highlight the need for equity among faculty. The team used donut booths on campus and creative social media posts to make the conversation more approachable.
Another campaign, “How Do You Use Your Office Hours?” showed the different ways part-time faculty use their office hours. In one video, Kristie Hill-Cummings, a part-time biology professor at Palomar, shared how she used her office hours to mentor students and help them with transfer applications and resumes. The series was done to raise awareness of the lack of paid office hours for part-time employees.
Before the 2024-2025 school year, a part-time faculty member teaching a 3-unit course at Palomar received only 4.5 paid office hours for the entire semester. That breaks down to roughly 15 minutes of office time a week, resulting in many part-time faculty working off the clock to help their students.
But thanks to the Parity Project’s most recent win, part-time faculty
now have full parity in office hours. Today, a part-time faculty member teaching a 3-unit course at Palomar receives 16 paid office hours for the entire semester, or one hour a week.
While many students may not have seen a change, since many parttime faculty worked off the clock to offer help, they still benefit from the increased paid office hours. Nicole Siminski explained that this investment into part-time faculty will lead to students receiving a better quality experience with their instructors.
Siminski led the negotiations for the increase in office hours.
“Not only was this my first big win as a lead negotiator… but it was the first thing that I signed that gave me chills,” she said.
Siminski explained that the negotiation process was easy, and Palomar seamlessly collaborated with the Parity Project. After Palomar agreed to the increase in office hours, signing a negotiation approving the increase for the
2024-2025 school year, Siminski wrote another “Thank You, and…” letter to Palomar’s Governing Board.
This time, she thanked Palomar for their collaboration and for acknowledging the importance of office hours for part-time faculty.
“[I wanted to tell] the district how much it meant to me because it wasn’t easy being part-time. So, this felt really good,” Siminski said.
She added that the Parity Project was grateful for the win, but there is more to be done with office hours. One example she gave was that both part-time and full-time faculty members are not paid for office hours for summer and intersession courses.
The letter also outlined the progress Palomar needs to make to have full parity between part-time and full-time faculty.
Not only was this my first big win as a lead negotiator… but it was the first thing that I signed that gave me chills
The Parity Project served up awareness at their ‘Don’t Glaze Over the Facts’ event. At the event they used donuts to open the coversation about the disparities between full-time and part-time faculty. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Siminski)
• Part-time office hours were increased.
• Institutional responsibility pay was increased from $15/hr to part-time faculty member’s noninstructional rate.
• Collaborated with the Faculty Senate and PFF to create the Faculty Senate Equity Plan.
• Increase in access to healthcare for part-time faculty members.
While there has also been some positive movement towards parity regarding institutional services, the Parity Project believes more could be done.
“Full-time faculty have five hours a week of institutional service that they’re paid for. Part-time faculty have no hours per week… they’re not paid for institutional service,” Barbara Baer said.
Institutional service refers to the work faculty members do to serve Palomar, such as joining curriculum committees or a faculty union. There are two ways for part-time faculty to get paid for institutional service, according to Baer.
Part-time faculty members can join one of the 13 paid committees or councils listed in the part-time contract, which offers 30 to 40 hours of paid committee work a year. Or they can use their limited professional development hours.
Baer added that this is important because part-time faculty comprise two-thirds of Palomar’s staff, and their voices should be part of every conversation.
Nicole Siminski echoed Baer’s sentiments that part-time voices needed to be included. When she was part-time, she said she felt
welcome to join committees, but never needed. But she immediately felt like her voice and work were needed when she became full-time.
However, with these options to get paid for institutional work, she hopes all faculty will feel that Palomar needs their voices.
The Parity Project does more than fight for part-time faculty; it aims for equality between all faculty and staff at Palomar. Barbara Baer shared the ways the project helps all faculty members at Palomar.
“We found that our [career technical and extended education] faculty, courses like welding, were not able to progress in their payscale because they didn’t have PhDs in their field. Even master’s degrees don’t exist for welding,” Baer said.
When this was discovered, the Parity Project created an alternative payscale to increase the pay for these instructors.
The Parity Project is also working on better support for professors who are deaf and hard of hearing. Baer explained that many of these professors have to miss out on campus events because ASL interpreters have to be requested five days in advance.
Baer continued that the Parity Project is not an us-versus-them situation. Its goal isn’t to take anything away from full-time faculty, only to help part-time faculty be equal.
“It was never meant to be about full-time versus part-time… Let’s unite the faculty… It will help full-timers too because it will take things off their plate that parttimers are either not allowed to do or are not paid to do,” she said.
The efforts are to get Palomar to have an equitable, one-tier faculty. Barbara Baer is very passionate about the One Faculty project. She’s been invited to work with the Parity Project during the next school year to push for more statewide legislation supporting parity initiatives, according to the Parity Project grant proposal.
She went on to add that Palomar and the Parity Project are some of the leaders in the state when it comes to parity.
“The ultimate goal is to move to a single faculty system. The same rules for everybody, same payscales for everybody, same benefits… I don’t know if I’ll see it finished by the time I retire, but I’ve seen so much progress,” Baer said.
Nicole Siminski shared how grateful she was that Palomar has supported the fight for parity. There were no challenges with administration or governing board members when advocating for parity. The only challenge they face is raising awareness of part-time disparity with students.
However, she noted there are ways for students to get involved and show their support. With the temporary office hours increase, Siminski urged students to share how office hours impact their experience at Palomar. If students share their stories online with Palomar or attend Governing Board meetings and speak during public
In 2023, the Parity Project was awarded the Faculty Service Award by Palomar’s Faculty Senate for its contributions to campus equity and parity among faculty. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Siminski)
comments, they can help the increase become permanent.
“It would be awesome if we could get students saying ‘thank you’ and sharing how they used the office hours. That would be incredible… They can reach out [to Palomar] to share quick videos or stories… That would be amazing,” she said.
Continued trips to Sacramento to grow the fight for parity.
Teaming up with other colleges to help others achieve parity.
Expanding healthcare benefits to include vision and dental.
Paid prep-time for part-time faculty.
Office hour pay for summer and intersession classes.
Designated ASL interpreters for deaf faculty members.
Photos by Hector Flores
Quarterback Andrew Tapley (#9) steps back for a pass while being rushed by College of the Canyon’s Elijah Hall (#49) in an early season game.
Wide receiver Ayden Billups (#16) leaps to catch a pass over Fullerton’s Justin Smith (#27) in an October game.
Wide receiver Jake Whitehead (#19) makes a sideline catch ahead of Moorpark College’s Dominic Garcia (#24) in the first home game of the season.
Tight end Quincy Herron (#18) checks his lines before the snap in a November game against San Diego Mesa.
Team captain Ashley Clark (#8) dribbles the ball up the pitch, dodging multiple Miramar defenders.
Midfielder Naomi Allen (#13) battles for the ball against Miramar’s Kala Andrew (#11) in a heated October game.
