Volume 78, Issue 1 | www.elaccampusnews.com | Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Huskies rally for ELAC’s 75th anniversary BY MELVIN BUI Staff Writer
East Los Angeles College faculty members and students rallied together to rejoice and ring the college’s bell in celebration of its 75th anniversary on Sept. 4. The spirit rally was held via Zoom and lasted about half an hour. The school’s bell was rung to symbolize the change ELAC has brought to the community. The bell has been around since the start of ELAC. The rally ended with attendees chanting the school’s fight song, “Roll on Huskies.” ELAC opened for enrollment on Sept. 4, 1945 after World War II. When it first opened, there were 12 faculty members that oversaw six major occupational and cultural fields: Business, Civics, Health, Welfare, Fine Arts and Agriculture. There were 117 students enrolled on campus and 267 nursing students enrolled to take courses at the General Hospital, which is now called the LACMedical Center. At the time, ELAC did not have its own campus and held its courses at James Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. In February of 1948, ELAC purchased 37 acres of land, which grew to 87 acres for campus development and settled in the city of Monterey Park. The college repurposed and constructed portable bungalows, also known as barracks when enrollment numbers started to rise. Communication Studies
Professor Tom Atha said some of the bungalows were used to house soldiers that were training to fight in WWII. The administration repurposed them and said they were going to take them down, but did not until recently, The bungalows were used as classrooms since the permanent layout of the campus wasn’t thought out yet. “The bungalows were actual buildings to me. I taught in them from 1991 until the new buildings were built,”Atha said.
“As a college, we are getting up there in years and maybe a little old, despite the new buildings. However, with the way we transitioned to a new way of operating, it is so clear that we are young and dynamic. ” JEFFREY HERNANDEZ
Presisdent of Academic Senate
“Other campuses where I taught in the past, like City College, USC, UCLA, Rio Hondo, or El Camino College may have had more attractive buildings,” Atha said. “But ELAC always had good students. The students made it
worthwhile coming to ELAC to teach,” he said. Professor Rudolph Flores was hired in 1974 and remembers the bungalows clearly. “We were always being moved around. The Chicano Studies Department moved five times before settling in the E3 building because the campus was always changing,” Flores said. He said that there wasn’t much ethinic diversity on campus in the past. However, current ELAC has more ethnic representation in faculty members. ELAC established a satellite campus in the city of South Gate to help meet the demand of increasing college students in the area in 1997. The South Gate campus was built to increase flexibility for working students and those without transportation. “As a college, we are getting up there in years and maybe a little old, despite the new buildings. However, with the way we transitioned to a new way of operating, it is so clear that we are young and dynamic,” said Academic Senate President Jeffrey Hernandez. “Capable of transformative change to help our students on their journey, ELAC is still paving the way,”said Hernandez. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was formally known as the Board of Education of Los Angeles City Schools when ELAC was first established. East Los Angeles College has become renowned for having a good transfer rate for Hispanic students to four-year institutions
PHOTO BY JUAN CALVILLO. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY STEVEN ADAMO & ZASHA HAYES
in California. In 2019, the Hispanic Outlook on Education ranked ELAC number one in California and sixth in the nation for Hispanic students. It is a bi-weekly editorial that focuses on Hispanic education. For more information: https:// www.hispanicoutlook.com/ ELAC has a Dream Resource Center (DRC) that offers free
immigration legal services for undocumented students and staff. ELAC was built to give people affordable access to education. It was destined to be a jewel, due to its location said ELAC’s Interim President, Alberto Romani. People come from all over the world to enroll at ELAC. LAUSD board member Monica Garcia said ELAC has been a
Mecca for social change, social equality movements, breaking down stratified barriers for people of color and correcting history. Vice President of Student Services Julie Benavides said it respects everyones personal values, recognizes their potential for greatness and has helped break cycles of poverty and uplift those that are in despair.
ELAC addresses remote learning via Zoom forum toward technology for campuses. “In the last seven months we Staff Writer have spent roughly $20 million on securing technology,” Rodriguez said. The first student leadership The instability of the economy roundtable covered the status has shaken businesses, but of the Los Angeles Community Rodriguez said that the LACCD College District financially and has not been widely impacted by educationally through remote the COVID-19 environment. learning. “Frankly we are worried about Friday, the LACCD Chancellor, the following year and the next Francisco Rodriguez, reminded year if the economy does not pick students that the choice to return up and the government funding to on-campus classes is under does not increase,” Rodriguez the jurisdiction said. of the Public Enrollment H e a l t h has been down by Department. “We encourage 10% in LACCD Even though and 85% of our students to some classes enrollment has are returning reach out and get been down in to on-campus, all California in contact with they were community approved their college’s colleges due to previously pandemic. information centers theThe by the Public district H e a l t h to get help and expects to have Department. a recovery in ask any questions Each college enrollment also has an that they may have through the high in c id e n t school seniors in c o m m a n d regarding equipment the surrounding team that is in areas and school and internet contact with the districts along access.” Public Health with adult Department to classes being continuously initiated. CARMEN LIDZ update the The College LACCD Communications Officer board about and Vice Chancellor of Information Promise Grant, any changes to technology which ensures protocols in the free tuition to a county. LACCD college In terms of campus for the first two years the budget, Rodriguez said, “In out of high school as a full time particular, we are stable. We are student, is still being entirely using our finances and savings funded by the district. account from our previous years “We are still guaranteeing free that we saved toward the right tuition for the first two years kinds of areas.” of college, priority registration Most of the budget has gone and free Chromebooks for our
BY SONNY TAPIA
News Briefs
CN/STEVEN ADAMO
programs including the late start College Promise Grant,” Rodriguez said. Later in the roundtable, LACCD Vice Chancellor Ryan Cornner spoke about the transition from in-person to online courses. He said 10,000 courses were moved to online when the pandemic hit. The district started with 18% of classes online and ended with 99% online. More than half of all faculty in LACCD are certified in online teaching although the training was not made mandatory. “There were about 1,800 faculty members certified, before COVID-19, in online teaching. This was all done voluntarily by the faculty and we dedicated about $1.6 million to training faculty about online pedagogy,” Cornner said. Cornner said that it was a part of the negotiation in the collective bargaining agreement made with the teachers union.
“For the software needed in classes, such as photography courses, the district has had to pay over $250,000 for six months of use,” Cornner said. Cornner said that there has been about $2 million spent on software alone just for the fall semester Cornner reviewed the highlights of a memo sent out to faculty about the transition from in-person meetings to online including codes of conduct. Professors are not allowed to record any meeting without informing students before doing so, nor are they allowed to force students to turn on their camera. “If the purpose of the recording is to show the material after the meeting and it is not to see you, you should not be forced to show your face on camera. We understand that students live in households and environments that are busy,” Cornner said. “We as educators need to really consider the purpose of the recording and not just demand
students to turn on the student’s cameras.” There is a continuous improvement in student services such as counseling and information on the student information system. Cranium Cafe, an online help desk, has given the district a better route for students to contact counselors about concerns and sessions. Cornner also spoke about FreshDesk and FreshCaller and how it is being used on campuses. Cornner said the virtual campus help desk is for students to either email or call to ask any questions students have about the operations of campus. Equipment for students is overseen by LACCD Chief Information Officer and Vice Chancellor of I nf or mation Technology, Carmen Lidz. She said, “For the fall, we have met our commitment and continue to be committed to our College Promise students by delivering 4,800 devices and are receiving 16,971 devices for non-promise students.” There are still some delays in getting the devices, but the district is working to get them out to the students in need. For homeless students, LACCD is working with partners to revamp parks as hotspots for internet connectivity if the students cannot get any other form of internet. “We encourage our students to reach out and get in contact with their college’s information centers to get help and ask any questions they may have regarding equipment and internet access,” Lidz said. The Director of the Center for Academic Success at Los Angeles Pierce College Crystal Kiekel spoke about the importance of peer
learning assistance available to students through online learning. LACCD colleges are offering synchronous sessions in tutoring, embedded tutoring through Canvas, small group sessions, tutor-led study groups and NetTutor. East Los Angeles College is offering feedback on assignments through asynchronous tutoring like email and paper drop-off. “East also has its own reading and writing center to help with the asynchronous tutoring available,” Kiekel said. “The tutoring is also not on transcripts and is also free to access. All you have to do as a student is ask for the help you need,” she said. NetTutor is available to students 24/7 for all of the broader subjects like English and math, but not for more precise courses. Rodriguez spoke on the racial injustice movements throughout the nation and said that the students can expect improvements in the areas of racial equality and reform in changing society for the better. The standards in classrooms and in the offices of the district will be improved and focused on by the board as a top priority. The district plans on serving students with respect and quality through two ways, “Excellent service and excellent teaching,” Rodriguez said.
VPAM artist showcase
Anti-racist Dialogue
ASU scholarship deadline
Vincent Price Art Museum is going live with Dulce Soledad Ibarra (@contemporaryfart) this Thursaday at 5p.m. to discuss @9thtoOlympic, an ongoing project at USC Roski Graduate Gallery. Instagram: vpam_arts
The forum is on Sept 25 at 10 a.m. - Noon. The dialogues will focus on the understanding of and commitment to anti-racist and equalminded frameworks. Zoom link: HTTPS://BIT.LY/EQUITYAUDITDIALOGUES
The Associated Student Union scholarship application is online until Nov. 4. In order to be eligible, Part-Time student have a 2.5GPA and Full-Time must have a 2.7GPA . For any questions, contact: studentact@elac. edu. https://www.elac.edu/Student-Services/StudentResources/ASU-(Associated-Student-Union)
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Features
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
Chicanos march down the heart of East Los Angeles
BY MELVIN BUI Staff Writer
H
undreds of people rallied to march for about two and half miles in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium on Aug 29. There were two meeting places: People walking met at Atlantic Park, while other drove down Whittier Boulevard from Pico Rivera. However, the two groups joined together as the march began and went west toward Salazar Park. ELAC Campus News photographer Diego Linares was present and said people marched on foot, rode their bikes, skateboards while others drove their cars to Whittier Boulevard. People were wearing masks to comply with the proper COVID19 procedures.
Photos by Diego Linares | Photo Illustration by Steven Adamo
“In August 29,1969, it happened and it was glorious. It was a fiesta and a political movement, walking down the heart of East Los Angeles,” said moratorium co-organizer Rosalio Munoz in a Los Angeles Times interview. The Chicano Moratorium was a peaceful protest that turned chaotic when police came bearing arms and startled people. Buildings were burned, people were hurt and the trust in authorities was lost. There were four casualties. Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben F. Salazar was one of them; he became a casualty during a botched crowd de-escalation attempt by the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Salazar was inside the Silver
Dollar Bar when it was teargassed and was instantly killed when a tear-gas canister hit his head. There were no criminal charges filed, but the family was able to file an out-of-court financial settlement with the county. They
renamed Laguna Park to Salazar Park in honor of him. Salazar’s death sparked ambition amongst the Chicano community to be the representation that they sought. People became doctors, lawyers, politicians, journalists and more
RAISED FIST— People followed a caravan of cars during the 50th Chicano Moratorium drive down Whittier Boulevard in Montebello on Saturday, Aug. 29.
HOPE ON DECK— Local vendor walks up to Salazar Park during the 50th Chicano Moratorium on Aug. 29. after his death. Professor Rudolph Flores said that there wasn't much ethnic diversity among the staff, so being one of the only Chicano faculty members felt spiritual. The Chicano Studies Department was formed a few years after the Chicano Moratorium. The department was made by borrowing faculty from o t h e r
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departments like Art, Sociology, Poli-Sci and History, said Flores. The Chicano Studies Department was formerly known as Mexican American Studies. “People of the community advocated for the name change of the department,” said Chicano Studies Professor Haydee Urita-
“In Aug 2, 1969 it happened and it was glorious, it was a fiesta and a politcal movement, walking down the heart of East Los Angeles.” ROSALIO MUNOZ
Moratorium Co-organizer
Lopez. The campus started to become more diverse toward the end of the twentieth century as more ethnic representation among faculty grew. The Chicano Moratorium is also known as the National Chicano Moratorium Committee Against the Vietnam War. Thousands of anti-war activists gathered in East Los Angeles to peacefully protest. It was an event organized by the Brown Berets.They were a pro-Chicano organization
that had a large following among college and high school students. Its values were focused around higher education, helping farmworkers and opposing systematic oppression. “Not much has changed since the first Chicano Moratorium there is still civil unrest, Black Lives Matter and police oppression is still prevalent,” said Professor Flores. Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) is a student run club that focuses on creating opportunities, higher education and remembering history. Professor Urita-Lopez oversees the ELAC chapter of MEChA. She said that MEChA helps motivate students to transfer to a-four-year institutions by having graduated club members speak about their academic journey. The club focuses on community outreach, motivating students to transfer and helping students become more goal oriented. It has helped local businesses and activists promote their work. The club started at the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. They advocated for non-violence and student organizing. However it was officially founded at UC Santa Barbara during the late 1960s and was formerly known as the Mexican American Student
Arts
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
ELAC Dance Department prepares online classes
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COVID-19 does not stop dancers’ footsteps BY DANIELLA MOLINA Staff Writer
The East Los Angeles College Dance Department kicked off fall 2020 with a warm welcome meeting, via Zoom, September 8. The welcome meeting was an opportunity for students to virtually meet the department’s various professors. Department Chair and professor Kimberly Rabins pinged in as many as up to 100 attendees as the meeting began. The professors introduced themselves and gave brief information on the classes they taught. The various dance forms taught ranged from jazz, hiphop, tap dance, choreography to yoga and more, all of which would need to be done from home. Darrian O’Reilly, adjunct professor, asked students to join in on the first of many virtual dance routines for the semester. Students followed the moves shown, with many of them being eager to practice and dance. P r o f e s s o r s addressed whether there would be virtual recitals due to the current COVID-19 restrictions. “Dance is dance. It’s not just virtual and you don’t need much space. A four by four area will work,” said Rabins. Rabins said that currently no in-person dance recitals are scheduled until further notice,
EDITOR IN CHIEF Juan Calvillo MANAGING EDITOR Luis Castilla FRONT EDITOR Melvin Bui and Jonathan Bermudez OPINION EDITORS Daniella Molina
due to the global pandemic. The 350-seat dance recital hall, located in the S2 building on campus, will sit empty until safety guidelines are updated for performances and those can be implemented. W i t h t h e restrictions on in person classes, professors have had to adapt their styles to fit the current state of instruction. Rabins said close to a year’s worth of class scheduling was
in place when the pandemic hit. Faculty had to redesign entire departments and assignments in order to make classes possible this semester. Rabins said that changes would need to be made for students when it came to assignments. On Canvas the changes for dance students will be to follow modules in order to receive and turn in assignments. Students are asked to have one on-one meetings with instructors through Zoom. Students are asked to upload
recorded videos of some of the dance movements taught. It’s a new way of learning and getting assignments done. The professors spoke about how the department has made required adjustments in order to keep up with the ever-changing ways of the world today. Rabins praised her fellow instructors for doing so much work on the current curriculum. She said that faculty helped her develop the 2020 semesters online dance curriculum. S t u d e n t s a n d instructors will work in a brand new teaching and learning environments to accomplish educational goals.
Students wanting to further themselves in dance can look into the Dance Department “Guided pathways” to obtain a degree in dance. The two pathways available to students are the “Dance Performance Focus” and the “Applied Dance” path. More information can be found at www.elac.edu/Academics/ Departments/Dance. Several of the dance classes offered by the Dance Department meet the general education and the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum area requirements. For a full list of classes that are still open, see www.elac. edu/Academics/Schedule-ofClasses.
Love, science mix together BY ERICA CORTES Staff Writer
CN/DISNEY
WARRIOR MULAN— Mulan brandishing her sword while she is in the middle of an intense battle.
Mulan fails animated film BY RAYMOND NAVA Staff Writer
Disney’s 2020 remake of the animated classic “Mulan” is a rushed film that does nothing for fans of the original, nor for people who were hopeful for something new. The film tries to take a new direction but is constantly held back by the changes made. This, in addition to the price of $30 and a subscription to Disney+, is a dishonor to the original movie. By doing this, Disney is double dipping into its fans’ pocket books. Disney has made live action remakes of their animated movies over the past few years. Most remakes drew generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, while others have drawn mixed to negative reviews. The recent remake of “The Lion King,” while getting mostly positive reception from audiences, also drew mixed reviews from critics. They’ve also received criticism for having an overall same plot to their animated counterparts, only translated in live action. The biggest issues with the film is the exclusion of characters and songs that were in the animated version, as well as the inclusion of new characters that were not in the original. Back when the live action film was in production, it was announced that they would not include characters such as Mushu and Shang, voiced by Eddie Murphy and BD Wong in the animated version
respectively. The argument was that these changes were made to be more realistic and faithful to the original ballad. Despite this claim, the film added a witch character which not only isn’t realistic, but doesn’t appear in the original Mulan ballad. This contradiction adds more fuel to the anger at these changes. The removal of these characters is extremely frustrating as these were some of the best core features of the original. The film suffers from trying to go in a new direction, then holds itself back by trying to emulate the original. Doing so makes the exclusions from the original movie all the more prominent.
The film suffers from trying to go in a new direction, then holds itself back by trying to emulate the original
The film feels like it’s in a constant rush, especially in some scenes that are lifted from the animated movie. This is apparent in an adapted scene which previously had a song in the animated version, but is absent in this one. It’s almost like the film wants to get the scene over with so
people don’t dwell on the fact the song is missing. T h e m a t c h m a k e r scene is a great example of this. In the animated version, the song “Bring Honor to Us All,” accompanies a montage of Mulan getting ready to meet the matchmaker. In the live action version, the montage is quickly rushed while a light instrumental version of the song plays. Mulans’ journey in the film isn’t as engaging as the animated version. In the animated version, Mulan is shown to not be a good fighter, and has no experience at all. In the remake she is shown as a much more capable fighter from the start. This change weakens the importance and impact of her decision to fight in the war since she seems more prepared for the struggles ahead. It’s almost hard to get invested in any of the characters. The things that were changed get in the way too much. As mentioned earlier, one change was the addition of a witch character who is just uninspiring. There was no reason for her inclusion and if she was removed, nothing would really be missed. Ultimately, the film is a giant letdown, not only for people who were hoping this Disney remake would be different, but also for those who loved the original and were hoping to see that adapted into live action. It is not worth the $30 asking price. Audiences are better off waiting until it becomes available for free in December to all Disney+ subscribers.
In a time when it was taboo to express feminism, Jennie Fields’ Atomic Love shows the heroine, Rosalind Porter, becoming an inspiring woman in a way where the reader can learn from. This historical fiction novel takes place in the 1950s during the cold war. Fear of communism was rampant, people feared atomic warfare and women were not taken seriously in the work field. With the constant societal changes going on, Fields’ book could not have been released at a better time.
The characters all have unique personalities that fit well with each other... the setting is perfect to remind the reader This book gives readers a sense of hope and love, something audiences should have, even in dark times such as now. Fields also gives the readers an atmosphere in which they either have to keep turning to read what comes next because the suspense is just too much or just shut it completely, hoping it gets better by the time you continue and turn the page. The protagonist, Rosalind Porter, is a very raw character that makes this story unpredictable. Porter loves her family despite a rough childhood, Porter’s passion in her career of science that nearly destroyed her along with many others and still loving a man who broke her heart years ago. Although feminism in the plot is undeniable, it remains a love story. Porter has two love interests throughout the novel and the author shows a relatable process of decision making for Porter. Thomas Weaver, a fellow scientist, fighting to come back to Porter’s life after breaking
NEWS EDITORS Jeremy Arias FEATURE EDITORS Erica Cortez ARTS EDITORS Cassidy Reyna SPORTS EDITOR Melvin Bui and Jonathan Bermudez COPY EDITORS Melody Ortiz Ivan Cazares CARTOONISTS Zasha Hayes Melody Ortiz PHOTOGRAPHERS Diego Linares STAFF WRITERS Sonny Tapia Raymond Nava Melisa Valenzuela Leonardo Cervantes Annette Quijada Stephanie Sical ART DIRECTOR Steven Adamo ADVERTISING Stefanie Arocha ADVISERS Jean Stapleton
her heart and Charlie Szydlo, an FBI agent who is spying on Weaver and slowly falls in love with Porter. Szydlo is also a great character in this novel. His main characteristic is his strength, although he falls in love with his assignment, Porter. Not only that, but he must also deal with his own personal demons from his past throughout the plot. Fields gives a sensational illustration on how Szydlo falls slowly in love with Porter. “Something about Rosalind Porter gets to him. Her rare brew of brilliance and veiled vulnerability and, yes, even the anger.”(Fields, 2020, 94) This gives an idea that it wasn’t love at first sight. Fields’ novel describes the setting of Chicago in the 1950s. The setting is extremely vivid and the reader can envision taking a stroll through the area. The temperature, color of the sky and the scent of the air are just a few of the many examples of Field’s method to take the reader back in time. The plot overall is 4 out of 5. It has romance, thrills and intensity to keep a reader up at night. The characters all have unique personalities that complement each other. As well as the setting is perfect to remind the reader of the world today. It reminds readers that what people are going through right now is not our first crisis in the world. Atomic Love is a page turner that will surprise the audience with how much time will pass during the day while the reader travels back in time. As the reader travels through time in the novel, inspirtation will hit and lessons can be learned from the passionate feminist heroine Rosalind Porter.
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Sports
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
Wrestlers persevere through COVID-19 Relentless student recovers for spring BY ZASHA HAYES Staff Writer
David Aranda was five when he realized that wrestling would be his life calling. Aranda is now a sophomore at ELAC working toward his goal of transferring. Last season, Aranda was one of the seven teammates who went to the state finals. Only four out of the seven placed. Aranda took seventh place as a heavyweight. Although a few people made it to state finals, he believes that this season would be better. “I think we’ll be significantly better this season because we should have had more state placers last year. Both injury and illness struck our team before the state tournament,” Aranda said.
“I think they have the capability to be state champions, and I think that if there’s going to be any team to be the best that ELAC ever had, it would be this year’s team because of all the talent we have,” he said. He feels the current pandemic
Even with all of the athletic crowning moments, Aranda prefers his academics. He is currentlly working toward earning his AA-T degree in Business Law.
CN/ RALPH VALLE
HARD WORK PAYS OFF—David Arada presents his award after winning Most Valuable Wrestler at the conference tournament last year.
is bad, but the team can take advantage of it. The extra time to practice mixed with the want to compete has made not only him, but the whole team hungry and eager to wrestle. “I think it’s a double-edged sword. As much practice as we get, I think it’s always to compete as well. Competition is the best practice,” Aranda said. He believes that even with the pandemic raging on, nobody on his team will lose hope that the season won’t be canceled. Aranda was drawn to the sport at an early age. Aranda’s father wrestled in high school. Ralph Valle, the head coach of ELAC’s wrestling team, remembers his father well. His father never forced him to stay with the sport, and this is what helped Aranda stay passionate about wrestling. He was allowed to choose whether he would keep wrestling or walk another path. At home, Aranda usually practices by himself. He has a younger brother, but because of the weight difference, he restrains from wrestling with him. Instead, Aranda would try to get in contact with wrestlers in his area to initiate the practice. “David, he’s a great studentathlete. I think he always shows up happy, and normally he’s there before me, working out,” said Miguel Soto, assistant coach of wrestling, . “He’s got a tremendous work ethic and he loves wrestling...I’m positive he can do well in a D1 or D2 university,” he said. Aranda made the Dean’s Honor List this past year with a 3.6-3.7 GPA. The athletic highlight of his career is his All-American status, making it to the state tournament last year and being a four-time state qualifier in wrestling. Even with all of the athletic crowning moments, Aranda prefers his academics. He
CN/ RALPH VALLE
STATE FINALIST—David Aranda poses when receiving his eighth place medal after last year’s
State Finals
is currently working toward earning his AA-T degree in business law. He wants to work with people and small business owners who don’t do as well financially as big businesses. Aranda went to Life Pacific University on scholarship before ELAC. He lost his scholarship after injuring his rotator cuff and was unable to wrestle. Not wanting to give up on his career, Aranda decided he would attend ELAC. He plans on continuing to wrestle and hopes to transfer to New York University.
Aranda plans on continuing to wrestle and hopes to transfer to New York University.
Aranda has been at ELAC for a year and would recommend the college to anyone who is interested. He feels that for those who are uncertain about their future or don’t have the best financial situation, ELAC would be the perfect place to start. Even as the pandemic continues, he feels that ELAC’s education system and athletic system welcomes any who choose to attend. Aranda would not mind if the season continued on with COVID-19 restrictions. He would rather have no spectators and be able to compete on the mat, than have people watch and risk the chance of spreading germs. The team would follow the guidelines for the pandemic, keeping the mat and court clean. If he had a choice of practicing and learning on campus or via
Zoom, he would choose on campus. When Aranda’s not working out, he likes to read and write. He writes stories and journal entries and is interested in Greek and Roman mythology. The fascination with Greek and Roman gods began when he was young when he read books and it grew as he aged. He now reads books like “Percy Jackson,” “Divine Trio” and “Dante’s Inferno.” His favorite movie is the first “Iron Man,” which came out in 2008. In correlation to the movie, Aranda’s favorite actor is Robert Downey Jr. Aranda’s favorite music genre to listen to is country music. He listens to the artists like Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and Dierks Bently. However, on game day he prefers Indie Music. “Keep pushing and stay motivated,” Arada said.
Sophomore wrestler strives for continued glory BY ZASHA HAYES Staff Writer
With all fall sports shifting to spring, ELAC wrestler Josue Aguilar prepares for the beginning of the season. Aguilar, 19, is currently a sophomore and was one of the finalists at last year’s state tournament. Seven athletes were chosen out of last year’s 18-man team to attend state finals, but only four men placed. Aguilar took eighth place while others on his team took fifth and seventh. Aguilar attended Belmont High School and wrestled since he was a freshman. He wasn’t going to continue his career in wrestling after high school, opting to join the Marines instead. A change of heart occurred when he joined Beat the Streets, Los Angeles. Beat the Streets Los Angeles is a non-profit organization that helps kids stay out of trouble and off the streets. Aguilar found out about ELAC through this program when one of his teammates practiced at the school. “It brought back so many memories and it made me want to do it again,” said Aguilar, after he attended the first spring practice last semester. Aguilar majors in fire technology and hopes to become a firefighter. He lost two jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to temporarily quit working. Wrestling will start in spring instead of fall because of the safety precautions put in place for the pandemic. Aguilar has taken advantage of the extra time and opted to condition by himself or with his team during Zoom meetings, even though it isn’t the ideal situation. www.ELACCampusNews.com
He made a schedule for exercise to keep himself in shape. Aguilar monitors his diet, runs in the morning and trains during the night from Monday to Saturday. He uses Sunday as a day for rest and recovery. “I go to a public park...and just try to get in shape. They have machines for anybody to use. At the same time I’m always cautious, always having gloves on, and a mask on. I always have hand sanitizer for after I’m finished, and when I get home, I wash up,” Aguilar said.
“Just think about the reasons why you started the journey. Don’t let anything hold you back and remember the roots where you came from.” JOSUE AGUILAR
ELAC student athlete
He would much prefer going to campus and learning face-toface with a professor, even with the current pandemic. For athletics, the wrestling team has taken to meeting via Zoom classes. Head coach Ralph Valle had given them workout plans for the summer and plans to do the same during fall. “Due to the circumstances that we have right now, I do believe that spring would be a good start to a new year, starting fresh as well. I know it’s really difficult for people right now to find time to train and get back in shape and
get back to the roots of the sport as well...but we always have to take care of our health. Pray to God that everything goes well and just hope the pandemic can pass on,” Aguilar said. To Aguilar, ELAC’s wrestling team is the perfect environment for an athlete. He felt that everybody was welcoming and eager to compete. Last year, many of the players were freshmen like him. Because of this, he believes the team understood each other and pushed each other to be better athletes. Although last season’s results weren’t what he desired, he knows the team is always capable of doing more. Miguel Soto, the assistant coach to ELAC’s wrestling team, believes that the boys are all excellent athletes. He said that Aguilar is someone who will excel in wrestling and that he is extremely lucky to have him on his team. “In his junior year, he was able to get a great coach. I’m pretty sure he was a JC two-time state champion and maybe even an All-American at the university level,” Soto said. Aguilar’s athletic highlights include a three-time city placer in the Los Angeles City Section for Wrestlings. He took eighth place in the state finals last year and third in the community college regional. He graduated high school with honors because of his academic highlights. “Josue is very dedicated and has a great work ethic. He’s never missed practice, competes at a high level, and is very coachable. He rarely has to be told when to get started when entering the room,” Valle said. Aguilar likes to watch videos of wrestlers and focus on the match without listening to music to calm his nerves on game days. He watches wrestlers
CN/ BEAT THE STREETS
BEATING THE ODDS— Josue Aguilar poses for Beat the Streets Los Angeles at the beginning of his freshman year at East Los Angeles College.
from different countries and focuses on learning more about how to take an opponent down. However, Aguilar is content with listening to classic rock any other day.
Aguilar implores students of ELAC to keep pushing and to remember why they enrolled at the college in the first place. In his situation he wants to work toward a better future.
“Just think about the reasons why you started the journey. Don’t let anything hold you back and remember the roots where you came from,” Aguilar said.