Campus News Spring 2021 Issue 9

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Volume 78, Issue 21 | www.elaccampusnews.com | Wednesday, may 5, 2021 | Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents

Community drives thru ELAC health fair BY PAUL MEDINA Staff Writer East Los Angeles College was the host location of a free wellness and community fair which encouraged residents to get their health checked. The drive-thru health fair was organized by Univision 34 Los Angeles and UNIMÁS 46 Los Angeles television stations in collaboration with other organizations. The event was held at Parking Structure 3 on Saturday. Some of the community organizations in attendance included AltaMed, L.A. Care and Regal Medical group. Univision 34 Los Angeles is a Spanish news network which serves the greater Los Angeles area and is owned by Univision Communications. The event brought together an array of community, civic engagement and business organizations to serve East Los Angeles and

surrounding communities which are disproportionately underserved with medical care. East Los Angeles resident Maria Rodriguez found out about the event through television and said she encourages more like them. “Events like this which offer blood pressure and glucose checks are important. I don’t have health care insurance and being able to know my blood sugar is okay gives me an ease of mind,” Rodriguez said. Aside from glucose and blood pressure checks, referrals were given for additional health care screenings through partnership organizations. The event also offered the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The drive-thru fair included the giveaway of food boxes and personal protection equipment like disinfecting wipes, masks, face shield and hand sanitizers from the organizations in attendance. CN/ PAUL MEDINA

Advance Parole aids immigration BY ANNETTE QUIJADA Staff Writer

CN/ ANDREA CERNA

Career conselors offer tips for employment BY RICARDO MARTIR Staff Writer East Los Angeles College held a job fair event on Wednesday Hosts Jasmine Saidfar and Janet Huang were the speakers in the event. Amidst a global pandemic where millions of people have lost their jobs, hosting a job fair seems like a dim light toward all the darkness people are currently facing. Interview tips were givin on how to stand out in a room before any qualifications come into play. Having your interview updated is something students should always do instead of being there and telling the interviewer they forgot to add something. When being interviewed students want to look sharp, even if it’s an interview via Zoom. Looking good is considered having a decent haircut and a nice shirt. “You want to look good in order to make a good first impression, and also when you look good you feel good,” said Saidfar. Keeping a clean and easy to read resume is also a good idea as well. “It’s always good to have your

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contact information, your previous experience and your education. If you have a 3.0 grade point average it’s always good to point it out since it will do you more good than bad,” Saidfar said.

“You want to look good in order to make a good first impression, and also when you look good you feel good.” JASMINE SAIDFAR

Career and Job Service staff member

The idea of an Elevator Pitch was also introduced to the viewers. They were given a worksheet to briefly describe themselves, their goals and what they are currently pursuing. This is necessary in order for the employer to understand why an

individual is the best pick for them. Huang also said, “Mock interviews are always the best way to practice.” Even if during the moment one still gets the butterflies in stomach feeling, “You will be prepared because you will know what to say and not struggle with any questions,” Saidfar said Whether it’s doing research on employers or the company that is being applied for, it is important to have information on which one can respond or maybe where one can ask questions. Both Saidfar and Huang also said ELAC offers additional resources at the Career Center. When students want to know who’s hiring, if they need to work on a resume or if they are preparing for a first interview, the Career Center is the place to go. The ELAC Career Center is a good place for students to practice and ask questions before and after any interviews. It also helps to stay informed on who is hiring in case students needs a change of employment or just trying to get their first job. The career center is available and open for live chat Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There are also scheduled appointments.

Dream Resource Center, Attorney

Frances Davila from CARECEN will give a deep dive into immigration rights. Friday at noon. To Register visit HTTP://BIT.LY/YOURRIGHTSIMMIGRATION

Central American Resource Center managing attorney Julie Mitchell, brings awareness to the benefits of Advance Parole for individuals under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). For DACA Advance Parole traveling must be related to humanitarianism; seeking medical treatment or attending a family funeral. It can also be an educational reason such as semester-abroad programs, or for employment, for instance, meetings with clients overseas. Advance Parole does not need to link travel to a specific purpose. “For certain people there can be a legal benefit to travel on Advance Parole. It can create a legal entry into the country which can help in immigration cases,” Mitchell said. Other benefits include college students being able to participate in studying abroad as they can not do so traditionally, as well as having the opportunity to connect with family and community they haven’t been a part of in years. Advance Parole also comes with risks because it is discretionary. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services may deny a person’s application and keep the money sent by the applicant, Mitchell said. Re-entry is also not 100% guaranteed, Mitchell said.

“Customs and Border Patrol are tasked with inspecting people entering at ports of entry and they have the final say on whether somebody may enter or re-enter the U.S, even when the individual has an approved document. Over the years (with the people we’ve worked with), we’ve not seen a denial of re-entry, but it does exist,” said Mitchell. She said risks are higher when the individual has a criminal record as well as prior immigration history. Mitchell encourages people to speak to an attorney first to assure that Advance Parole is right for them. Deisy Kim, a legal assistant at the Central American Resource Center,

“For certain people there can be a legal benifit to travel on Advance Parole. It can create a legal entry into the country which can help in immigration” JULIE MITCHELL Managing Attorney

shared her positive experience with Advance Parole. She said one of her fears was going through immigration coming back home. “I remember the process being a lot less scary than I thought it would be. The officers were very casual. I was really afraid because

of re-entry being discretionary and you have worst case scenarios in your thoughts, but it happens rarely. And you just have to make sure your legal representative screens you well to make sure the possibility of being denied re-entry is really low,” said Kim. Once Kim came back and had her legal entry her fiance was able to petition for her and adjust her status in the U.S. Mitchell also mentioned that CARECEN holds educational exchange trips to benefit DACA and TPS individuals. For three years Advance Parole was not available to people with DACA. Due to this CARECEN stopped doing trips, but now they’re looking to start trips up again. They have no official dates at this time, Mitchell said. For other ways to find advance parole opportunities Mitchell encourages study abroad, but people should be wary of application processing times. Look for Advance Parole specific trips often organized by schools, or be creative such as doing overseas volunteer work. C A R E C E N o ff e r s g e n e r a l immigration consultations, DACA renewals and initial applications, family petitions and U-Visas. CARECEN also provides free immigration legal services to students, staff, and faculty of California State Universities and community colleges. To schedule a consultation/appointment log into https://carecenla.simplybook. me/v2/.

CN/ DANIELLA MOLINA

Associated Student Union Meeting

Friday at 4 p.m. Location: https://laccd.zoom.us/meeting/register/ tJMode6griMtE9ZUq6NTTql8d2QgYFc2Qjn

Arts and Crafts Session

ELAC First Year Experience will host an arts and crafts session. May 26. To register https://tinyurl.com/FYE-ArtsNCrafts


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