LMC Experience Vol. 98 No. 9 - April 28, 2023

Talent show supports students’ self confidence

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Visualization helps ‘Evil Dead Rise’ terrify viewers

Mustangs baseball team blows out Rams on home field

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F.Y.I. Student trustee election begins Important Dates April-May April is Autism

Awareness Month

April 30

Final day for students to appeal their registration appointment

May 1

Students continuing with less than 45 units can begin to register for fall semester through InSite

Voting opens Tuesday, May 2 online

By JUAN CEBREIROS Staff Writer

Ivan Hernandez and Ryan Lin are from Diablo Valley College and are this year’s Student Trustee candidates for the Student Trustee election to determine who will be the student representative on the District Governing Board. The Student Trustee Election kicks off Tuesday, May 2 with voting starting at 9 a.m. and going until Thursday, May 4 at 5 p.m. A hybrid candidate Q&A will also be held on May 2 from 12:30 until 1:45 p.m.

Hernandez is currently student body president at DVC as well as being on the Student Trustee

Advisory Committee. He noted that the committee set plans in action to better DVC and the school district with the goal of those plans being acted upon by the end of the school year.

“We’re coming to the end of the year and we never got to take action on those plans. I want to run for this position because I want to establish the plans we made actually get accomplished,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez has the goal to have constant communication between student government and administration. It was something the student government at DVC implemented and he wants to grow See ELECT, page 5

Ryan Lim

Mental health help is offered

LMC Transfer Celebration Student Life and Transfer & Career Services will host a Transfer Celebration to honor those transferring.

The event will be Tuesday, May 2 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

TimelyCare aid is 24/7

Pride Alliance Event Mixer A story written by English faculty LD Green with illustrations done by former LMC student Ana Valdez will be acted out in the Unity Center on the LMC Pittsburg campus. The event will take place Wednesday, May 3 from 2 until 4 p.m.

‘Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue’ on stage A new drama production, “Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue” hits the Los Medanos College Theater. The play is directed by Clint Sides and Nick Garcia. Shows are on April 26, 27, 28, 29, May 4 and 5 at 7 p.m.

APIDA 2023 Graduation A districtwide graduation ceremony will be held for the APIDA club. The event will take place in the Knox Theater at Contra Costa College in San Pablo on Thursday, May 4 from 5 until 7 p.m.

Ivan Hernandez

By JADEN FORTIER Staff Writer

Juan Cebreiros • Experience

Graciela Olveda sings “Volver, Volver” and “De Colores” to close out this year’s Cesar Chavez Awards event.

Cesar Chavez Awards return First event held since pandemic

By JUAN CEBREIROS Staff Writer

The Cesar Chavez Awards returned after a three-year hiatus to honor four winners in the Los Medanos Student Union on the night of Friday, April 21. The four nominees Juan Cebreiros • Experience took home awards across three different categories: Fernando Sandoval speaks about his goal to help others.

Cesar Chavez Award for Exemplary Community Service, was the one who stood up and of this award were human East County Educator and the said you cannot treat human trafficking case specialist, beings this way, there was no Norma Guadalupe Zamora Chavez Spirit Award.

Former Cesar Chavez award one else who said that.” He Arreguin and President of One winner Paul Ramirez opened added, “Everyone in this world Day at a Time, Diana Hidalgo. up the evening with a story deserves dignity, and that’s Currently, Hidalgo is away at college in New Mexico, as she from his childhood about the what Cesar Chavez knew.”

F o l l o w i n g R a m i r e z ’ s was not present to receive the mistreatment of farm workers and what Chavez’s fight meant speech, the first awards award herself.

Arreguin describes what for workers across the country. were given out: The Cesar Ramirez said, “Cesar Chavez Chavez Spirit Award. Winners the award meant to her, “It

means that we as Latinos and Mejicanos are seen more, we are not invisible anymore.”

She added, “As a mother, it’s an inspiration for kids to keep doing their education and the work that we do.”

The following award was the Cesar Chavez East County Educator Award which was awarded to Violeta Orozco.

She is currently a counselor at Jack London Elementary School and previously spent time as the head counselor at Antioch High School.

Orozco spoke about a time when she was in the fifth grade and had to dress up as a hero for a school project.

She borrowed her uncle’s Union jacket and dressed up as Cesar Chavez.

“I’m super grateful, Cesar Chavez is such a hero to so many people and has been a hero to me and to even be acknowledged in that category is a huge honor,” said Orozco.

See CHAVEZ, page 5

Medical and mental health are two of the most important things a person needs to take care of. To help students with any problems they face, Los Medanos College partnered with TimelyCare and has seen moderate success in its one year at the school.

TimelyCare is a 24/7 online ser vice that gives students access to a wide variety of free medical, mental health and basic needs services, all designed to tackle any challenge students want assistance with.

Since the service partnered with LMC in 2022, 477 students have signed up and 215 visits have been taken, said Dean of Counseling and Student Support Jeffrey Benford.

The average time it takes for a student to get connected with a medical professional for a standard problem is nine minutes, and only four minutes for crisis situations.

One highlight of TimelyCare is that ever y niche issue a student has can be met by the various professionals TimelyCare has to offer, said Benford.

“It’s important to have more in-tune therapists,” said Benford.

TimelyCare is not just for mental and medical health purposes, but can be used for simple basic needs.

“It’s impor tant to know that TimelyCare isn’t just for See CARE, page 5

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“To know how much there is to know is the beginning of learning to live.”

— Dorothy West

Ryan Hiscocks

Logan Padilla

CONTEXT AMERICANA

GUEST COLUMNIST

Do guns heighten our power or fear?

We are a scared fragile people. This week two young Americans were shot, one fatally because they made a common mistake: 16-year-old Ralph Yarl and 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis both got lost and ended up on a scared person’s property and gunned down.

The shooters, both white men over the age of 65, thought their homes were being broken into which justified the shootings, and in Gillis’ case, her murder.

The National Rifle Association had its annual rally last week where the fetishization of guns as home security, sporting gear and indelible national symbol was put on garish display.

Several 2024 presidential hopefuls groveled — including former President Donald Trump — promising to block any attempt to further regulate or take away guns from law-abiding citizens.

The bad guys won’t win because we are armed.

And there is no doubt about it, guns are an equalizer. They give the weakest among us the ability to maim or kill the strongest.

No matter how much time you spend in the gym, or how confident you are in your jiu-jitsu when facing off against a person with a gun, you will lose.

Guns empower the weak and embolden the scared. Young, healthy Yarl was no match for an 85-year-old with a gun.

For Americans, the allure of power in the face of fear has given rise to an industry that has sold more guns than there are people in our country — and there are roughly 340 million of us.

So why are we still so afraid when we are so well-armed? Although I could easily speculate an answer to that question, what’s the point?

Second Amendment advocates, NRA zealots, and professors of constitutional law will tell you that no matter your political identity, guns and our right to own them are part of our constitutional liberties.

Guns are a fact of American life, protected by law and it’s always been that way. End of discussion.

Push a little harder though and Second Amendment advocates will also tell you that guns are promised to the people to keep our tyrannical government at bay.

Guns are the mechanism ensuring all of our other constitutional freedoms and we are close to a moment when our government needs to be reminded of this arrangement.

They got guns, we got guns too.

In the context of our Democratic Republic, this argument is questionable at best.

Democracy, very much like guns, is also an equalizer. When we vote we are all just “one’s.” No matter who you are, billionaire to broke, you are the same, you are one.

And it is the people who represent us in office who have real power over the decisions we make, and many of the benefits we receive.

Those in power are elected into office by votes of the people, not marched into power at gunpoint. It is our power to choose who represents us that keeps us free, not the guns we have sitting in our closets, under our beds, or on our nightstands.

Gillis will be added to this year’s list of Americans who have been killed by a gun, Yarl will be on a different list.

The number killed will land somewhere near 38,000 by year’s end and guns will be the leading cause of death for children in America.

The men who shot Yarl and Gillis will live the rest of their lives in prison because they were frightened of a child and a young adult who merely got lost. Those men will soon realize they have never known what real fear is, not yet.

Changes of heart for LGBTQ people

Alexis Ramirez • Experience

Editorial

New software, new challenges

A

t the end of the fall 2022 semester, a new schedule builder was released. It was immediately met with criticism as it was unfamiliar software that was still unstable.

To top it all off, students put forward reports of disliking the new change.

Upon release, some students had issues registering for the classes they wanted.

Others had issues with the software itself as they encountered technological glitches that prevented them from using the software effectively. Nonetheless, the release of the new schedule builder wasn’t well received and the district needed to act.

In response, the Contra Costa Community College District went to work to fix many of the software issues that had been brought forward. While doing so, they also made the previous schedule builder available as well. At this moment, students are able to now use the new schedule builder, and the previous version that has been available for some time.

While this is good, the new schedule builder is still flawed. Many students are still having issues with the new software. But the district continued to patch and fix the software.

Students’ response to this was mixed. Many students still use the old schedule builder because it is easier. Among the chief complaints is that the layout is both boring and confusing.

While it is great that the district went to work quickly to respond to student and faculty complaints, they should’ve committed more resources to the testing of software. Perhaps more student input could have improved the design changes and software as a whole. Student and faculty test groups could have been a great resource to utilize and gain feedback before releasing the software.

The district should’ve addressed these issues before releasing the software, especially if it was a software that thousands would be using for registration. Instead, they had to address its many issues and incorporate many fixes to the software after it was released.

Perhaps this could pave the way for future testing and experimentation with software before its release. The new schedule builder had a rough reception and it had to be fixed, but perhaps allocating future resources to improve testing could prevent another situation such as this. Both schedule builders are here to stay and it is now up to the students to pick the software that works best for them.

If you are still experiencing issues with the schedule builder, you can visit the student technology help desk in the Center for Academic Support.

Experience Staff

Reader Opinion Policy

Editor-in-Chief ................... JUAN CEBREIROS

The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — students, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write.

If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, drop them off in Room CC3-301 or email them to LosMedanos.Experience@gmail.com.

Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification.

They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion.

Managing Editor ........... MOHAMMAD NAJIMi Perspectives Editor ........... ALIYAH RAMIREZ Arts & Culture Editor ........ MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Campus Editor ............................... RAY KOPF Sports Editor ........................ JADEN FORTIER Photo Editor ................. KATHERINE MUSTAR Graphics Editor ................. ALEXIS RAMIREZ

Voices “I say the Kings have a very good chance, everyone around me likes the Warriors but when people like one thing, I like the other.”

— Efoti Grewe

“The Warriors 100%, statistically and spiritually, that whole team is just chef’s kiss.”

— Javier Khara

The LGBTQ community has faced many struggles just because they want to live their authentic lives without discrimination and judgment. Homophobia still thrives today, even with more acceptance from communities and the support of the government in passing bills for health, marriage, job equality and sports.

Now there are more than 100 anti-LGBTQ bills going that take away rights.

Safety is also a serious concern. Five recently lost their lives, and 18 others were injured in the nightclub tragedy in Colorado Springs featuring drag shows. No one should have to worry for their life for going to a nightclub to enjoy what everyone does-“dancing, socializing” with their community. It seems that hatred has risen and been elevated over the past decade.

But solutions exist that help provide the LGBTQ community the safety and respect.

More advocacy and support organizations have worked to create programs that give more access to sexual health services, community centers and crisis lines to call for mental Illness and support assistance. President Joe Biden signed an executive order that catered to healthcare and discrimination, showing us that the government recognizes there is a need to intervene.

In schools, teachers and staff should support LGBTQ students by allowing them to use the pronouns they prefer, and by handling bullying not just by punishing, but educating about respecting others regardless of their gender identity.

Using PRIDE -perseverance, respect, integrity, discipline and excellence-as an expectation for students creates a sense of understanding throughout the school.

Mental health issues are also prevelant. LGBTQ individuals experience depression and anxiety more than those who identify as heterosexual, so support is essential. The best way to show support is to create more phone crisis lines that offer guidance and reassurance.

But the biggest concern within the LGBTQ community is the fact that conversion therapy still exists. Many states continue to allow conversion therapy. This horrific practice is horrendous, resulting in even more mental issues.

It’s heartbreaking that people who are simply living their own lives are put through so much pain. The fact that this isn’t the only thing done to LGBTQ individuals is terrifying.

Many are disowned by their own families as well, and some end up homeless and alone.

The world may be evolving and becoming more accepting, but hatred and bigotry continues. There is still so much work to do to protect members of the LGBTQ community who should never live in fear, instead accepted, loved and treated like everyone else.

Love will always eliminate resentment, discrimination and hostility. Love is powerful.

Love is love.

Which team has the highest chance of winning the NBA playoffs?

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“I think the Suns, they are the most stacked team, they have all the best stars on the team and could easily do it.”

— Fadi Elandak

Aliyah

Ramire z

“The Warriors have the best chemistry right now, I feel like Thompson and Curry are going crazy, nothing can stop them.”

— Shaan Khan

a n d

Ale xis

“Because of their championship DNA, the Warriors.

They know how to come together as a team even when they are down in a series.”

— Alyssa Ramirez

Ramire z

“I think the Warriors have the best chance because I’ve been seeing them a lot on TV.” — George Ferman

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“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

— John Wooden

Summit a necessary coversation of inclusion Changes are still needed for LGBTQ+

By TATIHN MELLIEON Staff Writer

The California Community College system hosts a yearly summit for LGBTQ+ faculty, staff and students, where all can share their experiences, what they’ve learned and how the queer community can be better represented and included in colleges. As such, Los Medanos College was in attendance, serving Panera Bread as the clock hit 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Students and staff gathered on the second floor of the Student Union building, watching keynote speakers such as CCC Board of Governors member Joshua Elizondo describing his struggles as a college student living out of his car and Associate Professor in Trans Studies in Education at the University of Arizona Dr. Z Nicolazzo discussing the importance of inclusion not only in higher education but across communities from roleplaying gaming to book clubs.

During the workshops, three rooms were dedicated to presentations and mini-lectures given by faculty and staff from colleges across the state, all dedicated to different aspects of LGBTQ+ life: the fight for gender-neutral bathrooms to the statistically observable crossover between queer and neurodivergent people.

While much of the summit touched on the joys and aspirations of the queer community, the reality of societal limitations, transphobia and apathy towards the community underlined the event. It seems that for every right step one college takes, another is two steps behind.

Despite such limitations, students are feeling that changes are coming in, “now that Pamela Ralston, the interim president, is part of the staff, there’s definitely more queer voices in upper-level management that can represent us better,” said the former Vice President of Los Medanos College Associated Students Antonio Moore, on the topic of campus representation and inclusivity at LMC. “Now I feel like there’s support for us,” Moore added.

“People are braver now, and I’m really happy to see it,” responded Library Tech Substitute Akila Briggs.

Jefferey Bui, current president of LMCAS and co-founder of Pride Alliance, also chimed in on the impromptu round table discussion, bringing up that “We don’t have our established space,” referring to the colloquially known Q-spot that no longer exists.

Bui shared his post-pandemic perspective, explaining that “there wasn’t any programming at all from administration,” when returning to campus, as well as that “A lot of administration always approach me, to get me and club members, to start programming or clubs or activities… but none of us have any experience.”

“Why can’t you help us make it?” Bui questioned, and that resonated heavily with attendees.

Robert Delgado, senior program coordinator at the Office of Equity & Inclusion, shared what he heard, saw and wanted to see implemented at LMC: “The programming is very important.

Earlier in the year we did a focused flex activity,” an event that centers around discussion and how to interact with students in ways that are not only diverse but inclusive and equitable, “we need to do that every semester,” said Delgado.

When asked what he saw as the most significant want from LBGTQ+ students, Delgado was quick to respond, “having a space, the Unity Center is meant to do that… but the space is what I’m really trying to make inclusive.”

“How do we make it not just the club, but just an open space for any student to come in?” Delgado asked, a similar sentiment shared by students.

And so, while all reported the summit to be a successful and joyous event, there’s still much to be done at LMC for its LGBTQ+ community.

Aliyah Ramirez • Experience

Kat Garcia plays the guitar and sings “The Only Exception” by band Paramore to take first place in the LMC spring 2023 Talent Show.

Talent draws applause

Students shine in show

By ALIYAH RAMIREZ

out of their comfort zone with this opportunity to express themselves freely,” said The curtain is drawn and the stage is Quinones. “They may get a good laugh set for Los Medanos College students to if intended by the performer or watch in showcase their special talents to the crowd, awe as they spectate the vast array of skills with applause racing brought to the stage.” across the room after There were a total each performance. of seven performances The learning comfeaturing talents from munities talent show dancing, singing and was put together poetry. through a collaboraThe first act was tive effort across Hona dance cover of two ors, Umoja, Puente, songs, “Did It On’Em” MESA and Transfer

by Nicki Minaj and Academy. Hosting the “Honda” by FKA event on April 25 from Twigs performed by 4:30-6:00 p.m. on the Honors student Alexis second floor of the Ramirez. Followed by student union, partwo singing covers ticipants competed from Honors student to win up to $200 in Micah Simms pergrand prize money, forming “Take On Me” determined by the by a-ha and the MESA audience’s choice of duo featuring Eliette the best talent.

Bustos and Cary Ihm Together, repreperforming “I Want sentatives from each It That Way,” by the learning community Backstreet Boys.

Aliyah Ramirez • Experience communicated back A brief intermission and forth to promote Eliette Bustos (left) and Cary Ihm sing carried into the second ways to get students famous song “I Want it That Way.” act, beginning with a involved. Honors Sopoetry reading from cial Ambassador Lance Perry Quinones Umoja student Antonio Johnson and wrapspearheaded the effort to bring the show ping the show up with three singing covers; to life as he worked with Publicity and Honors student Kat Garcia performed “The Communications Ambassador Ashley Only Exception” by Paramore, Honors Cervantes to co-host the event. student Shanyda Soe performed “Ain’t My “This event was intended to bring the Fault,” by Zara Larsson and Transfer Acadlearning communities together and step See SHOW, page 5 Staff Writer

Aliyah Ramirez • Experience

Shanyda Soe takes third place in the talent show with her performance of “Ain’t My Fault.”

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“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.”

— Louis Armstrong

Got rhythm?

Ensembles jazzed it up

High schools deliver

By JEANELLE PAGADUAN Staff Writer

The Liberty Union High School District jazz ensemble performed Monday, April 17 at the Los Medanos College Recital Hall to a packed house of family, friends and jazz enthusiasts.

The concert featured student musicians from Liberty, Heritage and Freedom high schools, along with renowned guest artist Mary Fettig on alto saxophone.

The concert was a rousing success, showcasing the impressive talent and hard work of the music programs.

The concert began with the Heritage Latin Jazz Combo’s rendition of “Do It!” by Francisco Torres, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.

The student’s tight ensemble playing and precise articulation immediately caught the audience’s attention, and it was clear that this would be a night of skillful jazz.

Saxophonist Mason Pfaltzgraff wowed the crowd with his virtuosic solo on “Nzembo Na Mvula (Song of the

Rainforest)” by Fred Strum.

His skillful chords and fastpaced runs elicited thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.

Another standout performance was by trumpet and trombone players Jack Brooks and Jacob Laure. These students from Liber ty High School impressed the crowd with their solos in a soulful rendition of “Arnge Drank”

by Paul Baker. Their smooth delivery and ability to work together in unison awed the audience.

Throughout the concert, Fettig joined the ensemble on stage, lending her musical experience and unique style of playing the saxophone to the already impressive group of musicians.

Her fluid lines complemented the ensemble perfectly, adding a touch of sophistication and depth to the repertoire.

“People are at different levels in terms of their experiences,” said Fettig, “but it was also very cool to see them practice in rehearsal and at the concert tonight… just to see that they

Photos by Jeanelle Pagaduan • Experience

Liberty Jazz Ensemble (top), Freedom Jazz Ensemble (left) and Heritage Jazz Ensemble performed at LMC April 17. get inspired by each other.”

In addition to classic jazz standards such as “Twilight Serenade” and “Boplicity,” the ensemble also showcased more current compositions

by contemporary artists like Bon Iver.

These pieces blended elements of traditional jazz with modern sensibilities, resulting in a fresh and exciting sound

that delighted the audience.

The concert was a testament to the students’ love for jazz and their talents thrilled all their loved ones in the audience.

The hard work and ded-

ication of these three high school’s music programs and its talented students were on full display, creating an unforgettable experience for all who attended.

Beware: Mommy cherishes you ‘Evil Dead Rise’ feels more like a standalone

By RAY KOPF Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of IMDB

Kassie looks through a peephole trying to see who is on the other side.

“Evil Dead Rise” was released on April 21 and it marks the most recent installment in the Evil Dead franchise. Unlike the previous films, Ash Williams is not the protagonist of this film. Instead, the film focuses on a struggling family facing impending eviction from their Los Angeles apartment due to the building being condemned.

Viewers are first introduced to Ellie’s family, played by Alyssa Sunderland, and her three children who are living in a defunct building set to be demolished. Her sister Beth, played by Lilly Sullivan, stops by looking for a place to stay the night.

As the two siblings catch up, Ellie sends her three children to go pick up a pizza.

Upon their return, an earthquake

rocks the Los Angeles area and a hole is opened up in the concrete of the parking garage. The oldest, Danny, investigates inside the hole and finds a vault, which contains a book that many recognize. Once they return to the apartment, Danny investigates the book and various things he grabbed as well.

It isn’t too long after until the horrors of hell are unleashed and the family must survive. As for a horror movie, “Evil Dead Rise” seems to be a fairly predictable film. But what makes this film shine are the visual effects as well as the makeup.

The sheer amount of gore in this film is incredible and is sure to make even the most experienced horror film watcher squirm. The film doesn’t hide the gore either. It is a component of the movie from the very beginning.

NF finds a way to hold onto ‘Hope’ in new album

By MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Staff Writer

Nathan Feuerstein, known by his initials NF, released his fifth studio album on April 7 titled “Hope” and it might be his best one so far. NF is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer that focuses his songs on the dark aspects of life, such as depression and despair. However, with this new album, he completely changes and has a more positive outlook on life.

His last album, titled “The Search” was released on July 26, 2019, marking three years since his last studio album. His latest project was “Clouds” on March 26, 2021, but

was only a mixtape.

His change in outlook could be attributed to his marriage to his wife and the birth of their child. These two events altered his perspective on life for the better and it transitioned into the content of his songs.

The album has two features, from Julia Michaels and Cordae. The title of Julia Michaels is “Gone” while the title of the song with Cordae featuring is “Careful.” Both songs have different energy within the lyrics, melody and emotions.

“Gone” was similar to old NF songs such as “How could you leave us?” and “Trauma” with a slow sad theme to the track. “Careful”

is a more upbeat track speaking about how they came from impoverished families and are thankful to God for blessing them with success in life. It’s two very different tunes that have meanings that complement the speed and direction of the album.

NF’s music videos for certain songs include a story following the lyrics that are produced incredibly. The song in this album including a story titled “Happy” shows two different perspectives and how each one has lived their life. It depicts a child and an adult coming home and the different acts each one of them does with intricate details that lead to a plot twist See HOPE, page 5

Aside from the effects and gore, the actors and actresses alike do a good job in their roles. Sullivan does a great job as Beth and Sunderland does a great job portraying Ellie throughout the entire film. Overall the acting was good and it helped advance the movie fairly well.

But the film didn’t really feel like an Evil Dead film. It had the elements of the franchise that we’ve come to love, but the film felt much more like a standalone movie. The Evil Dead tag might add to the film, but nonetheless, this is a pretty good horror movie.

Overall, I would recommend this to horror fans and moviegoers.

The film earns its R rating with its intense amount of gore as it may be too much for some.

So be advised, this movie is fairly graphic.

Cover art for NF’s newest album “Hope.”

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emy student Elena Green performed “Bohemian Rhapsody”

by Queen.

To crown the winner, votes were collected through audience feedback on a Google form to determine first, second and third place.

Coming in first was Kat Garcia who was rewarded with $200, second place for Eliette Bustos and Cary Ihm who won $100 and third place going to Shanyda Soe who won $50.

The winner did not initially see herself as part of the event, but when Honors Advisor Jennifer Saito reached out to her, she decided to let her voice shine on stage.

A proud smile stretched across Garcia’s face as she expressed how “thankful” she was to be at the event and see the “togetherness of everyone having fun.”

Impressed with each act, students Tatiana Torres described the environment as similar to “High School Musical, everyone is so talented,” and Nina Manayon recalled each performance as “really good, I was pleasantly surprised.”

Quinones wanted to only “increase students’ inner confidence,” and allow them to step out of their comfort zone.

Bringing student life together, the audience provided nothing but support as each act was full of smiles and applause.

“This connects students through a display of exhilarating fun that they will look back on with joy,” said Quinones. “Moreover, as we grow older, we will most likely be put in situations where we must execute tasks or speak

therapy,” Benford said, adding that the service can even be used for yoga, cooking and athletics.

While TimelyCare does have plenty of benefits, there are, of course, its downsides.

The ser vice can only be accessed online, and some people may prefer in-person counseling.

LMC student Griselda Moreno-Mata tried out the program and wasn’t the biggest fan of it.

“I don’t like having to use a phone for it,” said Moreno-Mata, as she prefers a hands-on approach to dealing with her mental health. “My counselor signed me up for in-person therapy and it’s been working out well.”

Other students have had success with TimelyCare and found it worked better for them than other mental health counseling they have gone to.

LMC student Alyssa Olivas tried it out once and “liked it

From page 3

CHAVEZ From page 1

She added that an event such as the Cesar Chavez Awards can help inspire more leaders and for the younger generation to continue this fight.

The final award to be given was the Cesar Chavez Award for exemplar y community service which was awarded to Fernando Sandoval who currently serves as the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board President.

“I think there’s more work to do, but I am among some great young people. Dolores

HOPE From page 4

at the end.

There were two singles titled “Motto” and “Hope” released before the entire album that had a music video attached to the lyrics.

“Motto” was released on March 9 and showed NF crashing a red carpet of an awards ceremony, but also getting forcefully kicked out of the building at the end. “Hope” was released on February 16

From page 1

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that idea to where all student governments in the district have strong communication with their administration.

“I’m pretty familiar with our district and I want to ensure there is constant communication between their student Aliyah Ramirez • Experience government and administraLos Medanos College student Alexis Ramirez dances to “Did it on ‘em” by Nicki Minaj. tion,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez will be running in public, so events like these centered both on and off stage As students and staff near against Ryan Lin, a first-year boost students’ self-esteem as those who attended were the end of the semester, learn- student who is studying Busiwherever they go.” surrounded with food and ing communities plan to keep ness Administration and StatisThroughout the show, a special performances to rec- the excitement for events in tics and believes every student supportive environment was ognize LMC’s unique talents. the future semesters to come. contributes to the future.

Huerta is 93 years old so that means I have many more years to serve. She’s my inspiration,” said Sandoval.

Graciela Olveda and the crowd closed out the event by singing two songs, The first being “Volver, Volver”

by Vicente Fernandez. The second song has been the traditional closeout song of the Cesar Chavez Awards, “De Colores” Interim President Pamela Ralston viewed this spring semester as a rebirth period for on-campus events, as Los Medanos College continues to return back in person.

and showed NF stranded on an island finding the “map to hope,” a term mentioned in the song “The Search” in the previous album attempting to find his way home.

The entire album reimagined NF with hope for his future, unlike his previous songs that had a darker theme. NF is an incredible hip-hop artist and it showed throughout this album which is why I gave the album an eight out of 10-star review.

Experience correction The article entitled “Schedule builder is criticized” in the April 21 edition of the Experience inadvertently included a quote, attributed to Director of Marketing and Media Design Juliet Casey, about a software program for the catalog. The story was about the software program for the new Schedule Builder. The Experience regrets any confusion this may have caused.

“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”

— Pablo Picasso

a bit.”

“It was better than some of the mental health counseling I’ve been to at Kaiser,” said Olivas.

While a decent amount of people are aware about the resources they have available to them, Benford acknowledged that more work can, and will be done to spread the word about TimelyCare.

Within that, Benford hopes to break stigmatization surrounding mental health and the “distorted thinking” people have about reaching out for help.

Benford and others are working on delivering more presentations on TimelyCare, equipping student ambassadors with the support they need and tabling with students to get the word out.

Benford said that helping students meet their needs helps faculty “live out our purposes as educators.”

“Everybody wins,” Benford added.

Lin is running on the goal of ensuring student success and having a no-tolerance policy on issues such as race, disability and sexuality. He wants to use differences people have from one another as a way to unite instead of divide.

Flyers will be emailed as well as posted around the campuses of Contra Costa Community College, Los Medanos College and DVC with QR codes students can scan and send in their vote starting on Tuesday, May 2 at 9 a.m. and running until voting closes Thursday, May 4 at 5 p.m.

Juan Cebreiros • Experience

Top: Violeta Orozco gets emotional during speech.

Right: Norma Arreguin (left), Fernando Sandoval (middle) and Orozco stand for a photo with their awards.

“To get this opportunity to celebrate this community inside our college has just been incredible,” said Ralston.

Starving for food? Visit the food trucks Monday May 1 Mr. Jalapeno 11 a.m - 2 p.m

Monday May 8 Mr. Jalapeno 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Tuesday May 9 Wanna Waffle?

11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Tuesday May 2 Ike’s Grill 11 a.m - 2 p.m

Wednesday May 3 Golden Gate Gyro 11 a.m - 2 p.m

Wednesday May 10 Villas Tacos 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Alexis Ramirez • Experience

Thursday May 4 Wanna Waffle?

11 a.m - 2 p.m

Thursday May 11 Philly Cheesesteak 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

While LMC waits until fall 2023 to open the new cafeteria in the Student Union, food on campus has been sparce.

The college has coordinated with vendors to bring food trucks on campus Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. in front of the library.

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“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”

— Babe Ruth

Stangs pull off late-inning comeback Ryan Pierce calls game for LMC

By MOHAMMAD NAJIMI Staff Writer

The Los Medanos baseball team stole the victory against Laney College with a final score of 6-5, after struggling most of the game. It was a back-and-forth contest that Laney controlled after the first inning but then collapsed in the final two.

In the first two innings, there was plenty of action that led to a total of six runs for both teams. In the top half of the inning, Aaron Nathanson of Laney College hit a single, scoring Ben Saitz and giving them a 1-0 lead.

After a double by Tyler Shonnard, Kayne Moody hit a blooper into right field that dropped, scoring both runners and extending their lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the inning, the Mustangs started the comeback after Seth Gwynn was hit by a pitch from Laney pitcher Will Seslar. Gwynn stole second while Bubba Rocha walked. Both runners stole second and third when Laney third baseman Deickrimar Orta threw the ball into right field causing Gwynn to score and Rocha to advance to third. With a runner on third, Rocco Borelli hit a single, scoring Rocha from third cutting Laney’s lead down to 3-2 after the first inning.

After a 1-2-3 inning by Colton Trudeau in the top of the second, Nico Torrez came up to the batter box and smashed the ball past the left-center wall tying the game at three going into the third inning.

In the top of the third inning after a double by Marcus Money, caused by the outfielder being blinded by the sun, Nathanson hit a double scoring in Money capturing a 4-3 lead.

The next few half innings were quiet as the score stayed the same going into the fifth inning.

In the top of the fifth inning, after Nathanson walked and Shonnard was hit by a pitch, Moody whacked a ball through the middle scoring Nathanson and extending their lead to 5-3. The next couple of innings were quiet as both teams couldn’t

Mohammad Najimi • Experience

LMC’s outfielder Nico Torrez, No. 33, squares up to hit a high pitch in the Mustangs’ come-from-behind victory against Laney College. muster a batter to third base.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Mustangs tied the game at five as Gwynn doubled and was brought home by Pierce hitting a single.

Rocha hit a ground ball to third base, but the throw to first was thrown out of reach causing both runners to advance. After Michael Weber walked, loading the bases, Borelli hit the ball towards Saitz, but when he threw the ball to third base trying to get the lead runner out, a collision happened causing a stoppage of play with the runner safe at third and a run-scoring tying the game at five.

Orta was down, dazed from the collision as Brian Powelson, LMC’s athletic trainer, speaks to Orta trying to figure out what happened. In case of an actual injury, Laney’s manager subbed Orta out and replaced him with Michael Gormley at third base.

The inning ended after Kris Leffle grounded into a double play, keeping the score tied at five after

seven innings.

After a quick top of the eighth inning, Dareyen Tolentino took over on the mound for Wil Seslar and pitched a quick inning to take the game into the ninth tied at five. In the top of the ninth, Kenny Esposito took over on the mound for Colton Trudeau and also pitched a quick half-inning, giving LMC a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth.

The first batter in the bottom half of the ninth inning was Ryan Pierce and he drove a baseball over left-center field giving the Stangs an incredible comeback victory over Laney, extending their overall record to 26-10 on the year.

The final line for Colton Trudeau was 8 innings pitched allowing five earned runs, five hits, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks, and throwing 107 pitches.

This victory keeps the Stangs in first place in the division with a oneMohammad Najimi • Experience and-a-half lead over Marin heading into the final four games of the season. Mustangs sophmore pitcher Colton Trudeau winds up a strong pitch.

Men’s offense too strong for opposing team to handle Umpires end game early by mercy rule

By JUAN CEBREIROS Staff Writer

Juan Cebreiros• Experience

LMC third baseman Ryan Pierce, No. 18, sprints toward the ground ball near the base.

The Los Medanos College Mustangs defeated the City College of San Francisco Rams with a final score of 17-5 on Wednesday, April 26. The umpires ended the game after just seven innings, calling a mercy rule due to the large lead the Mustangs had over the Rams.

Mustangs starting pitcher AJ Gamboa lasted only three innings and was tagged in the first inning for two runs.

Gamboa hit the Rams leadoff Shane Stanley, then David Balague doubled off the left field wall to score him and give the Rams a quick 1-0 lead.

Owen Gallegos singled to put runners on the corners then Balague scored on a sacrifice

fly from Miguel Esquiviez to lead 2-0.

The Mustangs responded immediately with Seth Gwynn leading off the Mustangs half inning with a triple to right field followed by a Ryan Pierce walk to put runners on the corners.

Bubba Rocha singled to score Gwynn but then the next two Mustangs hitters struck out.

Back-to-back singles from Kris Leffle and Jeremy Hill scored Rocha, Pierce and Leffle and by innings’ end the Mustangs led 4-2.

Rams starting pitcher Jacob Olivia only lasted two innings and gave up five runs on six hits. Damian Sandoval was next to pitch for the Rams and struggled over his three innings on the mound. He gave up 12 runs with 15 hits along

with a two-run home run given up to Gwynn. Rams pitchers combined to give up 17 runs and 22 hits to Mustang hitters.

They gave up four runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth as they were routed by the Mustangs Pierce and Hill were the heart and soul of the Mustangs offense as they combined for eight hits and seven RBIs. Leadoff hitter Seth Gwynn had three hits, knocked in two runs and scored three runs.

The Mustangs currently hold a 27-10 overall record and are 16-3 in Conference play with their next game at home against the Laney Eagles Friday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. before traveling to play Folsom Lake to finish their season on Saturday at 1 p.m.