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Community

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Kenzie Anne redefined

May 6, 2026

Arts

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Poet invited for reading

Opinion

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Why the silence Cerritos?

Celebrating 70 years of utilizing the First Amendment

Sports

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Brody Cuellar and his faith

Volume 70 | Issue 8

Art off the Orozco’s engineering dreams canvas onto the internet Karina Soriano Editor in Chief

Isabella Sophia Aguilar Contributor

The Cerritos College Art and Design Department offers majors like fine arts, photography, and ceramics, opening doors to diverse career opportunities. Whether students aim to be animators, like Anthony Robinson and Elena Mendez, or studio artists, the importance of building a portfolio and promoting one’s work is undeniable. Online platforms like Instagram and TikTok provide spaces for self-expression. Art acts as an outlet for internal emotions; when shared, these viewpoints offer insight into an artist’s mentality. Kailyn Baca uses social media so people can learn about her interests, while Mendez hopes to evoke emotions from viewers. Alexis Carlon, a drawing and painting major, uses her platform to sell original works authentically. She believes social media broadens visibility beyond traditional spaces, acting as an accessible portfolio. Baca sees these platforms as free promotion and a gateway to commissions. Robinson adds that if even one person likes your work, “that’s a win.” Mendez emphasizes that the industry is about making connections that secure success. While social media is a “mixing pot” of ideas, it also helps creators stand out. Robinson incorporates humor to set himself apart, while Baca posts her progress to prove her work is human-made, not AIgenerated. Despite the rise of AI, Mendez believes “there will always be room for artists.” Robinson feels the biggest competition remains other humans, asserting that machinery cannot match human imagination. Art deserves to be shared. When student artists are ready to watch their work soar toward business opportunities, they can rely on social media to be the wind that carries their projects to new heights. Read more on Talonmarks.com

For first-generation college student Ruben Orozco, the path to higher education was initially a step into this unknown. Coming from the Norwalk-La Mirada School District, Orozco chose Cerritos College as his starting point back in 2023. Today, as a mechanical engineering major, he is a testament to the power of community, resilience and seizing every opportunity you can. Orozco’s college journey began to take shape when he COURTESY OF RUBEN OROZCO joined the Puente program. As Ruben Orozco’s family celebrating at the PUENTE graduation ceremony that took place on April 24, 2026. a Chicano student navigating higher education without a family mentor and, subsequently, a math sights on a university that aligned immense perseverance. roadmap, the prospect of starting and chemistry tutor. Spending his with his career goals. Proving that persistence pays from scratch was intimidating. time in the UP space and campus He chose San Jose State to off even when faced with rejection. The program provided him tutoring centers, Orozco found immerse himself in the Bay Area’s As he prepares for his next with a cohort of fellow Hispanic fulfillment in paying it forward. tech industry and to one day join chapter, Orozco remains a students, dedicated counseling He recognized that the its top-tier Formula and Baja race dedicated role model for his and a built-in support system. resources and support he received teams, merging his lifelong passion 16-year-old brother, who is already Puente wasn’t just a pathway to from programs like Puente and for fabrication, welding and car dual-enrolled at Cerritos. By complete his general education Mesa were pivotal to his success design with his academic pursuits. navigating the transfer process, requirements, it was the foundation and he wanted to ensure his peers Before heading to Northern applying for internships and of his college family. had the same guidance. California, Orozco is preparing building a community from the Embracing Rosa Carrillo advice Orozco’s ambitions extend for a 10-week summer internship ground up, Orozco is charting a to “lean into your discomfort,” beyond the Cerritos College with the Department of Energy course not just for himself, but for Orozco transformed from a campus. In fall 2026, he will at the Pacific Northwest National his family. shy freshman into an outgoing transfer to San Jose State University Laboratory in Washington state. His advice to fellow students is member of the Cerritos College to continue his mechanical There, he will conduct research simple. community. engineering studies. Thanks to the on composite manufacturing, “Lean into your discomfort, His desire to give back to the Promise Program, which covered similar to the processes used to take a chance on things and just put community that nurtured him his first two years at Cerritos, create carbon fiber car bodies. yourself out there,” Orozco said. led him to become a Puente peer Orozco saved money and set his Landing the opportunity took

El Velozo’s journey to the Red Bull Soapbox Race Karina Soriano Editor in Chief

For mechanical engineering majors Arelie Marquez, Ruben Orozco, Hector Ramirez, Gabriel Ramirez and Andrew Solis, the complex equations and physics theories learned in the classroom were only the beginning. Now, they are putting their education to the ultimate, unconventional test: building a custom, gravity-powered machine designed to survive the chaotic, obstacle-ridden downhill track of the Red Bull Soapbox Race. Competing under the banner of El Velozo with a luchador themed car, the

team’s foundation relies on much more than just welded steel, reinforced axles and aerodynamics. Their true structural integrity stems from a deeprooted friendship forged in the PUENTE program. Designed to support underrepresented students in their academic and transfer journeys, PUENTE provided the exact environment where the group first connected. Brought together by their shared cultural backgrounds and the rigorous, often overwhelming demands of their engineering coursework, they quickly found a unified support system in the campus UP Space.

What began as a dedicated study group naturally evolved into a cohesive, highly capable racing crew after Andrew Solis stumbled upon the event application. “I come into class and he’s like, ‘Hey dude, I don’t know if you’ve seen this. I’m trying to get a team together,’” Orozco recalled. “We didn’t think we were going to get picked because, I mean, going to the Red Bull event, it’s huge.” The Red Bull Soapbox Race requires teams to design, build and pilot a nonmotorized vehicle through a grueling course filled with COURTESY OF EL VELOZO INSTAGRAM steep drops, jumps and sharp El Velozo team photo of Arelie Marquez, Ruben Orozco, turns. Hector Ramirez, Gabriel Ramirez, Andrew Solis