Wings Zine Spring 2022

WINGS

Talon Marks Spring of 2022

Surviving the Pandemic

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Note from the Editor The pandemic has affected everyone worldwide due to sudden deaths, financial insecurities and forced isolation negatively impacting our mental health.

In our community surrounding Cerritos College, there has been chaos, but in that chaos, there is also strength in building new opportunities and creating a prospering future to overcome hardships.

COVID-19 opened the realm of possibility for society to create new chapters in life, filled with opportunities for self-growth and discovery in bettering ourselves emotionally, mentally and physically - preparing us for the future.

In this issue of Wings, Talon Marks spring staff of 2022 came together to capture all aspects of life and share the experiences of those who underwent growth during this life-changing experience. Exploring difficult topics and beautiful heart-warming moments that were possible due to the pandemic.

The staff members this semester spent many long hours perfecting the stories they believed needed to be told - immortalizing moments in history through their words. Capturing images of moments worth documenting and sharing the voices of those that have not been heard in our community.

I would like to personally thank my staff for all the outstanding hard work they have done in creating this magazine and share my appreciation for what they accomplished, it goes beyond words.

We - Talon Marks hope you, the audience, enjoy and appreciate the outcome of storytelling from journalists dedicating themselves to capturing the historical life-changing moments in life.

Journalists spend their life gathering facts and sharing stories from all aspects of life that are sometimes overlooked, amplifying the voices of those that go unheard, sharing life lessons and documenting history that isn’t taught in history books.

Yours truly,

Lily Marmolejo

Editor-in-Chief

Table of Contents 6 Mompreneurs

8 Class 302 Cafe

10 Your New Co-Worker: COVID

12 Pandemic Puppies

14 MAD House

16 El Mas Chingon

18 Laid Off Daredevil

19 Cerritos College Softball & Baseball

21 Coping with Depression

22 Tutoring Boss

24 Teaching Teens during COVID

26 Scars of COVID-19

Mompreneurs

By Fatima Durrani and Clarissa Arceo

Our heroes without capes

PHOTO BY CLARISSA ARCEO

COURTESY OF JAIME VALLARDES

W

hen the pandemic began in March 2020, the world went into panic mode.

Many jobs let their employees go, grocery store shelves were wiped clear, hospitals were flooded with people, schools were shut down and students were forced into online learning.

Mothers were heavily affected by this change; having to take care of their children at home, working their nine to five, tending to their homes and making ends meet all while finding time to take care of themselves, too.

Even through the craze, mothers across the globe quickly learned to adjust to this new lifestyle.

Jaime Valladares, mother of three, explained how COVID-19, in addition to balancing her life as a photographer, mother and fulltime teacher, has been very difficult for her.

“When I started working remotely it was really hard because I had two very

young children who needed a lot of attention,” Valladares said. “I feel the pandemic affected every aspect of my life as I’ve had to balance being a full-time mom and online teacher- two things I had never done prior.”

Valladares’ photography business is dedicated to capturing photographs that tell a story and catch subjects in their truest form.

“The pandemic has made [photography] tricky because I employ safety guidelines,” Valladares said.

“I’m already a stranger to the children I photograph, but by wearing a mask they are more hesitant to let their guard down with me.”

Vallardes shared that in just one year, her network has extended to a community of supporters who have allowed to feel confident when investing in her passion.

Elena Alvarez shared how exhilarating the pandemic has made being a mom of three boys and small business owner.

Alvarez first opened her business in 2016 as “Trendy Boutique,” but soon closed after struggling with postpartum depression with her second son. She hardly took pictures of herself modeling her products because she struggled with self-image.

“I am in such a better place now,” Alvarez said.

“My kids are my motivation.

I want them to be proud of their mama.”

She said that the pandemic was the perfect time for her to focus on herself and her children. It also allowed her to rebrand her business to what is now called The Lovely Boutique.

Alvarez said she enjoys every moment of her experience- good and bad- because she has grown, being a mother and improving her small business. She encourages moms who are considering investing in their passions to not hesitate.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are. Is it difficult?

Yes, sometimes. But it is not impossible,” Alvarez said.

Class 302 Cafe

The class COVID-19 couldn’t beat

By Darryl Linardi

S

outheast Asian culture imbued into a restaurant that lies in the heart of Cerritos, Class 302 Cafe is the go-to hot spot for Taiwanese cuisine. From dishes ranging from boba drinks to shaved ice, every dish is mixed with Asian comfort.

Inside the restaurant, you will be surrounded by an old-school styled classroom, with a blackboard on the wall and desk-inspired seats. The store’s set-up is to inspire a trendy school feeling for students.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, restaurants were hit harder than any other businesses open; the income during the time was hardly sustainable for Class 302 Cafe to keep open.

A shortage in employees to work and customers to serve made making a living all the more difficult.

William Chen, a student at California State University, Long Beach, currently works as the manager of the Class 302 Cafe in Cerritos. He and his family have managed the cafe and restaurant comfortably for

the past several years.

Having immigrated from Taiwan at the young age of 3 ½ years old, Chen knew nothing of his Taiwanese culture. Slowly but surely, through customers and recreating popular dishes, he incorporated the culture he once forgot into his everyday life.

“I’ve met so many different people [through the restaurant] who shared similar interests and reminiscences about the nostalgia of the small island. I was proud to be Taiwanese.”

Through his passion for cooking and love of food, he studied hard to be able to learn more about and represent his culture.

However, in 2020, when COVID-19 plagued the U.S., everyone was urged to stay home in fear of contracting the deadly virus; which meant that Chen was unable to practice or serve.

Take-out or other online ordering applications became a norm for citizens, leaving the restaurant deserted and empty without any in-person interaction. The only customers to walk through Class 302 doors were those picking up to take home or deliver.

“During the very beginning of the pandemic, business was very poor,” Chen stated. The consequence of the stay-at-home order resulted in less customers for businesses overall, including Class 302 Cafe.

Forced to stay and cook in the kitchen, transitioning to what was deemed as normal to a very secluded form of work made it uncomfortable for the workers to manage.

Not only did the establishment struggle with profit and customers but they faced a different- and more personal hardship with their employees.

In fear of contracting COVID-19 and in light of receiving stimulus checks, many experienced workers decided to quit their jobs. This shortage in employees meant that Chen and his family had to start from scratch and train new staff all over again.

Thankfully, aspiring young adults were eager to find work which eased problems and allowed restaurants like Class 302 Cafe to manage.

PHOTOS BY DARRYL LINARDI

“My experience working at Class 302 so far has varied from happy to distressed,” Chen said. “I’ve developed many friendships from working at this small cafe, but [I] also lost a lot of my self-confidence.”

Having to regain his communication skills and social confidence alongside working to re-open the business back to normal was a challenge for Chen as he had grown accustom to working in such a small space.

The Class 302 Cafe team had a lot on their plate to satisfy the amount of people resuming their dining experience, with California’s opening restaurants back up.

Chen said that he wants nothing more than to share his love, knowledge, and skills of food with others.

The Class 302 Cafe opens up their restaurant to any person that might want to try their hand at Taiwanese food and culture.

Your New Co-worker: COVID

By Alvaro Nevarez

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n March 11, 2020, COVID-19 began worldwide and started affecting our everyday lives such as school, and jobs especially.

Our stories will revolve around Valery Gaspar, 36, who had worked with a local credit union and Andi Yarnel, 22, who had worked with Amazon and what both their experiences of working through the pandemic.

When Gaspar’s credit union job went remote shortly after the pandemic began, it didn’t affect her negatively at all, in fact she saw a huge increase in productivity in her work during her time with the credit union until she got let go.

“At first, our managers didn’t follow the guidelines and tried putting ‘six-feetapart’ stickers and glass dividers before everyone else was [doing it].

After two weeks of doing that, we eventually moved over to working remotely.

Valery Gaspar Banking Associate

It did not take too long for Gaspar to get back on her feet and she went on to work with Better.com, which was a perfect fit for her since she had just gotten used to working remotely and said, “I had a really easy transition moving from the credit union over to Better.com, I actually became a manager not long after I started working for Better.com.”

Gaspar mentioned one of the perks of her new job was, “Working from home was probably one the better things to happen to me during the pandemic, I was able to do so much more and be way more productive, although one downside to it is landscapes make a lot of noise when I am in a Zoom call with my job and I had to mute myself sometimes because of it.”

Working or schooling from home wasn’t the only major change for some people, places like Amazon or other warehouse jobs were still operating through the pandemic, which was the case for Yarnel who had seen it all.

Yarnel, who had previously worked with Amazon went through some serious changes when the pandemic initially started and said, “Amazon handled the pandemic pretty well in the beginning by giving every employee a few paid weeks off if we caught the coronavirus.

They let us keep our phone out on the workfloor as well as got rid of metal detectors and lockers from the locker room, and moved around a lot of our work stations to enforce social distancing.”

Keeping up with work and productiv-

COURTESY OF VALERY GASPAR

ity was not too hard for Yarnel and they were even on top of getting vaccinated so they could follow Amazon’s vaccine mandate in order to keep their co-workers safe."

Yarnel said, “I made sure I got my vaccination (for the coronavirus) to help keep me co-workers, family and friends safe. I made sure to use my time off options for when I absolutely needed to use them due to increased production from the pandemic and keeping up with work wasn’t hard since we were already being worked hard to keep up with fast work loads."

Yarnel also said, "Amazon kept hiring new employees left and right so it was kind of hard to keep a real steady pace with all these new faces I saw everyday pretty much.”

At the same time, (Andi) was also going to college remotely which they had said, “I am glad I decided to take college online over in-person before the pandemic because I think I would have

COURTESY OF ANDI YARNEL

struggled getting used to both a full-time job and part-time school at the same time.”

Yarnel has since then recently been unemployed from Amazon and currently looking for work, they still wear their mask and take a small hand sanitizer everywhere

ELVERT BARNES/CREATIVE COMMONS

they went.

They said, “I will kind of miss working at Amazon, I made a few friends there and won’t get to see them as much as I would when I worked there, but now I avoid to go anywhere unless necessary and take my mask and hand sanitizer with me, I do plan on getting my booster shot to stay protected from the virus and just hope this whole pandemic ends soon.”

With everything (Valery and Andi) went on to say, it honestly felt relatable considering almost everyone else had to go through the same situation with some maybe having a harder time getting through the pandemic whether it was going through a transition to either work or take school from home, to going through changes and not working from home in a worldwide pandemic.

Pandemic puppies

By Lily Marmolejo

Over the course of the pan-

demic people all over the globe and southern California adopted hundreds of pets from different shelters and rescues giving homes to puppies in need.

Entrepreneur and graphic motion designer Humza Jalil was one of the many people who adopted dogs during the pandemic.

As a first time pet owner, he had adopted two French bulldogs from a rescue center at different stages [during the pandemic].

“I had gotten Luna at the start of the pandemic, things had been shut down in my neighborhood and when I found out shelters and rescues were opening up,” said Humza, “My mental health was declining and [I felt that] a dog would give me routine and a level of compassion I never knew I had.”

Humza admits that when he got home with Luna he did not know where to start, but felt excited and nervous about the new puppy experience. He said that YouTube and Google were a lot of help.

“I learned how to train them with a clicker. After I figured it out and successfully trained her, she was an

absolute joy,” he said.

Humza said that as a child he had always been fearful of animals; Spending so much time with Luna indoors [because of COVID-19 restrictions] allowed him to gain a variety of perspectives on himself and take action over his life.

This also allowed him to make the decision to adopt his second puppy, Bunny, months later.

“Bunny was meant to be Luna’s friend, I had read up on how French bulldogs do not do well being alone and are prone to separation anxiety because they become very attached to their owners,” said Humza. “Bunny was an absolute menace, she chewed through everything, she became Luna’s friend and partner in crime.”

Humza says he was able to train Bunny after spending a lot of time with both pups. He noted that the pandemic was terrible, but he is partially thankful because it gave him the ability to focus his time and energy elsewhere. “The pandemic gave me so much free time, I decided to use it to better myself and listen to what my needs were,” said Humza. “My dogs made the experience much better, I learned

a lot about myself and I gave two dogs a home in the process.”

According to the ASPCA, “23 million American households acquired a pet during the COVID-19 crisis and most will not consider re-homing their pet.”

Contrary to popular belief, people are not ‘re-homing’ their pets or sending them back to shelters.

Individuals that have re-located their pets do so because they were first-time pets owners and did not know how to properly care for or train them; It’s difficult to properly train a puppy and socialize them during a pandemic.

Most puppies that were adopted during the pandemic ended up being returned about a year later because they had destructive tendencies and displays of aggression towards humans and other animals they do not know.

It’s important to research training methods and socialize puppies from a young age because once they finish growing it becomes incredibly difficult to control a dog that weighs anywhere from 60150 pounds.

Nearing the end of the pandemic in Feb. 2022, I adopted a Great Dane from LA Animal Services.

Naming her ‘Nyx’, I adopted her so that I could become more active and have company during the day as the pandemic

PHOTOS BY LILY MARMOLEJO

forced me to isolate myself and stay indoors.

As a full time college student, I spent a lot of time at home alone; I felt lonely and depressed.

I missed out on a lot due to the pandemic, I was part of the graduating class of 2020; I didn’t get to walk the stage during graduation, and I didn’t get a prom or finish my senior year in person. I spent my entire first year of college online and did not enjoy college as much as I hoped I would.

I believe one of the purest forms of love is that of an animal, so I decided to adopt.

Upon arriving to the shelter I saw a skinny, tall black dog and my heart sunk; Nyx was a skeleton of a dog, and was very timid. Weighing 19 pounds at 2 months, I immediately adopted her and took her home with me the next day.

When I took her home, I noticed she would follow me everywhere. As she constantly cuddled next to me, I spent long hours on my computer researching how to take care of her because she was my first ever big dog breed.

As the months went by, I taught her tons of tricks like how to sit, stay, jump, lie down, bark, and to come when called. Nyx is a very well-tempered puppy and loves to go to the dog park.

She loves going out on walks with me at night and watching Scooby-Doo cuddling next to me with a blanket; She is very spoiled, happy and healthy puppy.

ILLUSTRATED BY AYO KUNKUSHI

MAD HOUSE

By Ebube Okoji

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n March 13, 2020, what started off as a much needed vacation turned into hell. It was the day we were given two weeks off from school due to COVID-19, which seemed like a blessing in disguise, little did I know that it would be the start of how my life would pan out today.

It suddenly went from bad to worse after being woken up from screams and shouts and being told that my uncle, someone who I look up to had passed away. I lost my father 18 months after that, but my uncle was more of a father figure, he was my best friend.

Both my uncle and father were the closest of brothers. They had an amazing relationship. My father was older than my uncle but my uncle had the height advantage.

My uncle stood at 6-ft and weighed almost 200-lbs, dark in complexion while my dad stood at 5-ft 5-in, weighed roughly around 165-lbs and was also dark in complexion.

He introduced me to the world of sports and made me fall in love with it. Losing a loved one is never easy, the world seems to stand still when you’re aware of what’s happened. That feeling you have never felt before, of total sadness.

Living through the pandemic and lockdown was hard enough already but what made it worse was I lost both my uncle and father in the span of a year. This broke me and it put me in a state that I still find myself in today. With the passing of my dad, fear overcame me. I’ve limited myself many times and sold myself short because I no longer have the role model I once looked up to.

My entire family are all from Nigeria. I am an only child but surrounded with cousins that I consider my siblings. We are a

tough love family, we always have each other’s back no matter what.

With the chaos going around, I couldn’t have asked for a much better way to end my senior year in high school by winning a medal in my final race in the 300 meters high hurdles for Track & Field and receiving my diploma a week later These are the moments I will cherish the most.

Applying to college and writing multiple essays is stressful but the fear of not being accepted into your dream school is much terrifying. Although it was a different case for me as I was accepted into eight of nine colleges I applied to, including my dream college SJSU. I was boiling with excitement on what college I should choose despite being accepted into the school I dreamt of.

Despite being accepted into my dream, my mom didn’t want me moving far away because she believed I was not of age to have that freedom yet. I knew she wasn’t playing around after several attempts failed with me trying to convince her in choosing SJSU over Cerritos ended with “I’m not gonna tell you again, this conversation is over.”

The first day at Cerritos was an unforgettable moment especially for me because I was moving onto a new chapter in my life after graduating from Downey High School.

I was nervous and had a bit of fear, I got lost a couple of times before I could actually find my class. I was in a new environment but it didn’t take long for me to settle in and get to work right away.

With the pandemic slowly coming to an end, I think what’s next for me is to keep moving forward just like my uncle taught me. He always taught me to look at what is in front of me rather than what is ahead and cherish the people I have in my life.

EL MAS CHINGON: THE BADDEST FOOD TRUCK

T

By Michael Stephenson

he world changed as we knew it during the global pandemic but in the face of adversity Carlos Leyva Martinez left his job at a restaurant to create a new business that he had always envisioned since his early days as a talented chef.

Introducing: El Mas Chingon food truck.

“I wanted something with controversy, something that would incite excitement, and also set a standard that people would know they’re getting the best,” Martinez said, “El Mas Chingon translates in Spanish to the baddest motherfucker, the number one guy.”

Confidence is used as the key ingredient to this food truck’s success. There was never a doubt in the product inside El Mas Chingon truck. After more than a decade as a head chef Martinez came to the realization that he wanted to be his own boss.

“I had been working as head chef at a restaurant for 11 years. One day I realized I would only be working for somebody else and I was just an employee," he said, "I wanted to work for something bigger, better, and something that was my own. That’s where my idea for a food truck came."

El Mas Chingon food truck, now, as the

painting depicts the name in giant red letters on one side of the truck, was once just a blank yellow truck when Martinez bought it from a previous owner fully stocked with all the equipment necessary for operating a food truck.

Getting customers, man.

That is the most difficult.

Carlos Leyva Martinez Owner of El Mas Chingon

"When you first open, people don’t know you. The first three or four months we didn’t have any wrap around the truck, no name, they don't know if we sell food or something else,” Martinez said.

The difficulties of operating a food truck come from the outside and the biggest hurdle of all is how and where to find paying customers and keeping a positive mindset through the tough days that are inevitable, specifically, during a global pandemic.

El Mas Chingon opened officially on January 26, 2021.

“Honestly, when we opened we had re-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EL MAS CHINGON

ally bad days,” Martinez said, “The first two months we’d come back to the commissary probably with $60. Sometimes I was planning to quit but we started getting into breweries, started getting events, people liked our menu, and then people started recommending the truck and that’s how we kept going.”

Word spread quickly about El Mas Chingon. The demand for food trucks became especially important during the pandemic.

New laws required breweries and other establishments to serve food to continue operating as a business.

El Mas Chingon was helping itself and other businesses stay afloat, and helping families in need all at the same time.

“We were also going to apartments because people didn’t want to go outside, they were scared, and they also didn’t want to spend money at restaurants. They would pay probably $70 or $80, but at food trucks you could pay $30 or $35 for a full family,” Martinez said.

Martinez didn’t become the chef that he is overnight, obviously, it was a grind that started many years ago.

“I came here from Mexico in 2005 and my first job here was at a Japanese restaurant. I saw how the line cooks were making the food, using all the recipes, and so I wanted to become a chef,” Martinez said, ”I started by washing dishes, then prep, then became a line cook, and after that became

a chef.”

The menu at El Mas Chingon speaks volumes. If you’re in the mood for tacos or burritos, they’ve got them. If you’re craving a cheeseburger, they’ve got you covered. They even have the LA style hot dog on their menu along with fish and chips. El Mas Chingon has you covered on all fronts.

“We first started in Orange County only,” Martinez said, “But now we do events in LA, San Diego, Palm Springs, basically, where the customer is paying, we’re going.”

El Mas Chingon started as a vision, a blank yellow truck, and with the confidence of a talented chef inside not even a global pandemic was going to stop Martinez in his tracks. And there’s still more left to do.

“Obviously, for me, the goal, we’re talking two or three months, we’re planning to open an office and start catering everywhere,” Martinez said, “That’s the goal, to open an office, and start catering for weddings, birthdays, and big parties.”

The laid off daredevil

By Kara Alexander

Laid off worker finds excitement in new places.

Courtesy of Ashton Peavy

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his pandemic with all these new rules pertaining to COVID had Ashton bored and going crazy.

After being laid off from his job Ashton wanted to live it up despite the restrictions of the world. During a time where everyone was scared, stressed, and inside Ashton was outside, on flights, and living life to the fullest, well, not at first.

He was fed up with letting things stop him from living his best life and was not going to let any rules/regulations take the fun out of his life anymore, even if it was a pandemic.

Ashton took a chance on fun and left his life of being prisoner [due to covid] behind him.

New adventures were on the horizon for Peavy and he could not have been more ready.

After being asked this question, How did you live your life to fullest? Peavy reminisced about his adventurous time during the pandemic.

“The way I lived my life to the fullest during the COVID-19 pandemic was by living without any boundaries.

At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, I was restricted to only activities inside my home and with close friends. After long, boring weeks of this harsh treatment, I decided to begin traveling and living life the way I knew I should.

I came up with a roadmap of where I wanted to go. I decided I’ll hit as many major cities as I can. ”Beginning with Houston, Texas.

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COVID strikes out Softball

By Roman Acosta, Alfredo Menjivar, and Silas Bravo

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Friday, March 6, 2020. The last time softball hit the field for Cerritos, a mandatory lockdown closed all organized sports across the nation.

Alongside other Cerritos College sports, softball would start up again this time consisting of an all freshman roster in 2022.

On Jan. 29, 2022, softball opened up its season with a doubleheader at home.

PHOTOS BY ROMAN ACOSTA

rooklyn Bedolla, third base, No.3, “When COVID happened it was kinda like where do I go.”

“Over the lockdown, I watched a lot of softball on YouTube” Bedolla says, “I still do to this day, I think honestly watching a lot of softball really helped me, and going out in my yard being able to play with my brother and dad really helped me out.”

“I would do anything for these girls,” Bedolla says, “we’ve been through so much, the experience that we’ve had and challenges that we’ve faced working in groups at different parks when COVID was happening and finally being able to get out here, and play is awesome it means everything.”

Samantha Islas, pitcher, No.7, “Once the pandemic happened I did have my senior year taken away from me, so it was a bummer, a lot of us seniors were looking forward to senior activities so when that happened a lot of us just went through a phase were never going to get that back.”

“At one point I did feel I just wanted to give it up because I wanted to get my life going but throughout the time I was just talking with my parents, they were the ones who kept me motivated telling me, Sam you can do it, you can get their just push yourself to keep going at the end everything is going to come the way it is and life goes on,” Islas said.

“In the beginning we didn’t really know each other, we came back from the pandemic what do we got to lose.”

COVID Strikes Out Baseball

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fter missing an entire year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, softball and baseball got back to business at Cerritos College.

Baseball was well affected by the pandemic.

The men’s team was canceled midway through their season. March 9, 2020, was the baseball team’s last game before the lockdown in a 3-2 win against LBCC at home. With a canceled season, fans, players and the coaching staff were wondering when baseball season would come back.

Fortunately, baseball came back on Jan. 21, 2022, as a scrimmage against Antelope Valley. The season would then officially return on Jan. 27 against Fullerton College in a 12-0 loss.

However, fans were not allowed in the stadium.

Photos by Roman Acosta

Fans were eventually allowed back in the stadium on Jan. 29 against Fullerton College but needed proof of vaccination. After months of following rules and regulations fans are finally not required to have proof of vaccination but should still be safe and follow guidelines.

As excited as the fans were, no one was more excited than the players themselves. “Finding out we get to play again was amazing to hear,” Andy Vega said.

“The first thing we had in 2020 was a great group of guys,” Vega said, “we had a very good team but they got to move on. I was happy I got to come back for another year to try to make the best of it.”

Excitement wasn’t the only thing on the players’ minds. After over a year off, nerves began to settle.

“My first game back I actually had the jitters. It’s been two years since I played but it was a great moment to have,” Alex Bueno said.

Cerritos College ended the season with a record of 13-26-1 and have been on multiple losing streaks but picked it up towards the end of the season. Unfortunately, the team still missed the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons. There is nothing to worry about however, because baseball will return in 2023.

Coping with depression

By Alexia Naranjo

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athalie Marin is a Cerritos Col- decided to do something about it. lege student who suffered from She started journaling, she would depression when first starting college write everything she was feeling into a during quarantine in 2020. As time book as a way of venting to someone passed, she slowly started pushing for- without actually telling someone how she ward and decided to start living her life was feeling. no matter the cost.

Attempting to mentally and physically Quarantining was something new and feel healthy and happy again was one of hard for many, but for Nathalie Marin, it her biggest goals during quarantine. was a bit more difficult.

By the time Nathalie started to cope It was time to start her freshman year with her depression, it was already her of college online when she realized how second semester at Cerritos. “After realdifficult it was going to be. izing the way I was dealing with “Trying to figure out my classes wasn’t the way, how to work Canvas and I decided to change my schedule appointments ways with school as with counselors was well,” Nathalie statone of the many frused. trating and annoying Nathalie decidproblems,” Nathalie ed to focus on her stated. schooling since This was someshe realized that thing she had to figthese were the only ure out all on her own, things at the moment Which only brought that she had control over. more stress into her life.

From this moment However, she slowly PHOTO BY ALEXIA NARANJO on her life took a sharp started to get the hang turn. She decided to take of online schooling and everything she had gone used school as her way to cope with her through the past year as motivation to problems. live her life.

It was through the years 2020 and Nathalie slowly started to take on new 2021 that her depression started to get hobbies like planting, and going out on worse. cute dates with her friends. They would She went from using the school as a all be there for each other to support and distraction to giving up and procrastinat- distract each other from what was going ing. Her work would pile up and with no on in their heads. care in the world it continued to pile up Nathalie didn’t let her depression even more. take the best of her. She decided to dwell She felt as if she was just watching for a bit then got up and fought her way herself fail and doing nothing to change through it and succeeded. her ways. Nathalie hated this feeling and

The Tutoring Boss

By Jonathan Gonzalez

COURTESY OF WILLIAM EBERT

M

anuel Bermudez is the owner of Tutor Zone; there are three locations. These locations are in Whittier, La Habra, and Placentia.

Manuel was 19-years-old when he started the tutoring business. A majority of the time he had to tutor 24 hours a week and someone had to start answering the phone calls.

Bermudez liked the idea of tutoring and making sure he was able to just be the best at what he was doing for the business.

Bermundez said, “It was very challenging to transition to tutoring online after being used to tutoring in-person.” Tutoring can also be done online, but he says his stu-

dents were always bummed out not being able to be inside the Tutor Zone facilities due to COVID-19.

In the very first six months of the pandemic everything was all just declining.

None of the parents were convinced to have a one-on-one session online instead of doing it in person.

The company lost customers when COVID-19 first started. They lost about 90% of the Tutor Zone business. After a couple of weeks went by they went to zoom.

Most students thought they were on Spring Break for the first two weeks, until the next academic school year started. This led them to not seek tutoring services.

Once the school year started in the Fall It was convenient for tutors and students 2021 parents started freaking out because waking up and then within the next five their student was not doing well academi- minutes you would have a tutoring session cally. on Zoom.

Bermudez was frustrated when closing There were also times where it was frusdown a location because it went against trating because some students would not what he was working towards. show their face during the Zoom calls. BerThe government said the tutoring busi- mudez and other tutors assumed the kids ness was not a necessity because it was not were probably embarrassed because they as important as a grocery store. It was also did not know how to act. difficult figuring out how to not put people They believed that when a student was at risk and to proceed with precaution. not showing their face maybe they were The rent was also really hard when the probably watching TV, or on their video business was closing games and not listendown during the paning to instructors. demic.

Most students are For the first six typically tired of bemonths the business ing in their room infinancially declined stead of actually going and was about to go to school. They are bankrupt. It was hard not able to interact to keep employees with their friends or during the pandemic teachers. and now the business Typically, most of is starting to thrive like the tutors from Tutor never before.

Zone are really enerHiring was really getic and they try to hard and wages were replicate the energy really high. ExpectaCOURTESY OF MANUEL BERMUDEZ online to make sure tions were really inthe student is comfortflated at the time and there were times we able, having fun while learning and doing were bringing in revenue. their homework.

Bermudez had to take out loans, one Since then everyone has gotten more called the Paycheck Protection Program. comfortable with Zoom calls and now know All of the money was able to be given to em- what to expect. ployees and there were two Paycheck ProAlso, now that students have returned tection Programs. back to school, tutoring sessions have been Tutoring online can still be effective be- more effective since there are no longer cause staff workers are still able to dialogue Zoom calls with 30 students. Students are with the kids. However, students were chal- able to receive individualized tutoring on lenged because you can only do so much any subject they are struggling with. online.

The tutoring business was a huge gamble Tutoring students when the pandemic for Bermudez, who had no idea how to run first started was very difficult and challeng- a business. He took a chance and it ended up ing, Bermudez said. paying off for him and allowed the business In the beginning it was foreign but also to succeed. He has three locations now and exciting to see how fun it could actually be. is still loving what he does as a businessman.

Teaching teens during COVID

By Samuel Chacko and Matthew Espinosa

PHOTO BY SAMUEL CHACKO

N

orwalk High School’s language arts Instructor Un-Soo Wong had just returned to teaching after being sick the day when the school announced that in-person classes would switch to a more online environment.

Wong had attended Biola University as a full-time student initially to become involved in counseling and ministry work to make a living in a church setting.

Wong was convinced by her father to pursue a teaching credential, which meant she had to go after two Master’s degrees at once.

Known not only for her love of purple but also for being one of the most organized and shrewd, it isn’t hard to see why students would turn to Wong.

One instance of Wong’s students turning to her for advice was when a high school Freshman was anxious about COVID-19. Wong remembered that student asking her, “Ms. Wong, what does this mean? Will we come back?”

Wong replied, “Oh, I’m sure we’ll be fine. You know, we will probably be gone [for] a couple of weeks.”

Wong mentions that the days’ general mood usually depended on the student’s enthusiasm and success, it was less so during quarantine.

When she has free time, Wong does kick-boxing to let out her emotions, encouraging students to find healthy habits.

Wong also said that while every day’s general mood usually depended on the student’s own enthusiasm and success, it was less so during quarantine. When she has free time, Wong does kick-boxing to let out her emotions.

Comparing the look on journalism students’ faces at the sight of a printed newspaper to the sadness that was felt when a present-day student lost a relative, Wong expressed the feeling that this shift in the classroom dynamic was noticeably

COURTESY OF LINDSAY SORIANO

different.

Coming back wasn’t as healing as one might think, Wong said, “We were all scrambling just to do the best we can but the hardest part was there were no expectations set by the district or the administration.”

“I thought ... last year was the hardest year of my career,” Wong said, “This is the first year I contemplated retirement.”

But it was the students’ personal growth that Wong said inspired them to continue teaching—despite the negative impact on mental health.

One such student is Wong’s student editor-in-chief, Casandra Varela, a 16-year-old junior who has been with Wong for most of the quarantine as a journalism student.

Varela reflected that it was not only the perfectionist in them that allowed them to complete everything but also Wong’s performance.

“She was one of [the] few teachers who made online learning enjoyable,” said, I did look forward to checking notes.”

Even though the pandemic was tough for not only Wong but for her students, it looks like life is reverting back to normal for the first time in two years.

Living life with COVID scars

By Jaelyn Delos Reyes

T

he weight of the COVID-19 pandemic has left traumatic mental scars on Leroy Espinosa. He fought the demons that came with it as well as the shadows that hovers over his head.

The first year Cerritos College student, shared his experience and emotions from the start of pandemic to current times by talking about how he has struggled and fought through each obstacle, including the loss of his friend due to suicide.

When Espinosa was only a junior, Norwalk High School announced that students were required to do online learning.

“When they extended it for more than two weeks I was kinda like disappointed and sad cause you know my whole junior year was going good,” said Espinosa.

Being alone, having no one to hang out with, due to the pandemic had to be hard for Espinosa because it can make him feel like that he had no one to talk to or to go out and release some stress.

“Activities that were taken away were track meets, league meets. That kind of affected me cause running was like a form of expression for me,” said Espinosa, “I felt like I kinda lost that as well as seeing my friends.”

First year Cerritos College student said, “I have fallen into depression for like reasons such as my friends’ passing. That really moved everything and made me realize a lot of things about myself.”

Espinosas’ close friend, Alfredo Valdez who would’ve been a senior in high school, passed away due to suicide.

Espinosa said Alfredos’ interest was online work because he didn’t want to be around people.

PHOTOS BY JAELYN DELOS REYES

Espinosa stated that Alfredo’s religion could’ve affected his death since he couldn’t celebrate everything and the feeling of the pandemic.

Espinosa is still trying to continue on with his life even though the death of his friend and the negative effects of the pandemic weighing on him.

Espinosa surrounds himself with people he loves. Espinosa said getting help is important because it helps to step forward. “Getting help is really hard because it’s a step that a person needs to take in order keep going,” said Espinosa.

“I’ve taken everything and learn and apply that to myself. I just try to savor the moments, take more pictures with those I love and be around others” said Espinosa.

To anyone who is currently struggling, the first year Cerritos College student said, “Getting help is important, but it’s also hard and it’s okay to feel helpless sometimes, but just know that there are people who are willing to help.”

Editors

Lily Marmolejo

Silas Bravo

Clarissa Arceo

Kara Alexander

Fatima Durrani

Roman Acosta

Samuel Chacko

Professors Alicia Edquist

Christian Brown

Staff Writers

Alexia Naranjo

Jaelyn Delos Reyes

Alvaro Nevarez

Ebube Okoji

Alvaro Menjivar

Darryl Linardi

Michael Stephenson

Jonathan Gonzalez

Not pictured: Matthew Espinosa

Standing strong we survived the pandemic.