Computer science, let’s talk about IT
Eyes fixed to a monitor, mind in total focus, Alex Chen works attentively tapping away with all 10 fingers on a keyboard.
Chen, an instructional assistant for Information Technology (IA-IT), has worked at Pierce College since 2001. He has about six-to-eight different duties in his current position which he says he enjoys.
Chen has converted old Novell network technology within the...
Bringing culture to the classroom
Many Americans, including Angelita Rovero, have had their identities centered around a generic stereotypical label—one often including a hyphen.
African-American. Asian-American.
The names have become too general to describe someone’s culture.
Rovero, who is both Mexican and Jewish, felt like...
Language Professor Wears Many Hats
His casual faded black T-shirt is well fitted to his lean build. Charcoal silver hair falls down to his shoulders shaping his tan face with so few lines. He is a modest looking man, down-to-earth and approachable and while interacting with students or co-workers he is attentive and knowledgeable. It is clear that Fernando Oleas’ passion lies in teaching...
From the Tower of Babel
Professor Christine Ersig-Marcus has been teaching for 20 years, first in Switzerland, then in the United States. Ersig-Marcus was born in Switzerland and learned how to speak Swiss-German from birth.
“I make a point of that because Swiss-German can only really be understood by Swiss-German speakers,” Ersig-Marcus said. “For a Swiss person this is a very strong identity marker because...
Mini Profile: Ken Windrum
Ken Windrum. Photo by Tyler Hale.
His love for cinema started when his father took him to see a double feature of Lawrence of Arabia and Marooned at an early age. Most children would be restless watching the former movie—clocking in at over three hours and forty minutes—but Ken Windrum remembers being mesmerized...
A Nurses Life for Me
The maze of doors, desks and filing cabinets filled to the brim with paperwork that make up the Student Health Center, creates a cramped environment for the average person to wade through.
However, Director of the Student Health Center Beth Benne, who stands above the clutter, finds the space easy to navigate to her office. Once at her desk, she...
Communications professor helps students overcome fears
Being 10,000 feet in the air, to the sight of a hairy, eight legged tarantula to speaking in front of a crowd of people, these ideas define some of peoples greatest fears.
Helping students overcome the fear of public speaking, Communications Professor Bill Buchynski, has worked on LACCD campuses for 12 years, teaching for 20.
Wearing a plaid shirt, khaki pants...
From the punk show to the classroom
Pierce College English Professor standing in his office in Woodland Hills Calif., holding some memorabilia from his time as lead singer and guitarist for punk band Still Life. Photo by Cameron Kern
Blue dyed hair, skin-tight jeans, ear piercings, skull tattoos and fast-paced strumming of guitar strings- these are just some...
Witchcraft adapts to modern times
Witchcraft. It has been around for centuries, yet it?s still one of the least understood fringe cultures.
Shrouded by myth and mystery, witchcraft has been subject of speculation since the lifestyle was first created.
The truth is modern day witchcraft is a lot more practical than one might think.
To dive deeper into the differences between witchcraft and works of fiction, Pierce...
Mini Profile: Michael Sande
Michael Sande. Photo by Icy Smith.
Since starting at Pierce college 21 years ago, Theater Department Managing Director Michael Sande has guided more than 100 productions.
"I also find that often the most fulfilling to work on when you see they have sort of sparked in interest in...