Mini profiles

It’s been said that some of the hardest workers one will ever find in a production are the ones working behind the scenes. The saying couldn’t be truer of Shant Varozian, who works as an administrative aide in Pierce College’s office of Academic Affairs. Varozian first came to Pierce in 2004 as a student. He was taking general education courses...

Dr. Jose Abara sits in his office on Feb. 28, 2018. Photo by Martin MoranHuddled in a cabin-snug office in the ELM building, Dr. Jose Abara of the Psychology department is surrounded by posters of monumental American figures and pieces of Pierce memorabilia. An alumni of CSUN and the University at Buffalo, the doctor of behavioral neuroscience has learned...

Nabil Mardini worked diligently in his office dressed in his signature heather gray Pierce College volleyball shirt and khaki pants to match. Accompanying his relaxed appearance was a welcoming grin. Mardini is the women’s volleyball coach at Pierce College who has been coaching for the past 15 years. Having had experience in the game in Lebanon, he moved to the...

Dale Fields holds a 3D globe at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., Photo by Natalie Miranda A science professor comes gliding into campus on his bicycle every day, unless it is a rainy day. On this day, he is wearing a white T-shirt with the words, Earth first, before the other planets....

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...

  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...

Photos & Interview by Lynn Levitt The late 1990s was a special time for drummer Taylor Hawkins. He had landed a gig with Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. And soon after, Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana and founder of the Foo Fighters, asked Hawkins if he knew anyone who could fill his recently vacant drummer spot in his new...

Wearing a warm smile framed by primly-styled sandy blonde hair, Norine Fine, 61, waits patiently behind the reception desk for early appointments. Fine is a general counselor in the Transfer Center at Pierce College. Her job is not only to help students find their majors, but also to assist and advise them if they are considering alternative options. “I connect students...

  Wedged between a newsroom and an administrative office, on the Pierce College campus, survives the Media Arts room. Nebulous on the outside and unwelcoming on the inside, a gray cubicle a quarter of the way down stands out from all other surroundings. Professor Tracie Savage, former actress and journalist, is seated on a typical rolling desk chair, wrapped in...

Sarcasm rolls off his tongue as if it’s second nature, followed by a deep chuckle that is met with the sound of laughter and wide-eyed amusement on the faces of 20 seated before him. History is not usually associated with humor, but associate professor of history Brian Walsh knows how to put the two together. Walsh brings a sense of...