#collegian wired

[neurospicyjournalist]

photo by Erika Ramirez: Carolina Rivera Escamilla (left) and Professor Genevieve Patthey (right) sit side by side to discuss Escamilla's book "Coming of Age in America" at the Student Union on Nov. 19, 2025.

Carolina Rivera Escamilla Tells Stories of Resilience

published: October 19, 2025

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Salvadoran writer and cultural activist Carolina Rivera Escamilla joined the L.A. City College Book Program for a Q&A at the Student Union on Nov: 19, to discuss her book "Coming of Age in Central America." Rivera Escamilla spoke about her journey in Canada and Los Angeles after being exiled from her home country. Fifty copies of Escamilla's book were given out for free to LACC students who attended the event.

Rivera Escamilla is a writer, poet, educator, actress, cultural activist and documentarian who also organizes community literary events. She spoke about her book,

"Coming of Age in Central America, which is a selection of short stories from "..after..." a previous book.

Although these stories are fiction, they touch on the harsh realities of turbulent times. The stories confront the poverty, civil war, repression, loss of human rights, death and loss in 1980s El Salvador. "The civil war broke out in the 80s and when I talk about movements, 1 am talking about where students, workers, unions or all kind of union movements, it was about better pay, better education, and better human rights," Escamilla says.

She was forced into exile after completing her secondary education. Initially she was welcomed in Canada and eventually joined her family in Los Angeles. Her stories of economic struggles and war expose hardship.

"As a writer, I explore through my work ways to enrich themes of memory that touch on economic struggle, exile, immigration, violence, and war," Es-camilla says, "because these are themes that have accompanied [me] since I was a child." She attended University of California, Los Angeles to complete her Bachelor of Arts in English literature with creative writing and Spanish literature. Through her writing, she delves into themes of trauma, resilience, coming of age and bringing Latin America to life for both Spanish and English-speaking readers. She wanted people to read these stories and experience culture through her lens.

Before the book event concluded, students lined up to prepare for a Q&A with the author. She answered questions about her life and her books and gave advice to future writers and to Latino students.

"You should never stop telling your story. Tell your story however you want whether it's through theater, dancing, film, even in your phone where you have a lot of advantages," Escamilla says, "take this phone, and tell your stories. My advice is, go ahead and do it.

Don't wait for anybody to tell you what to do."

Carolina Rivera Escamilla's books are available to purchase through her website carolinariveraescamil-la.com, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

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Caminito Theater Presents ‘The Intruder’

For theatergoers who crave something haunting, beautiful, and disturbingly human—the first production of the Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy this semester could be the perfect way to enter the “season of shadows.”

“The Intruder” at the Caminito Theater directed by Paul Coates, begins Oct. 22.

The production runs through Oct. 25, with evening performances at 7 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee on closing day. Admission is free.

Source: Raluca Topor, Staff Reporter, The Collegian Wired, LACC 2025

Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck wrote the play in 1891, and the original performers were marionettes. Director Paul Coates, an LACC alumnus, adapted the work for live actors, reshaping it for a modern audience.

“The original play had puppets, masks, distance,” Coates said. “I wanted breath. I wanted the fear to live in the room.”

The story follows a family awaiting news about a mother who has just given birth. A blind grandmother senses that someone—or something—is approaching the home. Coates said he gave names and backstories to characters that were originally unnamed.

“It’s about the unseen,” he said. “Something foreign is coming, and it’s not good. The play was written 130 years ago, but it still connects to the fears people have today.”

Film producer and teacher Christina Hart plays the grandmother. She says she joined the project because of her longstanding collaboration with Coates.

“She knows everything that’s going on,” Hart said of her character. “They ignore her, but she’s right. Each rehearsal, I discover more about what she knows.”

Hart says she values the opportunity to work with LACC students.

“The technical team here is strong,” she said. “The lighting, the set, the sound—they all contribute to the story.”

Sound design plays a central role in the production. Sound designer Lou Hartman says the audio landscape reflects the family’s tension and uncertainty.

“Sound is the family’s nervous system,” Hartman said. “When the baby is born, you don’t hear it cry until the end. Every creak and silence tells you something’s wrong.”

First-year acting student Lily Sutera plays both the midwife and the young grandmother. She says the play’s timing makes it a fit for October audiences.

“It’s mysterious and full of questions,” Sutera said. “It’s like peering into someone’s life through a window.”

Coates says the production explores how people react to uncertainty.

“We all wake up wondering what might happen next,” he said. “This play looks at that feeling—the unknown that hangs over us.”

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Aid Arrives Too Late for New Students

EDITORIAL

Returning students and freshmen face a critical window when rent, food and enrollment hang in the balance — but most aid programs kick in only after that window closes.

A 40-something, I walked onto the Los Angeles City College campus this fall with equal parts hope and anxiety. Acceptance into the Herb Alpert Music Program felt like winning a lottery I’d forgotten I’d entered — a chance to finally pursue music and storytelling after two decades of living life according to other people’s schedules, other people’s emergencies, other people’s lives.

I left my job as a flight attendant. Found a studio apartment three miles away from campus. Enrolled in journalism classes alongside my music coursework. I was ready to work harder than I had in years to build the life of my dreams.

What I was not ready for was discovering that LACC’s support infrastructure operates on a timeline that doesn’t match student need.

The First-Semester Blind Spot

Here’s the brutal arithmetic of returning to college: 16 units, five classes, daily instrument practice and reading loads that stretch past midnight leave approximately zero hours for a traditional job. Yet rent comes due every first of the month. Expenses do not wait until after your first semester GPA has posted.

I tried to get ahead of it. In August, I came to campus early to map out financial aid options, emergency grants, work-study programs — anything that might bridge the gap between student loans and actual survival costs.

Most offices were closed. Programs hadn’t started yet. Come back in September, I was told.

September brought construction detours, classroom confusion, and a tidal wave of syllabi. It also brought the realization that I was navigating a labyrinth without a map.

My FAFSA grant disbursement was denied due to an international bachelor’s degree from two decades ago that apparently disqualifies me, a government policy that punishes exactly the kind of returning students that colleges claim to want. Success and City Cares programs exist, but with GPA requirements that exclude first-semester students, or operating hours that don’t align with class schedules, or simply inadequate publicity that leaves most students unaware of the programs.

Structural Barrier

The problem isn’t a lack of resources — it’s a lack of coordination and transparency about those resources.

I found the information on the LACC Foundation website about scholarship timelines and eligibility requirements to be insufficient. Staff members at different offices gave contradictory information about the same programs. No centralized database exists to show first-year students all of the types of aid they might qualify for and when each application opens.

This is not about individuals failing to help students. The counselors, professors, and administrators I’ve encountered work with genuine dedication and limited resources. Many go beyond their job descriptions to help students navigate the system.

But good intentions can’t compensate for structural design flaws.

When the students who most need emergency aid — those in their first semester, before they’ve established GPAs or campus connections — are systematically excluded from accessing it, that is not just bureaucracy. That is a policy choice.

The Cost of Timing Failures

Financial precarity doesn’t wait for spring semester. Students are making impossible calculations right now: Drop to part-time status and lose full-time aid eligibility? Skip meals to cover textbooks? Move farther from campus where rent is cheaper but transportation costs multiply?

Some don’t make it to the moment when aid finally arrives. They drop out during or after that first brutal semester, before they can access the scholarships and programs that become available to continuing students.

We lose their potential, their perspectives and their contributions to campus culture and classroom discussions. We lose exactly what colleges exist to cultivate.

What Structural Change Looks Like

The fixes are not complicated.

Create a centralized digital portal listing every scholarship, grant, emergency aid program, and work-study opportunity available to LACC students, with clear eligibility requirements and application timelines. Update it monthly. Make it the first link sent to admitted students.

Front-load emergency aid access. First-semester students may face the highest financial vulnerability and have the least institutional knowledge. Priority access to emergency grants should reflect that reality, instead of only rewarding students who’ve been attending long enough to build GPAs and connections.

Coordinate communication across departments. Financial aid, student services, the Foundation office, and academic departments should operate from shared information about deadlines and eligibility. Students shouldn’t receive different answers depending on which office they visit.

Extend pre-semester support. Open key offices and programs in August, before the semester begins, when returning students are trying to plan their finances and schedules.

Support That Arrives in Time

I’m still here. I’m still practicing scales at midnight, still submitting journalism assignments, still believing this was the right choice despite the financial stress that wakes me at 3 a.m. some nights.

But I’m lucky — I have a reliable vehicle I can use to deliver packages and give rides to passengers, a support network, and enough privilege to absorb mistakes and confusion. Many of my classmates don’t have those buffers.

LACC has remarkable programs and people committed to student success. Those resources only fulfill their purpose if students can access them during the window when access matters most.

Right now, that window closes before most first-semester students even know they should be looking for it.

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New cafeteria to open Feb. 9, 2026, with app ordering, lockers and daily meal deal 

The heartbeat of campus life at Los Angeles City College is about to return to the Student Union. 

After years without a functioning cafeteria, LACC will open its newly renovated dining space for business on Feb. 9, according to Dr. Olga Diaz, Vice President of Student Services at Los Angeles City College. 

“I have been here for a year, and the cafeteria function has not existed since my arrival,” Dr. Diaz said in a Zoom interview. “What is currently in the Student Union, when you walk in, is a wall with the college logo on it. That wall is going to go away when the construction is complete.” 

Students who peek through the windows have already seen signs of progress. 

“If you look inside, you can see it has taken shape,” Dr. Diaz said. “You can see the floor; the media content being installed. The cafeteria kitchen is ready. The color scheme looks like it is almost done, and it is.” 

Before opening day, crews will install tables and furnishings. After that, Pacific Dining, the district wide food vendor that already operates LACC’s food trucks, will move in, staff the kitchen and test equipment. 

One of the biggest upgrades will be the way students pick up food. The cafeteria will introduce a locker-based pickup system connected to a new ordering app. 

“There will be an app where you can place your meal order,” Dr. Diaz said. “Your meal will be put into a locker if that is what you choose. Then you can come by and grab it. Think of it like Amazon Locker but for food.” 

Alongside grab and go options, full meals will be available. While the final menu is still under development, Dr. Diaz said students can expect a range of offerings. 

“You will have vegetarian options, salads, cheese pizza,” she said. “For kosher, halal or allergy free options, I will make sure Vice President Carter is aware, so the vendor is mindful of those needs.” 

Pricing is also being negotiated. Shannon Carter, Vice President of Administrative Services, is working with Pacific Dining to create a daily City meal deal which will offer a complete meal at a consistent student friendly price. 

“There will always be something affordable,” Dr. Diaz said. “A complete meal, not just fries.” 

Students will be able to pay with cash, debit or credit cards, and the cafeteria will be open to everyone on campus including faculty, staff and community members. 

For students who rely on aid to eat, the college is developing ways to connect programs like EOPS food vouchers directly to the new cafeteria. 

“That is our goal,” Dr. Diaz said. “Vouchers should be available. The process might look different, but we want students to have access to food through financial aid, EOPS or any of our support programs.” 

One possibility is using the black magnetic strip on the back of student ID cards to create a declining balance system similar to a debit card. The system has not yet been built. 

Food trucks will remain on campus, but their placement may shift. 

“The food trucks were a replacement for the old cafeteria,” Dr. Diaz said. “They have proven they are welcomed here. We may not have as many, but we can move them around based on where students need access, such as near SciTech or the library.” 

A small pizza kiosk outside the Cinema building will also continue operating. 

Hours of operation are still being finalized. Dr. Diaz said the administration is considering when campus is busiest, including Saturdays, and will release more details as the opening date approaches. 

Dr. Diaz also shared conceptual drawings of the cafeteria layout, color scheme and student lockers, noting that these guided much of the planning process. 

With opening day now set, the once empty space inside the Student Union is becoming something more than a construction site. It is becoming a promise, a place to gather, eat, rest, and reconnect at the center of LACC’s daily rhythm. 

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Herb Alpert Hall Hosts Free Concerts in December

The Herb Alpert Department will present a series of free public concerts at the Alpert Recital Hall.

Months of preparation by student performers across jazz, classical, world and contemporary music will conclude the Fall semester in December.

Photo: Raluca Topor, Student Staff, The Collegian Wired, LACC 2025

The Herb Alpert Music Department will present a series of free public concerts at the Alpert Recital Hall. Months of preparation by student performers across jazz, classical, world and contemporary music will conclude the Fall semester in December.

Below is the schedule of upcoming concerts by student ensembles. All events will take place in the Alpert Recital Hall on the second floor of the music building. There is no admission fee, and all concerts are open to the public.

The fall series began on Oct. 30, with the annual Faculty and Staff Concert. The remaining events feature student ensembles led by LACC faculty across multiple disciplines.

Jazz Combos, directed by professor Euro Zambrano — Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 1–3 p.m.

Classical Chamber Ensembles, directed by Dr. Christine Park and West African Drumming, directed by professor Trevor Anderies — Thursday, Dec. 4, from 1–3 p.m. and 6–8 p.m.

Jazz Band, directed by professor Trevor Anderies — Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6–8 p.m.

World Music: Brazilian Batucada directed by professor Kassandra Kocoschis, Balinese Gamelan directed by professor Caroline Reyes, Mariachi directed by professor Euro Zambrano — Monday, Dec. 8, from 3–5 p.m.

World Music Salsa Band, directed by professor Kassandra Kocoschis and professor Euro Zambrano — Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 6–8 p.m.

Pop Music Workshop, directed by Trevor Anderies — Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 1–3 p.m.

LACC Choir, directed by Dr. Irene Kim with Neil Windt on piano — Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6–8 p.m.

For directions to the Alpert Recital Hall and current campus access information, visit lacc.edu/about/map.

For updates on event schedules, visit the department’s website at lacc.edu/academics/pathways/pae/music-dept/calendar.

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Class Reunion Profile: Brett B.

Brett sits with the quiet steadiness of someone who has lived more than one life already. In our journalism classroom at Los Angeles City College, he speaks with a measured confidence, shaped by years in the Army and sharpened by a lifelong fascination with history, music and the strange corners of subculture that most people overlook. 

This is Brett’s first semester at LACC. He arrived here the way many of us did through detours, closed doors and the realization that California universities rarely make room for students who didn’t follow a traditional path. “Some of my credits didn’t transfer,” he said. “City college was the best place for me to start from scratch.” He chose LACC partly for opportunity, partly for place. “I like the location. I can start my day in Hollywood and get almost anywhere in L.A. within an hour.” 

Brett’s major is history, with a focus on the Cold War era of American politics and society. But his academic curiosity stretches beyond textbooks. He studies film history, niche corners of punk and experimental music, and underground movements that rarely appear in official archives. His goal is to write deeply, consistently, and professionally. “There’s so much obscure culture that it doesn’t get recorded. I want to preserve those weird, interesting things through a historical and journalistic lens.” 

Journalism, for him, is not just a class. It’s a bridge. 

Brett grew up navigating the world differently. As someone on the autism spectrum, social interaction has not always come naturally. “I don’t always grasp every nuance of people,” he said. “History, communication and journalism classes help me understand how to talk to people better.” His Army years added another layer of growth, discipline under pressure, adaptability, and courage. “My jobs haven’t made me fearless, but they’ve made me very courageous,” he said. “I’ve learned to act in spite of fear.” 

From fast food counters to military bases to Amazon routes, Brett’s work history is a patchwork of demanding environments. He credits those experiences with building the resilience he carries into college life. “Despite all that pressure, I’m still shining,” he said. 

In class, Brett is direct, opinionated, and always curious. He writes about live music, alternative scenes, and cultural spaces that refuse to fit neat categories. He hopes to turn those interests into a future in music journalism. “It makes you a more well-rounded writer,” he said. “Some of my favorite writers, like Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway, were journalists first.” 

When asked what he would tell other students who struggle to stay engaged with topics that don’t immediately inspire them, his advice came without hesitation: “Find the one thing that draws you in. Put all your energy into that. You’ll surprise yourself with what you can do.” 

As we wrapped up our interview, I told him how much I appreciate the diversity of voices in our class, his included. Brett shrugged with a small smile, as if he was still learning to take the compliment. But that’s part of his story too. 

He’s a historian in training, a writer in the making, a soldier turned student. And like many of us returning to school later in life, Brett is building a new identity, one class, one article, one conversation at a time. 

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Life Lessons from Music School

When I enrolled in music school, I thought I was there to learn notes, chords and theory. I did not realize I was stepping into a kind of monastery of sound, a place where the metronome teaches patience and the piano mirrors the mind.

Every day, I sit before 88 keys that do not lie. They reveal whether I practiced, listened or rushed. There is no shortcut to mastery: only repetition, reflection and surrender. I used to think discipline meant rigidity. Now I understand it as devotion. Progress in music doesn’t come from inspiration alone, but from showing up when no one is watching. It is in the quiet hours when scales sound mechanical, when hands ache and when the superego whispers that you are not talented enough. That’s where transformation begins.

Discipline is not a cage, but a path. It’s the bridge between chaos and clarity, between sound and silence. Each scale I practice is a form of meditation. The notes are mantras that train not only my fingers, but also my attention.

In an era obsessed with instant gratification, music school feels like rebellion. You cannot hack muscle memory. You cannot outsource rhythm. Technology can simulate almost everything except presence. And presence, I’ve discovered, is the true curriculum here.

Some days, I fail. My fingers slip, my mind wanders, my rhythm falls apart. But even in those moments, there is a lesson: mastery is not about perfection. It’s about returning again and again to the instrument, to the breath, to yourself.

The more I learn about music, the more I learn about myself. Every scale is a map of patience. Every chord progression reminds me that tension and release are essential to harmony in music and in life.

I used to crave freedom. Now I see that freedom grows from discipline. When the body remembers what the mind forgets, when technique dissolves into intuition, that’s when the real music begins.

[collegianwired]

Photos courtesy of photojournalism students Steve Chavarria, Angelina Aleman and Nancy Hernandez.