Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College on Oct. 24 launched a combination food pantry and resource room – dubbed the RioSource Room – to combat student food insecurity that a survey shows challenge a staggering 47 percent of the College’s students. The pantry culminates efforts by the College’s Food Access Task Force and the Associated Students of Rio Hondo College to combat food insecurity on campus for the last two years. Those efforts include a fall 2016 survey, snacks made available students on their way to classes, Food Break stations during finals week and free groceries at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. The launch included a town hall highlighting the impact of food insecurity, defined as a lack of access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
Follow-up Story: Rio Hondo College has received the third annual Diversity Champion Award from California LAW for excellence in building its Pathway to Law School program, which guides students in pursuing dreams of becoming lawyers and judges. The award, announced Oct. 23, will be awarded Feb. 24, 2018 at the Pathway to Law Summit at the University of San Francisco. California LAW coordinates the pathway program at 28 community colleges and six California law schools. Rio Hondo College’s program features seven classes, activities and internships to expand understanding of the skills and education students will need for law school.
Follow-up Story: Seven graduates of the Rio Hondo Fire Academy have been hired by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), a historically high number that College leaders say testifies to the strength of Rio Hondo College’s training program. The graduates, who attended Rio Hondo College as part of different academy classes, were all part of a single LAFD new employee training class of 45 that graduated on Sept. 14. Hiring by urban fire agencies is a highly involved process that requires a series of applications, written exams, physical ability tests and interviews before candidates qualify for placement on a hiring list. Hundreds of applicants contend for each spot. LAFD’s intensive four-month training classes represent the best of the best who survive the process.
Rio Hondo College will launch a multi-faceted program to combat student food insecurity on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The program will begin with a town hall on food insecurity at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Union and conclude with a 1:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting for the RioSource Room, a combination pantry and one-stop shop for resources in Building A at the College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. Forty-seven percent of Rio Hondo College students lack access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, according to a Rio Hondo College survey.
Rio Hondo College is inviting members of the campus community to add personal touches to a Día de Los Muertos altar created by Los Angeles artist and storyteller Ofelia Esparza. Esparza, a master altar builder, spoke to more than 175 campus and community members about the cultural significance of the Latin American celebration of the dead. She then led a workshop on constructing altars, assembling a vibrant display filled with gold and purple paper flowers in the lobby of Rio Hondo College’s Wray Theater. Día de los Muertos, celebrated Nov. 2, represents a mesh of Aztec cultural traditions and Catholicism. Students, staff, faculty and administrators can add artifacts, mementos, photographs, objects, flowers, saints and candles.
Rio Hondo College’s Pathway to Law School program will hold its first-ever mentorship mixer from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the Rio Hondo College Art Gallery to connect students with 17 area judges and attorneys. The mentorship effort is offered through a partnership with legal education nonprofit Ferias Legales. It runs for one year and includes two job shadowing days as well as casual gatherings while students explore different legal fields. The Pathway to Law program assists underrepresented, first-generation students who are interested in pursuing legal careers. Rio Hondo College is one of 28 California community colleges in the program. The gallery is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. For information, email lawschool@riohondo.edu or call (562) 463-7008.
Rio Hondo College’s Art Gallery has extended an exhibit chronicling artist Crystal Maes’ battle with cancer through Friday, Oct. 27 in recognition of its impact on the campus community. Maes, a graphic artist for the College’s marketing and communications team, created the exhibit after her 2013 diagnosis with breast cancer. In 10 still-life paintings, she chronicles her journey from diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiation treatment through to recovery. The exhibit aligns with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The exhibit is titled DETOUR: Ten Paintings Descriptive of a Battle with Cancer. The gallery is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
Rio Hondo College will host a Latinx Heritage Event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3 featuring a showcase of producer Moctesuma Esparza’s 2006 HBO film, “Walkout,” which recounts the 1968 East L.A. student walkouts. Esparza, who was part of the walkout as a student, also produced “Selena,” “The Milagro Beanfield War” and “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” A Q&A with Esparza follows the screening. The event will be held in the Wray Theater, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
Rio Hondo College’s Division of Arts and Cultural Programs will host a celebration of Mexican music and dance with nonprofit Nuestras Raices from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 in the Wray Theater, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The group includes more than 250 dancers and musicians. Founder Argelia Andrade will give a talk after the performance.
Rio Hondo College’s Division of Arts and Cultural Programs will host musical and dance educational nonprofit Nuestras Raices from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 in a celebration of Mexican music and dance featuring musical guests Hermanos Herrera with three vibrant musical traditions: Jarocho, Son Huasteco and Norteño. Nuestras Raices provides accessible music classes, mentoring and other opportunities. It includes eight instructors and more than 250 dancers and musicians who perform clad in colorful costumes and using authentic instrumentation. Nuestras Raices founder, Dr. Argelia Andrade, will give a talk following the performance. Both events are in the College’s Wray Theater, Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
