A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Woodland Hills, California
Volume 136 - Issue 4
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Making a splash and helping while doing it Artistic Swimming Team hosts showcase
BY PAMELA KALIDASAN
Features Editor
T
he USA Artistic Swimming National Team swam with enthusiasm and artistry, showcasing their talent and promoting the event for Ukraine relief. Assistant Coach Anna Voloshyna, who has family living in Ukraine, said it has been hard, but she’s happy that she will be able to give back. “I think about the war [all the time] and on one side, I’m happy that we can do something from here to help Ukrainian people,” Voloshyna said. Voloshyna added that she wanted to try something new for the team’s choreography, where it’s wild and original, and when talking about the team’s current progress she said she’s happy to start this season off right. “I’m happy that we won the World Series,” Voloshyna said. “This is a good first step for us because this is the first competition and we will go to the next competition.” Coach Lara Teixeira said that Pierce College has helped the team prepare for the French
Photo by Michael Moreno The showcase began with a team performance at the Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 20, 2022.
Open, and later on she said that their main goal for the team is to reach the World Championships in Budapest. “We had this idea to do this
send off show to the French Open, which is the world series event that we’re heading off on Wednesday,” Teixeira said. “So our main goal is the World
Championships in Budapest in June.” And when it comes to how the national team was brought to Pierce College, Pool Manager
pandemic, [USA Artistic National Team] wanted to do something right before the Olympics to get some interest in the Olympic games that just happened,” Hefter said. “So they set up this thing with The Try Guys [who] came here and they were with the team, and they learned synchronized swimming.” From there, Hefter said that the team wanted to continue using this facility to practice and will continue to plan on holding shows for them. Interim President Ara Aguiar said that their performance was great. “I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Aguiar said. The president thinks it would be worth considering adding artistic swimming to Pierce athletics. “I mean these are amazing athletic women. I was truly very surprised. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it. So it would be tremendous,” Aguiar said.
Deborah Hefter said that it started out with the Try Guys learning about the sport from pkalidasan.roundupnews@gmail.com Pierce’s pool facility. “Sometime during the
Filling up stomachs and brains
Brahma Pantry hosts pop-ups for students on campus
MARIAH BRITT Reporter
B
eing able to afford groceries and necessities, especially for students, might be a struggle with rising costs in the country. But the Pierce College Brahma Pantry understands this and is willing to help. Student Sarin Esagholian said the program gives students a sense of community on campus. “What drew me to the Brahma Pantry was the overwhelming kindness they gave me,” Esagholian said. “It’s difficult during the pandemic to get groceries, especially with gas prices being so crazy.” A few of the meal items that were offered included tofu noodles and glazed chicken with broccoli and rice. Other items ranged from Ensure protein drinks, protein bars, different types of cereal, an assortment of different types of nuts, Dole fruit cups, canned goods, pastas and even Dorito Chips. Student Alejandro Prisciano said that he found out about the program last week when he was just passing by and was glad the service provides useful items. “I’m going to give the
majority of these items to my friend because they don’t have enough food at home,” Prisciano said. Student Johnny Saoud said the Pantry is a great resource for students who spend a lot of time on campus. “I noticed that they were giving out free snacks, so I signed up and was able to grab some food.” Saoud said. “Money isn’t the best for everyone, so being able to not worry about food is a major thing.” He enjoys taking a lot of the items home to his mom, who is very appreciative of it. “Some people try to convince themselves that others can do everything on their own, but everyone needs a helping hand, at times,” Saoud said. Lead Coordinator D’arcy Corwin said the state of California has granted community colleges the funding to provide students with food. “It’s so awesome to connect with students and to see how helpful this is for them,” Corwin said. “It’s amazing and really a pleasure for our program to see the students enjoying the foods and the snacks.” According to the Pierce website, the mission of the Brahma Pantry and the Basic Needs Program is to connect students to resources for them
Photo by Jasmine Casanova (Left to right) Diana Zavala helps Paola Fuentez pick out snack items from the Brahma Pantry on the Mall at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 16, 2022. The Brahma Pantry offers free food to students to help with their basic needs.
to be successful in school and alleviate any financial pressures they might have. The service accepts shelf
stable donations, including canned foods, snacks or monetary contributions. The Pantry will be available
Funeral held for former football coach [see NEWS on pg. 3]
every Wednesday and Thursday from noon-2 p.m., outside of the Associated Students Organization building. More
information can be found on the school’s website. mbritt.roundupnews@gmail.com
Opinions.............................2 News....................................3 Campus Life.......................4 Features............................5-6 Photo Essay.........................7 Sports..................................8