Soon-to-be graduate Valerie Matias is one of many students in the Santa Monica College (SMC) class of 2021, whose unusual and challenging online-learning experience will end with a unique event — SMC’s first Diploma Drive-Thru Celebration. “It’s gonna be a drive-thru, but I’m excited because even though [school] was difficult, I’m still here, and I was able to get here,” said Matias, who is graduating with an associate's degree in sociology.

My time at the Corsair has been far from what I originally anticipated. I enrolled in Journalism 16; Producing the Campus Newspaper, simply to check off the final box I needed to get my associates degree in journalism before transferring to California State University, Northridge (CSUN) for the Fall 2020 semester.

The Corsair: Issue 7 (Spring 2021)

Once a week I get a notification on my phone telling me the average amount of screen time I’ve used over the past 7 days. What was once an alert I didn’t put too much thought into, now serves as a reminder of how I spend the majority of my time each day on my phone.

The Corsair: Issue 6 (Spring 2021)

On April 19, all adults in the United States became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is a cause for celebration for many — myself included — after the difficult months the state faced over the winter season. In December, California received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, and began vaccinating essential healthcare workers. At that same time, Los Angeles became the latest epicenter in the country, where it was averaging over 15,000 cases a day during the holidays.

The Corsair: Issue 5 (Spring 2021)

As I write this Letter from the Editor, news has just broken of the verdict for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Chauvin has been found guilty on all three counts — second-degree and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.

The Corsair: Issue 4 (Spring 2021)

On Friday, April 2 results for the 2021 Associated Students (A.S.) were posted onto the A.S. Election page of the Santa Monica College website.

The story of Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), a young Southeast Asian female warrior, who goes on “an epic journey” into the world of Kumandra.

The virtual Candidate Forum will serve as an opportunity for Santa Monica College students to find out more about the candidates running for positions on the A.S. board. The event is moderated by the Corsair’s Editor-in-Chief, Carolyn Burt. While the Corsair has hosted this forum for many years, this marks the first time the forum will take place virtually over zoom.

On January 17, 2017, the first “Women’s March” protest took place in cities all across the world. The protest happened the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, and was organized largely because of Trump’s many “anti-women” remarks.

The Corsair: Issue 3 (Spring 2021)

Letter from the Editor: Issue 2 (Spring 2021)

Confined to the screen, students forge new friendships to restore a sense of normalcy.

The Corsair: Issue 2 (Spring 2021)

Santa Monica College (SMC) has announced that they will be offering both online and in person courses for the Fall 2021 semester. While most the classes will be held online, a “significant number” of in-person classes will be available to students for the Fall 2021 semester which begins August 30.

There is a phrase that has stayed with me since my freshman year of college, “just take it bird by bird.” In a passage by Anne Lamott, she tells the story of how her brother has found himself in a homework crisis, having waited until the last day to finish a report on birds that he had three months to write. Rather than stress his son out further, their father goes up to his child and offers the simple advice, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” It has been a reminder in times of feeling overwhelmed and stressed with everything on my plate, to breathe, and focus on one task at a time.

The Corsair: Issue 1 (Spring 2021)