Joannah Clemente's Blog • 12/08/2025

Lighting the way home: How a Filipino Christmas lantern keeps the diaspora lit

A star-shaped lantern becomes more than a holiday symbol—a fragile promise that Filipino stories will endure.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Filipino Christmas often begins softly in the Ber Months (from September to December), but it’s not without its parol, a star-shaped lantern hung in a window or a gate, announcing that the holiday season—a rich history—is here.


What seems like a decoration holds the weight of empire, migration and stories that rarely make the archive.


Diane Williams, a Los An...

Joannah Clemente's Blog • 10/16/2025

Pop-Up Newsroom Experience

A hands-on look at student journalism, teamwork and the stories that matter most at California State University, Long Beach.

Our Pop-Up Newsroom, “Chisme Minute,” was more than just a class project — it became a space for CSULB students to share what they think about campus life and concerns about the university. We wanted to make it fun and engaging, so I created a wheel with 20 campus-related questions.



Each spin gave us a new topic to ask about, from campus facilities to student leaders...

Joannah Clemente's Blog • 09/23/2025

CSULB Filipino Language Reductions: Heritage at Risk

A changing curriculum quietly reshapes how Filipino-American students connect with their culture.

Watch my YouTube Short here.


LONG BEACH, Calif. — California State University, Long Beach is cutting back on its Filipino language program, raising concerns about culture, identity and community.



Why CSULB’s Filipino class cuts matter now


According to the University Archives and Library Special Collections, from 2018 to 2024, CSULB offered both FIL 101 and 102. Starting in 2025, only FIL...

Long Beach Current • 05/08/2025

Guardian Scholars Program helps graduates reach finish line

Long Beach State’s Guardians Scholars Program is celebrating 26 graduates this semester, a milestone highlighting support of foster youth in higher education.
The program offers comprehensive services to help students navigate trauma, housing insecurity and academic hurdles. It works with organizations such as Ready to Succeed, Right Way Foundation and Foster Nation to offer career mentoring, internships and financial workshops, according to Associate Director Candi Marsh.
Ebony Tay
Ebony Tay, w...

Long Beach Current • 03/24/2025

Long Beach State faces budget cuts amid CSU funding reductions

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:37 a.m. on Tuesday, March 25 to clarify that no layoffs are expected this fiscal year.
Long Beach State braces for significant budget constraints as the state funding decreases, resulting in hiring freezes and staffing shortages that could impact campus operations during the next fiscal year.
CSULB President Jane Close Conoley has stressed efforts to restore state funding and reaffirmed the university’s educational mission in response to a $28 million...

Long Beach Current • 02/19/2025

Campus Filipino youth collective launch ‘Defend Migrants’ campaign

Anakbayan Long Beach introduced the Tanggol Migrante, or the Defend Migrants Campaign, advocating for Filipino migrant rights through education and community outreach on Feb. 13.
Founded in 2014, Anakbayan Long Beach is a Filipino youth organization focused on addressing issues in both the U.S. and the Philippines, while advancing the cause of national democracy in both countries.
The organization’s new initiative seeks to build networks connecting migrants with legal aid and resources while rai...

Long Beach Current • 12/07/2024

Justice is rarely polite, and we shouldn’t expect it to be

Long Beach State’s new Beach Pluralism Project champions civility in dialogue, but its focus on politeness risks diluting the urgency of justice for the sake of comfort. 
The project seeks to enrich student discourse on race, religion and politics, and envisions a campus culture that is driven by empathy and diversity.
Funded by President Jane Close Conoley and supported by Provost Karyn Scissum-Gunn and College of Liberal Arts Dean Deborah Thien, the project includes the Conoley Fellows Program...

Long Beach Current • 10/03/2024

Are ASI student fees truly serving all at CSU Long Beach?

As tuition and living costs rise, many students are questioning whether Associated Student Inc. truly serves their needs or benefits a select few.
The 2024-2025 consolidated operating budget, totaling $29.5 million, is funded by 80% mandatory student fees and 20% commercial revenue.
Despite the significance of this budget, concerns regarding ASI’s transparency, its dependency on student fees and whether it truly represents the broader student population persist.
Transparency: More symbolic than...

Long Beach Current • 09/04/2024

Debt’s dilemma: Student loans and its effects on mental health

Student debt is not just a financial burden—it is the invisible hand stifling the dreams of millions, fueling anxiety and despair before life even begins.
This crisis is not abstract; it is a ticking time bomb threatening the mental health of an entire generation and hitting too close to home.
According to the Education Data Initiative, federal student debt totals $1.7 trillion, impacting 42.8 million borrowers and exposing the harsh reality of those striving for better opportunities.
Policymake...

Viewpoints • 05/09/2024

Humphrey fellowship program hosts conference discussion at Riverside City College

By Joannah Clemente


Humphrey Fellows embarked on cross-cultural exchange to address global challenges with students at Riverside City College’s Hall of Fame room in the Bradshaw building on May 1.


Sponsored by the Riverside Community College District Global Learning and Study Abroad Committee, three scholars from this year’s Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program cohort participated in an on-campus educational panel discussion.


Wendy Umave, a scholar from Papua New Guinea, reflected on t...

Viewpoints • 04/24/2024

Former Riverside City College journalism professor honored with emeritus status

Allan Lovelace, a former Riverside City College journalism instructor, receives the emeritus award at the Riverside Community College District’s Board of Trustees meeting on April 16, honoring his exemplary contributions, marking four years post-retirement. Photo by Joannah Clemente


By Joannah Clemente


Riverside Community College District conferred Allan Lovelace with emeritus status for his unwavering dedication to the Riverside City College Journalism Department at the District Offices o...

Viewpoints • 03/25/2024

RCC Promise Program helps students combat financial barriers

By Joannah Clemente


Riverside City College’s Promise Program persists in championing academic excellence by ensuring affordability and dismantling financial roadblocks for students.


The Promise Program offers cost-free education for the first two years, catering to certificates, associate degrees and university transfer students.


STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and nursing degrees are waived for three years due to their strict academic requirements.


“Our goal...

Viewpoints • 11/26/2023

OPINION: Birth control, contraceptives are stigmatized

Unequal distribution of contraceptive responsibility unfairly burdens one gender.


Birth control, historically, has been associated only with women and it’s long overdue for this deeply ingrained stereotype to change.


We must break free from this antiquated perspective and acknowledge that family planning is a shared responsibility.


According to the National Institutes of Health, there is a notable contraceptive method disparity with women having 12 options, whereas men are typically lim...

Viewpoints • 10/27/2023

Local talent dazzles public at Riverside Arts & Music Festival

In the heart of Riverside’s White Park, local artists and residents celebrate the city’s rich cultural artistry at the Riverside Art and Music Festival on Oct.7.


The Riverside Arts Council and Riverside Downtown collaborate to present regional talents, disseminating arts and culture in the Inland Empire.


Fernando Blanco, the Creative Director of the Riverside Arts Council, underscores the goal of this year’s festival.


“It’s really about expressing yourself,” Blanco said. “We try to show...

Viewpoints • 10/23/2023

Barktoberfest blends brews and barks to benefit local pet-owners

Craft brew lovers and their four-legged friends gather at Riverside’s White Park on Oct. 14 for Barktoberfest, benefiting the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center.


In partnership with Riverside County Department of Animal Services, this charitable cause paws-itively provides much-needed assistance to animals in the community.


Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center’s Executive Director, Carrie Ridgway, emphasized the event’s mission and purpose. 


“We are much more than an animal shelter,” Ri...

Viewpoints • 10/16/2023

Riverside City College celebrates Hispanic Heritage

Riverside City College welcomed guest speaker Lieutenant Colonel Consuelo Castillo-Kickbusch in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.


Kickbusch, a 20-year United States Army veteran, motivational speaker and author shared her mission to advocate mutuality within the RCC community’s next generation.


“I’m a child of immigrants,” Kickbusch said. “I went through the so-called label ‘poverty-at-risk.’ I’m not a label, I am the American dream.” 


She highlighted the road to genuine success, stress...

Viewpoints • 10/04/2023

Moreno Valley College offers weekly art-therapy sessions as an outlet for students

Amidst campus life, Moreno Valley College provides weekly art therapy sessions to improve students’ wellness and growth, one brushstroke at a time.


“Art It Out Monday” takes place from 11 a.m. to noon, unveiling a soothing and creative refuge beneath the “Wellness Tree” in the Lion’s Den area.


With art supplies and refreshments at hand, it’s where students find a safe and uplifting environment.


Students grappling with mental health challenges discover relief in these weekly sessions as...

Viewpoints • 09/19/2023

OPINION: Barbie pushes viewers toward self-discovery

We are not just Barbie dolls in our own pink worlds. We have the power to redefine womanhood in a society full of standards and expectations that often limit us from becoming who we truly are.


Director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” received criticism for its storyline which focuses on social standards, materialism and character development.


However, it’s not really about norms, particularly the patriarchy, but rather a subliminal reminder that everyone possesses a unique purpose in life.


 We...

Viewpoints • 09/19/2023

PRIDE abounds IE celebration

Riverside’s Inland Empire Pride event turned the Riverside Convention Center into a lively epicenter celebrating the LGBTQ+ community’s power of self-expression on Sept. 10.


At the heart of this year’s pride fest, “Pride Equals Power” served as a rallying cry that focused on the queer community’s fierceness, resilience and the unbreakable bonds cultivated in pursuing equal rights.


“We as a community, when we come together, we’re stronger together,” volunteer Leo Serrano said. “We are progr...