Gloria Galloway will be signing copies of her recently published book, “Dead by My Side” at the college store from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 14. Not only does Galloway spend much of her time on campus, but City College is actually mentioned in the book.

Galloway studied business law at City College in 1968. She worked for General Motors, retired early and now works on campus in Mohr Hall as an administrative assistant.

“Dead by My Side” is a murder mystery and a ghost story that takes place in Sacramento.

“There is a body found at Shakespeare Stage in the book,” Galloway says.

According to Galloway, she began creating stories as a little girl, mostly with her dolls.

“I wasn’t killing yet, that came later,” she says.

Galloway started writing out her stories in her teenage years. Inspired by “Nancy Drew” and “Sweet Valley High,” Galloway read these stories starred girls who would solve crimes and end up marrying the star football player.

After writing historical romance for a number of years, Galloway decided to embark on a darker style of writing.

“The romance field was never quite…» Read More

In every email after Christian Keister’s signature, this quote by Mark Twain follows: “Do your duty today and repent tomorrow.”

Keister, who usually goes by Chris or Officer Keister, while on the job, has a gun on his belt and a shiny badge that reads No. 15. Keister is the City College campus police gang officer. He is also a specialized officer in field training and serves as an instructor for weaponless defense and impact weapons.

“The best tools are your judgment, and the ability to communicate with people,” says Keister, 40.

Candace Jaime, City College dispatch officer, explains how Keister is one of the best offi cers when it comes to working with young students. She says that many times Keister will approach gang members coming off at the City College light rail station and just have a simple conversation with them to make sure everything is maintained and safe. Keister is the one many can count on to control a bad situation.

“He actually will get to their level, and talk the way they talk,” Jaime says. “A situation that could have escalated is defused just by the way he talks to them.”

Keister has been a sworn-in officer for five years at City College and says he has grown strong in his ability to work with young students and make an impact. He says he was around…» Read More

On a clear Friday evening you just might find a group of young astronomers at City College, gazing into space to see what they can find. Leading the group would be astronomy professor and coordinator Liam McDaid.

While it is business as usual with McDaid, you’re bound to hear a joke or two about what might be out there, typically, one about aliens or perhaps a reference to a sci-fi television show. He says he likes to think that there is some other life out there, probably not “aliens” as we know them, but who knows?

McDaid says he has always had a passion for astronomy since he was a child growing up in Philadelphia. Despite Philadelphia not being the best place for astronomical endeavors, McDaid pursued. Most people are quite unsure of their future when entering college; however, McDaid says he knew just what he wanted. While his goal was to obtain degree after degree, settling down with a job after a master’s in physics and astronomy seemed logical.

McDaid majored in astronomy at Pennsylvania State University and attended graduate school at New Mexico State University. It was at New Mexico State that he says he was fortunate enough…» Read More

On Dec. 7 1941, Japanese American City College student Fumiko Yabe took to the stage of the City College

Auditorium to sing the “Star Spangled Banner.” It was a quick addendum to the City College orchestra’s annual symphony play list and it was signifi cant- on that day Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States was jettisoned into the second World War.

When 17-year-old Yabe was asked to sing in observation of the bombing in Pearl Harbor on that day, she had no idea where the bombing had taken place or how dramatically the event would affect her life and the future of her education.

“They said Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Of course, I didn’t even know what Pearl Harbor was… That was my awakening on what was happening,” says Yabe, now known as Fumiko Saito, 87.

On Feb. 19, 1942 president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, an act that allowed the U.S. military to create areas of exclusion for immigrants. German and Italian American citizens were the initial targets of the act, but the threat posed by Japan, as well as the increasing anti-Japanese sentiment, led to Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants on the West Coast becoming primary targets of Executive Order 9066.

Saito did not…» Read More

“Bonjour. Ca va?” she asks, while walking into her morning French class at City College.

Some students answer with a simple, “Ca va bien.” Others simply nod and smile.

French professor Erica Piedra walks up to her desk at the front of the room with a water bottle in hand and two large totes with stacks of paper. She looks at her class with her everyday smile and starts her lecture.

As Piedra writes past tense verbs and exercise questions on the board, her students see only their instructor. Few know the story of Piedra herself when she was a student embarking on a journey.

Piedra, 37, not only spent much of her life mastering the French language, but also traveled abroad, she says, experiencing life-changing moments that have influenced the person she is today.

As a 19 year old in 1993, Piedra set out to Belgium to work in a study abroad program, giving her a visa, a host family and a job at a restaurant, she says. Having taken two years of college French, she had knowledge of the language, she says, but it was difficult interacting with customers in the beginning. However in the end everything came…» Read More

Many can say they would save someone’s life when put in the position, but do they really know?

A City College student knows from experience that she would actually do it.

“I knew it was going to hurt,” Laila Umbashi says. “I think it was well worth it.”

Umbashi, 21, gave up her last month of summer vacation 2010 to give bone marrow to her younger brother. An aspiring teacher, Umbashi is among the small percentage of people who have saved someone’s life.

“I went through with it because I wanted to save a life, not just because it was my brother’s life,” Umbashi says. “I would have done it for anyone.”

Umbashi’s 20-year-old brother, Mohamed, was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency in the summer of 2009, but the surgery did not take place until July 12, 2010, at San Francisco Benioff Medical Center. Umbashi says she was not afraid for herself, but her brother.

“I didn’t want my brother to go through all of it and for it not to work,” Umbashi says.

Donating bone marrow took seven to eight hours, Umbashi says. Her brother, on the other hand, received treatment for six months.

“When the bone marrow was taken I was asleep, but I remember waking up and feeling like someone had taken a sledge hammer to my back and I was in so…» Read More

It is 7:30 a.m. You walk into your class on the first day of the semester. You’re ready to learn. The professor walks in, blurts out the entire roll call in the most boring, unenthusiastic voice and announces an insane work load.

It’s going to be a long semester. The next day, however, is Saturday and though you’re not thrilled to be at school on the weekend, you are met with a pleasant surprise: geography professor Richard Raymond Neil.

Neil teaches a physical geography class at City College on Saturdays. He says his teaching method differs from others because he doesn’t just teach his subject, but makes the textbook come to life.

“I’m bringing the world to the classroom,” says Neil, who moved from Los Angeles to Australia at age 5 and lived there for 12 years. “When you share a planet with other people that don’t look like you, don’t think like you, and don’t talk like you, it’s even more important to know what’s out there. That’s part of what I try to bring to the classroom.”

Neil says teaching geography isn’t just about science, but about environment and culture. Along with geographical pictures and videos, he uses…» Read More

“Big Mike!” “Big Mike!” students in the RISE center keep yelling out. If this is your first time stepping into the RISE program at City College, your introduction to one of its more prominent figures is immediate.

Big Mike, whose real name is Michael W. Benjamin II, has been assisting students for three-and-one-half years as a student personnel assistant in the RISE program, whose acronym stands for Respect, Integrity, Self-determination and Education and whose services are open to all, but emphasizes helping first-generation college students and minorities.

Benjamin, 37, spends most of his hours helping others with homework and studying, but most significantly, he is a friend to many of the same students he is tutoring and mentoring. True to his ways, Benjamin is pursuing a degree in counseling so he can do what he loves: “continue to serve the people and help students achieve their goals.”

Standing an impressive 6-feet, 2-inches, Benjamin’s presence is hard to ignore.

Although, his frame might be reason to spot him in a crowd, his personality makes him hard to forget.

“You couldn’t ask for a better person; just overall a good guy that is always looking to help out in any possible way,…» Read More

City College Panthers are stretched out on the baseball field, and like a sergeant watching his troops prepare for battle while other coaches stand by for assistance, Head Coach Andy McKay stands confidently off to the side.

“I came here to play and really enjoyed my experiences. [I] kind of wanted to be part of it all,” says McKay, who played for baseball for City College in 1991. McKay says this influenced him to come back and coach.

This is McKay’s thirteenth year and eighteenth season as a Panther’s coach. Before joining the City College staff, McKay played and coached for the University of Tampa. He then played two seasons with City College in which the Panthers took home two league championships, two runner-up finishes and complied a record of 101 wins and eight losses. McKay has coached at City College since 1994.

”I’ve been a part of over a thousand games here [at City College] as either a player, assistant coach or head coach,” says McKay. “All of my adult life has been in this [SCC baseball] uniform in one way or another, so [baseball is] obviously really important to me.”

“One of the things that makes him good…» Read More

All it took was a swift swing of a bat, and the ball flew into the unknown as the batter ran toward first base. The dirt on the bottom of her shoes blew every which way like a sandstorm in the desert.

City College social science major Kathy Fong pitches for the college softball team. She not only stands in the middle of the field serving swift pitches to the opposing players, but also is an offense player.

“The best part about being on the field is the opportunity to play and just being with my team,” said Fong.

According to Head Coach Robert Maglione, the team has been doing well this season with a 14-3 winning streak.

“We are in the middle of the tough part of the conference schedule,” Maglione said. “This team in comparison to other softball teams has been doing well.”

Fong had ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery last fall and, as a result, says she’s not being doing as well as she did the previous season. However, that hasn’t stopped her from going out on the field and giving it her all.

Though Fong spends a great deal of her time on the field, she…» Read More