Welcome back Mustangs! To the new students attending Los Medanos College, know that LMC has your back and strives to make your learning experience a great one. Los Medanos College Associated Students (LMCAS), a student governed organization whose purpose is to support the students of LMC, showcased what they can do by turning a stressful first week of college into a relaxing one with their Welcome Week event.

Starting on Monday, Welcome Week began with the LMCAS meet and greet, where new students attending LMC for the first time can get a sense of who LMCAS are. It was an icebreaker event that not only provided introductions, but also free healthy snacks and school supplies for all students with no strings attached. Not only that, it gives LMCAS a brief overview of the students they will serve and if any are interested in joining them.

“Monday’s meet and greet was an opportunity for [LMCAS] to meet with students and introduce themselves to the campus,” said Teresea Archaga, director of Student Life. “They also use this day as a recruitment and marketing strategy as there are a lot of students on campus the first week of the semester.”

Tuesday was a virtual meetup on Zoom where students can pop in and meet their student leaders if they wanted more information. Also they can participate in some games and win prizes too. After introductions were made, a resource fair was hosted on Wednesday to show what services were available for students, along with clubs and community partners.

One of the clubs that attended the fair is Pride Alliance, which provides information, support and a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community. Representatives Jordan Ramey and Morgan Lynn were present to welcome any students who visited their table and even provided some goodies, such as buttons with preferred pronouns and stickers.

LMCAS President Jeffrey Bui founded this club with his fellow peers with the intent of providing LGBTQIA+ students a community they can feel more at home in.

“As a queer student, I understand the difficulty of finding a space where I can feel comfortable with being myself and finding others who I can relate with,” said Bui.

Incoming President for Pride Alliance Chimera Mohammadi wants everyone to know that they will be holding weekly meetings every Tuesday from 2–3 p.m.. They are excited to see the group grow and are looking forward to creating a bigger on-campus presence and holding more events to support the LGBTQIA+ community.

New and returning students can look forward to not only events held by clubs on campus, but also Student Life held events. Archaga said that more events are being planned ahead of time, with other activities in between. Students who have Instagram can follow the Student Life account where they post all upcoming events at @lmcstudentlife.

LMCAS’ Welcome Week is a preview of what students can look forward to. It’s a great start to a new semester and shows what LMC has to offer. With a student body that’s dedicated to making sure everyone’s campus experience is the best and clubs that can provide a sense of community, students can know that college life isn’t as bad as it seems.