PAC Student Media

By Stephanie Alonso Pulse staff writer One in 11 students, or 9 percent of the total student population, attends more than one Alamo College. In Fall 2010, 5,312 students of 60,990 total students (8.7 percent) were cross-enrolled, and 5,961 students of 59,282 total students (10 percent) were cross-enrolled in Spring 2011. Velda Villarreal, district director…

By Erica Martinez, Pulse staff writer In fall 2013, the work-study program will no longer be available to students at all Alamo Colleges because of sequestration of the federal budget by the U.S. Congress. Shirley Leija, Palo Alto College associate director of Student Financial Services, said, “Our work-studies are very important to us. I know the departments…

By Gladys Nuñez, Pulse staff writer For the first time in Palo Alto College’s history, the Mexican-American Studies program has established a student organization called Somos MAS (Somos Mexican-American Studies). The organization was established to promote the MAS major and Mexican-American culture. “About 70 percent of our student population at PAC is Mexican-American,” said club co-adviser…

By Lorie Hidalgo, Pulse staff writer “If people would just take five minutes [to talk with me], they would leave with a different mindset,” said Albert Estrada, a sophomore Liberal Arts major. Estrada was born with cerebral palsy, and he uses a wheelchair to get around. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect…

By Veronica De La Torre, Pulse staff  writer      CLEP is a college-level examination program that provides students college credit if they meet the required scores and expectations.  Palo Alto College offers CLEP testing to current and past students. This option allows PAC students skip a 16-week semester if they already know the material for…

By Klarissa Rodriguez, Pulse staff writer With summer right around the corner, many students are beginning to think about finding a job to bring in extra income. It’s important to build a strong resume, prepare yourself for potential interviews and use available campus resources to find the right job. “Career Services [at Palo Alto College] offers…

By Oscar Gonzalez, Pulse staff writer Social media lets fans get closer to their favorite celebrities, brings together distant friends and family and helps topple government regimes. This kind of connectivity requires a new set of manners. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms have become part of a daily routine for billions of…

By Victoria Camarillo, Pulse staff writer Manga, Japanese for comic, and anime, short for Japanese animation, has become a movement here at Palo Alto College with its own anime club, Otaku Alliance. “College is a hectic place already…” said co-founder of the Otaku Alliance, Francisco Martinez. “Otaku Alliance is a place where people can just…

By Jessica Hoyle, Pulse staff writer  Palo Alto College’s Horticulture Club placed 29 out of 63 teams at a national competition held at Auburn University in Alabama this spring. Kirk Williams, Horticulture instructor and 11-year club adviser of the PAC Horticulture Club, said one of his most fulfilling memories is “taking the students to the PLANET…

By James Avalos, Pulse staff writer Palo Alto College is expanding in all aspects. One specific location is a larger, more inviting workout area. The renovations began in mid-2012, and they are scheduled to be complete in late June 2013. Its plans include enlarging the workout area to 5,000 square feet, about six times larger…

By Sandra Rodriguez, Pulse staff writer Thrift stores are a shopping option for all ages, demographics and income levels. “With millions of people looking for ways to save money in tough economic times, a growing number of consumers have turned to resale shops to find their clothes, furniture and household goods,” said Adele Meyer, executive…