Letter from the Editor

Fall is officially here and there is a continuous heatwave plaguing Southern California. The heat is making paying attention in classes particularly difficult; however, our job here to bring you the news does not cease.

In this week's issue, we honor David Finkel's memory by recounting his legacy at Santa Monica College. The former Board of Trustee member passed July 4 in his home. He gave back to the students of SMC by providing tutoring and mentoring as well as enforcing policies to benefit students.

A presence like Finkel's will undoubtedly be missed and a scholarship has been named in his honor by his family to continue the work that he started.

In student news, SMC Poet Amanda Ortiz has made it to the semi-final round of Eber & Wein Publishing's National Amateur Poetry Competition. Ortiz gives us a glimpse of the thought process of a poet and how she uses what inspires her in her writing.

Upon meeting her, Ortiz comes off as very shy, but when you read her poetry, you get a sense of who she is through her words. She is a very expressive person who cares about people and the environment around her. If she wins the poetry competition, she could win a grand prize of $2000.

Thursday, a group of the Corsair staff and our adviser are taking a trip across town to attend the Online News Association Conference in Century City. Online news publications from across the country will be at the conference to network and business professionals from NBC, the LA and New York Times, Buzzfeed and more will be leading workshops with topics ranging from quirky and fun to very practical.

The opportunity to attend this conference will assuredly be great for all of us as we will be in the same room to network as those who could potentially be giving us jobs in the future.

The workshops will give us the tools that we need to build a better online presence and reach a wider audience as we are in the height of the digital age.