Feature

Peralta’s Director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations to retire

The hiring process for Johnson’s replacement began after the job description for his position was revised at a May 12 meeting of the Board of Trustees, according to both Johnson and Gilkerson. The application will close on June 23.

Leo Premnath-Ray, Staff Writer • June 17, 2026

“I firmly believe that [...] providing our community with a good education is an incredibly noble pursuit,” Johnson said about his role, “So it’s been an incredibly fulfilling job, [...], it is the most interesting job I’ve ever had.”

Laney College printmaking instructor makes lasting impression; student work on display at SFO Museum

Shared Impressions: Printmaking from Laney College is now on display until April 25, 2027.

Nelzy Gonzalez-Zaragoza, Associate Editor • May 2, 2026

“I think people will always come back to these processes,” Echevarria said about the physicality of making art, “people have been painting for hundreds [and] thousands of years with dirt.”

Tea with Tamara: Dwayne Jefferson, custodian at Laney College

The award winning column returns as The Citizen interviews the Navy veteran and current custodian.

Tamara Copes, Staff Writer • April 24, 2026

The award winning column returns as The Citizen delves into the personality of the Navy veteran and current Laney custodian.

Laney College’s garden has a history of collaboration with Oakland’s immigrant communities

The Laney Garden has gone through drastic changes over the last 20 years

Ariunzayat Yunren, Staff Writer • April 21, 2026

The garden at Laney College sits along the estuary, overflowing with edible crops. The garden is also packed with nearly 20 years of unique history and fond memories for its community.

Peralta Colleges Foundation hosts fundraising events for student programming

The nonprofit arm of the Peralta Community College District will host an array of fundraisers to support the Peralta Colleges Foundation, including a golf tournament and a marathon.

Nelzy Gonzalez-Zaragoza, Associate Editor • March 26, 2026

The Peralta Colleges Foundation, established in 1971 as an auxiliary nonprofit of the Peralta Community College District, will host several fundraising events to support students grant and scholarship...

Desmond M · PCCD Alert -- how a team of community college reporters investigated a shooting death on campus

The Citizen receives honorable mention in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge

The publication's entry in NPR's nationwide contest told the story of how Peralta's only student-run newsroom covered the Nov. 13 Laney College shooting. Listen to "PCCD Alert" here.

Desmond Meagley, Multimedia Editor • March 9, 2026

The Peralta Citizen received an honorable mention for the publication's entry in NPR's nationwide College Podcast Challenge on Thursday. "PCCD Alert -- how a team of community college reporters investigated...

The Citizen’s Desmond Meagley celebrated for press freedom and transparency

Meagley, who uses any pronouns, earned the James Madison Freedom of Information Award for hir leadership of the Peralta Community College District’s only student-run newsroom.

Eliot Faine, Editor in Chief • February 27, 2026

The Society of Professional Journalists' Northern California chapter awarded The Citizen’s former Editor in Chief and current Multimedia Editor, Desmond Meagley, with the 2026 James Madison Freedom of...

Puente celebrates Día de los Muertos at Merritt College

For nearly 20 years, the college's Puente program has organized an on-campus celebration of the traditional Mexican holiday.

Ariunzayat Yunren, Staff Writer • November 12, 2025

Each of the Peralta colleges participated in the holiday with colorful altars or community events. At Merritt, the Puente student program hosted a full day of song, traditional Aztec dance, and free food.

Philip Jucaban brings bayanihan into counseling Laney students

For Jucaban, Filipino American History Month – which is celebrated annually in October – offers an opportunity for reflection with a "critical lens."

Dustin Chu, Staff Writer • October 29, 2025

“At first, I didn’t understand the difference between heritage and history,” Jucaban said. “But heritage is what you choose to celebrate. History is everything: the good and the painful. We have to look at it with a critical lens.”

BCC students celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes and community

Though typically associated with Chinese culture, mooncakes are a staple of the seasonal celebration for many East and Southeast Asian countries.

Dustin Chu, Staff Writer • October 28, 2025

From Oct. 6 to 8, students with the Asian Pacific Islander Leadership Empowerment Adversity Diversity (API LEAD) program and the Society of Scholars handed out mooncakes in flavors like pandan, red bean, lotus seed, and pistachio while sharing the meaning behind one of Asia’s oldest harvest festivals. 

‘Laughter is Medicine’, Annual Powwow highlights Native American healthcare

The Native American Health Center has served everyone who walked through their doors in San Francisco and Oakland for over 50 years.

Eliot Faine, Multimedia Editor • October 13, 2025

The sky was nearly cloudless at Merritt College campus on Sept. 27, the Saturday after the 2025 California Native American Day. Warm sun beamed down on the jewelers and dancers and volunteers as they prepared for the fourth annual Native American Health Center (NAHC) Powwow.

Merritt College urban garden class sows “practical skills”

Every Tuesday morning, Tom Branca and his students gather far from Merritt College’s campus in the Oakland hills to the heart of Lake Merritt.

Eliot Faine, Multimedia Editor • October 6, 2025

The class works on a slightly different schedule than the Peralta Community College District’s semester system. According to Branca, students take a break around the December holidays, and resume their work before the semester officially starts in January or beyond when it ends in May.