Category: Pasadena

For many foster youth, emancipation signifies freedom from years of displacement, confusion, confinement and often trauma. This freedom is short-lived, however, when emancipated foster youth face the reality that with it comes the loss of any structure or support, however scant, on which they previously relied. While some assistance is available after emancipation, after the age of 18, resources become few and far between as former foster youth “age out” of the system. By 24, emancipated fosters are more or less on their own, tossed out by a system that has taught them little about surviving, let alone succeeding, in the real world. Continue reading “After Foster Care, Youths’ Journey Starts Here”

Students at Harambee Preparatory School have spent much of the past couple of weeks staring into space. Their teachers aren’t concerned, however — it’s not the result of boredom, daydreaming or even post-lunch food coma, but rather the donation of a new device that allows them an astronaut’s view from the International Space Station. Continue reading “Harambee’s New Gadget Sends Imaginations Into Orbit”

It’s often said that the road to success starts in the classroom, but depending on what classroom you’re in, those roads aren’t often paved equally. This is certainly true for STEM/STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) curricula, which has become a priority in education as students prepare for college and careers in the rapidly growing and increasingly competitive field of technology. But while some school programs flourish, others lack the funding and resources to keep up, passing a disparity of training and opportunities on to their students. Continue reading “Decoding Tech Opportunities for Local Students”

With the force of El Niño storms already descending on the southland, drivers who’ve grown accustomed to the bone-dry climate of the California’s drought may find themselves in high water when they hit the road. While the wet weather will certainly slow down many Angelenos’ commutes, the dangers of driving in the rain far outweigh the inconvenience. Auto accident rates increase dramatically in rainy conditions because of wet roads, poor visibility and debris and standing water that present dangerous obstacles for drivers. Continue reading “Staying Safe on Rainy Roads”

In a city rich with grand homes and architectural beauty, one structure bears the honor of being uniquely synonymous with Pasadena. It’s been more than a century since the Gamble House first came to stand on 4 Westmoreland Place, but it’s during the second half of that existence that the imposing Craftsman truly became a cultural icon of its home city. That’s all thanks to James N. Gamble (preferably called “Jim”), who, 50 years ago this week, bequeathed his family’s historical Greene & Greene home to the city of Pasadena and USC for public use. Since then, some 30,000 visitors have made their way to the Gamble House each year, completing the pilgrimage to a shrine of the American Arts and Crafts movement widely regarded as the Greene brothers’ most authentic and fully realized work. Continue reading “50 Years of Peeking Inside the Gamble House”