EAST SIDE SPIRIT & PRIDE....TODAY

Today, East Side Spirit and Pride involves dozens of students, faculty, and staff every semester. In addition, ESSP has a Board of Directors and most of whom are former ESSP members as well as graduates of East Los Angeles College.

The club holds regular meetings on Tuesdays. ESSP also regularly features motivational speakers, generally former students of East Los Angeles College who have now graduated from four year universities and sometimes local celebrities, including talented actress Chase Masterson, and author and writer Jose Luis Rodriguez, a Mexican-American native of East Los Angeles and famous author of the book Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A., and Ernest Moreno, the president of East LA College were both honored at ESSP's annual scholarship dinner. (see photos below)

The club also routinely hosts tours to various neighboring universities, such as Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Los Angeles, UCLA, USC, Occidental and Loyola Marymount University, where students have the opportunity to frequent campus grounds and explore possible options for their higher education.

East Side Spirit and Pride also has weekly readings, known as Great Moments in Literature, where professors and students read and openly discuss and analyze the meanings of various literary works, many by renowned authors and poets such as Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, and E. A. Robinson.

The club also has interactive and informative discussions concerning procedures and important things-to-know relating to transferring to four-year universities in California, primarily the UCs, CSUs, and private universities such as USC.

In 2010, the club was honored to be sponsored by professor of English in East Los Angeles College, Patricia Godinez, graduate of Chapman University and alumnus of Cal State Fullerton graduate school, who specializes in teaching college composition. Ms. Godinez has been actively involved in promoting the club in the immediate community. (see photo below)

Also joining ESSP is The Crush Travel Baseball team and parents from West Hills, CA who have partnered to help with the ESSP scholarship dinner and golf tournament to help raise funds for ELAC students. (see photo below)

English professor, Patty Godinez, we appreciate all you have done for ESSP.

Here we see the future MLB stars, the West Hills Little League Team, "The Crush", they have joined ESSP in fundraising efforts.

Talented actress and star of General Hospital and Star Trek deep Space 9, Chase Masterson did a fabulous job as Master of Ceremonies at our annual scholarship dinner this past March 29, 2012. Pride on Chase!

Author and writer, Jose Luis Rodriguez posing for a photo with East Side Spirit & Prides' first female president Carmen Hernadez.

Retired and former president of East Los Angeles College, Ernest Moreno is another huge supporter of ESSP and has been honored in several of our events. He has also spoken at our annual scholarship dinner events.