In wanting to create a welcoming community where students and staff could learn more about Ramadan practices and the significance of it, the Global Student Ambassador (GSA) members planned an event where you could do that, and more – like learning about Islamic art, culture, and charity, all while creating strong relations with people from diverse backgrounds.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is considered to be one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims show respect to the revelation of the Qur’an.

As another busy quarter draws to a close, all Thunderbirds can relate to burnout. The feeling of cramming for that final exam, while your partner won’t respond regarding the group project as your final essay remains untouched, the responsibilities can be exhausting and demotivating.

What is hard to notice is the habits we partake in when we’re stressed, and how some minimal changes make a noticeable difference in our energy and mood.

Highline students flocked to the Global Student Ambassadors’ (GSA) “Arts Around the World” event last month to celebrate traditional arts and crafts from various cultures. The GSA organized the activities with the hope of fostering relationships across cultural boundaries within the four hour event.

Jeffery Kunick, who is the supervising organizer of the event, elaborates further on this shared goal of the organization. “One of our missions here as a global student ambassador is to bring international and domestic students together.”

With all the commotion that came from the Biden administration’s efforts toward student loan forgiveness, a certain question has to be answered: Why do we pay for college? Well, for starters, we pay because it’s not free like public schooling. Primary schools are free because they’re funded by taxes and the state (technically).

Theoretically, you do pay for primary school, just not directly. There’s a basic education fund for every student, then schools can also ask for grants for specific programs, like Drama Club. Then, of course, there are levies, which are like grants, but they’re paid for by the communities around the school.

For the past three years, The Hub, a higher education center located in Federal Way, Wash., has attempted to bridge educational gaps by supporting Highline students, running start students through Federal Way Public schools, as well as working adults looking for continuing education. 

“Through a partnership with Highline College, the University of Washington Tacoma, the City of Federal Way and Federal Way Public Schools, The Hub provides access to post-secondary and adult education to the Federal Way community,” states The Hub’s website.

Highline, in partnership with Shirlyn Mwangi and the Akin’s Family Foundation, held a teddy bear event to raise awareness and donations for children living in harsh conditions, such as dysfunctional families and poverty. 

They hoped to show appreciation for the children of our community and bring awareness to the major situations that children in America are likely to suffer from and tell about what impact it has on them from childhood all the way to adulthood.

The Thunderbirds continue their Cinderella run in the 2025 NWAC Men’s Basketball Championship, punching their ticket to the Final Four after back-to-back upset victories over top-seeded Skagit Valley and east conference No. 2 Spokane at Columbia Basin College.

With the victories, Highline advances to its first NWAC Final Four since 2014. The Thunderbirds will face a familiar opponent in west conference No. 1 seed Lower Columbia on March 15 at 5 p.m., looking to continue their magical postseason run.

Highline College’s women’s tennis team started their conference run, and found ease within the matchups. The team took on Bellevue College, winning 6-3 as a team. They also took on Spokane College, which ended in a 9-0 sweep for the Thunderbirds. 

During the team’s home opener matchup against Bellevue, they found themselves focused on the court, no matter what was thrown at them. Standout players for the night included Sophia Crosby and Caley Buchan, who both took wins in their singles and doubles matches.

The recent trading of QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, the fulfillment of WR DK Metcalf’s trade request (he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers), and the release of Seahawks veteran WR Tyler Lockett, has sent many fans up in arms, as the Seahawks pursue a path of change in the 2025 offseason.

Lockett, a fan favorite, was released from the Seahawks on Wednesday, March 5, as a salary cap casualty – thus bringing an end to a decade of one of the best receiver careers in team history. Although this may be a shock to some fans, this move was not one that was unknown to Lockett.

The road to the quarterfinals was anything but easy, as the Thunderbirds struggled in the competitive West Region. The Highline College men’s basketball team will face Skagit Valley in the NWAC Championship quarterfinals on Friday, March 7 at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash. 

Highline comes into the game with a 19-10 overall record, finishing 7-7 in conference play. The team showed off its progress with notable wins, including a resounding 118-103 victory over Olympic and a hard-fought 86-84 win against Mt. Hood during the Clackamas Holiday Showcase.

As Highline’s women’s basketball team closes out their 2024-25 season, they hold their heads high. The team found themselves in a new position this season, having the addition of new head coach, Emil Swain. The team was also assisted with the help of assistant coaches Vivienne McClean and Tiana Pye.

Swain was able to give a solid foundation to his team, and created energy within each matchup. The players kept 100% energy every time they entered the court, and maintained it even if they were losing.

The Highline College men’s basketball team has officially punched its ticket to the NWAC playoffs after a solid series of performances down the stretch. The Thunderbirds showed their talent, earning a well-deserved spot in the postseason.

On Wednesday, Feb. 19, Highline pulled off a resounding 81-66 win over Grays Harbor. Isaiah Vargas led the charge with a stellar 27-point performance, adding eight rebounds and seven assists to his impressive stat line.

“Dragon Age” is one of the premier fantasy RPGs of all time. Its cultural influence isn’t as large as “Final Fantasy” or the “Elder Scrolls”, but it’s one of the greats. Starting with the humble “Dragon Age: Origins” that was released in 2009, “Dragon Age” has cemented itself as a cornerstone of fantasy media.

“Veilguard” is a new stab at the “Dragon Age” universe that attempts to change the player’s perspective. Instead of being this well established character with a lengthy backstory that you either take part in or barely remember due to its lack of relevance, you have one defining event that sets up your connection to the main story.

El musical de Emilia Pérez fue uno de los más criticados por la comunidad Mexicana por la mala representación del director y los actores. 

Muchas críticas rodearon la película por falta de diversidad e inclusión de actores hispanos, y muchos argumentaban sobre la forma en que los actores no interpretaron bien el vocabulario de las palabras en español especialmente los “mexicanos”.

The 97th Academy Awards aired last Sunday, featuring a cavalcade of one of cinema’s strongest selections in years, as well as the remarkably-seasoned Conan O’Brien hosting.

As with any Oscars event, this year came with scandalous rumors, a catty monologue, and no shortage of fan reactions over who did, or didn’t, deserve to take home the golden statue.

The 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ceremony was a two-hour event that gave 15 awards to actors and ensembles for their incredible performances, highlighting some of the biggest names in the industry as well as up-and-coming stars. 

The ceremony was broadcast live on Netflix Sunday, Feb. 23., with charming host Kirsten Bell lighting up the stage. Shogun won four awards for best ensemble performances, plus actress and actor in a drama. Six-decade Hollywood star Jane Fonda was given SAG’s Life Achievement Award, and so much more, all complemented with nostalgic montages and skits in between.

An outbreak of one of the most contagious diseases has occurred in Texas. With over 200 cases of measles and two deaths reported in multiple states at the time of writing, mostly among the unvaccinated, questions must be asked whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its newly appointed secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. will handle the outbreak appropriately.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can infect anyone but is especially dangerous for young children and pregnant people. It can be spread through coughing, sneezing, or breathing. The virus can stay on surfaces an infected person has come in contact with for up to two hours, causing a person with measles to infect nine out of 10 unvaccinated people they come into close contact with.

Bill Nye, known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this year by then-President Joe Biden. Nye was honored for his line of work for decades in popularizing science and inspiring our future generations, encouraging their interest in the scientific world. 

“Bill Nye has dedicated his life to inspiring young people to take an active interest in science,” President Biden stated during the ceremony on Jan. 4, 2025.

As winter wanes and flowers blossom, the familiar buzzing of the pollinators return to campus. The most important of them all: Bees. Often overlooked for their small size, bees play an integral role in maintaining food security within a global ecosystem. 

Pollinators work by moving pollen from a stamen to a stigma; for instance, bees are responsible for pollinating the majority of the world’s leading crops, fruits, vegetables, and even nuts and seeds. Without bees the variety of our food supply would go down drastically.

Next week, the Thunderword editors Mavrie Durham and Liv Lyons will appear on the Students Perspective on AI panel. The event takes place March 12 at 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Building 8, Mt. Skokomish conference room. 

“Are you curious about how Highline students are engaging with AI in their academic and personal lives? Join us for an insightful panel discussion where students share their firsthand experiences, perspectives, and aspirations related to AI,” the event description reads.

Once again, Trump is in office and he’s already begun with his insane decisions that leave many of us sane people confused. One such change is the attempt to buy and claim Greenland as an American territory. Yes, you read that right.

Another claim he’s made, and this is one his cabinet of sycophants has been defending fiercely despite its ridiculousness, is that the Gulf of Mexico should be named the “Gulf of America”. An interesting claim, despite the fact that the US doesn’t even solely own the body of water.

In the late morning hours of Jan. 18, 2025, a few thousand protesters gathered in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park for the purpose of marching through Seattle to show (in their own words) “a powerful call to action for those ready to make a difference.”

It was quite foggy out as I was riding the light rail up to make it to the march. I had no idea what to expect. The dates of when the ‘official’ event was going to be held was shaky at best. Some dates said ‘day of inauguration’ while this one was scheduled on the 18th. Turnout was hard to predict as well. I didn’t get the memo of Jan. 18, and the only way I found out was by personally looking into it and even then, I was given mixed signals.

The long-fought war between dog and cat lovers is still ongoing. Dog people claim dogs as “man’s best friend”, while cat lovers claim loving cats requires a certain appreciation for individual autonomy. While these paradigms are a couple ways to look at the issue, there is also the extroverted dog versus introverted cat debate. Regardless, all animal lovers can agree that animals improve our lives.

According to Forbes, 66% of households own pets, and of those 66%, 46.5 million households have cats. While dogs beat them out for the majority, 46.5 million is no small number.