[Response to last week’s open letter]: A message from Executive Cabinet
Dear Highline College Community,
Executive Cabinet members read the open letter that was posted in the Thursday, November 27, 2025 edition of the ThunderWord.
We acknowledge the sentiments and experiences that were shared. We are committed to addressing the fundamental issues and systemic concerns raised in the letter.
ASHC’s 23rd Annual Legislative Breakfast connects students with power
Highline’s 23rd Annual Legislative Breakfast was spearheaded this Wednesday morning by the Associated Students of Highline College (ASHC).
The event included several key issues brought forth by Highline student presenters, as well as local government officials with keen ears and open mindsets.
Highline joins the 1-Line: Light rail set to open!
As some may know, there will be a new Kent Des Moines Station directly across Highway 99 for the light rail on Dec. 6 right outside of Highline.
The highly anticipated light rail stop connects Highline to the 1-line, which will have the system grow by nearly eight miles. This extension will be its fourth in the past two years.
There’s nothing more Jewish than Christmas music
Every year at the end of Thanksgiving, I say my goodbyes to my family members, and the moment the door closes behind the last guest, I connect my phone to a speaker and play Christmas music. Classic tunes surround my family as we begin cleaning up and getting ready for the next phase of the holiday season: Chrismukkah.
While it might not seem obvious, listening to Christmas music is actually a very Jewish pastime because most of the creative minds behind popular holiday hits are Jews.
Campus
Dear Highline College Community,
Executive Cabinet members read the open letter that was posted in the Thursday, November 27, 2025 edition of the ThunderWord.
We acknowledge the sentiments and experiences that were shared. We are committed to addressing the fundamental issues and systemic concerns raised in the letter.
Highline’s 23rd Annual Legislative Breakfast was spearheaded this Wednesday morning by the Associated Students of Highline College (ASHC).
The event included several key issues brought forth by Highline student presenters, as well as local government officials with keen ears and open mindsets.
As part of an effort to expand four-year degree options beyond traditional universities, Highline College recently held a “Earn Your Bachelor’s Degree at Highline College” giving local students a chance to learn about affordable, career-focused bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) pathways.
The fair offered prospective students and community members insight into degrees such as Business Management, Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics, Early Childhood Education, and Human Services.
Following the waves of complaints crashing into Financial Aid, Director Corrine Soltis acknowledged the frustration with the department, and internal policies have been changed, effective immediately.
This acknowledgement has sparked joy and inspiration across faculty and staff. The effort to instigate change in the department has been an ongoing and long process, supported by the faculty who advocated to their students, the staff that supported logistics, and the students who spoke up in surveys, listening sessions, and discussions on campus.
As the Thanksgiving Holiday is upon us, many colleges use the week to host meals or community events to support students who are near or on campus. But reviews of Highline College show a shocking trend: Despite many students relying on campus resources for meals, none are offering Thanksgiving week events or food support this year.
This absence is striking in light of recent changes in food stamp accessibility, which increases the pressure on students who already struggle to afford groceries. For many people, holidays only magnify these gaps. With campus closures and limited transit schedules, essential resources become harder to reach.
For years, Highline College has prided itself on being one of the most diverse and inclusive colleges in the state of Washington. As a community college, fully one third of students (34%) are on campus to complete high school requirements, whether that is through Running Start or because they were underserved or struggling during their high school careers.
According to the Mission Statement, “Highline College creates anti-racist, equitable pathways in higher education to close opportunity gaps experienced by our students.” Further, the Mission Statement lists the following values: accessibility, accountability, cultural responsiveness and agency, environmental sustainability, equity-first focus, life-long learning, partnership with local and global communities, respect, social justice, student-centered approaches, transparency.
Vice President of Student Services (VPSS) Dr. Jamilyn Penn returned to Acting President this week as President Dr. John Mosby goes on his third medical leave. Dr. Penn steps into the dual roles amid contentious issues with Financial Aid and faculty.
She sat down with Managing Editor Mavrie Durham for a short interview about what she intends to focus on in her time as Acting President.
Highline College’s Financial Aid department has been in the limelight recently, and for all the wrong reasons. Students voiced their concerns and faculty advocated at a Board of Trustees meeting last week. The effort to reform the department is ongoing under new leadership.
The ThunderWord has collected student testimonials alongside the results from a recent survey conducted across campus.
Community
As some may know, there will be a new Kent Des Moines Station directly across Highway 99 for the light rail on Dec. 6 right outside of Highline.
The highly anticipated light rail stop connects Highline to the 1-line, which will have the system grow by nearly eight miles. This extension will be its fourth in the past two years.
The PBS NewsHour’s recent report on the “K-shaped economy” is more than a story about recovery statistics. It is a mirror, reflecting a truth Black Americans have long known: when wealth and opportunity diverge, a nation begins to fracture.
The K-shaped recovery describes how, after COVID-19, one half of America shot upward – stockholders, remote workers, homeowners, while the other half concentrated in service jobs and hourly labor, fell behind. The upward line of the “K” marks a nation of investment portfolios and real-estate gains; the downward line represents the invisible workforce who kept the economy running but never received its dividends.
History is filled with ruins. Stones, broken statues, and scattered manuscripts bear witness to civilizations that once believed themselves eternal. Thebes, Carthage, Byzantium, and Tenochtitlán each stood as mighty centers of culture and power, yet today they live only in history books and archaeological fragments. Their destruction was not just military defeat; it was cultural annihilation. They were erased.
The West, in its current trajectory, stands on a similar precipice. Victor Davis Hanson’s “The Dying Citizen” and “The End of Everything” capture this reality in stark terms: a hollowing out of institutions, a fragmentation of civic culture, and a loss of will that once bound nations together. Hanson shows that civilizations collapse not only by the sword but also by decay from within; cultural amnesia, decadence, and the abandonment of shared identity.
After 232 years of production for circulation, the last one‑cent coins rolled off the press at the United States Mint in Philadelphia on Nov. 12, 2025.
The penny’s story began in 1793, making it one of the oldest continuously produced coins in American history. Over the centuries, it has gone through many faces, metals, and minor design tweaks – but none so famous as Abraham Lincoln, whose profile first appeared on the coin in 1909.
When former President Trump returned to the White House, many people expected bold moves, but almost no one expected pardons to become one of the earliest headlines of his second term. Within weeks, Trump issued a wave of pardons to political allies, campaign loyalists, and even celebrities caught in swirling legal battles.
The decisions instantly reignited one of the biggest debates around presidential power: Should one person have the authority to completely erase federal convictions?
Sports
Looks like former veteran safety Quandre Diggs is heading back to the Seattle Seahawks.
In a move that brings both familiarity and proven talent back to Seattle’s defensive backfield, veteran safety Diggs confirmed on social media on Nov. 25, 2025, that he will re-sign with the Seattle Seahawks. He initially will be joining the practice squad, according to ESPN.
The Highline men’s basketball started the regular season with an exciting win. Playing against Whatcom the Thunderbirds took home the victory with a score of 80-72 on Nov. 13.
Next, the team split a set of away games. On the road playing Portland Community College was a great game to watch, but an unfortunate loss. During the Nov. 18 game, the final scoreboard read 80-72, just like their last game, but this time with Highline coming up on the trailing end of the score.
The Highline Men’s Soccer team took home the long awaited championship title at this year’s Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) Championship. With a final record of 18-0-3, the team had an exceptional 2025 season.
Winning a championship was no small feat after ending the 2024 season just shy of glory – placing second in the 2024 NWAC Championship.
Arts
Every year at the end of Thanksgiving, I say my goodbyes to my family members, and the moment the door closes behind the last guest, I connect my phone to a speaker and play Christmas music. Classic tunes surround my family as we begin cleaning up and getting ready for the next phase of the holiday season: Chrismukkah.
While it might not seem obvious, listening to Christmas music is actually a very Jewish pastime because most of the creative minds behind popular holiday hits are Jews.
If there’s one place where you are able to see the full impact of “Wicked: For Good,” it’s online. The movie didn’t just trend – it took over people’s feeds. Fan art, cast photos, aesthetic edits, and behind-the-scenes clips are flooding Reels, making the movie feel like a full cultural moment.
Ever since “Wicked: For Good” hit theaters on Nov. 21, 2025, it feels like the entire internet has been taken over by reactions, edits, and emotional breakdowns from fans. TikTok and Instagram have basically turned green with “Wicked” content. But beyond the hype, does the movie live up to its massive online energy?
I’ve always been a fan of giant robot action. From “Transformers” and “Mobile Suit Gundam”, to “Pacific Rim” and “Titanfall”, mecha combat has had its grip on my heart. Earlier this year, “Mecha Break” joined the ranks, and now “Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon” has as well.
The game starts off with a sullen and tense mission to acquire a pilot’s license for you, 621, an augmented human piloting a mecha known as an AC, or Armored Core. Coming from offworld, you and your boss, Handler Walter, sneak onto the planet of Rubicon and loot the license from an AC wreck.
I was pursuing a bookstore one day, when a novel in the corner caught my eye. While I know not to judge a book by its cover, I couldn’t help myself. The striking cover with the famous painting “The Great Wave” by Katsushika Hokusai splashed across, with rainbow letters reading, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” stopped me in my tracks. The title was mysterious, yet familiar, and I felt that I had no choice but to bring the book home.
“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin is a novel from 2022 that follows two childhood best friends Sadie Green and Sam Masur over the course of decades, in their exploits as video game designers and later business partners in their business called “Unfair Games” that they founded with their friend, Marx.
The movie “Weapons” has taken the internet by storm with many saying that it’s a wonderful movie, and the reviews and ratings reflect that – the movie earning 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5 out of 10 star rating on IMDb. However, was it really that good?
Critic Bill Goodykoontz on Rotten Tomatoes says, “This is definitely a horror movie, increasingly by the minute. It’s also really funny – in places – and the finale combines horror and comedy in a way that doesn’t cheapen either one,” and left it a 4.5 out of 5 score.
The last few years have been incredible for mecha and video game fans. First “Titanfall 2” made a huge comeback after years of near emptiness, then “Armored Core VI” released and revitalized the mecha combat genre once again. Then on July 2 of 2025, “Mecha Break” released and made its name known.
What is “Mecha Break” though? “Mecha Break” is an online multiplayer mecha combat game with a hero shooter twist. While “Armored Core VI” allows you to make your own unique mecha, “Mecha Break” takes more after its 2016 cousin, “Titanfall 2”, and has you choose from an assortment of machines with specific roles and abilities.
Science & Technology
Billions of dollars in funding – from cancer research to investigations into immune cells – have been withheld or terminated entirely by the Trump administration in a political attack on vaccines, targeted outreach programs, and specific language. The cuts affect national institutions and universities alike, and will have consequences for years to come.
The Supreme Court ruled in August that President Trump’s $2 billion in cuts to the National Institute of Health (NIH) will go forward. The largest project affected was a $77 million grant to the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern University. The University’s president resigned in September, followed by the Interim President agreeing to pay the US government $75 million to restore research funding.
Social media contributes to growing political division by escalating, increasing strong beliefs, and fueling ongoing conflict. Platforms influence audiences, shape political reactions, and keep people continuously interacting with political information. So how do social media platforms use tactics to keep people engaged with political content?
In the video “Social media and political polarization in America” created by 60 Minutes, one of the interviewees, Tristan Harris, the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology stated that, “They’re making us see more angry posts about politics so that we can be distracted from our anger, which makes them more money in the end.”
Think about how you use AI in your day to day life and how you’re using it. AI has changed our society in many ways. One specific change is in education.
Let’s start with the good news. AI use has a lot of useful assets when it comes to education. For example, it helps students who learn differently by teaching them in a way they need.
Opinion
Federal Way High School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a school-wide assembly back in October, which sparked controversy when an outraged parent informed a local conservative media outlet about their “concerns”.
The content that sparked controversy was an AI-generated video that challenged the idea of what it means to be “illegal”. The video showed the perspectives of indigenous peoples from Latin American countries sharing that if they are indigenous, how can people call them illegal? Can you really consider anyone to be illegal when we live on stolen land?
EA announced that it would be going private in a buyout deal with Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners investment firm back in late September. To all my fellow Bioware fans, this news has been a devastating blow. For the unfamiliar, Bioware is owned by EA, a video game publishing company from the US.
In brass tacks, Saudi Arabia now owns EA and by proxy, Bioware through a buyout deal that converted EA from a public company that works to keep its investor happy with an ever expanding income, to one that focuses on project sales alone. This sounds like a positive on its own, but these projects will be largely supervised by Saudi Arabia.
ThunderPod
Sit down with your ThunderPod host Evelyn Rissell, as she explores further the topic of loyalty pledges and education with Communication Studies professor Rachel Stuart.
This first installment interview probes the question: Is the government interfering with education?
From Highline’s International Fair to the in-depth discussion of anime culture, this week’s ThunderPod has it all.
Join your host Evelyn Rissell, and first-time co-host Micaiah Simon. The two get into the weeds regarding Simon’s publications and past with the ThunderWord.
This is not an episode you will want to miss.