Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...
in the
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...
of
West Athens, California
West Athens is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 9,393 at the 2020 census. It is an unincorporated community within the 2nd Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County. West Athens is served b ...
in
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. It is part of the
Los Angeles Community College District
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is the community college district serving Los Angeles, California, and some of its neighboring cities and certain unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Its headquarters are in Downtown Lo ...
and its service area includes Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Unincorporated Westmont, and West Athens.
History
Los Angeles Southwest College was established in 1967,
two years after the
Watts riots, in response to complaints of both officials and citizens that not enough was being done to educate the area's mostly African American population. The college, located at the intersection of
Western Avenue and
Imperial Highway
The Imperial Highway is a west-east thoroughfare in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial in California. The main portion of the existing route begins at Vista Del Mar in Los Angeles near the Los Angeles Inter ...
, is the only community college in
South Central Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown.
It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...
.
LASC has secured over $500 million of bonds to complete its master facilities master plan by 2025. As a "green campus", LASC has a college-wide recycling program and will have the majority of its building meeting some level of LEED standard.
Notable alumni
*
Larry Brown,
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
,
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...
MVP
*
Othyus Jeffers
Othyus Jeffers (born August 5, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who had served as associate head coach for the Robert Morris University Illinois. Jeffers played college basketball with the University of Illinois at Chicag ...
, former NBA player
*
Ivan Johnson
Ivan Nicholas Johnson (27 June 1953 – 4 October 2021) was a professional, all rounder, English first-class cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club from 1972 to 1975.
Johnson was the only The Bahamas, Bahamian to have pl ...
, former NBA
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
*
Sam Johnson
Samuel Robert Johnson (October 11, 1930May 27, 2020) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for in Congress from 1991 to 2019. He was a member of the Republican Party. In October and November 2015, he was the acting ...
, former NFL player
*
Isaac Larian
Isaac Larian (born March 28, 1954) is an Iranian-born American billionaire businessman, founder and the chief executive officer (CEO) of MGA Entertainment, the world's largest privately owned toy company.[MGA Entertainment
MGA Entertainment Inc. (short for Micro-Games America Entertainment; sometimes referred to as MGA) is a manufacturer of children's toys and entertainment products founded in 1979. Its products include, Bratz, L.O.L. Surprise!, Num Noms and Rainbow ...]
*
Curtis Millage
Curtis Millage (born May 4, 1981) is an American professional basketball player for who last played for AZS Koszalin of the Polish Basketball League. He played college basketball for Arizona State. At and , he usually plays as a point guard, but ...
, former professional basketball player
*
Chris Mims
Christopher Eddie Mims (September 29, 1970 – October 15, 2008) was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the first round (23rd overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft. He pl ...
, former NFL player
*
Dayvon Ross
Dayvon Ross (born March 17, 1991) is an American football player, who played wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was listed at 6 ft 2ins and 215 lbs in college and at 6 ft 1in and 235 ...
, former NFL player
See also
*
West Athens, California
West Athens is a census-designated place (CDP) in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 9,393 at the 2020 census. It is an unincorporated community within the 2nd Supervisorial District of Los Angeles County. West Athens is served b ...
References
External links
Official website
Educational institutions established in 1967
Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Two-year colleges in the United States
California Community Colleges
{{California-university-stub