Daily 49er, March 14, 2018 by Beach Media

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 60 | MARCH 14, 2018

TUITION

Cal Faculty asks for $422.6 million from state Bipartisan California representatives requested full state funding for higher education. By James Chow

Senior News Assistant

Before approaching the podium to speak out against high tuition price tags, California representatives donned vintage red and

white buttons, nostalgic of a tuition-free era. Bipartisan California representatives, state university faculty and students gathered at the Governor’s News Conference Room Monday to address protecting higher education with more state funding. University faculty representatives called for a tuition freeze as a result, which would prevent the fee from rising. Sen. Steve Glazer hosted the half-hour event, which consisted of state and college representatives speaking on the economic impact

of higher education on post-college life. Sixty-eight years ago, the Master Plan for Higher Education in California proposed free tuition to California residents applying to state community colleges and universities. Today, undergraduate students pay an average $5,742 per year at a California State University campus and $12,630 per year at a University of California campus. According to Sen. Bill Dodd, both the University of California and California State University campuses make up about $100 bil-

lion in state economic activity. “The idea we are not fully investing in these institutions is somewhat puzzling to me,” Dodd said. Speakers alluded to the California master plan that promised tuition-free education. The threepronged plan looks to balancing quality, accessibility and affordability. However, state and university representatives alike complained the lack of state funding has spiked that commitment. All present legislators agreed that the state should fully fund the

D49er

budget requests on higher education. Jennifer Eagan, president of the California Faculty Association, asked for the state to fund $422.6 million toward the CSUs, over $330 million more than the governor’s January budget. She said the state can help fund this through its rainy day fund. Such a budget request would provide students with the classes they need, avoid another tuition see PLAN, page 3

EVENT

Getting down in the grad gown Expected graduates grab essential graduation information in front of the University Bookstore. By Jessica Jacobs Staff Writer

A student plays tug of war during ASI’s “Puppy Therapy” and snaps a quick picture of the small dachshund.

to get in [but] to get one of the fidget things, I had to vote,” said Feeras Sako, a junior majoring in history. “That is what enticed me. I knew I was going to be bored in line.” Sako said that he hadn’t known about any of the candidates prior to reading about them on his phone while waiting in line to enter the main gym to visit with the puppies. Junior psychology major Sarah Grannis stood outside the glass of the gym, admiring a tan pit bull in a bright blue sweater inside.

Most students have turned procrastination into an art — preparing for the upcoming 2018 commencement ceremony is no exception. Fortunately, Grad Fair has got graduating seniors covered. Seniors at Cal State Long Beach swarmed the University Bookstore on Tuesday at the Graduation Information Fair to purchase caps, gowns and other necessities for walking the commencement stage. The Grad Fair will be held from March 13 to March 15 10 a.m. to 7 p.m each day. To avoid being unprepared, students are advised to come to the fair. “We get a lot of students coming in with tears,” Kierstin Stickney, director of marketing for the 49er Shops spoke about students who purchase their gowns late. “We encourage people to come early so they don’t get the wrong size [gown] and are prepared for graduation.” Stickney advised students to arrive at the bookstore before noon or after 5 p.m. to avoid the crowd. The bookstore will be answering questions for students in need of class rings, diploma frames, graduation announcements, educationally discounted computer hardware and software and senior portraits. “I wasn’t planning on walking, but my parents forced me to do it,” said Nikki Lowe, a senior majoring in sociology. “But now I’m getting excited buying everything I need.”

see THERAPY, page 3

see FAIR, page 3

Kat Schuster | Daily 49er

SENATE

BARK for a BALLOT

Students gathered in the recreation center to cast a vote and sneak a snuggle. By Lauren Martinez Staff Writer

Those who have felt plagued by the impending doom of midterms were able to seek refuge in the comfort of cold noses and wagging tails at an event put on by Associated Students Inc. Tuesday. ASI collaborated with Beach Balance to host “Puppy Thera-

py,” an event designed to reduce stress by letting students spend a few minutes with puppies and therapy dogs while encouraging voter turnout for the ongoing ASI elections. The event was held in the main gym inside The Student Recreation and Wellness center. A line of over a hundred students spilled out into the hallway of the rec center, leading up to a small fenced-in area containing different breeds of puppies. Students were stopped on the way inside and asked if they voted for student government candidates. Government Elections Officer, La Keisha Jeanmarie explained that a vote wasn’t re-

quired to enter but was recommended. “We don’t turn [students] away. But we do encourage that they step away to vote,” Jeanmarie said. “You can vote really easily through your phone and most students have a phone, so they can step away and vote really fast. Platforms are on the ballot, so they can just read the platforms, learn a little more about the candidate and then vote that way.” After voting, students were asked to show their confirmation email to the ASI officers facilitating the event, before being gifted a fidget cube and getting in line to pet the pups. “They didn’t require me to vote

2 NEWS

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NATIONAL

Trump sees border wall work in California By Brian Bennett and Noah Bierman Tribune Washington Bureau

SAN DIEGO — President Donald Trump saw just what he wanted to see on his first visit to California as president on Tuesday - physical evidence of the “big, beautiful wall” separating the United States and Mexico that was the central promise of his campaign — yet little of the resistance to his presidency that has come to define the state. Standing amid cement-andsteel prototypes at the Mexican border, Trump had harsh words for the state’s Democratic officeholders who oppose the wall as well as his other anti-immigration policies. Protesters, including deported veterans on the Tijuana side, were kept mostly out of sight. The president accused Gov. Jerry Brown of “doing a terrible job running the state,” said residents would begin fleeing California to avoid its high taxes, vowed to beat the state in court and in Congress over its so-called immigrant sanctuary laws and insisted that he would build a new, bigger wall. “For the people that say, ‘No wall,’ if you didn’t have walls over here, you wouldn’t even have a country,” Trump said, in a variation of one of his favorite lines. “The border wall is truly our first line of defense.” The president’s overnight trip to California, coming later in his term than for any White House occupant since Franklin D. Roosevelt, was brief in dura-

For the people that say, ‘No wall,’ if you didn’t have walls over here, you wouldn’t even have a country.”

“

President Donald Trump tion but long on symbolism as Trump personally confronted the blue state he has clashed with most. The president did not mix with ordinary residents, let alone the many protesters at his San Diego and Los Angeles stops. He spoke to senior Border Patrol officials while inspecting the wall prototypes for about an hour, addressed service members at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and, finally, mingled with deep-pocketed donors at a $5 million campaign fundraiser in the Beverly Park home of Edward Glazer, co-chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The attention Trump wanted to bring to his signature immigration issue was overshadowed, as often happens with administration initiatives, by the president’s own distracting actions _ in this case a new round of chaos within his leadership team after his abrupt firing Tuesday of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump called Tillerson as Air Force One was flying to California, hours after firing his secretary in a morning tweet. Trump appeared to relish his visit to the border wall proto-

K.C. Alfred | TNS

President Donald Trump tours the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego County March 13.

types, pointing eagerly to charts and graphics shown to him. “I’m a builder; what I do best is build,” he later told the troops at Miramar. He openly spoke with border agents about his preference for “see-through” walls, talked about the ugly aesthetics of current barriers and insisted the new versions would block smugglers who have the skills of “professional mountain climbers.” “The ones that work the best aren’t necessarily the most expensive,” he said approvingly. The president has yet to secure from Congress the $25 billion he

seeks to build a wall, and it’s not clear whether even that would be enough. One estimate put the cost as high as $100 billion. His campaign promise that Mexico would pay for the wall has been a nonstarter in that country. On Tuesday, Trump introduced a new argument, without substantiation and contrary to various studies, asserting that his proposed wall would more than pay for itself. “It will save thousands and thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, wel-

fare fraud and burdens on schools and hospitals,” he said. “The wall will save hundreds of billions of dollars — many, many times what it’s going to cost.” Yet several studies have shown that immigrants, both legal and illegal, provide benefits for the economy because many work and pay taxes. Many in the country illegally do not take advantage of government services for fear they will be discovered and deported. Fact checkers have agreed that illegal immigrants add some cost to taxpayers but have called Trump’s claim that the cost exceeds $100 billion mostly false.

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What Your Teachers Never Taught You Socialism’s False Promise Dr. George A. Kuck (galbertk@aol.com)

We are having a resurgence of people thinking our country would be better if it were a socialist country. Recent editorials in the Washington Post and New York Times have been pushing this point. Let me remind you of some important history. Every socialist country during my lifetime had degenerated into a brutal dictatorship. Stalin murdered farmers, sent millions to forced labor camps, and starved millions of Ukrainians in an engineered famine. Hitler under the banner of National Socialism caused World War II. Mao’s drive to achieve socialism in China starved millions. The killing fields engineered by Pol Pot killed almost a quarter of the Cambodians. Fidel Castro in Cuba had his political enemies shot on the Isle of Pines. All this violence and death was done in the name of social and economic “equality”. The only equality of socialism is poverty and death. Check what is happening today in Venezuela. In the US during the same time these failures occurred, we extended voting rights to women. Republican votes passed the Civil Rights Act. We obtained the largest, richest, most racially diverse, and most free middle class in history. We have paid with our blood to free people abroad. We have opposed human rights abuses on principled moral grounds both here and overseas. We now have a large immigrant population of those fleeing tyranny which was the result of socialism and Communism. America is not perfect. We can and do change to become a better nation without the violence that has wracked many other countries. Under democratic capitalism, we have provided more safety and prosperity for more people than any country in history. Look to our strengths and ignore the sirens of socialism. Even the Scandinavian countries are becoming more capitalistic because much of the capital their ancestors accumulated has been squandered gone.

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PLAN

continued from page 1

increase and admit an additional 18,000 students who would otherwise be turned away. As the state allocation toward CSUs currently stands, Cal State Long Beach alone would have to turn away tens of thousands of eligible prospects, according to President Jane Close Conoley. “Now is the time to make that investment in part because our students are being flooded away, washed in a sea of debt,” Eagan said. “Even worse we have students who aren’t even getting their foot in the door in the CSU.” Enrollment growth is one factor that can net revenue across college campuses. However, providing the space for such students costs money. Rigel Robinson, chair of external affairs at the UC Student Association, spoke on how a state expectation of enrollment to provide funding is not enough and that there isn’t enough space in classrooms to seat all students. “The UC students are here asking for funding to buy out student services fee and tuition increases,” Robinson said. “We’re asking for funding and for the enrollment growth that has already been demanded of us, and we’re asking for funding for the enrollment

THERAPY

continued from page 1

“People might just be doing it to pet the dogs, not because they actually know who to vote for,” Grannis said. “I don’t know who I would vote for, so I would have to pick somebody randomly.” Other students among the ever-growing crowd said they had cast their vote long before hearing about the incentive of “puppy therapy.” “I did [know about the elections] but I didn’t know there was puppy therapy until today,” said Danielle Price, a business management junior. “I saw [it] on Beachboard.” Price explained that petting the pups was a good destressor during midterms. “I think puppy therapy is a good motivator for anything,” Price said. “Everyone’s stressed out over midterms. People cry in class. It gets really bad and puppies seem to be a universally enjoyable thing.” Lisa Nguyen, Beach Balance Lead and co-facilitator of the event, explained that creating an environment

growth that is currently being demanded of us. We’re asking for funding for deferred maintenance costs, so we can take care of our crumbling campuses.” Maggie White, president of the California State Student Association, voiced how higher education can help students succeed despite financial barriers. “This conversation that we’re having today isn’t about schools, it’s about equity,” White said. “Everyone can have access to the things they need to climb the ladder out of poverty.” Students on campus face similar financial problems to the ones voiced at the conference. Maria Marchan, a third year in human resource management business, works retail and as a Lyft driver to pay for tuition. But she voiced that despite her pay, most of her funds go straight to the university. “All my money is going toward [tuition],” Marchan said. “It’s obviously a hardship. All my money is going to that. And I have to work more so I can sustain myself financially.” Onofre Castro, a human development fourth year, said that his accumulating student debt from the university prolongs him from owning a house. “The bigger picture in the long run, [current tuition] affects being able to provide for a stable home,” Castro said. “I think it’s a lot especially for students who don’t have family support. Of course people want to come back to school and they’re working fathers and mothers who have a family already. Tuition can impact a family that’s already built.”

that promotes positive mental health was what she had envisioned when she began organizing “puppy therapy” last November. She commented on an event held the previous week that also featured some of the therapy dogs. “It was kind of surprising because people came and joined the rec for the very first time,” Nguyen said. “People signed up just to see the dogs.” While some of the puppies were brought in purely based on cuteness, older dogs that were certified therapy dogs were also there to provide professional comfort. Nadine Lederfine, the owner of four-year-old Shiba Inu, Jasmine, passed out business cards displaying the dog’s affiliation with “Pets Unstressing Passengers,” a program that helps travelers stay relaxed when at Los Angeles International Airport. Nataly Nuila, computer science senior, was one of the many students who expressed their excitement for the experience. “I’m pretty excited. I think it’s pretty awesome that Cal State Long Beach does such out-of-the-box things like this,” Nuila said. “I would never expect to come to school to touch a puppy and it kind of gave me something to hope for at the end of my day…and it was a dreadfully long day.”

FAIR

continued from page 1

Students can also enter in an opportunity drawing at the customer service desk to win some items being sold for the grad fair. All of these graduation essentials may be rented for those who do are looking to save a buck. Bachelor rentals for cap and gowns cost $49 , Masters cost $59, and Doctorates cost $69. Graduation packages are also offered and include graduation announcements, diploma covers, diploma frames, souvenir tassels and more in addition to their rented cap and gown. These packages are only

available during the grad fair, but caps and gowns can be purchased online until April 16. The fair also has more than the graduation essentials. Students can order custom sashes until Thursday, which can be requested in ID Card Services. Additionally, students can schedule their commencement on the first floor and sign up for cultural ceremonies on the second floor. On-and-off campus vendors have dedicated booths for students to ask questions and learn about their organizations. Some of these vendors are the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, LBS Financial Credit Union and the Princeton Review. These tables are found circled around the checkout line.

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4 ARTS & LIFE

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MATT’S MUNCHIES

Cha-cha slide over for some tea Cha For Tea is the one and only spot for boba and specialty drinks. By Matthew Ramirez Contributing Writer

It’s hard to find a teahouse that serves genuinely good boba, especially when it’s common to find variations of the tasty Thai treat at almost any restaurant. For any tea or boba enthusiasts, Cha for Tea is a must with its wide selection of refreshing drinks and attention to detail. Cha for Tea is located in the Bixby Plaza at 5720 E. 7th Street right across the street from Cal State Long Beach. Being that close to a college campus means that those at the restaurant see a daily rush of people looking to scratch their boba itch. “Our concept is that we want to be closer to the ‘hip’ crowds,” said Calvin Siy, manager of the Long Beach Cha for Tea. “That’s why we’re next to Cal State [Long Beach].” Cha for Tea started its business in 2000 and two years later, the Long Beach location opened its doors. Its two other locations are in Irvine and Pomona. The Long Beach restaurant is a very modern establishment. There is a large mural reminiscent of the city of Long Beach with images of downtown, including a large ferris wheel similar to the one at the pike and a ship that is a clear reference to the Queen Mary downtown. The local joint even sells packs of loose leaf tea for customers to enjoy at home. Drinks don’t need to be prepared at the restaurant itself, guests are welcome to take the tea leaves

Matthew Ramirez | Daily 49er

The California green tea is one of the most popular drinks at Cha for Tea, offering a perfect balance of orange juice, lime juice, green tea and honey.

home and make their own beverages. Hospitality is another focus for the workers at Cha for Tea. As guests order drinks or food, the employees make it an effort to know their guests. During my visit I was pointed out to

two people who were regular customers and told the team encounters usual guests like this on a regular basis. The employees at Cha for Tea show hospitality for their guests and innovation in their menu. Creating new

drinks is a long process that utilizes a research and development team. The process to craft and test new recipes takes months to figure out because consistency is the main goal for the drink preparers at Cha for Tea. “This is why we don’t have hundreds of drinks like other boba places because,” Siy said. “We like to stick with what we know we can make good every time.” New drinks need to be tested between the locations to ensure that consistency can be maintained. Ideally, a drink in Long Beach will taste the same as one from Irvine. Consistency is shown at its best at Cha for Tea as I tried two of their more popular drinks: the mango green tea and their California green tea. The mango green tea offers a blossom of flavor. The taste of green tea, jasmine and honey all blend together deliciously. This is a best seller and it’s easy to see why. It is a refreshing and tasty drink and a good recommendation for any first-time guest. The California green tea, which is a mix of orange, lime juice, green tea and honey, is another good option for a first-time patron. The flavor of the orange juice comes out in every sip. Both the mango green tea and the California green tea drinks are delicious and a hold a good amount of ice to cool the drink down. Cha for Tea has been a favorite of mine since the first day I sampled their work. The quality of the tea and boba drinks make it a tasty addiction for fans of these drinks. The employees are friendly and willing to turn an ordinary order into a pleasant conversation. Give this local gem a try for yourself and this may turn into your next favorite too.

EVENT

Party with the president Third annual fundraiser for the Carpenter Center books singer Mavis Staples. By Shyanne Riberal-Norton Assistant Arts & Life Editor

With fancy clothes, fine wine and a backstage turned into the ultimate cocktail party, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center is preparing for a night to remember. The center is celebrating the third annual President’s Party in late April. This event is a benefit dedicated to President Jane Conoley’s support of the Arts for Life program. The President’s Party is the main fundraiser for Arts for Life, a program that bridges the gap between students and professionals, allowing students

hands-on experience and guidance, according to director of the center, Megan Kline Crockett. Those attending the celebration will be able to enjoy food, champagne and photo opportunities with Conoley and musician Mavis Staples, who will be the headlining performer at this year’s event. The R&B gospel singer was chosen to perform by Kline Crockett, because of her history of activism. “Mavis Staples was just honored for her lifelong work with civil rights,” said Kline Crockett. “I thought that was important and relevant right now.” Staples started performing at a young age in her family’s group known as The Staple Singers. Her last record released, “If All I Was Was Black” is based on real events in Staples’ life. Staples will also participate in an outreach with the Cal State Long Beach students through the “Campus

Connection” program and local Long Beach elementary students through “Classroom Connections.” Since the Carpenter Center only receives 16 percent of its budget from the school and relies on ticket sales throughout the season for revenue, a fundraiser such as the President’s Party is one of the few annual events to bring in money for the center. President Conoley showed her appreciation and excitement for this event in a press release. “Arts are fundamental to a comprehensive education,” Conoley said. “I can’t wait to experience the unparalleled Mavis Staples with university supporters and arts enthusiasts.” Although it’s not necessarily geared towards students, the Carpenter Center will be selling a limited amount of discounted priced tickets for students who wanted to attend the performance. Kline Crockett is also considering ex-

panding on the artists that perform on the stage throughout the next year. “We’ve lost student connection the past few years,” Kline Crockett said. “I want to offer more student priced tickets for artists that might appeal to our students.” Tickets to see Staples perform range from $50-75 depending on seating, and $125 to attend the President’s Party. They are available online at https://web. ovationtix.com/trs/cal/27175.

PRESIDENT’S PARTY When: April 28 @ 6 p.m. Where: Carpenter Performing Arts Center Tickets: $125

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6 OPINIONS

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STEREOTYPES

Stop using mental illness as a smoke screen Talking points are cheap, stigma isn’t. By Joel Vaughn Staff Writer

’m mentally ill, but don’t worry, I’m more likely to shoot myself than anyone else. I’m not going to be bipartisan about this. If there is one hallmark of the gun-toting Republican solution to violence, it’s the scapegoat. Like any good diversion, pointing at mental illness as the primary cause for mass shootings only makes sense at the surface. Look no further than your National rifle association. Sure it’s an easy target to shoot for, but it’s also a target with more than five million members across the United States. It’s not just NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch drawing the discourse towards a smoke screen of false empathy for people struggling with mental illnessissues like the mental illness. Our political leaders making school shootings synonymous with mental illness perpetuates a damning stigma whichand is statistically false. The discussion around guns and mental illness needs to start with suicide. To start with, the CDC reports that gun deaths by suicide eclipses the death toll from it’s belligerent counterpart homicide. Specifically, gun deaths deaths in 2013 come out at above 60 percent and homicides around 40 percent. Contrary to popular belief, your loved ones are more likely to shoot themselves than they are to be killed by a deranged gunman. Harvard’s School of Public presents a bleak stat on the reality of a successful attempt and the use of a gun. On the low end, cutting only nets only a one percent death rate. Once a gun is introduced that number skyrockets to 82 with drowning falling behind at 16 percentage points. For stats savvy policy makers, this presents an obvious interest in limiting access to guns to those with a history of suicidality.

Olivier Douliery | Abaca Press

NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 22, in National Harbor, Md. Hosted by the American Conservative Union, CPAC is an annual gathering of right wing politicians, commentators and their supporters.

Extreme risk protection orders, If I had a gun I would see it as just ERPO, temporarily restrict individuanother way to kill myself. als deemed a danger to themselves or I only have an interest in turning that others from purchasing a gun. gun on myself and fuck the assumption I should know, California is a state that I would turn that barrel towards that has ERPO laws and I’m two years anyone else. into being on one. I empathise with you for not underI’m no stranger to suicide, involunstanding. Part of me hopes that you tary holds, mental reader never have hospitals or illness. that voice whispering Our political Within the span that you’re better off leaders making dead. of one year I was school shoothospitalized twice, I If you do hear that won’t bore you with voice, I also hope you ings synonymous with the details, but I was don’t have a gun. mental illness perpetuates suicidal. I’m still Soley attributing a damning stigma which is suicidal. the latest mass shootstatistically false.” I don’t need a gun ing to the shooter’s and I couldn’t care mental state only less about being barred from owning adds to the stereotype. It makes me and one, just don’t make me a scapegoat for others hesitant to seek help. This fear your half-baked argument. of others deeming me dangerous for I drive down the freeway and I see my disease cuts deeper than any blade I freeway dividers I could speed into. I could take to my wrist. prep food for the week and I see the Even misrepresentations of the truth cutting knife as something I could have power. This stigma is what pushed lunge into my throat. I walk up to the me to dropout of high school. Being top floor of parking garage one and I seen as a danger just taught me to bury see a place to jump. my problems for the sake of others.

“

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My environment told me that I would never make it this far, that I needed to medicate myself to a baseline and be content with barely a will to live. I need to self-harm just save myself from burning out. I’m constantly worried that I’ll never see outside of those boxes. I’m not saying that premeditated mass murder is born out of the mind of a stable individual, I’m just not myopic enough to lay the blame solely on the individual. A government that doesn’t look out for it own people and a culture that demonizes the other is part of the problem with mass shootings. This is the same government that defunds mental health resources while diagnosing it as a key factor in mass shootings. I don’t have faith that we’ll do anything about it either, we have one dominant political group that ignores the problem and another that’ll only pay lip service to dealing with it. Our inability to close the pandora’s box on guns reveals our societal illness.

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinions of the Daily 49er are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily 49er.

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SPORTS 7

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PROFILE

LBSU grad brings lacrosse to South Central Steve Sedano aims to open doors for the youth of his hometown. By Luke Ramirez

Assistant Sports Editor

Long Beach State alumnus Steve Sedano bubbled with excitement as he browsed through internet images of state-of-theart training facilities, the inspiration for a project in South Central Los Angeles. He’s founded a nonprofit youth lacrosse organization named the LA Thunderbirds, with goals of involving the underprivileged youth of his hometown in the sport and plans to launch the team in the summer of 2018. “I believe lacrosse should be available just like football, basketball [and] baseball,” Sedano said. “It isn’t because it’s expensive. We’re going to suit all these kids up for free. The only thing we ask back from them is that they strive to be the best they can be.” The 22-year-old graduated from Long Beach in the spring of 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with an emphasis in biology. He became the youth representative for the District 8 southeast division right after graduating and has been active in the South Central area. “I just want to use what I learned at my university to better the community,” Sedano said. He was raised by a single mother and experienced poverty, homelessness and violence which has shaped his vision of providing a safe place to nurture student athletes. “If anything I feel it’s necessary to talk about,” Sedano said. “Most of my friends that I grew up with are dead or in prison...You have to ask yourself how you became who you are, and the answer is opportunity.” Sedano’s mother decided he would have better opportunities outside of the Los Angeles Unified School District, so she sent him to Downey High School. It was over an hour-long bus ride to school and back during his freshman year, a challenge that proved more difficult when he got involved in sports. He eventually began playing high school lacrosse and other sports,

Luke Ramirez | Daily 49er

Steve Sedano, a graduate of LBSU, is creating a nonprofit youth lacrosse organization aimed at providing opportunity for underprivileged youth in South Central LA.

using competition as a brief escape from reality. “The one thing I had going for me was that I was always angry,” Sedano said. “That’s how I got into sports and took that attitude on the field.” Sedano then went to Long Beach City College for two years before transferring into Long Beach State. He decided to remove himself from his home and couch surfed until eventually graduating. The challenge was nothing new for him and after completing his education, Sedano set out to give back to his home community. Sedano was connected with Eric Kim, who manages a for-profit manufacturing company and a nonprofit organization called Courage Forward. The latter helps veterans and at promise youth enter the job field. Kim

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SPORTS

I couldn’t look up to my father because he wasn’t there, I couldn’t look up to my brothers because they were alcoholics and drug addicts, I didn’t have anyone in the community. I am going to give these kids the opportunity I didn’t have; the things and the role models that they need in order to flourish in the world.”

“

Steve Sedano, LBSU alumnus quickly grew fond of Sedano and was taken aback by his past. “It’s one of those stories that

you don’t wish upon anyone, but for him, he has really used it to his advantage as a jumping-off point,” Kim said. “I am proud of him because of what he was able to accomplish given what he has gone through. His story is an inspirational one.” Sedano brought up his vision of a youth lacrosse organization that would take care of all expenses, totalling an average of $1,300 per player. His involvement in high school lacrosse wasn’t the only inspiration for focusing on making that sport available to underprivileged youth in South Central. “A lot of people don’t know that lacrosse is actually rooted in Native American tradition,” Sedano said. “It was played by Native Americans to honor their creator and that really stuck with me. I really fell in love with the

whole religious and spiritual aspect of it.” Tribes competed against each other to settle disputes and played as a remedy for diseases in the community. Problems like poverty and violence still exist in LA. Above everything, Sedano wants to be there for the kids who are growing up in similar hardships triggered by poverty, crime and homelessness. “I couldn’t look up to my father because he wasn’t there, I couldn’t look up to my brothers because they were alcoholics and drug addicts, I didn’t have anyone in the community,” Sedano said. “I am going to give these kids the opportunity I didn’t have; the things and the role models that they need in order to flourish in the world.” With help from Kim, the LA Thunderbirds is becoming a more realistic dream every day. They have gained serious interest from major corporations in the South Central area looking to get behind the effort. Sedano is currently making a case with the city to be approved for a lot on the corner of Vermont and Manchester street, where the organization’s facilities would be built. It would include full-sized fields, a strength and conditioning center and educational space for the student athletes to do classwork. “I thought it was a great idea to expose the youth of this area to the sport because of the growing scholarship opportunities,” Kim said. “For him to have the foresight to see this opportunity coming says a lot about him and who he is.” The program is only a few months away from launching. Sedano plans on inviting some of the game’s most talented players to the grand opening, making it a major event for the sport and its growth on the West Coast. Sedano’s vision for not only the sport he loves, but the struggling youth of his community, is ready to take off. “The thing is that you need to know within yourself that you can do it and that’s what we also plan to instill in our athletes,” Sedano said. “If I say no then I’m saying that the kids where I grew up don’t have talent and don’t deserve the opportunity. That’s ‘B.S.’ Everyone deserves that.”

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