MAN SEXUALLY ASSAULTING WOMEN NEAR CAMPUS INSIDE Monday, Nov. 28, 2016
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WORST SEASON EVER 1-11
Christian Ortuno • The Collegian
Fresno State kicker Kody Kroening (#48) attempts to haul in a pass from punter Blake Cusick on a fake field goal pass play against San Jose State at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016
COMMUNITY
MIA
By Razmik Cañas
Fresno State student remembered through poetry
Former student impacting LGBT, homeless communities @raz_canas
A former Fresno State student is helping bring change to the community by the simple philosophy of lending a helping hand to those in need. Justin Kamimoto grew up with a supportive family that always instilled in him morals to help tackle issues he sees around him. “If we have the ability to do something for others we do it,” Kamimoto said. Kamimoto is half Japanese and half Chinese, and from learning about his family’s past, he said it really opened his eyes on how easy he has it living in America. “My mom talked about growing up with nothing – no electricity, no plumbing, no smartphones. It’s a different time that some of my family still live in,” Kamimoto said. At 13 years old, Kamimoto’s passion for helping others sparked. From the U.S. he assisted in the fundraising to build a school in rural Cambodia about 30 minutes from where his mother grew up. During his sophomore year of high school, Kamimoto moved from the Bay Area to Fresno. The move became more of a culture shock than he anticipated. He
By Chueyee Yang @chueyee15
the time when youth suicides were at an all time high, he began the Facebook group “My LGBT Plus.” The group was for anyone who wanted to share advice or resources to the LGBT community in the Central Valley. In the first 48 hours, more than 200 people joined the group.
Fresno State graduate student Mireyda “Mia” Barraza Martinez, 29, was killed in a car crash as rain drenched the Central Valley. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the sudden passing of graduate student and poet Mireyda Barraza Martinez. She died late [Nov. 20] in a multi-car crash on Highway 99 while visiting family in Porterville,” Fresno State’s masters of fine arts program said on Facebook. More than $10,500 has been raised in efforts to provide funeral funds for the late Fresno State masters student – the goal is $20,000. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Fresno State in 2014, Barraza Martinez started serving as a teaching associate in the English department and was in the masters of fine arts (MFA) creative writing program at the university. She was going to graduate in May.
See KAMIMOTO, Page 3
See MIA, Page 6
Courtesy of Justin Kamimoto
Justin Kamimoto, left, marches in the 25th Annual Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival in the Tower District on June 6, 2015.
went from an area that was LGBT friendly to a city where he kept on seeing “Yes on Prop 8” signs. “You see things that could use some assistance in terms of changing climates and attitudes,” Kamimoto said. He knew that he wanted to live in an environment where it was welcoming for him and fellow lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) classmates. During