Sonder Issue No. 5 by Miller Integrated Nature Experience

EVERYONE HAS A STORY.

Issue No. 5

S taff Editors-in-Chief Jay Bramhall Iris Ramirez Alvarez Addison Sattler

Managing Editors Izaiah Fisher Madelyn Nover

Writers

Kevin Gustafson Ruby Lopez Bella Brown Izaiah Fisher Carlos Vasquez Lopez Carly Bramhall Brayden Hilderbrand Jayden Crain Caden Trieu Gavin Branch Grace Bone

Creative Directors

Katie Anderson Emely Castaneda Rivera Gabriela Martinez Contreras Juniper Wollock

Graphic Designers

Chloé Heckard Lane McLaughlin Tori Mowder Joseph Hernandez Gonzalez

Adviser

Supporting Staff

Zoe Johnson Honei Jones Finn Lusby Kassandra McLennan Lexi Whittlesey Priscilla Ancheta Chelsie Hodgins Angieleen Bordeos Mazith Evans Chase Houlihan Aonghus Houston Jasmine Robertson Diana Santiago Sydney Sattler Mahealani Te’o Valentin Tiburcio Nathaniel Cox

Photographers Violet Hawthorne Samia Fentress Natalie Rawson

Art Directors

Piper Edwards Sugg Olivia Morgan-Urie

Photo Editor

McKenzie Galloway

M.I.N.E. Director Slade Gilbert

Ivan Miller

This publication was created by the MINE students of Springfield High School in Springfield, Oregon.

Otis Davis

Dana Altman

Arnetta Johnson

Cody Fry

Jamie McMahon

Michael Shellenberger

Cover photo by Piper Edwards Sugg

Racing For Gold

Two-timeOlympicgoldmedalistOtisDavisreminiscesonhiscareer

Ruby Lopez

MattParfler/OregonTracflandField

Otis Davis was a student athlete at the University of forfouryearsduringtheKoreanWar.Hethenmovedto Oregon(UO)ina 1958, small-forward-sizedguardonthe California enrolling at Los Angeles Community College basketballteam.Butlookingdownfromhisdormroom where he played basketball following his discharge. in Douglass one day he saw the UO track team practic - Coach Steve Belko caught Davis on the court and- of ingatHaywardField,andhethoughtftheylookslow.g feredhimascholarshiptoplayattheUniversity ofOre fI went and tried out,g he recalls. fI started running gon.DavisenrolledattheUniversityofOregonin1957. daybydayandIhatetosimplifybuttheotherguyswere Shortly after Davis became a high jumper and long gettingtiredandIwasncttiredyet.Ijustkeptrunning. jumper g during the 1958 track season and competed in DaviswentontobecometheErstmantobreakthe45 the 10 and 02 meter events before settling into the secondbarrierinthemeters 40 andUOcsErsttwo-time40 meters. Although Davis had never competed in Olympicchampion. trackandEeldevents,heexcelledatsprinting. Davis was born in the South, segregated Alabama. Intheseason 1960 DavisbecametheAmateurAthlet TherewasaWhitehighschoolandelementary(school) icUnionChampion,breakingtherecordtimeinthe40 in the neighborhood where Davis lived, only a blockmeters or of 45.8 seconds, a time that earned him a spot so away, but Davis had to go almost three miles to the ontheU.S.nationalteam. Blackschool. fWe went to Switzerland where we were having pre Davisc grandmother raised him in a Christian - envi Olympic meets,g says Davis. fI barely made the team. I ronment and for that he is very thankful. He graduated only Enished third at the (Olympic) Trials at Palo Alto. fromIndustrialHighSchoolwhereheplayedonhis I was high still learning and experimenting how to run that schoolcsbasketballteam.Prohibitedfromattending 40, especially the against world wide runners. But I went all-White University of Alabama, he decided to leave to Switzerland and ran my fastest time. Thatcs when homeinordertoEndmoreopportunitiestocompete they at started comparing me to the German runner (Carl ahigherlevel. Kaufmann)andIguessthatcswhenIbecameoneofthe DavisenteredtheUnitedStatesAirForceandserved favorites,andhowwelockedhornslateronintheEnals.g

DrapedintheAmericanFag,OtisDavislooksforwardreFectingonhispast.

Davisadds,¨IhadtorunthatfasttobeattheGermanbecause colortoworkatSpringEeldHighSchool. he was undefeated. He was a very strong runner. He was so fItwasverydifEcult.IwastheErstpersonofcolortowork strong he always caught the other guys that passed him, at that but school and my book will outline more and more of it,g I had just enough, actually he inched ahead of me a little says bitDavis.fButitwasjustanadjustmenttomake.Theman but then I came back again. I reached for whatever the manupstairs, I call him the meet director, has always been on my upstairsgaveme.g side and gave me the strength to overcome it and things got DaviscapturedanimprobablegoldmedalintheSum 1960 - betterandIknowitcsbettertherenow.g mer Olympic Games in Rome. Davis vaulted himself into anAtErstDavisdidnctcoachtrack,buthadthefreshman bas importantsymbolduringtheCivilRightsmovement.Nodoubt, ketball team. His second year the SpringEeld team only lost heusedhisexperienceasmotivationduringhisOlympic onerun. game.fTheparentsstartedtothinkthisguyreallyknows Daviswassearchingforanequalopportunitysituation. what hecs doing,g says Davis. He could hear one of them yell Hesays,fIcallthemeters 40 anequalopportunityeventbe - ingatthekidsfdowhathesays,dowhathesays!g cause everybody starts at the same time. While being in as Davisc positive inFuence shaped the schoolcs culture a a man of color thatcs always more difEcult, but say bhey SpringEeld I got High School. He strongly believes his work in th everybody where I want them, and we are all starting at thecommunity, now in New Jersey, is as equally important as sametime.cg what hecs accomplished as an athlete. At almost 90 years of Segregationdidnctstophimbecausehealwaysbelievedheage, Davis has served as a truancy ofEcer, teacher, mentor, couldbesomething.Peoplewouldbequicktojudgebecausecoach, and board of education trustee. For several years Da helookeddifferentthanthem.Davissimplyranawayfrom vis all servedaspresidentoftheTri-StateOlympicsAlumni Ass thenegativity. ciation,acharitableorganizationthatpromotestheO Helaterearnedadegreeinhealthandphysicaleducationin and supports former athletes. In developing and expanding from 1960 theUniversityofOregon.Hethenretiredfromtrack youthprograms,hecontinuestomakeadifferenceand - inFu and Eeld in 1.96 After retiring, Davis was the Erst person of encetheyoungathletesallaroundtheworld

EVERY EVERY SHOT SHOT COUNTS COUNTS From Fairbanks to Chicago, Ruthy Hebard’s career comes full circle. IsabellaBrown

ScottBoldt

On November 9, 2019, Ruthy Hebard and to commit to this sport. the Oregon Ducks went head to head against High school basketball was much - differ the United States Womencs Basketball Team. ent in Alaska than in many mainland states. Hebard, 6-foot-4, went against two 6-foot-6 Hebard played in a high school league with allstars, one being Nneka Ogwumike from only two other teams in the conference. All the Los Angeles Sparks. Hebard grabbed 1 theteamneededtodowasbeattheothertwo boards,Enishedwithpoints, 18 andwasakey teamstohaveachanceatastatetitle.Hebard asset on defense. More than half of her - re says, fI thought this was normal until - I start boundscameontheoffensiveend. edplayingtravelballandtalkingtoothergir Hebard is a retired Oregon Duck and now and hearing how many more games they had WNBA champion who grew up in Fairbanks, toplay.g Alaska.Breakingalloddsandovercomingthe Most tournaments required a seven hour judgmentofhavingadifferentskincolor bus than drivetoAnchorage.Thesebusrideswere herparents,shecreatedanewwaytoembrace long sought out trips for Hebard. Listening t cultureandshowdiversitythroughouther music, life. staying in hotels, and making friends Born in Chicago, Hebard was later adopt - from other places highlighted a world prev ed by white parents. Her new mother, Doro- ously unknown. Not only did she improve her thy, practiced and learned for hours how basketball to skillsingeneral,butthequality m do braids in her daughtercs hair because ments shewith friends helped bring out a sweet didnctwant her to feel different thanthepersonality, other and created memories she will AfricanAmericangirlstheyseeonTV.After forever a cherish. fewYouTubetutorials,Dorothybecameapro.After having a very successful high schoo Hebard says her adopted parents have heavi - career, earning Gatorade State Player of the ly inFuenced her life, however, the decisionYear to three times and USAToday Alaska Play playbasketballwasallherown. eroftheYear,Hebardhadadecisiontomake: Growing up in Fairbanks, with a population WhichDivisionIcollegewouldsheattend? - Af ofonlyaboutpeople, 30, taughtHebardto terlotsofthinkingandlotsofoffers,includ explore a bevy of outdoor activities, learning UniversityofConnecticut,shedecidedto- con to swim, Esh, boat, hunt and pick fruit. While tinueattheUniversityofOregon.Heberdsays, Ending her faith at a local church, she fitalso was close to home and I knew my family started playing hoops. She played constantly, could catch a Fight there easily, and family is againstanyonewhowantedtogoagainsther.huge to me.g Also, fthe coaches were so nice, Early on, Hebard decided that she was ready Icouldtelltheytrulybelievedinmeandcared

RuthyHebardsmilesatherfansasshetakesthecourt.

for me no matter what I did on the court. Having Hebard and Ionescu wanted to win a champi coaches that care for you as more than just onship a so badly, putting in extra workouts and basketballplayerissometimeshardtoEnd.gtrainingtohavetheupperhandonopponentsthey Hebard joined the team and Et in right away.wouldplaysenioryear.Afteranincredibleseason EventhoughHebardclickedwiththewholeteam, and a Pac-12 Womencs Basketball Tournament she got especially close with one player, - Sabri win, Hebard was prepared to lead her team to a na Ionescu. They instantly became best friends. Enal. Just days before the Womencs March MadComing from different backgrounds brought ness Tournament there was lots of talk about themtogetherovertheyearsandtheydeveloped the new Coronavirus.There was worry about the tobeincrediblecollegeplayers,workingoff tournament each andthatitwouldnctcontinue. other. During the early years, coaches could On tell March 12, the news was out. Hebard and something special was happening on the court. the Ducks learned that their dreams of a- nation IonescucspassingandHebardcsEnishesbecame al championship had been crushed. The news iconic. Ionescu went on to become the Erst Divi - causedanewfeelingofgriefforHebard.Shewas sion I player with 2,0 points, 1,0 rebounds, stuck and didnct know how to react to the end of andassists, 1,0 whileHebardwentontobreak hercollegebasketballcareer. the record for most consecutive Eeld goals in Hebard a gotdraftedintheErstroundtothe - Chi row. Hebard and Ionescu made it a point to in- cago Sky, she had a stelar rookie campaign, and teractwithfansandsignautographsafter this games past season she got the opportunity to p and built a newfound sense of community in Eu - withsomeveteranAllStars.CandaceParker,Allie gene.Afteracoupleyears,theybecameimpossi - Quigley, and Courtney Vandersloot provided - He bletodefend,evenTeamUSAcouldnctdoit. bard with lots of advice and lessons early in her Before Hebard and Ionescu entered the pro - WNBA career. Last season, the Sky soared past gram, the Ducks went 9- in Pac-12 play. Two the Connecticut Sun and the Phoenix Mercury to years later, the team went 16-2. In just her fresh - Enishasthechampions. man season Hebard alone bagged 51 points Hebard describes being a WNBA champion onthestatsheet.InHebardcsearlyseasonsasas a funreal.Weallwerecryingandlaughing.Itcsa Duck,theattendancebyfanswassmall,noteven memoryIwillalwaysholdonto.Todoitsoyoung half capacity. By their senior season, the in team my career is a blessing and I hope it helps me was selling out Matthew Knight Arena and nowbealeaderwhenIgettobeanolderplayerinthe hadtheirnamesinalmosteveryESPNarticleleague and andhopefullywinafewmorerings.g seemed destined to win it all. After Eghting for Returning a toChicagoholdsaspecialplace inHe chancetogoagainstbignameslikeConnecticut, bardcs heart, it completes a full circle and ins Stanford, Baylor and UCLA, the Ducks made it to a newfound sense of family and meaning in her apairofElite8s,andtheFinalFour. life.

Ruthy Hebard rejoices in the Ducksc victory at the Pac-12 Tournament..

Dana Altman story

Pushing For Consistency

VeteranbasketballcoachDanaAltmanstrivesforperfectiononth

IzaiahFisher

EricEvans/GoDucks.com

DanaAltmangesturesoutacrossthecourtmid-game.

It looked like an ESPN highlight reel on November once played for in his time at Southeast Community 3 in Matthew Knight Arena as a young star drove toCollegeinNebraska.ForAltman,hisErsthead- coach thebaselinelookingreadytoscoreanimpossible inglayjob was surreal. He was fexcited to have his own up before the 7-foot giant NcFaly Dante came out ofteam,g to the point where he canct remember how the nowhere to reject the basket, an extraordinaryseason play wentfortheteam.Aftertheinitialexcitement duringanordinarypracticefortheOregon- Ducks ofcoaching bas hisownteamdieddown,thenextstepfor ketball team.Ten men stood on the court, about four Altmanturnedouttobeamassiveturningpointinhis orEveonthesideline,aswellasahandfulofcoaches, career,blazingapathtoDivisionIcoaching. and yet within the chaos of the group each individual Altmancs Erst taste of this next level came as an maintained laser-focus. The high-pitched screeching assistant coach at Kansas State University, assisting ofrubberontheJapanesetoriidecoratedFoorsLon ofthe Kruger. At the end of his career, Kruger won over arenareverberatedoffthestandsalongwiththe - 70 games occa as a head coach, proving to be a great sionalshoutofaplaycallorcorrectionfrom - mentor DanaAlt for the young, inexperienced Altman. Kruger man,coachinglikeaconductor,givingeachindividual led the team to a 20-win season before ending the playerthenotesnecessarytomakeaperfectsong. next In ranked 20 in the 1987- Enal AP poll with Alt an instant, the noise halted as everyone on the court man as his assistant. stoppedwhattheycredoingtheexactmomentawhis One season later, Altman served a short stint tleblew.Theentirestadiumsatempty,astrong- juxta as the head coach of Marshall University where he position to the extraordinarily loud Oregon fans earned that coach of the year in the Southern Conference are normally in attendance. All of a sudden the focus before returning to Kansas State as head coach. As snappedbacktothecourtasthelectureendedat - an head coach, Altman admitted he was fafraid to fail,g otherwhistleblowandpracticeresumed.Theplayers buthisfearturnedouttobemoot.Histimetherecan becameagreenandyellowblurastheyranplayafter besummarizedinoneword:clutch.Fromhavinga6-1 play, each body a Enely tuned instrument of the band recordingamesdecidedbyonepointtotheteamcs1 thatmakesuptheteam.Inthemiddleofitallwasthe gameswonintheEnalminute,Altmanwasbeginning sourceofthewhistle:DanaAltman. onlytoshowhistalent. Altmancs career thus far is eerily similar He earned to that his Erst Power 5 Conference coach of of legends in NCAA coaching history. In 35 years oftheyearinanewschool,thistimeintheBigmarking 8, coaching,hecsrackedupwins 690 andtournament 32 theErstofmanyoftheseawardsatCreighton-Univer wins on the six teams hecs coached. He holds the re - sity. In four years time, he led the team that held a cordforthemostwinsinCreightonandOregon - histo record 7-2 toanseason. 18-0 Here,hewouldcoach ry,showingthatregardlessofwherehecsathemakes three All-American Honors students as well as three a strong impression. This doesnct only reFect separate on his future NBA players, showing his impact on record, though. Each player hecs coached has come players hecs coached even outside the court. Altman to know him as a strong mentor both on and off the holdsthebeliefthatfnomatterhowtalentedyouare, court. Altman has a very strong belief in workif ethic, youdonctworkyourtailoffgyouwonctmakeittothe and this shows in his players demeanor after leaving next level in your basketball career. He states, fwecve his programs. Even since he was a player himself, never had a guy who makes it to the NBA whocs Erst schools, players, and teams alike have all learned quality an wasncttheirworkethic.g important lesson in leadership and consistencyWhile from theplayersluckyenoughtoplayfor- himcon Altman. tinued to thrive and rack up an impressive list of ac After playing guard in high school in Nebraska, complishments, he Altmandidthesame.In16years,Al wentontoattendFairburyJuniorCollege(nowknown tmanwouldgoontobecomethewinningestcoachin as Southeast Community College) where he spentCreightonhistory,aswellasthethirdmostwinningin time developing his skills. He also earned an associ - the Missouri Valley Conference, racking up 327 wins ate degree in business administration before moving beforeeventuallymovingon. on to Eastern New Mexico University in 1980 to earn On April 24, 201 Altman made history, inking a anundergraduatedegreeinthesameEeld. seven-year deal with the University of Oregon as the From 1980-2 Altman assisted in coaching the new head coach. He took over following a mediocre Mountaineers at Western Colorado University. After yearfortheDucks,leavingroomforimprovement.He this, he found himself coaching the same team immediately hecd foundhisgroove,leadingtheteamtoa

14 OregonguardWillRichardsonrisesabovethedefenseforabasket.

21-8 season before making the sweet 16 in the 201portive of his players both on and off the court. He wants season 13 twoyearslater.Justtwoyearsafterthisplayoff his players to know consistency both on and off the Foor appearance,hewentontomakehisErstEliteEightappear - inhiscoachingandmentoring.Theplayershecoaches un ance,thentheFinalFourtheyearafter. derstandhim,andviceversa. After two 30-plus win seasons, Altman was at an alltime high for his career: the Elite Eight of the - NCAA tour namentagainstthethird-rankedteaminthenation.Asthe Enalsecondsclosedoutofamassiveupsetoverthenum ber one seeded Kansas, he couldnct help but feel proud. As the practice came to a close on November 3 every fAfterspendingsevenyearscoachingKansasState,itone waslooked exhausted.There was barely enough air left in anamazingfeelinggtogointoKansasandbeatthemby14 them to talk. After the team huddle, they all stood there points in front of 18,0 of their fans. He recalled that his for a moment, hands over their heads, breathing heavily. familyfromNebraskawastheretoseethisaswell,adding Oneplayer,though,continuedtoshoot.Hehadbeengrilled tothefeelingofaccomplishment.Altmancreditedthe allwin practice over the most minute details, and seemed as to how fsmart and hard (the team) played.g He especial- thoughhehadtoprovetohimselfhewasbetterthanthat. ly gave credit to Tyler Dorsey, saying that he fmade some Altman knew this player had serious talent, and thatcs ex shots which created separation, which was the reason actly we whyhecdbeensohardonhim. wereabletowinbyg14. Hepulledhimasideafterpractice,andalthoughitwasnct After just one season without a playoff appearance, possible he to hear what was said, it was easy to understand returnedtotheSweet16in1920beforethepandemic.For thegistofit:Altmanknowsofyetahigherlevelinwhichhe Altman, this meant re-learning whatcs most important strives in to prepare players and the player wanted to reach the game of basketball: having fun. He recalls seeingthe thesamelevel. playersbeingforcedtostayintheirroomsatalltimes Altman and clearly sees each individuals within the green being unable to go out and enjoy themselves. The lack ofand yellow blur of his practices. These individuals all emotion in the players helped Altman come to the-realiza learntofknowconsistencygthankstoAltmancsmentoring, tionthatftheycancttrulybesatisEedunlesstheycre meaning having everyonehastheseindividualtalks;everyonegets fun.g grilled from time to time; everyone has the ability to be Altman believes that to have fun as a team you havecomethegreatesttheycanpossiblybe.Altmansays, foff to win, so he brings this belief to each team he coaches. theFoorIcmtheretosupportthemallthetime.OntheFoor While fno two years are ever alike,g Altman is always - sup Icmtheretopushthem;todrivethemconstantly.g

DanaAltmantalksstrategywithhisplayersinbetweenquarter 17

Wrestling Insecurities CarlosVasquezLopezovercomes hisdoubtsandEndssuccessin wrestling. CarlosVasquezLopez IrisRamirezAlvarez

Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart felt as ShowinguptotheErstdayofpractice,Iwas thoughitwasabouttoexplodeoutofmychest. eager I to start. The year leading up to the- sea couldfeelbloodpumpingintoeveryvein,sending son, I had been getting in shape. I was sure that atinglingfeelingthroughoutmybody.Myadren - wrestling could not be that much harder than alineracedasIrealizedthatthiswouldnolonger what I had already been doing so far. I could not bejustadrill.Ihadbeentrainingforthisevery haveday been more wrong. Never before had I been forthepastcouplemonths,yetitfeltasthough pushedItothebrinkofpassingout. hadneverdoneitbefore. It started off relatively easy, learning how My head scrambled through every possible to move around the mat, and some basic shots thingthatcouldgowrong:fWhatifIcmnotready? and takedowns. It did not take long though for it WhatifIembarrassmyself?Whatifwelose?gtorampupintofastpaceddrills,wherewewould I had not experienced a loss yet, or a win takeourpartnerdownfortwostraightminutesat forthatmatter.ButIhadworkedtoohardforathis time.BymythirdorfourthturnIwascompletely moment, putting in months of blood, sweat, and gassed. Having to take someone down over and tears; I could not just psych myself out. I hadover no again was already difEcult, but then - hav other option than to reach deep down, muster ing to get slammed repeatedly right after made every bit of courage, and walk up to the mat. I catching my breath impossible. I could feel my took the step onto the tough mat, eyes Exed tolungsburningasIfoughttotakeinandconserve the center where my opponent stood, feeling the everylastbreath.Yet,thehardestpartwasyetto presence of the sea of people on the bleachers. come.Soon,practicingtakedownsturnedintofull The wrestlers and coaches surrounded the mat, onwrestling.Wewerelockedinwithourpartners, forming a makeshift wall around it. I picked now up Eghting for takedowns instead of just- prac myleftankleandwrappeditaroundmyright,then ticingthem.Asthelessexperiencedandyounger proceededtogetintomystance. wrestler, I was thrown around pretty badly, only A loud piercing sound shot through the managing air to get a couple takedowns. Topping beginning the match and pushing me through off the session, was the longest half an hour of thatthresholdofanxiety. sprints ever. Collapsing after every sprint, I des perately tried to recover in time for the - next, feel ing every heartbeat, and the struggling effort of mylungstotryandkeepup.Myarmsandlegsno longerfeltuseful,onlydeadweight. Past the point of utter exhaustion, I could barely feel, let alone move my limbs. Looking Up until the tenth grade, the idea of partak - around, everyone else was struggling just as I inginasport,beingpartofateam,intrigued was. me.Everyone was collapsed on the Foors and Too afraid to take the Erst step, however, I never wallsgaspingforair,someeventhrowingup,but dared attempt it. Since the start of high school, evenso,notoneofthemhadquit.Onlyby pushfriendssuggestedwrestling,explainingthat ing Ihad each other were we Enally able to survive the thecorrectbuild,thinkingIwouldgenuinely two enjoy andahalfhoursthatwasthatdreadful - prac the challenge. Convincing me at last, I signed up tice.Theresult:immediateteambonding. justaweekbeforetheseasonbegan. Latersittinginthelockerroomcompletely

defeated, a deep soreness settled into my off his volley of attacks. Two minutes later, the body,givingmethestructuralsupportofJello. Erstperiodended.Exhaustedandoutofenergy,I fThis has undoubtedly been the hardest, feltmystrengthleavemybody.Withoutlookingat mostexhaustingthingIhaveeverdoneinmylife,the g scoreboard,IknewthatIwasbehind.TheErst Ithought. perioddidnotgomyway,butIpickedmybodyup Thenexttwomonthswerefullofpainand andlineduponceagainreadyforthenextround. toil,allinpreparationformyErsttournament. For the Erst minute we fought for control; bothofusnotwantingtheothertogainanypoints, but I ultimately lost that battle as I was brought to the ground with a harsh double leg. On top, he placedsomuchpressureonmethatmyarms- col lapsed. Knowing that if I stayed in the bottom for Lookingatthe schedule,watchingmyname muchlongerIwouldgetpinned,Imusteredupall getcloserandcloser,IEnallybegantowarmup.my I remaining strength and got up onto my legs. practicedmystance,myshots,myescapes,butInstantly, I Ifeltmyfeetleavethegroundashe - be couldncthelpbutfeelnervous.Myhandsbeganto gantopickmeup,andIrealizedthatIwasabout shakeandfearbegantosetin. togetslammed. fI am about to go up against someone with Everyboneinmybodyfelttheweightofmy muchmoreexperiencethanme,andhereIamnot opponent as my face met the mat with crushing evencomfortableinmystanceyet,gIthought. force.Afterallofthatwork,Iwasinanevenworse Themomenteventuallycame.Ihadtopush position, slowly and painfully being turned on to througheverythingandjustwrestle. my back. I tried to break the pin, but I had spent As my coach gave me what I can only as - everylastdropofenergy,anddespitemybest- ef sumeweresomepointers,Istaredblanklyathim, fortswasunabletoEghthimoff.Iwaspinned. not listening to a word he was saying. Instead I I was distraught and mad at myself for not scrambled through my brain trying to gather trying asto at least shoot a shot, but the loss gave much of what I had learned the past couple of me something new to strive toward. I now knew months as I could, but my mind was blank. Com - the bitter taste of defeat and it made me wrestle pletely scared, I walked to the center of the mat better in my next two matches, which I ended up for the Erst time. All of a sudden, all of the - chat winning. I could not explainthe feeling of joy and tering,theothermatches,everythingwentsilentz excitement that Elled my body when the referee onlythesoundofmybreathingandthebeatingheld of my hand up in the air after winning those my heart remained. matches. Once the tournament ended I went Now reaching the center of the mat, I lined homeoverjoyedwiththeresults. up and shook my opponentcs hand. Then I heard IEnishedtheseasonwitharespectablewinthe loud high pitched sound of the referee - blow lossratioandearnedtherookieoftheyearaward. ing his whistle, initiating the match. Immediately, Throughouttheseason,Imadeclosefriends,who the two of us battled for dominant position. I would He have never made and who helped me demonstrated superior knowledge and conE - throughoutmyjourney.Mostimportantly,though, dence, while the only goal in my mind was to not wrestling taught me that only by stepping out of get pinned, putting me on the defensive, fendingmycomfortzonecouldIdiscovermyself.

IrisRamirezAlvarezexploresdowntownEugeneonafallafterno

New York Daydream IrisRamirezAlvarezdreamsofdancinginNewYorkCity. IrisRamirezAlvarez

PiperEdwardsSugg

he sky was overcast, silver and gains - honking at each other masked the beautiful boro. Not one ray of sunshine trickled soundofastreetmusicianshowcasinghis tal in through the dull sky of New York enttosurviveinthelargecity.Itseemedas- ifev City. It appeared sad, matching theeryonehadcometoNewYorktomakedreams way I felt. It was just yesterday when I had left come true. Its beauty only made me eager to everythingbehindzmyfriends,family,freedom, stay, eager to eat, breathe, sleep, and dance. everythingzleavingwithnohesitation.The I took feara couple of steps towards the main - en andexcitementinmybodybattledtooverthrow trance of the grand building and stopped to oneanotherasIfollowedmydreamsofbecom- takeitin.Itookadeepbreathandproceededto ingaballetdancer.Ihadonechancetoproveto makemywayupthestairs. myself that I was doing the right thing. I was Inside, there were hundreds of students about to audition for the School of American all there for the same thing. It struck me like a Ballet(SAB)There . wasnothingmoreIwanted cord, realizing I was one of many. We were all intheworldthantoaccomplishtheonlydream hereforthesamething. blittle mec had. I wanted to feel the acceptance As I looked around my insecurities rose. of alargecrowd asIdancedonstage,to taste There were beautiful girls everywhere. Girls perfection.Itallfeltsosurreal. with porcelain skin, long necks, ribs protruding Theschoolwassurroundedbyurban - ar from their medium sized torsos, their legs and chitecture.The sounds of cars whirlingarms by andlongenoughtotouchthesky,theideal

ballerina. My height and weight didnct help of memy eye four people were sitting down at a at all. I was petite compared to these girls.table, My eachoneeyeingdowneverydancerinthe conEdence slowly started to drift away from room,includingme.Ifeltpressureandrealized my body. Intimidated, I looked down, brushed they were judging me. I tried to stay calm and off my thoughts and began to stretch and put continued to dance while keeping a soft smile on my pointe shoes. I mentally and physically onmyface. prepared to dance. OnceIgotmorecomfortable,Istartedfeel As I watched each group enter the studio, ingthemusic,embracingtheemotion.Ifeltmy which was surrounded by mirrors, I felt conEdence my drop as I realized they were cutting stomach sink. Each audition was more pow - peopleasweweredancing.Thesuddenstress erful than the previous. In the corner, I saw made a my legs weak and I began to lose bal girlwipingawaytears.Wassheinpain?Orjust ance. The song ended. I followed all the other nervous? I couldnct tell. Emotion inundated the dancers, and stood in Efth position with my room. The scrawny girl took me back a couple hands behind my back, my Engers playing with ofyearstowhenIErstbecameadancer.Itwas each other as the nervous rush overcame my the summer of 2013. I was in the left wing of body,anticipatingadecision. thestagewatchingtheperformancethatcame before mine.The dancers were all rhythmically together; the light hitting their painted faces. I wascountingthebeatsastheywentbyandbit on my nails nervously. I felt a wet tear roll off my rosy, makeup-caked cheek. I was appalled Theblaringsound ofmyalarmwokemeup, as to why I was crying. It was the Erst time I interrupting my dream. Still drowsy, I turned to had felt extremely nervous. The Erst time I felt mysidetohitthesnoozebutton,hopingIcould pressuretobeperfect.Aloudvoicebrought getmea few more minutes of sleep. Defeated, I backtorealityasIrealizedmygroupwasnext. pushedoffmyblanketsandsatup.Isighedas fGroupnumbersix,youarefreetoimproviseIreplayedmydreamoverandoveragain,wishon the next piece,g the tall, pale faced womaning it was reality. It was a very cloudy day in spoke monotonously. The group spread out SpringEeld, almost like my dream in New York, across the room. Different types of dancers only lacking excitement and ambition. Outside, materialized.ThemoreconEdentonesstoodatthe same view from my window remained un thefront,whilsttheshyonesstucktothe touched. back. There stood the big tree that I saw Unsure of where to go, I stood in the middle each morning, surrounded by apples scattered to stay neutral. Before I knew it, Le Cygne (the on the ground waiting to decay, and the sad swan)byCarnivalofAnimalsstartedplaying. rusty swing set, slightly moving with the small I could feel my palms getting sweaty and estgustofwind.Ithadbeenalmostaweekthat my breath escaping my lips. I began to dance,thesamedreamcameupinmysleep,asadre letting the rhythm move me. Out of the corner minder,showingmehowdifferentmylife.

was compared to what I wish it were. Everyday amthesamegirlwiththesameburningdesire. was repetitive, lacking adventure, and freedom.I walked outside to my backyard, slowly breath NotonedaypassedwhereIdidnctfeeltiedup,as ing in the smell of raindrops on the wet grass. I iftheworldconspiredtokeepmefromfollowing could hear the faint chirping of the- birds chas mydreams.Ifeltweigheddown.ThelasttimeI ing each other in the sky. I sat down on a chair, hadever setfoot inadancestudioseemedfor - themetalcoldfrom themorningfog. Mybrown ever ago. I was scared to go back, afraid thateyesoverlookedthetallpinetreemissingafew it was too late to try to get back up. New Yorkbranches that had been taken out by the strong CitywasaworldIlongedtoexperience.Icveset windsovernight.Ithenlookedoveratthedried asidemydreamstofocusonschool,mydreams out rose bush, as well as the plants that lacked onlysurfaceduringsleep. life as they slowly wilted from the deEciency of AsmuchasIwishedtodanceamongstthe sunshine.AsmuchasIhatedthistownforbeing best dancers in the world, there was a voice - in so different from what I wanted, I felt a sense side of me repetitively telling me that itof wasnct relief.Mymindwasclearerthanever.Icould worthtrying,thatIcouldnctlivethelifeIfeel wanted. mydoubtvanishingawayfrommybody,re Ihavealwaysbeencaughtuplivinguptoevery - placedbyanewsenseofconEdence. onecselsecsstandards,buryingmydreams. AsIlookedaroundatthefamiliarlandscape I had to focus on what mattered most, mak - of my backyard I realized: This was my New ing something out of my life. I was pulled in so York. This world that seemed so sad at times many directions by so many people, constant - was mine, and I was the only one who could ly contemplating whether the decisions I made change it. It was time for me to stop dreaming weretherightones.Iwasstuck.Iwantedtoful - about the life I had always wanted, and start Ell everyonecs expectations and had forgotten making it come true. I told myself I could be thatminewerejustasimportant. whateverIwanted.Ifeltatease. Iwantedfreedom.Iwantedtodance,travel, Itstartedtodrizzle.Ilookedupintothesky andcreatemyownpath,facemyownstruggles, andsawthehazystratuscloudshoveringabove aswellasovercomethem. me.Ihoppedoffmyseatandwalkedouttofeel Theideaoffailurescaredmethemost.Iwas thecolddropsofwaterhitmyskin,causing - shiv afraidofmakingimpulsivedecisionsthat ers endeddown my spine. It was freezing, but I didnct in regret. I hated the thought of failingmind. myself, Ifeltcomfort,foritwastheErsttimeina anddisappointingeveryone.Ittookawhileto - re long time where I felt good about myself, and alize how much I was tearing myself down, but what lay ahead. I spun around with uncontrol over time I realized I was the only person that lable joy as the rain poured harder, each drop mattered when it came to my future. No matterhitting my nose and eyelashes. I set off on my howdifferentmylifeisinmydreams,inreality, journey I tomakemydreamsEnallycometrue.

SarahEbertsmilesoutsideadancestudioattheUniversityofOreg

Storytelling Through Movement CarlyBramhall

PiperEdwardsSugg

UniversityofOregonprofessorSarahEbertstretchesth creativepotentialofmovement.

On October 21, clumps of dancers socialized and fSarah recognizes each person as an individual stretched in dance instructor Sarah Ebertcsand studio supports at them exactly how they need to be sup the University of Oregon (UO). As Ebert checked inported in the moment,g says Ebertcs student Faolan with the dancers, the faint sound of music played Adams. in fShe has truly inFuenced the way in which I the background. Students with different stories experience and danceandthechoicesthatIhavemadeto perspectives Elled the room as they were given the spendtimedancing.g freedomtoexpressthemselveshowevertheywished. Ebert carries out her classes in such a way that Ebertcs Dance 512class was full of movers with vary - creates community and connections that far outlast ing skill levels, some in their Erst ever class, the others time spent in the studio. Whether students spend having danced their whole life. Ebert made sure - ev yearswithher,orjustasemester,theygrowimmense eryone felt accepted and unjudged. The vulnerabil - ly as dancers, but more importantly as people.- For in ity bounced from dancer to dancer as they fumbled stance,EbertheavilyinFuencedAdamsccollege- appli throughunchartedterritory. cationaswellasbeingaguidingforceinherresearch Ebertsaid,fyoucanlaughyourwaythrough,youcre paper. totallyEne.g As uncoordinated bodies moved through the space, confused glances were exchanged between dancers. Still, Ebert gave them the conEdence to feel uncomfortable in the movement and keep pushing. In a college class it is unusual to keep all students Ebert was born to dance, and she was born to engaged for the duration of class, but Ebert found teach, a too.Shesays,frumorhasitwhenmymomwas way. By involving the dancers in the decision making pregnantwithmeandgoingintolaborshewaswatch process, they leaned into the curriculum even more. ingTV and there was a ballet airing on PBS. So I was At the end of class, groups of people made beautiful kindofbornintoamusicanddanceenvironment.g compositionsofmovementthattheydidnctknowwere Her mom and dad were huge supporters of the possible. As they nervously presented their pieces, arts.Shestarteddancingaroundthehouseina- hand dancers were greeted with nothing but encourage - made tutu from her nana and little ballet shoes. She ment from their peers, and Ebert. In the span of two thenmovedtotakingballetclassesattheonlystudio hours,Ebertseeminglytransformedtimidcollege in her kidstiny hometown in Illinois. At 13, she was really intogracefulperformers. interestedintakingjazzandtap.Thisfurthersparked Ebert earned her BFA and MFA in dance, and her infatuation with dance. As she grew, so did her has certiEcations as a somatic movement educator timespentatthestudio,andtheeagerstudentstarted and an embodied anatomy and yoga teacher. She tobecometheteacher.Atjustshe 15, beganteaching increased her knowledge and talent by traveling and dance classes at the studio in which she learned her studying abroad, in Paris and China for instance.craft. She hassincesettleddownwithherhusbandandtwokids Ebertcs dedication to dance increased when - of inSpringEeld,Oregonandhasestablishedrootsat fered UO the opportunity to dance in Paris. With - the ex and Eugene Ballet.To many people, Ebert is so much pensethatcamewiththattripherfatherwantedtobe more than a teacher. surethatthiswassomethingshecouldapplytoher

By Carly Bramhall

career and told her that in order to ested go in being the master or the gatekeeper to Paris, she would have to pursue dance inof knowledge. I just learn so much from my college. She eagerly agreed. Returning to the students.g states with a new found perspective, she was When kids feel as though they have a say determined and ready to take her dancing ca - in what goes on in the studio, they become reer to the next level and auditioned for - col more invested in their dance educa legedanceprograms. tion. Ebert has created a comfI auditioned at the University of Illinois, munity of people that want to which[has]areallyincredibledanceprogram. learn, and in more aspects of Ihadnoidea,gshesaid.fItwasamodernfocus lifethanjustdance. andIwentandIauditionedandIfellinlove.g fWeareinaglobalclimate HerstudiesattheUniversityofIllinois crisis led anddancingbodiescanfeel to a career of dance that she never knew was irrelevant,but[they]arenct,gsaysEbert.fOur possible. Teaching has always been natural bodiescarryourstoriesandourbodiestellour for her and she feels an overwhelming sense stories.g of emotion when thinking about her passion.She has given dancers the feeling of- pur Ebert says, fwords become really hard whenpose and relevance. Dance is so much more I think about it but if i had to distill than it toan one art form. It can be used for storytell word. It could be connection or maybe com - ing, expression, even protest. When dancers munity. I teach because I love to move with realize the impact of their dancing- they be otherpeople.g come so much more powerful. Teachers like Ebertareresponsiblefordancersgaining con Edenceintheirworktomakerealchangeand have real purpose in their lives. When - every thing is said and done, dance allows people to become artists, and without art, life might Whileteaching251dance her classatthe proveunfulElling. UO,Ebertbouncedacrossthestudioandcon As the 251 dance class came to an end stantly changed her orientation to the inclass the massive Gerlinger Annex studios, Ebert so she could properly engage with everyone. andclassraisedtheirarmsandtookaconclu When she paired dancers up to talk about the sive bow. As they packed up their stuff, they movementathand,sheinvolvedherselfinthe playfullyconversedandexchangedcontact - in conversationsaswell. formationfortheirupcomingproject.Danceis Ebert creates movement that tells stories a vulnerable experience but Ebert harnessed andinvitesherstudentstodothesame.Even that vulnerability and used it to create bonds. her less seasoned classes get to experience It may be upside down laughter while her enthusiasm and passion for dance. From experimenting with cart simplewalkingpatterns,tocomplexcombina - wheels or discussing a tionsofmovement,Ebertcsdancersaretaught dance performance they todancewithenergyandintensity. saw, but those moments only Ebertsays,fIamsogratefulforthose - mo strengthen the community of ments as an educator where the world getsmovers that she has promoted Fipped upside down. Because Icm not inter- forsomanyyears.

ArnettaJohnsonposesforhernewestalbumIfYouHearaTrumpetitcsMe.

Disruptive Jazz Arnetta Johnson pushes the limits of music through constant innovation.

BraydenHilderbrand

MadisonShelton

more often than not I would just get referred to Atyears 13 old,ArnettaJohnsonwatchedher asbThatTrumpetChicc,gJohnsondisclosed. - fAf brother walk in and out of the band classroom ter a while, I ended up taking that name up as a doors several times before. She had no idea handle of sorts. g whatlaidbeyondthematthetimeuntilcuriosity gotthebetterofheroneday.UponenteringsheIt was until a few years later in high school thatJohnsondecidedtocontinueherpursuitin wasmetwithacacophonyofnoisefromavari music.Withseveralyearsofplayingexperience ety of horns and percussive instruments. That was the same day that Johnson Erst began her behind her, Johnson started to think about a possiblecareerinmusic. relationshipwiththetrumpetandbycorrelation fI didnct have much else and, quite honestly, theworldofmusic. I Despitehermotherbeingamusicteacher,shewanted to see where it would take me,g says Johnson. hadneverpressuredherkidsintotakingan - inter At the time, Johnsoncs unique style blended estinmusicthemselves.ItwasnctuntilJohnson the met a student teacher named Nasir Dickerson blues,hip-hop,andjazz,however,sherecog nized that whenever people heard her play they thatshetrulybegantotakeoff.AlthoughbrieFy would assume that she was just a jazz musi dabbling in percussive instruments, it was the cian. This left Johnson a bit disgruntled, - recall trumpetthatshewaseventuallydrawnto.From ing Nicholas Paytoncs idea that fjazz is almost there, Dickerson began teaching her all - the ba a derogatory termg due to its roots in blues and sicsandintroducedhertohismusicallyinclined Black American Music. brotherandagoodfriend,JamalDickersonand Hassan Sabree respectively. Dickerson and - Sa fIwantedtodestroyeverynotionofwhatjazz was,g says Johnson. fI wanted to reclaim my bree both earned degrees in music education musicformyself.g from Morgan State University and likewise had beenplayingthetrumpetfromyoungages.TheyThis proclamation led to the creation of her iconic all helped cultivate Johnsoncs love for the trum fdisrupted jazzg style. Taking ideas from a plethora of music genres such as jazz, R&B, petbyintroducinghertotheartofimprovisation and hiphop, Johnson put her own unique spin along with instilling into her that music is a gift on things in order to create something entirely that she should respect and have passion for. her own. It was during this time that Johnson gained a Johnson credits a lot of her growth beyond nickname that would become a staple through high school to her mentors Jill Scott and Tia outhercareer,ThatTrumpetChic. Fuller. Scottisasinger,songwriter,model,poet, fNobody could ever remember my name, so

and actress who founded the Blues Babe says Johnson. fIf they donct like it they can Foundation as a way to cultivate the aca movearound.g demic and artistic success of kids from un Over her years, Johnsoncs goals had al derservedcommunitiesinnorthPhiladelphia waysbeengrowinglargerassheprogressed and Camden. The Blues Babe Foundation as a musician. fWhen I was in college my allowed Johnson to continue her musical goal was to become an artist, after that it pursuit through Berklee College of Music, was to travel the world with an artist. Now, I where she metTia Fuller, a saxophonist andhavemysightssetontravelingtheworldas professor at Berklee. Scott and Fuller - recog anartist,gJohnsonexplained. nized Johnsoncs drive and provided her with That desire is quite evident in Johnsoncs nothing but support throughout herbehavior, years at treating any and all performances Berklee. asiftheywereherlast.Shespokeofoneof fWhenever I needed help or assistance her recents shows on July 4, her Erst gig as they were always willing to take time outan artist since the pandemic. fI wanted to of their schedules to respond to me,g says delivermymaxfortheaudience,gsaysJohn Johnson.fTheycouldseehowseriousIwas son. fTo give them something they werenct aboutwhatIwantedtodowithmusic.g expecting.g Johnsoncs mentors were also a source WhenJohnsonErstwalkedintothatband of inFuence and inspiration for her music room all those years ago she would have as well. Having gotten the chance to travelneverthoughtthatitwouldleadhertowhere and perform with several artists including she is today.The trumpet opened up a slew Fuller and Beyonc(, Johnson has had an of possibilities. Johnsoncs been introduced abundanceofmusicalexperiencesthathave to a number of people due to her musical inFuenced her music to some degree. Johnpursuit, many of whom have become men son claims that black music as a whole has torsandinFuentialpeopleinhercareer.She alwaysbeenamajorinspiration. wants to continue taking strides within the In the last year, Johnson has used her music industry, forever taking her artistry to music as a way to express her feelings onthe next level, forever outdoing her previous serious issues of racism. Her latest single, performances, striving for something bigger fMove Around,g is an ode to being unapolthan herself. fMusic is for all the moments ogetically black and confronts issues words in canct explain,g she says, and it has volving people such as George Floyd and acted as a gateway for Johnson, allowing Breonna Taylor, including a heavy portionher of to both express herself along with using rappingandvocalsfromJohnson.fIamjusther voice as an artist to touch on real world trying to live the normal human experience, issues. g

ArnettaJohnsonlooksoutatthecrowdmid-set.

Composing A Dream ComposerCodyFryEndstriumphinhispassionformusic.

GraceBone

TylerScott

OrchestralpopstarCodyFryposesforaprofessionalphotoshoot.

Atonepointoranother,manypeopledaydreamabout beingfamous,sharingtheirtalentswiththeworld.Yet, mostpeopledonctgettoliveoutthatdream,exceptfor CodyFry,asinger-songwriterofhisownstyle,whathe callsforchestralpop.g Fry grew up in NorthEeld, Illinois with a musical family. His dad, Gary, wrote jingles for commercials, such as McDonaldcs, Nintendo, and other big compa nies.AtonepointGaryrealizedthathisfourkidswould beaperfectEttosinginthejingles.Codyandhisthree sisters experienced making music from a young age while also having access to a professional home stu dio. Fry refers to these musical experiences- as fwin ningthelotteryasakid.g As the need for jingles started dying down, Gary Fry recently was nominated for a grammy for his transitioned into orchestral writing whilenew Fry was in orchestral version of the Beatlesc song, Eleanor highschool,andtheimpactwasdramatic. Rigby,underthecategoryofbestarrangement,- instru fIcvejustalwayslovedmusicandwhenIlookedatmy ments,andvocalsfor20Grammyawards. daditjustseemedlikehewashavingfunallthetime,Being g amusicalcomposerseemsincredible,yetFrycs says Fry. fAnd so when youcre a kid and you see this seen his fair share of challenges. fYoup sit in it for a person you love whocs working and just so happy all longenoughperiodtokindofgetsomethinggoodout, the time, youcre just kinda like, bwell I want to do that, anditcsexhausting,gsaysFry. seemsgreat!cg f[Songwriting]issupertiring. Learning to play many instruments throughoutIt his takes a lot of energy and effort, at least for me high school and college years, Fry tinkered with the songwriting isprettydifEcult,gheexplains. guitar, piano, trumpet, and saxophone, and then - atOne of the main things that he has discovered that tendedBelmontUniversityinNashville,Tennessee.He keeps him motivated is learning new things, turning hassinceaddedmandolinandaccordion. the things he learned into a product or a song. He When Fry was 24 years old, he went on American loves the fact that he has a job that revolves around Idol, earning a golden ticket to a further round - inhis Hol loveformusic,wherehecangrowasanartistand lywood. During his time at Belmont, Fry performed as humanbeing. a pianist and did backup vocals with the well-knownFrysaysthatwheneversomethinggoeswrongina singer-songwriter Ben Rector. Rector and Fry started performance, he treats it as a cool experience for the atourcalledfThebOldFriendscAcousticTourginaudience 20, because they get to see something that no but the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down, oneelsegottoseeandexperienceforthemselves.fIf causingthetourtobecanceled. youcanturnitintoamomentthatfeelslikethecrowd Recently, Fry discovered that his song, I Hear A gottoseesomethingthatnooneelsegottosee,that Symphony, had blown up on TikTok with millions of islikeahugewin,gFryadvises. views by people commenting on his YouTube video. Fry says that he has wasted so much time in his Fry looked more into the app and started his own - ac career waiting for someone to be successful. Rather count, posting fun short videos to keep spreading hiswaiting, Fry says the best thing to do is to just than name.AsthenumberofusesofFrycsmusicincreased, practice, then practice more and more, write good his listeners on Spotify monthly listenerssongs, increased learn the best way to distribute those songs, to extreme numbers in the millions, 3,042617 and is thenredoitalloveragainasmanytimesasnecessary. continuouslyontherapidrise.

ThesecondpieceofadviceFrygives,isonehastoget whostrivetodothesame. to know themself. Fry says, fknowing yourself is super bIwanttocreatesomethingthatonlyIcando,cthatwas important because you have to realize that and Egure whensuccessfoundme.g outhowtomakeartoutofit.g AcommonproblemthatpeoplefaceistryingtoEgure He adds, fthe second I let go of those previous ex outwhattheyshoulddowiththeirlife.Fryhas - somein pectationsandmovedintomoreofamindsetof,bIwant sightintowhathethinks,fIthinktherecslike- asuperpow to create something that only I can do,c that was whenerforhumans;beingabletotellwhatyoureallylove,and successfoundme.g itcs like the thing that when youcre doing it, you totally fI think therecs like a superpower for humans; being losetrackoftime,gsaysFry. able to tell what you really love, and itcs like the thing This leads to some profound advice for fans: fEnd thatwhenyoucredoingit,youtotallylosetrackoftime, that g thingthatyoulosetrackoftimedoing,and - justEg saysFry.fFindthatthingthatyoulosetrackof - time ure doouthowyoucandothatasmuchaspossible.g ing, and just Egure out how you can do that as much Everyone is capable of being great, as Fry said, itcs all as possible.g Everyone is capable of being great, as Fry aboutEndingthatthingthatyoulosetrackoftimedoing. said, itcs all about Ending that thing that you lose Iftrack youcantakesomethingthatyoucrepassionateabout, oftimedoing.Ifyoucantakesomethingthatyoucre - pas with enough work you can go far with it and Cody Fry sionate about, with enough work you can go far with it exempliEes that ideology. Having found what he loved and Cody Fry exempliEes that ideology. Having found from a young age he was able to make his passion for whathelovedfromayoungagehewasabletomakehis musicintosomethingthathestilllovestothisday,and passion for music into something that he still has loves setto himselfasaninspirationforotherswhostrive thisday,andhassethimselfasaninspirationfordo others the same.

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Contributed

AuthorShaunDavidHutchinsondepictshisstruggleswithidentitythroughhiswr

Writingactsasaconversationbetweenauthorand fWe put so much worth into [college].. we do that reader.Amutualagreementthattheworkproducedisand then it makes students feel like their self worth just as open to criticism as it is to praise. Whenis done tied to whether or not a college accepts or reject correctly, books are deeply humbling affairs. them, They gHutchinsonsays.fAndiftheyrejectyou, theycre openthedoorforconnectionbetweentwopeoplewho notjustrejectingyourapplication,theycrerejecti haveneverhad,andlikelyneverwill,meet.Critically - ac personally is how it feels.g Believing he lost his only claimed young adult author, Shaun David Hutchinson, chance at escaping Florida, Hutchinson saw his peers understandsthisvulnerabilitywell.InHutchison 2019, preparingfortheirfutures,whilehestillreconci released his memoir Brave Face, an exploration ofhis past. His time in high school ended with an- explo mental health through growing up and coming outsive in baccalaureate speech to the graduating class of the 80cs and 90cs. Beginning with Hutchinsoncs intro 196, quite easily summed up with Hutchinson raising duction, a content warning and acknowledgement of hismiddleEnger. whatcs to come, ending with his recovery from- a sui Nowcompletelyunmoored,Hutchinsonhadturned cideattemptyythenovelhighlightsthebestandworst tonewmethodsofdealingwithhisproblemszself partsofanyonewhogrewuponthefringesofaccep harm.ThisnewinFictionpushedhimfurtheradrift tance. asheenrolledin,andbeganclassesatPalmBeach Floridaisaconfusingplaceforanyonetogrowup, CommunityCollege. oftentimes a swirling mashup of retirement homes Identity is a state of constant Fuidity. It isnct one andspringbreakparties,itrelishesinitsowndisorder. thing, one trait, one characteristic or philosoph A native Floridian, Hutchinson understood the chaos. determines the cohesiveness of a person. College He himself was caught up in the confusing spiral is ofinstrumental to many in distinguishing- this ind a progressive household, the sweaty unpleasantness uality. College also has a way, as all of society does, of southern ignorance, and the suffocating unease of pigeonholing people into preconceived notions of of having no idea what his life could possibly hold. whattheyshouldbe.Therearestrongstereotypes sur Discomforts that were only elevated by Hutchinsoncs rounding the characterization of a cisgender gay man: strugglewithhisqueeridentityanddepression. Famboyant, feeble, lecherous, and loud. fThere was And while the two shared connections, they were also this cultural aspect of it, where the only gay peo more parallel than they were synonymous. fI wasnct ple you saw on tv were the stereotypical Famboyant, depressed because I was gay. I was depressed and feminine,gaypeople.Sothosetwothingstogether cre gay,g Hutchinson explains in Brave Face. After yearsatedtheinternalizedhomophobiapIdidnctwantmyself of seeing the stereotypical gay man mocked and- rid to be associated with them [queer people]zbecause I iculed, used as nothing more than an easy joke or as didnctwanttobegay.g a warning that there was no normalcy allowed in the While at Palm Beach, Hutchinson was stuck in the fgay lifestyle,g from far too young an age Hutchison push and pull of this tide, desperately wanting to be sawnofuturewherehecouldbeacceptedandhonest. seen for what he was, without being forced to sacri Exclusion is an exhausting form of rejection. The Ece authenticity or risk confrontation. He experimen constant reminders of his status as an outsideredand with hair styles and box dye, earrings and ripped the endless onslaught of unchecked mental illness clotheszanything he could use to insinuate without wore on Hutchinson. He had come out to a couple of having to explain. This insecurity culminated in hi people, but still his relationships with those scribbling around the word fQUEERg on a t-shirt and wearing himweresuspendedinadanceoftentativetruthsand it on campus.The result was lackluster at best, utterl terriEed lies. Relationships that were made no easier humiliatingattheworst.Heexpressedhimselftheonly by the letter of rejection from his dream school, wayNew heknewhow,andinsteadofEndingcommunityhe YorkUniversity. foundhimselfmoreostracizedthanever.

DesignbySarahCreech,illustrationbyCaseyBurns.

“I wasn’t depressed because I was gay. I was depressed and gay.” SHAUN DAVID HUTCHINSON

AuthorShaunDavidHutchinsonsmilesforthecamera.

Soonerorlater,somethinghadtogive. theirsexuality. In March of 98,1 Hutchinson attempted suicide. fWritingforyoungadults,oneofthereasons - Ipre Therecsacommonthemeofromanticizingmental ill fer using the word queer over identifying speciEcally nessinthemediaandavoidingthemessier,morbidi isbecauseIthinkthattherewaspressureforawhile tyofitzBraveFacehasnosuchqualms. that made people feel that they had to identify - a cer It depicts suicide as it is: a person at their lowest tainway,andthengetstuckthere.AndIdonctwantto point, delving into the dire recklessness of someone add to that pressure,g Hutchinson explains. fI- do un who feels they have nowhere else to turn, cornered derstandhowimportantvisibilityispbutatthesame by their past, present, and apparent lack of future. time I want readers to see characters who have the fWhen I was writing Brave Face, thatcs what I want spacetojustexistandbethemselves.g ed to show, like me sticking a tree branch down my Not forcing characters to come out, not forcing throat,g says Hutchinson. fI wanted people to see them to declare their sexuality, and not hinging their therecsnothingprettyaboutthis,thisishorrible. entireg character arc on their queerness presents a ThevisceralrawnessofHutchinsoncswriting is scenario es wherereaderscanseethemselvesin-asto pecially apparent during this scene, and those in the ry thatcs main characterization doesnct rely on sexual hospital that follow, it forces the reader - to acknowl preference. edge that what they are reading is real. It happened Socommonisthenotionthatqueernessinstories to somebody and wasnct pretty, it wasnct elegant. It mustbeallencompassingwiththemaincharacteris wasviolentandgross,andquitemortifyingin- itsdesdrenched in self loathing, the father an angry bigot, peration. andthemotherawellintentionedreligiouszealot. The little voice representing depression in Brave These stories are honest and relevant to the con Face found him again as he went through his olderversationaroundqueerrepresentation,buttheydonct writing,thetidepullingathimevenafteryearsofself composethewholeofqueeridentity,whichis- acon workandrepair. cept that has widened the realm of what is possible fItwastheoppositeofcathartic.Iworkedthrough instorytelling. allthatmessandIgottoareallygreatplace,andso Inthis,literacyhascomealongway.Nolongerare going back to that, there were a lot of times where I queer characters always villanized as deviants or an wentpAlotofthesethoughtswerereallybad.g unnaturalspecies,iftheycrementionedatall,thereis This urged Hutchinson to reach for connection. nowroomforthemasheroesontheshelf. He went to Seattle to stay with his brother and his Hutchinsoncsnovelsincludeasafespaceforyouth brothercshusband,usingthemasalifelinetoground of all backgrounds while still identifying speculati him to the present. themes of mental health, relationships, and identity During his stay, he ultimately decided to move to throughabstractmetaphorsandevidentself-truths. Seattle permanently, allowing him to Enish his novelInstead of feeling conEned by his description as whileretaininghishealthandstability. a queer author, Hutchinson moved beyond the mold Itisthisforesightandmentalfortitudethatand allows widened the expectations of young adult and HutchinsontowritesuchexplosiveEctionwith deep queerliteratureacrossaplethoraofgenres. lyempatheticcharactersandpenetratingmetaphors. Hedecidedwhohewasandwhathewouldwrite: Hisbooksinteractwithawidevariationoftopicsand not what society predetermined, not what the media genres, from a boy whocs abducted by aliens all the presented, and certainly not by what publishing told way to a virgin birth, while still remaining steeped him. inHutchinson carved a space for himself in the honesty and empathy. world, and has henceforth continued to use his - priv Alsoattractivetomanyreaders,ishisinclusion ilege ofand literary prowess to encourage others to do queercharacterswhosestoriesdonctrevolvearound the same.

Breaking Chains FightingeverydaytoridtheearthofsextrafEcking. OliviaMorgan-Urie

JaydenCrain

JamieMcMahonstandsproud.

Police ofEcers have to deal with constant - more dan andsomeonewhocankindofunderstand.g ger everyday, and detectives are no different. De McMahon continues, fand there are a lot of - re tective Jamie McMahon of the SpringEeld Police ally good people out there who want to help stop Department has had some TV-like experienceschild abuse and trafEcking and sex abuse, and it hunting down predators and sex trafEckersysce - does feel really good when a child does disclose narioslikefakingachildcssocialmediaaccount, something to and everyone works together to send messagingpredatorsdirectly,toevendoingasting that bad person to prison. And theycre never going operationtocatchadangeroustrafEcker. totouchanotherkidintheirlife.g fWe have done some stings where an adult is SextrafEckingdoesncthaveracial,economic,or tryingtocontacta14-year-oldgirlandsoweclltake cultural boundaries. In these cases, everyone is at over their like Snapchat account and so then risk. we When a person is trafEcked and disappears, it willbetheoneswhogoandmeetwiththatperson,destroys g families. Itcs not just women and children saysMcMahon.fSoIcvebeeninsituationslikethat beingtakeneither,manyboysandmenregularlyget whereImeanIhadmygunwithmeandstuff,butI trafEcked. Oftentimes victims donct realize theycr wassittingonabenchinaparkandwaitedforthis beinggroomedortakenadvantageofbeforeitcstoo adult to drive up. And then I walk over to them and late.Theaveragepersonhasastereotypeasfaras inthatsituationwhoknowswhatcouldhappen?g predators and victims, but itcs not that black and Sex trafEcking is a crime in which victims white. areOften itcs the exact opposite of what society taken from one area and forced into sexual abuse pictures. and slavery, often through manipulation- and per fIthinkwhateveryouhavepicturedinyourmind suasion. Women, men, and children are being traf - is probably not what it is,g says McMahon. fI think Eckedeverydaytovariousplacesacrossour- coun itcs people who are very well liked and can be very try. Hundreds of thousands of children suffer manipulative. from Andsothegroomingdoesncthappen sextrafEckingeveryyearintheUnitedStatesalone. tojustthepersonbeingtrafEcked,ithappenstothe The average age a person is trafEcked is justwhole 12 community. So usually, when that person yearsold.Whensomeonegetstakenitcshardtoget doesdisclose,bhey,thispersonisdoingthistome,c them back. Only one percent of people trafEcked usually, no one believes them. Because everyonecs ever become identiEed. McMahon, a detective for like, that guycs already with that girl, theycre a gr the sex crimes division at the SpringEeld Police person, you know.They would never do something Department,workstirelesslytobringanendto like sex that. So I think whatever the stereotype in your trafEcking. headisofatrafEcker,orsomeonedrivingasketchy Even though she has felt burnt out at times whitevanthatsaysbfreecandy,comeinside.cThatcs in her seven-year career in law enforcement,- Mcnotthem.Theycrejustnormalpeople.g Mahon knows that itcs all worth it in the end. fTheAccordingtoMcMahon,itcsnottheoverly- suspi burnoutisreal,itdoesgettiringlistening cious tostories peoplethatarethemostdangerousbutthose ofsexabuse,orkidsbeingsexuallyabusedortraf - who appear trustworthy and responsible.- Sex traf Ecked,whateveritis.Itdoesbecomehardtolisten Ecking is not usually a forceful abduction proces to,g says McMahon. fI just want to be the personitisamanipulativeandpersuasivetypeoftrickery who helps them. I just feel like I can talk to them. Tofurthercomplicatematters,onlyaselectfew And maybe theycll appreciate talking to a female casesevergetreported,andwhentheydoitcs

usually years later. Nobody really knows movies. the amount of sex abuse and trafEcking- cas fItcs a little bit of a mythp I actually know es that transpire. McMahoncs caseload- usual people that have been kidnapped, but itcs not ly consists of instances from years ago the that mostcommon,gsaysJanz.fWhatismost victims are just now reporting, so itcs difEcult commonhereinNorthAmerica,inLaneCoun tosolvethem. ty, is people pretend. TrafEckers will pretend fUsually, my cases are years old,g admitsthattheyloveyou,thattheycreyourboyfriendp McMahon. fSo therecs no physical or biologi - thentheycllputdistancebetweenyou andthe calevidence.g people thatcare about you and love you. And Meaning that if a case gets reported, the thentheyturnyouagainstthosepeople.Then suspects canct be brought to justice. - the Never trafEcker, the only one that really loves theless,therearestillnewcaseseveryday.you, An beginstomakeyoubelieveitbecauseitcs astounding40percentofvictimstrafEcked mind in control.Peoplearevulnerable.g the United States every year are sold by theirFrom her experiences helping victims re own family members. Children are more vul - cover from abuse, Janz has witnessed the nerable than ever with technology currently groups who are more vulnerable than others. at its peak. For instance, 95 percent of kids fActuallyLGBTQaresomeofthemostvulner aged 3-18 report that they have at least one able because, Erst of all, a lot of them have smart device. The internet is a number of been kicked out of their homes,g says Janz. things,bothpositiveandhorrendous,allowing fWell, they donct talk because of the implica us to contact each other within seconds tions and and everything else. They donct want to broadcastnewstomillions.Butitalsoallows admitit.Butyeah,thatcsallthere.g for manipulation. Sex trafEcking often begins Luckily,peoplelikeMcMahonkeepserving with images being distributed across - the those in in need, often helping those who donct ternet without consent. One in eight youth - have reavoice.McMahonrealizedshewastruly portedeitherforwardingorowninganexplicit making a difference in 8.201 fI actually had a imageorvideo.Itcsamorecommonsituation really good case when I was a police ofEcer,g that youth End themselves in, and when not shesays.fThiswomancomesdowntothepo treatedcorrectly,canoftenleadtodangerous licestationandsays,bmyyoungersisterwhocs scenarios.AnFBIanalysisofmanipulation 43 aminor,shesentmephotosandshecsgotlike pornography cases involving minors afound bustedlipandbruisesbecauseherstepdad that two of them sadly took their own lives, hit her in the face. Shecs been too scared to with 10 more attempting suicide. TrafEcking sayanything.cAndsoasapoliceofEcer,Iwent alonedoesnctjusttakeatollonyouthcsminds, overthereandItalkedtoher.g thestepsleadinguptoitandeverything - inbeMcMahon adds, fyou could tell she was tweenruinslives. tooscaredtoreallytalkinthatmoment.Step Fortunately in recent years theredad have wouldnct say any been efforts to bring awareness to trafEck - thing.AndsoIarrested ing from organizations like Hope Ranch - him Min forwhathappened. istries, a non-proEt organization thatAnd spreads as you know, hecs awareness and information about trafEcking, in the police car, the and helps victims recover from traumatiza - girl comes out and she tion. The director of Hope Ranch Ministries, whispered bthank youc Diana Janz, has spent over a decade working on the way out and got for this cause, and has witnessed what goes inthecarwithhersister.Andthatmade oninLaneCounty.SheexpressesthattrafEck - me feel really good. Because that was someing doesnct always happen like it does in the thingIsaw.IfeellikeIactuallydidsomething.g

Photo by Jacob Lund from Noun Project

The Homeless Epidemic MichaelShellenbergertalksaboutthecompoundingissues ofhomlessness,addictionandmentalillness. CadenTrieu

Contributed

OnJulya ,210 4 homelessmaninPortland,Oregon,who drugsanduntreatedmentalproblemsinsomeunsheltered was living on the streets, was asked by the staff of a local homelesscontributetothisunsuitableatmosphere. businesstopickuphisbelongings,whichwerestrewnalong The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adthe street. Reportedly, an enraged 45-year-old Evans Kawiki ministration estimated that 38 percent of the homeles Aki,wieldingabaseballbat,attackedamaninawheelchair are dependent on alcohol and 26 percent are dependent who was helping him pick up his belongings. Aki was later on harmful drugs. In 205, they estimated that over 19.3 arrested by police and the victim was treated for a broken millionpeopleneededaddictiontreatmentservices,butdid wristandarm. not receive such services. Furthermore, according to From major cities to small towns, the amount of unshel assessment done by the U.S. Department of Housing and tered people is growing exponentially. Garbage, needles, UrbanDevelopment,people 564,708 werehomelessonany tents,andhumanwastelitterthestreets.Commonasthese givennight.Andpercent 25 (aboutpeople) 140, hadse thingsappearonthestreets,theheadlinesofunprovoked rious at mental problems, while 45 percent (250, people) tacks and rapes on the population caused by the homeless hadsomeformofmentalillness. highlightsomeofthereckless,perverted,andviolent behav According to the author of Apocalypse Never and San iortakingplace. Additionally,themajorityofthepopulation Fransicko, Michael Shellenberger, these drug dependen seemsfedupwiththefailureofthegovernmenttoEnd- shel ciesanduntreatedmentalproblemsareafewofthemany terforthemassesofpeopleonthestreets.Arbitrary root attacks causesthathavecreatedviolentbehavior.BeingaSan on the homeless, protests, and angry voters have become Francisco native, Shellenberger sees, on a daily basis, th ordinarynewsheadlines. outcomeofuntreateddrugaddictionandmentalproblems. One recent attack left many shaken and bafFed. On No One of his most memorable run-ins involved a homeless vember 5, 120 a security camera in a New York stairway manapproachinghimandcoughinginhisunmaskedface. captured a harrowing attack in which an unidentiEed Shellenbergercs man experiencesareoneofthefewmotivat creptupthestairs,lighterinhand,andlitahomeless ing mancs factorswhichinspiredhimtorunforCaliforniaG pant leg on Ere. Incoherent and unaware, the unconscious in .2018 In his campaign, he tallied a total of 31,692 votes man was fully engulfed in Fames. The homeless man later (0.5 percent of the total vote). Shellenbergercs motivation diedofhisinjuriesafterbeingfoundunconscious. to run for governor mirrored his motivation for wri Although many End empathy for the unsheltered home bookSanFransicko. less,manyhavebecomeimpatientandsaddenedwithlocal HisbookSanFransickohasswayedthecurrentmayorof governments in their efforts to reduce homelessness. SanAc Francisco, London Breed, to vow to refund the police. cording to the Los Angeles Times, Endings in a recent - bal fItappearsthebookinallthepublicityaroundithash lot conducted in Los Angeles, California found that four to motivate in the mayor of San Francisco to crack down on 10 voters expressed that homeless encampments in their drug dealing and crime,g says Shellenberger. fSo wecre all neighborhoodmadethemfeelunsafe.Oftentimestheuseof prettyhappyabouttheimpactthatthebookishaving.g

TEDSummit2016_06281_BH0436_1920 MichaelShellenbergeratTEDSummit2016,June26-30, 2016,Banff,Canada.Photo:BretHartmanTED /

NicoleFightmasterandherdogOdessasurvivingthestreet

In recent events, Breed boldly announced that she was should be required to stay in it,g says Shellenberger. fA making an emergency request to the city Board of Supervi - then for some people who want to earn housing, like their sors to increase the local law enforcement budget toown apply room in an apartment somewhere, they need to earn pressure to the recent increase of crime. According itto through the absence or other measurable steps on the w San Francisco Police Department, overall crime increased towardstheirpersonalplans.g by a total of 1 percent. With homicides increasing byThe 17 National Alliance to End Homelessness states that percent,humantrafEckingbypercent, 21 assaultbynine - per theHousingFirstpolicyisanapproachtoExtheamount cent,andtheftbyabout21percentbetween20to201. unsheltered through prioritizing the need to provide p fShecs[taken]abigpoliticalrisk.Youknow,itwas[onnent the] housingratherthanrequiringthehomeless - toErs front page of The New York Times; itcs big national news. pletely solve their addictions or mental health proble Nowthehardworkbegins,gsaysShellenberger. the basis of a stable shelter being the primary necess According to studies from the FBI, murder rose in the order to improve onecs quality of life.Thus solving the ne UnitedStatesbyanastonishing30percentintheyear20 toEndhousing,subsequentlyallowingthemtosolveperson compared to the previous year. Many believe this crime alproblems,andbecomeindependentagain. waveisconnectedtotherecentdefundingofpolicesparked TheHousingFirstprogramisasubsidizedhousingplanto in part by the death of George Floyd. A study performed by getthe53,742unshelteredpeopleoffthestreet.Thereare a law professor, Paul Cassell, from the University of two Utah, optionsfortheHousingFirstProgram.TheErstmodel shows that violent crimes such as shootings and murders thelocalHousingFirstprogram,whichisbasedonpeopl have had an increase of 710 murders and 2,80 shootings needs and providing access to social services. The second in June and July of 20, following the defunding of police model,RapidHousing,isdesignedforfamilies.LocalHous departments compared to the previous yearcs amount ing ofFirst programs assist with rent, relocation, as w murdersandshootings. movingcostsforpeopletoremainhoused. fWe should not defund the police. We need the Police. However, unlike many other programs, Housing First is Police are good; they prevent crime,g says Shellenberger. based fIfonErstEndingahomeandthencopingwithproblems youcre worried about mass incarceration, or youcresuch worried as addictions and mental illness. Thus, this may lead aboutviolenceorhomicide,youshouldwantmorepolice. to g chronic substance users continuing to abuse - subst AndaccordingtoShellenberger,theNetherlands,amongst es as shelter is provided freely. Accordingly, Shellenber other European countries, are worthy of close examination. believes that the Housing First program can be used as a Often on the receiving end of harsh criticism, the imposed waytoleadtheunsheltered,speciEcally,thoseofwhichwho policies from these European countries have seemingly sufferfromsubstanceaddictionsinapositiveway. helped tens of thousands, perhaps creating a cooperative fTodecriminalizejustmeanstoreducethepenaltiesfrom balancebetweenbothsocialservicesandlawenforcement. felony to a misdemeanor,g says Shellenberger. fIt really de In the late 960s 1 to early c70s, the Netherlands suffered pends on always having a carrot and a stick. You always a heroin crisis. This resulted in the Dutch adopting haveato newhave a reward and consequence, reward for good pragmatic policy in the late c80s called the Harm Reduction behavior, a consequence for bad behavior, whether youcre PolicyandtheHousingFirstPolicyinPart 206. oftheHarm dealing with addicts, or people with mental illness, and th ReductionPolicyistodividealldrugsintosoftandhardcore carrotsandsticksshouldbeusedtomovepeoplein- aposi categories, such as putting less harmful and addictive - tivesub direction.Thatcsthemainevent.Andsoifthedrugsare stances, such as cannabis, into a soft category and more classiEed as a felony, as a misdemeanor, in any event, you harmful, addictive drugs such as meth, heroin, and cocaine want us to have some encouragement for addicts to go in intoahardcorecategory. therightdirection.g The main goal of the harm reduction policy is to End According to Shellenberger, with few tweaks, the Hous alternatives to the treating of drug addictions rather ing First than policy is a pragmatic way to reduce the number criminalizingdrugs.Forexample,despitebeingillegal unsheltered inthe people. Netherlandsforrecreationaluse,thefsoftgdrugcannabis Studies is from the US Department of Housing and Ursoldandusedincoffeeshopslegally.Outsideofthecoffee ban Development have shown the number of homeless is shops, cannabis users are either Ened or arrested. - gradually Mean increasing. On a single night in January 20, it while, hardcore drug users are either offered treatment - was reported ser that 580,46 people were unsheltered, or 18 vicesorarrested. unsheltered people to 10, people. This represents a 2. Withoutitscounterpart,though,theHarmReduction - percent poli increasesinceIn 2019. there 20, wasanincrease cycannotaccomplishmuchinreducingthenumberof of drug 7 percent. This increase greatly impacted the number of users. That counterpart is the Housing First policy, people which experiencingchronichomelessness,whichsawa15 Shellenbergersaysisanecessityinreducingtheamount percent of increasefrom2019to20. unsheltered,mentallyill,andaddictivesubstanceusers. As a result of a slowed economy in the United States, fEverybody should have sufEcient shelter, and people homelessnesshasincreasedsigniEcantlysincethestar

of the pandemic. In 2018, there were 52,830 homeless people withpercent 35.2 beingunsheltered.Duringthepandemiccsstart in019,2thatnumberhadamajoruptick,risingto567,1(3.2 percentunsheltered)As . thepandemicragedonintothere 20 were a total of 580,46 people homeless overall, the number of unshelteredpeoplebeing38.9percent. Tragicallyhomelessness,substanceabuse,andmentalhealth issues often go hand in hand. Furthermore, 250, homeless peoplesufferfromanyformofmentalhealthissue.In9,2015 percent of the general population in the US reported drug use, compared to 62percentof the homelesspopulationthatabuse harmful drugs and 38 percent that suffer from alcohol abuse. Sadly,manyofthesementalhealthissuesandsubstanceabuse problemsoftengounnoticedanduntreated. Inthe 19,20 NationalInstituteofMentalHealthestimatedthat there were 51. million adults in the US who suffered from any mental illness. Of that amount, only 4.8% of those people re ceived mental health services. 13. million of that total number sufferedfromseriousmentalhealthissues.8.6millionreceived services.Manyoftheseuntreatedproblemsareoftenaresultof thelackofaccesstoservices. As the pandemic continues to rage on, the need to address a solution grows. According to the World Health Organization, mental health issues have been on the rise since 2017. In the comingyears,mentalhealthproblemsareexpectedtoincrease, as is substance usage. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 20, found that 13 percent of Americans started to use substances as a way to cope with stress and anxiety as a result of the pandemic. Furthermore, there has been a spike in overdoses. Compared to 2019, has had an increase of 18 percent in overdoses compared to previousmonthsintheyearprior. Manyhomelesspeopleareportrayedasalcoholicsanddrug addicts,andthesoberingfactsreinforcethis.Ina 2015, studyby theUSDepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopmentshowed thatroughlyhomeless 250, peoplehadseverementalissues andsubstanceusedisorders.Asurvey 2014 bytheUnitedStates ConferenceofMayorssurveyedcities 25 fortheirtopthree caus es of homelessness, and 63 percent of cities cited substance abuse and lack of services. Regardless of their circumstances, though,servicesareneededmorethanever. According to Shellenberger, society must face the truth. He says,ftherearesomeimmediaterewardsthatpeoplegetfornot tellingthetruth,buttheyshouldtellthetruth..everyonecsfailed.I mean,thenumberofdeathsfromdrugswentupfrom017,to 10,between20and02.Soobviously,everodyinsoci etyfailed.Thatincludesschools.Ithinkweneedtohaveeduca tionaboutdrugsatschools..Weneedtobehonest.g Homelessness affects the entire community, and ultimately the life of the families and individuals experiencing- it. Preoccu piedwithsurvivingharshconditions,Endingandreceiving treat ment for mental illnesses and substance use disorders are the lastthingsmanyhomelessindividualsworryabout.As - goodSa maritans, it is time to face the facts and promote policies and programsthatwillbeneEteveryoneinourcommunities.

ChrisJohnsonmakescamponthesidewalk. 55

BUILDING HOPE ERIK DEBUHR FIGHTS HOMELESSNESS IN LANE COUNTY ONE HUT AT A TIME.

GAVINBRANCH

VIOLETHAWTHORNE

Sanctuaryoftenseemslikearelativeterm.Aroom apprenticeshipandworkinginamillbutismostlyself with a beautiful view of palm trees on a California taught. His journey towards building huts, however, beach, perhaps a remote cabin on top of a forested beganwithjunk,orashestates,fresurrectedrefuse.g mountain,wouldrepresentasanctuaryformany.ForDeBuhr and a team of salvagers would collect others, the thought of four walls, space to sleep scrap and and build things like Icosa Huts, tiny - geode mostimportantlytheabilitytocloseandlocksic adoor dwellings is constructed out of 90 percent industri adream.Findingaplacetosleepfortheaverage- per al waste material and meant for one or two people. sonmightbeassimpleaswalkingfromoneroomto Up to this point, DeBuhr and his wife Fay had been another. Someone without this privilege might building spend huts and conducting workshops for people an entire day thinking, planning, and stressing about whohadlandandwhowereinterestedincommunity where their next rest will come, forfeiting their housing. time AsDeBuhrstates,fwhenwestartedin209, and attention from escaping the streets to surviving wehadnomoneytostartwith.Wewerejustbasically in them.To escape homelessness people need mon- dumpster divers. Taking materials out of the - indus ey, to get money they need to work, and to work they trial waste stream, and making useful products out need a reliable place to sleep, and sleeping on the ofit.g streetsisanythingbutreliable.Thatcsthevariable In ,012 they Erik saw a property for sale that looked DeBuhristryingtosolve,aplacetosleep. suitable for their mission of spreading low impact DeBuhriscurrentlytheExecutiveDirector - of housing Com and building community in their residential munity Supported Shelters (CSS), a local nonproEt area to anyone who wanted it; with the help of an thathasshelteredalmostunhoused 70 peopleinthe investor they were able to purchase the property. past seven years. Originally from Nebraska, Debuhr AroundthistimetheOccupymovement,inwhich - peo picked up his construction skills partly inple a carpentry protested economic inequalities, hit major cities

ErikDebuhrstandsoutsideoftheConestogaHutshebuil

acrossthecountry,includingEugene.TheDeBuhrsbuilt do have a CSS employeesthatcome once aweekto check hutprototypeattheprotestsite.Itcapturedattention, up,manyand tasksareleftfortheresidentstocomplete.This theConestogaHutwasborn. group responsibility builds valuable team working s CSSstartedaroundthesametimetheErstConestoga andtransformsthecampintoacommunity.Eachcommu Huts were built. CSS has a mission of being the Erst step nityhasthingslikeacommonkitchen,foodstorage,wood intheladderleadingoutofhomelessness.TheConestoga Erestoves,asolarchargingstationfordevices,- porta-p Hut, which is the cornerstone of the program, is - reminis ties,andraisedplatformsfortentsandConestogaHuts. centofacoveredwagonjustwithoutthewheels.ItsitsonTo further support individual residents, peer supp a simple wooden platform and is six-foot wide by 14-foot workers come once a month to help residents get past longandclosetoeightfeettall.Ithasalockabledoor, personal and barriers and assist in obtaining essential an insulated Foor, walls, and roof. Most importantly,like it is an ID or a birth certiEcate. DeBuhr summarizes what quick and easy to build and has a low price tag.The goal thecampsaremeanttoaccomplish:fthetwomaingoals associated with CSS and their huts is to provide - securi oftheprogramaretohelppeoplestabilizeanddo - wellbe ty and solutions to some basic problems of livinghaviorally on the intheprogram.Andthenalsoontheothersi streets help them move forward with whatever the stated goals The huts are not warm, comfortable experiencesare. for g most, and they are not necessarily supposed to be. As In the past seven years CSS has grown to 15 huts DeBuhr explains, fthe drive to improve your situation spreadbetween14differentsites.ThecityofEugenehas comes from, and has always come from, not being com - helped them on this journey through various grants. F fortable.g example, recently CSS was granted one million dollars Thehutsaremeanttogivepeopleasteppingstoolthat of funding from the city and the county to expand their then allows them to reach that hypothetical Erst work. rung DeBuhrcs of visionforthefutureincludesstartingwh the ladder that could allow them to change the circum - he calls fmessy campsg which gives an opportunity for stances that keep them unhoused. People that staythe in harder-to-serve homeless population to camp legall the huts must have motivation to want to improve their whilegivingasmalllayerofsupportandmonitoringthi living conditions and move out of the huts and into their like hygiene levels. He hopes these communities will be own housing. DeBuhr believes that while the shelters treated are like campuses, giving opportunities for tra important, the community and social network are also within a the program. This training could be various th hugepartoftheprogram. suchascommunicationskills,dealingwithmentalissu fThe hut is just a vehicle for that kind of life and change stress,andmaybeevenjobtraining. thathappensfromsocialengagementinthecommunity, DeBuhrcs g progress and work in his Eght against - home saysDebuhr.fTheylivewithuptoother 18 people,working lessness has given over 650 people an opportunity. CSS throughcommunalobstacles,andproblemsolvingissues offers a unique and much needed hand in getting people in the community. Working together, comradeship - off build ofthestreetsbygivinganyoneachance,regardlessof ing, itcs basically a support group around themtheir of other past. CSS communities are giving residents - the so peoplethatareintheirsituation.g cialskills,tools,andmindsettoaidthemontheirclimbu In his years of working with the unhoused community, theladdertoapositivefuture.Moreimportantly, - CSSpro DeBuhr has ideas on how he would Eght homelessness. vides blueprints to other cities worldwide that - are st Heexplainsthatthereisnoclearrouteoutofanunhoused gling with homelessness by providing hut manuals and situation and that he wants to create a path to get consultation. out. Homelessness is a complex problem that DeBuhrbelievesthecommunitybuiltbetweenresidents will isrequire innovative and unique solutions. Advocacy themostvaluableproductoftheprogramandiswhat groups will like CSS prove that true impact often arises fr helpthemaccomplishtheirgoals.Whilethecommunities solutionsprovidedatthecommunitylevel.

Ethical Journalism KevinGustafsoninterviewsMattTaibbiand examinesthecurrentstateofjournalism. KevinGustafson

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Ironicasitisthatajournalistwouldwriteabout Matt aT ibbi has written several books (which this,itisimportanttoacknowledgethatmany speciEcally peo relate to this topic) including Hate Inc., plegetabadtasteintheirmouthswhentheythink Griftopia, and The Divide. He rose to prominence of journalism. From journalists getting the whenfacts covering the subprime mortgage crisis in wrongtomakingpettyarticlestospreading - their 208, exposing bi the bad actors in that situation, asestothepublicandintentionallyomittingsuch known as Goldman Sachs. He called the company facts, these are just a few reasons why people fa great vampire squid wrapped around the face mightnottrustjournalists. of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel There are many instances of malpracticeinto in anything that smells like money.g In addition, journalism. It happens all the time in headlines he has on much experience with political writing and popular news sites and sometimes in the articles seems to have no problem sharing his opinions in themselves. Now, writers can make mistakes in anethicalway. theirarticlesbutweshouldatleastexpectthem fTherecs to too much information out there for any notlieandtocorrectthemselvesifneeded.Getting sane person to really be able to deal with,g says thefactswrong isjustlazyandcan almostalways Taibbi. fSo itcs really helpful if they can, if theycre be avoided. Other times, bias is a huge factor in abletoshorthanditinsomeway.g makinganarticleterrible. Thisisonpointbecausethatcsakeycomponent Manyoftheproblemswithjournalismstemfrom of journalism that often gets overlooked. Taibbi theshortattentionspanofpeoplenowadayswhich says, fin America, we have this system of media requires constant entertainment, and more often that sort of relentlessly, drums into peoplecs heads than not drama to maintain an audience. Much of this idea that therecs really only two ways- of think thiscanbeattributedtothegreedofthecorporate ing: Republican and Democrat. And youcre either overlords that control publications. They prioritize one or the other and thatcs that, and the two sides gettingtheErststoryoutthere,ratherthan Eght thebest with each other. And thatcs how the world story,intheshortestamountoftime. works. In reality, you know, if you had 10 Ameri Good journalism involves thorough research cans,andtheygotshipwreckedonadesertisland, equipped with credible sources and/or logically theycdallEndawaytogetalong.g sound arguments. To make sure arguments are Modern American media has a serious issue of logically sound, journalists need to uphold ethical putting proEts and politics over accurate informa values throughout all discussions. If a journalist tion. Itcs a major issue because it unnecessarily di appliesethicstoonlysomepeopleandsomesitua videspeopleintotwogroups,depictedasmonsters tionsthentheywillbediscreditedasdisingenuous tooneanother.Taibbisays,fIthinkthatitcsareally bythepublic,astheyshouldbe.Journalistsshould unhealthywaytointerpretwhattheworldis.Itcsnot always maintain consistency because nobody justartiEciallysensationalandcommercial,itcsalso shouldtakeanyoneseriouslyiftheyfence-sitwhen just incorrect. Like most people arenct one thing or a conFict of interest arises or completely the change other.g theirviewsforthesamereason. Ibelievethatpeoplejustseemtobeattractedto

fWhenyoutearoutamancstongue,youare notprovinghimaliar,youcreonlytell worldthatyoufearwhathemightsa -GeorgeR.R.Martin

cheaply overseas and meet interesting people and being part of a group, which is a sentiment Taibbi notbespendingyourentirelifeworryingabouthow reFected. to pay rent and live with six other roommates and Taibbisays,fitcsveryhighschoolgwherefyoucre stuff eitherinorout.gThatwayofthinkingispretty toxiclike that. Therecs a whole world out there to see. Donct toourcountry.Thistribalisticworldview - isonly de spend it trying to work your way up the ladder herebecausetherecs10peopletryingtoget structivetohumanity. these jobs. g Misinformation also plagues American media Having new experiences and becoming a more lately.PlatformslikeFacebookandInstagrameven unique person along the way rather than just prac label things as fmisinformation.gThe problem with ticing the same journalism, in the same style, at the this is that when fringe groups have their posts la same time, that everyone else is doing, while hold beled as misinformation, it just drives them to ac ing a similar perspective to everyone else, - is cru cumulate with likeminded people and grow their cial to being successful. In Sonder, we have a very causeevenmoreonalternatewebsitesoralternate different approach to journalism than- most publi accounts. It makes them feel as though they are cations. Our team writes about and celebrates the correctanytimetheyarecensored.Ultimately,it is messages andthemesderivedfromtheexperienc anetnegativetocensortheseopinionsorinforma es of a diverse array of people. Journalists should tion.Ifpeoplecouldseethefmisinformationgasis, incorporate elements of storytelling while exploring they could see the criticisms and ridicule directed different, sometimes seemingly opposing, aspects at that information by other people and might be oftheworld turnedawayduetosocietalpressure. This mindset clearly worked forTaibbi: fI mean, Taibbi says, feverybody wants to come up with my whole ethos when I was younger was not to a magic bullet mechanized widget of a solution to spend my s 0 2 inacubicle.So,Itraveledaroundthe misinformation. Either they want to come up with worldp Itcs alsoabigpartofwhatthisjobisabout, aninternetSupremeCourtthatpronouncesrulings too, by the way. You need to have some perspec onwhetherornotsomethingcstrueortheywantto tive. g put warning labels on stuff. Therecs only one way is one of the most important things any to combat misinformation and that is to developThis a human being needs to think about. fTrue wisdom reputationoveralongperiodoftimeofnotfucking comes to each of us when we realize how little we up information, right? And so audiences will come understand about life, ourselves, and the world backandtheywilltrustyouifyoudonctlietothemy around us, g said Socrates nearly 2,50 years ago, youdonctgetstuffwrong.Ifyoudogetstuffwrong, and it still rings true to thisday.Nowadays,youcan thewholeideaisthattherecssupposedtobe- acom gain perspectives of those youcouldnevermeetby mercialconsequenceforit.g just using the internet which deEnitely helps if you Headds,fthatcswhattheycallittheStreisand ef actually look for different viewpoints beforewriting fect.IcmsureyoucveheardthattermbeforepBarbra about something. Having a meaningful perspective Streisandoncetriedtogetsomethingthat- wasneg oncomplex ative about her retracted and it just attracts more situationsisoftheutmostimportance, and building empathymightbethemostimportant attention to the story. Thatcs the inevitable conse thing we can do. Without it, thatcs why nearly every quence of any effort to censor anything. I think itcs human caused issue ariseszmisunderstanding counterproductive.g one another yes, ( evenentireworldwars). Wehaveseenthiseffecttimeandtimeagain.It To make sure the sentimenttowardsjournalism reallyisjustadefensemechanismthatseemslike is positioned into a place of respect rather than agoodthingtodoonthesurfacebutactuallyhurts disdain, as journalists, we must get the facts cor thecauseofwhoeveriscensoringtheinformation. rect Erst and foremost and not try to twist things It is pointless and the only reason corporate enti into supporting our own personal narratives when tiescaretocensorthisstuffisthatitcsbad interms they clearly donot.Thistoxiccultureofjournalism ofupholdingrelationshipswithadvertisers. needs to be extinguished if the media is to regain Taibbihassurprisingadviceforaspiring journal any respect it once had. Author George R.R. Mar ists,anditmightbeusefulforusall. tin once wrote, fwhen you tear out a mancs tongue, fDonctgotojournalismschool,gsaysTaibbi.fItcd youarenotprovinghimaliar,youcreonlytellingthe be more valuable to learn something like law or world that you fear what he might say.g We must medicine.Checkinwhenyougraduate,moveover not seas, learn another language, and itcs really kind ofcensor what is seemingly incorrect; rather we should correct it to prove the thing in question crucially important to have some overseas expe wrong. Becoming agoodjournalist,andhumanbe rience because it allows you to have perspective ing, is about having an impact on the people you on the United States that other people wonct have. reach. Also, again, your 20s are for living. You can live

Sonder n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.