05-08-2019

Wednesday, May 8 - Tuesday, August 13, 2019 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 105, Issue 33 www.thedailyaztec.com

Inside: Read our special coverage of sexual assault in “El Alma”

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Year in review: Meningitis, Greek life suspensions, racism on campus

Cheapest meal plan to be removed next year

by Aretha Matsushima STAFF WRITER

Photo illustration by Katherine Cooke

The meningitis outbreak, multiple Greek life suspensions and Adela de la Torre’s inauguration are a few of many highlights of the 2018-19 school year.

by Bella Ross NEWS EDITOR

MENINGITIS OUTBREAK One of the first big news stories of the year landed when a student attending sorority rush events on the weekend of Sept.

1 contracted meningococcal meningitis. By the end of the month, county health officials announced an outbreak of the virus with three cases hitting

students in the months prior.

What followed was a push for students to get vaccinated, filling Viejas arena for multiple days.

The virus would strike again in mid-April after another weekend of Greek life events.

FRAT PARTY BAN ENDS, HARD ALCOHOL BAN BEGINS The self-imposed fraternity social moratorium — or party ban — was a product of the

2017-2018 school year. After months of educational events, the Interfraternity Council unanimously voted to lift the ban in a meeting on Oct. 4. The meeting also resulted in a ban on hard alcohol, a move that was made to promote the safety of people attending Greek events.

GREEK LIFE SUSPENSIONS Not long after the social moratorium was lifted, the Greek

system was hit with a slew of suspensions. On the weekend of Oct. 17, Kappa Alpha was placed on an interim suspension and Sigma Nu was kicked off campus by its national chapter, both due to alcohol-related incidents. An incident on Halloween night then resulted in two additional interim suspensions for Sigma SEE YEAR IN REVIEW, PAGE 2

SDSU rallies around Jewish community

by Johann Oribello STAFF WRITER

A sea of somber faces gathered around Scripps Cottage on Wednesday for a vigil just days after the Chabad of Poway Synagogue shooting.

“We all stand together and recognize that we are one family,” San Diego State religious studies lecturer Rabbi Scott Meltzer said.

“Nothing can hurt us.”

Many members of the SDSU community gathered to show support and stand in solidarity over the tragic event. Meltzer, who spoke during the vigil, said

the shooting affects not only the Jewish community but the wider world as a whole.

“Standing up means anytime somebody talks about ‘those’ people, (they need) to know that we are those people,” Meltzer said.

“But on Saturday, those people were Jews. On any given day, those people are people of color. Those people are women. Those people are LGBTQ. Those people are the object of scorn, hatred, and far too often violence. We are those

SEE JEWISH COMMUNITY, PAGE 3

Photo by Johann Oribello

Mourners gathered at Scripps Cottage to commemorate the Chabad Poway Synagogue shooting.

The freshmen resident 10 Meals plan, the lowest in cost of the four freshmen meal plans, will no longer be an option for students starting next fall.

San Diego State Dining Director Paul Melchior said SDSU Dining will be removing the 10 Meals plan due to the assessment of student feedback that they have received.

“We get a large amount of feedback that this plan was very restrictive and we know that students like flexibility,” Melchior said.

The 10 Meals plan originally allowed students to have two swipes per day at designated times – affording users $9.50 for the first part of the day and $12.60 for the second – with no weekend allowance. Similar to the Flex 5 and Flex 7 plans, money balances do not carry over to the next day, according to SDSU Dining’s webpage.

Melchior said the plan was restrictive in the fact that the full allowance of one swipe had to be spent entirely in one location.

“As an example, for breakfast or lunch you could go to Starbucks if you wanted, but you would have to spend your entire allotment at Starbucks in that one swipe,” Melchior said. “With our flex plans and meals plus plan, you have a lot more flexibility on how you spend it each day.”

The Flex 5, Flex 7 and Meals Plus plans allow greater flexibility by offering a daily or semesterly allowance that can be spent in multiple swipes, according to SDSU Dining’s webpage. The Meals Plus plan even allots users 80 meals at The Garden or UTK, SDSU’s cafeteria-style eateries.

However, these additional amenities come with a cost. The cost difference between the 10 Meals plan and the Flex 5 plan for the 2018-2019 school year was a $360 increase for the year, according to SDSU Dining. Those who opted for the most expensive Meals Plus plan this year paid $1,384 more than those on the 10 Meals plan.

Melchior added the other three

SEE MEAL PLAN, PAGE 2

2

News

The Daily Aztec

Year in Review:

continued from page 1 Phi Epsilon and Alpha Phi. SDSU WEST BEATS SOCCERCITY After a months-long battle over the rights to the Mission Valley stadium site, the SDSU West campaign took the final victory over the SoccerCity initiative, allotting the land for university use. The following months have seen the first steps toward the development of the land, including public forums and the assessment of the project’s environmental impact. Current plans include the development of university facilities, a new stadium, hotels, housing and

Meal Plans:

continued from page 1 meal plan options will function the same next year aside from a few small adjustments..

The Flex 5 plan will increase from $24.00 to $25.25 on weekdays with no weekend allowance. The Flex 7 plan will increase from $22.20 to $23.50 on weekdays and $14.70 to $15.25 during the weekend.

RACISM ON CAMPUS One of the biggest stories of the

spring semester was the consistent incidents of racism on campus, many of which appeared to target the Black Resource Center. The first incident included a viral video where a non-student captured the sound of a racial slur being shouted by a group of passersby outside the BRC in early March.

A little more than a month later, the BRC was quietly vandalized over a weekend resulting in $400 worth of property damages.

Campus advocates organized during the following week in a rally outside Hepner Hall where they presented a list of demands they said SDSU would need to fulfill in order to stand against racial intolerance. However, the end of April would experience yet another racist incident after a man sent a Snapchat to a black student calling him a “monkey” and threatening to hang them like

The Meals Plus Plan will increase its declining debit dollars from $1,425 to $1,786.50 per semester, but decrease the meal swipes for UTK or The Garden from 80 swipes to 60, according to an email from Melchior.

Computer science freshman Angie Garces said removing the 10 Meals plan is unhelpful to students who aren’t in a financial position to go for the more expensive plans.

“I think getting rid of the ten meal plan is really unfair because

people who can’t afford the Flex 5 or other meal plans would be forced to spend more money which they don’t have,” Garces said.

Liberal studies freshman Emily Tieu said she doesn’t have the 10 Meals plan, but she knows of a student who does and feels it limits their options for location choices.

“It’s a good idea to remove the plan because being limited to one location is hard for students to pick and choose,” Tieu said.

many other amenities.

SDSU ENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH OFO Ofo, a trailblazer in what would become an expansive culture of dockless transportation on campus, was removed from campus in early November after the university said the company failed to fulfill its promises. The decision marked the early end to a pilot partnership with the company, which was supposed to last until Dec. 31. A.S. Sustainability Commissioner Cassie Weinberg said the bikes would too often end up parked incorrectly or completely trashed, leading SDSU to consider partnerships with other dockless transportation companies.

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross • news@thedailyaztec.com

an “ornament” off a tree.

PSFA SHUTDOWN The debacle that was the shutdown of the Professional Studies and Fine Arts building on campus took over the latter part of the Spring semester. It started in January when construction on the building led to noxious fumes that caused occupants to experience symptoms such as nosebleeds and headaches. The building was officially closed to all use on March 13, with students occupying the building up until the last day. In an open forum on the matter, university officials said their communications on the odors were a “failure.”

VOTE SDSU SWEEPS A.S. ELECTIONS On March 28, the Vote SDSU slate consisting of Christian Onwuka as president, Kyla Blaylock as

executive vice president, Angie Espinoza as vice president of external relations, Dustin Adkins as vice president of financial affairs and George Scott as vice president of university affairs won the 2019 Associated Students elections to take over the A.S. executive board for the 2019-2020 school year.

The slate faced challengers in four executive races.

ADELA DE LA TORRE’S INAUGURATION April 11 marked the official inauguration of President Adela de la Torre, SDSU’s first female, Latina president. The two-hour ceremony featured an array of speakers, including CSU Chancellor Timothy White, and a speech for de la Torre herself outlining her vision for the future of SDSU. However, the ceremony came with a $162,000 price tag.

File photo

SDSU Dining has decided to remove the 10 Meals plan starting in the 2019-2020 school year.

News

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Bella Ross, news@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

3

Christian Onwuka and other A.S. elects officially sworn into office by president

by Daniel Guerrero STAFF WRITER

Incoming Associated Students President Christian Onwuka and other newly elected A.S. officials were sworn into office by San Diego State President Adela de la Torre in the A.S. council chambers in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union on May 1.

“I think it was just definitely all surreal to me still, but it felt good to see the university president come and swear me in and that idea that she views me as somebody valuable,” Onwuka said after his inauguration.

Slated to serve for the 2019-20 academic year, Onwuka’s vision as A.S. President is expected to include outreach and representation for the different communities at SDSU. Onwuka said he hopes to build off the work his predecessor Chris Thomas did in his year as A.S. president.

“(I want to) just continue to make sure voices are being represented from all communities on campus,” Onwuka said. “Chris Thomas did a great job this past year.

I think he was really good at engaging with different students so I just want to continue that, but also take it a step further.”

Next year’s Executive Vice President Kyla Blaylock, Vice President of External Relations Angie Espinoza, Vice President of University Affairs George Scott and Vice President of Financial Affairs Dustin Adkins were also sworn in, as well as all the other A.S. elects for next year.

The five newly sworn-in officials were all a part of the “Vote SDSU” slate that swept the five executive position races in the spring 2018 A.S. elections.

“I can’t even describe how close that we’ve gotten in the past few weeks, and they mean the world to me, and I can’t

imagine doing next year without them,” Blaylock said.

Blaylock said the gender diversity among this year’s executive officers is one thing she is proud to be a part of, especially considering this year’s officers were all men.

“I’m thrilled to be able to be among such awesome, dedicated, driven, powerful women leaders,” Blaylock said.

“Especially women of color.”

An area Scott said he would like to improve is the availability of what he called “high demand classes.”

“When it comes down to registering a lot of time you can’t get the classes which are crucial to your major,” he said.

“I just want to make sure that every student at SDSU has the possibility to be able to graduate in four years and not have to spend additional resources to comeback an extra semester or a year.

Photo by Daniel Guerrero

A.S. President-elect Christian Onwuka is sworn into office on May 1 by President Adela de la Torre.

Low staffing at Calpulli hits home for students in need of psychological services

by Kaitlyn Little SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Many students have voiced frustration with their experiences with San Diego State’s psychological services at Calpulli, however, they’re drastically understaffed in their operations.

With more students being admitted every year, the staff to student ratio is supposed to keep up with the standard of one therapist to every 1,500 students. Jennifer Rikard, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said her department has struggled to keep up with this figure.

The demand for services is rising faster than the staff is growing. But Rikard said SDSU President Adela de la Torre has shown interest in bulking up staff numbers.

“We’re like one (therapist) to 1,800 or 1,900 (students), or something like that,” Rikard said.

“We’re approaching (one therapist to 1,500 students). I’ve been here for 17 years and we were flat for a really long time. So, I think we’re going in the right direction.”

At Calpulli, students can call and

be recommended to a therapist based on their specific situation, insurance, finances and available transportation.

Marine biology sophomore Grace Addleman said she called and received a list of six therapists for her situation based on her specifications. Three were in downtown, which Addleman said was a problem for her to get to because she doesn’t have a car and can’t afford to use a rideshare service for that distance. One never got back to her, Addleman said, and one wasn’t accepting new patients. That left just one therapist she was able to schedule a meeting with.

“I got a bill for $200 for one visit a month (after the appointment),” Addleman said. “And they said she was under my insurance provider.

That was just super frustrating because that was like the first criteria that I had: having it under my insurance.”

Addleman said students need more services on campus at Calpulli.

“They need to expand so they can have more people, have more contacts, resources (and)

services,” Addleman said. “They need a better database. They need more staff. That’s the bottom line because an egg chair is great and Baxter is really cute, but that’s not enough.”

International security and conflict resolution sophomore Natalie Mathiesen said when she went to Calpulli, she was also referred to a list of therapists covered by her health insurance.

But she said upon actually trying to get an appointment, she found out her insurance didn’t end up covering any providers in San Diego, so she had to fly home (Northern California) to get the help she needed.

“With a school of (about) 35,000 people, we don’t necessarily have enough people to support (mental health),” Mathiesen said. “I don’t think it’s Calpulli’s fault or anything like that. I think we just need more counselors or therapists to help sustain the school. In reality, there shouldn’t be a waitlist for people with mental health issues.”

Nursing sophomore Andrea Lapuz said she went to Calpulli therapists for an entire semester.

However, she said when she called

File photo

Students have said Calpulli has not been accomodating to their mental health needs in many cases.

back for the next semester, Calpulli told her she needed a more longterm service that couldn’t be provided at Calpulli.

“It made me a little frustrated with the whole situation,” Lapuz said. “Just because I know that they advertise it that it’s more shortterm but I think the fact that I received services and that might’ve played into the fact they didn’t want to give me more service after that was kind of a deterrent. So, I haven’t gone back to Counseling and Psychological Services for that reason.”

Rikard said she understands this frustration. She said if somebody needs a certain type of care, they try to do what’s best for the person.

“I also will say that sometimes people call in and expecting one thing and we offer another, and sometimes the gold standard for what they’re experiencing is not what they thought,” Rikard said.

Rikard said their work comes with liability and those deemed liable are not people they seek to avoid, but rather they try to pick care that may be more accessible to the patient, considering Calpulli’s hours are limited.

“So for example, if we believe that someone needs access to 24-hour coverage, they need to be able to call their therapist at off-hours, that’s not really how we’re set up,” Rikard said. “So we wouldn’t maybe be the appropriate level of treatment. If somebody is having suicidal thoughts, that’s not someone I’m going to say, ‘OK, let’s put you on the waitlist and see what happens.’ No, I want you to go out and I want you to get connected now and we can do that.”

She said many of the criticisms of Calpulli are rooted in misconceptions, but that the center still has its issues.

“I think there’s a lot of misperceptions, not just on the part of students, but faculty, staff and parents too (in) trying to tell them how we do things and why,” Rikard said. “But then there’s not only misperception, there’s also a capacity issue. We can (only) do so much.”

Jewish Community:

continued from page 1 people.”

A campus-wide sent an email

by Chief Diversity Officer J. Luke Wood and Jewish Studies Director Risa Levitt Kohn emphasized the importance of standing together as a community against hatred and bigotry.

“We show up in solidarity with members of our Jewish community,” Wood and Kohn said.

“We must all reject instances of hatred and violence against people based on who they are, whom they love and where they pray or sit in meditation.”

Environmental sciences senior Sabrina Sessarego attended the vigil and said unity among all people despite differences, is pivotal to prevent further incidents from occurring.

“Although I’m not necessarily a part of this community, I wanted to show support and stand in solidarity with them during a time that is truly trying,” Sessarego said.

“This is just a period of time where a lot of things like this seem to be happening and it’s important to show that we’re not standing for violence, especially hateful violence.”

Business and sustainability sophomore Cassie Weinberg, who also attended the vigil, said she was in dismay when hearing the news of the shooting but was amazed at the immense support.

“I was actually at home celebrating Passover with my family when I heard what happened so it was really disheartening to hear,” Weinberg said. “But then seeing how the community is coming together in so many impactful ways — on the day that it happened, there was a vigil. Today, there’s another one, I think that just shows the power of this community.”

4

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Kemi Giwa • opinion@thedailyaztec.com

JMS classes don’t do enough An open letter from The Daily Aztec graduating seniors

EDITOR IN CHIEF Will Fritz MANAGING EDITOR Jocelyn Moran

Most of the graduating seniors on The Daily Aztec’s editorial board are students in JMS. We know the territory. We know what’s taught in these classes.

There are many things we love about JMS. But, we have to be honest; our classes are not doing enough.

Many of us have been in JMS classes for the last four or five years. And most of us agree that in those years, just one or two of our JMS classes have actually been useful.

This isn’t a letter to bash on the school of JMS. Rather, we feel like we have been ignored when we have continuously expressed our concerns. We want something done for the current and future JMS students of SDSU. We have heard the complaints from numerous students, and we know you have too. We have heard it from students still in the major, students who are currently graduating and alumni.

They’re all similar, and why is it that years later, still nothing has changed.

So, before the year comes to an end, we will voice these concerns once again.

If it wasn’t for this newspaper and our internships, we would definitely not feel prepared to go out into the real world. Nor would we have acquired the skills necessary to be journalists today, when it is necessary to know not just AP Style, but how to report on breaking news, edit video and tell stories through more than just writing.

We have learned this through countless hours in our newsroom. We have built a video section from the ground up, where one person took on the responsibility of teaching students how to create 1 minute 30 second video news packages.

Yes, we have a broadcast class. But it’s only one class — one that we are not allowed to take until we are at least juniors — and the class fills up pretty quickly.

There are plenty of successful reporters who have graduated from SDSU’s JMS program. But they’re learning the skills they need for their careers elsewhere, whether that’s at The Daily Aztec or somewhere else. Several alumni reporters have said they had to take supplemental broadcast classes at community colleges after graduating.

The average JMS graduate is simply not prepared to go out into the real world. That has to change.

Then there’s the GSP. The Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation test students must take to get into any JMS major.

It’s dreaded by many students because they’ve heard countless stories of “failing” it multiple times or missing the cut by just two

points. In fact, between 81 and 89% of students who have taken the GSP since 2013 have failed it. What does it say about the JMS program that most students educated in its classes can’t pass a test that’s mandatory to moving forward in their major? What are students learning, exactly?

Beyond that, what is the virtue of placing so much importance on this test? Even the best of writers still have to look words up.

What if you’re looking to be a journalist in Spanish media? What if your first language isn’t English? Because of a test, are you going to take the opportunity of being able to get a journalism degree from students? Sure, students can still petition their way into their majors, but not everyone is successful.

And there’s more.

This year, our group of editors was the most diverse since we have been part of this newspaper. Our editor in chief and managing editor are both Latino. Our assistant news editor is Latino. Our opinion editor is black. Our assistant sports editor is Filipino. Our video editor is North African and Muslim.

And that doesn’t even include the dozens of volunteer writers, videographers and photographers on our staff.

As a group of JMS students, we expect you to represent us.

The lack of diversity within the faculty of this school has led to a lack of understanding between students and faculty, and this will continue to happen if nothing is changed.

There are some bright spots.

Dr. Nate, thank you. You have gone out of your way to have conversations with many of us, and several of us would consider you a mentor. You’ve always been honest and treated us like real adults. You are truly here for the students.

Dana Littlefield, thank you for teaching us what it’s like to be a journalist in the real world and for participating in panels that highlighted the need to have more diversity in newsrooms.

Professor Schmitz Weiss, thank you for pushing us when it came to our stories. You didn’t let us give up, rather you pushed us to be better.

There are more professors who we are surely failing to mention. But the fact remains that there are problems with the JMS program that urgently need correcting. As much as we appreciate every member of our JMS faculty, we would be remiss if we did not address them.

Sincerely, Will Fritz, Kemi Giwa, Jocelyn Moran, Tristi Rodriguez and David Santillan

NEWS EDITOR Bella Ross ASST. NEWS EDITOR David Santillan OPINION EDITOR Kemi Giwa MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Alejandra Luna ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Julianna Ress ASST. ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Lexington Howe SPORTS EDITOR Abraham Jewett ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Aaron Tolentino ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni PHOTO EDITOR Michael Abshear MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Amal Younis ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez GRAPHIC DESIGNER Katherine Cooke

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Kyle Betz Stephan Early Lauren J. Mapp Tristi Rodriguez STAFF WRITERS Cristian Alvarez Daniel Guerrero Kelly Kerrigan Kaitlyn Little Diane López Alejandra Luna Aretha Matsushima Johann Oribelo Chance Page Nakia Richardson Noé Sandoval Madeleine Schwarz ________________________________

Letter to the editor: response to ‘1984’

by Chance Page STAFF WRITER

Recently, an article was published in the Daily Aztec, titled “‘1984’ is quickly becoming our reality.”

The article, however, wasn’t focused on the mass surveillance of Americans by its local, state and federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, although the article briefly touched on the recent arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Rather, the article was founded on the idea that the state and leftleaning and left-wing members of the population are suppressing all right-wing expression, forcing people not to express themselves, by shaming them as Nazis and racists if they disagree with a leftwing consensus.

I find this article wildly incorrect for a variety of reasons, but there are three main points: the state isn’t working for equality at all and efforts toward equality aren’t about silencing conservative voices, but rather treating every human being with basic dignity and respect.

I don’t wish to solely focus on one bad take from this publication; rather, it’s more of a leaping point into a discussion about anti-social justice discourse in general, using this piece as an example.

First, the state is not working for equality at all, much less carrying out forced equality under some Orwellian regime, especially under the Trump administration.

The state, currently, actively works against equality.

The Trump administration has pursued policies designed to exclude trans people from the military, ban immigration from Muslim-majority nations, sought to cut funding from abortion services, and stoked fears of immigrants from Mexico as a central part of his 2016 presidential campaign, before continuing a policy of separating children from their families and herding them into internment camps.

With this in mind, it’s not reasonable to say that the state is suppressing right-wing speech and forcing a leftist consensus on anybody, given the above instances where discrimination has continued or been expanded.

Even if the state was governed by the most left-wing of American politicians, however, the state still wouldn’t be oppressing conservatives with their actions.

It is not establishing an allpowerful, all-seeing dictatorship to require members of oppressed/ marginalized groups to have their basic humanity respected.

Nobody deserves to be attacked on the basis of race, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or any other demographic factor.

Furthermore, in fending off these attacks, marginalized people are forced to spend much time simply defending their humanity, thus reducing the time they could spend trying to improve the way they’re treated by the government and other people.

This is why people protest discrimination, fight against dehumanizing speech, and otherwise make efforts to decrease language harmful to marginalized groups.

In doing so, it places the unprivileged on more equal footing in public debate with the privileged, and hopefully, the end result is that their concerns are heard more frequently and are more respected.

This is why the United Nations recognizes a list of human rights, to use maybe the most notable example; it saves time that would otherwise be used on fighting over what rights are human rights, and instead allows for the full focus to be on the debate to best gain these rights.

The idea that our government has grown too powerful isn’t without merit.

Mass surveillance is a huge problem, and the whistleblowers who helped expose this, as well as other governmental misconduct, face severe justice.

Chelsea Manning was thrown in jail, Edward Snowden essentially forced into exile and Julian Assange was recently arrested.

While Assange deserves to face justice for a rape charge in Sweden, the United States wasn’t arresting him for that, but for aiding whistleblowers.

And I’m not saying there’s no room to criticize left-wing governments.

California, perhaps the most progressive state in the country, still places huge barriers in the path of those who seek effective oversight of the police, and in their pursuit of progressive economic policies suited best for the cities along the coast, possibly done huge damage to the rural areas in California.

But the idea that the desire of the left wing for marginalized groups to be treated decently, and eventually be granted the rights of other citizens, is somehow oppressing conservatives, is ridiculous.

Chance Page is a senior studying journalism.

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Josh Diaz SALES MANAGER Valerie Barrientos ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Samir Sandhu Meah Mapp ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST Luis Valenzuela ________________________________ EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday throughout the semester WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com QUESTIONS/COMMENTS letters@thedailyaztec.com ________________________________ The views and opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

Sports

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Abrajam Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

5

Aztecs sweep Spartans in weekend series MAY 3

by Daniel Guerrero STAFF WRITER

San Diego State senior shortstop Angelo Armenta stepped up to the plate with two outs in the eleventh inning – the winning run was on second base and his team was down 6-5 to San José State – his approach was simple.

“I was just trying to get a good piece on it and hit it up the middle,” Armenta said.

With two strikes on the count, the senior did just that and sent his teammates flooding out of the dugout to celebrate the Aztecs’ (27-19, 12-9 MW) 7-6 walk-off victory over the Spartans (19-27, 12-10 MW) on Friday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The walkoff lifted the Aztecs to a half game lead over the Spartans for second place in the Mountain West standings.

Head coach Mark Martinez said this victory puts the team in the right direction to contend for the

MW regular season title.

“We got to win them all honestly to be in a position to try and win the conference regular season, so this is one step towards our ultimate to win a regular season championship,” Martinez said.

Despite the walkoff win, the Aztecs were hampered by three errors that lead to three unearned runs and a 4-2 deficit by the fifth inning of the ballgame.

A throwing error from sophomore third baseman/pitcher Casey Schmitt in the second inning allowed SJSU freshman first baseman James Shimashita to score from third base.

Then, a throwing error from Armenta pulled freshman first baseman Jaden Fein off the first base bag for what would have been the inning-ending out to close the second inning, but it allowed SJSU junior center fielder Anders Davidson to score from third base in the process.

Martinez said the fielding errors are mental mistakes amid

MAY 4

by Cristian STAFF WRITER

Alvarez

San Diego State baseball defeated San Jose State, 9-7, on May 4 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The Aztecs (28-19) secured a series win against the Spartans (19-28) while taking a one game lead for second place in the Mountain West Conference standings.

“We grinded out a victory and found a way,” head coach Mark Martinez said.

The Aztecs battled in a lengthy four hour and eight minute game in which Martinez made five pitching changes.

“We struggled on the mound

A seven-run fourth inning and a three-run sixth inning helped propel San Diego State baseball to a 10-8 series-sweeping win over San José State on May 5 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The Aztecs (27-19,12-9 MW) scored three runs in the fourth inning after a fielding error by Spartans (19-27,12-10 MW) junior center fielder Anders Davidson after the Aztecs had the bases loaded with two outs and were down 3-1. Junior center fielder Julian Escobedo and sophomore third baseman/ pitcher Casey Schmitt delivered RBI hits to put the Aztecs up 7-3 in their seven-run fourth inning.

After SJSU scored two runs on RBIs from senior designated hitter Blake Berry and sophomore right field Connor Konishi in the fifth inning, Schmitt, freshman first baseman Jaden Fein and senior shortstop Angelo Armenta all

the high pressure games that can determine the conference standings as the season winds down.

“We’re playing tight, and we’re trying to do too much,” Martinez said. “It’s a little bit of a playoff atmosphere and it’s good to kind of experience it now when it’s regular season because we’re going to start to experience that down the stretch.”

But the fielding errors didn’t stop there.

After Davidson reached on a throwing error by Aztecs senior pitcher Justin Goossen-Brown, Spartans junior center fielder Anders Davidson was later brought home to score on a single from freshman catcher Ryan Belluomini.

Goossen-Brown finished his start after pitching 5.2 innings, allowing four runs and walking five batters.

Goossen-Brown said his start didn’t go as he expected. “(It was) not great. I couldn’t

Photo by Raymond Gorospe

Senior shortstop Angelo Armenta celebrates after clinching a victory during the Aztecs’ series against Nevada from March 8-10 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

really find the (strike) zone. I was just trying to hang in there and throw strikes,” he said.

The Aztecs chipped away at the deficit with RBIs coming from Schmitt and junior center fielder Julian Escobedo before tying the ballgame at 5-5.

Two-out hitting in the first

inning helped give the Aztecs a 2-0 lead over the Spartans as both Fein and senior designated hitter Chad Bible delivered consecutive two-out RBI singles.

Junior Adrian Mardueno pitched 3.1 innings from the bullpen and allowed one run on two hits after Goossen-Brown

SDSU 9 - SJSU - 7

all night,” Martinez said. “You get one of those weird games every now and again where our guys just couldn’t find the zone.”

After a scoreless first inning, with the Spartans leading 2-0, redshirt sophomore Chad Bible launched his fifth home run of the year over the left field fence to cut the deficit to one.

“Hopefully that gets me going for the rest of the way so that I can help contribute more,” Bible said.

A flurry of back-to-back RBI singles from junior infielder Jacob Maekawa and sophomore outfielder Matt Rudick set up freshman outfielder Jaden Fein and junior infielder Mike Jarvis

MAY 5

by Daniel Guerrero STAFF WRITER

SDSU - 7 SJSU - 6

to come home and extend the lead 4-2.

“We just had to keep our calm,” Rudick said. “We had to trust our bats, (Maekawa) and me did a good job. We had to get hits and that’s what we did.”

Sophomore infielder Casey Schmitt walked with the bases loaded for the Aztecs, which brought Maekawa in for another run. The Spartans put a halt to SDSU’s scoring clinic after senior infielder Angelo Armenta lined out to right field but sacrificed to allow one final run in by Rudick.

SJSU fired back at the top of the third inning, as senior shortstop Aaron Pleschner’s twoRBI double along with junior

designated hitter Blake Berry’s single sought the Spartans to retake the lead 6-5.

At the bottom of the inning the Aztecs pushed ahead of the Spartans by managing to once again set up runners across the bases with ultimately a throwing error from senior pitcher Tevin Cadola initiating another burst of offense for the Scarlet and Black as freshman catcher Deron Johnson took advantage to score.

Schmitt would follow with a single to center field that allowed Maekawa to run in from third.

The bullpen for the Spartans committed a second error as Cadola threw a wild pitch from the mound that let Bible add to

the scoring count.

Things would simmer down with the next two innings going scoreless before Spartans junior centerfielder Anders Davidson reached to first base off a 2-1 count. Berry seized the moment to come in at home plate and tally the final scoring run in the 7th inning.

The Aztecs face the Spartans for the final game of the series on May 5 at 1:00pm at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

“I give our guys credit,” Martinez said. “We’ll see how we do tomorrow. If we come out with some purpose and energy and intent then we should finish the weekend the right way.”

SDSU 10 - SJSU - 8

delivered an RBI a piece to give the Aztecs a 10-5 lead.

Head coach Mark Martinez said the offense still has to produce more despite a 10-run outing.

“We had some breaks – a misplayed fly ball kind of relaxed us a little bit,’’ Martinez said. ‘’We did a good job. We obviously still have to continue to grow as an offense and put together some hits.’’

Schmitt, who led the team with three RBIs, took over on the mound in the ninth inning and earned a two-out save.

The save was the eighth of the season for Schmitt, and he said throwing strikes is a key part of his success.

“I just make sure I pound (the strike zone) and make quality pitches and let them get themselves out. That’s what I just live by,” he said.

Freshman Aaron Eden lasted seven innings and allowed eight runs on seven hits before he

was replaced with sophomore Christian Winston in the eighth inning. Eden also earned his fourth win of the year.

Eden said his teammates were able to help him pitch deep into the ballgame.

“It was a rough one. I’ve got to do better. I did an okay job of trying to keep up is the game, but it has to be better,” Eden

“(The sweep) was really good for us and big for us in the conference, so that’s going to really help us.”

– Speaker Name, year and major/position

said. “My defense really helped me in getting outs.”

SDSU now sits two-and-a-half games ahead of SJSU for second place in the Mountain West

standings with only two weeks left in the season after the series sweep.

Schmitt said the sweep puts the team in a good position to contend for the MW championship. “(The sweep) was really good for us and big for us in the conference, so that’s going to really help us,” Schmitt said.

Much of the attention for the Aztecs’ remaining schedule is shifted towards a three-game road series against first place Fresno State that begins on May 10.

Martinez said the team will look to be well rested for the weekend series against the Bulldogs that could determine the MW regular season title.

“We’ve got a huge series against Fresno State next week, so hopefully we can continue to get healthy and add to our arsenal heading up to Fresno,” Martinez said. “You’ve got to love it being in this position.”

MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS

1. Fresno State (15-7-1) 2. San Diego State (14-9) 3. UNLV (12-12) 4. San José State (12-12) 5. Air Force (10-13) 6. Nevada (11-16) 7. New Mexico (8-13-1) Conference records as of May 7

6

Sports

The Daily Aztec

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Steele caps off storied Aztec lacrosse career

by Cristian STAFF WRITER

Alvarez

San Diego State lacrosse senior midfielder Harlowe Steele has performed at a high level since the day she joined the Aztecs.

In her final year, Steele tallied a total of 52 goals, 57 draw controls, 11 assists and 35 ground balls.

“She just shows how work ethic and consistency every day pays off,” head coach Kylee White said. “She was pretty much the same person every time she stepped on the field.”

Steele ends her career as SDSU’s all-time leader in games played (68), while ranking second in both goals (99) and draw controls (149). She is also third in shots (187) and fourth in ground balls (96).

“I never thought that I’d be the one to put up points like this,” Steele said. “It’s really exciting to see my name so high up there.”

The British Columbia native led the conference in scoring this year with 52 goals, becoming the only Aztecs lacrosse player in program history to ever score more than 50 goals in a season.

The moment was never too big for Steele as her team-high

three game winners showcased her ability to come up big when the team needed her the most.

“I’ve just learned to love the pressure,” Steele said. “I’ve just learned to embrace it and perform my best under these high pressure situations.”

Steele has 17 years of experience playing lacrosse and coincidentally, the tri-captain wears the number 17 for the Aztecs.

“It’s just a number for my family,” Steele said. “My brother is six years older than me and he was always 17 and then my older sister too. It’s just our favorite number.”

Not only is Steele athletically talented, but she excels in the classroom too.

Steele was recently named SDSU’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year at the 25th annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet held at Montezuma Hall on April 15.

“It’s amazing, it was a real surprise, but I’m really happy,” Steele said. “It’s important to work hard in the classroom, and do your best on the field.”

In order to qualify as an Aztec scholar-athlete, one needs to have a semester GPA of at least 3.20 or maintain an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

Courtesy of Anna Scipione

Senior midfielder Harlowe Steele takes on the USC defender during the Aztecs’ 20-16 loss to the Trojans on Feb. 22 at Aztec Lacrosse Field.

“She’s worked so hard from the day that she came here,” White said. “She has had a goal of doing well both in the classroom and on the field. To get a lacrosse player recognized is very exciting.”

The Aztecs clinched back-toback Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles on April 28

after defeating UC Davis, 15-7, at Aggie Stadium.

Steele recorded a hat-trick, one assist, four ground balls, three forced turnovers and four draw controls in Sunday’s championship match.

For her performances over the weekend, Steele was honored as the most valuable player of

the conference tournament by racking up eight goals, six draw controls, four ground balls and three forced turnovers.

Steele plans on staying one more year at SDSU to finish up her bachelor’s degree in but intends to continue cheering on her teammates next season as a potential assistant coach.

Men’s soccer lands twelfth-best recruiting class in nation

by Cristian STAFF WRITER

Alvarez

San Diego State men’s soccer is making waves in the Pac-12 Conference as head coach Lev Kirshner has put together the twelfth-best recruiting class in the nation, according to Top Drawer Soccer.

“We’re very proud and excited,” Kirshner said. “Those players need to come in here and prove why this class is ranked so high.”

Kirshner praised assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Josh Hill for scouting top-ranked players. “(Hill) is putting the right type of players in front of me,” Kirshner said. “He’s beloved by every player that we’ve been bringing into the program.”

A total of nine new players will make their way onto the pitch for the Aztecs this fall – four forwards, three defenders, one goalkeeper and one midfielder.

Kirshner aims to welcome the new players to be part of the SDSU family.

“Our expectations is for them to acclimate to the culture of our program,” Kirshner said. “Make sure that they’re putting their best foot forward every day.”

Kirshner said the priority in this year’s recruiting class was finding players who can score goals.

Last season, the Aztecs scored 16 tallies in all competitions at a mere rate of 0.89 goals per game.

“We needed to enhance our attacking presence and take some pressure off our defensive

Photo by Jocelyn Moran

Then-redshirt freshman midfielder Reagan Sherlock (17) celebrates with his teammates during the Aztecs’ 2-0 victory over Brown on Sept. 15, 2018 at the SDSU Sports Deck.

capabilities,” Kirshner said.

Some of the new attackers for the Aztecs are highly ranked on Top Drawer Soccer’s IMG Academy 150 college player rankings in the country – forwards Hunter George (No. 33), Ryan McCusker (No. 79) and Matthew Hoppe (No. 30 overall).

Although most of the recruits

will not arrive until later this summer, freshmen defender Gísli Sigurdsson has already joined Kirshner’s squad this spring.

A native of Kópavogur, Iceland, Sigurdsson joins Swedish senior midfielders Hampus Bergdahl and Emil Kjellker as the only international players on Kirshner’s roster.

Sigurdsson played soccer at Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur in Iceland’s second division where he was named the club’s top youth player while also having experience on the youth national teams.

“The coaches are bringing a lot of stuff to the table that I will learn from,” Sigurdsson said.

“Being in another environment

is going to help me not just as a player but personally as a man.”

Sigurdsson was sidelined in his first month at SDSU due to injuries but after recovering, earned some playing time during the team’s spring games.

The freshman hopes to land a spot in the starting lineup this upcoming fall.

“I just want to try my best to get into the starting eleven as soon as possible,” Sigurdsson said. “I want to try and make as much impact as I can.”

Kirshner said having a complete squad helps the team’s overall confidence heading into next season.

“The beautiful part of this spring was we had so many players returning that are going to be with us in the fall,” Kirshner said. “It’s going to put us in a very good starting position.”

Senior midfielder Pablo Pelaez, who was named the Aztecs’ most valuable player last season after scoring a teamhigh six goals, 15 points and tied for most assists (3), said the team wants to bring energy this season.

“That’s what this team can bring – energy, grit, passion and the need to win games,” Pelaez said.

Pelaez said the team, especially the seniors, want to make a run to be back into the NCAA tournament this year, a feat that has not occurred since 2016.

“We’re eager to get back into our final season and go into the tournament and win a game,” Pelaez said.

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Abraham Jewett • sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

7

Best of 2018-19: SDSU Athletics in Photos

TOP LEFT: Senior forward Damian German is mobbed by teammates after assisting on a goal during the Aztecs’ 2-1 loss to Washington on Oct. 7, 2018 at the SDSU Sports Deck. Photo by Abraham Jewett TOP MIDDLE: Sophomore guard Téa Adams shoots over multiple SJSU defenders during the Aztecs’ 69-68 victory over San José State on Feb. 2 at Viejas Arena. Photo by David Pradel BOTTOM LEFT: Senior guard Jeremy Hemsley walks off the court following the Aztecs’ 65-56 victory over Nevada in the Mountain West semifinals on March 15 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Photo by Raymond Gorospe RIGHT: Junior running back Juwan Washington celebrates a touchdown during the Aztecs’ 27-24 loss to UNLV on Nov. 10, 2018 at SDCCU Stadium. Photo by Weicheng Han

COMPLETE YOUR M.S. IN ATHLETIC TRAINING WITHOUT LEAVING SAN DIEGO. Find out more at pointloma.edu/MSAT

8

Farewells

The Daily Aztec

Will Fritz Editor in Chief

So I have absolutely no clue how to write this.

I know it’s such a cliché to say things like this, but if you had told me on Aug. 20, 2015, that I was going to be editor-in-chief of The Daily Aztec and that my last name would be a verb by the time my time at San Diego State was finished, I wouldn’t have believed you.

But here I am, 180 bylines later.

In a way, it was fate. When I was a kid, I remember my dad telling me about how one of his favorite TV writers, J. Michael Straczynski, had started off writing for The Daily Aztec. Years later, when I first visited SDSU with my mom, I had nearly forgotten all about that, but I had a feeling. I just knew I was supposed to end up here.

But the truth is, my first semester at SDSU, I felt pretty out of place on a campus that’s better known for its booze-soaked parties than anything else. I felt like something was missing.

When I found The Daily Aztec the second semester of my freshman year, it gave me a purpose. For the last three-and-a-half years, this basement dungeon has been my home.

And there are so many fond memories this place has given me.

From Alex Piscatelli asking everyone about their love lives to Kelly Smiley singing opera in the office to that time Andrew Dyer accidentally sent the previous week’s newspaper to print, it’s been a fun, wild ride.

This last year I’ve spent as editorin-chief has been crazy stressful, but it’s taught me lessons I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The most important one I’ve learned? Working in journalism, you’re going to make a lot of people angry. Oftentimes you’re going to make everyone angry. And that’s how you know you’re doing your job right.

To Bella Ross, the closest thing I have to protégé and The Daily Aztec’s next editor-in-chief: I hope that’s a lesson you take from me. It’s not our job to be liked. It’s our job to report the news.

And it’s no secret that I’m not much liked among the fraternities of San Diego State. To the boys of SDSU’s former Phi Kappa Theta chapter – it would have killed you to at least send me a photo of the poster of my face on the wall at one of your parties last year?

In all seriousness, I can honestly say there is not a single one of our school’s Associated Students executive officers – current or former – whom I do not have the utmost respect for. Every one of you cares about this campus and the students on it.

But the point of a student newspaper isn’t to be student government’s cheerleader – that wouldn’t help anyone, least of all you – it’s to be its biggest critic. There is not one story I have published that I wouldn’t expect to have been written about me were I in your same positions.

I have no regrets, on that front or any other.

So thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.

To my first editors, Jamie and Jacob, the dynamic news duo, for showing me how to, well, actually write a news story.

To Emely and Kayla, for making me a senior staff writer and letting me do 47 stories a week (yes, I’m exaggerating, but not by much).

To Andrew, for always pushing me to do more.

To Jocelyn, for being the yang to my yin.

To Aaron and Kemi, for providing countless production nights of entertainment. for Photo by Kelly Smiley Thanks being a good sport about making fun of you for being “problematic,” Aaron — sorry you made it into the Koala.

To Patty Rea, for helping me navigate the treacherous waters of editor-inchiefing during our somewhat-biweekly meetings.

To Jay Harn, for being the person I’ve leaned on during my year as head honcho.

To Mike Sager, who gave me first non-Daily Aztec, journalism-related job, and who has always had faith in me.

To Kim Harris, who gave me my first internship at the Temecula Valley News.

To my mom, for giving me more unique experiences and perspectives at age 21 than some people get in their entire lives.

To my dad, who taught me right from wrong with a novel approach – Babylon 5, Star Trek, Marvel and DC. Without you, I never would have been interested in journalism, which is the closest thing to being a superhero I could find.

To Granny and Papa, for being the most supportive, loving grandparents I could ever have asked for.

To my Aunt Brooke, for being my second mom and being the person I know I can count on for anything.

To my best friend Ashley, for giving me a chance to get the hell out of The DA office once in awhile.

To my former stepmother, Kate.

Every time you called me stupid or worthless, you made me that much more determined not to be. So really, you deserve my thanks, too.

And to so many more people who lent me a favor or a helping hand during my last four years here.

It’s a bittersweet feeling, writing for this newspaper that for the very last time. But I can’t think of anyone better to take the helm from me than Bella — and you know I don’t just say things like that.

That day your first year as a writer when you told me you literally chased Chukuka S. Enwemeka out of a University Senate meeting to get a quote is the day I knew you would be the one to fill my shoes when I was gone (even though he still refused to talk to you).

I know you’re going to do so many great things, and I can’t wait to see them.

May 8, - Aug. 13, 2019

David Santillan Assistant News Editor

And seven years later I’m finally done! When I graduated high school I wanted to be a photographer.

Funny how things change. But it was through that path that I found my true calling as a journalist.

I’d like to thank my best friend Clara Benitez for inspiring me in pursuing this path. Journalism isn’t an easy career, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. I first joined The Daily Aztec when I came to SDSU two years ago, after transferring from Palomar community college.

I didn’t have a whole lot of newspaper experience but the staff took a chance on me and I was hired as the social media editor. I also had no idea what to expect coming in. I was still new to journalism and everyone else in the newsroom seemed super experienced in comparison.

Lucky for me I was surrounded by some of the best people on campus who took me under their wing and shaped me into the journalist I am today. There were several times where working at the DA felt like being in a never ending episode of The Office (I was Jim). But some of my best college memories were made in that dark dungeon we call a basement. Fun fact: it’s definitely haunted.

Being part of this newspaper allowed me to meet students from all walks of life.

Hearing their struggles, their hopes and their dreams has been one of the most humbling

Active active Police & Firefighters

10% OFF New move-ins, active ID required.

experiences I’m thankful to have.

I was also lucky enough to be part of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

This organization has helped me understand what I means to be a Photo by Kelly Smiley Latino in news and the responsibility I have to represent my community in media.

Huge shout out to Dr. Nate, keep inspiring students to achieve their full potential and keep fighting for us when no one else is.

To Andrew Dyer, you taught me to not be afraid of standing up to administrators, professors and others in a position of power.

No one in this university is above being held accountable for their actions.

To Bella Ross, your courage and passion have taught me to not fear reporting on inconvenient truths. To the SDSU community, I thank you for your support in reading our stories and supporting the journalism we do.

To next year’s DA staff: give ‘em hell.

I encourage anyone who’s reading this to support our newsroom in any way you can and to support all types of journalism.

We live in a scary world where we need journalists doing their jobs now more than ever.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my best friend Candice Loughridge, who’s been by my side all these years supporting me and is the only other person that knows me better than I do.

Bah oui!

9 Easy Access Locations Near you!

• • • • • • •

Old Town • Point Loma • Ocean Beach

298-3023

Access 365 Days a Year Month to Month Leasing Convenient Ways to Pay Drive Up Access Units Available Digital Video Recording Computerized Access Codes Military, Senior & Student Discounts

Pacific Beach • Clairemont • La Jolla

273-1717

(619)

(858)

4800 Pacific Hwy., San Diego

4595 Mission Bay Dr., San Diego

Chula Vista • Eastlake • San Ysidro

Imperial Beach • Chula Vista

575-0119

423-8854

(619)

(619)

2776 Main St., Chula Vista

2385 Main St., Chula Vista

National City • Eastlake • Chula Vista

426-2666

Vista

727-3470

(619)

(760)

325 Trousdale Dr., Chula Vista

2430 S. Santa Fe Ave., Vista

Escondido

San Marcos

1510 E. Mission Rd., San Marcos

185 N. Pacific St., San Marcos

743-4076

(760)

Carlsbad

471-2691

(760)

560 S. Pacific St., San Marcos

471-0133

(760)

BOXES & MOVING SUPPLIES

SELFSTORAGE ASSOCIATION

MEMBER

Low Cost Insurance Available

Check our sizes, prices & locations Visit us at www.storem.com

Farewells

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019

Jocelyn Moran Managing Editor Crying in my bed in my dorm room the first two weeks of my freshman year because of how homesick I was doesn’t feel like too long ago. But then I think about who I am right now, and then it begins to feel like it was hella long ago.

People always tell you “you’re going to find yourself in college,” and I didn’t really understand what that meant.

I don’t feel like “I found myself,” but I do feel like I gained a sense of purpose and an identity I am proud of.

I am proud to say I am Latina, a journalist and a daughter of immigrants, and that is something I would not have been able to say when I stepped onto campus four years ago.

If I went through all the ups and downs of college these past four years to be able to say I am proud to be all of that, it sure was worth it. The last four years by no means was easy. It was a lot of stress, anxiety and crying, but all of that showed me what I was capable of.

And one thing is for sure. If it wasn’t for the opportunities The Daily Aztec offered me and the friendships I made through this newspaper, I don’t think I would have been able to get through all of it.

Covering protests, political events and stories within marginalized communities showed me why I chose journalism, it showed me the power the capability to tell one’s story has.

I remember walking in The Daily Aztec office my freshman year and feeling my heart beat so fast. I wasn’t very independent growing up, so going to an office, knocking on the door and talking to an editor was a big deal for me.

Patrick Carr, thank you for editing all those horrible first articles I wrote.

Your leadership skills and your willingness to help me influenced the kind of editor I wanted to be one day.

Emely and Kayla, y’all definitely pushed me my sophomore year.

Writing two stories a week on top of tests and homework revealed to me how much I loved to write because if I didn’t, I sure wouldn’t have been staying up until 3 a.m. to get those articles in.

Andrew, Andrea, thank you for believing in me to take on Mundo Azteca when I wasn’t so sure I could do it myself.

Being the editor of the Spanish section gave me a new responsibility: leading a group of writers in representing the Latinx community through their stories.

Through this section and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists SDSU chapter, I was able to build a community of Latinx student journalists whose goal was to make a difference through their stories and who was determined to advocate for more diversity in newsrooms.

Which leads me to the next person I for sure have to thank: Dr. Nate. I don’t think you realize how much our

weekly conversations helped me these past two years at SDSU. You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and you never told me the kind of leader I should be, rather you gave me the resources and guidance I needed to figure that out for myself. And for that, I am forever thankful.

Nicole Vargas, you tore apart my resume, but I never walked away from your office discouraged.

You gave me the pep talks to go after my first internships. And even though you weren’t at SDSU this past year, you’ve been there to offer me Photo by Kelly Smiley advice.

Jay, thanks for letting me come into your office to freak out about jobs after college.

To the future student journalists of The Daily Aztec, there is power in journalism. The stories you tell matter, and you have the power to make a difference.

I will forever be grateful for the friendships I made at The Daily Aztec.

Jasmine Bermudez, gosh, I have no idea how we didn’t become friends before, but I sure don’t want to think about what my life would be without our daily conversations about what makes us laugh, mad or sad. I can’t wait for you to be the madrina of my children.

Emely, your kind heart and your advice got me through some of the most stressful times.

Kemi, I will always appreciate the conversations we were able to have this last year. You light up the room, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things you do.

Tristi, you’re going to be a badass sports reporter. David, I can’t wait to see you on camera. And Will, I really could not stand you always tryna steal my stories our freshman and sophomore years.

But even through the many, many (it was a lot) arguments, I have appreciated working with you the last couple of years. You have already created change through your stories, and I know you will continue to put those in power in check, I can’t wait to read all of it.

The Daily Aztec, I will miss you more than I thought I would.

Alejandra, Diane, I know you are both capable of leading NAHJ and Mundo Azteca, I’ll be here if you need anything.

Kyle Betz, I’ll be rooting for you.

You and Aaron will make one heck of a team.

Bella, you are going to be a great leader.

And most importantly, my family.

Thanks mom and dad, you put your faith in me, and you helped me along the way. Your love and guidance led me to this point.

Tía Bremely, Tía Dunia, your texts from eight hours away reminded me of why I was here. To my familia, los quiero mucho.

Lo hice. I can, and I did.

The Daily Aztec

9

Kemi Giwa Opinion Editor

Looking back on these last four years, the one thing I regret the most is not believing in myself enough.

It’s easy to feel like you don’t belong –– especially when you choose a major where more than 90% of the students look nothing like you.

I’ve spent the last four years doubting myself and believing I wasn’t deserving of the opportunities I received. I got my first job in political communications at the California State Assembly, and I spent the first half of the internship feeling like a fraud. Why me? Why did they pick me over plenty of well qualified, intelligent students? Then, I got a communications internship at the mayor’s office and felt the exact same way, but even ten times worse. I mean, I was writing speeches for the mayor of one of the largest cities in the country.

Since then, it’s been a never-ending cycle of self-doubt and low confidence. But, the thing is, in each instance, I overperformed. Did better than I expected, and improved in so many more ways than one.

Overcoming imposter syndrome isn’t an easy task, and to be quite honest, I don’t think I’ve fully overcome it just yet. This time next month I’ll be halfway across the country all by myself, starting my first, official big girl job,

and for a while, it took me some time to realize that I deserve this. I didn’t think I’d be good enough.

But what I’m slowly realizing is: every single opportunity I’ve gotten is because I’ve worked hard for it. It’s that simple. It’s taken me a long time to believe this, but I’m slowly getting there.I implore all of you, especially my young black women and women of color, to remember not to give up on yourselves. You got that job, that internship or that scholarship because Photo by David Santillan you are the best one.

The truth is, you’re destined for great things, but you have to believe that.

It wouldn’t be right to end this off without giving a huge shoutout to the organization that made me.Four years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my college career by stumbling into The Daily Aztec office. Besides meeting life-long friends, who are also some of the greatest, most talented people I’ve ever met in my life, I also learned so much about myself. I learned that having a big mouth and being opinionated is actually worth something.

But more importantly, as opinion editor, I’ve learned that one of my many true callings is providing a space for marginalized communities and giving them a platform to be vulnerable and share their experiences out loud. And no matter what happens, I’m committed to doing this for the rest of my life.

PREPARE

CONFIDENTLY PREPARE FOR THE CPA EXAM at a top-ranked school. GMAT waivers available.

Earn your M.S. in Accounting in as few as 10 months in Orange County.

CHAPMAN.EDU/MSA

ONE UNIVERSITY DRIVE ORANGE, CA 92866

10

Farewells

The Daily Aztec

Julianna Ress

Lauren J. Mapp

Arts & Culture Editor

When I started at San Diego State four years ago, I had no idea writing about pop culture could lead to so many opportunities.

For that I have to thank my editors who guided me and allowed me to fangirl over “Twin Peaks” and Carly Rae Jepsen in the newspaper.

But also, to get this far, I listened to so much music along the way. I want to reminisce on the songs I’ll always associate with my college experience and that kept me inspired over the years.

One Direction, “History” When I moved from my hometown to start college as a freshman, I was far from my family, I was scared to make new friends and, worst of all, One Direction broke up. Listening to the boys’ last album, “Made in the A.M.,” and watching their old interviews online kept me company in that lonely first year.

Kanye West, “Ultralight Beam” The current, pro-Trump era of Kanye West is even sadder to me when I think about all the great memories I’ve attached to his music. My dorm-mates and I huddling around a laptop to watch him unveil “The Life of Pablo” at Madison Square Garden remains one of my favorite music moments ever.

Noname, “Forever” By the end of my sophomore year, I had put in a year and a half’s worth of work at The Daily Aztec and had landed a major internship. For the first time I was accomplishing things on my own, and I was proud of that.

Lil Yachty feat. Quavo, Skippa da Flippa and Young Thug, “Minnesota” In 2016 and 2017, I was doing a

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019

Senior Staff Writer

lot of driving across California, between my hometown in Sacramento, school in San Diego and my internships in Los Angeles.

“Minnesota” was a staple on my driving playlists — that piano riff still makes me think of trudging along I-5.

Taylor Swift, “Delicate” Junior year felt like a turning Photo by Michael Abshear point — I had finally surrounded myself with a solid group of friends, I was getting serious about the direction of my career and I was done compromising myself. The joy Taylor Swift felt in finding someone who “must like me for me” resonated with me.

Charli XCX, “Vroom Vroom” By senior year, my friends and I were tired of hearing the same songs at every house party. So to switch it up, we made it a challenge to hijack the aux cord wherever we went and play this outrageous Charli XCX song. Those thumping synths and Charli snarling “let’s ride” will always take me back to those nights.

Dixie Chicks, “The Long Way Around” As I’ve neared the end of my college career, I’ve revisited songs from my youth. My mom used to play the Dixie Chicks’ 2004 record “Taking the Long Way” in the car constantly, and in returning to that album I see a lot of myself in the opening track.

One lesson I’ve learned in college is I can’t let people define my successes — one person’s version of success is bound to be different than mine. Sometimes I prefer taking the long way around, but it still got me here, and I’m grateful.

A few weeks ago, I woke up as I do every morning. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand,scrolled through Twitter, read the news and eventually, ever so reluctantly, yanked myself out of bed to get ready for the day. Then it hit me out of nowhere: I only had one month left until graduation.

Though I’ve spent such a long time working toward this moment, it seems hard to believe I’m finally graduating with my bachelor’s degree — and that I’m writing my final article as a senior staff writer for The Daily Aztec.

My two years at San Diego State have flown by, but I’m thankful for all the amazing friends and mentors I’ve met while on campus. Writing about myself has always been a difficult task to do, so I would like to take this opportunity to instead write about everyone who has helped me through this journey.

I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter, more supportive or more loving partner than Peter Hefti to have while finishing school. Thank you for standing by my side as I pushed myself too hard, stayed up too late and took on too much during these last two years.

My parents, grandmother and younger siblings have all inspired me in so many ways to work hard and achieve academic excellence. Since both my parents worked full-time while going to school, I knew I too could do this to achieve my goal of avoiding massive student loans. I am thankful to my family for listening to my erratic ramblings, loving me and being there

Abraham Jewett

Graduating from college is rife with tradition and festivities, as the senior class is ushered out and onto their next chapter in life.

It is also the time of the year when senior Daily Aztec editors are handed pink slips.

Card access to entrance doors is revoked, parking passes become invalid and cubicles and offices are cleaned out.

You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.

I’m kidding. We aren’t fired. But it is time to move on. And that’s a good thing. (Even if there is no severance package) The Daily Aztec is, in essence, exactly what it offers: opportunity.

An opportunity to be involved on campus, to report on your passion and to make connections with colleagues and peers. In the best of cases, to make a difference.

It is now the next generation’s turn to begin or even continue with that experience, that opportunity, while us graduates move on to whatever hopefully bright lights await.

So, with all that said, my time as the sports editor of this century-old newspaper is coming to an end. It’s been a long journey, and a lot of work.

I am and always have been truly

Sports Editor

humbled by the opportunity, and will be forever grateful that I was able to do what I loved, while learning and, hopefully, helping a few people along the way.

To be completely honest, getting to work on this paper is why I transferred to San Diego State in 2017.

I have had a lot of fun, covered a lot of exciting events and worked with a lot of great people who have helped me grow as both a writer and a person.

I was on the court for our men’s

when I needed someone to vent to.

I’ve learned so much from everyone on the team at inewsource when it comes to investigative journalism, data analysis, document-driven reporting and using social media in the newsroom. Thanks to Lorie Hearn, Laura Wingard, Brandon Quester, Brad Racino, Shyla Nott, Jill Castellano, Carla Sanchez and Ashley Rodriguez for the great advice, helpful lessons and tough edits.

Nicole Vargas and Alexa Mokalis were the first two people at SDSU to make me feel at home. I found it hard to fit in as an older student at first, but having them to confide in helped to make the transition into SDSU. Professors Rebecca Coates Nee, Amy S c h m i t z - We i s s , Photo by Raelynn Bichitty Peggy Peattie, Roman Koenig and Arthur Santana have pushed me to be the best multimedia journalist I can be. Their feedback on my projects have been incredibly helpful, and I know I’ll refer to their lessons throughout my career.

A huge shoutout goes to the editors I worked under at The Daily Aztec: Will Fritz, Jocelyn Moran, Bella Ross, David Santillan, Jasmine Bermudez, Julianna Ress, Lexington Howe and Cami Buckman.

My post-graduation career plans are not yet solidified, but I know I’ll continue to “seek the truth and report it.” As Helen Thomas once said, “We don’t go into journalism to be popular.

It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.”

basketball team’s Mountain West title in Vegas in 2018, as well as on the field that same year when our baseball team took first place to win the conference championship.

I watched Rashaad Penny rush for over 2,000 yards and had insider and behind the scenes access to coaches and athletes.

Football head coach Rocky Long snapped at me. That’s a good thing, right?

In the sports section, I worked with a great team of staff writers and fellow editors, who shared the same enthusiasm for writing, sports and photography that sends us all careening toward a common goal of someday getting paid to watch sports.

It’s more than that, of course.

Growing up, I always had a great admiration for sports writers, but becoming one myself felt more like a fantasy than an actual possibility.

It sounded like too much fun. Work was supposed to be, well, work.

And, honestly, when you are faced with catching every moment, finding the story beneath the surface and remembering small details that would be easier to miss than a 100-mile-perhour fastball, it kind of is.

But it’s still pretty damn cool.

Farewells

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019

Stephan Early

11

Tristi Rodriguez

Senior Staff Writer

As I begin to navigate this quickly approaching turn in my life’s path, I can’t help but think about the places I’ve had to go through to get here. It hasn’t been a short or easy journey. The plan has always been to get past this point and get on with the rest, building a better life.

I’ve kept my eyes forward and knew at every step that I would have to say some goodbyes. Actually, I have rather enjoyed watching those I’ve worked and grown with move on to bigger and better things. I tell myself to remember that my classmates, cohorts and colleagues were always supposed to part ways, and this is a natural evolution. This typically works well.

I must admit this time around, I am having more trouble than usual. San Diego State University has extended opportunities I have been so blessed to be a part of and will always be thankful for. The opportunity I am most happy to be a part of is a legacy that spans far ahead of my time and hopefully will continue long after I’m gone.

The DA isn’t just a place where I have learned the power of the press, it’s a place where I learned the power of those who take it upon themselves to tell others’ stories with passion and truth. I could go on about the blood, sweat and tears this group of editors, writers, photographers and videographers have collectively given in the pursuit of getting the story right, but the proof is in the paper.

The Daily Aztec

Senior Staff Writer

Open any issue, click on any video, and you will find student journalists finding their voices.

When I first joined the DA, I felt like an outcast. Unlike every other stage of my life, I wasn’t winning many friends with ease. I was much older than many of my colleagues and wasn’t even sure that this was a path I really wanted to take. It’s an office where many people come and go. So, it’s understandable to treat folks with caution. Then, I leaned Photo by Amal Younis in. I focused in on the work. I focused on collaboration. I focused on what it is that we do. One day somebody cracked a joke while we were in the middle of putting together the next big story. I looked up to see the laughing faces of a group that I had spent quite some time with and alongside producing award-winning content. We laughed till it hurt and then went right back to work. I gained my friends in the newsroom from long hours and the stress of making our weekly rag happen, together. Thank you, members of The Daily Aztec. We made some cool stuff.

I also want to give a very special thank you to the Boss Ladies I have had the pleasure and privilege of reporting to. So, to my whole Band of Boss…Editors, (yes, you too, Will!) thanks for killing my precious words so the strong ones could thrive.

Someone once said, “The devil works hard, but we work harder.” I think they were right.

And for The Daily Aztec, I’m Stephan Early.

+Fake

Who would have thought that the little Mexican girl from Bakersfield would be graduating in a few days with a bachelor’s degree in journalism? I don't know where the time went, but I am so grateful for the journey.

Over the past couple of years, I got the chance to cover sports for The Daily Aztec.

Joining the DA was the best decision I made not only because it allowed me to meet some of my best friends, but because it reinforced my love and passion for journalism.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists was also a big part of my experience at SDSU. Being a part of an organization where people looked like me for once was special. As a proud Latina, it upsets me that there aren’t many of us in the sports media industry. That is something I plan to change.

My family is everything to me. To my four brothers, thank you guys for always having my back no matter what. Thank you for never taking it easy on me when we were

kids, because that has helped me grow into a strong young lady. Gabe, thank you for being the best role model and guiding me along the way. To Natalia and Layth, I hope your tía is making you proud. I love watching you two grow.

To my mom and dad, thank you for sacrificing so much for me and the boys. Dad, no matter how old I get, I will always be your little girl. Mom, you already know what it is.

You are my best friend and number one fan. Te amo para siempre y por siempre serás mi bebé.

Thank you Sarah for being my best friend at State. I appreciate your loyalty more than you know. Thank you athletes and coaches for never pulling a Russell Westbrook on me and making every interview Photo by Kelly Smiley experience amazing.

And thank you to everyone else who has supported me over the years. You know who you are.

“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists” — well Mr. Trump, they are also graduating college.

Class of ‘19, we did it! A todos mis Latinos, arriba! Los adelantamos, educacion es la llave. Sí podemos.

ID* +DUI • Fake ID* • DUI Minor in Possession •+Minor in Possession (MiP)* (M •+Minor Purchasing Alcohol* Minor Purchasing Alco !!If not handled correctly, as of 2019 these now come with a 1-yr

• * If not handled correctly, as of 2019 these now come with a 1-yr drivers license suspension.

• Additionally, Fake ID conviction involves false Governement Documents.

! Additionally, Fake ID conviction involves false Government Docu

Every second counts. "#$%&'($)*+,')*-+.(

If you or a friend have been charged/cited, there are possible defenses, negotiations tactics, diversion programs, and experience that can be utilized on your case. ,-&*./&.0&"&-01$23&4"5$&6$$2&74"08$3971:$3;&:4$0$&"0$&<.%%16=$&3$-$2

315$0%1.2&<0.80"#%;&"23&$><$01$27$&:4":&7"2&6$&/:1=1?$3&.

Call today for a FREE consult.

!"##$%&'"($)&*$"$+,--$!&./0#%1

My office has extensive experience handling these for SDSU students.

Changes are I have likely handled one of these types of cases for @*&.--17$&4"%&$>:$2%15$&$><$01$27$&4"23=128&:4$%$&-.0&ABAC someone you know here on campus.

!"#$%&'(#)&(*("#+&(,-.&,/("#$0,&0(1$&(12(3"&'&(3/4&'(12(%#'&'(21)('15&1$&(/

yourme, parents want to speak wi If your parents want to speakIfwith presenting this “cor I’m also experience at presenting this “correctly” to parents.

D4$&E01#12"=&B$-$2%$&'"F&G--17$&.-

!"#$%&'(&)"%%$* 01213'45 James FFF()"%%$*'"F(7.# L. Hassey (858) 373-8201 www.HasseyLaw.com The Criminal Defense Law Office of

12

The Daily Aztec

Mundo Azteca

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 Editor: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Presidenta de LSSWA busca apoyar a comunidades minoritarias en SDSU por Alejandra EDITORA

Luna

Melanie Ramírez, estudiante de trabajo social en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego, es la nueva presidenta de la Asociación de Trabajadores Sociales Latinos en SDSU. Ramírez llegó de Los Ángeles a San Diego para seguir sus estudios universitarios y poder ayudar a las minorías, especialmente a los hispanos. Mientras ella se encontraba en su ciudad natal se dio cuenta que había mucho rechazo a estudiantes que no eran de EEUU. “Quise venir a San Diego porque quería vivir cerca de la frontera para experimentar una cultura nueva”, dijo Ramírez. “Vi una diferencia entre Los Ángeles y San Diego, allá hay más grupos étnicos en diferentes áreas como la comunidad de china y aquí en San Diego todos están en su propia comunidad”.

Agregó que es muy importante ser parte de la Asociación de Trabajadores Sociales Latinos porque existen específicas necesidades para la comunidad latina por la cultura y la lengua y porque es una vida diferente.

“Mi mamá siempre me enseñó como en Ecuador todos eran parte de la comunidad y que hay diferentes valores en EEUU”, dijo Ramírez. “Los hispanos tenemos una fuerza que debemos utilizar para trabajar juntos como comunidad y ayudarnos mutuamente, tenemos los recursos”.

De acuerdo con Ramírez, lo que la motivó a ser presidenta de la asociación fue cuando el pasado Acción de Gracias sus compañeros y ella participaron en un evento de Barrio Logan, donde hicieron

Cortesía de Melanie Ramírez.

Melanie formó parte del congreso binacional realizadó por LSSWA.

canastas de comida para regalarlas a familias de escasos recursos.

“Fue uno de los primeros eventos que asistí, sentí que estaba haciendo una diferencia y que estaba ayudando a la comunidad”, dijo Ramírez.

Según Ramírez, para ella uno de los más grandes logros que la asociación realizó este semestre fue la conferencia binacional en donde varios presentadores hablaron sobre temas que son muy relevantes en

ambos países.

“No sabía que teníamos los recursos o los fondos necesarios para hacer una conferencia que fuera en inglés y español”, dijo Ramírez. “Aprendí mucha información valiosa y quiero asegurarme que el año que viene podamos hacer algo grande”.

A su vez, la universitaria dice que el próximo año le gustaría hacer la conferencia en México.

“Tenemos estudiantes poderosos, podemos conseguir presentadores y podemos hacer la diferencia”, dijo Ramírez.

Ramírez mencionó que en verdad quiere ser presidenta porque hay mucho que ella y sus compañeros pueden lograr, y está segura que pueden ser una potencia para ayudar a educar a las personas.

“Recientemente el departamento de recursos de color ha sufrido mucho odio, y quiero asegurarme que seamos una comunidad que apoyemos a las demás minorías y otras etnicidades”, dijo Ramírez.

Como nueva presidenta de LSSWA señaló que quiere lograr apoyar a todos los estudiantes de la universidad sin importar su cultura y quienes son.

“Nuestra asociación fue hecha para la diversidad de nuestra universidad”, dijo Ramírez.

Otra de las cosas que Ramírez desea realizar durante su presidencia en SDSU es tener un centro intercultural para latinos para contribuir con la gran cantidad de estudiantes hispanos que asisten al plantel.

“Creo que sería realmente bueno tener comunicación con otros grupos latinos en la escuela como MEChA que siempre están activos”, dijo Ramírez. “Me encantaría tener más miembros y los nuevos estudiantes siempre son bienvenidos”.

Ramírez dice creer que los estudiantes latinos deben de reconocer cuando una persona los discrimina, sin embargo, ellos deben saber su identidad y quienes son.

“Al final del día habrá gente que te querrán derrotar, pero tú no tienes que dejar que esos enemigos te derrumben”, dijo Ramírez. “Tú estás en esta universidad por alguna razón y eres capaz de lograrlo”.

Estudiante logra superar obstáculos para graduarse por Diane ESCRITORA

López

Con esfuerzos y con el apoyo de su mamá, Brenda Arellano se graduará de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego como estudiante de primera generación en la carrera de Comunicación junto con dos especialidades en Liderazgo y Estudios Internacionales.

Arellano quien es de padres inmigrantes, fue criada por una madre soltera y dice luchar con su inglés porque el español es su primer idioma.

Agregó que fue difícil para ella encontrar recursos y solicitar a las universidades porque su familia no estaba familiarizada con el sistema escolar de EEUU. También mencionó que ser estudiante de primera generación le causó muchos obstáculos, pero Arellano pudo encontrar el apoyo que necesitaba con recursos como el Programa de Oportunidades Educativas y Asuntos Étnicos (EOP) de SDSU. “Básicamente, cuando llegaron las solicitudes universitarias, nadie de mi familia sabía cómo hacerlo porque ninguno de mis primos había ido a la universidad tampoco”, dijo Arellano.

Arellano añadió que debido a que el español es su primer idioma, falló en la mayoría de sus clases durante la primaria, pero con su madre como motivación se graduó de la escuela preparatoria con un GPA de 4.3 y fue aceptada en nueve universidades.

“Tuve mucha suerte porque mi preparatoria tenía un equipo de Sueño Universitario que ayudaba a los estudiantes solicitar para la universidad”, dijo Arellano.

Con su experiencia, luchas y título en Comunicación, Arellano dijo que planea brindar apoyar y dar voz a los refugiados y otras minorías.

“El motivo por el que quiero ayudarlos es que siento que al estar en EEUU. siendo una minoría puede ser difícil y lo he experimentado porque nací aquí, pero ni siquiera puedo contar las veces en que las personas me han preguntado si soy indocumentada o cuando la gente tiene comentarios raciales hacia mí”, dijo Arellano. “Así que sé que mucha gente tiene una crisis de identidad como las minorías aquí y es difícil adaptarse, por eso quiero ayudarlos”.

Adicionalmente, Arellano tiene un certificado de enseñar inglés como una lengua extranjera de 120 horas porque dice querer ayudar a las minorías a dominar el inglés como maestra de ESL para que se comuniquen y se integren mejor en la sociedad.

Agregó que nunca se imaginó viajar afuera de EEUU pero que ahora como voluntaria de enseñanza de inglés, Arellano ha viajado a Tailandia, México y Chile para ayudar a la comunidades aprender inglés. Incluso recaudó $700 en una colecta de fondos para los niños de una escuela en Tailandia.

“Estoy realmente orgullosa del impacto global que he hecho porque cuando era niña, mis amigos tenían más dinero que yo, siempre se iban de vacaciones y nunca tuve esa oportunidad”, dijo Arellano. “Recuerdo que cuando tenía 5 años recogí todas las monedas, las puse en mi alcancía y le dije a mi mamá que teníamos suficiente dinero para visitar a nuestra familia en México, pero ella dijo que solo eran $11”.

Después de graduarse, Arellano dijo que estará enseñando inglés durante el verano en Uganda, África con el programa de Voluntarios Internacional HQ (IVHQ).

En el otoño estará trabajando para una programa sin fines de lucro , HELP! en Puebla, México. Arellano volverá a Valparaíso, Chile para trabajar como voluntaria para el Proyecto Valpo Surf

donde enseñará inglés y surf.

A pesar de sus dificultades, se graduará en pocos días, no sólo con el Departamento de Comunicación, sino también con EOP. “No tengas estándares bajos”, dijo Arellano. “Recoge a otros y reconoce que otros te ayudaron a ser lo que eres hoy.

Presiona, el cansancio es temporal pero el éxito es para siempre”.

Brenda viajará a diferentes países para impartir clases de inglés.

Cortersía de Brenda Arellano.

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Alejandra Luna • mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

13

Consejero en SDSU motiva a alumnos de primera generación a graduarse por Diane ESCRITORA

López

Robert Guzmán, profesor de Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos, apoya a estudiantes de primera generación como consejero del Programa de Oportunidades Educativas (EOP) de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego.

Guzmán se graduó de la Universidad del Norte de Texas con una maestría en historia como estudiante de primera generación, lo que agradeció a su padre por la motivación que le dio para que continuara en su educación superior.

Incluso, dijo que fue inspirado por su ciudad fronteriza en Texas y de la población latina que vivían en su comunidad, donde tenía modelos a seguir para lograr sus metas.

“Había muchos mexicanos desde custodios, maestros, paisajistas, policías, abogados y doctores, así que crecí pensando que sería uno de ellos”, dijo Guzmán.

Con la historia de su familia y sus propias experiencias que ha vivido, Guzmán ha decidido utilizar su título no sólo para ayudar a estudiantes de primera generación, sino también a minorías.

“Muchos de los estudiantes vienen pensando que no son lo suficientemente buenos o inteligentes para graudarse”, dijo

Guzmán. “Me siento orgulloso dándoles esperanza y confianza que los ayuda a realizar sus metas y ser los primeros de su familia en recibir su título”.

Guzmán mencionó que ha apoyado a los estudiantes durante 18 años donde

como estereotipos, es por eso que dice que es importante para él ser un consejero para estudiantes que son minorías.

“Podría ignorar, olvidar quién era o podía apropiarme de mis raíces”, dijo Guzmán. “Decidí que no podía ignorar la historia

“Muchos de los estudiantes vienen pensando que no son los suficiente buenos o inteligentes para graduarse”.

– Robert Guzmán, Consejero de EOP en SDSU.

ha trabajado en diferentes proyectos como el programa de puente de transferencia y puente de verano en donde los nuevos estudiantes de la universidad tienen la oportunidad de tener la experiencia de ver cómo será su vida como universitario.

Además, ha dirigido el centro de tutoría de EOP, trabajó en el reclutamiento de alcance y ahora está en su tercer año como consejero donde ha sido galardonado por su compromiso con la excelencia estudiantil con reconocimientos como Excelencia del Personal Presidencial y el premio a la Facultad Más Influyente.

Durante su educación en la Universidad de Texas dice haber recibido mucha microagresión

de mi mamá y mi papá para poder apropiarse de lo que significaba ser un estudiante de color y un estudiante latino de primera generación. El saber que tengo la oportunidad de educar a otros estudiantes es importante”.

Guzmán añadió que es importante encontrar un propósito y tener un mentor que les pueda ayudar en sus carreras.

“No solo vayas a la escuela, a casa y al trabajo, mantente conectado, únete a un club, únete a una organización”, dijo Guzmán.

Guzmán busca no sólo inspirar a los estudiantes y retenerlos en las escuela, pero también espera que mantengan sus sueños y aspiraciones de seguir adelante con su educación.

Cortesía de Robert Guzmán.

Guzmán es consejero de EOP en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego.

Mi experiencia en mi primer año como universitario por Noé ESCRITOR

Sandoval

Mi primer año en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego me ha enseñado muchas cosas sobre quién soy y quién seré. He aprendido mucho durante clases y fuera de ellas. Además, he pasado por momentos difíciles y momentos triunfantes que me ha hecho crecer.

La universidad es una oportunidad para que los jóvenes puedan desarrollarse profesionalmente y personalmente. Es una gran etapa de nuestras vidas y las experiencias que atravesamos depende de las decisiones que uno toma.

Existe una diferencia entre la preparatoria y la educación superior; los estudiantes universitarios deben ser más autónomos ya que son adultos y tienen que tomar las cosas por su propia cuenta. Aunque las universidades ofrecen bastante ayuda para sus estudiantes, ellos tienen que querer ser ayudados.

Mirando hacia atrás, hace un año alrededor de este tiempo, estaba preparándome para graduarme de la preparatoria y al mismo tiempo había terminado de confirmar mi matrícula para transferirme a esta universidad.

Honestamente, en aquel

de EOP Summer Bridge, siendo mi primer experiencia en SDSU. El programa prepara a estudiantes de EOP para la vida universitaria. Así que en

Siempre he sido tímido y a veces tengo dificultad para hablar con nuevas personas. Aunque no sea hablador, lo importante es estar presente porque pueden haber

“Siendo estudiante de periodismo, sé que hay ciertas cualidades que uno necesita tener para una carrera exitosa”.

– Noé Sandoval, Estudiante de periodismo en SDSU

Cortesía de Noé Sanddoval.

Noé en su graduación de preparatoria en Los Ángeles.

tiempo, no estaba tan emocionado para asistir a esta escuela, sólo la escogí porque no estaba muy lejos de mi hogar y ya estaba familiarizado con la universidad.

Después de graduarme de la preparatoria, tuve un verano tranquilo disfrutando la vida con mi familia y mis amigos. Sin embargo, mi verano fue corto porque participé en el programa

el verano del 2018, me fui de Los Ángeles y estuve en SDSU por seis semanas tomando dos clases.

Durante el programa, me di cuenta de las maravillas de este plantel. Me encantó el lugar aunque me parecía muy grande. Conocí a mis mejores amigos y aprendí de todas las oportunidades que la escuela ofrece. Esas seis semanas me ayudaron cuando empecé el año escolar porque ya supe un poco sobre el sistema de la escuela, pero aún enfrenté desafíos.

Estando en un nuevo ambiente, lejos de donde siempre has conocido trae muchas inquietudes a uno mismo. Algo que he tenido que esforzar es construyendo mi autoestima.

oportunidades que uno nunca espera.

Lo que me ayudó a superar estas inseguridades es involucrandome en organizaciones en esta universidad. El formar parte del periódico y organizaciones académicas me ha ayudado a desarrollar mis aptitudes.

Cada artículo que he publicado ha sido un logro personal para mí porque me ha mostrado el valor del esfuerzo.

Siendo estudiante de periodismo, sé que hay ciertas cualidades que uno necesita tener para una carrera exitosa.

En mi caso, sé que tengo muchas cosas más que aprender y pasar por muchas enseñanzas que me mejorarán como persona.

14

The Daily Aztec

Arts & Culture

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

A guide to San Diego’s summer concerts Saturday, June 22: Paul McCartney at Petco Park Sir Paul McCartney is coming to Petco Park this summer on his “Freshen Up” tour. McCartney released his newest album “Egypt Station” this past fall, which includes singles “Come On to Me” and “Fuh You.” The former Beatle also does not refrain from playing the Fab Four’s hits during his solo career.

Songs You May Know: “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die” Songs You Should Listen To: “Let Me Roll It,” “Every Night” Sunday, June 23: Khalid at Pechanga Arena The Coachella performer has been known for his collaborations with big names such as Halsey, Billie Eilish and John Mayer. His latest album, “Free Spirit” was recently released and will be leading his tour this summer.

Songs You May Know: “Location,” “Young, Dumb & Broke” Song You Should Listen To: “Outta My Head” ft. John Mayer

Photo by Justin Higuchi

Pop breakthrough Billie Eilish will perform at the Open Air Theatre at SDSU on July 13.

by Kelly Kerrigan STAFF WRITER

Summertime is right around the corner, and with that comes a lot of artists stopping by San Diego and the rest of Southern California on their big summer tours. From country to rock to hip-hop and everything in between, San Diego will be a hotspot for concerts in summer 2019.

Here is a complete guide to all the best upcoming shows in San Diego this summer: Saturday, May 18: Sitting On Stacy at Ché Café, UC San Diego San Diego State’s very own Sitting On Stacy will be performing just after finals are over. The indie band has made quite a name for itself around Southern California.

The band is most known for its song, “Tied Hands,” but has also released an EP “Mel’s Neck of the Woods,” and an album, “Obsessed.”

Song You May Know: “Tied Hands” Song You Should Listen To: “High on Life”

TAX FILINGS AVAILABLE Copies of the tax filings for the

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS SDSU

for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 are now available at the Associated Students Office, Room 320, Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union or on our website at as.sdsu.edu

Saturday, June 1: Brad Paisley, Chris Lane and Riley Green at North Island Credit Amphitheatre The country stars are stopping by the North Island Credit Amphitheatre, a popular spot for country shows in San Diego.

The three-time-Grammy winner Brad Paisley is bringing along Chris Lane and Riley Green for his summer tour.

Songs You May Know: “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Beat This Summer” Songs You Should Listen To: “My Miracle” Thursday, June 6: Father John Misty and Jason Isbell at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Father John Misty is known for four albums worth of vulnerable and poetic lyrics. His newest album, “God’s Favorite Customer” came out in 2018 and this will be his first tour since that release.

Songs You May Know: “Real Love Baby,” “Nancy From Now On” Songs You Should Listen To: “The Songwriter,” “Total Entertainment Forever”

!!! FCOFFEE R E E !!!

"O N T H E C O R N E R"

MAY 8TH & 9TH 8:30am

FAITH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CORNER OF CAMPANILE & MONTEZUMA SUNDAY

WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP 9:30am - 10:30am

YOU ARE WELCOME

Monday, July 8: Shawn Mendes and Alessia Cara at Pechanga Arena The hit-making singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes found his fame off the late app, Vine. Since then he has released three albums, with a brand new single released last week. Mendes’s charming composure and powerful vocals have attributed to his success.

Songs You May Know: “In My Blood,” “Stitches” Songs You Should Listen To: “Fallin’ All In You,” “Where Were You in the Morning?”

Saturday, July 13: Billie Eilish and Denzel Curry at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Billie Eilish has blown up over the past year, becoming more successful with each day that passes. Eilish often takes a dark approach to her songwriting, but it offers music that is unlike anything else on the radio at the moment, which has created her an obsessive fandom.

Songs You May Know: “Bury a Friend,” “Lovely” Songs You Should Listen To: “I Love You,” “Watch” Saturday, July 20: Cage the Elephant, Beck and Spoon at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Cage the Elephant’s newest album “Social Cues” was released this last April.

The album offers the authentic sound of the band while bringing a strong return from their past albums. The band will be touring with other renowned rock acts Beck and Spoon.

Songs You May Know: “Cigarette Daydreams,” “Ready to Let Go” Songs You Should Listen To: “Social Cues,” “Sweetie Little Jean” Thursday, Aug. 22: Kacey Musgraves at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre To close out summer, Kacey Musgraves will come to the Open Air Theatre at San Diego State.

Musgraves has had a huge year for her music career — the country singer took home Album of the Year at this year’s Grammy Awards for her album “Golden Hour,” and performed at Coachella in April.

Songs You May Know: “Rainbow,” “Butterflies” Song You Should Listen To: “Space Cowboy”

Other Concerts: Thursday, May 23: New Kids on The Block, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Tiffany, and Debbie Gibson at Viejas Arena Thursday, May 23: Ocean Alley at The Casbah Thursday, May 23: Festival De Musica Cubana 2019 at Humphreys Concert By the Bay Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26: My Life Every Day USA 2019 featuring Yellow Claw, Jai Wolf, AC Slater, Dr. Fresch Tuesday, May 28: A R I Z O N A at House of Blues Friday, June 7: Inner Observatory North Park

Wave

at

Sunday, June 9: Bad Religion at Observatory North Park Wednesday, June 12: Jake Owen at Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday, June 14: Train and the Goo Goo Dolls at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Friday, June 14: Toby Keith at Del Mar Fairgrounds Wednesday, June 19: Local Natives and Middle Kids at Observatory North Park Friday, June 21: Hootie & the Blowfish at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Saturday, June 22: America Humphreys Concerts By the Bay

at

Sunday, June 23: Santana and Doobie Brothers at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Wednesday, June 26: Anderson.Paak and Earl Sweatshirt at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Friday, June 28: Tchami at Hard Rock Hotel Saturday, June 29: Smokey Robinson and Pitbull at Del Mar Fairgrounds Sunday, June 30: Sticky Fingers at House of Blues Wednesday, July 10: Jon Bellion at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Friday, July 19: Porter Robinson at OMNIA Nightclub San Diego Sunday, July 28: The Raconteurs at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Thursday, Aug. 1: Jimmy Eat World and Third Eye Blind at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Monday, Aug. 5: Lord Huron, Julia Jacklin and Shakey Graves at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay Friday, Aug. 9: Death Cab for Cutie at Observatory North Park Friday, Aug. 9: Young the Giant and Fitz & The Tantrums at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Sunday, Aug. 11: Dirty Heads and 311 at The Interrupters Friday, Aug. 16: Summer Salt at House of Blues

Arts & Culture

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 EDITOR: Julianna Ress • arts@thedailyaztec.com

The Daily Aztec

15

Scene at State: Dressing for May gray

by Madeleine STAFF WRITER

Schwarz

May gray — it’s a time when gloom startles us each year, smack dab in the middle of an end-of-the-year season which should beg for celebration, excitement and overall pleasantries.

The dreariness of the morning combined with foreboding finals and days-long stretches at the library evidently results in a campus covered in dark hues, stress and sweatshirts.

Out of the drab floated music sophomore Charity Brown, a human version of the cherry blossoms that bloomed around her.

A vibrant vision of spring, her electric purple wide-leg pants both contrasted and complemented her cropped rust sweater.

The student’s thrifted Doc Martens added a touch of grunge to the ensemble, an outfit which was, quite literally, tied together by a printed headscarf.

Brown’s gold jewelry, perhaps skipped over upon first glance due to the magnetic nature of the rest of the look, was a statement in itself. A serpent dangled from her right ear, coupled with a safety pin in the other — a pair, it seemed, no one else could pull of in such fluid harmony.

Her gold septum ring and a duo of layered chains added the slightest sprinkling of something almost trivial, but necessary, like a dash of cayenne you didn’t know was missing from the soup until added.

How do you describe your style?

I like a lot of color. I think color is really, really important. And messing around with stuff that doesn’t necessarily conventionally match. I kind of just wanna look like I don’t care. I use my style as a way to express myself without saying anything, because I’m a pretty quiet person the majority of the time. I feel like a lot of interactions I have with people are

from a distance.

Where do you draw style inspiration from?

I f---ing love Zoe Kravitz. Her style is really dope — she has that kind of boho thing going. I really like Solange’s style.

Do you know who Tracee Ellis Ross is?

She’s like 50, but she put me onto wide leg pants. I also pull a lot from the ‘90s and ’70s.

Where do you shop?

I literally just thrift. I’m so poor right now. I went to Salvation Army yesterday and it was 50% off the entire store. So I went in! Not Buffalo Exchange because I think they punk you, but Salvation Army, Goodwill, veterans thrift shops, anywhere really. Or I’ll trade clothes with my friends and my brother.

Would you say your music influences your style?

Yeah definitely. I feel like the more I figure out my identity as an artist, the more I want my style to be a reflection of that. My music is pretty colorful, I try to make it as bright as possible, so I apply that to my whole being.

What’s your favorite article of clothing right now?

I bought this aqua blue corduroy jacket with patches on the elbows yesterday and it fit perfectly. And then I gave it away. I knew the person liked the jacket and I told them to try it on, and it looked better on them, so I couldn’t hold on to it. It suited them better. I’m still low-key mourning.

What advice do you have for students looking to explore their style?

Let go of the high school mentality. I feel like (in high school) no matter who you were or how much you tried to pretend you didn’t care what anyone thought,

Photo by Madeleine Schwarz

Music sophomore Charity Brown said her style is inspired by Zoe Kravitz, Solange and Tracee Ellis Ross.

deep down you did, because you saw those same people for four years. That’s a lot of pressure.

Here there are thousands of people, and everyone is forming their own identity — they’re not focused on what other people are doing, really. Just use that as a way to let go. You can be whoever you want to be.

No matter how much you think you can’t, you have the ability to change

everything. I know the outside doesn’t change the inside, but I feel like it low-key does.

When you wear something you feel good in, you feel good. I just wish people were more free. We admire people that aren’t afraid, because we wish we could do that, right? I’m trying to be that person more.

SDSU’s upcoming graduating seniors plan their next steps

by Nakia Richardson STAFF WRITER

As another school year comes to a close, San Diego State seniors are gearing up for graduation. With every group of graduates, there are always different paths to pursue after receiving their degree. Whether it’s graduate school, working right away or moving back home, SDSU students are exploring their options.

Several SDSU students are leaving San Diego and are headed back home to work near their hometown. Courtney Bacon, 23, will be graduating with a bachelor of arts in interior design. Her hometown is Camarillo, California.

“The plan is to get a job,” she said.

“With interior design, there is usually residential and commercial design. My dream would be to work at a commercial firm in the L.A. area. You can do

Illustration by Michael Abshear

hospitality design, hotels, restaurants, health care places, hospitals, etc.”

Senior Conner Mahaffy is earning his diploma in kinesiology. A Fresno native, he is not leaving his hometown for good anytime soon.

“After graduating, I’m going back home and I’m working as an EMT,” Mahaffy said. “It’s mostly to get experience to get into grad school later. I was hoping to go to grad school for PA - a physician’s assistant.”

Although there are several people who are going back to work near home, several other future SDSU alumni have made the decision to stay close to San Diego for a little while longer.

Nicholas Virtue, who came to San Diego from Palmdale, California, is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in musical education.

“I applied to the credential program here at State, so it’s still going to be another year of schooling here,” Virtue said. “After the credential program, I hope to get placed into a high school band program, where I can teach kids the love of music and run my own ensembles, marching band, jazz band, things like that.”

Hannah Friesen just finished her thesis and will receive her Bachelor of Arts in history. Her hometown is Anaheim, California, and she was accepted to graduate school not too far from there.

However, she said she loves San Diego and doesn’t see herself leaving quite yet.

“I’m actually continuing to be at SDSU,” Friesen said. “I’m going to get my masters in history.”

She said after completing her Masters she is looking to get her PhD. She said her long-term goal is to become a professor and teach at a university.

Psychology and criminal justice double major Katie Cunis said her top priority is neither staying in San Diego or going back to her hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut. For the 21-year-old, it’s trying to find the right place for her to

continue her education.

“I’m going to grad school,” Cunius said. “I want to do forensics psychology.

It’s psychology and the law - courtroom things. You can do research like competency trials.”

With all the different avenues available to graduating seniors, students have time to explore and figure out what’s best for them.

Take Classes All Summer

arc.sdsu.edu/groupfitness

Experience It.

16 / The Daily Aztec

May 8 - Aug. 13, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ Editor: Will Fritz â&#x20AC;˘ editor@thedailyaztec.com