Summer is Over - 2022

SUMMER IS OVER • 2022

Never Too Late to Go Back Religious Realness New Kids on the Block The Tea on Tees

Fun in Funko Campus Impawsters

C ONTE NT S

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Summer is Over Playlist

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Letter From the Editor

5 Staff

6 Never Too Late to Go Back

By Angelina Casolla

Contributed by Josh Carter

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Religious Realness

by Destiny Walker

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Fun in Funko Pop

By Ciara O’Kelley

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The Tea on Tees

By Giovanna Montoya

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Campus Impawsters

By Nadia Castro

Summer is Over Playlist 1. Helmet by Steve Lacy 2. Hollywood Witches by Woody and Jeremy 3. Shout At The Devil by Motley Crue 4. Intergalactic Love Song by The Diddy’s 5. Ain’t Nobody Straight in L.A. by The Miracles 6. Horsey by Macross 82-99 7. CATS GROOVE by Kaelin Ellis, Tony Rosenberg

As the leaves turn brown and the weather cools down, we are reminded that summer is officially over. Whethe you’re a fall lover or a beach bum, we came up with a playlist to listen to as you enjoy our

9. Midnight Pretenders by Tomato Aran

“Summer is Over” Issue.

10. Talk To You by ALEXSUCKS

By Ximena Loeza

8. Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears

11. Otro Atardecer by Bad Bunny, the Marias 12. Carino by the Marias 13. Leaving You by Riovaz 14. Evergreen by Omar Apollo 15. Kiss by Prince 16. Mardy Bum by Arctic Monkeys 17. Bound by The Ponderosa Twins Plus One 18. Audrey Horne by Stevie Dinner 19. Right Side of My Neck by Faye Webster 20. Younger Years by Zach Bryan 21. Bidi Bidi Bom Bom by Selena 22. S on Ya Chest by Injury Reserve 23. porcelain slightly by Lil Ugly Mane 24. Easier Said Than Done by Thee Sacred Souls 25. Blue by Far Caspian 26. Out of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums 27. Cracker Island by Gorillaz and Thundercat 28. Comedy by Gen Hoshino 29. Desafinado by Kali Uchis 30. LIVIN by Lone, the Ghost

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New Kids on the Block

By Caroline Van Zandt

SCAN ON THE SPOTIFY APP TO LISTEN

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When classes started in August, I turned the corner on the third floor of the Humanities Building and came upon something I have not seen in two years: students. Actual real-life people — not imaginary people in little boxes on Zoom — stood next to each other, and the halls echoed with laughter and conversation. Even though their faces were hidden behind masks, you could sense the overwhelming joy students felt about being back. After the pandemic kept us all apart, the students and soul of SF State are back in full force once again.

The campuswide bounce back also brought a new wave of writers and editors to the newsroom. With an almost completely new staff — who didn’t quite know what they had just gotten themself into — Xpress Magazine was back in full swing.

From stories about first-year students making the transition to college to older students returning to SF State, this issue is all about new beginnings.

New beginnings also bring forth feelings of nostalgia for the past we left behind. For how the world once was before we were quarantined to our homes and hidden in fear behind masks. If anything, the pandemic helped us remember our roots and get back to the good ol’ days. Many younger people felt nostalgic to the Y2K era, a time they grew up in.

Now, they are bringing its wonderfully trashy style back.

These new beginnings bring a part of the past with them. As we navigate another new semester, we remember all the writers, editors and photographers that paved the way for us.

Our Back to School Issue is full of new beginnings, ironic nostalgia and everything post-pandemic. From furry campus imposters to dolls with eyes the size of their heads, this one has it all. So, get comfortable, grab a drink and enjoy Xpress Magazine’s “Summer Is Over”

Issue.

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W R I T E R S

Caroline Raffetto

P H O T O

Letter from the Editor

E D I T O R S

STAFF Eian Gil

Ximena Loeza

Managing Editor

Art Editor

Sarah Bowen

Daniel Hernandez

Copy Editor

Design Assistant

Angelina Casolla

Asiah Capponi

Tatyana Ekmekjian

Abraham Fuentes Oliver Michelsen Photo Editor

Multimedia Editor

Justine Brady

Nadia Castro

Nathan Hitchcock

Destiny Walker

Ciara O’Kelley

Giovanna Montoya

Caroline Van Zandt

Kamal Taj

Josh Carter

Juliana Yamada

Miguel Carrion

Diversity Editor Social Media Editor

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Never Too Late to Go

Back

By Angelina Casolla Contributions by Josh Carter

When her alarm goes off at 7 a.m., Serena Gomez reaches for the snooze button. She lays in bed for another thirty minutes, pondering life and how she made it through another day. At 7:30 a.m. she gets up in search of coffee and begins her morning ritual. Today’s a school day for both Gomez and her young kids.

After reminding her kids to get ready several times, they head out the door. Following a smooth drop off at her kids’ schools, Gomez heads to SF State to begin her quest for a parking spot.

Making the decision to go back to school as an older adult is no easy feat. Some may jump at the opportunity, while others struggle with the decision – perhaps due to lack of confidence, full-time employment or a family. Whatever the case, it’s never too late to go back.

SF State saw an uptick in returning students in 2020, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Neela Koduri, an advisor in the College of Liberal and Creative Arts Advising Resource Center, SF State saw an uptick in returning students in 2020 brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The idea kinda clicked for people. With a lot of other remote work, the opportunity to finish your degree remotely also became popular, so with that we saw a lot of resurgence,” said Koduri.

Serena Gomez, SF State psychology student, poses on campus in between classes on Sep 12. (Angelina Casolla / Xpress)

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Gomez is a 37-year-old, professional hair stylist from San Francisco and has two kids. She started her first semester at SF State this fall, and dove right into taking a full course load of 12 units. While she’s attended both City College of San Francisco and Skyline

Returning students at SF State prove you’re never too old for an education.

College on and off since 2003, she’s changed her focus several times, testing the waters in nursing, cosmetology and even auto-tech before landing on psychology.

“I didn’t really ever know what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Gomez said. “I got into hair accidentally and ended up really loving it, but still found there was more – I had more curiosity about the world. And so I tried different things.”

She left college for many reasons when she was young.

“I think I was not motivated, I felt like I needed to find out who I was in a way that wasn’t in a classroom.

I needed to do something totally and erratically different than high school and I wasn’t going to find that by continuing on in school,” said Gomez. “So I think I did it in my way and it was great and I’m happy.”

Gomez returned to CCSF full-time in 2017 to work on her prerequisites for psychology. She’s noticed many differences between attending a state school versus a community college, and feels somewhat of an age gap between herself and her peers — in maturity level and life experience.

Gomez, who prefers pen and paper, admits to struggling with technology that seems to come easier to the younger students.

“Basically, I need a class just on how to work this technology,” Gomez said. “It’s crazy!”

Going back to school has given Gomez a sense of purpose. She said that sometimes it’s better to be older and more focused on what you want to achieve and why.

Phyllis Moodie is 62, and first came to SF State in 1978. After leaving due to a health issue, she worked for 20 years in the organic food industry, at AT&T, and for the US Postal Service since 2005.

“I’ve been wanting to leave ever since I got there,” Moodie says.

The sociology student was driven to San Francisco in the late ’70s after being chased out of Chico by a racist group. Moodie says her presence on campus today is a testament to her resilience.

“Things were a lot different here than they were in Chico, especially in those days. I was run out of town for being the only Black person around. And when I came here, I started taking classes by Angela Davis and some other revolutionary thinkers of the time. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at that time, but man, am I glad to have gone to school when I did.”

Moodie says her transition back to school has had a few challenges, but on the whole has been easier than expected.

“I thought this would be hard, but I’m going here on a full ride. I’m just here to get educated and keep the party going.”

“Our goal is to remind students that we’re here and ready for them.”

Mila Vasilyeva is originally from Belarus, and had to “start from scratch” when she went back to college at 39. Vasilyeva started college in Belarus when she was 17, but dropped out just one year shy of getting her bachelor’s degree in economics and instead immigrated to America.

That was roughly 20 years ago. Vasilyeva is now a full-time massage therapist in San Francisco and is attending CCSF part-time to become a psychologist, with the goal of one day getting her Ph.D. During the pandemic, Vasilyeva started seeing a therapist, who helped ground her and provided her clarity and inspiration. Vasilyeva’s goal is now to get her degree in psychology so she can help other people, just like how her therapist helped her.

“I told my therapist, I’m probably gonna be 50 by the time I’m finished with school.” Vasilyeva said.

SF State Enrollment Services is reaching out and helping as well by contacting students who left and offering them a way back.

“Our hope is that we create clearer pathways back for students who have stopped attending at some point,” said Senior Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at SF State Katie Lynch.

“And it’s two-fold. It’s not only re-enrollment, but re-engagement and making sure that if students return, they feel appropriately connected to the community and are set up for success” she added “our goal is to remind students that we’re here and ready for them.”

Due to returning students’ heightened interest in re-enrollment, SF State created a website full of sources with support in all areas, such as financial aid, advising and useful contacts.

“Each semester, it’s been easier and easier for students to re-enroll at SFSU,” explained Koduri.

When Alejandro Rios showed up to school dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, other students mistook him for a teacher. Rios, associate executive director of Associated Students, is both a student and employee at SF State. Rios started as a SF State student in 1992 and dropped out in 2001, the same year he started working full-time for Associated Students.

“I became an organizer and eventually lost track of why I was here,” Rios said. “I was organizing more than being in the classroom. I was learning more outside the classroom than inside the classroom.”

Finishing college was always on the back of Rios’ mind, but when he could no longer advance in his career

because he lacked a degree, he had to switch gears once again. After not being a student for 15 years, Rios stepped back onto campus as a student again in 2016.

He graduated with a degree in Latino Studies in 2018, and is currently working on his masters.

Meghan Hanebutt started studying graphic design at the University of Delaware over a decade ago.

At the time, she was young and didn’t know what she wanted to do.

“When I was last in school, it was like you go to school and get your degree in this many years. I think it’s a churn-and-burn mentality. Get in and get out in four years creates a sense of false urgency,” said Hanebutt. “And now I feel like the program is supposed to take two-and-a-half years, but I might take five years. And that’s OK, because it’s easier for me financially, and it’s easier for me emotionally and easier logistically.”

After 15 years of debating whether to go back to school, Hanebutt chose to enroll in the master’s program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

She returned to school specifically for the therapy program. The mental health field runs in her family, and her fiancé and friends are all therapists and counselors as well.

Phyllis Moodie stands outside of the Humanities building after a gender studies class on September 6, 2022. Moodie first attended San Francisco State University in 1978, when she took classes from Angela Davis, but had to withdraw due to health reasons. (Joshua Carter / Xpress)

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“ I ’ ve b e e n i n t h e m e n t a l h e a l t h f i e l d n ow a s a p a t i e n t fo r 15 ye a r s a n d t h r o u g h l o t s o f d i f fe r e n t t y p e s o f t h e r a p y o r m e d i c a tion. Being a patient wasn’t enough — I w a n t e d t o e d u c a t e my s e l f a n d b e c o m e a t h e r a p i s t ,” s a i d H a n e b u t t .

S h e h o p e s t o a p p ly w h a t s h e l e a r n s t o h e r c u r r e n t p r o fe s s i o n a n d i s l o o k i n g fo r ward to working with and helping disadvant a ge d y o u n g a d u l t s a ge d 18 t o 2 4 .

St e p h e n C r a e m e r i s ge t t i n g a g r a d u a t e d e g r e e i n P u b l i c Ad m i n i s t r a t i o n , a n d w a n t s a job as a superintendent to further his career in public service. “ I g r a d u a t e d f r o m S a n F r a n c i s c o St a t e in 2000, and after that I got a job at San M a t e o C o u n t y fo r 14 ye a r s , n ow I ’ m i n S a n F r a n c i s c o C o u n t y,” s a i d C r a e m e r. “ E ve n a f t e r my e x p e r i e n c e , t h e r e ’ s s o m u ch k n ow l e d ge t o ga i n . M o s t p e o p l e w h o w o r k fo r t h e g o ve r n m e n t d o n ’ t h ave a l o t o f i n fo r m a t i o n r e a d i ly av a i l a b l e t o t h e m , s o t h i s d e g r e e w i l l u l t i m a t e ly m a ke m e a b e t t e r public servant. I wanted to go to graduate s ch o o l fo r t e n ye a r s a n d f i n a l ly I j u s t d e c i d ed to do it. It’s either you do it or you don’t, a n d I ’ d r a t h e r d o i t w h i l e I ’ m s t i l l e mp l oye d w i t h t h e g o ve r n m e n t a n d c a n g i ve i t b a ck t o t h e c o m m u n i t y,” s a i d C r a e m e r.

“Even after my experience, there’s so much knowledge to gain.”

Stephen Craemer stands outside of San Francisco’s Student Services building on September 2, 2022. Craemer graduated from SF State in 2000 but returned to pursue a graduate degree in public administration.

Cramer decided to return to school while in full swing of his career in order to better give back to the community.

(Joshua Carter / Xpress)

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Phyllis Moodie, a native of Oakland, Calif., talks to younger students regularly. Here, Moodie tells the younger students the importance of joining Black student organizations and recalls the racism she faced while living in Chico in the ’70s. (Joshua Carter / Xpress)

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Religious Realness

By Destiny Walker

Although SF State’s campus is home to many religious affiliations, here’s how some students from various Western religions have managed to keep their faith.

Groups of students converse and drink around the bonfires lit at Ocean Beach. Ruqaiyah Angeles joins one and is offered a drink, to which she respectfully declines.

This isn’t the first time Angeles has had this exchange.The Muslim principles she has committed to sometimes require boundaries to be set, even when others may be confused why.

With the influence of social media, technology, popular influencers, celebrities and trends, the world we live in today is different from that of the generation we follow — especially in terms of religion.

Millennials and Generation Z grew up in a society with an emphasis on being your true, authentic self. This includes discovering important aspects of who you are, such as your religious beliefs, gender identity, sexuality and career path.

In a Pew Research Survey, 36% of Gen Z (21-27) and 34% of millennials, (26-41) identified as unaffiliated with a religion.

These numbers have been steadily rising for the past three generations, with only 17% of baby boomers identifying as unassociated with a religion back in the day.

Even though SF State is a public school, it features religious clubs like SF Hillel, the Muslim Student Association, Koinonia, The Newman Club, Intervarsity, and Destino Movement.

Although SF State’s campus is home to many religious affiliations, here’s how some students from various Western religions have managed to keep their faith.

Ruqaiyah Angeles folds prayer scarves in the Muslim Students Association on Sept. 15, 2022. Islamic prayers have many rituals, ranging from purifying oneself with water to putting on scarves in order to discourage distraction. (Joshua Carter / Xpress)

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Ruqaiyah Angeles

Alyssa Weber Beginning college is a different experience for everyone.

Transitioning from living at home to a whole new city is not always easy. While having more independence can be exciting, college takes a great amount of responsibility. Students not only have to figure out how to balance their time between classes and jobs — they also have to schedule some time to make new friends, which requires a great level of commitment and discipline.

First-year SF State student Alyssa Weber is turning to San Francisco Hillel, a Jewish student organization, to try to make friends and find her way.

“Being on my own has been a really hard adjustment for me, but I feel like I definitely did the right thing by joining SF Hillel, because I feel like that is helping me stay grounded in a way by simply being around other Jewish people. It does a lot,” said Weber.

Weber has been Jewish her whole life, attending religious school twice a week while she grew up. Her mother, whose whole family is Jewish, introduced her to the religion.

“I’ve been raised in a Jewish environment my whole life, so I’ve always been involved in temples,” Weber said. “Just being in the environment and around other Jewish people has been very welcoming, and I feel like that has played a big role in being Jewish.”

Weber’s Jewish community isn’t just limited to San Francisco either. Recently she took a trip to the Holy Land in Jerusalem, Israel. Israel is the place where Judaism was established, and it is said to be the place where all creation began.

“The part that really opened my eyes and changed my perspective was going to the Old City and the Western Wall.

It was definitely a very eye opening experience, and it was very spiritual,” Weber said.

While praying at the famous Western Wall she felt connected not only to Israel, but also to those everyone who was praying at the wall.

Weber’s mother has always been there for her in her religious journey.

“She always has a big influence on me. She’s very open with me about experiences that she’s had. When I had my bat mitzvah, it made me feel very connected to her, because she was always talking with me about her bat mitzvah. And that was a very important time that I got to experience something that she did,” Weber said.

Although some of her family roots are in Catholicism, Ruqaiyah Angeles was born and raised with a strong, proud Islamic affiliation.

“Growing up, we practiced our religion because we had to, our parents told us to,” Angeles said.

With any religion, it is easy to believe in something due to their parents’ influence. One’s faith and commitment to religion only goes as deep as the effort they’re willing to put in, after taking out parental biases.

For Angeles, this was true up until she enrolled at SF State and joined the Muslim Student Association, an Islamic club on campus, during her first semester. They host general meetings one to three times per semester, but there are also weekly events students can attend. They hold weekly sermons such as Jumm’ah khutbah. The club also holds prayers every Friday at the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

Angeles’s parents graduated from SF State 20 years ago, and were heavily involved in the MSA at the time.

“We pray five times a day to provide structure in our life, so that we are reminded of religion throughout the day, everyday. I think here in San Francisco, and especially here at San Francisco State we are spoiled, because the city is a very liberal city.”

Jerome padilla Jerome Padilla is a senior at SF State studying Kinesiology, and Catholicism is a big part of his life. His fear of what’s on the other side after death and confidence in the religion’s moral principles keeps him believing. His family has religious art throughout the house, such as the famous Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” He has a rosary tattoo on his forearm, and keeps a Santo Nino porcelain figure in his room.

“On the other side, people would say that there is nothing, or there’s a god or multiple gods, but I feel like there is a certain being out there waiting…I just want to believe that there is something there other than just nothing,” Padilla said.

To stay intentional with his faith, he stays true to traditional Catholic practices— such as doing the sign of the cross for protection.

“Praticing things my family has taught me since I was younger, like praying every night, or praying when you feel like you have no hope, try to use God as a way to keep moving forward,” Padilla said.

Samantha Yan Before coming to the United States from Hong Kong two years ago, Samantha Yan had no religious background. She came to the United States to major in music and become a producer. Yan never could have guesses that Christianity would play such a big role in her life.

“I was having a very difficult situation at the time,” Yan said. I was applying and transferring to a University. I felt so stressed and hopeless everyday.

My uncle and my auntie told me if I had any struggles, I can pray to God.” After praying one morning, Yan believed God heard her call for help after she received an email regarding her admission to Cal State Northridge that same night.

“My uncle’s family are all Christians, and I went to church with friends from Hong Kong because I wanted to make more friends,” Yan explained. “My auntie also gave me a Bible and devotion books to read.”

Yan’s aunt has been her spiritual inspiration in living a Christian lifestyle.

“My Aunt, since I have moved here [San Francisco] texts me every week, sending bible verses, and asking about my struggles,” Yan said. “She says she is praying for me, and tells me to pray and do daily devotion to remind myself to be faithful.”

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The Fun in

“The last inventory I did – and yes, I keep an inventory – I was right

Funko

By Ciara O’Kelley

A look into the funky, big-eyed collectable dolls and their devoted Bay Area fans.

When someone steps into Kari Kauhaahaa’s home, their eyes are immediately drawn to the back of her living room. In the area surrounding her sliding glass door about 200 Funko Pops can be found stacked waist high on display. Her collection of small, vinyl figures showcase some of the most beloved characters and people in pop culture. Widely recognized by their giant eyes and heads bigger than their bodies, these Funko Pops are hard to miss.

Pop culture fans across the Bay Area throw big events solely dedicated to these figures, and some have even made collecting and selling them into a living. These figures don’t usually surpass four inches in size, but these little characters are taking up major space in the homes and hearts of the Bay Area.

According to Forbes, Funko predicted back in 2017 thatthe company would earn $1 billion in revenue within five years. A 2021 report showed that they surpassed this prediction at $1.029 billion. Despite the impressive growth of the once-small company, Funko is still considered fairly small in the toy business compared to older and bigger name brands, such as Hasbro and Mattel. Funko’s success stems from the fact that there are not many companies similar to theirs in the pop culture space.

The history of Funko began back in 1998 with Mike Becker, an avid toy collector from Snohomish, Washington.

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Becker started the business after he failed to find a piggy bank styled as the mascot of Big Boy Restaurants. After getting the licensing rights, Becker ended up making his own Big Boy piggy banks. He then created a line of bobbleheads called the Wacky Wobblers, with the very first item, the Big Boy bobblehead. The small company’s popularity grew in 2010 when the Pop! Vinyl figure – originally called Funko Force 2.0 – officially debuted. These vinyl figures are now commonly referred to as Funko Pops. But what exactly is it about these little dolls that has people ready to spend hundreds — sometimes even thousands — of dollars to have them?

Funko’s slogan reads: “Everyone is a collector of something.” Matt Rose, store manager of The Pop Plug in Santa Rosa, thinks it is that exact phrase that has solidified Funko as a pop culture powerhouse and earned them millions of devoted fans.

“They make [Pops] for everything,” said Rose.

The diversity of Pop figures throughout the years has allowed them to create a product that appeals to even the most obscure niche. According to Rose, that ability to connect with fans of any pop culture group is how the brand is able to hook its customers.

DJ Jue is a long-time employee of the collectibles shop Classic Materials inside Stonestown Galleria, and has sold Funko Pops since 2010.

“Everybody has their favorite characters,either from growing up, or from today,” said Jue. “Collectors – true collectors – they’ll buy what they want and they’ll spend the money on it if they want it.

Some people are addicted.”

Funko Pop collecting, a hobby Jue said is more like a “fun addiction,” can be incredibly pricey. Although the average price of the figures range from $13 to $60, some of the more sought-after Pops go for over $100 and can even reach the thousands. A set of two San Francisco Giants Chrome Stan Lee Funko Pops, signed by the late Stan Lee, is currently on sale on Ebay for $99,999.99.

Kari Kauhaahaa, collector and seller of Funko Pops, holds the set of Funko Pops that started her collection: Sally (left) and Jack Skellington (right). Brentwood, Calif. in Sept.

She is (Abraham Fuentes / Xpress)

around 975, and I’ve bought more since then,”

“There’s just different types of collectors,” said Jue. “The most famous one is the guy in San Diego. This guy spends a lot of money on Pops. He does $9,000 on a Pop, $10,000 on a Pop, and he’ll hold onto them and then sell them for more. It’s a crazy amount of money.”

Jue mentioned another key player in the rise of Funko Pops’ stardom: resellers. Resellers buy Pops from the stores they’re released at — such as Target, Walmart, Hot Topic or other places — and resell them later for a higher price. The Target-exclusive, limited-edition Eddie Munson Funko Pop, for example, originally sold in Target stores for $11.99. Munson was a character introduced in the fourth season of Netflix’s hit TV series“Stranger Things,” which premiered in May 2022. After Munson became a fan favorite, surging in popularity, this Funko now can’t be found for less than $100. Most resellers use the Pop Price Guide (PPG) to buy and sell Funkos from other resellers. The Pop Price Guide is powered by HobbyDB,the world’s largest collectibles database, and tells buyers how much a Pop is being sold for on the market.

But Kauhaahaa, the Funko collector and reseller with the hundreds of Pops in her house, disregards the PPG entirely and instead calculates the worth of each figure all on her own.

“I just pick a price. And if it sells, great! If it doesn’t, I just lower it,” Kauhaahaa said.

In the six years she’s been collecting and reselling, Kauhaahaa has risen in the ranks of the Bay Area Funko community. She is now an administrator of one of the Bay Area’s most popular Funko Facebook pages, Bay Area Funko Finds, which has almost 2,000 members.

She received her first Funko Pops – Jack Skellington and Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Tim Burton’s classic Halloween film – back in 2016, as a gift from her husband. Since then she has accumulated a collection of just over 1,000 Funko Pops.

“The last inventory I did – and yes, I keep an inventory – I was right around 975, and I’ve bought more since then,” Kauhaahaa said. Her collection, including both the Pops she keeps for herself and the ones she’s in the process of selling, is worth somewhere between $250,000 and $500,000.

The Bay Area Funko Finds page requires certain rules

be followed in order to sell on their page. To protect buyers from scams, all sales posted to the page must include a photo of the Funko Pop being sold along with a piece of paper showing the seller’s name and the date the photo was taken.

Kauhaahaa and the other admins enforce those rules to make sure their page remains a safe space free of fake Funko Pops and scammers who sell with no intention of actually shipping the item.

Reselling can quickly turn the fun in Funko collecting sour when prices are unreasonably gouged and the seller is clearly in the business strictly for the money.

“Some people are just buying them to resell them, not necessarily because they like them,” said Rose, the Pop Plug.

He’s noticed that the industry is shifting, with more people reselling their Funko Pops.. “I feel like a couple months after the beginning of COVID, when people started getting that extra money, [Funko sales] really boomed,” said Rose.

“People were stuck at home and shopping online and just wanting to decorate their house and get into collectibles. We sold a lot of Pops. And it’s kind of slowed down a lot since then…now people are starting to sell.”

Despite the unpleasantness of scammers and gouged prices, Funko collectors remain dedicated to their craft, as seen at a Funko event in Newark last month. The event, hosted by S&A Collectibles, is held throughout the Bay Area almost every month.

A 10-inch Michael Jordan Funko Pop sits on display at the Pop Plug in Santa Clara, Calif., on August 31. (Ciara O’Kelley / Xpress Magazine)

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There appeared to be a couple hundred attendees throughout the day, looking to expand their collections by purchasing Pops from more than 10 tables of resellers.

While some collectors like Kauhaahaa and Rose have turned their passions into a stream of revenue, many collectors in the Bay Area choose to solely collect Pops.

“One of my friends from school had some, and I thought it would be cool to have some of my own,” said Kawalkowski. He now has a collection of 52 Funko Pops lining the wall of his bedroom. Kawalkowsi has no desire to sell any of his figures, so his collection has become taller than his bed and continues to steadily grow.

Another collector with no desire to sell is Mitch Ramones, a fan of the popular anime shows “Naruto” and “Demon Slayer,” who is trying to complete each show’s collections.

“I try to stay away from that scene,” Ramones said.

“I just don’t like the idea of reselling really. I understand the hustle though. I respect it, but it’s not for me.”

These collectible figures with oversized heads have created a tight-knit community for people across the Bay Area with their in-person events and Facebook pages, on which dozens of Pops are traded and sold daily. Resale value might have played a major role in Funko Pops’ rise in popularity, but some argue it is nostalgia that has made these vinyl figures the pop culture phenom that they are today.

“There is something for everyone, it doesn’t matter what it is,” Kauhaahaa said.

Dissect a Funko Pop Take a deeper dive into what makes each Funko pop unique.

Signature funko pop black eyes and rectangle head

A wall of Funko Pops decorates Kari Kauhaahaa’s living room in Brentwood, Calif., on Sept 6.

Kauhaahaa is a major collector and reseller of Funko Pops, and is an administrator for Bay Area Funko Finds. (Abraham Fuentes / Xpress Magazine)

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Funko Pop Character from the fourth season of the popular Netflix show, “Stranger Things”, Eddie Munson.

The number indicates which pop came before the other within that pop vinyl line

Prices for this collectible ranges from $60-$200.

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THE TEA ON TEES Paulina Rosil, 21-yearold fashion designer and SF State student, prints T-shirts with original designs and ironic phrases in her apartment in San Francisco, Calif. on Sept.

12, 2022.

(Tatyana Ekmekjian/Xpress)

Vintage fashion is back and with a vengeance.

Rosil uses Procreate to create original clothing designs on her iPad.

By Giovanna Montoya Think back to 2002. Pop culture is dominated by merciless tabloids that control the narratives of socialites and celebrities presented to an unforgiving public. Fashion is the safest form of retaliation.

Following her breakup with NSYNC singer Justin Timberlake and rumors he had moved on to actress Alyssa Milano, Britney Spears walks the streets of London sporting a Juicy Couture “Dump Him” tee.

Fast forward to 2004. Tabloid target, Lindsay Lohan, is photographed in a t-shirt that read“Skinny Bitch” – a snarky response to headlines saying she was too thin.

These rebellious fashion acts of the 2000s now inspire runway designs and outfits worn by the hottest celebrities and influencers. Despite its many critics, Y2K fashion is back with a vengeance.

When it came to fashion in the early 2000s, there were no limitations. This nonconforming, rebellious era, now known as Y2K — a nickname for the styles originated from late ’90s to early 2000s fashion — was char-

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acterized by graphic tees, skin-baring ensembles and visible G-strings.

Denim was commonplace red-carpet attire, seen on celebs such as Eva Longoria, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake. People either loved it or absolutely hated it.

Sure, the Y2K looks could be arguably trashy at times, they are more bold than today’s minimalist style of neutral colors, overpriced loungewear and skin-tight ensembles. The raunchier the better.

Fashion designer Alejandro Peraza began his career in the mid-90s, working as a stylist for over 20 years.

Peraza now has his own brand called Alejandro Collection.

His designs include corsets, colorful and unique fabrics and avant-garde pieces. Robo-renaissance prints, vintage style clothes with a modern/industrial twist, are an Alejandro Peraza staple.

A lightbulb went off in Peraza’s head and three years ago he realized that some of his old designs and designs from other top designers may become popular again.

“There wasn’t a team of people.” Peraza explained. sell some of her old clothes to make some side cash. She “ It was me, in my head, going, ‘This will hit again. I’m began selling curated vintage clothes and going to mulgoing to make some corsets, make some prints, and do tiple thrift stores a day to search for articles of clothing my version and interpretation on my era, which was the that people would like. height of my career back then.’”

Eventually, Rosil began experimenting with her He designed garments for celebrities such as own designs. Three years later, her Depop store has Zendaya, Beyoncé, the Kardashian-Jenner family, and over 20,000 followers. many others. Peraza’s personal connection to the By drawing inspiration from iconic ‘90s and 2000s 2000s and the nostalgia he feels for the era inspired moments in fashion history, Rosil’s store has repopularmany of his designs. ized the clapback t-shirt. Rosil hand draws her designs, Like most trends nowadays, the resurgence of this prints them and manually presses them onto baby tees, nostalgic style started with the help of social media. a staple Y2K garment. She specializes in ironic slogans Miss Sixty, a popular Y2K fashion brand, came back and witty sayings. Her most popular designs read, “Ask into popularity in 2021 after collabMe About My Lobotomy,” “Unemorating with runway model Bella ployed Girlfriend” and “Mother” Hadid. Hadid shared the news via (front) “Fucker” (back).

Instagram post, saying, Rosil, who was first intro“Just signed my newest conduced to Y2K fashion, now is able tract as the face of @misssixty... I to enjoy it for herself. have so many vintage pieces that “Now that 2000s fashion is I have collected over the years resurfacing, I think the ironic and I can’t wait to pair it all with part of it is the best part, and the new! This is a dream, I’m so that’s the part I wasn’t really excited to see what we do together exposed to as a child,” said Rosil. in the future! Thank you to my “When you focus on the really dream team…” funny part of 2000s fashion, it’s Popular TV shows and almost the highlight of the whole movies have also helped pave thing that’s so looked over by so the way for the quirky Y2K many people.” fashion resurrection.

The nostalgia also runs deep As the hit HBO TV series for fellow SF State student and “Euphoria” became increasingly customer Lauren Trejo. popular over the past few years, “It was a time where we were so have the iconic characters and too young to wear it, but now that their Y2K-esque wardrobes, inwe’re older we can style it, which spiring Generation Z social media is cute,” she said. users. The “Euphoria High” trend Trejo discovered Rosil’s on TikTok consists of individuals shop through a mutual contact revealing what they would wear and from celebrities who wear for a day at the show’s infamous her designs. high school. The crop tops, “They [Rosil’s designs] were cut-outs and sparkly make-up just exactly what I was looking users wear embody the ultimate for,” she said. Trejo particularly Rosil picks out the correct T-shirt Y2K-inspired “Euphoria” outfit. likes the unique, almost girly way Rosil design print for a recent order.

“I think, just in general, fashion presents such outrageous slogans.

(Tatyana Ekmekjian/Xpress) tends to regurgitate,” said Peraza. “We Recently, influencers such as Sydtry a lot of trends that don’t work. And ney Carlson, Olivia O’Brien, Nessa Barother ones, we know they work, because hundreds and rett and many others have been seen in Rosil’s designs. thousands of humans walked in the streets wearing This type of publicity encourages others to step out of these items.” their comfort zone, wear what they want and reject social Calvin Klein has even started re-selling their “Little norms, just like the rebels of Y2K did.

White Dress” worn by Alicia Silverstone in the classic “Right now, we’re in the era of fashion where every1995 movie “Clueless.” one wants to be bold,” said Rosil.

With the recent surge of fashion lovers looking to Similarly, Alejandro Peraza said people are having recreate their favorite 2000s inspired looks, Y2K has more fun with fashion and their outfits, especially after also become a trending search topic on the popular resale the pandemic. app Depop.

“I love when people have fun, and same with this, SF State student and 21-year-old fashion designer it’s a conversation piece,” Peraza said. “If you have even Paulina Rosil is one of the app’s top sellers. Rosil original- a cheesy slogan on your shirt, it becomes a conversation ly started her store as a college freshman, intending to piece. People start asking you about it.”

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CAMPUS IMPAWSTERS

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Babe Smart Truco pets their emotional support dog Faba while walking on campus at SF State in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. Faba accompanies Smart Truco everywhere, from their home off campus to each class.

(Juliana Yamada/Xpress)

By Nadia Castro As students make their way to Cafe Rosso and their classes on campus, so do their animals. Tails wag as dogs walk next to their owner, and cats in backpacks peer out at the students from inside their bubble.

While pets are permitted on campus, it’s not always possible for them to go in buildings and on-campus housing if they are not emotional support or service animals. With over 3,000 students in university housing, some residents suspect that regular pets are posing as emotional support animals in order to live on campus with their owners.

Emotional support animals are recommended by mental health professionals that believe a pet will help their patients through hardships. While it’s easy to think of every pet as its owner’s Hannah Wainwright (left) and Tatiana Wright (right) let their dogs Nellie (left front) and Yuna emotional support animal, the title is (right front) socialize at Manzanita Square at SF State on Friday, September 9, 2022. (Juliana not something that should be abused.

Yamada/Xpress) Although there is no specific training required for an ESA, they do have to be well-behaved and non-disruptive in public places.

SF State student Babe Truco has been training Faba, their brown Taiwanese mountain dog, for the past five years to desensitize her and be calm in chaotic spaces like in a classroom.

“You have to train them well,” Truco explained. “They have to be able to listen to you and understand what you want from them. They can’t be mean to other people and they have to be good around other dogs. There’s things that you should put effort into if you want to call your animal an emotional support animal.”

Mariah Aganoda is a full-time student majoring in sociology. In 2015, a nutritionist recommended an ESA to help with her mental health issues. She picked out Milo, a white shih tzu, in remembrance of her past dog she had as a little girl.

“I would cry a lot, and he was always there,” Aganoda said.

“He always knew when I was sad and would put his head on me. It was like someone was hugging me. At the time, it felt like he’s all I had.”

Aganoda expressed concerns about imposter ESAs misrepresenting real emotional service pets. For ESA owners, their pets play a crucial role in managing their mental health; but regular pet owners sometimes see the label as a way to access more places with their pet.

“Sometimes it feels a little bit like a slap in the face,” Aganoda expressed. “It depends on your attitude towards it.

But other times it’s like this person is taking mental health and making an excuse out of it to have a pet.”

According to the US Service Animal organization, owners of an emotional support animal are not required to show any certification for their pet. However, SF State University HousHannah Wainwright and her emotional support dog, Nellie, pose for a portrait at Manzanita Square at SF State on Friday, ing requires documentation giving evidence of how the animal September 9, 2022. (Juliana Yamada/Xpress)

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Jessica Wood walks through Stonestown Target with her emotional support cat, Ella, in her backpack in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, September 8, 2022. Wood likes to take Ella with her on errands to keep her grounded.

(Juliana Yamada/Xpress)

Freshmen Christian Aransazo (left), Oscar Duran (center), and Elisa Hanhan (right) hang out in Duran’s dorm in Mary Park hall at SF State in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, September 12, 2022. Aransazo and Hanhan both commute, so Duran’s dorm is a place to hang out on campus. (Juliana Yamada / Xpress)

supports its owner. The Disability Programs and Resource Center offers assistance with housing ESA and service animals.

Obtaining the required documentation for an emotional support animal takes a toll on some students, such as Marissa Vaidales. Vaidales is a full-time graduate student majoring in creative writing. In 2019, she tried to work with her DPRC counselor to get her emotional support animal, Binx — a black, curly-haired poodle — to live with her.

“He [my cat] always knew when I was sad and would put his head on me.

It was like someone was hugging me. At the time, it felt like he’s all I had.”

“They wanted a letter from my neurologists that could not be provided, because there is no proof or research done that [says] ESAs or service animals help epileptics,” said Validales.

University Housing requested documentation explaining why she needed the ESA. Stressed due to the lack of support from the DPRC, Vaidales provided medical records and personal files to help her case. She was frustrated with how easily other people seem to fake their animals as ESAs, while she could not get her actual emotional support animal in.

“In this building [Manzanita Square], for example, there’s some animals you can clearly tell are not ESA or

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SAs. It’s visible in the sense that there’s no training and it’s lacking,” said Validales.

Some websites state that they can provide a letter or approval by doctors for an emotional support animal, but they’re not always legitimate.

Jessica Wood, a nutrition major, was recommended for an ESA due to mental health issues from past trauma. Ella, Wood’s gray, medium-haired cat, is like her soulmate and responds when Wood begins to feel anxious or starts to cry.

Wood received Ella when she was a kitten and realized the cat’s calming nature would make for a great fit.

“I feel it every day, but when recovering from that trauma, it was tough getting out of bed and doing things,” Wood said. “Waking up, having her slow blinking at me, cuddling me and wanting to play was such an optimistic force where I knew she was the one. She grounds me.”

Wood deals with social anxiety — especially when she goes to grocery stores or deals with big crowds. She feels better when she feels Ella pressing against her back as she sits in her specialized cat backpack.

“There have been some days where I’m too anxious to go to the store alone, and I haven’t gone for weeks,” said Wood. “But having her able to go with me is nice.”

Emotional support animals help students every day get from the classroom to the grocery store, and through any other challenges their day may bring.

“I don’t think of myself as singular anymore,” Truco said. “This is a duo. Emotional support animals are companions with a purpose for you, and are doing this job to help a person through their trauma.”

New Kids on the Block How first-year SF State students are making the most out of the transition to college life.

By Caroline Van Zandt

F

all is in full swing. The air is hot with the last breaths of summer, and students are back on SF State’s soil in the largest numbers since the pandemic. But how are the school’s newest faces handling the change?

Stepping into a new environment can be challenging, no matter the circumstances. Doing so while leaving the security of home for the first time presents a whole slew of challenges and difficulties for anyone. Over 3,000 first-year students enroll in classes at SF State every fall.

These students must learn the challenges of navigating campus, parking, making new friends, settling into new routines, accessing the school’s resources and handling classwork all within their first few months. For many, this is a daunting task. Although the university works hard to make transitioning easy and enjoyable, there are always gaps in understanding.

Still, incoming students make the most of their new home every semester.

Sophia Overst, a 17-year-old first-year student from Sacramento, was encouraged by the welcome she received when she visited campus for the first time. Overst had originally planned to defer her acceptance to SF State and take a gap year to determine what she really

wanted to do with her life. During orientation, however, she fell in love with the university’s environment.

Overst’s eyes started to wander, gesticulating with her hands as she recalled the moment she changed her mind.

“I did orientation just to see what options were available for deferring for a year, and then I was like, ‘Wow, I really love this campus and everyone I’ve met seems really nice, so maybe I’ll just abandon my original plan and go to school.’ So, that’s kind of how I ended up here,” Overst said, as she laughed and pushed her bright pink bangs out of her eyes.

However, Overst had many unexpected hurdles to jump over since arriving at SF State. Apart from missing her goldendoodle, Gus, and only seeing her family every few weeks, she also struggled with adjusting to dorm life.

Overst resides in a five-person unit in Towers at Centennial Square, yet only has one roommate. As a person who enjoys socializing, she has been disappointed with the lack of community.

“I would love to have more roommates,” Overst explained. “I feel like it would kind of introduce me to more people — just because if we’re all meeting new people, it’s just this giant web of connections.”

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The fall semester at SF State has only just begun, but some students already feel pressure to establish their social circle. Without their usual support systems, new students often rely on talking to their fellow classmates about the struggles and excitements of beginning college. Orientation provides a wonderful opportunity to do just that, but it doesn’t always work out perfectly — making friends, as it turns out, is not as easy as introducing students to one other.

Among the over 24,000 undergraduate students at SF State, only 2% of them actually live on campus, according to an article from US News about student campus life. So, if assigned to a dorm room with few people, on a quiet f loor, in a not-as-socialas-Mary-Ward-Hall-dorm like Overst, forming connections can be a bit difficult.

“I’ve only been here for two weeks, ” said Overst. “I feel like I have to find friends now, something I’m kind of nervous about — finding a group of people that I’m really close with. Back at home, I had that. So I’m like, ‘what if I don’t have that again?’ But I know it’ll happen. Just be patient.”

Beyond her social sphere, Overst’s can-do attitude makes the logistical portions of living on her own a bit less intimidating. She is more used to buying her own groceries and scheduling her own doctor’s appointments than some of the other students she has met on campus, so she does not spend as much time worrying about how to handle being on her own.

Even considering issues that a student might seek outside assistance with — such as mental health, contraception or STI testing and treatment — Overst feels confident that the university makes accessing those resources easy to find by herself.

“I just knew that they were here,” Overst said about the resources that SF State offers. “ In the first week of actual school, all of my teachers have it on their syllabus and tell us where to go if you need those things.”

This is an encouraging similarity between many first-year students at SF State. Many students agreed that even this early on in the semester, they were familiar with the many services SF State provides its students.

Not every student had Overst’s confidence about transitioning into their new home.

The bulletin board in the hallway of Mary Park dorms reads “Hello First Years” at SF State in San Francisco, Calif., on

Oscar Duran, a first-year student living on campus, has had to make more drastic changes to his daily routine since he moved in.

“For the most part, I’m still trying to learn what f loor to be on,” Duran said, with a smile.

In high school, Duran relied on his parents for tasks such as waking up in the morning and getting him out the door for school. He would ask for a few more minutes of sleep when his dad came to check in on him, and was rushed through breakfast and getting dressed.

Now, not only does he have to set his own schedule, Duran also has to navigate living with a roommate with an opposite sleep schedule.

Freshman Sophia Overst shows off her dorm room at SF State in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.

(Juliana Yamada / Xpress)

“I also have to be mindful of how much noise I’m making because we have inverse schedules,” he said. “ I wake up early, he wakes up late. I go to sleep early, he goes to sleep late.”

Duran’s fellow first-year friends live off campus in their hometown of South San Francisco, and have encountered other struggles since classes began.

Evelyn Flores-Ruiz said that since her college career began, she has struggled most with time management. Her friend, Elisa Hanhan, expressed that she does not get as much sleep as she used to because of her longer commute.

Duran, Flores-Ruiz and Hanhan are all originally from South San Francisco and went to high school together. Though only Duran lives on campus, the trio still meet every day to hang out or do homework with fellow commuter Christian Aransazo, before they make their journey home.

“We have to prepare an hour before leaving for school, while people who live here can just get up,” Hanhan said.

Since starting classes, Flores-Ruiz has noticed time with her family dwindling due to her hectic school schedule. The increased commute time means catching her parents before they go to bed has become more infrequent.

“I come home really late, so I still interact with them, but not as much as I did before,” she said.

However, that does not mean that they’re any less involved in her life.

“I would say that my parents are more protective now that I don’t stay home,” Flores-Ruiz said.

“They’re like, ‘when are you coming home? Come home at this time.’”

Hanhan, however, recalled how intimidating being alone on campus for the first time felt, describing the experience of having no contact with her parents for an extended period of time as a “huge step.”

Thankfully for students like Hanhan, SF State offers enough guidance on how to make being without family feel less scary.

Karen Boyce, the director of Health Promotion and Wellness at SF State, makes reaching out to students her team’s mission. Their goal is to teach students everything they need to know to stay healthy, especially for those who don’t have much experience taking care of their own needs.

Boyce explained that the department offers programs to help students learn how to cook healthy meals on a small budget, how to handle safe sex, or healthy relationship communication. The department also handles how to navigate sexual violence, stalking, or how get help if someone feels unsafe.

Health Promotion and Wellness is not just about creating pamphlets about birth control and stress-management strategies, it also works to ensure that campus is a safe environment by making the university a cleaner, healthier place for its students and faculty. They take suggestions from students, allowing them to pinpoint gaps in awareness and begin work to fill them.

“We make sure that there’s lots of places on campus where people can get free menstrual supplies — not just here,” Boyce said. That came from students, and now there’s a law where campuses have to do that.”

Student Health Services also provides medical resources to students. While Health Promotion and Wellness holds mixers and activities for students to learn about health, Student Health Services provides an on-campus pharmacy and doctor’s office, which students can access at any point in the semester for free. Their department also offers STI screening and treatment, HIV prevention, mental health assistance, allergy medication and more.

A collage made by Sophia Overst hangs on her dorm room wall at SF State in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.

(Juliana Yamada/Xpress)

Monday, September 12, 2022. (Juliana Yamada/Xpress)

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Freshmen Denise Linares (left) and Arlette Ruiz (right) yell greetings to passing students outside their window in Village at Centennial Square at SF State in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, September 9, 2022. (Juliana Yamada/Xpress)

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