Warrior Life Spring/ Summer 2019

Warrior Life

Spring / Summer 2019

El Camino College’s General Interest Magazine

THE BEST CANNABIS SHOPS

MILKSHAKES

CHILI CHEESE FRIES

ARCADES

NEAR

EL CAMINO

RAP GROUP P R E PA R E S FOR ALBUM RELEASE

TABLE OF 12 TOP-5

24 FEATURE

13 OPINION

28 OPINION

BOWLING ALLEYS GIRL, HE GHOSTED 14 FEATURE

PUSHING THROUGH ABORTION WAS MY CHOICE

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

30 Q&A

17 TOP-5

31 FEATURE KING OF POP

18 FEATURE BORN TO DANCE

36 TOP-5

CHILI CHEESE FRIES

MAGIC ENTHUSIAST

UNWIND FROM COLLEGE

06 FEATURE

SHE SAW THE SIGN

Mother learns a new way to communicate with her son and bulids an unbreakable bond

47 PHOTO STORY

THE MAGIC WITHIN

Join Warrior Life in an exclusive tour around famous Hollywood attraction the Magic Castle

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60 TOP-5

UP IN CLOUDS 61 OPINION

BLACK IN AMERICA 62 TOP-5

BREWERIES 63 FEATURE

BONDS IN REAL ESTATE 67 TOP-5

PICKING WEEDS 68 OPINION

73 FEATURE

MY ENEMY, MY PHONE

MY BREAD MY WATER

70 OPINION

76 FEATURE

HOW 50 REJECTIONS MOTIVATED ME 71 TOP-5

MILKSHAKES 72 TOP-5

SHAVED ICE

DEVINE REGIMENE FOR EXTRA CONTENT CHECK OUT

www.eccunion.com/ warrior-life-magazine/

CONTENTS

29 TOP-5

ARCADES

Warriror Life’s top arcades around the south bay

37 Q&A

SEMI PRO LEAGUE PLAYER 38 TOP-4

PANADERIAS 50 TOP-5

NAIL SHOPS 52 FEATURE

DIVIDING LIFE 56 FEATURE

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SPEAK UP

OPINION

HOW TO GET YO FUTURE BABY MOMMA/DADDY Class is in session as Kaylynn gives her tips on how to find your soulmate

39 FEATURE

NEXT UP

With success on the mind nothing can stop Freebas from making it big

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Staff and Contributors* Writers

Photographers

(contributor) Amanda Alvarez (staff) Devyn Smith (staff) Diamond Brown (staff) Evelyn Rodriguez (staff) Ileana Lallain (staff) Jon Yamasaki (staff) Joseph Sanker (staff) Juila Casillas (staff) Justin Traylor (staff) Kaylynn Myles (staff) Kealoha Noguchi (staff) Lisa Aguilar (staff) Oscar Macias (staff) Patrick Ezewiro (staff) Samantha Quinonez (staff) Viridianna Flores

(contributor) Amanda Alverez (staff)Cody Sinaguglia (Staff) Devyn Smith (staff) Diamond Brown (Staff) Elena Perez (staff) Jack Kan (staff) Jon Yamasaki (staff) Julia Casillas (staff) Justin Traylor (staff) Kaylynn Myles (staff) Kealoha Noguuchi (staff) Mari Inagaki (staff) Oscar Macias (Staff) Rosemary Montalvo (staff) Viridiana Flores

Editorial Staff

Assistant Editor:Devyn Smith Assistant Editor: Kaylynn Myles Assistant Editor: Kealoha Noguuchi Editor-in-Chief: Justin Traylor Adviser Stefanie Frith

*Staff refers to students who enrolled in the Journalism 9 magazine production course fall 2017 and spring 2018 who either stayed enrolled in the class till the end of the semester or till the published product. Contributors are students who were origrinally enrolled but did not stay enrolled. Contributers also refer to students from other journalism classes (particularly the advanced photography class). Warrior Life is a student produced magazine. This means that every part of this publication was either done by, directed by or at the very least decided by students. Two consistent assistance over the years include 1) Weber Printing Company Inc. who prints our maagzines, and 2) our advisor Stefanie Frith who is also the magazine production class’s assistant professor. To learn more about student-run publications,

Follow us on: Twitter: @ecwarriorlife Instgram: @ecwarriorlife Facebook: www.facebook/ecwarriorlife Check out our website: www.eccunion.com/ warrior-life-magazine/

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ABOUT WARRIOR LIFE MAGAZINE & HOW to JOIN

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arrior Life magazine is a general interest magazine that strives to showcase the diverse stories and individuals who make up El Camino College.

This magazine is a student-run publication. If you are a student at El Camino and interested in being on staff for the spring/summer 2019 issue of Warrior Life, enroll in next semester’s Journalism 9 magazine production class for the 2018 fall semester or 2019 spring semester.

Letter from the Editor Dear Reader, In the beginning I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but in the end I’m so glad I did it. It was a lot of long nights and early mornings with “Dedication” by Nipsey Hussle featuring Kendrick Lamar on repeat. Through all of it, I can truly say that I am so thankful I got the opportunity to add to the great legacy of Warrior Life magazine.

I believe the readers are going to be in for quite a treat this issue. We have an amazing cover story about Free Bas, a student rap group that has aspirations of making it in the industry and spreading a positive message for the youth.

We’ve interviewed some very interesting people who walk our El Camino College grounds and we also visited some great places as well. So please enjoy some yoga with Karla as she tells you the story about how she turned her life around.

Discover a new perspective and see how Joanna expresses her love for her son Jayden through sign language; maybe even take a tour around the Magic Castle, one of the most exclusive places in Hollywood. Then, you could end your day with delicious chicken bowl and a milkshake from one of our top five places; the possibilities are endless, so please indulge.

With that being said, before I leave you all I just wanted to thank a couple of people that have been instrumental in making this magazine possible. First I just want to thank god because none of this would be possible without him. I would like to thank all the contributors and the sources for this great content and a big thank you to Weber printing for printing this beautiful piece of work .

Ms. Stefanie thank you for always motivating me and helping me along the process. A big thank you to Devyn, Kaylynn, and Kealoha. You guys stepped up in a major way and took a load off my shoulders and I am truly grateful for that. Also, to anyone that has helped me or motivated me through this process thank you and I want to let you know you are truly appreciated. I know you guys are in a rush so I’ll just end it right there . I hope you guys fall in love with every page as I have. With that being said, go ahead and insert the drop the mic gif here because I’m OUT. Thank you,

Justin Traylor 5

Joanna and Jayden share a moment at Jesse Owens Park in Los Angeles.

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SHE SAW THE

S I G N WRITTEN BY EVELYN RODRIGUEZ PHOTOS BY ELENA PEREZ & CODY SINAGUGLIA

After receiving news that her son was deaf, student turns to American Sign Language

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large room with white walls. A twin bed with blue sheets. A small TV mounted to the wall.

Joanna Alatorre, 28, entered that maternity room at Good Samaritan hospital in Downtown LA and gave abirth to a baby boy named Jayden. He’s fair skinned with blue eyes and brown hair but it looks red in the sun. In contrast, Joanna is 5’3’, with red curly hair, freckles, and an hourglass figure.

Entering the delivery room nervous and excited, Joanna was ready to begin her journey into motherhood.

But no one prepared her for what was to come.

While in labor, Joanna was told Jayden had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck which caused him to stop breathing.

Her obstetrician debated back and forth whether she should undergo an emergency Caesarean section. After a few minutes the doctor decided on a C-section. Jayden also experienced Meconium which is when a fetus swallows the feces stool into the amniotic fluid, causing an infection.

Right after Joanna gave birth to Jayden, he was transported to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In the NICU he was given antibiotics for the Meconium and oxygen to stabilize his breathing.

Before becoming pregnant, Joanna enrolled at El Camino right after graduating George Washington Preparatory High School in 2009. She majored in cosmetology which she completed in 2012 and received her certificate of achievement.

She returned to EC to do her general education classes so she could major in Business.

But, at just five months pregnant, Joanna had morning sickness all day every day. “Instead of gaining weight, I lost 30 pounds,” Joanna says.

Because she lost so much weight, Joanna’s pregnancy was classified as a high risk pregnancy. She had to quit her job at Big 5 Sporting Goods and drop out of college.

A few days after giving birth, Joanna was discharged from the hospital but, she had to leave without Jayden. She was told her baby needed to stay in observation for about two weeks.

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Jayden plays on the teeter-totters at Jesse Owens Park.

Over the next two weeks, Joanna and her husband Edmundo returned to the hospital on a daily basis to visit Jayden in the NICU. Entering the completion of his two weeks, Joanna and Edmundo returned to the hospital to pick up their son. They were told Jayden would have to undergo a few more tests before being discharged.

An hour passed and the doctor returned to tell Joanna and Edmundo that Jayden had failed his final hearing exam.

“I was sad and in shock,” Joanna says. Both Joanna and her husband were shocked by the news. “I couldn’t believe what was going on,” Edmundo says.

Jayden is not the only baby who was born with hearing loss. Approximately two to three out of 1,000 new born babies are born with detectable hearing loss in one or both ears, according to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders(NIDCD).

Although Jayden was discharged from the hospital that day, Joanna was referred to the USC Keck School of Medicine.

She was informed they would further assist her the best way possible there.

Joanna took Jayden to the USC Keck School of Medicine for more exams to see why he had failed his hearing exam.

After undergoing more exams, doctors confirmed that Jayden‘s right ear had severe to profound hearing loss. His left ear was moderate to severe. He depends on his left ear the most and with the hearing aids he was given at 1-monthold they help even more.

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Soon enough, Jayden’s first birthday came around. He began attending physical therapy where his therapist started to show him ways to communicate. He learned how to sign when he wanted more milk and food.

Joanna’s father Jesus has always stood behind her and supported her decisions. Five years later, he still has his own personal opinion on the causes of Jayden’s hearing loss. “I think her difficult labor and the fact that the doctor wouldn’t hurry up and make a decision about the C-section is the cause of Jayden’s hearing loss,” Jesus says.

Jayden is now 5-years-old and attends President

“My relationship with my son has changed so much.”

Elementary School in Harbor City. He is enrolled in a class where all the children are learning sign language.

“I love that he is learning to sign,” Joanna says.

Knowing she couldn’t change the things that were going

Joanna and Jayden have developed a closer relationship now that they are both learning ASL to communicate with each other.

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Jayden having fun on the park playground.

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Joanna signs to Jayden “Be careful.”

She researched the El Camino College website and came across the American Sign Language major. In the semester of fall 2018, 536 students were enrolled at El Camino as ASL majors, according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Data mart.

Joanna mentioned her interest in learning sign language to her husband.

“I think it’s a great idea for her to learn sign language, after all she’s the one who interacts with Jayden the most throughout the day,” Edmundo, 31, says.

Edmundo works at a towing company that transports cars to different cities. Because his job is so hectic, he might not see Jayden for two or three days at a time.

So Joanna enrolled again at El Camino in the spring of 2018 and is majoring in American Sign Language.

Joanna has completed three courses so far and is enrolled in Sign Language III section 113.

Edmundo understands the basic sign language signs but Joanna and Jayden have created a special bond. He understands her and she understands him in a way no other person can.

“Thanks to the signs he has learned, Jayden doesn’t throw temper tantrums anymore,” says Joanna.

In her spare time, she takes Jayden to Jesse Owens park and lets him run around the playground, mingling with other kids.

He slides down the slides, plays on the teeter-totters and rides the swings. But when Joanna is ready to leave, she calls his name and signs to him that its time to go home.

“My relationship with my son has changed to much,” Joanna says. “We can both communicate now.”

Joanna is hopeful one day her son will learn how to talk.

“I know my baby will talk someday but for now he has chosen to sign as communication and I’m respecting that,” Joanna says.

Jayden shows Joanna the signs he learned for the day and Joanna does the same.

Joanna has nine courses left for her AA degree in American Sign Language Interpretation. She wants to work with deaf children once she graduates with a degree in American Sign Language. She also plans to volunteer to help parents with deaf children of their own.

Joanna says El Camino was the best decision of her life.

“Because of Jayden I was able to settle down and decided my career,” Joanna says. “I’m learning a whole new language that is amazing because it’s all vision and it’s really useful for when being in public.”

Jayden is being tested every three to six months on both hears to see if he’ll need the hearing aids permanently. Joanna has confidence he won’t need the hearing aids all is life.

Joanna looks back on the past five years and reflects on how her life changed.

“I thank god that my son is healthy and his hearing loss isn’t anything bad, its just a minor set back for us that makes him work a little harder than any other child”.

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TOP 5 BOWLING ALLEYS 1 HOUR AWAY FROM EL CAMINO (OR LESS!)

BY Julia Casillas

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t’s Friday night. You and your friends are looking for something to do; destress from your everyday responsibilities. You’re flipping through a list of inexpensive things to do but find nothing. Why not go bowling and have some friendly competition? Here are five family-friendly bowling alleys less than one hour from El Camino College.

1.

Palos Verdes Bowl is the perfect place to play a game or two. It’s not the fanciest, but the customer service is great and the shoes and bathrooms are clean aswell. On weekdays it’s $11 per person for a game. Extra games will cost $6 each.

After 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the prices slightly rise.

Location: 24600 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance, CA, 90505 Hours: Monday through Wednesday, Sunday: 9 a.m. to midnight. Friday, Saturday: 9 to 2 a.m Number: (310) 326-5120 Website: pvbowl.com Instagram: @palosverdesbowl

2.

Gable House Bowl is bigger and fancier with an arcade smack-dab in the middle of two walls of lanes. Shoes are disinfected and cleaned after customers return them. On weekdays and Sundays, the cost is $11 per person. Additional games are $6 each, or you can choose to pay by the hour which is more expensive. The food and drinks are pricey, but the menu is available online.

Location: 22501 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA, 90505 Hours: Monday through Thursday: 9 to 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday: 9 to 3 a.m. Sunday: 7 to 1 a.m.

Number: (310) 378-2265 Website: gablehousebowl.com Instagram: @gablehousebowl

3.

Lanes 17-24 of Palos Verdes Bowl. Weekday prices are $11.

4.

Gardena Bowl is small but has a lot to offer: an example that looks are deceiving. They provide a lounge area, cafe and restaurant. Bowling on weekdays is $2.50 plus a $3.00 shoe rental. After 5:15 pm, Monday through Thursday, it’s $14 per person including shoes but you can bowl for as long as you want.

Location: 15707 Vermont Ave, Gardena, CA, 90247 Hours: Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday: 8 to 1 a.m. Saturday: 8 to 12:30 a.m. Sunday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Number: (310) 324-1244 Website: gardenabowl.com Instagram: @gardenabowl

5.

Bowlero Torrance gives you a vintage vibe as soon as you walk in. They have an arcade, pool tables, and a bar.

To bowl, it’s $10.63 per person. If you want to add another game it will cost extra. The menu for the food and drinks is provided on the website.

Lucky Strike is great for parties, but not recommended for casual bowling. They charge hourly rates per lane regardless of the number of bowlers. Shoe rental is $6. Food and beverages are a $20 per person minimum on Fridays and Saturdays. After 8 p.m. you must be 21 and over to enter and you must be dressed in neat casual fitted attire.

Location: 21915 S. Western Ave, Torrance, CA, 90501 Hours: Monday and Sunday: 11 a.m. to midnight. Saturday 11 to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday: 4 to 11 p.m..

Friday: 2 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Number: (310) 328-3700 Website: bowlero.com Instagram: @bowlerobowl

Location: 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90015 Hours: Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 to 1 a.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 to 2 a.m. Sunday: 10 to 1 a.m.

Number: (213) 542-4880 Website: luckystrikesocial.com Instagram: @luckystrikeeent

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girl... he ghosted

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Written By Kaylynn Myles

ur first date was so special, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was definitely crushing on him. As we cruised between the skyscrapers, with the city lights beaming through his tinted windows, his left hand stirring, while the other held my hand, he played some Post Malone for me to see if I liked a specific song.

I stared out the window, with a pondering stare in silence, not hearing a tune. He turned and asked me, “what do you think of this song?” I stumbled over words trying to politely tell him I wasn’t listening, but was in deep thought instead.

“Honestly, I wasn’t listening,” I laughed. “I’m just in my head right now,” I said but regretted immediately after, not knowing if it was too soon for me to tell him what was going through my mind.

“What are you in your head about?” he asked. I was hesitant to tell him but his comforting words made me tell him. I told him I had a really good time with him and that whatever happens I hope he doesn’t just ghost and disappear.

I hoped this time it would be different. He told me he figured that’s what it was, but told me he had a good time with me and if anything he hopes I wasn’t the one to ghost him. “The guy you met yesterday, is the same guy I am today, and the same guy I will be tomorrow.”

He said he had fun with me too and those weren’t his intentions because thats “childish.” It all sounded so promising.

Everything he said was so perfect, like it was a scene from an Oscar winning romantic film that I’d watch on repeat wishing was my life.

Was this it? Was he my prince charming? One moment everything is going great with a guy, then they’re gone. They don’t even live on the same planet anymore.They took a spaceship with the other guys that ghost and gather around an asteroid lit campfire telling stories about how they got the girl and dipped, leaving her confused and sad. They laugh with one another and compete to see who can ghost the most girls.

I don’t get what’s the point of ghosting. Do guys find excitement in it? Hunting down the girl who never even looked their way, aim to get her hopes up, then shoot her down and leave her to bleed out all these feelings of frustration.

Of course it is not as severe as I’m illustrating it out to be.

@kaylynnsimone

But I know we’ve all been there. You’re minding your business, then someone gets your attention, you get excited and start telling your friends all about this new person who entered your life and has an interest in you.

You try to play it off in front of your friends, acting like they’re the ones all over you. But in reality you’re the one who’s watching “Say Yes To the Dress” trying to figure out what you’re going to wear to your wedding. But when you’re feelings are on the rise, their feelings are beginning to decrease because they no longer see the excitement in you when the chase isn’t as hard.

You try to hold on to every thread of the rope that they cut trying to let you loose by watching videos from dating coaches, reading articles on how to make him chase you, or asking your guy friends what you’re doing wrong. It seems to be a never ending cycle for you.

Sure, some of your friends are going through the same thing you’re going through, but then a handful of your other friends can’t seem to keep the guys off of them. They seem to be in a relationship with everyone’s dream guy as soon as things end with their other amazing guy.

I know I’m pretty, and have an amazing personality. I see all my great qualities and so do my friends and all the guys that like me but I’d never give the time of day. But why doesn’t he?

Why does he haunt me by lurking in my instagram story views every single day? So I’m interesting enough to watch everyday, but not enough to text back?

So things ended with the guy after I told him he did something I didn’t like. He ended up ghosting me but text me three weeks later to say Merry Christmas. I deleted our thread and his number off my phone three days after not talking so I didn’t know who it was and replied “who’s this.” He replied “lmao fuck out of here.”

I ended up finding out it was him when I checked my messages on my laptop. We haven’t talked to this day.

I get it, not every guy is going to work out. It’s not even the fact that I want them so bad, it’s just frustrating when it is so repetitive. Why is every single guy I come across playing the exact same game?

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION Actor by day, streamer by night, and YouTubing in between, Keiji demonstrates what it is to be a modern day renaissance man.

Story and Photos by Jon Yamasaki and Justin Traylor

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Keiji sits on the set of the Tempest in the EC Campus Theatre

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he cords are too short. He pulls and tugs attempting to weaken the bond between the bunched wires until just barely the plug is long enough to reach an outlet. Waves of colors begin soaring across your vision leaving you with a vibrant after image coupled with a desk filled with perplexing equipment.

Although this is his bedroom, Keijis spends most of his time studying scripts and creating content, this is his 36th chamber.

He’s no stranger to performing in front of an audience.

Journalism major Keiji Shiraki, 20, has been doing it since high school.

It all started around junior year when he was injured while wrestling. His goal was to compete for a university. However, Keiji soon discovered his hidden passion for acting and now he plans to bring diversity to Hollywood industry while doing hobbies along the way such as YouTubing and live streaming his gameplay on Twitch.

One day, around junior year while attending North High in Torrance, he saw a flyer for an audition for a Romeo and Juliet play at his school.

Keiji went with a few friends just to mess around for fun but he actually ended up getting one of the lead parts as Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin and an antagonist in the story. “That’s when I knew I was destined to become an actor,” he says.

The joy he received while acting outweighed the depression he was facing, it was as if all his worries would dissipate whenever he would go into character.

At 16 he started acting seriously, joining the theatre program doing more plays and musicals.

For Keiji losing one dream led to the birth of another like a phoenix rising out of its ashes.

Watching movies soon became a way of studying the art

Keiji live streams while he plays Fortnite.

of acting. Just like how some love singing their favorite Drake lyrics, Keiji memorizes lines to his favorite scenes.

This includes 1950s films such as, “East of Eden” or “The Waterfront”.

He graduated from North High and started attending El Camino in 2016, knowing he wanted to take his acting career to the next step. The only problem was that he had no idea where to begin.

He wanted to get auditions for movies in Hollywood and to find opportunities that could help him gain more exposure, so he created a YouTube channel.

“I started with posting all different types of videos,” he says.

These range from funny skits to reaction videos and vlogs showcasing his trips to Vancouver, San Francisco and other cities.

Then one of the vlogs that he made got a lot of buzz and started trending No. #23 on YouTube in Thailand.

Since posting that vlog he’s reached about 2000 subscribers with over 25,000 total views.

Soon after he earned his first acting opportunity from a Taiwanese manufacturer and distributor of computer hardware called Gigabyte.

“They’re very well known in the gaming world for games like PUBG and League of Legends,” he says Gigabyte contacted Keiji offering him the lead role for a commercial they were working on.

“It was my first real professional job as an actor and my first film debut I made,” he says The commercial premiered in Boston at PAX EAST, one of the biggest gaming conventions in Esports within the US.

It also aired on TV in Asia and America for two weeks.

“After that, I had the ball rolling and found my way into the movie industry,” he says This summer he’s managed to act in one student film, two short films, and one feature film.

But his ambitions reach much higher than a commercial ad for a computer company.

“I have a lot of bigger projects coming up like the Netflix movie I am going to be in,” he says His goal through acting is to make Hollywood less discriminative toward minorities in its various entertainment industries, “and give us opportunities to shine. I want to make history, to be one of the first Asian actors to break the stereotype.”

With it already difficult for minorities in America to succeed with the social constructs established, Keiji aims to help bring change to the film industry by thriving within it himself.

“The world is changing and I believe Hollywood needs to change too,” he says Keiji believes he has done everything someone needs to do to continuously progress in this industry. He decided on being versatile and willing to put in the extra work to make opportunities happen.

In Keiji’s situation it meant him expanding his reach

“Not many know this side of me you know? Everyone just thinks of me as Keiji the actor who never struggled and got lucky. No. I grinned,” Keiji says.

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Keiji also dabbles in writing. His grandfather inspired him to write his own book that he has saved privately on google docs.

through multiple outlets such as YouTube and more recently through Twitch where he streams himself playing, ”Fortnite”.

Even though he doesn’t have a huge fan base like the popular streamer Ninja does, he still finds joy from playing for fun.

If he’s not rehearsing scripts, making YouTube videos, or streaming his gameplay, this modern day renaissance man is most likely producing a beat.

Making music for him isn’t something he wants to share with others but more of a way of expressing how he feels in the moment.

As he hits play on his music program a sound of cracking begins as if wood is burning at a campfire. A range of melodic eerie piano chords start to play with a drum loop.

Keiji finds peace in making Lo-fi hiphop beats which are a mix of standard drum patterns overlayed by a wave of sounds, usually synths paired with piano chords creating a warm, relaxing tune.

Keiji also dabbles in writing. His grandfather inspired him to write his own book that he has saved privately on google docs. Back in highschool when he finished the book he had a few of his closest teachers read and help improve the story.

“They all said they loved it so I might publish it before I pass away,” he says.

Keijis decisions thus far has led him to where he is today from hours of dedication. He didn’t let his peers or family dictate what he wanted to pursue and he wasn’t about to allows others opinions erode his confidence.

“Not many know this side of me you know? Everyone just thinks of me as Keiji the actor who never struggled and got lucky. No. I grinned,” Keiji says.

Keiji began his acting career in his junior year of high school after he was injured while wrestling .

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TOP 5 CHILI CHEESEFRIES

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Story and Photo by Justin Traylor

ho doesn’t love a nice big plate of chili cheese fries to fill the belly full of cheesy goodness. Well if anyone does this is the perfect place place to be. This is the Top 5 chili cheese fries less than 5 miles away from El camino.

1.

Fabulous Burgers 1.6 miles place friends can come to at 2 a.m. and get great tasting chili cheese fries that’s at the top of their game. For a price of 7.50 you will receive cheddar layered fat fires. They can be a little salty and greasy, but if you throw some ketchup on these bad boys you get some great tasting fires to combo with a good time.

Address:3301 W Rosecrans Ave Hawthorne, CA 90250 Contact: (310) 644-8474

2.

Steven’s Burgers 3.8 miles

This little burger joint has a small intimate setting, but what it lacks in size it makes up with good food. For $6.40 they will serve you a nice big portion of cheesy chili cheese fries that’s not to soft or too crunchy and will make your mouth water just looking at it. The chilli to cheese ratio is perfect and you will be satisfied at the end of your meal. When these fries are being consumed nothing else matters, and when you finish you’ll be looking for more every time.

Address:1407 W El Segundo Blvd Gardena, CA 90249 Contact: (323) 755-2323

3.

Supreme Burger Grill 0.5 miles Right across the street from El camino is Supreme Burger and Grill, a great place to get quality out of this world chili cheese fries in between classes. At the price of $6.28 you can take a bite into these slightly crunchy delicious batch of fries. With just the right amount of salt this chili at Supreme Burger and Grill will knock your socks off. The Supreme staff are welcoming they really make you feel at home.This is an easily overlooked gem that needs to be taken advantage of.

Address:15900 Crenshaw Blvd Gardena, CA 90249 Contact: (310) 538-6849

A plate of chili cheese fries from Steve’s Burgers.

4.

Brolly Hut 2.3 miles

This gem is located in the heart of Hawthorne right by the South Bay Galleria.This fast pace place really packs some flavor in its fries. For the low price of $5.35 you’ll be in for a treat. When the cheese melts on the fires and its reached perfect form equals satisfied taste buds. They also give your the option add some onions to your fires to give it an extra punch of flavor. Address: 16927 Hawthorne Blvd Lawndale, CA 90260 Contact: (310) 370-5729

5.

Steve’s Burgers 4.1 miles Last but not least we have Steve’s Burgers This is another small intimate setting that has some great fires.

They really try to get ur food out to you quick and they offer some customization they offer the option to put onions on top of the fries for $6.35. These had an unique kind of flavor that i really couldn’t put my finger on, but they were delicious and trust me they will make anyone want to come back for another plate.

Address: 1632 Crenshaw Blvd Torrance, CA 90501 Hours: Monday-Thursday and Sunday 7 a.m.- 10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday 7 a.m.- 11 p.m.

Contact: (310) 618-8979 17

Jasmine preforms a solo dance during the EC Annual Spring Dance Concert at EC .

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Born To Dance Written By: Patrick Ezewiro

Jasmine Mussadique goes through the rigorous training of wanting to be the best in ballet.

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he high beam of the fluorescent lights glares down at her as she made her way back and forth across the stage in a swift motion.

The Physical Education Building in Room 212 is where the dancers gather to hone their skills and talent.

The room is filled with people of all diverse backgrounds.

It’s big and lights are protruding at all angles. It’s spacious enough where all students can practice. Students move around with their shoes off trying to perfect their moves. One student who brings everybody to stop what their doing is a woman of curly hair.

Her peers watch her in awe. “She’s amazing,” “Wow,” are whispers you can hear around the room as she does moves that they can’t do and are still learning.

When everybody is done practicing, she is still on the floor with Beethoven playing, moving to the right notes and murmuring “damn” at every pause; She’s frustrated at not staying in sync with the music.

“Hell yes, I finally hit that note,” the curly-haired girl says as she stops to catch her breath.

She walks over to drink some water and looks at the Apple Watch on her wrist. It’s 11 a.m. and her psychology class starts in 15 minutes.

She looks back and sees that her classmates are staring at her and lets them know practice is over.

Jasmine Mussadique, 20, a psychology major at El Camino College is one of the dancers who stands out from the rest.

She is an African-American woman, 5 feet, 5 inches, and is always wearing black tights with a white shirt. She has hazel eyes, brown curly hair, and freckles across her face.

Jasmine is a ballet dancer who is not only focused on her artistic craft but in academics as well.

Jasmine juggles school and dance in the best way she can.

She loves to dance but understands that without an education life is going to be hard. She assumes her major as a “crutch” if she doesn’t want to continue to dance.

She has a knack for always doing the most on the dance floor to be the best. Coming to practices with her black tights and black hoodie, she looks forward to what the day and practice can teach her about her craft.

Every Friday she wakes up at 8 a.m. and takes the bus from Long Beach to El Camino College to get on the practice floor.

She always has on a backpack strapped across her shoulder when she gets to Room 212.

“El Camino wasn’t my choice but thanks to a friend, I chose this school” says Jasmine.

She was so close to choosing Long Beach College because its close to her house but one of her friends who graduated from El Camino College told her that “It’s a good school.”

“I cherish every moment on stage with the lights in your face, being surrounded by the music, performing for an audience and hearing their applause,” Jasmine says. “It’s something most people will never feel, but it’s one of the best feelings anyone could ever imagine.”

Modern ballet or contemporary dance is what she views as her best friends. She says she was chosen to dance and accepts the criticism and the praise that comes with the art.

She first discovered dance in elementary school but started off in the modern and lyrical area of the field.

It wasn’t until she watched an episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” with choreographer Mia Michaels that changed everything. She choreographed a contemporary, emotional piece about addiction and inspired Jasmine to dance in a new way. It was also when she discovered her passion for dance, specifically contemporary.

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Jasmine preforms a contemporary piece alongside her EC peers at the Annual Spring Dance Concert. “I dabble in many styles but contemporary is personal” .

“I dabble in many styles but contemporary is personal,” Jasmine says. “Contemporary is therapy, as it runs through my veins allowing me to express something through every fiber and feeling relieved afterwards.”

Jasmine’s upbringing hasn’t been without sacrifices.

Dance is more than entertainment to her. Dance is therapy for what happens internally and externally. Her parents are separated, and she feels like she’s living in two worlds.

As fun and exciting as dance can be it can also be overwhelming.

She takes full time classes at El Camino College while being part of the dance department. After every practice she is drenched in sweat and carrying a suitcase filled with her practice gear and her school books heading back home after a long day.

“Really if I could train and dance and like make it far, I will basically continue,” Jasmine says. “It just all depends on my growth within the next year or two.”

She wants to fine tune her her skills and perform in a lot of shows and see how far she gets.

She found her way to El Camino College through a program called Project Success.

Project Success is where students are put in classes that help them with transfer courses in units. It helps students to be able to have a smooth transition to a four-year university.

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Jasmine, who in her last semester at El Camino and wants to transfer to Cal State Long Beach, appreciates what this program has done for her. She believes that she wouldn’t be the person that she is today without Project Success. She considers Project success like a family.

“When Jasmine entered the program she was always asking questions about her future but now she has a clear goal of what she wants,” Brian Mims, assistant supervisor says.

It’s been 11 years of dancing and she’s going full speed with her craft. She is a practice magnet who is always in Room 212 in P.E. building perfecting her craft.

“She is a hard worker that doesn’t take days off and practices are not easy with her leading the way,” says Chauntel Williams, 20, communications major.

On a Spring weekday morning Room 212 is filled with people of all diverse backgrounds. Contemporary instrumentals fill the air and talent starts to show out on stage. When the students step inside the room the mindset of everybody changes. It’s all seriousness and work related and Jasmine’s mentality is fixated on ballet and the task at hand.

Coming into the room dressed in tights and a gray shirt she starts to move swiftly across the floor in unison with the instrumental. She doesn’t stop her movements but only when she wants to get her classmates on the same page as her.

“Jasmine is talented and very structured in the way she

teaches us,” says Sterling deAurora, a biology major. “She goes step by step over the movements that go in sync with the piece.”

Her talent and her work ethic is what she views as a positive.

“Having Jasmine as a student and teacher to in the same room has made my job easier”, says Professor Jessica Kondrath, dance instructor. “She’s a hard worker and a top level talent.”

“For me dance is not a competition,” Jasmine says. “It’s a lifestyle and an art form. People love art and want to connect to such a thing, yet everyone

“Dance is more than entertainment to me.

Dance is therapy.”

Jasmine began dancing in elementary school.

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HOW TO GET YO FUTURE BABY MOMMA/DADDY STORY&ARTWORK BY KAYLYNN MYLES

W

hen they say there are plenty of fish in the sea, El Camino is that sea, because honey!

“Get ready all you lonely girls, and leave those umbrellas at home,” because “it’s

raining men!”

That’s right. If you thought you were gonna leave El Camino with just an AA degree or certificate, ya wrong! You’re gonna leave here with a husband/wife too!

We’re all fishermen. Some of us are better at catching fish, some of us catch bad fish, some of us catch good fish, while some struggle catching any fish at all.

Those who don’t catch fish aren’t throwing their hook out there at all. And those who are throwing their fish hooks out there and don’t catch anything aren’t using fresh bait.

I’ve met a few guys at El Camino, but none of them have translated to a phone call. Like seriously almost every guy that approaches me is the opposite of what I want. I never went after the ones I wanted, but that shortly changed.

Ladies, there is nothing wrong with a girl going out of her way to approach a guy!

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We’ve all been there. Walking to your car, done with classes, minding your business, then BOOM! Yo future baby daddy/ momma is walking in your direction. What are you going to do?

Be like Noah (Ryan Gosling in “The Notebook”) approach Allie and not take no for an answer? Or are you going to keep quiet and watch them walk by, imagining what your future would have been like if you would’ve spoke up.

I was at Chick-fil-A one day when I was at the register and saw a super cute guy working at the drive-thru window. We will name him Chad.

“Damn he fine,” I thought out loud.

We kept making eye contact and he kept smiling at me.

“His name is Chad,” the woman taking my order said. Um, nosy! And honestly she didn’t have to tell me because Chad and I were going to get acquainted real soon.

I was 19 and never had a boyfriend so I knew I had to start putting myself out there. I was tired of always seeing guys I thought were cute and wanting them to approach me but nothing ever happened.

I always knew they were interested but my resting bitch face made me look unapproachable. Regardless of what it was, I was tired of all the “what if ’s” in my mind.

So I decided I want it I’m going to get it, I may never see this guy ever again anyway.

I saw my friend working in the back. I knew he was going to be my way in. Chad had moved from the drive through window to the drive through.

When my girls and I walked out, Chad kept staring at me and smiling. It made me kind of nervous but being the awkward girl I am in those situations my hand shot up and waved to him.

He waved back thinking that was the last he would see of me, but I had other plans. As soon as I got in the car I dm’d my friend who worked there and told him to give Chad my number.

Twenty minutes after sending the message I get a text from an unknown number. It’s Chad!

So I shot my shot and made it.

If only El Camino had speed dating to help us get acquainted.

But until then, I’m here to help you get that cute guy/girl.

WARNING!!! If you decide to take my awesome advice, there is a 50 percent chance that person might reject you.

Guys, do not call the lady a b*tch, followed by “you ugly anyway.” Just take it and remember how many other fish there are at El Camino.

Ladies, this doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you, he just isn’t your guy. PERIOD! 1.) Do you look like a snack or a full course meal?

Look your best at all times because you never know when you’ll have your opportunity. Obviously not too many people come to school in their flyest fit everyday.

Just keep it neat, and complimentary to your attributes.

Wear something that is comfortable and makes you feel confident.

2.) Make it obvious.

You have to give hints! You can do this by simply smiling and making eye contact.

Every time I make eye contact with a guy I’m like, “Oooo he want some of this.”

You can even say hello. Nothing is wrong with simply being nice or greeting someone, people should do it more often.

This will make them notice you and show you are interested.

3.) Exchanging smiles and flirty eye contact? This is your cue. 3, 2, 1. Action!

Introduce yourself. “Hello, my name is Becky.” Have some fun, light, flirty conversation. For example, you’re standing in line at Cafe Camino and you see him/her. Shawty standing right in front of you lookin like some heat, straight fire.

4.) Compliment them! But make sure your compliment is something open ended. Don’t just say, “ I like your shirt.”

BORING! Obviously they know their shirt is fly. Say “your shirt is nice, where’d you get it?” and start a conversation from

there. Don’t forget to smile.

5.) There he/she is walking in your direction. Hurry! Find something to drop in front of him/her.

Act like you didn’t see it drop and keep walking until you feel a tap on your shoulder. If they don’t return the item you didn’t make it obvious enough or they are an asshole and you don’t need to talk to them.

6.) We’re in school and very forgetful at times. professors encourage us to ask questions becuase no question is a dumb question. Ask your crush about the homework and make small talk. Ask them if they understand the lesson. If they do, ask if you two can study together sometime. If they don’t y’all can still study together and teach each other.

7.) Ask for directions somewhere.

Most likely you’ll already know how to get there, so this is just your excuse to talk to them. While they’re talking you should be thinking of what you’re going to say next.

Personally, I would ask for their instagram.

8.) Get their instagram Asking for social media is not as direct as asking for someone’s number so it’s easier to do. Almost everyone has social media.

Asking for someone’s handle isn’t really like saying “ I want to be with you” like asking for someone’s number. It’s just like “you’re cool and interesting and I’d like to stay connected with you.”

Asking for someone’s number is kind of creepy and intimidating. People follow strangers all the time and think noting of it so ask for that instagram and slide in those dms!

9.) “Aye my homie wanna talk to you, he standing right over there.” I know you’ve heard this.

Some may think it’s cowardly or childish, but it works sometimes . If you’re too shy to approach someone by yourself ask a friend to help you out.

Just make sure when you’re friend points at you, you don’t look like a creep.

Basically it’s getting their attention and taking advantage of having their time. Take a few seconds of courage and let go of your ego.

You could be missing out on someone worth a lifetime.

Now go on and get yo man/woman!

@kaylynnsimone 23

Leilani Garcia smiles and poses in front of flowers.

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PUSHING THROUGH ADVERSITY WRITTEN BY DIAMOND BROWN PHOTOS BY ELENA PEREZ & CODY SINAGUGLIA

Constant struggles crowded her world. But when she enrolled at El Camino Compton Center, things started to change for the better.

H

er phone screen lit up as she was on the bus to work. The big, bold black words and red text caught her attention. She could sense the urgency. As she glanced over the words her heart sank when she realized she would have to meet with a college counselor right away.

It wasn’t until she got home later that night that she was able fully process the message. She felt terrible and it was on her mind all day. The message said she had been placed on academic probation and was being forced to take a break from school.

She arrived to the Extended Opportunity Program & Services (EOPS) office at Santa Monica College, nervous as she sat in the counselor’s office for advice. The counselor said the college was giving her a “time out” to figure out what she wanted to do about her education.

She enrolled at Santa Monica College after finishing home schooling through Opportunities for Learning High School in 2010, and attended until fall 2014 when she was asked to leave.

She was juggling three jobs and a full-time class load.

She worked at Pacific Park in Santa Monica, security on the weekends and had a part-time job as a bank teller. She had overworked herself and her academic career was suffering.

She took a break from Santa Monica College and continued to focus on work for year. She was content with making money and helping her mother with rent and utilities. But, as time went on she felt her life was becoming monotonous and she decided to return to school to continue her education.

In fall 2015 she enrolled at El Camino College Compton Center to continue her education and hasn’t looked back since. Leilani Garcia, now 28, child development major and Compton resident said she felt moved by God to take courses in child development once she returned to school.

She signed up for two introductory classes, Child Development 103 and 104. By the end of the semester she knew she had made the right career choice and discovered her love for teaching.

Life is calmer for Leilani now, but it wasn’t always that way.

Leilani was raised in her grandparent’s house in Compton with her mother Lydia and younger brothers Lorenzo, Jorge, and Javier. She stayed in her grandparent’s house until she was 13.

As Leilani entered her preteens her home life became stressful.

Her mother Lydia wanted to be independent and move with her children into their own apartment in Watts. They moved from Compton to Watts to Huntington Park and back to Compton again with Leilani’s grandparents. Lydia didn’t graduate from high school and she had Leilani in her early 20s. Lydia always kept a job though working minimum wage cashiering jobs, working late into the night.

Although they moved around a lot Leilani and her brothers stayed enrolled at the same schools in Compton.

Every morning was a 3-hour routine and commute to school every morning from their apartment.

“I remember we would wake up at like five in the morning to get ready for school,” Leilani says. “My mom would get

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Leilani works at El Camino’s Teacher Resource Room as a teacher for the child development up and make us ham, egg and cheese burritos every morning before school and get ready for work too, till this day I don’t know how she did it.”

Leilani and her family of five commuted by public transportation for much of her childhood. It was exhausting.

Her and her brothers would separate from their mom at some point and continue walking to school. After school Leilani picked her brothers up and walked to the library or her grandparent’s house. At night they had to commute back home and do it all over again the next day.

She shared one bedroom with her three siblings and sometimes with her mom, until her late middle school years.

“We used to have night convos about how our day went and say goodnight to each other,” Leilani says. “Sometimes it was five of us in one room sharing a bunk bed.”

Home life got busier for Leilani as she moved into young adulthood and began to pay for bills. Being the oldest sibling in a single parent household she was like a second mom to her brothers. She had to help with utilities, cooking, babysitting and paying her own phone bill. Going to a community college full time made life difficult to balance.

She was 19, taking general education and psychology classes and taking on too many responsibilities at once.

“I thought I could do it all and I was burned out, I was getting no more than two to three hours of sleep a day and failing a couple of classes,” Leilani says. “I needed to help myself in limiting work because I was only putting myself in situations where like, I was setting myself up for failure.”

Not only was she mentally stressed out and feeling depressed, but the pressure started to affect her physical

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appearance as well. Her jeans fitting her curvy 5’3” pear shaped frame went from too loose to too tight and clinging to her body as her weight continued to fluctuate.

She knew she needed to make a change and prioritize her education. That’s when she enrolled at El Camino Compton Center.

“She stood out in my mind because she was a very focused student and had a positive attitude about learning,” child development professor Hoa Pham, says. “In class she always tried to help everyone and got the job done.”

Leilani received her assistant teacher permit in 2016 after completing the required six units of child development and landed her first preschool teaching job at Beach Babies in Manhattan Beach. In 2017 she got an associate teacher permit which allows her to fill in as a teacher and lead to a higher paying job through DirectEd Educational Services employment agency, where she is still employed on a contract basis.

One of the classes that required to get her associate teacher permit was Child Development 116 and that’s how she crossed over to El Camino College’s main campus. The class wasn’t offered at the Compton Center so she began taking classes at both campuses.

After spending some time on the main campus and more taking courses, Leilani caught the eye of the the child development permit specialist Nancy Alvarez who recommended her to be a tutor at the Teacher Resource Room (TRR) of the child development department.

Leilani has been a “super tutor” at the resource room since the start of the spring 2019 semester. The job title lives

up to the hype as she can barely sit down for one minute while she’s on duty. Her long wavy brown waist-length hair sways back and fourth as she walks around the classroom with confidence, helping her fellow students with their class assignments and machinery for their projects.

“She’s such a great addition to our team, she’s very attentive and welcoming to students, she helps with whatever is needed here and jumps right in,” Wendy Mata, 34, child development major and co-super tutor, says.

Helping people is something that Leilani says comes natural to her, especially working with children. Her area of expertise are children from infants to age 5. She finds that children are automatically drawn to her and says she’s a natural with them.

Leilani loves working with kids because they are genuine and honest and she enjoys being able to watch them grow and develop. She views children’s first moments as miracles and an indescribable feeling.

She takes pride in knowing that she has helped a child write, learn new words, and use their words to communicate their feelings. She hopes that by leaving a mark in their life as a kid they will develop into a productive adult.

Though working with children is Leilani’s passion she doesn’t want to be tied down by one profession. If you ask her what she wants to do she’ll say that she wants to be a jack of all trades. She carries a portfolio of her child development accolades as well a portfolio for her security career.

Leilani will be graduating in the spring with three AA degrees, one in early childhood education, one in social and behavioral sciences, and an AA transfer degree in sociology.

She often mentions that she wants to take over the world by being well versed in different professions.

Not only will she be a first-generation college graduate, but she’s also a first-generation high school graduate in her family. She has been accepted into over eight universities in California such as UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, and UC Merced. Her most recent acceptance letter came from UC

Merced which she’s decided on attending and also where her long-time boyfriend of nine years Miles currently resides.

“The first thing that comes to mind is resilient and intelligent, she’s one of the most talented people I know,” Miles Gill, 26, UC Merced student says. “Failure isn’t an option for her coming from her neighborhood, there have been plenty of times when she could’ve folded but she kept going.”

Her life today is still busy but she has it together as she’s more in control of her schedule. She’s enrolled in 10 units.

Most of them are online courses and she’s taking a lecture class at the Compton Center. Her schedule at the TRR is only three days a week. The two jobs she holds now are contracted positions so she can decide when she wants to work but she’s currently taking a break from both to focus on classes.

Monday through Saturday she keeps busy with school and errands, but Sundays are her holy days. She might run a few errands but absolutely no labor for pay is done on Sundays.

Every day she takes a morning walk for about two hours with her Maltese Pierre listening to audio books and doesn’t answer any phone calls or text messages.

Morning walks helps her cope with her anxiety and depression. She also goes to counseling to help her deal and she has learned that she’s not “Wonder Woman”. Through life experience and counseling she’s learned a lot about her abilities and knows what she can do and can’t do and she’s okay with it now.

Reality still hasn’t set in for Leilani graduating in the spring feels surreal. All of her hard work is coming to fruition and now she’s seeing the “big payoff” in the end. She always knew she wanted more from life than she seen around her and that she’s her biggest competition.

“I think about my journey like a video game, you beat one level and unlock another, and you keep going and going until you beat the game and win the championship.” Leilani says.

Leilani is a first generation high school graduate and college graduate and has been accepted into over eight California

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Why I Won’t Apologize for my Abortion

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STORY BY AMANDA ALVAREZ PHOTO BY JUSTIN TRAYLOR

hen I was 20, I accidentally got pregnant.

I’ll admit I wasn’t too concerned with contraceptives or preventative measures at the time. While I’ve always maintained that women should unquestionably have the right to choose, it wasn’t a choice I ever wanted to make.

I knew from the moment the doctor broke the news that I didn’t want to see the pregnancy through, but I struggled with the guilt of my decision from the moment I found out until well after it was over.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 21 out of every 1,000 women in their early 20s had an abortion through 2014. About 18 percent of these women were Hispanic.

Strong opinions tend to come from religious groups debating the morality of choosing to terminate a pregnancy, a prevalent problem in the Latino community.

I struggled with sharing the news with my Mexican mother because of her Catholic upbringing. I was afraid of how she’d react or that her feelings and behavior toward me would change. I was surprised and immensely relieved at her unwavering support. She never tried to influence my decision.

Although, I must admit I still haven’t openly discussed it with my Nicaraguan father to this day.

I never doubted that I could trust my friends to have my back, but I recognize that I’m lucky. Not every woman is fortunate enough to have even a fraction of the support that I count on. At the time, my harshest critic was me.

When I arrived at the Planned Parenthood in Whittier, California on Dec. 6, 2011, I expected the protesters outside, but not how their judgement would affect me. It’s one thing to be outraged on behalf of someone else, and something totally different to feel that way in defense of yourself.

The mood in the waiting room varied from somber to excited. When I was called into the back room, I found myself sitting between two other patients roughly my age. One girl cried the entire time I sat next to her while the other calmly read a magazine.

I still wish I’d had the courage to offer comfort to the distraught girl.

When it was my turn, I couldn’t help the tears that started streaming down my face. I was mourning the death of the girl who up until then believed she was invincible. I was mourning the drastic change in my identity and self-perception. But mostly, I was just overwhelmingly disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen in the first place.

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I’ll never forget the kind surgeon’s face. He wanted to ensure that I was there of my own free will and that I felt safe, with zero condemnation. I wish I could remember the name of the attending nurse who held my hand until the anesthesia dragged me under.

My mom waited and drove me home after the procedure, where I curled up in silence all day. It took time to realize that I kept punishing myself because I thought I deserved it. It took even more time to understand that I was doing it because I thought there was something wrong with me for not feeling guilty over this life altering decision.

You see, there was never a moment that I doubted I wanted the abortion. Despite having the support of everyone around me, I knew a baby would prevent me from achieving lifelong goals, and I had no guarantee I wouldn’t grow to resent the child for it.

No one deserves to grow up under those circumstances— but no woman deserves to be attacked for making a decision that’s right for her. With our right to choose threatened, we can’t afford to forget this or be distracted by manipulative propaganda.

I didn’t immediately accomplish all my goals and I continued to make mistakes. But, this semester I’m finally graduating from El Camino with not one, but two degrees and will be attending a university in the fall to complete my first bachelor’s degree.

I’m in a position to start a new career doing something I love. I have the time and freedom to enjoy being young and explore the world on my own terms. It’s OK if you want the same thing.

But it’s also OK if that’s not what you want, or if you continue to feel guilty. You don’t owe me or anyone else an explanation unless you want to give one.

It took time to realize I had nothing to be ashamed of. At seven weeks, the embryo I carried had no concept of existence when it ceased to be. I hadn’t killed anyone, I simply chose the future I wanted over the one I didn’t.

It’s OK to make that choice and it’s important to know when to put yourself first. Having an abortion doesn’t make you selfish or a “bad person.” Try not to be so hard on yourself, because the only person you have to answer to is you.

TOP 5 VIDEO GAME ARCADES

By Devyn Smith

D

espite the golden age of video game arcades ending long ago, the South Bay still has plenty of spots if you want quick fun for a quarter’s cost. From establishments with arcade cabinets to spots with the latest virtual reality technology, we take a look at five arcades within seven miles of El Camino College.

1.

REDONDO FUN FACTORY Redondo Fun Factory is large and iconic. There is a large variety of games costing anywhere between 25 and 75 cents per play. This arcade is a time-capsule of years gone by.

HOURS: Friday 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, Sunday noon to 10 p.m., open on major holidays CONTACT: (310) 379-8510 ADDRESS: 123 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA

The Redondo Fun Factory has been around since 1972, but is set to close on September 2, 2019.

2.

4.

HOURS: Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

CONTACT: (310) 542-8525 ADDRESS: 3525 W Carson St., Torrance, CA

HOURS: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays closed CONTACT: (310) 373-8470 ADDRESS: 22501 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA

GABLE HOUSE BOWL An arcade featuring Jurassic Park and The Walking Dead shooter games and even a fidget spinner game. There are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy yourself. This is a great stop if you find yourself nearby.

LAMPPOST PIZZA You are greeted with all the flashing lights and sounds of an old-school arcade. Despite being smaller, the cabinets and games available are still entertaining and engaging. Particular favorites here are the Ghostbusters pinball machine and a basketball game.

HOURS: Monday through Thursday, Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

CONTACT: (310) 325-4864 ADDRESS: 2955 Rolling Hills Rd., Torrance, CA

ODYSSEY VR Odyssey VR is the arcade of the future. This location features four Oculus Rift stations, each with over 300 games. There are also consoles. Odyssey is a great place to spend some time.

3.

HOURS: Monday through Thursday 9 to 2 a.m.; Friday and

Saturday 9 to 3 a.m.; Sunday 7 to 1 a.m.

CONTACT: (310) 378-2265 ADDRESS: 22501 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA

LASER STORM AT GABLE HOUSE BOWL An arcade slightly larger than Gable’s. This location offers Super Chexx, Crazy Taxi and Fruit Ninja. Laser Storm is heavy on the racing games but has some awesome deals not at other arcades.

5.

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Q&A:

Jason Davidson

COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSOR AND MAGIC ENTHUSIAST

E

l Camino College communications professor Jason Davidson, 46, isn’t like most faculty on campus.

He practices magic in and out of the classroom; the accomplished professor had several performances in our very own Marsee Auditorium. Jason created a trilogy of performances called Phantasms. The self proclaimed “magic enthusiast” is an active member at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Although it’s been about three years since Jason’s last performance, he is still very much involved in the magic world.

STORY BY JUSTIN TRAYLOR PHOTO BY JACK KAN

Editor-In-Chief (EIC): Can you tell me a little about how you got in to magic?

Jason: “Well I’ve always enjoyed watching magic.

Back in the day, growing up in Illinois, me and my family used to sit around the TV and watch David Copperfield specials. With nieces and nephews to look after I used magic to amuse my younger siblings with lights and other illusions.”

EIC: How did that lead you to the Magic Castle?

Jason: “I was given for one christmas magic classes at the Hollywood Magic Castle, and you say a password to the bookcase and the bookcase opens. It’s cool. Like once I walked in there I was like ‘This is awesome.’ So, I took magic level one, level two, level three, level four, and then you have to audition to be a member and I passed my audition.”

EIC: What kind of tricks do you use in class?

Jason: “In my interpersonal communications class we’re talking about perception and how we perceive people… and I have two tricks that I often do when I’m doing my act at the Magic Castle that talk about perception and the effect also involves me manipulating how you perceive what’s happening. I tell them beforehand I’m performing this for you because perception is the theme and im doing things here to change your perception to make you think you’re seeing magic.”

EIC: Are there a lot of stereotypes as a magician?

Jason: “There’s negative stereotypes about magicians and I think some of the negative stereotypes are true. There’s the pesky person that’s like ‘Hey pick a card, pick a card man, let me show you how cool I am. Wanna see how cool I am? Pick a card I bet I could…. Ehhh… ace of spades.’ You know? It’s like, what are you doing? First of all the person didn’t even ask to see a trick, you’re forcing non-consensual magic.

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El Camino professor Jason Davidson stands on the stair case with open arms at the Magic Castle.

You’re making someone watch magic that doesn’t want to see magic and the only reason why you’re doing it is to make yourself look good.”

EIC: What magicians influence you the most ?

Jason: “There is a magician named Rob Zabrecky and another would be Pop Hayden. When I was taking classes at the Magic Castle I got a chance to watch one of Rob Zabrecky’s performances. He took on this persona kinda like the Addams family and it was funny. But it was the first time I’d seen magic like that as a performance and Pop Hayden was the same way but he was a snake oil salesman who loved 2018 because people would buy anything. Both of these guys were great performers and musicians and they influenced me a lot.”

EIC: What are you doing at the Magic Castle now?

Jason: “Last year I got a phone call from Genii magazine and they said we want to have this monthly column in the magazine about what’s going on in the Castle and would you write it? I said…. Sure.. I live a mile away from the Castle so I go there all the time. I’ll go there tonight, I went there last night. I’m there a lot, so why not?”

Lionel mimics one of Michael Jackson’s signature dance moves behind the Student Services Center. Lionel has been an impersonator since 2012.

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of

King

Pop WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA QUINONEZ PHOTOS BY MARI INAGAKI

Dance major performs as Michael Jackson to ease struggles with autism, foster care

H

e strolls down the hallway, music blasting through his ears. His leather jacket is draped over his right arm where the cord of his earphones disappears behind his jacket. He listens to his favorite Michael Jackson song, "You are not Alone." He tips his black vintage hat to his classmates as they wave to him.

Lionel Taplin, a 27-year-old dance major, walks confidently out of his dance class and down the hall of the South Physical Educational Building at El Camino. He gives a genuine smile wide enough to show off his laugh lines.

Down the stairs he goes, bobbing his head to the music.

He slips on his sunglasses as he swings the door wide open, jamming out of the Physical Educational Building.

Lionel has been a fan of Michael Jackson just as long as he can remember being old enough to want to dance for a career.

But as time went by, he isn’t just a fan of Michael Jackson, he is also a Michael Jackson impersonator. During family events or just to keep his legacy alive, Lionel changes his

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persona to match the "King of pop," performing for friends, family and even when he attends classes at El Camino.

With the help of his long-time friend Keenan Crawford, a 27-year-old photography and dance major, Lionel comes up with different dance moves when he’s getting ready to perform.

“Honestly, he’s an awesome guy, he’s pretty funny, [and] has fun with others,” Keenan says. “He’s really a chill and awesome dude.”

Lionel and Keenan both practice day and night to have their dance moves memorized and mastered before their performance.

Before Lionel became interested in the “King of Pop,” he had his mind set on other physical activities, such as swimming, basketball as well as singing.

Lionel wasn’t always a fan of Michael Jackson. During the time Jackson was alive, Lionel made sure he kept his distance due to the rumors of child molestation that were circulating about Michael.

Then Lionel heard the song “You are not Alone.” This

Lionel Taplin, a 27-year-old dance major, performs at the EC Fall Advanced Dance Concert on Nov. 29, 2018. song stole Lionel’s heart and he was hooked on the dance moves. He related to the lyrics and the beat was like no other.

Ever since, he devoted his dance career to Michael Jackson.

A recent documentary on HBO, “Leaving Neverland,” has put Michael back in the spotlight.

The documentary is about Michael Jackson and his relationship between two boys, who were 7 and 10 at the time. Now, almost 20 years later, they say they were sexually abused by the pop star.

Despite the reoccurring claims of child molestation and Jackson's 2004 not guilty plea that had been presented in the documentary, Lionel hasn't stopped impersonating his idol.

Lionel shakes his head viciously. “It’s all about money,” he says. “That’s the only reason, they [the accusers] just want to put a name, a famous name, [in] their mouth and the world believes it.”

As a child, Lionel struggled in school. He had a learning disability and is also autistic but that didn’t stop him from trying his hardest in school. However, Lionel still felt like something wasn’t right.

When he was 8, the truth he had felt finally spilled out.

Life as he knew it was changing.

He had asked himself many times, “Wait, where is my mother?” He didn’t put the pieces together until the person he had called mother for eight years revealed herself to be

his grandmother.

During that time Lionel’s father was in prison for an unknown crime. Lionel’s grandmother adopted Lionel and took care of him as her own.

But even with his father’s absence, he still received letters from him, for as long as he could remember.

At the time it didn’t really affect him, Lionel says, but when he was 13 it started to affect him emotionally.

In 2009, his grandmother died. Lionel never learned the truth of how his birth mother died, not until a year after his grandmother's death.

Even now, Lionel refuses to talk about the death of his grandmother and his mother.

"Wait, where is my mother?"

After Lionel's grandmother died, he was then raised by his uncle, Lionel says.

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Lionel’s goal is to work for Disney as a dancer when he graduates.

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Lionel’s father was set to be released from prison in 2017, but died from complications of a stroke before his release that same year, he added.

Despite the struggles that Lionel had gone through, he’s still living his life in a positive way, not letting himself think about that stuff that much, Lionel says.

Inspired by Michael Jackson years later, he continued to dance and enrolled in EC as a dance major. He has taken multiple dance classes such as modern, tap and ballet.

“They taught me, El Camino College taught me,” Lionel says.

One professor who Lionel speaks highly of is Elizabeth Adamis, known as Liz. He says she is an incredible dance instructor.

As Lionel continues his dance career, he hopes to work for Disney as a dancer after leaving EC. He hopes it will challenge him and help with his learning disability.

At the moment Lionel is unemployeed because he is commited to his dancing career.

Lionel recently had a video interview with Disney, giving the interviewers the oppurtunity to see him preform.

Disney has not called back to Lionel but he hopes they will give him the oppurtunity to start his dream job as soon as possible.

Lionel's Top Five Favorite Michael Jackson Songs 1) Jam 2) Remember The Time 3) Billie Jean 4) Beat it 5) Man in the Mirror

Lionel practices his favorite Michael Jackson signature moves behind the Physics Bulding. He dedicates his dance career to Michael Jackson.

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UNWIND FROM COLLEGE LIFE TOP FIVE BARS FOR DANCING & COCKTAILS

By Lisa Aguilar

D

ancing and cocktails bring people together and keep people together. If you’re looking to unwind and relax, here are the top five bars for dancing and cocktails in the South Bay. You must be age 21 or over. No cover charges.

1. BIG O FISH BREWS & BREWS & GRILL

Big O Fish is cozy with something for everyone. DJ Worthy Worth puts flavor into the jam-packed dance floor Friday and Saturday nights. You can dance until your heart is content to hip-hop, old school, freestyle, Bachata, Salsa, Cumbias and Banda. They have a full menu of appetizers and specialty Mexican seafood.

Address: 5023 Rosecrans Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250 Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Contact: (310) 970-4432

Baja Sharkeez has five locations in California.

2. KEEGAN’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL 4. BAJA SHARKEEZ Keegan’s is a casual place for cocktails and dancing. This venue has a night club ambiance and TV screens are playing music videos all throughout. Happy hour is Monday through Friday. 4 to 7:00 p.m.

Address: 1434 Marcelina Ave., Torrance, CA 90501 Hours: Monday 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.; Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 a.m.; Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Contact: (310) 328-3750

Welcome to the vibration station of the South Bay. The DJ kills it on the turntables. Donkey Punch is the drink of choice, and it comes complete with a little plastic donkey in a fish bowl. They also sell jello shots in jumbo plastic syringes syringes. Bottle service is available for birthday parties.

3. THE BULLPEN

5. THE LIGHTHOUSE CAFE

It’s a big happy party the minute you walk in. This venue is also a steakhouse. It is for a more amture crowd that enjoys life the joys of cocktails and dancing. It is mesmerizing to see the antique decor: it feels like you have stepped into the past.

It’s a very happy place to go and unwind.

Address: 314 Avenue I, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 Hours: Monday through Thursday 10:00 to 2:00 a.m.; Friday and Saturday 9:00 to 2:00 a.m.; Sunday 9:00 a.m. to midnight Contact: (310) 375-7797

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Address: 52 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Hours: Monday through Friday 11:00 to 2:00 a.m.

Contact: (310) 318-0004

Live salsa dancing excites and exhilirates every muscle in your body. Beginners are pros at plain sight. A spacious dance floor and center stage delights spectators and dancers alike from any angle in the venue. There is an array of music options for everyone’s delight.

Address: 30 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Hours: Monday through Friday 5 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 2:00 a.m.

Contact: (310) 376-9833

Q&A:

NETHANIEL PALOMINO

SEMI-PRO LEAGUE OF LEGENDS PLAYER BY OSCAR MACIAS

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arrior Life sat down with Nethaniel Palomino, 21, astrophysics major to ask him about becoming a semi-professional player for the game League of Legends.

The League of Legends website explains the game as a “fast-paced, competitive online game that blends the speed and intensity of an RTS (Real Time Strategy) with RPG (Role Playing Game) elements.”

Staff Writer: What made you want to play League of Legends instead of any other games like Overwatch or Call of Duty?

Nethaniel: “The thing that made me want to play league was probably the amount of characters that you can play as. It also helped that I started playing with friends and I had a lot of fun.”

Staff Writer: Are you currently playing in a team or just by yourself ?

Nethaniel: “I do a bit of both. I do play league by myself from time to time to practice, but I’m also in a team.”

Staff Writer: What team do you play for, have you been with them for long?

Nethaniel: “I play for NFG, as for how long, we’ve been playing together for about six months. So far its been pretty fun, especially when it comes to our matches.”

Staff Writer: Is the team being sponsored by anyone or anything? If you have, how long have you been sponsored?

Nethaniel: “Actually yes, we’re sponsored by Rogue Energy. Its sort of like G-Fuel’s competition. We’ve been partnered with Rogue Energy for about three months.”

Staff Writer: What do your parents think about you playing League of Legends at a semi-pro level?

Nethaniel: “My dad says to give it my all, my mom does too, as long as I don’t play too much, probably because its easy for me to forget how long I’ve been playing.”

Nethaniel Palomino, 21, astrophysics major, is a semi-pro League of Legends player.

Staff Writer: Since you became a semi-pro player, do you work? Or is league your official job?

Nethaniel: “I wish, I have a part time job at St. Anthony’s pre-school. Its in El Segundo so not too far away. I’m an assistant so what I do is I go and help set up the class for experiments, clean the classroom, things like that. Plus I have school so I can't really put as much time into league as I'd like to."

Staff Writer: What does your team usually do to prepare for your official matches?

Nathaniel: "We'll usually play a few matches online beforehand to warm-up and to get ready, make sure we're on the same page, stuff like that. We'll also review footage from our streams."

Staff Writer: What do you guys usually stream on?

Nethaniel: "Twitch (Twitch.Tv) is our usual go-to for streaming, we stream and after, we'll review the video, see what we missed, what we can improve on, stuff like that."

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TOP 4 PANADERIAS P

an dulce or “sweet bread” consists of pastries traditionally enjoyed by Hispanic families for breakfast. These sweet pieces can be found in panaderias. Whether you like to keep on the simple or sweet side, you will certainly find a pastry that’s just right. Here are 4 bakeries within 15 minutes of El Camino.

BY VIRIDIANA FLORES

An assortment of pan dulce from Adelita’s Bakery.

PANAMERICA #3

This small bakery has a moderate selection of bread but offers other Mexican goods other bakeries might not offer.

The prices are among the lowest compared to the other bakeries. While some pieces can differ from traditional sizes, you will find that they are light and not over sweetened or seasoned. Parking is limited, but customer servce is great.

4409 W 111th St. Lennox, CA 90304 (310) 672-5481 11 minutes from El Camino College

SOFIA’S BAKERY

This bakery has a large selection of sweet bread to choose from. The average piece of bread goes for about a dollar but no more than $2. There is a designated sitting area in front of the bakery where you can enjoy a smoothie or some sweet bread with hot coffee. They also prepare and sells cakes for special occasions.

10021 S. Inglewood Ave, Inglewood, CA 90304 (310) 673-6633 9-13 minutes from El Camino College

ADELITA’S BAKERY

This little bakery carries its own unique selection of bread including “huesos” which are crispy, long twisted pieces, and “sandia” cookies, sweet watermelon-shaped cookies. You can get about 5 pieces for about $2, made by the hands of a baker with 15 years of experience. Parking can be found along the sidewalk in front of the bakery.

14807 S. Western Ave., Gardena, CA 90249 (310) 532-5279 4-5 minutes from El Camino

NORTHGATE GONZALEZ SUPERMARKET

If you need groceries and are craving bread, this is the stop for you. There is a good variety of bread and you can find traditional pieces such as conchas and cuernos. If you are chocolate lover, you will love their chocolate mantequadas. There are pre-packaged bundles of sweet bread and a selection of breads from Central and South America as well.

Pan dulce comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.

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3930 W Rosecrans Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250 (310) 973-1079 7-8 minutes from El Camino College

NEXT UP FREEBÄS

RAP GROUP ON THE RISE TRIES TO MAKE IT BIG.

STORY, ARTWORK & PHOTOS BY KAYLYNN

FREEBÄS HAS AN ALBUM COMING OUT THIS SUMMER

PHOTO BY ELENA PEREZ

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Listening to and creating beats all night, it was difficult for them to sleep. The beats were the soundtrack to their dreams that night. Studio days may turn into all nighters because they never know when the project is complete. There is no rush when it comes to a project because its done once they are finally satisfied with it.

The group wearing their vibrant FreeBäs hoodies, gathered around the table with their laptops making jokes and sharing beats. Muhammad Abdullah, 19, English major shares his vision of how they should all wear durags and do “wave checks” and do trendy dance moves for their next performance.

While Muhammad is playing his “Splash” beat, a song he wrote in five minutes, he says “This is where Kev would come in.”

“There’s literally like 3 genres of music in there,” Kevyn Mccurchin, 19, English major says.

This rap group attends El Camino College. They go by the name FreeBäs “because we’re dope.”

“We’re creative, we’re colorful, we’re imaginative and we’re most definitely authentic. And we’re all different kinds of people,” Muhammad says.

Jonathan Labriel, 20, illustration major brings his creativity and art to the table as he is the creative director for FreeBäs.

“They’re open minded. There’s nothing I can’t bring to the table and they’ll be like ‘that’s not it,’” Jonathan says.

So far, Jonathan has painted watercolor cover art for Muhammad’s mixtape “Off-White.” He is currently doing mock ups and single covers.

Qadir Johnson, 19, economics major, is the producer for FREEBÄS.

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“I’ve been playing drums since I popped out,” Qadir says.

He always had an ear for percussion. As a child he would play on the kitchen floor banging pots and pans.

“When I found out I could just put my drums and my ear to the computer and create music, it’s amazing,” Qadir says. “It’s a certain feeling you get when you hear what you wanted to.”

Muhammad and Kevyn are the rappers of FREEBÄS but they also produce.

Muhammad and Kevyn met through Twitter after Kevyn tweeted “I’ma drop the best mixtape in the world.”Muhammad followed by challenging him and tweeted back “Look man, I don’t know who you are but I’ma find you.”

He went to school the next day and saw Kevyn sitting with his friends. “Yo bro, I’m about to end this man’s whole career,” Muhammad says. Muhammad only knew Kevyn on Twitter.

Muhammad walked up to Kevyn and started rapping to him and they have been close friends ever since. The rest of the group met each other by attending the same high school and having mutual friends.

Kevyn’s older brother was a big fan of rap and introduced Kevyn to rap in the second grade. In high school his brother tried to become a rapper but let go of his dream.

“The family I come from is not very encouraging creatively,” Kevyn says.

To this day, his music career is kept a secret from him family.

“That’s kinda how it went in my childhood. Like ‘nah don’t do this, be an engineer,’ thats the answer for everything,” Kevyn says. “Obviously you gotta be defiant towards your parents so I was like ‘nah fuck that, I’ma be like the worst thing that you want me to be, a rapper.”

Muhammad would always write poems in his poetry journal.

“Qadir’s actually the reason I started rapping,” Muhammad says.

MUHAMMAD

Muhammad Abdullah, 19, English major, legally changed his name when he was 7.

His name was originally his father’s name, Dawud which is now his middle name.

Muhammad means “praise worthy.”

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JONATHAN 42

Jonathan Labriel, 20, illustration major made cover art for Muhammads mixtape “Off-whte,”. He also does cover design for FREEBÄS.

One day Muhammad went to Qadir’s house where he was making beats on his phone. Muhammad just happened to be reading his poem at the same time the beat was playing.

Qadir told Muhammad to say his poem to his beat.

The group was created through Muhammad and Kevyn texting. Thats when they decided they should come together to form the rap group. Coming up with a name took a while.

The name FreeBäs came from Kevyn listening to the rapper Two Chain’s mixtape “Freebase.” It was Muhammad’s idea to add the umlaut above the letter a.

“As a group we’re a melting pot,” Muhammad says. “This group is one of those things where it works for no reason.

We’re all individuals and we all bring our ideas to the table and we melt them together somehow.”

Muhammad lives in Inglewood, Kevyn lives in Gardena, Jonathan lives in Hawthorne and Qadir lives in Crenshaw.

They have the music planned out individually and execute their project when they come together to work. An idea is either integrated or abandoned. They work best on their own which works fine because their schedules collide.

FreeBäs performs at shows and gets free studio time through a company called Vill Media. Tee Smith, 20-yearsold, founder of VillMedia, and Kevyn went to middle school together. He heard Kevyn’s mixtape “Gardena’s Finest” and reached out to him. Kevyn introduced Tee to Muhammad and attended one of their shows.

Tee invited them to his studio and they have been going there to record ever since. “I can’t turn a blind eye to good talent,” Tee says.

The group is so dedicated that the studio has become a second home. Muhammad spends the night at the studio when there is a lot of work to be done. He’ll go straight from El Camino to the studio.

He even has his own blanket and change of clothes and will stay until he finishes all of his projects.

“We get a lot done even if we just see each other for 30 minutes. We knock out like three songs, four courses, a whole bunch of art,” Muhammad says. They meet at the studio, school and at each others houses.

“If you really look at who’s coming up in the game, you don’t really have a lot of people who are too focused on the context of their content,” Tee says. “And I feel as though FREEBÄS will be, if they aren’t already, profound artist. I think they each have talents that are far beyond their years.”

The group realized there was a lot of talent in their area but it wasn’t being cultivated.

“It wasn’t the stereotype they painted on young black people or Hispanic kids,” Muhammad says. “We understood that our dope music is able to reach that type of audience.”

They all want to become individual artist but their plan is to grow with each other so they can make each other strong as individual artists.

“We understand that even though we’re in a group right now, the group is only a representative of a base point for our growth,” Muhammad says.

Kevyn, Muhammad and Johnathan have already branched off and done solo projects while still apart of the group. Qadir is working on a solo tape aside from also working on a FreeBäs mixtape tape.

They are all confident and comfortable on their own but they are still able to bring what they have to the table to make the group work.

“That’s how real life friendships work anyways,” Muhammad says. “As a kid you’re with your best friend everyday, but as you get older, even though you guys are in the same lane, just like we’re all in the same lane, we all drive different cars.” They all have their own approach to things and sometimes they have to go on their own.

FreeBäs plans to release an album the summer of 2019.

Make sure you visit Warrior Life’s website to see video interview with the group.

“We not next up. We up now,” Qadir says.

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QADIR

Abdul Qadir Johnson, 19, economics major.

His name is Arabic for the servant who is capable of all things.

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PHOTO BY ELENA PEREZ

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KEVYN

Kevyn Mccurchin, 19, English major came up with the name “FREEBAS” from listening to Two Chains mixtape “Freebase”.

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THE MAGIC WITHIN A photo essay by Justin Traylor & Jack Kan

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M

ystery.

Applause.

Excitement.

And mind-blowing amazement.

These are the things that fill every room of the castle in the Hollywood hills.This notorious place is called the Magic Castle.

Warrior Life is giving you an inside sneak peek of the castle after hours.

1. The staircase leads to the magic preformances.

2. Corridor wood paneling with candelabras gives the room a certain ancient feeling.

3. Archimedes the owl answers “yes” or “no” questions for Magic Castle members.

4. The patrons entrance to the Magic Castle is this bookcase which only opens if you say the password “Open, Sesame!”

5.The Magic Castle opened 1963. The castle features multiple stained glass windows.

6. The Parlour of Prestidigitation is one of the many show rooms where the magic happens.

7. The Magic Castle was once the Holly Chateau in 1909.

8. A looming shot of the Magic Castle exterior.

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TOP 5 NAIL SHOPS IN THE ‘HOOD I

BY KAYLYNN MYLES

f people know me for one thing, it’s my poppin nails. Glitz and glam nails embellish my smooth, young hands. Whether it’s acrylics, gel manicures, pedicures, eyebrows, or mink lashes, I like my stuff looking top notch while it is still affordable. Here are a few of my favorite nail shops within 5 miles of El Camino.

DIVA NAIL & SPA

This is my current nail shop. I go to Lee for my acrylic nails and he does amazing! They have great prices and good customer service. I also get my pedicures done here.

Eyebrow: $7 Acrylic: $15 Manicure: $9 Pedicure: $14 14219 Western Avenue Gardena CA 90249 (310) 817-5554

LISA BEAUTY SALON & SPA

I grew up in this nail shop coming here with my mom. Then I started getting my nails done here. But I really come to this nail shop specifically to get my eyebrows done by Phoenix. She keeps my brows clean and crisp while making sure they are still full and thick.

Acrylic Manicure: $15 & up Eyebrow waxing: $7 Basic spa pedicure: $16 Manicure: $10 11302 Crenshaw Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90303 (323) 777-1757

CONTEMPO NAIL & SPA

This is a newer nail shop. It has a VIP section, a kids play area, TV’s outline the walls. They give you a complimentary water.

I go there for acrylic nails and pedicures. They do a great job.

Eyebrow threading: $8 Acrylic Manicure: $15 & up Manicure: $9 Pedicure: $15 2852 Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303 (323) 242-3901

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Acrylic nail set done by Diva Nail & Spa

LUXE NAIL SPA BY LISA

This is where I go for my eyelashes. Usually mink lashes are $70 and up. But here, they are only $50 for a full set and $25 for a fill. I go to Tina. She is so sweet and makes sure I am satisfied with my lashes.

Eyebrow: $6 Acrylic: $18 Manicure: $10 Pedicure: $16 3240 W Century Blvd #200, Inglewood, CA 90303 (310) 677-7038

LISA BEAUTY SALON & NAIL SPA

This is a good place to stop by to get a pedicure. You have the options of gel or no gel. They also have all services as well including; eyebrows, eyelashes, acrylics, and more.

Eyebrows: $7 Acrylic: $15 & up Manicure: $10 Pedicure: $16 & up 3180 W Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303 (310) 644-5472

El Camino Jour nalism Department: Contact: Stefanie Frith (310) 660-3593 x3327 sfrith@elcamino.edu Office: Humanities Building, Room 113A

THE UNION newspaper

Join El Camino College’s student-run newspaper as a staff writer, photographer or an intern by enrolling in jounalism classes.

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Accounting professor counts the days until his next trip.

Dividing Life to be a Triathlete

1. Don’t be afraid.

All around the world, people are very similar. There is very little to fear about the people around you.

2. Be flexible.

Things won’t always go your way while traveling abroad, and you need to be OK with adjusting your plans.

3. Travel light and pack only what you need.

“You don’t need to bring 30 outfits if you are traveling for a month. Bring three and find a laundromat,” Hull says.

5. Don’t book all of your flights and rooms in advance.

“For me, this way of traveling is a blast. Several years ago, I flew into Sofia, Bulgaria and out of Helsinki, Finland. Getting from Budapest to Finland one city at a time was so much fun,” Hull says.

7. Ask for help.

8. Get lost.

9. Stay in hostels.

Don’t always play everything by-the-book. Finding things off of the beaten path can create lifelong memories. The worst that could happen is you’ll have to refer back to tip No. 7.

“You will meet like-minded people from around the world and grow your social circles.

While I’ve outgrown staying in them, I made great memories while staying in hostels,” Hull says.

Bring Cipro.

Otherwise known as ciprofloxacin, this over-thecounter medication is used to treat bacterial infections. While you will need a prescription to get the medicine, it can be filled for less than $10 at pharmacies

10. Don’t be the “Ugly American.”

Cultures all around the world are vastly different. Attempt to learn as much as you can about the culture and respect the differences in customs while traveling.

Bonus Tip! Hull says that thanks to the internet, planning trips have never been easier. Websites like tripadvisor.com make booking flights, hotels, and transport an ease, while sites like lonelyplanet.com and nomadicmatt.com give travelers destinations to visit and tips to travel on a budget. Travel.state.gov gives information on entry and exit requirements, as well as any other important information that one may need before traveling out of the country. Be sure to check out Hull’s blog, taosabi.com to see photos and read about his experiences while traveling across the globe!

Megan is a math professor at El Camino College and competes in triathlons.

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6. Set different start and end points.

If you make a change to your itinerary while traveling, booking spur-of-the-moment will ensure that you don’t lose money on pre-booked stays.

“People are generally willing to help strangers. So, if you are lost, don’t be afraid to reach out.”

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Math professor at El Camino details athletic life and how she fell in love with the triathlon world.

Story & Photos by Kealoha Noguchi

S

urrounded by thousands of swimmers and athletes in the middle of the ocean, one particular swimmer is competing for her first time. The race is on the big island of Hawaii on the shore of Kohala Coast.

BOOM! The gun fires and the race is underway, swimmers dunk their heads, begin to kick their feet and paddle their arms. She thought to her self “This was going to be a long day”. She finished the race just before her goal of six hours.

Megan Granich, 40, is a math professor at El Camino and is also a triathlete who competes in different races, marathons and triathlons. She got into running when her sister signed up for a 5K marathon but began competing in triathlons when she saw an ad for a reverse triathlon, which is just a mini triathlon.

Megan competed in her first half IRONMAN in 2012 on the big island of Hawaii. Megan trains in the early hours of the day. When everyone is finally waking up to start their day, she is already on her way to teach after already getting her run and swim in.

“People think you can’t balance work, training, and a life. If you look at my phone there’s an alarm set for 4:15 [a.m.], there’s a reason for that. There’s no way I can swim for an hour and a half, drive up to the Santa Monica area and come back and either run or bike before I come here [to teach],” Megan says.

Megan admits it could be difficult to manage everything but it has to start early. It is completely doable, she says.

Megan began teaching at El Camino in 2002 but it wasn’t until 2013 when she became full-time. She was born and raised in the South Bay, attended Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance and graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Westchester.

Megan originally wanted to be a high school math teacher and after getting her degree, she went to teach high school math at the school she attended, Bishop Montgomery. One year was enough for her.

“I taught one year and that one year was enough for me to know that high school was not for me,” Megan says. “ I didn’t want to deal with parents and I didn’t want to chaperone the prom. I didn’t want babysit.”

Megan wanted to get her master’s so she could teach college students. She went back to LMU and the dean at the time said it would be ok, for Megan to teach math at LMU part-time, so she did.

In 2012, while teaching at LMU and multiple other schools part-time, Megan was named one of “Princeton Review’s Top 300 Professors,” the award was also in conjunction with the website “Rate My Professor.”

“It meant a ton to me especially at the time because I was teaching part-time at four different schools a semester,” Megan says. “Knowing I can juggle four schools at a time and still [make an] impact on students enough to be listed in that book with a prestigious entity like Princeton Review, it meant more than anything to me at that point in my career.”

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“Knowing I can juggle four schools at a time and still [make an] impact on students enough to be listed in that book with a prestigious entity like Princeton Review, it meant more than anything to me at that point in my career,”. - Megan Granich.

Megan has taught at 11 different community colleges. She’s enjoyed teaching students because they are more motivated and she does not have to deal with parents.

To go along with teaching, Megan competes in numerous races a year.

Megan typically competes in three big competitions a year with multiple shorter races and marathons mixed in.

In 2018, she has competed in three half Ironmans, the Chicago Marathon, and a couple of other shorter races locally.

This year, Megan has signed up for her first full IRONMAN in June. In addition to the full IRONMAN, she hopes to compete in a half IRONMAN (Santa Cruz) and the New York Marathon in November.

Megan is competing in the New York Marathon in November on a charity entry. In the NYC Marathon your name must be pulled through a lottery. If not, like Megan’s case, you can compete on a charity entry and race for a charity cause.

“Team Autism Speaks,” Megan says. “Being a teacher and seeing students on the spectrum and my personal life, I’ve had some experience with family. It was the charity that I was like ‘yeah this is perfect.’”

For more information on how to donate to the charity Megan is racing for, you can follow her on instagram (@ megangranichetri) or email her (mgranich@elcamino.edu).

Megan has been named a “Silver All World Athlete” (AWA) from IRONMAN in back-to-back years, 2018-2019. The AWA program is IRONMAN’s way of rewarding racers based on their performances in age groups.

A Gold AWA is ranked in the top one percent of their age group, silver is in top five percent and bronze in top 10 percent.

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of their age group.

Megan is a brand ambassador for four companies, Wattie Ink, BOCO Gear, SBR Sports and Nuun. Wattie Ink is a brand that provides sports apparel for bikers, runners and swimmers.

BOCO Gear is a hat company. SBR Sports has formulated products for hair and skin care for athletes. Lastly, Nuun is an electrolyte beverage company.

“I got a thing in the mail last week, like ten tons of shampoo and conditioner and a shirt that said ‘SBR Athlete’ then a hat,” Megan says. “The next day I got something else and it was BOCO, it was a hat that said ‘Brand Ambassador’ and ‘I’m like man the is awesome.’”

The Chicago Marathon was one of the biggest races for Megan in her career because she was trying to qualify for the 2020 Boston Marathon.

Megan with her IRONMAN metals outside of the Math and Buisness Administration Building.

However, Megan began to cramp up early in the race.

Megan was disappointed because it occurred only half of a mile in. She tried to continue right away but she could not.

Megan said the cramp began to seize and tighten up the more she tried to stretch it out. She tried walking it off but the tightness was making it difficult to move. Megan began to cry out of frustration because she had gone through all of the required training, only to cramp up.

The Chicago Marathon is about a 50,000 person race with thousands of people in attendance. Megan wanyed to quallify for Boston, but still wanted to finish the race no matter what happends.

Megan went to the aid stations and drank all of the Gatorade she could. Stopping for Gatorade and having to rest her cramps ended up costing her 5 minutes.

With 54 seconds to spare, Megan crossed the finish line qualifying her for the Boston Marathon.

Megan is a part of two clubs/organizations, the Los Angeles Tri-Club and Tower 26. The L.A. Tri-Club serves all the local triathletes in the L.A. area. The club was founded in 2000 by Paul Hekimian. The club grew quickly and not long after that Paul says he knew he was onto something.

The L.A. Tri-Club began with 250 members but quickly rose to 800 within the first year. The club has been over

1,000 members for 18 years.

Paul first got into triathlons in 1998 when a friend suggested that all of their friends train for a triathlon.He had ran a marathon before but never a triathlon so he was up for the challenge. Paul says in order to do a triathlon you have to be mentally prepared. “After doing my first one I was hooked, then it became a lifestyle. I do it for the lifestyle,” Paul says. “I think it’s 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical, most people talk themselves out of it or they think it’s not reachable.”

Tower 26, the other organization Megan is a part of, began as a swimming program for triathletes and they have around 150 swimmers currently, coach Jim Lubinski says.

Jim, 40, is a professional triathlete and Megan’s swim and triathlon coach. As a triathlon coach he has to create different

training schedules based on goals for the specific triathlete.

It’s vital that he has open dialogue and communication with each of his athletes, Jim says.

“I kind of oversee her entire plan, how she prepares for races, gets stronger and faster in all three [sports],” Jim says.

“I need to look at strengths, weaknesses, time commitment outside of training, work life, family, friends, travel. I have to work all that into a training program that would benefit individual athletes the most.”

Jim became Megan’s coach at the end of last season. He thought Megan might be trying to do too much and needed help staying on course.

“Megan is a good athlete, she is very driven but I don’t think she had very much direction in how to train. That’s not necessarily training harder or training longer, it’s training more specific to her goals,” he says.

Megan’s swimming has improved drastically since joining the organization. Jim believes her improvement might be the best he’s ever seen.

“She has improved by maybe the most of any of my athletes have improved because when I set a goal for her, she achieves it no matter what it takes,” Jim says. “No matter the demand I put on her she achieves it. It’s pretty amazing to see because of the grit and determination she puts into each workout.”

Jim credits Megan for coming back from a foot injury and now Jim says she is running better than ever.

“Her perseverance is amazing too,” Jim says. “She had a stress fracture, people don’t just come back from that injury but because of her commitment and determination to come back and become a better athlete, she has improved the most out of my athletes.”

The thing Megan loves most about the sport is the friendships she has made with the different people that she’s met. She says the camaraderie and friendship inspires her the most.

“It’s more so all the people that you meet, all the friends that you meet. They come to your races, you go to theirs, they cheer you on,” she says.

Megan at Hermosa Beach stands next to her Cannondale bike.

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Stephania speaking to a group in a classroom in the Humanities Building.

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Speak Up WRITTEN BY JOSEPH SANKER PHOTOS BY ROSEMARY MONTALVO & JUSTIN TRAYLOR

Student thrives as an EC student ambassador despite a history of fear and anxiety of public speaking

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n organized trio of third grade girls approach an 8-year-old Stephania Tovar Vargas on the basketball court of Lucille J. Smith Elementary School.

“What are you doing, Stephania?” Imani, the main childhood villain perpetuating Stephania’s torment, asked in a sarcastic tone.

Stephania was playing basketball with a third grade friend at the time, a girl named Lauren.

“I’m playing with Lauren...what is this?” Stephania would inquire timidly Imani was a fellow 8-year-old, an girl whose hair consisted of braids with pink hair clips, and a wardrobe consisting Bobby Jack T-Shirts. She also liked to bully Stephania frequently.

Imani would taunt Stephania with her hands on her hips, snickering, and pursing her lips together when saying an insult that she thought was particularly good.

“Oh, you look dumb today.” Imani would declare “You’re throwing that so dumb!”

These would be crude critiques referring to Stephania’s appearance and her basketball jumper.

Stephania wouldn’t respond. Instead she decided to just shoot the basketball in fear that if she does not occupy her mind with activity, she would start crying in front of everyone.

Instances of bullying like this would play a big role in Stephania’s early anxiety toward public speaking but also play a part in her drive to overcome that anxiety and eventually become a truly confident person.

Stephania Tovar Vargas is a 20-year-old nursing major who is also a student ambassador at El Camino.

Student ambassadors are students who are eager to connect students and visitors to El Camino College staff, faculty, programs, and services.

Standing at only 5’1” Stephania doesn’t take up much space physically, nonetheless along with her brown eyes, and straight waist length hair with the tips dyed golden brown, she exudes a helpful can-do demeanor as a student ambassador.

Today, Stephania has on a navy blue polo shirt with the El Camino insignia embroidered on the upper right side of the shirt baby blue jeans and a pair of tan colored Vans sneakers. Her fellow student ambassador, Gabby Lopez, 18, nursing major, has on similar attire.

This is because of the college fair happening at the Holy Lutheran Church on Crenshaw Boulevard.

Stephania eagerly awaits in her chair ready to promote El Camino amongst a colorful assortment of EC fliers that lay adroitly across a table cloth that reads “El Camino College”.

“Do you have any questions?” Stephania asks a young African American woman wearing a black tank top, gray leggings, UGG boots along with a black-and-white bandana wrapped around her head. She peruses the cornucopia of fliers advertising the many programs that EC has to offer.

The young woman remarks that she used to attend EC and then inquires about College Night at El Camino as advertised on one of the fliers on the table.

Stephania promptly begins to inform the curious attendee about the event. Her words sharp and concise, offering just the right amount of information without being overwhelming.

Her voice at an appropriate volume for a college event with a million voices chattering away in the background.

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Yet, as sociable as Stephania is now, it took many different experiences in public speaking to help her go from a quiet, introverted caterpillar to a communicative, social butterfly.

When Stephania was around 8-years-old she would start experiencing a great deal of bullying in elementary school due to her being a soft-spoken and shy child growing up.

The bullying started in third grade and ended after fifth grade. She describes bullies as “fake friends” meaning she would routinely hang out with the same people who would actually turn around and terrorize her.

Along with Imani, there were two other girls who partook in the bullying as well. Erinn, another young girl around the same age, wore glasses, had pigtails, and was shorter than the average third grader. She, in addition to Zamia, a girl who was the opposite of Erinn and taller as well as wider than the rest of the third graders, formed a hate group centered on Stephania.

“The Stephania Hate Club” is what they called it.

“They named the club, yes. They called it a club to hate on me,” Stephania says, “I would miss the after school program sometimes. I would go home early, so that’s when they would meet within themselves and I guess talk bad about me,” Despite having a third grade legion of doom centered on her, Stephania never really took the bullying to heart at the time. However, she later acknowledged that it did affect her public speaking skills.

“I feel like [the bullying] played a big role because l felt like everyone was always judging me,” Stephania says. “In terms of public speaking, obviously, all eyes on you. And so for me it always felt like either people are critiquing the way I’m standing, people don’t maybe like the way I look, people think that maybe like I’m overweight and stuff like that. And it would always get to me. It would always get to my head.

You could really see it when like when I would do public speaking, like I would shake, my voice was very shaky” Public speaking is a common fear, in fact, according to a survey done by Chapman University 20 percent of Americans reported as being “Afraid or Very Afraid” of public speaking.

Colleen Keough, a clinical professor of communication at the University of Southern California, who has a doctorate in communication and has served as the course director for COMM 204: Public Speaking, for nearly 20 years, explains why public speaking takes time to develop as a skill.

“You’re putting yourself out in front of an audience, you’re the center of attention during that time. People are going to be listening to your content ‘How smart are you?’

‘Do you make sense?’” Keough says, “It seems to be a harder skill to learn, but with practice people overcome their fears of public speaking, quite easily in fact”.

Stephania would eventually overcome this fear. One presentation project in eighth grade became the catalyst for her to change for the better.

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In eighth grade, Stephania was assigned a group project and was left to do the lion’s share of the work as she was seen as “The Smart Girl” by her classmates.

Stephania knew her group would just stand there as she presented and not lift a finger to participate. Her teacher at the time, Ms. Hauser had a very strict, by the book teaching style. She had shoulder length red hair, brown eyes and a very serious face, almost like she was frowning all the time.

She never smiled Stephania says.

“The night before I remember feeling very anxious and you know like those butterflies in your stomach? And then like the feeling of wanting to throw up” Stephania says “I really felt like I need peer support and I wasn’t going to get it.”

The morning of the presentation in June of 2012, Stephania was driven to Jane Addams Middle School in Lawndale, California by her father, Jose Tovar, in his white Nissan truck.

Jose Tovar is a hard worker, having worked two jobs for the past eight years yet still is sociable.

He’s 6’1” with a big wide chest, brown eyes, and little gray and black hairs on his head that signify his 48 years of age.

He has tough hands filled with small cuts that bespeaks the years of arduous labor he has had to undergo to support himself and his family.

When the truck turned onto Marine Avenue, approaching Jane Addams Middle School, Stephania started to feel sharp, nervous pains in her stomach. Her body started to warm up like popcorn in a microwave, and the knots and the butterflies on her insides began to multiply.

She hadn’t even set foot on school campus.

Jose noticed his daughter’s distress and said that he too used to get nervous around her age when he would go to school.

Jose grew up with a strict father. Jose and his siblings would need permission to open their mouths, especially if any adult were in the household. This contributed to his shyness as a

Public Speaking Tips

1. Know Your Topic • When you know what you’re going to speak about, you have confidence.

2. Put Your Ideas In a Logical Order • Organize thoughts for better flow of speech.

3. Practice, Practice and More Practice • Practice making mistakes to be better prepared for that actual speech.

Source: Colleen Keough, USC director of communication

youth. He saw himself in Stephania’s nervous state.

“I was relating to her because when I was a young kid I

Stephania Tovar Vargas faces her fear of public speaking. think that I mentioned that my Dad was very strict, [so] I was [as shy as] her. So, I kinda related to her, put myself in her shoes,” Jose says, “We were [in] the car driving, I was trying to explain and even encourage her [to know that] there’s nothing wrong to talk to people, to open up, to let them know how you really are, the way you think, not to be afraid.”

Stephania still arrived at Jane Addams about as wound up as a coiled rattlesnake.

As she approached her first period class that day, each step closer and closer to the classroom, her feet felt heavier. It was if someone were attaching weights to her ankles the more she approached the door of the teacher who never smiled.

“It was the last presentation of the semester, it was worth a lot and I just remember I did not want to go to class. When I got there,” Stephania says. “I was trying to hide behind the projector.”

Stephania and her group were the first ones to present.

During the walk to the front of the classroom, all eyes, including her own group mates’, were locked on Stephania. It was as if to nonverbally say “Where is our grade? Smart girl.”

During the presentation, Stephania had to explain a drawing by putting it on the projector. She looked back at her group for moral support and in that moment it seemed like they were bored already.

“I wanted to almost run out of the class, like I felt like I needed to throw up, I felt hot like I was gonna get a fever, I felt like I was going to get something,” Stephania says, “In order for me not to be as scared, I just decided ‘look down’, the whole time, just don’t look at anyone don’t make eye contact, don’t look at the teacher”.

Amid her feeble attempts to explain a picture to her classmates, she realized her voice was too low, then too loud and then get quiet again, hands shaking as if they were in the middle of an earthquake, a distinct watery mouth akin to when a person is a about to vomit, and a rising internal body temperature as if she was being cooked alive.

As soon as the five minute mark was up and Stephania’s

teacher called time on the presentation.

Back at the college fair in the Holy Lutheran Church, the host of the event lets the attendees know via microphone that two students from El Camino are here to tell them about the college and what it has to offer.

The audience applauds as Stephania and Gabby go in front of the crowd. After brief introductions, Stephania and Gabby begin to talk about the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services program (EOPS) at El Camino.

Stephania is the complete opposite of her eighth grade self.

She is confident and engaged. Her voice clear and controlled.

Sara Reyes first met Stephania when they were both 13-years-old in Leadership Club in middle school. However, they didn’t officially become close friends until freshmen year of high school where they had the same classes together. Sara and Stephania’s other friends would give her pointers for her public speaking “I would definitely tell her to like slow down a bit because she would get really nervous and she would also stare at one point instead of looking around,” Sara said. “Throughout the years I’ve definitely seen how she has become a stronger, more independent young lady.”

After that eighth grade presentation, Stephania promised herself that she would not allow a presentation to go as terribly as that one went. Through practice, advice from her peers, and through a personal commitment, she allowed herself to become more outgoing.

During her final presentation in her senior year of high school, a panel guest in attendance tapped her on the shoulder after she was done with her speech and complimented her on strong eye contact as well as her expertise on the subject.

This is Stephania’s first year as a student ambassador, and her supervisor Veronica Palafox, student services specialist, notes the change in Stephania even just being in the student ambassador program.

“When she first began with the ambassador program she was a little bit more reserved, she wasn’t necessarily shy, but she was a little bit more hesitant to speak up, I think it took a little bit of time for her to adjust with the group” Palafox said, “It definitely has changed from July 1st till now and it’s only been a couple months. I’m confident in her sending her out to different events, I know that she’s going to be doing a great job presenting in front of prospective students and teachers.”

Stephania plans to transfer as a nursing major in the fall of 2019 to Cal State Long Beach. She will continue being a student ambassador through the spring of 2019.

If Stephania could give advice to her younger, eighth grade self it would be to just accept that people judging you is going to be apart of life. The important part is to really just believe in yourself above all else.

“Just be confident. Honestly, be confident. It’s the key,” Stephania says, “Even if you don’t feel like you’re confident in that moment, just be it.”

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UP IN CLOUDS: W

TOP 5 VAPE SHOPS IN THE SOUTH BAY

hether you want great deals, the right vape to help kick cigarettes, or just a chill spot to hangout at, these vape shops in the South Bay are for you. All shops have similar prices for all products, and you must be 21 or older to purchase.

Story and Photos by Jon Yamasaki The Vape Empire

If you’re looking for a chill atmosphere, Vape Empire is the shop for you. The tantalizing displays showcase top notch gear and they always stay on top of the newest products. They have a small lounge area and a lobby for vape tricks. Customer service is great, the workers will demonstrate how each product works, along with good and bad traits.

The store is open 11a.m.-9p.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sunday 12 noon to 7:30 p.m. They are located at 21720 Vermont Ave #107.

Cloud Scape

Cloud Scape is a large modern store for vape related products that has been around for 5 years. They carry a large variety of vape devices and e-liquids. Customer service is great. The employees are happy to bring you up to date with all the new vape regulations, introduce you to their wide variety of goods, and even give you a brief understanding of their history and affect onto the vape community.

The store is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They are located at 17494 Hawthorne Blvd.

Vapor Range

Vapor Range is the most unique looking on the list. The store looks like a gun range, while being loaded with all the top notch proucts. Since they are partnered with vape distributors they will always have flexible prices on they’re very large assortment of vapes.

They are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday which closes at 6 p.m. instead. They are located at 15210 S Western Ave.

Vape District

local and relaxed. This shop doesn’t have the most products but the ones they have accommodate to what the majority of the customers preferences are. Vape district tends to carry the most popular vape juices around ranging from the typical 30ml and 60ml bottles to the new salt-nic juices. Prices on products are60 fair and their goal is to get you straight to the point without

Anthony of The Vape Empire demonstrates how to perform the “jellyfish.” trying to overload you on deals and sales. they try to stock what you’re looking for and if they don’t have it, they’ll order it.

The store is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. They are located at 4036, 3120 W 182nd St.

Vape Guys

Vape Guys is another local shop fairly close to El Camino who carries a very large assortment of products. They’re customer service is great, employees are patient and informative if questions are asked. Out of all the shops they are open the earliest which is good for anyone needing any vape goods before work or class.

Theyre open at 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. through 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are located at 2015 W Redondo Beach Blvd E.

BLACK IN AMERICA STORY BY JUSTIN TRAYLOR PHOTO BY ROSEMARY MONTALVO

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idnight gunshots and helicopter rotors with a hint of intense spotlights.

This is the recipe of my nights living in South Los Angeles. Living in this area you had two choices in life: to be down with the hood and make a name for yourself or play ball.

My mother had other plans, she wanted me to go to college and do something with my life; which lead to some of my mother’s most memorable quotes that she yelled from the living room window.

“Stay where I can see you.” And my personal favorite “Don’t you go past that mailbox or your ass is grass.”

Although I spent most of my days at practice or blowing rigorously into the bottom of Nintendo 64 cartridges, I still found myself getting into it with bullies around school or having pointless stare downs with people if they didn’t recognize me and I would hear the million dollar question.

“Where you from blood?”

All those moments just molded me into the person I am now.

After I moved from South Los Angeles to Gardena in 2008 I had to seal with a whole new monster, racial profiling.

I’ve been racially profiled a lot during my life. I’ve been followed around in convenience stores, I’ve been pulled over because there were several minorities in the car. But the story that surprised me the most was when I was down the street from El Camino across the street from the Roadium.

It was an early Saturday morning and I had just arrived at the Dollar Tree on 147th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard.

My friend Kelly had agreed to save me a job application but when I got there she said they ran out. Luckily she lived close by and she had a printer, so we went her house.

Once we arrived she told me: “You’re going to have to wait outside because no boys can come in when my auntie isn’t home and I’m not trying get kicked out.” I said I was fine with that as long as I get the application so I don’t have to be broke anymore.

Some time passed and I began scrolling through Instagram on my phone and giving some double taps out to my followers. Then, I noticed a person walk out of their house from a distance and glare at me hard. Soon after, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and proceeded to call someone while he got in his car. He gave me one last look then he drove away.

I thought, “um, Ok.” Kelly finally came outside with two fresh papers in her hand. “Sorry for taking so long.” I told her it was fine and thanked her for printing it for me.

Then I saw a police cruiser hit the corner.

The police cruiser continued to make a left towards and pulled up right in front of us. My first initial thought was “ Damn, here we go.” Both of the officers eagerly hopped out as several other cop cars arrived “Do you guys live here?”

I quickly replied “I don’t but she does.” The officer asked us if we had any proof that she did live there. But she left her ID in the house and asked him if she could get it. The officer told her no and directed us to sit on the sidewalk.

The officer began to interrogate me, asking a million and one questions because apparently someone said I looked suspicious, like I was trying to rob a house. The officer asked me for my ID and asked to search my bag. To avoid further complications I complied.

As the officer walked away, one of the other many officers walked up to me with an attitude and asked “Why are you coming over here for a job application there’s no Dollar Tree around here.”

I politely informed him that I came over to her house because I did not own a printer to obtain the application, and there was in fact a Dollar Tree up the street on Crenshaw Boulevard. The officers partner informed him that I was telling the truth and he didn’t say another word to me. Not soon after the police got in contact with Kelly’s aunt and they let us go and told us to have a good day.

The whole time I was thinking “All those cop cars just for me?” I’m just one guy but because I’m an African American male I’m automatically up to no good. This isn’t right and something needs to be done about this.

Racial profiling is one of the biggest problems in our country and we need to do something about it; we need change. According to the Washington post 992 people have been shot and killed by the police in 2019 as of May. While doing this research I was surprised at the fact that the Washington Post reported that of the 992 people, 46 percent were white males; while just 23 percent were black males. These numbers shows that this is a growing problem in our community not just for African Americans but for everyone.

What if one of the cops was trigger happy and shot me just for the fun of it because he “thought” I had a gun. Then this story would be a whole lot different and someone would have seen me laid out on the street on the 9 o’clock news.

People shouldn’t have to live in constant fear of the police when they are supposed to protect and serve, not shoot first.

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Top 5 Breweries Within 5 Miles of El Camino

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our afternoon class ran late and all you want is a cold beer in a fun environment, but you don’t want to travel too far. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of the five coolest breweries within 5 miles of El Camino’s campus.

Story & Photo By Amanda Alvarez

If you’re in the market for some fun, these will be the places you’ll want to check out.

Cosmic Brewery & Taproom

Cosmic Brewery has a fun outer space theme and decor, but what’s really out of this world is the amount of good you can do just by purchasing a beer. In a back-room guests can pour their own beers for which 100 percent of the proceeds go to help disabled dogs.

Address: 20316 Gramercy Pl., Torrance, CA 90501 (3.2. mi.)

Hours: Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 3 to 10 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.; Monday to Wednesday: CLOSED Contact: (424) 259-BEER (2337)

The Dudes’ Brew

The Dudes’ Brewery is the epitome of “chill.” Named and styled after The Dude from “The Big Lebowski” this brewery is in a quiet lot with a wide sitting area. Every Sunday features live music from 7 to 9 p.m. There are few better ways to start off a Sunday. But that’s just like, our opinion, man.

Address: 1840 W. 208th St., Torrance, CA 90501 (3.9 mi.)

Hours: Thursday and Friday from 3 to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.; Monday to Wednesday: CLOSED Contact: (424) 271-2915

Phantom Carriage brewery & blendery is a horror-themed brewery that hosts movie nights every wed.

Yorkshire Square Brewery

Yorkshire Square Brewery features fun British décor along with their ales and laidback atmosphere. The TV screens are usually playing a soccer game next to their collection of jerseys but if that’s not your speed there’s an entire bookshelf stuffed with classic boardgames just begging for you to challenge your friends.

Address: 1109 Van Ness Ave., Torrance, CA 90501 (3.7 mi.)

Hours: Wednesday from 4 to 11 p.m.; Thursday to Sunday from noon to 11 p.m.; Monday to Tuesday: CLOSED Contact: (424) 376-5115

Zymurgy Brew Works & Tasting Room Phantom Carriage Brewery & Blendery Zymurgy Brew Works in south Torrance is in a small lot and a bit hidden but it is well worth finding for a unique experience. Zymurgy offers a brewing lesson where tickets go for $10 and you get to take home a 22-ounce bottle of the beer you learned to brew.

Address: 22755 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, 90505 (5 mi.)

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 3 to 10 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.; Mondays: CLOSED Contact: (310) 791-1015

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Phantom Carriage is a hidden gem located on a deceptively quiet part of Main Street. This brewery specializes in sour beers, including their ever-popular Broadacres series.

This brewery is named after a 1920s horror film and is appropriately themed with posters of classic horror movies.

Address: 18525 S Main St., Carson, CA 90248 (4.9 mi.)

Hours: Monday from 3 to 10 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday from 11:30 a.m. to midnight; Saturday from noon to midnight; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Contact: (310) 538-5834

Real Bonds in Real Estate Story & Photos by: Kealoha Noguchi

Real estate professor shares the impact of his mentor and his Amazon business has been named a top 500 growing small buisness by Forbes Magazine 63

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alking through a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Torrance with about 45 students from his appraising class, they enter an oldfashioned, Japanese-style room. The room’s size is big enough to be a bedroom but is small enough that only a full size bed and dresser can fit.

The room is set up with a small tatami mat in the middle with a red pillow on it, two red hanging lanterns and two dark brown sliding shoji doors, one connecting to the closet and the other to the sliding door to the backyard.

He’s dressed business casual in a white-button down shirt, unbuttoned from the top, a black blazer, dark blue denim jeans and dress shoes. Under six feet tall and light black hair.

John Yeressian, 40, is a real estate professor at El Camino College. He’s been teaching part-time at El Camino since spring 2016. John has taught real estate for 10 years in a reality office, where he trained new agents. He has a daughter, Alina 12-years-old and a son Yanny, four-years-old.

He became a full-time professor in fall 2018 when he took on his new role as head of the real estate program at El Camino.

During a Wednesday night class, he took his students out for assignment to appraise a newly sold home for homework.

“The house sold for $670,000? I wouldn’t offer anything more than $600,000,” a student says.

Selling homes and teaching at El Camino are not his only jobs, John and his brother, Vatche Yeressian, have a top 500 growing small-business, according to Forbes.

Their small-business company is called ‘The Deal Team’.

They buy products in wholesale and sell them on amazon.

“My brother comes to me [in 2012] and says ‘I wanna start a business,’” John says. “The first year we made like $200 and thank god I was doing real estate because you can’t live off of $200 bucks and then you have to split it.”

They were selected by Forbes as one of top growing smallbusinesses because their sales have increased dramatically. In the third year they made $150,000 in sales then jumped to $250,000 followed up by $500,000. The last two years they have made a million dollars.

“We have seen exponential growth in the business in the last couple of years. It sounds cliché to say this but we started in the garage,” Vatche says. “Today, we are a multi-million dollar company but it took a lot of hard work to get there and we are still experiencing healthy growth.”

Vatche says some days are full of action and things are hectic like when there’s a product in high demand but have fill-rate issues. Other days run are smooth when it is time to just do packaging and un-packaging.

“Owning a business requires a lot of work, particularly in the first couple of years. Initially it takes a lot of work to get it going, but once it’s off and running it starts flowing smoothly,” Vatche says. “The complications that come with running a warehouse include shifting priorities, employee shortages, inventory shortages, equipment failures and meetings.”

John relates his business mindset to his and real estate mindset as they have the same niches to be successful.

“Running a successful business is the same thing as running a real estate business because you’re always buying and selling.

Real estate if you’re investing you buy low, sell high,” John says. “The same mentality I had from Real Estate, I’m able to carry that over to other business ventures.”

John has stepped out of his comfort zone throughout his life because running a business, selling real estate, and even teaching were never in his plans.

Born and raised in Pasadena, John went to Pasadena High School. When John was growing up the city was still changing and evolving and just like every city, it had its good side and not so good side of town.

John attended a private elementary school but his father

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was laid off and could no longer afford it. Going to a public middle school was a big change for John because at the time gangs were having an influence on the community.

“I didn’t know what the hell was going on so I’d just sit there and the people next to me would be like ‘ay can you help me with my math?,’” John says. “Then they’d be like ‘ay we’ll help you out, we’ll be your friends,’ I didn’t know what was going on.”

In high school, John had decent grades but no knowledge about college. One day his dad drove him down the street to Pasadena City College and told him to enroll.

“Why do people wanna go to UCLA if we have this right here?” John says. “I went to Pasadena City College and found out that you have to transfer. The counselor [told me] ‘you can’t stay here forever.’”

John was taking general education classes before he picked engineering as his major. It was not long before he found that engineering was not for him so he switched to biochemistry.

He needed to pass five chemistry classes.

In his first class he received an ‘A’ and then a ‘B’ in his second. He was on his third chemistry class and had a ‘C’ in the class when his professor recommended he switch his major.

“Do you see the trend?,” his chemistry professor told hm.

The professor recommended he switch majors because his grades were not getting better after each class.

“I was confused because it was the semester before I was going to transfer,” John says. “All my friends were business majors and I thought well you guys have a lot of free time so I switched to business and took all the business classes in the summer.”

After he completed all of the required classes for business in one summer, John transferred to California State University Northridge as a business finance major. He got an internship through the college as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch. It was an unpaid internship that later became a job for him after graduation.

“I loved it so much because I was seeing stocks and bonds,” John says. “I was seeing how much people were making buying stocks and selling stocks. The guy I was working for was making a million dollars a year, just from commissions only.”

After his graduation in 2000, he packed his bags and moved to New York. Merrill Lynch paid him minimum wage for six months and after the six months, it was no pay and commissions only.

After the six months of being paid minimum wage he decided to leave and come home because working minimum wage was not going to help him payoff his student loans.

He moved back to California and worked as a staff accountant in an office with about 20 other staff employees.

After sitting in a cubicle for two years receiving stock reports and accounting with limited days-off and tiring hours, John left to become a chief financial officer of a credit union.

He shortly left the credit union after he said the chief executive officer was committing fraud by asking John to sign off on using the bank’s money for his personal use.

John often received phone calls from a friend asking if he wanted to work with him for the Department of Army. John never gave it much consideration, until one day when his friend calls and John finally agreed.

He began working for the Army Corps of Engineering in its Environmental Department in 2002.

“This is where my real estate career started,” John says. “He kept asking me and at one point I felt so bad so I went over there.”

In the Environmental Department, John was responsible for issuing permits to investors that were building 500 homes at a time, John says. Another colleague noticed the way John

John with a picture of Robert Rooks outside of his office in the Math and Buissness Administration Building. went about his business and approached him to offer a job in the Real Estate Department in 2004.

This new job offer included a car, laptop and a raise but first he had to pass college level real estate courses, so he enrolled at El Camino.

The first classes needed was “Real Estate Principles” and “Real Estate Practice.” He did not pass his first time taking principals so he took it again but with a different professor.

“I got a D my first time,” John says. “So I took it with Robert Rooks, Mr.Rooks. After the first two weeks of class I’m like ‘This dude is weird’. Like this is a weird professor.”

John thought he was weird because how his class was structured and he was overly nice. John’s first impression of Robert was only that, a first impression because Robert became someone he looked up to relatively fast.

“He’s my mentor, like throughout life, when I met him we just connected,” John says.

Robert was no longer just a professor, he became a friend of John’s.

“We became friends for life and it wasn’t just real-estate, he would just call me like ‘Hey John, how you doing?’ you know, just to say hi. He would just invite me to lunch, introduce me to students, so I’ve always had a connection to El Camino because of my mentor in life,” John says.

Robert was also the person who got John into teaching, something that never crossed his mind.

He called John a few days before the spring semester started in 2016 and told him a teacher had quit but his classes were full. “‘Hey John, I’ve already talked to the dean,’” Robert told John. “I didn’t know where he was going with this,” John says.

‘I’ve already spoke to the school, the semester starts in two days, you are going to come here and teach a class.’ Robert says.

John did not know how to respond because teaching was never in his plan but the college needed him on an emergency basis and he couldn’t tell his mentor no.

“He didn’t ask me, he told me to do it. In life sometimes I think that’s the approach, you gotta tell somebody to do it and not ask them if they want to. If he had asked me to do it I would’ve said no but he basically told me to do it so I had no choice,” John says.

Ting Chen, 30, real estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway, was a student in John’s very first class.

“When he [Robert] wanted John to get into teaching John was like ‘I don’t know anything about teaching,’” Ting says. “I was just taking the class to see what it was, I wasn’t motivated or think(ing) too much about it.”

When John started teaching, Robert sent him all of the PowerPoint slides and said he would help him go over the material to make it easier for him.

In those few days leading up to the start of the semester, John was thinking of every excuse in the book to give Robert as to why he could not teach the class.

“I was trying to think of ways to get me out of that situation,” John says. “Like a car accident, I died, I’m sick.

All of those scenarios [were] going through my head I’m like, none of these are going to work. I can’t let him down.”

John says he had to relearn everything and he felt like he did more homework than the students. The only reason he decided to stay after the one semester of teaching is because of great student feedback he received. Students were asking

“He’s my mentor, like throughout life, when I met him we just connected,” John says.

John passed the two mandatory classes for work but continued taking all of the elective real estate classes with Robert. He had no intention of taking his real estate license because he did not need it for his job.

That changed when Robert called him one day and told him to take it. He took the test and did not pass the first time.

Robert told him to take it again right away before he forgot the information and he passed the second time.

Once he got his real estate license in 2006, Robert began training him how to become a realtor. John then got his broker’s license in 2008.

“He had his own office called AVD Reality. In the morning I would do government stuff and then at night he would go and show me how to buy and sell regular homes,” John says.

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him if he was going to teach again because they wanted to take his classes. “[Robert left] a huge [mark on John] because at the time John was still kind of working other jobs,” Ting says.

“Watching from when the very first time he taught to now he’s [head] running the real estate department, he’s really come far from when he started to now.”

Robert fully took John under his wing and started training him as a teacher.

“He was helping me improve [as a teacher],” John says.

“He had been teaching for like 30 years. So he knew what to do and what worked and didn’t work. He said ‘If you follow my style you’ll be a successful teacher.’”

Robert won Professor of the Year at Compton College for the 2016 school year. Robert told John that if he wanted to become a successful teacher all he had to do was follow his success pattern.

Robert got sick in January 2018 while he was teaching winter session. He thought it was a cold or flu and called John to ask if he could sub a Friday class for him. John agreed, but received another phone call on Sunday asking if he could sub again, John got worried.

“He’s the type to never take an off day so for him to take multiple days off like that, it was unheard of. I didn’t get worried on the first day but then the second and third day, I started getting worried,” John says.

John and another professor ended up teaching the rest of the winter session class. Robert was supposed to come to class the last day and give the students certificates for passing the class. John received a call from Robert’s wife the day before the last day of winter session.

Robert had a stroke. Everything was ok, he was fine but he was in the hospital and was not going to make it to class the last day, she told him.

A few weeks before the spring semester started that same year, Robert was diagnosed with stage four leukemia. He had to recover from his stroke, pneumonia that was caused from laying down too much in the hospital and stage four leukemia, John says.

“It was just way too much. After they diagnosed him, I think they said he can live for like a week,” John says.

Robert died three days after his diagnosis. It was on Valentine’s Day 2018. John’s first day ever teaching was Feb 14, 2016.

“It was like the first week of school, I came out of a Wednesday class and my phone was ringing and I saw that it was his wife,” John says. “I was going to go visit him that day and she called me and said ‘You don’t have to come anymore, my love is gone.’”

Robert woke up on Valentine’s Day and told his wife he loved her. She asked him if he wanted a blanket from the car so she went to go get it. Within the two minutes she was gone, Robert had died.

“A bunch of thoughts went through my head, I was thinking like ‘Man, I’m going to quit teaching.’ Like I honestly didn’t want to teach anymore,” John says. “That’s why I’m at El Camino, because of him, I couldn’t say no to and disappoint him.”

Robert said John could be just like him with three to five years training. 2019 would have been the third year under Robert’s wing as a teacher and John is now the head of the Real Estate Department.

“The reason I’m here is because of Mr. Rooks. He changed my whole life,” John says. “The more I got to know him [and reflect], some professors say they like students but they don’t really, everything he did was because he loved the students.”

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“The reason I’m here is because of Mr. Rooks.

He changed my whole life.”

“A bunch of thoughts went through my head, I was thinking like ‘Man, I’m going to quit teaching.’ Like I honestly didn’t want to teach anymore,” John says.

PICKING WEEDS TOP FIVE CANNABIS STORES

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Story by Oscar Macias Photo by Justin

ollege can be difficult for some, for others it’s a breeze. The one thing that everyone has in common is that there’s a time that they need to unwind. People may unwind with music, their favorite food, but for some it’s with cannabis. This is why Warrior Life Magazine went in search for some of the best weed shops within a five mile radius from El Camino College that student 21 years or older (18 if with a medical card) can visit in no particular.

1. Stone Age Farmacy

This shop located in Long Beach has a wide variety of choices ranging from Indica to disposable vapes. As a first time guest you are given a small paper to let the vendors know. Feel free to ask any questions to the friendly vendors. Stone Age Farmacy also offers in store pickup when you place an order through weed maps. Stone Age Farmacy is located 2.7 miles from El Camino College.

Address: 3428 Long Beach Blvd .Long Beach, CA 90807 Phone Number: (562) 676-4014 Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day

A varity of cannabis prodcuts form 110 Collective 30 Cap.

2. G.E.C

G.E.C is located just down the street from El Camino College if you’re looking for some good offers. For first time customers, people are given offers like $5 dollars off any concentrate and 20% off one edible to name a few deals. G.E.C also gives discounts to veterans and people with disabilities. G.E.C. offers a variety of strands to edibles like brownies to gummies.

Located at: 14909 Crenshaw Blvd. Suite # 201 Gardena, CA 90249 Phone Number: (323)378-1222 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. everyday

3.110 Collective 30 Cap

If you’re looking for other options besides strands and wax, the 110 Collective 30 Cap has your back. Having options ranging from edibles to cbd infused drinks the 110 Collective 30 cap is only 4.1 miles from El Camino College if you have a bit of extra time on your hands. First time customers get a free pre-rolled blunt. Big rule is no phones.

Phone: 310-502-7432 Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. everyday Address: 520 W 182nd St. Gardena, CA 90248

4. Beach Center

Beach Center is a store that is both for recreational and medicinal purposes located 4 miles from El Camino. If it’s your first time at Beach Center, as long as you have a valid California medical card, first timers get deals like $10 off of any flower and veterans get 20% off their purchase. Whatever questions you can be answered by the friendly staff at the store.

Address: 1115 West 190th St. Gardena, CA US 90248 Phone: 310-821-4420 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. everyday

5. The 710 Club

Most shops close at 10 p.m. but for all you night owls you can visit The 710 Club for any form of product that you need.

If you’ve been recommended by a friend or viss versa, you can receive a free gift with your purchase. The 710 club is only 2.5 miles from El Camino, good for the students with late night classes.

Phone: 424-387-6843 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., Sat. and Sun. open 24 Hours.

Address: 16418 S. Vermont Ave. Gardena, CA 90247

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MY ENEMY MY PHONE

STORY BY VIRIDIANA FLORES PHOTO BY JUSTIN TRAYLOR

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t’s 3 a.m. and I am scrounging on YouTube to find something to watch, although I have to wake up early tomorrow morning for a 9 a.m. class.

I already know how the morning will start off and how hard it will be to stay awake during class, but I am glued to the blue screen like a mosquito to a dim light in the dark.

As I scrolled down to find something to watch, I am intrigued by a 3-year-old throwing perfect basketball shots which leads me to an infinite road of trick shots videos.

Suddenly, I remember a funny scene from a movie I’ve recently watched and end up watching the whole movie practically in pieces before I realize the night has gone by.

I’ve considered how to minimize my time on the phone, perhaps for more productive uses but seem to always fall into some sort of diverging cycle. Some days are good, other days are not.

The struggle is the same but the trance I get caught up in is always different.

A five-minute break can turn into 2 hours of browsing through social media or playing Candy Crush. A small glace through Pinterest for a project inspiration can turn into infinite minutes of looking through other projects I will probably never get to, and a small product review can throw me on a tangent, looking through other unrelated items I won’t probably buy anytime soon.

While this has become a new normal, I have considered what the repercussions may be. Is this really that normal, and why are we compelled to constantly check our phone or spend so much time on our phone? Is it all our fault a reflection of the way the tech world is set up?

According to a collection of research put together by Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, the average person spends around 3 hours on their mobile devices per day (including tablets) and 6 hours on digital media overall (including other devices like OTT's and game consoles, laptops, computers, and mobile use altogether) (footnote states study used taken from market research company eMarketer).

In some cases, my natural curiosity to dig deeper into subjects that interest me seems to drive my excessive phone use, yet the simple fact of having this device always nearby seems to have ultimately become an excuse to keep on browsing even when it is not necessary at all. In fact, it regularly puts me in a bad position to get things done.

According to science journalist Catherine Rice in “How to Break up with your Phone,” “…Phones and most apps are deliberately designed without “stopping cues” to alert us when we’ve had enough-which is why it's so easy to accidentally binge (p.7)."

As I beat myself up day after day seeing the headaches, sleepless night, and even low grades due to the inability to put down the phone I have come to realized that this device has slowly turned into a foe rather than friend.

It is not only a physical manner but internal manner as well.

However, as with many struggles comes the blessing of reflecting on our mistakes and how to improve on what is holding us down. After all excessive phone use had been related to other forms of addiction due to the release of dopamine.

I’ve learn that it’s not about killing my curious nature to learn new things or the efficiency the smart phone can provides us with, but about keeping in mind my priorities and in some extreme circumstances even restrictions (such as not using my phone as my sole form of entertainment).

In the journey to minimize my phone, I’ve come to realize and ask myself how the time and content I chose to spend and watchprimarily on YouTube, where I spend more of time- will help me in progress in important aspects of life such finishing college and become a responsible adult.

I question the significance all this time invested online will hold in my life in the next ten year nonetheless the next few weeks?

I tend to realize that half of the things I have spent my time browsing or watching are things I will soon forget about, while the guilt of what I could have done with those hours and even days I spent on my phone lingers on. Yet the urge continues, even as I write this paper.

In trying to regulate my content and use, I have also questioned whether what I’m watching is edifying and how this life pattern has affected my relationship with others and quality of life besides providing a easy to reach (but sometimes unfavorable) distraction.

How many time do we spend hours cradling our phone, while we forget about the ones who live around us or under our same roof ?

Amongst the many reflections that have come with this struggle, one of the biggest eye-opener has been how great it feels when I have been disconnected for a long period of time, having real conversations with close ones, and creating real experiences as oppose to conforming seeing others’ through a tiny screen on my hands.

As the amount of time we spend on our phone increases, we must consider our relationship with our phone as if it were a relationship with a real individual and be critical of whether that relationship is going down a healthy road.

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How 50 Rejections Motivated Me To Write A Second Novel

By Ileana Lallain Photo By Justin Traylor

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finished my first novel and sent it out to 50 agents, hoping that it would get picked up. Life had other plans, but I wasn’t going to let rejection discourage me.

I awoke at 9 a.m. in March of 2018 to prepare for my 10:30 class. Sleepily I snatched my phone from its charging station and checked the lock screen. An email notification titled “Query for Mistimed Connections” awaited me.

My hands shook. Here it was, my first reply to the query emails I sent out for my first completed novel, one I’d spent more than a year perfecting since I wrote it for National Novel Writing Month in November of 2016.

All of it came down to this moment. My thumb swiped right, opening the email. My heart hammered. Butterflies swarmed inside my stomach.

My eyes focused on the words as I held my breath: “No thank you, but thank you for writing me about MISTIMED CONNECTIONS.” Short and brutal.

I lay there. Shocked.

There it was: my first rejection. Ten queries sent out, 40 more to go. One out of 10 rejections. A 10 percent return.

My brain cycled through all those numbers, trying to convince myself it was just a statistic. Everyone got rejections. Ten percent wasn’t that bad.

Until it rose to 20 percent, then 30 percent. All 50 queries I sent out received rejections. Not a single agent requested even a partial manuscript from me. Not a single agent showed interest in my novel.

Six weeks passed after I had sent out the last query at the end of March. I sat staring at my inbox, praying for anything, even a “revise and resubmit.” Anything would have been better than a “thank you for submitting but I’m not the right agent to represent this story” email.

More than half of them reminded me that the publishing industry is highly subjective and just because they weren’t interested didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t be.

As if those copy-pasted words would make me feel any better. As if anything could actually make utter rejection and a complete failure any better.

It didn’t matter to me that every author faces rejections.

It didn’t matter that, according to the Huffington Post, C.S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” received 800 rejections. According to Today, the pitch for J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” also received a dozen rejections.

Knowing the statistic doesn’t make rejection any easier.

Knowing that everybody faces rejection doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow when you dedicate a year of your life to a project that ends up abandoned in a folder on your computer.

Perhaps the only thing that helps make utter rejection a little easier is knowing that it doesn’t mean the end. Failure just means you found something that didn’t work; it doesn’t

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mean nothing will work.

On the day of the six-week mark, in which any unanswered query was automatically counted as a rejection, I had to leave the house. Staying inside, holding onto that last strand of hope, was killing me inside.

So I left. I took a walk.

And I plotted a new novel.

I didn’t want to stay hung up on one story that didn’t work.

I didn’t want to let that single failure become my legacy. One failure wouldn’t stop me.

Yes, I had spent a year working on one book. Big whoop.

Other authors spend years (the plural of a year) working on their novels only to have them fail just as epically. But none of those authors gave up.

How does one know that?

Because they wouldn’t be called authors if they hadn’t managed to publish something. Maybe it wasn’t the first book they ever wrote (for me it clearly won’t be), but they made it somehow, otherwise their names would never be known.

They’d just be another anonymous person, itching to tell stories but lacking the voice to do so.

Refuse to be one of the voiceless.

Don’t let one failure stop you.

Don’t be one of those people who toss their first failed manuscript or project draft into a drawer and let it collect dust while pursuing a more “realistic” career choice. Don’t let failure and rejection knock you down.

Now, I could throw out a bunch of cliche expressions about falling off horses and learning what didn’t work but we all know those. Everyone says those. But not everyone will tell you that although rejection sucks, it makes one hell of a good motivator.

After all, six months later, I already have another novel almost ready to be queried (and probably rejected again, but that’s beside the point).

Top 5 Milkshakes L

Story by Evelyn Rodriguez

ooking for a sweet delicious milkshake before class, in between classes or even after class? Don’t worry you won’t have to travel far from campus to get one. Warrior Life magazine set out to find five places around the South Bay where students can find melt-in-your-mouth milkshakes.

1. Classic Burger 0.4 miles

Their strawberry milk shake is blended to perfection leaving chunks of strawberries still intact, giving the milkshake an exquisite thick and creamy feel to it. You can also choose from chocolate or vanilla flavors. Not only can you get a delicious shake made with real ice cream, you can also get a variety of burgers, breakfast, and dinners. Drive-thru is available.

Price: $ 3.75 15342 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena, CA, 90249 (310) 515-1259 Hours: Mon- Sun 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.

2. Burger City Grill 1.1 miles This burger grill offers hand scooped shakes. They offer three flavors strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. The Oreo cookie shake takes the cake. Its packed with Oreo cookie flavor right off the bat. The rich texture mixed with bits and pieces of Oreo cookies make it that much better. You can order it with or without whipped cream topping. Drive-thru is available.

Price: $ 5.00 3605 Artesia Blvd., Torrance, CA, 90504 (310) 819-8486 Hours: Sun- Thur 10:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Fri and Sat 10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

3. Astro Burger is 2.4 miles They are quick and efficient when on the go. They offer the three flavors you can find anywhere but, what caught our attention is the pineapple shake. It’s made with pineapples and vanilla ice cream. It has a decadent milky flavor that reminds you of a pina colada on a hot summer day. Astro’s offers a variety of American and Mexican cuisines that can also be purchased by drive-thru.

Price: Med. $3.99, Large $4.99 1510 Rosecrans Ave., Gardena, CA, 90249 (310) 538-2891 Hours: Monday - Sunday 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Illustration by Kaylynn Myles

4. Fabulous Grill 3 miles Is the farthest of the five but, yet still under a 3-mile radius from El Camino. Offering the neapolitan flavor milkshakes with whipped topping, this hot spot can get pretty packed.

Their chocolate milkshake is extra chocolatey with a rich delicate flavor. Reminds you of Nesquick but a milkshake version. And, guess what? It’s open 24 hours on Friday’s.

Price: $5.99 12829 Crenshaw Blvd., Hawthorne, CA, 90250 (310) 970- 1944 Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, and Sat 5 - 2 a.m., Thur 5 a.m. - Midnight, Sun 6 a.m. - 10 p.m.

5. Giannis Burgers 2.9 miles Giannis Burger is a family owned restaurant with a home feel to it. They offer a variety of entrees from breakfast to dinner throughout the day. They also offer freshly squeezed juices But the milkshakes are to die for. Offering the three classic flavors of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla which are topped with whipped cream and a cherry on top. The strawberry shake is milky with lots of strawberry flavor and chunks of strawberries throughout the shake. Lunch hour is hectic but drive thru is available for a quick stop.

Price: Med. $4.03, Large: $5.12 13890 Normandie Ave., Gardena, CA, 90249 (310) 327-5615 Hours: Mon- Sat 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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Top 5Hawaiian Shaved Ice S Story and Photo by Diamond Brown

ummer is around the corner and everyone will be looking for a place to cool down. You don’t have to go to Hawaii to get this flavorful treat. There are several Hawaiian shaved ice places right around campus. We have compiled a list of five spots where you can go to chill out this summer within 5 miles of El Camino

1.) Wasabi Sushiya 0.1 miles

Just across the street from the EC humanities building Wasabi Sushiya offers nine different flavors of shaved ice.

By far the cheapest place of the five. You can mix and match your flavor options and even add cream for $.50. The small place can get crowded inside but there’s an outside seating area where you can sit comfortably and enjoy your cold treat. They also have a variety of Korean, Hawaiian, and Japenese food to choose from.

Price: 24oz $1.83 32oz $2.75 16010 Crenshaw Blvd Gardena, CA 90249 (310) 780-7372 Hours: Mon- Thur 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Fri 10 a.m. 5 p.m., Sat-Sun closed

2.) Bob’s Hawaiian Style Restaurant 1.5 miles Hawaiian shaved ice isn’t one of their most popular items but they sure give a generous portion. One size fits all with endless mixtures from their 11 flavors on their mountainous dessert. If you’re looking for a place no lines or crowds, catch them right before they close the day time shift at 2 p.m.

Price: One size $3.50 15926 S Western Ave Gardena, CA 90247 (310) 515-2250 Hours: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sun 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

3.) Aloha Pizza & Shaved Ice Co. 2.4 miles The aroma of freshly baked pizza hits your nose as soon as you walk through the door. There are over 30 shaved ice flavors to choose from and five different toppings for an additional fee. Come with friends and try their best seller “Aunty Sheri’s Special” which includes multiple toppings, strawberry syrup and mochi for $8.99 it can feed up to four people. Salad and chicken wings are also available at this spot.

Price: Small $3.75 Regular $5.99 1534 W Artesia Blvd Gardena, CA 90248 (310)715-6900 Hours: Sun-Thur 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri-Sat 10 a.m.

- 10 p.m.

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4.) Teriyaki Hawaii 2.1 miles In the corner of Gateway Plaza you’ll find a hidden treasure. Teriyaki Hawaii or “Teri Hawaii offers 19 shaved ice flavors, one is complimentary and each additional flavor is $.50. Their most requested “rainbow” house flavor, a combination of strawberry, vanilla and pineapple makes for a subtle sweet taste. The small size is perfect for one person and packaged mess free Price: Small $2.75 Large $3.45 1425 W Artesia Blvd Unit 34 Gardena, CA 90247 (310) 327- 0307 Hours: Mon-Sun 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

5.) Get Shaved 5.1 miles There are 30 melt in your mouth flavors and countless combinations to create with toppings of your choice for an additional fee. Bright colors bold colors cover the walls with a cute monkey cartoon logo. Their monkey mascot inspired their most popular combination of the 12 on the menu, no.4 “monkey brains”. It consists of strawberry and banana shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk. If you’re in the mood for regular ice cream and shakes that’s on the menu too.

Price: Ufo $3.99 Reg $4.50 Med$4.99 Lg $5.50 1790 W Carson St Unit B Torrance, CA 90501 (424) 558-3848 Hours: Mon-Sun noon to 10 p.m.

Dr. James Hurd in his musically deorative office at El Camino College

“...my bread and water”

Story and photos by Viridiana Flores

A

The beginnings of a musician in Topeka circa 1960s

rms and fingers dance from one keyboard to the other, while his feet move below him as the music progresses and the sound of the creaking wood indicates the switch to a different foot pedal.

The pieces feel as though they were being played by a large orchestra but in reality it is just one man.

James Hurd started learning how to play the organ around the age of 15 and became the organist for his father’s church by the age 17.

His father whom he often accompanied to his religious meetings and was the closest to among his brothers once

considered that his son would become a minister like him, but supported his son’s later decision to pursue music.

“Yeah, my parents taught me that we can do anything that we wanted to do,” he says.

While it seemed that there was a different outcome destined for him as young African-American boy raised in the 50’s, James has been able to pursue his passion in music with a lot of support and his own hunger to succeed.

He has been able to give performances around Europe, play at different types of ceremonies, serve in churches, and ultimately become a professor at El Camino College after graduating with his doctorate at USC in 1973.

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James, short but with respectable strength for his age and a pensive face adorned with white stubble is now a man in his 70’s. With a mild mid-west accent, some phrases and the carefulness with which he chooses his words hint at a prior lifestyle.

James grew up in a historical city of Topeka, Kansas during a time where the fight to eradicate segregation in many aspects of the American society continued.

As a young boy growing up in Topeka around the 1950s, he lived in an integrated neighborhood and mingled with Hispanic and White kids. Yet from a young age he was reassured and aware of his place as a young African American boy.

“They just kind of reminded you of where you belong,” James says.

There were certain locations where he wasn’t allowed to enter or was restricted to separate areas such as balconies in the movie theaters rather the main seating area and on occasions he waited in a separate waiting room for a train when visiting his grandma up north with his family.

He recalls he was once forbidden to eat in a restaurant he mistakenly thought to be integrated during a lunch break in the fifth grade.

His teacher had forgotten to bring back his house key after gym class the previous day and young James was unable to go back home for lunch that day. His teacher kindly offered him a dollar to get some lunch nearby with, which he was able to order a meal for around 75 cents in those days.

“I just ordered a hamburger and a soda without them even thinking they just automatically put it in a bag and I said ‘well I was planning to eat it here,” James said. “At first I thought she (the waitress) didn’t hear me right.”

But the waitress reassured him that he couldn’t eaten there in a soft but what seemed familiar manner, a phrase she has repeated to others.

“Oh no honey, you can’t eat that in here,” she said.

James left the place surprised, and he ate his lunch on his way back to school. Although the restaurant was in an integrated part of the city, it seemed there were a racial bounds that he would continue to face even beyond his time in Topeka.

In 1973 after buying his first home in Los Angeles after graduate school, he realized that he wasn’t welcomed in the area when trash appeared in his lawn and his windows were broken.

There wasn’t a state law, but a municipal code that forbade houses to be sold to Jews and Blacks in the Westchester area. James had been initialed persuaded to look into a predominantly African American neighborhood. But James wasn’t afraid.

“I believed I had the money for that location so I didn’t see why I couldn’t live there,” he said.

Even among the integration back in his childhood, race and the discrimination was still something that was not easily

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talked about publicly.

When his Hispanic and White friends who he would play with outside of school would ask their parents,”why don’t the Hurd’s go to our school? Their parents would say ‘we don’t talk about that.’”

“So we knew, I would say we were probably ashamed to tell them ‘well it’s because we’re black that we can’t go to your school,” James says.

Like his late friend and civil rights advocate, Linda Brown known for her family’s involvement in the historic case of Brown vs. Board of Education. James took a bus to an all black elementary school that was across town about two miles from home while there was an all-white school about four blocks form his house.

James recalls that his mother was approaches by what he believes were members of the NAACP to see if his family was interested in becoming part of the lawsuit against the segregated school system in the Kansas lawsuit. However, they declined due to concerns for their safety.

“She didn’t want to put the three boys... in danger,” he adds.

That case eventually led to the passage of Brown vs. Board of Education.

Amendment, “and that’s why there was resistance, there was backlash and resistance.”

After the Brown vs. Board of Education passed, James trasnferred from Monroe Elementary School Lincoln elementary, and previousl all-white school and started fifth grade there.

Without much details, his parents informed him of the charge, “ ‘James you’re going to a new school and we expect you to behave’ and that was it,’ “ James says.

James went on to receive a scholarship to Washburn College after high school after deciding that pursuing music was of better interest to him than becoming the mortician who rode around in “those fancy cars.”

He speaks affectionately about his time in Topeka and spoke of nostalgia, revealing that he still keeps in close contact with childhood and school friends who he still visits.

“The Hurd’s were a little different, we were invited into white homes and we invited whites into our home for dinner and we just had a really good experience and even when we went to college we would invite some of the White and Latino students from the college home to dinner and many times they would invite us as well,” James says.

While finishing doctorate in USC James was referred to a part position in El Camino College which later turned into a full time position.

As a teacher James tried to maintain a similar personalization that he was raised within, but worries that students today don’t get this intent. He sees growing disinterest for a higher education in some of his students.

Just as with music, James believes that one must has a

progressed.

Every semester James meets with his students. He studies with them for the final exam and create a project that can bring their grade up a letter.

“I told th people (his students), you know there was a day and age when people who came onto college campus were hungry, hungry for knowledge, hungry for success, hungry for a future. Then I ask, ‘are you hungry? Because if you’re hungry I can feed you,” James says.

The 39 sick days he has collected can be a testament of his willingness to be present and help his students.

“He’s patient, caring, very calm, and warm... and someone who deserves a lot of respect. He’s very humble, I think that’s like the number one thing about Dr. Hurd. That he’s never boastful,” Midori Ataka, organ player and member of the Applied Music Program at El Camino says.

Old friend Brent Carey says it is very easy to describe James as a “gentleman” and someone with impressive amount of talent as the director of the choir of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Redondo Beach where Brent sings.

Brent is impressed with the little grudge James has toward the type of life he has to live through as a child.

“I’m blessed that I have the ability to perform music and that I’ve been given this talent. I’m blessed and every time I think about it I just say to myself ‘gosh if I had to do it over again, I would do it over again,’” James says.

The connection between the organ and James is a tie to his roots but also a physical legacy of the passion he developed and learned as musician and passing down to his students.

“Everything in my life relates to music... it’s sort of my bread and water,” James says.

Dr. James Hurd in the 1950’s

Dr. James Hurd family photos showing life in the 1950’s

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PHOTOS BY ELENA PEREZ STORY BY KAYLYNN MYLES

DIVINE REGIMENE

Yoga instuctor overcomes drug addiction.

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The night was a blur from taking a mixture of drugs that included alcohol, marijuana and meth. All she remembered were the red and blue lights and crying, with her friends and father outside trying to get her out because she locked everyone out of the car.

Earlier that Friday, she walked to the liquor store after school and stole the cheapest vodka bottle she could find because it didn't have a censor on it.Then her friends picked her up to head to the party.

Her long dark hair was curled and dyed red in the front.

She pinned it out of her face with a flower. She wore black combat boots, a black tight mini skirt, a black and white top with a black leather jacket and red lip stick to Narbonne High School that day, already dressed for the Wilmington flyer party that was being promoted around school.

By the time they got to the party, she was already intoxicated on a mix of meth and alcohol. Her friends describe her as "rowdy" that night as she tried to fight the bouncer at the door.

Her friends calmed her down before they entered the party. Crowd-pleasing mainstream synthesized beats and sounds roared to fill the rooms and even reached the neighbors. She doesn't recall much of what went on that night.

Her friends told her she fell off a brick wall where she'd been sitting. They didn't think it was a harsh fall because she didn't react. But they soon discovered that something was wrong after she couldn't lift herself up.

Her father picked her up and took her to the doctor where she was told her arm was broken. She is now scared for life on her arm.

That was back when she was in high school. She will always have the scar to remind her of her former life as a drug addict and alcoholic. Today 25-year-old Karla Orr is a yoga instructor and sociology major.

Throughout her life, Karla has experimented with alcohol, marijuana, inhalants, ecstasy, pills, vicodin, percocet, xanax, oxycodone, shrooms, cocaine, crack, meth, methamphetamines, heroin, and ketamine. However, she only used methamphetamine, alcohol, and marijuana daily.

Karla began taking drug in the fifth grade when her parents divorced.

"There was no structure for me anymore," Karla said. Her father was no longer living with the family. Karla describes her mother as an "emotional mess."

Karla wasn't used to her young, energetic mother, Maria new behavior. She wasn't being the "normal" mom she used to be. Her mother would take care of Karla and her siblings, but was always sad and depressed. Karla and her siblings could feel the shift in their mother's energy and demeanor.

"Even I could feel it at that age. It's actually kind of depressing watching the person that's suppose to be taking care of you, and they can't even take care of themselves,"

Karla says.

She is the eldest of her two siblings. She has a 25-year-old sister and 20-year-old brother.

“We put our parents on a pedestal,” Karla says.

Growing up, Karla was very close with her parents.

“When I saw them split up, that really messed me up mentally, especially emotionally. I was isolated a lot,” Karla says.

She grew up in Lomita with her mother as a stay at home mom, while her father was the "bread maker" and had a job in construction.

Although they didn't go to college, her parents were raised in two different backgrounds. Her mother attended school through the third grade because she had to begin doing farm work at the age of 5. She grew up in Jalisco, Mexico on farm and her family was very poor. They would only shower once a week, and didn't have shoes so they would be barefoot.

On the other hand, Karla's father grew up in Guatemala, Mexico with more opportunity and privilege as his family was wealthy and well-known around his community. He attended boarding school and graduated high school. His family even had a housekeeper.

After Maria's father had an affair, he stopped providing the family with money. As a result, Maria's mother gathered all 10 of her children and moved to the United States. While Maria was working at a restaurant, she would go to English school in the evenings and she met Karla's dad as he was learning English there as well.

Now that she is older, Karla understands and sees life her mother's perspective. She started drinking and learned that she enjoyed it because it allowed her to express.

"I always wasn't allowed to express myself because everything was always a secret. Even in the family. 'Don't talk about anything that happens here. What happens here stays with the family.' I always taught that. What ever happens at home stays at home," Karla says.

Karla wanted to express her honest feelings and emotions that she bottled up. When she would use drugs and alcohol it was to help numb her. She was a emotional drug abuser and would take them to block problems or let go of something she was struggling with. It was her "coping" method In middle school drugs were her "escape." She used alcohol, marijuana, naz, computer duster and inhalants.

She got these from her friends or their older siblings, or she would have someone buy it for her.

When she got to the sixth grade she realized she could get away with drinking and started to do it more often. She stole alcohol from her mom and put it in her water bottles and would get drunk at school.

Teachers began to notice and brought it to the attention

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KARLA USES YOGA TO OVERCOME HER DRUG ADDICTION. 78

She changed schools several times. She moved from alcohol, to marijuana, to pills and was a drug addict by the time she was in high school.

Karla would sell candy and stolen jewelry from Forever 21 to get money for drugs. She wanted the drugs so bad that she sold the jewelry for much lower than it was actually worth. The faster she got the money the faster she got drugs.

"Selling it for cheap? Oh you must be really desperate.

That's an addiction," says Karla.

Karla has been to jail several times for petty theft, violating probation, making scenes in public, public intoxication, disturbing the peace, battery against police officers, batter, and trespassing.

A significant event that brought awareness to Karla to make a change in her life was when she and her little sister went to jail together. Her sister had a DUI and Karla didn't show up to her court date. Karla turned herself in so her little sister wouldn't go alone.

Her sister was someone she considered innocent and a "good" girl who didn't belong in a place like jail. Karla believes her sisters skin wasn't "tough" enough to be in such a place.

In 2015, Karla began doing yoga when she started getting sober. Her therapist introduced her to yoga.

“I was really intrigued. I was surprised how much of an impact it did to me. I know if it worked for me, it can work for other people, so that’s why I got more into it,” Karla says.

Yoga has introduced Karla to Hinduism which is the religion she practices.

“I always felt like there was a higher power and I know there was always someone I was talking to when I was younger and throughout the years.”

She never knew yoga would go past stretching and meditation and lead her on a spiritual journey as well. Karla says yoga has brought her closer to God. “I feel like he showed me a vision and from there I was like I have to move on, I have to jump over this. There’s a

bigger picture. There’s a reason why he’s doing this. There’s a reason why I’m going through all of this. There’s a reason why I’m an addict,” Karla says.

Building her relationship with God had a lot to do with ending her drug addiction as well as her family becoming more educated on her drug addiction and mental illness.

Karla goes to support system meetings twice a week at minimum. She does yoga, tries to stay positive, and do things that keep her focused.

Her mission is to teach others that there is a way out especially with mental illness and drug addiction. She wants to teach yoga and help people get through issues with the tools she has learned throughout her life.

She also wants to help build people’s confidence, expression and vulnerability. Karla feels like confidence and boundaries are important. She believes that with confidence you’re able to express how you feel and in a “proper” way.

She describes vulnerability as "more relatable. Being vulnerable, you're able to connect with others. you're able to be authentic. It just shows the rawness of human beings."

She teaches on El Camino Library Lawn, and other yoga sites.

With her sociology major, she wants to be a social worker, drug counseling, and work to help improve the juvenile system. Karla wants to help people who have went through similar issues she has throughout her life. She wants to be the helping hand to others she wishes she had.

She understands her journey was to be a help to teach others.

"I just want to be able to help people, especially young people who don't have a support system," Karla says.

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