Oak Leaf Fall 2018 Magazine

LESSER-KNOWN CAMPUS PERKS

DISPATCH FROM THE MIGRANT CARAVAN

LIVING AT HOME? TIPS TO MAKE IT WORK

oak leaf magazine

inaugural issue

ABRAHAM FUENTES

Fall 2018

The Oak Leaf App WHAT you want WHERE you need it The Oak Leaf App or @oakleafnews

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from the editor

adviser Anne Belden

oak leaf

Santa Rosa Junior College’s newspaper, The Oak Leaf, has run in uninterrupted publication for 91 years covering local and national events through the eyes of JC students. Commencing publication in 1924 as Bear Facts, the paper took its existing name in 1927 and moved strictly online in 2018, the same year it launched its mobile app. We at the Oak Leaf are proud of the paper’s near-century in existence and its tradition of adaptability; it’s one we are pleased to continue.

editors Lauren A. Spates Dakota McGranahan Adeira Sherpa José González Devin Schwarz

To that end, we bring you Oak Leaf Magazine, a new feature-forward print publication showcasing the work of SRJC’s talented journalism staffers.

magazine

inaugural issue

photo editor Abraham Fuentes writers Jordan Allums Jasmine Benigno-Hall Zena Bounsall Isaiah Cappelen Christian DaSilva

Mark Fernquest Abraham Fuentes Attila Gero Lenita Marie Johnson Ian MacGregor Matthew McGill Tom Miller La Reva Myles Riley Palmer Aria Quinn Séamus Reed Eileen Rodriguez Edgar Soria-Garcia Kirk Tietsort Joshua Torres advertising Courtney Paige

oak leaf student news media

643 Analy Village Santa Rosa Junior College 1501 Mendocino Ave. Santa Rosa, CA 95401

The goal of this publication is two-fold.

First, the magazine will highlight the work of SRJC’s extraordinary attendees, both our writers and the college’s students. On the pages that follow you’ll read about one student who rode a Greyhound bus to witness the migrant caravan’s arrival to Tijuana, another who will hike the Pacific Crest Trail to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association, and a third who struggles with the emotional effects of escaping her Coffey Park home with little more than her life.

The second piece is to honor The Oak Leaf by recommitting to its life in print.

Yes, fewer and fewer people consume their news and entertainment off paper these days, but there is still space for perusing human interest stories while leafing through the pages of a magazine.

We hope you enjoy the inaugural issue of Oak Leaf Magazine.

Lauren A. Spates Editor, Oak Leaf Magazine Fall 2018

from the staff

Magazine production has been a combination of sleepless nights for some, experimentation in design for others and hours of staring at the same pages for everyone. It’s definitely been a group effort. It’s easy to look at something and say what’s not visually pleasing or to nitpick; it’s much more difficult to come up with actual solutions. Seeing the finished product makes the work worth it.

- Adeira Sherpa Oak Leaf Magazine’s inaugural issue can best be summarized as late nights, looming deadlines and tedious edits, but all proved worthwhile when the pages were completed. I am grateful to fulfill a childhood dream with people whose talent and commitment seep through every page of the final product.

- Dakota McGranahan

Being the most tenured Oak Leafer — first as a writer, then editor, then editor-in-chief and now teaching assistant — I’ve seen the paper go through many changes, the most dramatic of which has been our switch to online. The magazine serves as our next big push to provide campus news in the most accessible way. It was a thrill to work on and be a part of, and I can’t wait to see how we evolve next.

- Devin Schwarz Working on the first Oak Leaf Magazine was a great experience because I was able to get creative in designing page layouts. When readers open the magazine, I want them to think it comes from a big corporation and not just from SJRC. We worked really hard on it, and I hope people enjoy it.

- José González Fall 2018

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Oak Leaf Magazine

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contents EDITORIALS

4 6 11

Don’t call me an ‘e-girl’ What it’s like being a woman in the gamer world

Tietsort’s Top Five KIRK TIETSORT

A gamer’s guide to 2018’s top five video games and movies

Smartphone Camera Tips & Tricks

Ways to Make it Work RILEY PALMER

How to survive living at home while in college

38 LENITA MARIE JOHNSON A journalist returns to college after decades away

SPORTS

Four lesser-known ways to make SRJC work for you

16

Best Deals for Students

MATTHEW MCGILL

Lessons in Learning 40 Lifelong JORDAN ALLUMS

Student success starts early at SRJC’s Children’s Center

41

Eight places students can save in Santa Rosa

A collection of comments and stories from students and staff

Tom’s Team Tracker TOM MILLER

Recapping SRJC Bear Cubs’ fall season

An inside look at a day in the life of a student-athlete

Injury 44 Overcoming to Lead the League IAN MacGREGOR Three fractured bones, two years’ recovery and one last chance on the field Oak Leaf Magazine

JASMINE BENIGNO-HALL

F O C U S : D I G I TA L M E D I A

and ABRAHAM FUENTES

Tip-Top Tech Program for Less LA REVA MYLES

SRJC prepares students for careers in filmmaking, web design, animation...the list goes on.

International student from Germany studies teaching

International program grows to 200 students from 53 countries

Student Profile: Romelia Bonilla

A single mom's balancing act at SRJC

Profile: 35 Student 8 Juliane Riegel EDGAR SORIA-GARCIA

Goes Global JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ and 36 SRJC DAVID SEKIRANDA

ARIA QUINN

Possessing passion for educating future educators

Reflections OAK LEAF STAFF 41 32 Post-Fire

F O C U S : I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Instructor Profile: Paul Moosman

10

Student Profile: Kiet Tran ZENA BOUNSALL

SRJC digital media major forms foundation for future web design career

F E AT U R E S

Rise and Grind CAPPELEN 42 ISAIAH

2

Perks MARK FERNQUEST 12 Campus

FOCUS: CHILD DEVELOPMENT

ABRAHAM FUENTES

Back in the Classroom Again

17

S AV I N G S

EILEEN RODRIGUEZ

Take Insta-worthy smartphone shots every time

14

CAMPUS

theoakleafnews.com

Profile: Book By Book: Rebuilding Jane Saldana-Talley 18 Admin 26 a Post-Fire Identity SÉAMUS REED LAUREN A. SPATES SRJC’s new VP of Academic Affairs ushers in a new era

Understanding the profound loss of self after the Tubbs Fire

in Chaos and Peace LAUREN A. SPATES 20 Tranquility 30 Purpose on the PCT ADEIRA SHERPA A look at students coping with post-fire mental health on campus

Natural sciences major hikes the Pacific Crest Trail

Real Life Phoenix Reporting from the McGRANAHAN 32 Migrant Caravan 22 ADAKOTA SÉAMUS REED SRJC student Daisy Garnica rises from post-fire, post-bullying, post-racism depression

SRJC student Joshua Torres journeyed across the border to document the caravan firsthand Fall 2018

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SRJC Student Life

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The Sonoma County Junior College District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnic group identification, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic condition, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or sexual orientation in any of its policies, procedures or practices; nor does the District discriminate against any employees or applicants for employment on the basis of their age. This non-discrimination policy covers admission, access and treatment in District programs and activities--including but not limited to academic Fall admissions, 2018 theoakleafnews.com Oak Leaf Magazine 3 financial aid, educational services and athletics--and application for District employment.

e-girl:

ABRAHAM FUENTES

Don’t call me an

4 Oak Leaf Magazine

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Fall 2018

What

it’s like being a in the gamer world

WOMAN By

Eileen Rodriguez

“Slut!” he called me. I’d only been logged in for a minute.

“You suck at this game because she takes no skill to play,” he taunted, after I chose the character I wanted to be.

“You’re teaming with your male friend.

You must be an e-girl,” he laughed. According to Urban Dictionary, an e-girl is “a girl who is a slut over the internet.”

Being a girl in the gaming community is stressful. A lot of women in the community struggle deal with the constant misogyny, mostly from men, in video games. They call women names and troll them online.

How do I know this? Because I experience it on a daily basis.

I began playing “Overwatch,” a multiplayer first-person shooter game, two years ago. Some argue “Overwatch” supports a toxic community in general — that all players get harassed. Sure, every fandom can have a toxic component, but let’s be real; it’s worse for girl gamers.

I chose to main, meaning play one character, Mercy, more than others. It’s a stereotype in the “Overwatch” community that every woman plays Mercy because she doesn’t have to aim her weapon and the player can just hold down a button to heal her teammates. But I chose Mercy because I grew up playing the priest class in “World of Warcraft,” and the support role interested me ever since.

Yet despite the fact I had a legitimate reason for my decision — that my choice wasn’t based on weakness — I still let the trolls get to me.

Because of their name-calling, I began playing a variety of other characters. I made the switch not because I was embarrassed to have chosen Mercy like other female players, but because I wanted to prove the trolls wrong, to prove to my male gaming peers I could play another character.

In other instances, users have called me an “e-girl” — repeatedly — simply because I was teaming with my male friend. It’s frustrating and enraging that other guys assume my relationship with my friend is romantic or sexual — or anything more than friendship — simply because I’m a woman and he’s a man.

One day I was playing competitive rank, a mode in “Overwatch” that allows you to play against other people with the same skill level, with a couple of friends. They had a friend who verbally attacked me for playing the character Mercy.

Because of all of these incidents and countless others, I don’t turn on my mic anymore. Once guys hear a female voice, they start to target me with names, or they just laugh at me. This only seems to happen in online gaming because in offline games, such as role-playing games, no one can bother you, and you can enjoy being by yourself without trolls.

“You only know how to play Mercy. You suck at this game because she takes no skill to play,” he said. “Play a role other than support. Here, I’ll take Mercy from you and you can take my damage role.”

This boy yelled at me through my headset. I had never met him in my life.

In an attempt to prove this random guy wrong, I took his role, but I wound up losing the competitive game for our group.

I blamed the loss on myself because he made me feel uncomfortable with his non-stop name-calling and forced me into a role in which I wasn’t as skilled.

I felt really crappy that evening and held all my negative feelings inside.

In another example, I was playing “Overwatch” with a male friend when another player called me an “e-girl” repeatedly, simply because my internet was bad.

(Since when is Comcast’s sucking my problem?) The player on my team, the one who was calling me names, thought I was trolling to make him lose the match purposely, when of course I wasn’t.

I still get harassing messages calling me names. And if the trolls can’t get to me directly, they’ll message my teammates to talk trash. It doesn’t help that my PlayStation username happens to be “girly,” making it easy for enemy teammates to focus on me in the game and making it impossible for me to enjoy.

So what’s the point of playing?

While the harassment may get to me every now and then, I have become more confident in myself thanks to gaming. I know I can’t stop every troll, but I can prove them wrong one-by-one by continuing to play and prove their words don’t get to me. The more skillful I become, the more they’ll have to respect me.

Online trolls won’t ever stop me from playing because if I stop, they will have won.

And I’m way too competitive to lose.

“Let's be real; it's worse for girl gamers.”

Fall 2018

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TIETSORT’S

TOP FIVE

movies and video games of 2018

MOVIES

With the constant release of new movies and video games, there isn’t enough time to watch and play them all. Instead, movie-buffs and gamers should devote their time to only the best of a given year; it’s the more efficient option.

So those of you searching for the best film and gaming experiences of the year, look no further. This is my definitive list of 2018’s top fantastic films and great games, ranked from better to best.

By

kirk tietsort

“OVERLORD”

A World War II movie that breaks the norm for what a war movie should be, “Overlord” is fictional — but that doesn’t detract from the movie. Most movies in this genre focus on these huge missions or objectives that their characters have to complete, so it was a breath of fresh air seeing the characters in “Overlord” take on a smaller-scale mission.

It makes the movie feel more personal. The film contains supernatural elements that seemed like they could have actually happened in real life. But these elements don’t feel like a gimmick; they are seamlessly blended in the World War II setting creating a movie that is unique.

5

“AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR”

This culmination of dozens of movies has led viewers to Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War.” There is so much going on in this movie, and there are so many characters that blinking while watching this film almost guarantees you’ll miss something. Everything in the movie is visually stunning and a marvel to see. The one drawback is it requires you to see tons of previous Marvel movies to know what’s going on. Since this movie has so many characters, it can feel like the pace is moving at breakneck speed. Even though it isn’t the best Marvel movie, it is a milestone for the Avengers franchise, proving huge cinematic universes and crossovers can succeed.

4

“MISSON: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT”

3

This movie is shockingly fantastic. In one of the best action movies of the past few years, Tom Cruise once again nails his role as Ethan Hunt. The filmmakers even included a shot in the movie in which Cruise actually broke his leg because he does all his own stunts. With a strong supporting cast, great action choreography and a well-written script, this will continue to be a series to look out for.

“FIRST MAN”

“First Man” looks at the life of Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts as they try to land on the moon. It focuses primarily on the personal life and struggles of Armstrong and creates a window into what astronauts went through emotionally at the time. The film illuminates the difficulty of the mission and the toll it took on the U.S., and it forces the viewer to question whether it was the right thing to do with our country’s resources.

Combined with the most beautiful cinematography of the year, “First Man” is a special experience.

“HEREDITARY”

Yes, “Hereditary” is a great horror movie, but it’s also an amazing movie, period. The reason it’s so good is because of the realism. How the characters react to the awful circumstances to which they are subjected is exactly how real people would react. Being able to react realistically to situations that aren’t actually real is a testament to how good the actors are in this movie. This horror film succeeds where others fail. Instead of relying on jump scares that plague many horror movies, “Hereditary” uses disturbing imagery and subtle clues to terrify the viewer. The movie doesn’t shove exposition down your throat; it lets the plot flow naturally and lets the viewer piece everything together themselves. “Hereditary” should be remembered as the best movie of 2018 and the best horror movie in a long time.

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Fall 2018

TIETSORT’S

GAMES

TOP FIVE

“SPIDER-MAN”

Swinging around New York City as Spider-Man is worth this game’s purchase alone.

It is so much fun just traveling around the gorgeous map you might forget about the amazing story and fluid combat. This game looks, feels and sounds fantastic and has enough tear-jerking moments to keep you around for the long haul. Its only drawbacks are that it is too short and not difficult enough, which is why Spider-Man is only in the No. 5 spot.

5

“MONSTER HUNTER WORLD”

The Monster Hunter franchise was always very niche and not a super popular game until “Monster Hunter World” came out. It brought in tons of new players, offered plenty of difficult challenges for those returning, and eased players into the series while clearly explaining how to be a successful hunter. “Monster Hunter World” is different from the old games that threw the player into the thick of it. Plus, most of the Monster Hunter games were on hand-held systems which were fun to play, but this type of game is best enjoyed when played on a big screen on a powerful console like the PS4. The spectacle of battling a wide variety of unique monsters is fun and rewarding and is exactly as addicting as it sounds.

4

“RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2”

3

Rockstar’s new title “Red Dead Redemption 2” should be renamed “Cowboy Simulator” 2018 because that’s precisely what it is. You can do anything an outlaw in the Old West could do, and you can do it in the absolutely jaw-dropping world Rockstar created. You are only limited by your imagination in this cowboy playground. If you wanna go hunting you can; if you wanna go gambling you can; and if you wanna loot and murder an entire town, you can do that, too. And the player can always fall back on the engaging story if they ever get bored, but the game has loads to do, and it’s all fun. “Red Dead Redemption 2” is insanely realistic and should be cherished simply because it is a sheer technical marvel.

“DRAGON QUEST XI: ECHOES OF AN ELUSIVE AGE” With 11 games in the series so far, the developers know what they’re doing. “Dragon Quest XI” is as close to a perfect traditional role playing game (RPG) as you can get.

The story is timeless, the characters are interesting, the combat is addictive, the world is huge and exploration is encouraged. In other words, this game does everything expected of an RPG. With an average playtime of 85 hours, it’s sure to keep you satisfied.

2

“SUPER SMASH BROS ULTIMATE”

1 Fall 2018

The ultimate crossover makes its way to the ultimate console — hence the name, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.” Smash Bros has been a Nintendo staple since 1999 and with each consecutive release the game gets more and more content. Fast forward to 2018, and now there are 74 different playable characters and dozens of maps. The Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for this game since it functions as both a console and a handheld. Playing one of the best fighting games of all-time in its most perfect form puts this game above the rest. It’s the best game of 2018.

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Why spend the big bucks?

Digital media program delivers for less

By

T

La Reva Myles

anya Sierra’s day starts much earlier than the beginning of the three digital media classes in which she serves as Peer Assisted Learning Specialist for Santa Rosa Junior College Film and Journalism Instructor Brian Antonson.

It wasn’t that long ago, in 2016, that Sierra enrolled in digital media classes to earn a digital filmmaking certificate, which she received in May 2018. She has now returned to help fellow students learn the art and trade of filmmaking through classes in several digital media specialties.

While students could pay 50 times more to attend prestigious filmmaking programs at UCLA or USC, SRJC's Digital Media Program offers cutting edge digital specialties as part of its Career & Technical Education Program at far less cost.

The SRJC program’s goal is to prepare students for existing and emerging careers in digital media and its specialties.

Students can earn degrees and certificates in digital filmmaking, digital journalism, film studies, game programming, audio, 3D modeling and animation, web and multimedia and take drone videography classes.

Sierra graduated in 2012 with a four-year degree from Sonoma State University and enrolled at SRJC to prepare to apply to graduate film programs.

“From screenwriting, editing and single-camera fiction production to multi-camera non-fiction production, they offer it at a minimal cost compared to film programs at four-year institutions,” she said.

Her comments about cost are commonly echoed by other students who say they

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PHOTO BY AJ RUIZ

As a PALS assistant, Sierra is responsible for helping Antonson teach students how to make movies in Media 20: Introduction to Digital Filmmaking and video news stories in Journalism 55: Multimedia Reporting.

SRJC film student Tanya Sierra (left of camera) co-directs "School Spirit" with pro director Finn Taylor during Film Fest Petaluma's 48-hour Film Workshop in 2017. choose the digital media program that justifies the time, money and commitment required to reach their career goals.

Antonson, the filmmaking, screenwriting, multi-camera studio production and multimedia reporting instructor, knows the high costs of a digital media education affect students’ decision to attend community college programs.

“I suspect the role of community colleges will increase across the country as tuition costs become increasingly unsustainable,” he said.

But tuition cost changes are not the only reasons SRJC’s digital media program is attractive to film students. The college’s broad offering is equally appealing.

“Our technologies continue changing at astounding speeds,” Antonson said.

“These changes in production (largely camera technologies, 360-degree cameras, for example), post-production and distribution — how and where we watch media — disturb old norms and create new opportunities. People who are paying attention will be well positioned to use these disruptions to their advantage.”

Mike Starkey, an SRJC instructor who teaches digital video post-production, web and interactive media projects and Adobe Photoshop, stresses how important it is for students to stay current with emerging technology. “[The changing field] requires an effort to stay current and watch industry trends, which often change every few months. It’s also important to realize that the lines between the roles of a digital media crew are blurring,” Starkey said. “This means that students of digital media should be aware of how film, audio, animation, web, game development, design and interactive multimedia intertwine with each other.”

It’s this media convergence that Jeff Diamond, another of SRJC’s introduction to digital media and web development instructors, focuses on in his classes. His goal is to show students all the tools they can use to tell a good story.

“Photographers will need to learn how to do drone and virtual reality photography,” he said. “Video producers will need to learn about mobile video and marketing through social media, and everyone

Fall 2018

GRAPHIC BY LA REVA MYLES

will need to stay focused on the importance of the story above all else.�

the first day of spring 2019 semester in Doyle Library on the Santa Rosa campus.

Dustin Zuckerman, SRJC tech gear coordinator, provides students with the tools they need to get their stories told. Zuckerman says SRJC media students will soon have access to cutting-edge technology when new digital media suites open on

The suites available are a recording studio with a sound booth and mixing studio; a green screen room; a screening room, a virtual reality lab with four stations and a web design, animation and photo room with six stations. They will

Fall 2018

be available to students enrolled in digital media classes; students not registered in the program will have their skills vetted by an instructor to gain access.

Mike Traina, an SRJC film and media instructor and Film Fest Petaluma director, said, “Filmmakers need to know their audience like never before and real-

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Oak Leaf Magazine

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The life of an SRJC digital media major

Digital media degree for less ly target a particular market segment. New technologies like virtual reality will radically reinvent filmmaking as we know it. It’s exciting because we’re in the process of inventing a whole new art form.”

PHOTO COURTESY KIET TRAN

Sierra, alongside “Unleashed” film director Finn Taylor, co-directed her winning film script, “School Spirit,” during Film Fest Petaluma’s 48-hour film workshop. The film debuted during Film Fest Petaluma’s 2017 international film festival’s “World Short Showcase” screenings.

SRJC’s investment in its digital media program is apparent, particularly to Sierra, whose time on campus has allowed her to explore different disciplines and define her path into the industry.

She hopes to be accepted to a graduate film program in fall 2019, complete a Master of Fine Arts in film and television production and land a job in the field afterwards.

F

“Graduate school was going to be a huge expense, and I wanted to go into it with certainty,” she said. “I had no experience and wanted to take advantage of what SRJC had to offer so I could have completed projects to show in my applications and to be sure that it was even the right field for me.”

Zena Bounsall

or Kiet Tran, 19, computers and web design were always a subject of interest. Now he finds himself at Santa Rosa Junior College majoring in web and multimedia with a focus on web design.

“I enjoy the Internet community, so I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in it,” Tran said. “I think internet streamers are rising in popularity along with the rise in online gaming.

I’m excited to get into the web content courses and see what allows communities like that to run.”

Sierra is grateful for the start the college has given her. “The digital filmmaking program at SRJC tends to fly under most people's radar, but if I manage to make anything of myself in the field, I will owe so much of it to this program,” she said. “This program will teach you everything that you need to know, has tools to lend you and an active community of past and present students working on projects that you can be part of.”

After graduating from Montgomery High School in 2017, Tran made a financially-driven decision to attend SRJC rather than heading immediately to a four-year university.

For more information

“SRJC’s prerequisite classes have been a blessing,” Tran said. “I’ve saved a ton of money by taking them here before I transfer.”

“School Spirit”: Filmfest Petaluma’s 48-hour workshop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U26qiEsfDzI SRJC digital filmmaking information video

https://digitalmedia.santarosa.edu/digital-filmmaking

When he does transfer, Tran has his sights set high. “I’ve always wanted to get into a higher-tier, notable school like UCLA,” he said.

Digital media programs at SRJC

https://digitalmedia.santarosa.edu SRJC film student Tanya Sierra directs "School Spirit."

By

AJ RUIZ

Though he hasn’t gotten too deep into his web development classes since this is his first semester at the JC, Tran already looks forward to them and what they bring to the table.

“I’m relatively new, so I don’t have a lot of in-depth interaction with my major yet,” he said, “but it demands a lot of creativity and growth, which really caught my attention.”

Despite the amount of time his major demands, Tran has been able to balance his web design classes with his general education classes.

“I actually really enjoy math, it’s cool to see how a calculus problem can explain a real world phenomenon like force or motion,” Tran said.

Tran is the first person in his family to attend college, and he believes a degree will to help him succeed in the long run.

“It’s been a great starting point for me,” he said. “The JC is forming the foundation of my education and hopefully my career will follow.”

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FFall all 2018 2018

Don’t buy a DUMB camera; use your SMART phone

By

Your smartphone’s camera can likely rival any DSLR. It’s small, fast, powerful and able to share photos worldwide within seconds. With a few simple tips, you can improve your photography skills and Instagram worthiness.

Abraham Fuentes

1 2 3 4

rule of thirds

The Rule of Thirds focuses on the position of the subject. As humans, we prefer off-centered images. That is why the 3 by 3 grid helps the photographer. Try to position key elements of photos in the crosshairs of the grid, and try to compose photos in ways that divide the subject matter into horizontal or vertical thirds.

background

Make sure you consider your background. Even though a background could be blurred, it matters because it’s still part of the frame. It shouldn’t be too busy or too plain. The background can be negative space, black or white background or elements of nature but has to relate to the story you are telling.

shadows

PHOTOS BY ABRAHAM FUENTES

For dramatic effect, utilize contrast of light and dark spaces. Eyes will be drawn to brighter subjects; dark areas in a photo can make the subject pop into frame. Be cognizant of how shadows can improve your shot. It's an easy way to bring importance to the subject.

Fall 2018

angles

Instead of taking only straight-on shots, consider shooting from low or high angles to capture a different perspective. A bird’s eye view is shot from above while a worm’s eye view is taken from below.

Lowering your camera to shoot up at your subject can display power in portraits. theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 11

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damn good Santa Rosa campus perks you never knew you had By

Mark Fernquest

Life in sunny Sonoma County might be golden, but it’s expensive, especially if you’re a student. Nothing beats a really good deal, particularly when it’s a perk you can use as often as you want.

Here are four Santa Rosa campus perks you never knew you had:

CHILD CARE

Let’s just acknowledge the truth: the cost of child care can make or break a parent, family or career. After having a child, many parents are left with two less-than-appealing choices. Some work two jobs to make ends meet while others stay home full-time because their wages would pay for child care and nothing else.

It’s a lose-lose situation.

But SRJC’s Children’s Center provides a life-changing solution to this predicament: subsidized child care for SRJC students’ children. The center accommodates 120 children at a time in seven classrooms: one infant room accepting

AUTO REPAIR

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that auto repair bills suck. Forking over $80 - $120 an hour for a mechanic’s labor often feels like you’re throwing money right out the window, and it means every repair can put a major dent in your wallet.

But all that’s about to change.

SRJC’s Automotive Technology Program offers free auto repair to SRJC students and employees. You read that correctly:

children as young as 6 months old, three toddler rooms and three preschools serving children up to 5 years old. Staff members are certified professionals in early childhood education.

The application process is simple; all you need to do is fill out a one-page form, and if you meet eligibility, you are placed on the waiting list.

The program is state subsidized and priority is assessed based on your child’s age, your income and the center’s available space. The amount you pay is based on state guidelines for state-subsidized child care and depends on your circumstance.

theoakleafnews.com

A small number of full-cost spaces are available for faculty and staff. Community members are welcome to apply, but they will find themselves at the bottom of the waiting list. In all cases, there is no guarantee you will get in, but by all means, try!

Call (707) 527-4224 or email childrenscenter@santarosa.edu to find out more about this incredible deal.

The Call Child Development Center is located on Bear Cub Way just south of the soccer field.

free auto repair. This includes repairs on brakes, chassis, air conditioning, minor electrical repair and battery and charging systems diagnostics. Student technicians provide the labor; their service is 100 percent free. You can either provide your own parts or the technicians can order them at cost. Sound too good to be true? Nope— this deal is for real.

and model of your car, and what the problem is.

There are caveats. Auto repairs need to be scheduled in advance and availability depends on many factors: that semester’s rotating course curriculum, the make

The auto shop is located in the Lounibos Center on Armory Drive between Bear Cub Way and Scholars Drive.

Class members of Auto 151: Automotive Engines work on a Chevrolet small-block motor.

12 Oak Leaf Magazine

Price can be free or varied.

Contact your friendly Automotive Tool Room Technician David Yoast at (707) 527-4495 to inquire about getting your car repaired. You must sign a vehicle repair request and release form before any work will be done on your vehicle.

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Fall 2018

Joshua Pinaula foams milk at the Culinary Café & Bakery where SRJC culinary students bake the café's offering.

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EXCELLENT BITES The SRJC Culinary Café & Bakery serves top-notch food at discounted rates, cooked and served by student chefs.

The bakery sells high-quality breads as well as sweet or savory pastries at about half the cost of traditional bakery-café fare. A chocolate croissant and a savory pastry costs about $5 – not bad for the most delectable light breakfast or lunch you’ve had in ages. But it’s not just the price, it’s the quality – absolutely top-ofthe-line fare, reminiscent of the better European-style bakeries in the county.

Don’t let the name fool you. The café serves full meals; it’s truly a restaurant, not a traditional café. Its menu is available online and its dishes, including a Caesar salad for $6, a chicken enchilada pizza for $7.50 and stuffed poblano peppers for $10.50, are significantly less expensive than traditional restaurants, about half what you’d normally pay for food of this quality.

The service and ambience shouldn’t be overlooked. The café is a full experience, not just a meal.

Both the bakery and the café offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options and use fresh, organic and locally-sourced foods whenever possible.

Bakery hours are 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Culinary Café hours are 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Wednesday-Friday.

The Culinary Café & Bakery is located at 1670 Mendocino Ave. in the B. Robert Burdo Culinary Arts Center.

Call (707) 522-2796 to make reservations for the café.

CLEAN TEETH Maintaining the health of our teeth is a necessary evil. Few people enjoy the dentist, and their less-than-enjoyable services don’t come free. We either take care of our teeth now and suffer the expense, or we delay dental care and suffer both the expense and plenty of physical pain later. When it comes to our teeth, prevention is the name of the game.

Enter the SRJC Dental Hygiene and Assisting Programs! Their technicians offer discounted teeth cleaning, dental X-rays and fluoride treatments to everyone in the community through the Community Fall 2018

Dental Hygiene Teaching Clinic, a cutting-edge dental facility.

Cleanings cost $50 and can include minor fillings, sealants and anesthesia as necessary. That sure beats the $135 base rate that most dentists charge for standard cleanings.

X-rays are offered during the spring semester and require a written authorization from your dentist. They cost $30 for full-mouth X-rays and $10 for four bitewings. Again, this is a total steal. The av-

erage national cost for full-mouth X-rays is $100 - $150 and up; four bitewings will run you $50 - $100.

Contact Linda Paquette at (707) 5353743 or email: lpaquette@santarosa.edu for information or call (707) 522-2844 to make an appointment for your child.

But wait, there’s more! Free sealants are provided for children each summer.

The Community Dental Hygiene Teaching Clinic is first floor of the William B. Race Health Sciences building. theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 13

’ s t n e d u t s e g e Coll

e d i u G l a v i v r u S

Y By

Riley Palmer

for living at

Home

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA MULLIGAN

ou unload an enormous backpack, shoulders throbbing and head pounding from another day at Santa Rosa Junior College. Before you can dart into your room unnoticed, your parents are already nagging about the FAFSA and whether it was your day to chauffeur your little brother to school and back.

Your mind wanders away from the kitchen table in the 900-square-foot, double-wide mobile home you share with them to the dream of your own peaceful, quiet apartment.

In my “College Fantasy Pad,” more than one person could fit through the hallway at time. The walls would be well insulated so I couldn’t hear my brother snoring. There wouldn’t be frogs taking their summer vacation in my shower.

The rain wouldn’t ricochet off the metal exterior and wake me in the middle of the night. The entire house wouldn’t rattle when someone was doing a load of laundry.

But this is life if you’re me.

students in the California community college system who don’t live at home face housing insecurity. According to the CCC Chancellor's Office Basic Needs Reports, 35 percent of students were housing insecure and 14 percent reported they were homeless.

Like many SRJC students, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either I live at home with my family and do my best to focus on school, or I increase my work hours to fund crazy-high rent payments in one of California's most expensive markets and sacrifice school to do it.

I love my family. They are all great people, and I have learned a lot from them.

So, for the sake of my wallet, I’ve been living with them and figuring out ways to make this lifestyle work for the place that I am in my life. It’s not easy, but it’s less stressful financially, and there are ways to make this dynamic work.

The average Sonoma County rental for a vacant one-bedroom apartment costs from $1,300 to $2,000 per month. So yes, since living at home means I avoid this bill, I can finally quit my complaining. I am lucky enough to live in an area where I can afford a one-bedroom apartment — it just happens to be one I share with three people.

Coexisting with your parents can be done, and I’m the proof.

With the increasing cost of housing, I know I am not the only SRJC student who feels this financial impact. Many 14 Oak Leaf Magazine

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So if you’re like me and truly don’t have any options, read on for five pieces of advice from a 19-year-old making it work.

Make your room your space

I’ve been living in the same house for about 12 years; all my childhood belongings are stored in built-in cabinets over my bed.

At first it was hard for me to go through my transition to adulthood in a place I associated with playing dress up and reading Nancy Drew mysteries. It occurred to me that I needed some sort of change, so little by little, I rearranged my room. I hung art I currently love and am getting a more grown-up and less peace-sign-y inspired sheet set, both of which helped me feel my room is a space where I can mature. You can do something similar, something small, like getting a new bedspread, or changing the posters on your wall.

Work on your relationship with your family members

It's common for teenagers and young adults to suffer through stressful relationships with their parents, and living together can really aggravate the situation. But in an effort to make your living arrangements as manageable as possible, make an effort to evolve your relationship with your paRENTals.

I started volunteering to do dishes and set the table without my parents’ asking. Every family has a different dynamic, but showing you’re willing to particiFall 2018

pate in household duties as a fellow adult contributor goes far. It’s about more than the dishes. Your help shows you’re grateful to be living in a comfortable environment, and your efforts will create a more solid foundation with the people who raised you. Once they start looking at you like an adult, they’re more likely to start treating you as one, too.

Establish mutually-agreeable ground rules to avoid fights

As with any roommate, ground rules are essential to keep chaos and arguing to a minimum. Deciding on rules together will ensure a democratic government in the household instead of a dictatorship.

During my first year of college, I learned the hard way that with ambiguity comes angry parents. One of our typical fights occurred when I walked through the door at 1 a.m., one hour past my curfew. Living in such a small place doesn’t allow for sneaking in, and my parents couldn’t go to bed with the thought of me in harm’s way, so I was constantly victim to the awkward “where were you” conversation. While I resented the idea of having a curfew at this stage in the game, I had to put myself in my parents’ shoes and make compromises.

My parents and I sat down and negotiated a time that works for all of us. They wanted me home by 11 p.m. and I wanted a midnight curfew, but when my parents clarified they weren’t being helicopter parents and just wanted their sleep, I understood.

Get out of the house

We all have different family dynamics, and while I can compromise with mine, you and yours might go to blows over everything from the silly to the serious.

So if you have no other choice but to live with your parents, it’s time to get creative.

Think of home as your sleeping destination — your one-way ticket to dreamland. Train yourself to make the community your daytime home, and spend as much time as you can out in the world.

Coexisting doesn’t require you to be best friends with your housemates, it just means you can live in the same space in relative peace.

Taking the time to sit down and tackle these issues with your parents is an active way to fix the problem. Being able to reach compromises can make all the difference.

For the majority of my college career, I’ve gone this route; there’s more room to grow in 41.50 square miles than 900 square feet. From spending more time in the library to discovering new walking paths to practically living at a friend’s house, I have tried many ways to stay out of the house.

And yes, there are nights where I completely ignore my curfew, but don’t get very much blowback, thankfully.

Once you take the plunge and get out of the house, you'll never know how much the community has to offer.

We settled on 11.

Fall 2018

Change your mindset

While this isn’t the most transparent of tips, it is the most mentally beneficial.

But it’s not easy. It requires reflecting on where you are in life, shedding your ego and refusing to feel self conscious about your living situation.

I have always struggled with comparing myself to others and their lifestyles.

I thought I needed to move out and go somewhere else because I felt I was missing out on milestones my peers were experiencing.. When I started to spend more time with my thoughts, I began to take a step back from that, exclude all outside influence, and ask myself, “What makes the most sense for my lifestyle and my income?”

The answer was simple: I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

If I had all the money in the world would I be living with parents? No. Yet I am grateful for my parents and my brother and our 900 square foot double-wide mobile home. The older I get, the more I realize how much time I have to spread my wings; I don’t need to rush out of our house just yet.

And I still have so much more to learn about life, so who better to spend these formative years with than people who have already experienced this stage?

Although life in the 21st century seems to be immediate, growing up isn’t — and neither is moving out. And once I learned how to not only manage but appreciate my situation, I realized it’s the best fit for me. theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 15

8

Top

deals for students

By

Matthew McGill

Valentino’s Barber Lounge

Healdsburg Golf Course

Students willing to drive to Healdsburg can find spectacular views with outstanding service at the Healdsburg Golf Course, located at 927 S. Fitch Mountain Rd. With an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 on Facebook and a 15 percent discount for students on their first private lesson, wannabe golfers can putt and drive to their heart’s content.

If you’re looking for a specific type of haircut to customize with your hairdresser, try Valentino’s Barber Lounge. Located at 7500 Commerce Boulevard in Cotati, you can also receive a regular haircut or a beard trim. With a 20 percent discount on all hair products, students can be sure their haircut stays fresh.

McLea’s Tires

Oil changes can be a hassle for busy students. Mclea’s Tires fixes this issue by offering convenient locations in both Santa Rosa and Petaluma, at 800 Piner Rd. and 100 Stony Point Rd. With a $29.95 offer on all oil changes exclusively for students, it’s easy to see how McLea’s earns a 4.6 star rating on Google.

SchulzMuseum

Schulz Museum offers exhibits all ages all based off Charles Schulz and the comic series “The Peanuts.” With events and activities scheduled every day, including Friday night movies, the Schulz Museum has become the place to go for locals and tourists alike. It has a 4.7 out of 5 star review on Google. Students can also receive a $1 off adult admission everyday.

Ole Times Barber Shop

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Gema’s Beauty Salon

At Gema’s Beauty Salon students can get 10 percent off all services on Mondays and Tuesdays. Services include special occasion hair styling and makeup, color, men’s and women’s cuts, waxing, nails and pedicures. The studio has an average rating of 4.3 stars out of 5 on Google and a location right across the street from the Santa Rosa campus.

16 Oak Leaf Magazine

theoakleafnews.com

If you’re looking for a simple haircut, there's look no further than Ole Times Barber Shop. Located at 8571 Gravenstein Highway in Cotati, it has a 4.6 star review on Google. Students can receive a $5 discount on any haircut.

Local Heroes Auto Repair Make the trip to Petaluma and you'll find Freddy Blue’s Local Heroes Auto Repair for a free engine light diagnosis and 30minute free maintenance review at 278 Corona Rd. It has an average review of 4.4 stars on Google.

ReadingCinemas

With new movies coming out every month, many students want the opportunity to see them as soon as possible to experience the magic in theaters. The only downsides are the rising prices of tickets and snacks; students can’t afford a night at the movies. A popular option is to head to Reading Cinemas in Rohnert Park at 555 Rohnert Park Expressway West and experience new movies every Friday for only $6. Students will also receive free popcorn with any movie ticket.

Fall 2018

' T By

Team s m o Tracker

Tom Miller

Wrestling moved up to 9-2 on the season with a 19-17 win over Modesto College. Jhaylyn Hall has been a standout at the 184 weight class.

Cross Country Men’s and Women’s teams both had great seasons. Johnny Vargas was named Big 8 Conference MVP for his performance this fall. Vargas cruised to first place at the NorCal regional championships Nov. 2 at Shasta College. He finished 34th in the state championship Nov. 17 at Woodward Park in Fresno. The women’s team earned a berth in the state championship in Fresno, after a second-place finish in the regionals. Ana Palafox finished 16th in the state championship, leading SRJC to a 13th place team finish.

The women’s volleyball team finished the season 14-15.

Freshman Makenzie Oden led the team with 188 kills and 503 assists. The 2018 season provided SRJC’s women’s volleyball team with a new coach, Ally Deal, who is a former Sonoma State University coach and player.

The men’s team finished 4-12, but their record is misleading because they lost a number of close games. Sophomore Dominic Tommasi, formerly of Sonoma Valley High School, had 13 goals and 18 assists. The women’s team went 9-12, averaging 11 points per game.

Both Bear Cubs soccer teams had winning records. The men's team had a record of 10-8-1 overall and 5-3-1 in league play.

The high point in the season was a 3-0 win over City College of San Francisco. The women’s team also had a stellar season with a record of 14-6-3 and 10-4-2 in league play.

Both the men’s and women’s teams made the playoffs. The men played at second seed Taft College, losing 3-1 and bringing their season to a close. The women are ranked No. 8 in the state; in the state tournament they beat No. 9 City College of San Francisco 2-0, then went on to lose to No. 1 Sierra Community College 2-0 in the second round.

The two standouts for the men’s team were forward Rigo Barragan from Windsor High and goalie Javier Aguilar from Healdsburg High School. Aguilar posted 10 shutouts during the season. Eden Brooker, a Montgomery High School graduate, stood out on the women’s team. She led the season with 22 goals in 19 games.

Fall2018 2018 Fall

The Bear Cubs football team had an up-and-down season and finished with a 5-5 record after a loss to American River College in the Gridiron Classic Bowl Dec. 1. The Bear Cubs look forward to playing next year and improving on their .500 record. Their victory over Chabot College, a 4740 overtime win, was a season highlight.

Bear Cubs quarterback Jake Simmons had a great season throwing for 250 yards per game. Simmons is an alumnus of Rancho Cotate High in Rohnert Park.

17 17 Oaktheoakleafnews.com Leaf Magazine theoakleafnews.com Oak Leaf Magazine

By

Séamus Reed

J

ane Saldaña-Talley begins every morning with meditation. Using a phone app, she dedicates part of her morning routine to collecting her thoughts and finding peace. Meditation allows her to be more present in the moment and furthers her ability to listen. She’s committed to the ritual and believes her conviction improves her performance as SRJC’s new interim Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Saldana-Talley’s relaxed mood is a calming influence on SRJC’s management, drawing a stark contrast to last semester.

She replaced Dr. Mary K. Rudolph in the second-in-command role, a position that attracted a lot of attention in spring amid the budget crisis and cancellation and subsequent reinstatement of summer courses.

Salary increases for management and stalled contract negotiations with the All Faculty Association over proposed faculty pay cuts created a climate of mistrust towards SRJC’s senior management. The AFA, the Academic Senate and the Student Government Assembly approved votes of no confidence in SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong and the school’s senior administration.

“If we are actually going to do the best work that we can do for students and the community, we work in partnership, not in silos from each other,” she said. “So it really matters a lot that we work together, that we design together, that we are in conversation with one another, that we don’t make changes without letting the other know that we are doing that.”

Saldaña-Talley started as vice president of the Petaluma campus, where she served for 12 years.

She was hired as the Measure H bond was coming into effect and had to adjust to a changing climate within Santa Rosa Junior College.

After serving for five years with the administration’s negotiating team, Saldaña-Talley earned a reputation for being collaborative and easy to work with.

“She’s a very good listener,” said President Chong. “She’s collaborative. And she’s authentic. I think she has a lot of 18 Oak Leaf Magazine

theoakleafnews.com

Turning over Turning over a

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Saldaña-Talley is approaching this semester with a friendlier stance, focusing on a bottom-up leadership style.

anew new leafle

integrity. When she says shes gonna do something, she’ll do it.”

nization. We want to have great working conditions.”

Saldaña-Talley said it’s a privilege to be on the team. “It’s given me an opportunity to really sit and listen carefully to what matters to faculty with regards to not just how they are compensated, but what their working conditions are and what matters to them as faculty,” she said.

Faculty members recognize Saldaña-Talley’s willingness to collaborate and listen to feedback. “I am experiencing her as a breath of fresh air,” said Dr. Brenda Flyswithhawks, behavioral sciences department chair and faculty member. “I think she has made quite a difference. Ask any faculty member.”

Working with faculty in a tense climate has fostered within her a sense of cooperation and a better understanding of how faculty members feel. “We all want the same thing in life,” she said. “We want to be compensated fairly and well. We want to be regarded for the work that we do and what we contribute to the orga-

Drawing a sharp contrast to last semester, Saldaña-Talley is recognized for taking a measured approach to leadership.

Saldaña-Talley’s style of leadership differs greatly from her predecessor’s, a fact that Rudolph has acknowledged. SalFall 2018

eaf

Jane Saldaña-Talley brings a calm and collaborative leadership style to SRJC's No. 2 leadership position. daña-Talley believes there is a delicate balance between the two camps, and it’s important not to force issues through without faculty collaboration.

Saldana-Talley’s strategy is taking a slower approach to make sure everything makes sense and works. “My style is not to talk down; my style is consultative. I listen to people. I confer with people.”

Flyswithhawks described her as genuine, humble and good at listening. “If she doesn't agree with you, she knows how to tell you in a respectful way,” she said.

Saldaña-Talley believes students should be included in the conversation. She said administration hasn’t been as consultaAdditional reporting by Adeira Sherpa.

Fall 2018

tive with students as it could be. Student involvement is taking the spotlight across campus, with a marked resurgence within the Student Government Association, with President Frank Chong opening up his office hours to the student body.

In the aftermath of the Vote of No Confidence, Chong also created the President’s Consultation Council designed to focus accountability within the president’s office.

Chong has also started speaking in classes, department meetings and walking the campus to interact with students. He finds that this ‘barbershop view’ makes him easier to communicate with. “We really want to track back and put the focus,

not on administration, but on students,” Chong said.

Flyswithhawks serves on the council.

“This is an opportunity for us to be a better institution and an opportunity for Dr. Chong to be a better president,” she said.

Saldaña-Talley is a key player in creating that better institution. She takes the first step towards meeting these challenges at home. In addition to enjoying her morning meditation, she professes a love for yoga. “There’s kind of a concept in yoga that when you’re in a certain pose, you can deepen that pose a little bit. So I always think about it that way, that I can always deepen my understanding, my connection and my relationship with people and this organization.” theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 19

finding tranquility in

By

chaos

Lauren A. Spates

H

e flips down his welding helmet and focuses on the task at hand.

The air around him feels thick, the heat in the classroom oppressive from his latest assignment. He lights his torch and watches a flame dance from its tip, a flame he’ll use to melt multiple metals during his latest welding class.

But his concentration breaks; he’s no longer present in his Santa Rosa Junior College classroom. Instead, Brent Woods is back in Coffey Park, back behind the wheel of his car with his pets quaking in the backseat, back to fleeing last year’s wildfires. His hands are white-knuckling the steering wheel; he smells the smoke of melting powerline transformers. Huge flames chew at the roadside.

Woods panics, and he flashes back.

“During that time,” Woods said, recalling his harrowing drive to safety, “I kind of decided that this is how it ends for me, that this is the way I would die.”

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Woods is a 19-year-old SRJC student, and he is not alone in his trauma. Last year’s wildfires affected students deeply and continue to do so, in ways that are visible on campus across a continuum of symptoms.

Brent Woods balances his major's 3D design and animation coursework with his welding classes while taking care of his post-fire PTSD.

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For Woods, it’s flashbacks and panic. For others, it’s anxiety or depression. Some can’t concentrate. Some can’t sleep.

Some look toward any cloudy sky with trepidation.

Dr. Bert Epstein, manager of Student Psychological Services (SPS), attests there’s a “gamut of reactions.” Last year he and his staff saw more students take advantage of SPS services, an increase he attributes to the fires and one he doesn’t see reversing in the future.

“There’ve been issues of loss; there’s been issues of trauma,” Epstein said. “[Students] might be experiencing not the same level of terror or anxiety or fear that occured at the time, but some echo of that.”

It’s an echo Woods hears often, one also heard by fellow student Katarina Ribinius.

“I stepped outside this afternoon and it smells exactly like it did a year ago,” Ribinius said, speaking in mid-November about the smoke and ash settling over Santa Rosa from the Camp Fire. “I’m a little bit worried. The last time, [the fires] were just jumping all over the place, so you never know what could happen, especially with the wind.”

Ribinius is not the only one who feels a sense of impending doom.

Sara Stoxen is a 21-year-old nursing major who works 15 hours a week at the PEERS Coalition, a group seeking to change the culture of mental health on campus. Her role connects her with students to discuss stress, anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties; she also shares appropriate self-care strategies and resources for support. Both touchpoints render Stoxen acutely sensitive to the vibe around her.

“The overall somber mood I’ve noticed has carried on. [Students] just have this heaviness,” she said. “California has been on fire for months and months, and everyone feels it because of what we’ve been through. People carry that weight.”

It’s a weight that rests so heavily on students like Woods and Ribinius, it affects their daily lives.

When Woods is in class, “the smell mixed with the heat, it’s on the same level as

Fall 2018

when I was in the car. I will occasionally have to put down my welding torch,” he said, admitting he’ll “go sit down for a good five to 10 minutes just get a level head back.”

Unlike Woods, Ribinius did not have an intense experience last year, but the residual effects haunted her enough this week she took extra time to change her morning routine. “I was fine last year — I was safe — but just the fact that it’s happening again, I packed my bags.”

Even Stoxen, the PEERS member who counsels other students, isn’t immune.

“Right when I came out of my class last Thursday I looked up and I was like, ‘Oh, where is that?’” she said. “I was so focused on ‘I need to find out where this fire is,’ and ‘I need to reach out to people that I love.’”

Understanding this type of variation and nuance in students’ overall mental health and coping ability prompted SRJC to participate in the National College Health Association’s triennial survey. The survey collects data about students’ mental health habits, behaviors and perceptions directly from students themselves and aggregates the data so campuses across the U.S. can compare and contrast results and trends.

According to Stoxen, the survey asks students to report which factors negatively impact their individual academic performance. In the most recent survey conducted, during the Spring 2016 semester, 33 percent of students self-reported stress as their No. 1 issue, followed by anxiety, sleep difficulties and depression.

One “pretty alarming” metric for Stoxen was the 80 percent of students who affirmed they “frequently feel so overwhelmed [they] don’t know what to do,” she said.

Stoxen is eager to evaluate data from the next survey because it will encompass student feedback for the period spanning both last year’s fires and the fallout from the more recent disaster in Butte County.

Fall 2018

SRJC’s Monday Mindfulness Meetups offer an on-campus silent space for reflection, meditation and prayer. Their goal is to help students perform better academically and personally by giving students “an opportunity to meditate or do something that discounts all the stresses and turns it off for a while,” said the group’s coordinator, Adjunct Professor Rev. Michael Ludder.

Each week’s Mindfulness Meetup is designed to expose students to a different approach to meditation and de-stress practices in the hopes each student will find an effective technique.

At each session, held from 2-4 p.m.

Mondays in Bertolini’s First Floor Staff Lounge, a different presenter will introduce and demonstrate her technique, then lead participants through the appropriate exercise.

“I see this as giving to yourself, and most people just sort of ignore that,” Ludder said. “If you get into some kind of practice, you’re letting go of things [that get] in the way of seeing yourself or being yourself.”

It appears Woods agrees with this philosophy about meditation practice, even though he doesn’t attend formal therapy or mindfulness sessions, and he doesn’t identify with meditation because he doesn’t see a spiritual component to the method he uses to cope with his self-diagnosed PTSD.

that moment of not knowing when it was going to end.”

Ludder is heartened by Woods’ self-directed approach.

“He has the stimulus of the fire, all those things. Your brain learns that. What meditation does is quiet all that down — whatever form of meditation you use,” Ludder said. “It just quiets that system down so you start getting what is yours rather than this automatic response in your brain.”

Woods doesn’t visualize what happens when he exits the eye of the storm or when he eventually stops falling through his endless tube. He doesn’t know whether he’ll cross the storm’s violent other side or feel the hard stop that awaits at the end of a fall.

But he doesn’t worry about that. He clings to a sort of beauty in the experience. “There’s a certain level of tranquility to chaos,” he said. “It’s accepting that certain things are out of your control and at that point, it’s not up to you.”

Woods uses this peace to cope. He gets up in the morning, attends class and continues to work towards his major in 3D design and animation, still taking his welding classes on the side.

“Find whatever brings you inner peace,” he suggests to other students who struggle like he does. “Find something to occupy yourself because if you’re not occupying yourself, your mind will go to the places you least want it to.”

“It’s more of just — I’ve found a way to find my center,” he said. “I kind of close my eyes and picture myself falling [through] an endless tube that I can’t see the bottom of, and I can no longer see the top. But just, falling.”

The visualization puts him in a vacuum, a place without noise or temperature or scent, without the fires’ roar and heat and stench. It’s as if he enters the eye of a storm, having passed through one side of its terrors to the somehow perfect void created by the storm’s relentless pressure.

“In a way it’s almost the same as when I was in the fire — that moment when I was trapped for about two hours. It was

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The survey results will then be compared with previous years’ and will indicate any changes to the student body’s mental health status. The results will also allow SRJC to evaluate on-campus programs designed to help students cope with their symptoms and recover from chronic maladies such as PTSD.

One on-campus program is already working to decrease students’ anxiety and stress while improving their focus, memory and overall health.

SRJC student Katrina Ribinius wears an N95 mask to protect herself from the air's toxicity. theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 21

Daisy Garnica: A real life phoenix By

Dakota McGranahan

Daisy Garnica turned on the faucet of her aunt’s glass-doored shower and stepped inside. Adjusting the temperature, she sat under the showerhead, letting the water beat against her skin. Then she burst into tears.

“I remember sitting and thinking how things would be easier if I just disappeared,” Garnica said. “I tried so hard not to think like that, but in those moments when you’re alone, it just happens. It was so hard.”

It has been a long, tough road for Garnica. A year before she collapsed in her aunt’s shower and questioned her own existence, the Tubbs Fire ripped through Garnica’s Coffee Park neighborhood destroying her home and leaving her family with nothing. This catastrophe struck when she was already on shaky emotion-

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al ground. Two years before the fire, Garnica suffered bullying and racism at the hands of high school classmates.

When she recalled these memories for the Oak Leaf, Garnica cried again.

This string of stress and loss crippled Garnica with anxiety and depression, and it took years of getting worse before she got better. She pinpoints the start of her mental health decline to her teenage years; she self-diagnosed her depression at 15.

“I had a lot of issues when I was in high school,” she said. “I always tried to fit in even though I knew I couldn’t because I was a nerdy girl. I also went to a really preppy school and tried fitting in with the girly girls; I just felt so out of place, and it

created a lot of insecurities for me.”

After attending Santa Rosa’s Willowside Middle School, where she had a tight circle of supportive friends, she transitioned to Piner High School. But most of her friends chose Analy High, another local school, leaving Garnica to spend her freshman year lonely. She transferred to Analy High School for her sophomore year, but it didn’t make for a joyous reunion.

“I remember slowly losing my friends,” she said. “I was down to one

PHOTOS BY DAKOTA McGRANAHAN

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Fall 2018

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Oak Leaf Magazine 23

friend, then no friends, and eventually I resorted to eating in the cafeteria by myself because I knew I couldn’t fit in.”

She felt she had no place to go; her depression overwhelmed her. “I really noticed it when my grades started to drop. I began having suicidal thoughts,” she said.

Feeling like an outcast wasn’t the sole instigator of her depression; she also endured racial bullying.

“I didn’t just go to a preppy school, I went to a white, preppy school. Being one of the only Mexicans in the school was difficult,” Garnica said.

Many kids made subtle, racist jokes targeted towards her and her friends, while others were more overt. “One kid asked if my dad was a grape picker. Another time, a girl was wearing Vans and she was like ‘Ew, I feel like a dirty Mexican wearing these,’” she said.

Garnica dropped her head and looked at her own feet.

“I’m wearing Vans,” she said.

“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way,” the girl responded defensively. “You’re not a dirty Mexican. You don’t even look Mexican. You don’t have to worry.”

Garnica was stunned. She wanted to believe the girl was joking, but she knew better. Garnica’s friend, Indigo, defended her.

Eventually, the racial comments became regular.

“Kids teased me and my friends; they specifically called us ‘hairy monkeys’ just because we were Mexican. Those things hurt, but they’ve affected me more since I’ve gotten older, when I started seeing more of it,” she said.

The bullying became so intense that Garnica and her friends complained to a counselor. He did nothing so she decided to involve her family.

“I remember going into a meeting with the principal with my father and the principal’s response was that the school was cliquey and I just needed to find the right people,” said Garnica, her voice rising with anger.

After that unsatisfying meeting, she transferred back to Piner High School.

She graduated in spring 2016 and enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College that fall while continuing therapy and enjoying a sense of peace for the first time in years.

A psychology major, Garnica focused on her studies and used college as a

distraction from her continued struggle with depression.

“I used that year as a fresh start,” she said. “My junior and senior years of high school I started that process by keeping to myself. When I started college, it helped me not worry about how others thought of me or how I was seen.”

But the following semester, in the spring of 2017, Garnica found herself falling into old habits, the same ones she exhibited in high school.

“I was super stressed and started isolating myself from everything again,” Garnica said. “I wouldn’t go to classes and instead I would just stay home and sleep.”

It was what Garnica referred to as her “bad downfall.” She showed stronger symptoms of her depression—more than before.

Excessive sleep, isolation and a sensitivity to crying were all warning signs of her oncoming wave of depression.

She was determined to break the cycle rather than revert to her former self.

Midway through the spring semester, she combatted the waves of depression by surrounding herself with

A year after the Tubbs Fire destroyed Coffey Park, Daisy Garnica visits her partially recontructed home on the same lot.

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Fall 2018

“good” people. She started her fall semester with a new motive: medication.

Her therapist prescribed her Lexapro in September.

It took two weeks for Garnica to adjust to the medicine, and over time she discovered new-found stability.

However, the stability the Lexapro provided was not what Garnica had imagined; her medication stopped her reactions. She couldn’t express sadness or happiness anymore.

“It was like being a robot,” Garnica said, remembering the effects Lexapro had on her at the time.

Then, the Tubbs Fire swept through her neighborhood, forcing her and her family to race to safety.

An hour after evacuating from her childhood home, Garnica shuffled through the miscellaneous belongings in the backpack that she’d stuffed in less than five minutes, searching for her depression medication.

The realization it had burned caused a panic attack.

“My mother had to comfort me because I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Garnica said. “I was freaking out and worried because I depend on it to function.”

Just as she managed to ground herself, she was struck once more with devastating news. Her house was gone.

The news came in a video her father sent to the family. It showed the fire engulfing her house, her father screaming and crying as police pulled him away.

“I was really mad. I was asking ‘why us?’” Garnica said. “I bruised my knuckles punching the floor because I was so angry. My aunt had to pull me up from the ground.”

Garnica felt like she coped with the loss alone.

“I didn’t have anybody there for me,” Garnica said. “Even though I know I did, it’s hard to open up to people who don’t experience the same things. People will say ‘it will get better’ or ‘you can replace all of those things’ when in reality it’s the experience that hurts more than losing my things.”

Fall 2018

Since her medication was lost in the fire, she had to learn to cope without it in the month it took to get a new prescription.

“My emotions were super uncontrollable; anything would make me cry. I tried my best not to be alone, but I always found myself back upstairs, covered in blankets and crying my eyes out,” Garnica said.

This lasted well beyond October, and the emotions lingered even with medication.

The months following the devastation became increasingly difficult for Garnica.

“My life had completely changed. My family and I live in apartments, and it’s scary because it’s not in a good area,” she said.

“Sometimes, late at night, I can hear the neighbor beating his wife next door. We also see a lot of shady people passing by. It’s really uncomfortable for us because we were so used to our little quiet neighborhood in Coffey Park.”

Garnica was easily startled by noises reminding her of that night. The sound of firetrucks, wind and loud bangs would trigger anxiety. Two months ago, the wind was so loud and violent she had to spend the night in her parents’ bed.

“I’m never at ease. I’m just waiting for a moment where I can relax.”

Garnica refused to give up. She persisted and pushed herself. She kept up with her medication and continued visiting her therapist. She developed a routine and learned to confide in friends when experiencing depression symptoms.

Garnica’s fight finally came to an end in October when she felt it was time for her to move away from medical help and transition to operating on her own.

In September, she parted ways with her therapist and ended their weekly visits.

Then, in October, she slowly weaned herself off of her medication.

Now, Garnica is functioning well without both therapy and medication. She works as a medical assistant for a local psychiatric hospital where she interacts with patients daily.

Garnica holds the only item she saved when she escaped the Tubbs Fire: her backpack.

“It’s my way of helping those who are where I once was,” Garnica said.

Occasionally her patients write her thank you notes on their release, all of which Garnica keeps.

The Oak Leaf interviewed Garnica days after the Tubbs fire last year. After re-reading her article, she wept.

She then had some advice for her former self.

“I would have told myself that it was just another obstacle to overcome.

I would have told myself there was brighter side on the other end, because for the longest time I didn’t think there was,” she said.

“I remember in that moment my life felt jeopardized. I was scared I would have to put my life on hold to accommodate the fire. I just wish I knew then what I know now.” theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 25

Book by book: Rebuilding a post-fire identity By

Lauren A. Spates and Zena Bounsall

P

hotographs captured the fires’ unsparing destruction: suburban homes reduced to dust, cars twisted into metal frames teetering on broken axles, smoke still rising from the ash heaps. Readers from around the world marveled at the horror and devastation; they wondered how Santa Rosa residents would carry on after losing their greatest assets.

But Santa Rosans’ most difficult task was not surviving without homes or cars; their most profound loss is not quantified in those photographs. Instead, the loss that feeds residents’ deepest grief and represents the greatest challenge to their forward progress is hidden from the casual observer.

oit, 69-year-old Santa Rosa resident and former dean of arts, communication studies, social and behavioral sciences at Santa Rosa Junior College. Benoit (pronounced ben-WAH) spent her career teaching about ancient civilizations. She escaped the fire with her husband, their cat and the items they could grab in the 15 minutes before flames engulfed their Wikiup home.

The library of obscure journals and outof-print books she built during 40 years of collecting and traveling couldn’t make the cut.

And now every volume is gone.

It is the loss of their identities.

“You talk about losing a house, and that’s dreadful. And people say, ‘Oh, it’s just stuff,’” she said. “And the furniture, the house, the appliances, those kinds of things are just stuff, but it’s the other things — the personal things — that do form your identity.”

“When I would look at my library it was like the journey of my life,” said Tyra Ben-

SRJC student Chelsea Connors understands. Like many Glen Ellen residents,

Connors lost her home and all her belongings in the fires.

“A lot of people who didn’t lose everything would say ‘Well, on the bright side you get all new stuff,’” she said. “I know they were trying to be positive, but it always made me feel worse because I didn’t wanna’ be a blank canvas.”

While Connors’s losses were less academic that Benoit’s, they were no less important to her self-image. Her morning ritual of applying professional-grade beauty products was altered when her makeup case and its contents were reduced to ash. For the first time, she had to face the world bare-faced.

“It’s hard to not feel completely lost without the comfort of your things and your routine,” Connors said.

That disorientation reaches outside the boundaries of the present and deep into the past. A devoted Golden State Warriors fan, Connors lost all her team gear, including T-shirts and jerseys that defined not only her fandom and allegiance, but also the depth of her Bay Area roots.

For Benoit, the loss of her own “precious things” severed the timeline of her life.

She used to treasure a pair of tiny plaster handprints her twin sons stamped for her 36 years ago, but they burned with the rest of her belongings, and now Benoit feels detached from the experience of motherhood, despite having lived it. There is a disconnect, a void, between the years she spent as a mother and the proof she possesses from that period.

PHOTOS COURTESY ANNE BELDEN

Benoit also feels less connected to her ancestors. Two tubs of generations-old photographs remained in her garage to burn; a later trip to her ancestral homeland felt fruitless without having those inherited photos in-hand to validate her heritage.

This sense of lost memories, of lost history, of lost family identity — it doesn’t just live in the past. It affects these residents’ futures.

“Right after the fires the director at Sonoma State called up and said, ‘Can I count on you to put your application in to teach again?’”

Benoit said.

Tyra Benoit identifies bits of her belongings in the ash heap that was her home.

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During her long career, Benoit earned multiple Fulbright Scholarships and grants

Fall 2018

PHOTOS COURTESY ANNE BELDEN

Left: Kwan Yin, the Chinese goddess of compassion, is one of the survivors from the backyard of Tyra Benoit's Wikiup home.

Top: The head of a four-foot fairy statue that served as a part of Benoit's son's A Midsummer Night's Dream-themed wedding.

Bottom: The remains of a Buddha that formerly sat on Benoit's deck. All three items recall her lifetime of travel and cultural study. from the National Endowment for Humanities, in addition to an award for her work fostering freedom of expression at SRJC. There was plenty of opportunity for Benoit to continue in her field, but she thought it was time to move on.

“I told [the director], ‘I’m really sorry, but all my books are gone, and I think it would just be so difficult for me,” Benoit said. “So I never reapplied, and I haven’t taught a class since.”

Connors admits it took a while to even start shopping for new things. “I didn’t want anything or value [new things] as much.”

Despite the fires being a year in the past, the SRJC student admits she still hasn’t recreated her style.

While each survivor’s self-image has shifted since the fires — with Benoit’s distancing herself from her professional identity and Connors’ struggling with her personal look — their new outlook on life might be the greatest adjustment of all.

“I thought I would have a hard time without all these things, but in the days following the fire, all your values change,” Connors said. “I think I wore the same clothes I [escaped] in that night for about three days because [changing] hadn’t even crossed my mind.”

Fall 2018

Perhaps because of Benoit’s life’s work as a lecturer on other civilizations, her post-loss perspective shifted through a cultural lens.

She spoke of “people in other parts of the world who have to struggle or who are refugees”; she thought of the Central Ameri-

“...it’s the other things — the personal things — that do form your identity.” cans caravaning north to the U.S. border and the Syrians attempting to escape their war-torn lands.

“I had a totally newfound appreciation for what they have gone through and what homeless people in our own community go through,” she said. “I had always supported them financially or empathized with them, but I never felt [it] on a gut level. I woke up the day after the fire and I was like, I’m homeless. I don’t have a home.”

The shock and pain of her new reality was clear, but there was a buoyancy to her voice, too.

“It’s heavy,” she said of the weight these thoughts press upon her mind. “But I consider [them] a gift in a sense because if more people experienced this then perhaps we would have more empathy in the world today. I think there’s a lot of people that just don’t understand. I understand it a lot more deeply than I ever expected to.”

Since the fires, Benoit and Connors both reassessed their values and gained a new perspective on loss and life, and they both view these changes as positive. But challenges remain as they attempt to rebuild their redefined identities piece by piece, possession by possession.

“We looked at a replacement home this weekend, and there was this incredible library,” Benoit said, her voice exhibiting a light-heartedness that was absent before.

“There was this room that had all these bookshelves and everything, and I could immediately feel myself just relax when I walked in there.”

For Benoit, the rebuilding — and ultimately her recovery — will come, eventually, book by book. theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 27

one year later,

SRJC reflects on the fires

By

Eileen Rodriguez, Tom Miller, Kirk Tietsort, Christian DaSilva, Aria Quinn, José González, Riley Palmer and La Reva Myles

kai suter, student

OAK LEAF STAFF

“It was scary because my dad’s a firefighter, and I was really stressed out the entire time. I’ve always been scared whenever he goes to fires that something bad’s gonna happen, but he was working in Coffey Park [that night], and he would tell me snippets of what was happening. I guess it just made me even more scared whenever he goes to fires.”

My dad called us at 3 a.m. and was like ‘You guys need to get out right now because these fires are getting worse.’ He was like ‘If it gets really bad, it will go through Annadel and it will get our house, so you guys need to get out.’

Right before we are about to leave, one of my childhood friends called screaming because her parents weren’t picking up the phone. They live near us, and they’re really old, and we were afraid they weren’t going to get out. So, we sat there for 10 minutes banging on their door just trying to get them up, and they eventually woke up. They had no idea what was happening, so we had to help them get out while we were leaving. And it was stressful because my dad had called us three hours before, and if we didn’t pick up then, we wouldn’t have been able to help them.”

PHOTO COURTESY SRJC

rafael vasquez, extended opportunity programs and services “Students are having trouble getting government financial aid through the JC because records show they had incomplete classes because of the fires. When students struggle financially as a result of losing everything, it affects their ability to not only attend classes but to succeed in them.

The government only sees this as incomplete units on the transcripts and doesn’t want to give money to students with an completion rate of less than 67 percent. Not dropping the classes will usually result in a fail grade.

This affects students psychologically after they have already been through a trauma.”

sean young, executive vice president of legislation, student government association OAK LEAF STAFF

“It was certainly a detraction from everyday life. I had family that had to evacuate from Bennett Valley, so that was an emotional part of it all. Also just seeing everything that I grew up with within Sonoma County slowly turning into ashes and dust.”

amanda bailey, student OAK LEAF STAFF

“The fires affected me — not in a good way. It was pretty traumatizing. My house is still there, and I know I can’t really complain, but it’s still very traumatizing. [The fires] teach you what you would grab, like my friend just grabbed family photos and his dad’s ashes.”

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Fall 2018

José González and La Reva Myles

kyle wallstrum, srjc student success specialist

“There’s always students in need of support, and especially since last year there’s been a need of students needing support in all kinds of variety whether that’s academic support, social support, mental health.

Students who lost their home are struggling with basic needs: housing, transportation, food. Students needing to talk to someone about their experience, connecting them with mental health and student psychological services. Me personally, my family did have to evacuate. Their home wasn’t burned down at all but it was close by.

I’ve talked to several students and staff who have lost their homes so that’s really hard trying to support them through the tough time they’re going through. I believe it was over 900 students who lost their homes and several hundred staff as well.

You’re not in it alone. Get help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help because we all want to see everyone get the help they need, and the support is here.”

olivia kureshi, student OAK LEAF STAFF

“So my family — their house burned down in the fires, and it was really stressful for everyone. They had to move and figure out a new place to live, and they’re still not even sure if they’re going to rebuild there because the clean up and stuff like that have been taking so long, and they were experiencing a lot of issues with getting insurance. They still don’t have their house rebuilt so they’re in limbo right now.”

isiah carter, student

OAK LEAF STAFF

“My house wasn’t affected, but a lot of my friends lived in Coffey Park, and their houses were. It mentally affected me because just seeing the neighborhood where I used to hangout with all my friends in high school was just decimated to nothing. It was really hard just going back and helping them to clean up. It was just mentally exhausting seeing that.”

José González and La Reva Myles

zack schieberl, student

“I lost my house a year ago, but now I think I’m doing a lot better. I’m in a better place physically and mentally. I know I’ve recovered, but there’s a lot of people who still haven’t.”

PHOTO COURTESY SRJC

mary sandberg, student engagement coordinator

“[The fires] created sort of this layer of rawness, that people are very sensitive still, there’s a lot of stress, and it’s coming out well after the fact sometimes in people not being able to continue to work in student government and continue being leaders in clubs, they’re having to drop classes. I think it’s just that building pressure of being able to recover and sort of go on with life as life always was. It’s just not quite the same.”

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Oak Leaf Magazine 29

Finding purpose and peace on thePacific Crest Trail

J

By

Adeira Sherpa

acob Beal will wake early along the Mexican border and make his way to the Pacific Crest Trail, staring down 2,650 miles of wilderness linking the trailhead with its final destination at the Canadian border. Completing the trail will take roughly six months hiking 30- to-40-mile days while forgoing creature comforts like a consistent bed and home-cooked meals. But the Santa Rosa Junior College student will take one piece of home along the trek — his mother’s tenacious spirit.

Beal grew up on Parktrail Drive in Santa Rosa and spent much of his childhood exploring the woods of Annadel State Park. He found peace in nature, a peace he needed at age 14 when his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“Nature is unadulterated truth,” Beal said. It was where he processed his mother’s disease.

Attempting the thru-hike was not a spontaneous decision; he’s been dreaming about it for years and preparing for months. Long-distance hiking permits became available Nov. 14 and Beal secured one of the only 35 issued per day.

If he completes the trek, his name will be added to the Pacific Crest Trail Association’s 2,600-Miler List. It’s an accomplishment less than 7,000 have realized.

admirable that he is able to take what’s happening to his mom and be able to spread awareness about the effects of Alzheimer’s.”

Chip Vhite agrees.

“Jacob has brought me a much deeper awareness of how Alzheimer’s impacts the family members of the patient. [He has shared] very personal and emotionally vulnerable accounts of what it is like living and spending time with someone,” he said, “and watching them slip away, and how deeply and profoundly that affects the family members outside of what one sees in a caregiver setting.”

Being his mother’s caregiver set Beal on a winding path that will end at the PCT trailhead.

Beal’s friends are impressed with his attempt.

After just one semester at SRJC, Beal dropped out to care for his mother, Becky, who had reached a state that Beal’s father no longer knew how to handle. Alzheimer’s became Beal’s life. He spent mornings as a caregiver for another Alzheimer’s patient and then returned home to care for his mother where he endured “traumatic hospital visits, attacks in the house and terrifying surreal visions that seemed like they couldn’t possibly be real.”

“I don’t think most understand how extreme the disease is and how much ‘caregiver stress’ is put onto the family members,” Alyssa O’Gorman said. “It’s

Beal's experience caring for his mother prompted him to return to school.

After years bearing witness to the fragility of a mind debilitated by Alzhei-

His name will also be added to the long list of Alzheimer’s Association supporters. Since securing his permit, Beal turned his trek into an awareness march of sorts, with all proceeds benefiting the organization.

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mer’s, he chose to major in psychology.

But his hands-on experience as a caregiver pushed him towards nursing. He planned to promote alternative medicine in conjunction with Western medicine and improve upon the inadequacies in care he witnessed while in search of a facility for his mother.

But nursing classes were too emotionally triggering, so Beal switched his major to architecture instead.

“I had a really hard time committing to a degree because I felt like a big conditional element of my life was waiting for my mom to die,” he said.

As the youngest of eight, Beal is largely dependent on his siblings for memories of his mother prior to her diagnosis. Stories of her youth allow him to understand the woman she once was.

Becky, it turned out, was unapologetic in the pursuit of herself. Although an extraordinarily talented pianist by the age of 9, she quit against her mother’s wishes. When everyone told her to sit still, look pretty and wait for a husband to provide for her, Becky pursued a master’s degree in business and communications. She made time for solo travel, perhaps recognizing the importance of balance after marrying and rearing eight children.

Clockwise, from top left: Beal will hike in support of the Alzheimer’s Association; Becky and Beal share a sweet moment at Primrose, Becky's assisted living facility; Beal preparing for the hike; Beal escorting his mother at Primrose.

“My mom really had the mentality of ‘screw what anybody else influences you into doing and just do whatever the hell you want to do,’” he said.

This mentality helped Beal make an important realization: “My mom doesn’t want me to put my life on hold for her sake.”

“I just want to live as fully as I can,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard at taking risks, especially being a man and having it be very cursed to be vulnerable.

That’s been a big mission of mine — to really allow myself to be as vulnerable as I can with myself, with the people around me and my emotions, and with my passions and desires.”

Follow Beal on his journey at: www.2650milesformom.weebly.com Fall 2018

PHOTOS BY ADEIRA SHERPA

For a third time, Beal changed his major to natural sciences and will graduate from SRJC in December 2018. Then, four months later, he’ll rise early and take to the trail.

theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 31

Tension in Tiju

Water from the at-capacity stadium's showers floods the overcrowded and expanding tent city in Tijuana where thousands of migrants await t

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uana:

SRJC student documents the “migrant caravan” By

their turn to seek asylum in the U.S.

Séamus Reed

JOSHUA TORRES

S

anta Rosa Junior College student Joshua Torres saw a tractor-trailer arrive and start to unload passengers. The container had been modified to hold a second deck of people, and he counted around 75 climb out of the truck. They had come to Tijuana from Mexicali, more than 90 miles away, in the back of a metal shipping container with only one door open to let air in.

He watched as hundreds of migrants unloaded from buses, cars and more trucks like the one he described. “Every 10 or 15 minutes another 100 or 200 people kept coming in.”

Torres, 26, left Santa Rosa the evening of Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. on a Greyhound bus to San Diego, embarking on a 12-hour trip with one goal in mind: find the “migrant caravan.”

Torres was drawn to the mass emigration, which made national news after President Trump ordered more than 5000 Army Corps of Engineers personnel to the Mexican border to assist in fortifications in early November. Made up of roughly 7,000 Central Americans, the migrant caravan has made its way, mostly on foot throughout southern and central Mexico, arriving to Tijuana at the end of November.

Tensions came to a head when a large group splintered off from a peaceful protest and attempted to cross the fence near the San Ysidro Crossing on Nov. 25, but were driven back when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials released tear gas. Traffic at the border was subsequently closed in both directions. Mexican officials arrested 39 and threatened to deport violent offenders.

Torres missed the tear gas incident but was on hand to see groups of migrants arrive by bus, car, truck and foot to seek asylum in the United States.

Torres’ interest in immigration issues springs from his parents, both legal immigrants from El Salvador and Nicaragua. “I’m familiar with the culture down

Fall 2018

there,” he said. “When I heard a lot of people were coming up for gang-related reasons, or work-related reasons, I totally understood.”

Torres started taking pictures with his father’s camera when he was 13 and had an internship with a fine art portrait photographer in Petaluma. High school ended, and his interests drifted; he even skateboarded professionally. He eventually took up his camera again.

“As I got older I was drawn to it again,” Torres said. “I just don’t think I’ll put it down this time.”

His hobby has given him new meaning the second time around, and he wants to use his camera to document important events like these. “In a situation like that, you’re able to get photographs that are unique,” he said.

Crossing the Mexican-American border on his skateboard, Torres searched Tijuana for arriving groups of migrants.

“When I was trying to figure out where [the migrant groups were], you could tell by their body language that [the locals] didn’t want to talk about it and didn’t want anything to do with it,” Torres said.

Skating to a small town on the outskirts of Tijuana, he found a baseball stadium full of people, with more buses and trucks arriving by the hour.

“It seemed pretty tense. There were a lot of children, a lot of men around my age,” Torres said. “The majority of people there were just looking for answers.”

Tijuanans donated food, water and clothing, but he didn’t see many charities or government organizations other than Mexican police and military to deal with the incoming tide of people.

“They couldn’t keep up with the amount of people they needed to feed. They couldn’t cook the food fast enough,” he said.

See CARAVAN on Page 38 theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 33

Torres saw one of the refugees call out a military officer who handed a bottle of water to another soldier. “Immediately one of the guys from the caravan was like, ‘How can you give this guy water but you see women and children here and you can’t give them water?’”

Earlier that day Torres watched three young girls who were left alone when their mother and friends went to buy food the night before. They didn’t return, and the girls’ family doesn’t know what happened to them. Torres snapped a picture of the three sitting on a curb, crying and embracing each other. They, like so many others, had run out of food and water, with no tangible plan on the horizon.

Young people making the trip stood out in the crowds. “I talked to kids there, between the ages of 13 and 15, and I asked them if they were alone, and all of the ones I talked to said ‘Yeah’,” Torres said.

“They didn’t start the caravan alone, but they would get separated.”

Families split up, planning to meet up at the border, but swirling rumors warned of deportations and kidnappings.

After three days, Joshua caught a Greyhound bus back north. Having left Sonoma County with no real background in journalism, Torres returned with around 200 photos of an international humanitarian crisis.

“Seeing people actually run out of food, [without] water, people who were actually hungry, you know real hunger, and just the desperation in people’s faces,” he said with a somber face.

“Having the ability to skate over the border, to come and go as I please makes me feel a little guilty.”

While he was in Tijuana, he rationalized being there and not helping.“I'm documenting, so I have to keep telling myself that's what I’m doing.”

From Top: Three sisters wait for their mother who left the previous night to find food; migrants reach toward volunteers handing out clothing; a boy waiting outside with his family finds comfort when he sees a skateboard.

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JOSHUA TORRES

Migrant caravan

From Germany to the JC By

Edgar Soria-Garica and Abraham Fuentes

I

nternational students come from all over the world to further their education at Santa Rosa Junior College, but the learning curve isn’t limited to the classroom; customs and culture vary greatly between countries.

She noted Americans stand further away from each other and often apologize for little things.

“People have more sense of privacy and anonymity in the U.S.,” Riegel said.

The Santa Rosa climate feels dry to her, and she has a newfound appreciation for rain.

She also misses what she calls “actual mountains”; she said the local ones are more like hills.

Juliane Riegel, 23, from Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, is part of the SRJC International Student Program. Before landing in Santa Rosa, Riegel discovered her passion as an educator while teaching English as a second language in Vietnam and realized that she needed a teaching degree.

The wildlife diversity in California has been a change for her. In the German Alps dangerous animals such as bears have been killed during the last decades. In California people can see wild animals in their natural habitat. “It really puts you in your place.”

“It was really nerve-wracking for me. In the Vietnam ESL market, nationality was important,” Reigel said. As a German teaching English, jobs were limited in Vietnam, but pretending to be American gave her more work opportunities. “Many job requirements would say only Americans, Australia or South Africa. I would say I was half American to get the job.”

Riegel constantly apologized for her non-native English, but knew she had the skills to teach. “I don’t see why you need to a be native speaker to teach it.”

One thing she would bring from Germany to the U.S. would be the multiple festivals that celebrate town saints. “We had different saints for different things. We would have parades where horses were blessed and so many other things,” she said.

SRJC international student Juliane Riegel notices Americans stand further from each other and apologize often.

Riegel met her boyfriend Chris while in Vietnam. She followed him to California a year ago. She did not want to stop learningso she enrolled in SRJC’s Child Development program on her way to a teaching credential.

Fall 2018

Riegel would also prefer Americans take off their shoes before entering her home. “You’re stepping on gum on the floor and gross stuff. I don’t want that inside,” she said, laughing.

During her first year she noticed differences between German and American culture. The first differences were in social settings and interactions. “People say ‘Hi, how are you?’ but it’s like they don’t actually care,” she said, laughing.

Looking to the future Riegel said, “I never want to settle in like one place. I want to travel for the rest of my life; I want my life to be easily packed into a backpack and keep traveling.”

But she appreciates those who demonstrate genuine concern for her well being.

Riegel plans to travel abroad, continuing her education wherever she goes, so she can teach at any school in the world.

theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 35

Open borders, open minds: By

I

t was the early ‘80s when Santa Rosa Junior College opened up to the international community, but it wasn’t until 2014 that outreach efforts gained momentum. When SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong took office, the school had about 50 international students who had found their way here by wordof-mouth.

At that time, the international students’ office was but a desk under Admissions and Records. In four short years, the program has expanded to a full department.

Dr. Chong says he realized the need to expand the international program as a way of promoting cultural exchange and interaction with our neighbors.

“It’s one way of understanding each other’s culture. When these students come here they get to know more about America and in return we learn about them--creating a win-win situation,’’ Chong said.

José González and David Sekiranda

Kenko Yokota, 20, from Japan said ‘’it was easy to go through the visa process after the international program prepared all the necessary paperwork, and my parents never faced any hurdles at the embassy.’’

Yokota is amused by California hospitality and is all smiles when he compares what he describes as the “flat roads’’ of California to those of Japan.

“The roads here are so smooth I can ride my bike all day long — anywhere,’’ Yokota said.

Smith marvels at the efficiency of SRJC’s international program. “Once a student is here, the college will help secure all the necessary paperwork to enable them to work and drive,” she said. “Though public transportation is readily available, driving is a big part of American life.’’

On other pertinent issues such as student housing, she said her office actively helps international students through programs like homestay, which connects students with American families who charge a reasonable fee for room, board and utilities.

“We have injected enormous Siem Ebus, a natural science major from the Netherlands, resources and when these plays soccer at midfield for the Bear Cubs. students come here, we treat them like our own, we help Many students who have enrolled in the them get into the right classes and avail program credit its easy access to various them with all the tools necessary to For students who prefer to live indeservices that are crucial for someone enmake them feel at home.’’ pendently, SRJC helps them figure out tering the country for the first time. the leasing process with rental properVayta Smith is the department directy owners. Most important, the school With good coordination, students are tor, and with her team, she has set up doesn’t require any student to reside given the necessary tools to help them more than six global recruitment centers in a particular place; students can live navigate the visa process. spread across the world. with their own family members as well.

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Fall 2018

SRJC welcomes international students Davina Daehn, 20, a German international student, stays with her aunt as she progresses through the early stages of her exchange. Within four months she’s been able to grasp the English language, thanks to the English Language Service, a program which helps students from non-English speaking countries. She has also been able to obtain a driver’s license.

gram selects recipients based on individual real life stories.

International students receive visas for the course duration, which may last up to three years.

Since SRJC’s international program spans only two years, the college helps students transfer to four-year colleges.

SRJC works with all California universities. International students have transferred to UC Berkeley, Sonoma State University, UC Davis and UCLA among others.

Daehn is grateful for the way people in the U.S. have treated her thus far, “Everyone is willing to extend help.’’

“I do recommend to any parents wishing to send their children to seek education in the U.S. to do it through SRJC,” said Constance Raby, 21, a communications studies major from France. “It is not only a big financial a leap, but it’s also a great pathway from high school to a four-year college.’’

Jennifer Kanto Rakotoarivelo, 18, is from Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa. She wonders how so many people from all walks of life can live so happily together.

Rakotoarivelo has been in the country for two months and has only studied English, but she’s blown away by her teachers at the English Language Services. ‘’I have only been speaking French since my birth, but these teachers here are miracle workers,” she said. “I can’t imagine I now speak English.”

An international student holds the welcome banner outside the Santa Rosa campus's Doyle library on Club Day.

Rakotoarivelo will officially start her SRJC classes in the Spring.

She is struck by how Americans are free to share their opinions on anything. On this note, she felt free to say she isn’t yet into American food.

Fall 2018

Though federal law prohibits international students from accessing financial aid, the international program grants up to $1,000 per semester to some students. The money comes from funds donated by Santa Rosa Junior College international alumni and local well-wishers. The international pro-

Raby added that SRJC has helped her to build strong social, technical and academic skills that would have been more challenging at a large university. She credits SRJC with making access to professors, tutors and student teaching assistants easy.

Prospective applicants must have a high school diploma and demonstrate some English proficiency, unless they come from countries where English is the language of instruction. Applicants should be 18 years or older. visit www.santarosa.edu/international

theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 37

Back in the saddle again

By

Lenita Marie Johnson

R

eturning to college after several decades in the work world can be tumultuous and often a little crazy-making, to put it mildly, especially after earning a Bachelor of Science in media during the wild and crazy mid-70s.

Now I spend hours in a classroom and even more in the newsroom at The Oak Leaf, Santa Rosa Junior College’s student news media.

I’m taking classes in yoga and social media while working with a great and fantastic program called CALWORKS that assists new and returning students who are coming back to college or just starting in their first year.

Most of the time I existed on very little sleep and felt like a mummy. I worked a lot in media. I started in radio at WBUR, BU’s radio station, then moved into print at the Bay State Banner — the first Black-owned weekly newspaper in New England — and afterwards I began my television experience at WGBH, Boston’s award-winning public television station. After graduation I moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where I went back to my roots in radio, primarily covering news and politics.

Then it was off to Germany and working as a freelancer for the Associated Press.

Germany The Germans were uber-friendly. My command of their language was extremely limited and most of those I met spoke little or limited English with a German accent. Yet they generally had a smile and would say hello to me in German, and I’d respond with the broken-German I was learning.

I lived with my younger brother in his quaint home. He was career military, stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army.

It’s amazing how little sleep one can exist on while in college. Classes, homework (yuck!), traipsing across this dang campus, which feels like it’s the size of a small city — that’s the story of my life these days.

Beginning in Boston

I majored in broadcasting, film and journalism with a minor in pre-law while working part-time in the restaurant world. My days were spent in the classroom, on campus and at public libraries. The Boston public library, Kenmore Square and Boston’s Pier 39, were among my favorite getaway spots. As somewhat of a social butterfly, dates often included very late nights in high-end eateries.

Yet a love life? Forget about it!

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ABRAHAM FUENTES

My life as a student began at Boston University when I became the first in my family to go to college. The eldest of nine, I was only 16 when I moved into the dormitory as a freshman, and was assigned the roommate from you-know-where.

Talk about spoiled rotten, that doesn’t even do justice to how miserable she was.

She was an only child and definitely fit the cliche. Not only was she untidy, she snored in her sleep! My second year I successfully petitioned to move off campus.

Lenita Marie Johnson works on the Oak Leaf in the newsroom this fall.

Fall 2018

Second round as a college student I thought I was living in a foreign movie with him and his German wife. She was a sweetheart and madly in love with Charles. Of course, I spent quite some time reminding him that I was his older not younger sister, even though he was almost 8 feet tall!

Talk about cold.

Vineyards, which specialized in custom-labelled, award-winning wines with a female winemaker, Carol Shelton. I was the only Black broker for quite a while, and in no time I was in the top 10 in annual sales. I was driven to become No. 1, and became quite the adventurer who spent weekends discovering San Francisco and the Bay Area.

“...I’ve learned to speak English, French and German, but the language of social media has been the most frustrating to learn.”

Virtually every day was somewhere below zero and freezing every part of my body.

Often I would go off on an adventure, a day trip to Heidelberg, shopping or visiting pubs. I thought I knew snow from growing up in New England. Ha! Every single day was partly spent shovelling from the snowstorm the night before.

When I returned home, I landed in warm San Diego and started law school while working part-time in news. My Navy lieutenant fiancée practically lived in the law library with me; he would sneak in food during late-night study sessions.

I worked in the wine industry, landing a position as a wine broker for Windsor

Fall 2018

It’s interesting relating to my younger, 30-year-plus younger, classmates. Most are young enough to be my children! I love everyone in my classes, even including my professors. Well, most of the time.

Every now and then there are a handful of students in my age group (and no, I’m not going to tell you my age), so I’m not completely a solo act.

This brings me to my most challenging class: social media. It’s a skillset younger students appear to have learned when they were in diapers.

When I was at BU, our communications teachers tried to warn us the day would come when we would be living in a 21st century version of “The Twilight Zone.”

While these new forms of communication are an opportunity for study, they are a foreign language to me and other older students who grew up with stationery, typewriters and rotary phones. In my lifetime, I’ve learned to speak English, French and German, but the lan-

Although my social media class has challenged me almost to the point of tears at times (though I love the teacher!), working on the Oak Leaf is a blast and feels like being part of an exclusive fraternity and sorority combined. There is literally never a dull moment at this joint.

It’s always hoppin’.

Enroll in CS 74.42A Game Development Do something in the Spring that you won’t forget. Discover the power of games to transform the way people think and act.

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cs.santarosa.edu

After a stint clerking for the San Diego County counsel, I decided to take a break — from both law school and the philandering lieutenant. I left for Brentwood, near Los Angeles. Long story short, L.A. wasn’t a fit, so I headed north and discovered Sonoma County wine country. I fell in love with Bodega Bay though I was a little hesitant when a group of black birds — like in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” — would all of a sudden gather around.

SRJC calls

Yet I persist. I am learning as I go and slowly gaining more knowledge of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.

There are more programs than I can grasp...thank God for my younger comrades who are extremely patient. The bottom line is media is media, from the Stone Age to today.

Research

Back to the U.S.

Then it was back to school.

guage of social media has been the most frustrating to learn.

Oak Leaf Magazine 39

child development

Lifelong lessons in learning By

S

Jordan Allums

tudent success is paramount at Santa Rosa Junior College Children’s Center — and not just for the infants toddling around the center’s play area. SRJC students partially staff the center, caring for the children as part of their coursework.

This means that both the children in the center’s care and the adults who care for them are learning and developing skills that will shape their futures.

This joint effort between the college’s Children’s Center and its child development program create a cycle for participants, a cycle that illuminates the power of learning and of a college education.

Maleese Warner has been director of SRJC’s early childhood education program for the past three years, and was formerly the manager of child development services, overseeing the preschool and toddler program. She has unique perspective on the connection between the two.

“The program gives ownership, in a sense, to the JC from a very young age and gets children interested in the fact that their parents are in college,” Warner said. “They’re seeing their parents go to school and eventually they can [also] go to [college].”

PHOTO COURTESY CALL CHILD DEVELOPMENTCENTER

SRJC’s Children’s Center provides rich opportunities for both its youngest pupils and those with higher education dreams.

As one of only four Program for Infant and Toddler Care facilities nationwide, SRJC Children’s Center helps infants receive a safe, healthy and emotionally secure start in an intellectually-stimulating environment while encouraging student-teachers to learn best practices they can later deploy in their own classrooms.

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“We do developmentally appropriate practices working with the children at all the levels that they need for their development,” Warner said.

Teachers provide a language-rich experience for students as young as 6 months old, ensuring they hear as many words as possible, broadening their vocabularies even before they are old enough to speak. Teachers also take care to engage directly with each child, while keeping a close eye on each student’s interests.

The center’s low student-to-teacher ratio makes this shared learning experience possible.

Infant participants range in age from 6 to 18 months and enjoy a 3-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Toddler classes are geared toward 18- to 36-month-old children with a 4-to-1 ratio of students to teachers, and the preschool group, which caters to 3-yearolds through kindergarteners, offers an 8-to-1 ratio.

“My favorite thing about teaching and working with the younger children is just how brilliant they truly are and how much their brains just absorb so much information,” Warner said.

This level of interaction and enrichment is as valuable to SRJC’s student-teachers as it is the children; it provides a gateway into teaching, according to Warner.

“If you’re interested in education in general, it is a beautiful stepping stone, even into K-12.”

The opportunity to student-teach at the Children’s Center through SRJC’s child development program is offered in a six unit

practicum course, CHLD 66: Early Childhood Care and Education Practicum.

“It’s a very comprehensive program where [SRJC students] have a lot of time to work with the children,” Warner said. Typical SRJC practicum courses are three units; CHLD 66’s three extra practicum hours in allow students to benefit from in-depth instruction in a lengthier, more focused setting as opposed to short, 1.5 hour bursts twice a week. CHLD 66 helps students get in the required hours needed for their teaching credentials early.

But the strongest testament to child development program and the Children’s Center partnership is watching a former student become a student-teacher and then a fulltime staff member. According to Warner, the majority of the center’s employees have come through the program, graduated from SRJC and were hired into the center as associate teachers.

“Even the site supervisor downstairs — she was an intern, and then she became an associate teacher and she’s been here nearly 20 years,” Warner said.

Tina Rosenberg started as a student with SRJC nearly 20 years ago. She worked through the child development program and spent a year as an intern. After becoming a teacher and teaching for 10 years she was promoted to the Children’s Center site supervisor. She credits her success to the program’s flexibility and support system.

“There’s a lot of support, lots of different teachers willing to help you succeed.”

“As I’ve branched out, I’ve gotten to know all the kids, and their families. I really enjoy providing the children a safe place for learning.”

Fall 2018

From teething to teaching By

Aria Quinn

Moosman attended U.C. Davis after high school and planned to become a scientist of some kind, though he knew he eventually wanted to work with kids.

After working as a playground supervisor at an elementary school, Moosman discovered he loved working with young children and toddlers. He changed his major to mass media and child development.

ARIA QUINN

He spent 10 years working in a child development program in Eugene, Oregon, before heading back to school for a master’s degree. He landed on a profession, educating adults on how to teach kids.

Instructor Paul Moosman in his office.

L

ike many who have large families, Paul Moosman began taking care of kids at 13, when he became an uncle for the first time. Babysitting started him down a path that led to a career in early childhood education as an instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College.

In 1996, Moosman earned his master’s degree in human development and leadership in education from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California.

After teaching for a short time at Pacific Oaks, he returned to the Bay Area for a tenured faculty position at SRJC, one he’s held for the last 21 years.

Moosman is now doing exactly what he always wanted to do. He teaches “Intro

to Curriculum,” a critical piece of earning a teaching credential in California and a class called “Child, Family, Community Interrelationships” for the SRJC child development program.

According to the class catalog, the course covers “the diversity of family systems, sociocultural factors affecting the child’s development and the socializing influences of community.” Moosman said he believes socialization is one of the greatest advantages a child can have.

“A child can learn all kinds of things at an early age, but at what cost?” he said.

Children can learn academic skills that qualify them as very smart for their age, but they might sacrifice their interactions with peers, community, families and even nature, something that Moosman and his colleagues in the child development program agree on.

“I love teaching,” Moosman said. “I’m an entertainer. I like being in front of people.

I love turning a student on to the world of early childhood, seeing them engage with the material. That’s fun for me.”

Between papers and parenting By

B

Jasmine Benigno-Hall

eing a single mom in college is like being Wonder Woman: when the odds are stacked against them, t hey still prevail. College life isn’t easy; it’s a constant balancing act between classes, work, health and a social life, and for single mothers, they must stack the daily duties of motherhood onto the list.

Romelia Bonilla, 23, understands this challenge. She is majoring in child development at Santa Rosa Junior College while raising a young daughter and is the first in her family to attend college.

Originally from Mexico, Bonilla came to Santa Rosa when she was young and graduated from Piner High School. Now a single mom, raising her own child helped her realize her desire to become a preschool teacher. She enjoys the handson experience by working with the children in her Child 66 class, where students do activities with the children such as circle time. Teachers give the students feedback on how well they interact with the children.

In Child 55.6 students work more on art projects with the kids, where they learn

At left, SRJC's Call Child Development Center on the Santa Rosa campus, home to one of four Program for Infant and Toddler Care facilities nationwide.

Fall 2018

about different art materials and how they can use them.

Bonilla works as a student teacher in the child care center where average days can range from slow to hectic.

“It’s interesting, it changes. Some days it will be good, some days it will be a little more chaotic. Usually it’s pretty easy going, they’re 2 years old. They’re pretty fun to interact with. I think what I like about it the most, is that they’re learning how to do everything, so you kind of see that process of how they’re doing each thing,” Bonilla said.

Bonilla will finish her child development classes this fall and has one more semester left of general education classes before earning an associate’s degree in child development. After graduation she plans to work at a preschool, possibly starting as a substitute teacher. theoakleafnews.com

child development

“It’s a struggle having to find someone to babysit sometimes,” she said. “I choose my classes at an appropriate time where I can someone take care of her,” said Bonilla said. She maintains a com-

pact schedule with classes from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays, homework in the afternoons and work in the evenings.

Oak Leaf Magazine 41

H

e wakes before the sun, muscles still sore from yesterday's sprints, and steps out into 40-degree weather to work out. Class follows right after, then team meetings, more classes, practice and another class after that.

ABRAHAM FUENTES

The life of a student-athlete is nothing short of a 14-hour-a-day whirlwind. It is a daily exercise in discipline and pain and time management, and it requires the utmost commitment of both body and mind.

grind rise The studentand

athlete hustle By

Isaiah Cappelen

For students like Santa Rosa Junior College running back Kenneth Fitzgerald, 18, and center fielder Joey Loveless, 18, life as a student-athlete is brutal.

“It's a nonstop grind,” Loveless said.

Many people understand the life of an average college student has enough challenges on its own. Full-time students taking 12 or more units know everything that comes with school — including homework and in-class work — is stressful enough.

Count the regular stress of the college life, then add the pressure and struggle that comes with collegiate sports, and you get a lifestyle that is fit only for the most determined person.

ABRAHAM FUENTES

It is commonly thought that collegiate student-athletes receive special treatment from faculty for their association with school athletics. This may be true at large schools and Division I programs, but this is not the case for an athlete trying to make it to the next level from a community college.

Waking up at 5 a.m. is routine for Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, his day does not start with a hot cup of coffee and a casual scroll through Instagram. Instead, he wakes crusty-eyed to a blaring phone alarm ordering him up for the football team’s morning session of mandatory weightlifting.

Santa Rosa Junior College athletes Joey Loveless (top) and Kenneth Fitzgerald (bottom) juggle responsibilities, including schoolwork, athletic events and training.

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Most of the time Fitzgerald is coming off no more than five to six hours of sleep, either from doing homework or studying film for the upcoming game that week.

Fall 2018

“There is no rest for the weary,” he said.

After starting his day with the horrific noise of Apple’s signature “alarm” ringtone, Fitzgerald grabs himself a banana for breakfast, his football gear for practice and his backpack full of playbooks and binders for class. He locks the door behind him and heads into the predawn darkness to drive from his house in Petaluma to the weight room in Santa Rosa.

A morning for Loveless, SRJC baseball’s center fielder, is slightly different but entails the same rigorous daily routine.

When study hall ends for both players, the cause for this scheduling crush creeps closer. For Fitzgerald, one more class stands between him and football time.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Loveless has a 5 p.m. class back in Petaluma, and he somehow manages to make it on time.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald handles his own schedule just as gracefully.

After his morning study hall, “Fitz” makes his way to another class at 1:30 p.m. and finishes up two hours later. Then it’s time for his longest commitment of the day, football practice.

If you’re late to anything, you’re f*cked. There’s no margin for error.

Instead of starting his day with baseball-related activities, the center fielder wakes promptly at 7 a.m. for his 8 a.m. calculus class. Loveless gets a maximum of six hours of sleep the night before. His late bedtimes are due to never-ending math homework and weekly computer science projects he scarcely has the time for because of — you guessed it, baseball practice.

As their course loads indicate, Fitzgerald and Loveless aren't only about sports.

Fitzgerald is a sociology major and Loveless is majoring in computer science; both have loaded schedules. This semester “Fitz,” as he’s known on the team, is taking 14 units and Loveless is taking 17, on top of their hours in their respective sports. The two competitors are fully aware of the burdens their schedules impose, but they recognize the term “student-athlete” leads with “student,” not “athlete.”

After Fitzgerald finishes his morning weights session around 8 a.m., he gets cleaned up and moves to the next event in his packed schedule, another class.

When class ends, he attends SRJC-mandated study hall in an attempt to get work done and make up for missed time spent in practice or team meetings.

Fall 2018

Loveless is not exempt from these stipulations either. After his first class ends at 10:30 a.m. in Petaluma, he has 20 minutes to rush home, grab his baseball gear and books for the day and get to the Santa Rosa campus for study hall.

For Loveless, it's time to grind.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, Loveless rolls straight into the baseball team’s three-hour practice, immediately followed by weight training at 3:30 p.m.

When he’s finally done with baseball for the day, at around 4:30 p.m., Loveless has one hour before his next class, Intro to Computer Science, which starts at 5:30 p.m.

Loveless usually rushes to the cafeteria between practice and class to grab something to eat, something to fuel him through the end of his day. But time is of the essence for student-athletes, and if a coach were to hear the slightest rumbling that a player slacked off in the classroom — or arrived late, dinner in-hand or not — it’s over.

Athletes know tardiness to practice or a game warrants major punishment that can include 10 or 20 100-yard sprints from goal line to goal line.

“If you’re late to anything, you’re f*cked,” he said. “There’s no margin for error.”

Team meetings start at 4 p.m., and as the coaches make very clear, there’s no time to spare.

Fitzgerald attends his team meeting and then the football team’s two-hour practice that ends at 6:30. But his day is nowhere near over. Like Loveless, Fitzgerald has another class directly after practice; then after class, both athletes head home for dinner and to start on homework due the next day.

Loveless says he is up until 2 a.m. some nights completing assignments, and the same goes for Fitzgerald with his studies.

Finally — mercifully — after a 21-hour day filled with sprints, calculus, batting practice and computer science, the two athletes get some rest, their alarms set so they can rise again tomorrow, rinsing and repeating their hectic schedules.

Balancing school and life is hard enough, but for student-athletes, it’s a whole different ball game. They manage school, work and personal schedules all while spending the majority of their time exerting their extraordinary energy on the field and in the classroom.

“You just have to know how to manage your time,” Fitzgerald said. “You have to use all your energy wisely throughout the day.”

And year after year, student-athletes like Loveless and Fitzgerald find a way to do it all.

All for love of the game.

theoakleafnews.com

Oak Leaf Magazine 43

From career-ending injury to Big 8 superstar:

Overcoming adversity to lead the league

By

Ian MacGregor

Just over two years ago, doctors told Vintage High School senior Richie Hardwick he would never play football again.

He had fractured three bones and tore a ligament in his right foot during a nonleague game against Woodcreek-Roseville.

It wasn’t the injury itself that worried doctors; it was whether Hardwick would be able to play with screws and other hardware in his foot.

Flash forward to 2018, and Hardwick leads Santa Rosa Junior College Football with 71 tackles; he's picked off two passes and leads the Big 8 with three blocked kicks. He's also a vocal leader on a strong defense.

Hardwick always knew he wasn’t done playing football.

“I knew for myself [the Woodcreek-Roseville game] wasn’t going to be my last time competing,” Hardwick said.

His rehab process was grueling and left him with a difficult choice: attempt to play despite his doctor’s concerns or walk away from the game he loves.

Hardwick was in a cast for more than two months and a walking boot for another.

He got his cast off the Thursday before Vintage High’s senior night, for which he decided to suit up.

“I didn’t play, but it felt good to be able to at least warm up and walk out.”

He was cleared to resume running in January of 2017, four months after his injury.

He then moved on to extensive leg workouts a month later.

Once he began to work out, Hardwick was forced to take it slow.

“I went from squatting 370 in high school to only squatting 135 pounds,” he said. “It was super discouraging at first, but I really tuned into it and focused. I wanted to make memories for myself and my family.”

After watching from the sidelines for more than a year, Hardwick’s first game back on the field was SRJC’s 2017 season opener on the road against Butte College.

“It was a huge eye-opener for me on the change in speed, especially after sitting for

so long,” he said. “It was full of emotions and felt great to be back.”

By the end of the 2017 season, Hardwick tallied nine tackles and one of his signature blocked kicks. He was ready to take on a larger role in the defense in 2018 as the starting strong safety.

Hardwick credits his team with helping him get past his injury.

“It’s a great feeling getting to build relationships with new people who are going through their own battles,” he said. “We’re able to enjoy the sport together and work together.”

SRJC head coach Lenny Wagner was impressed with Hardwick’s contributions.

“His injury has not slowed him down one bit. It’s never been a factor in the time that he’s been here.”

Hardwick hasn’t let his injury affect his play or his attitude. In fact, most of his teammates are still in the dark about both his injury and his recovery.

Since his injury, Richie Hardwick (11) hasn't shied away from contact. He is a feared Bear Cubs tackler at safety.

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ATTILA GERO

Fall 2018

“He has been the best he could possibly be and that has put him in a position to perform well and help his team be successful,” DePaola said.

Hardwick’s SRJC career ended Saturday, Dec. 1, in a bowl game at American River College. He will finish on a high note as one of the best safeties in the Big 8, ranking sixth in tackles and third among defensive backs.

Hardwick’s teammates take note of his ability to battle through adversity.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to stop playing after this season and finish on my own terms,” Hardwick said.

SRJC defensive coordinator Dante DePaola is proud of Hardwick.

Fall 2018

PHOTO COURTESTY HUDL.COM

“My coaches have been incredibly supportive, but most of my teammates actually have no idea unless they played with me in high school,” he said.

“He’s tough man,” said running back Kenneth Fitzgerald. “Richie’s a dog.”

Coach Wagner admires his star sophomore and is quick to heap praise on the young man.

“He’s a person of few words and a true leader by example,” he said. “He’s an amazing person and truly a walking example of what we want our players to be.”

Hardwick was primed for a dominant senior season before injury struck.

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Oak Leaf Magazine 45

46 Oak Leaf Magazine

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Fall 2018