Vol 48, Issue 10 (March 16, 2016)

NEWS STREAM

Tattoo no longer taboo

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Welcome home swallows

Lariat

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Regional trains lose millions

The student voice of Saddleback College since 1968

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

volume 48, issue 6

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Gauchos fail to defend title

GENDER EQUALITY AT A STALEMATE? “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and needed, not overlooked and ignored,” said Sheryl Sandberg twitter.com/lariatnews

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16th annual gala focuses on students Brazil College fundraiser study auctions off hockey tickets, abroad tropical vacations and a PGA West set for golf package June

BREANNA GREENUP MANAGING EDITOR

The Saddleback College Foundation held its 16th Annual Gala Saturday night in effort to benefit the students and programs at Saddleback College.

The cocktail-style event took place at the Laguna Cliffs Marriot Resort and Spa in Dana Point.

The gala featured a three-course dinner, entertainment, guest speakers and more importantly— the silent and live auctions.

The gala kicked of with a silent auction the night before, auctioning off items that included Martini baskets, Anaheim Ducks tickets, local art and even a weekend get away to the Laguna Cliffs Marriot Resort itself. While the live auction featured more luxurious packages like a Palm Springs getaway and a one-week stay in the Caribbean.

Prior to the live auction, audience members and donors had the opportunity to hear the gala’s guest speakers—one of these speakers was 2015 Alumna and valedictorian Lydia Nataloo.

“Many endure the journey

BETSY JOHNSON PHOTO EDITOR

VALWESTOVERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

RAISING FUNDS: Saddleback President Tod A. Burnett speaks about the importance

of philanthropic giving to community colleges at the Laguna Cliffs Marriot Resort and Spa. because they know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, please do not stop supporting us, never get weary about doing good,” Nataloo said in her speech. “You may never know that there is another Lydia at Saddleback College.”

Nataloo is a native of a small village in Uganda, starting her journey to education by walking two hours to school everyday.

She remembers the struggles she had growing up, and in awe of the audience—was the youngest of 28 children. She often only had one meal a day.

“I’m deeply grateful, humbled and blessed to be alive today. In

a world with so many troubles, I’m always reminded that there is a higher purpose for me to fulfill in this world,” Nataloo said in her speech.

Nataloo attributes Saddleback as the base to a lot of her successes in her life thus far.

“Even after speech today, I look at Saddleback College didn’t jut give me a degree, but changed the trajectory or my life. Not having a family here, Saddleback became family to me,” Nataloo said.

Organizations like the Saddleback Foundation are vital for students like Nataloo. However, a common problem is students are

either unaware of these services or don’t know where to go. ASG President William Vassetizadeh, who also spoke at the gala recognize that it is a problem among the student body.

“I attend a lot of different meetings and it’s pretty well know throughout the campus that a lot of students struggle with finances,” Vassetizadeh said. “The student government has taken initiatives like the food drive and the holiday toy drive to help some of those Saddleback families.”

While Vassetizadeh says that ASG doesn’t have a direct role READ MORE ON PAGE 2

Saddleback helps pave way to law school KSENIYA TARANYUK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Pathway to Law School 2+2+3 Initiative established in a Memorandum of Understanding, signed last Saturday at the Legal Pathway Summit at the University of California, Davis School of Law, now allows Saddleback College students to have a direct pathway to law school.

“The Community College Pathway to Law School 2+2+3 Initiative is an unprecedented opportunity to offer advancement in the legal profession for our students,” said leader of Saddleback’s College’s Pathway to Law School and Saddleback instructor Emily Quinlan. “Including diverse populations, particularly those who have been traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession.’

The project is sponsored by the CA LAW, Inc. and State Bar’s Council on Access and

“This is a wonderful opportunity for every student who wishes to pursue a future in law as it provides a clear path to law school” Pontus Goeransson Fairness (COAF), Saddleback College is now accepting applications for the Pathway to Law School 2+2+3 – Legal Scholars program.

“This program and initiative is a great opportunity for me, as well as other students, because I look to attend law school in the future,” said Pre-Law Club president Pontus Goeransson. “Some of the universities that

participate in the program are top law schools, such as USC, and having the privilege of receiving special consideration will strengthen my application.”

The program is called “2+2+3” initiative which means students will have to complete two years at Saddleback, two years at the university they transfer to and three years at their law school. It prepares students following this path for a successful transfer and admission to law school.

Some of the benefits of the program also include financial aid counseling, academic advisement, pre-law advisement, LSAT prep information, exposure to the legal community, legal internship opportunities, participation in the Pre-Law Society and other law-related support.

“The pathway is intended to provide reREAD MORE ON PAGE 2

“Some students got attacked in the rain forest by the Butt fly, it’s a not a mosquito it is a fly, so unlike the mosquito that has a piercing mouth that goes through your skin to suck the blood, the Butt fly has a chewing mouth,” said Marcelo Pires, Saddleback College instructor. “They chew through your skin to get the blood.”

“There was a winner who had 100 bites, but some people didn’t get any. You are going to be in a tropical forest, there are going to be animals there that bite and the Butt fly is one of them. That’s not keeping anyone from going, it is part of the experience,” said Pires.

This is the second time doing the Brazil Study Abroad program and ore than 30 students are signing up to get the credits. Because students taking this trip will earn 3.5 credits toward the science requirement, many are jumping on board.

From June 12 to 26, students and instructors will be circling Southeastern Brazil.

They will first land in Sao Paulo, then head to Ilhabela, Ubatuba, Paraty and finish in Rio de Janeiro. Students will FOR FULL STORTY VISIT LARIATNEWS.COM/NEWS ON THE WEB

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2016

SADDLEBACK COLLEGE

POLICE★BLOTTER The following are selected incidents as reported from the daily media log, courtesy of the Saddleback College Police department.

■ LOT 10 Tuesday, March 1, 10:22 p.m.

A person was referred for administrative action for possesion of less than 1 oz. of marijuana.

■FA 200 Monday, March 7, 6:30 a.m.

A burglary was reported on campus in the Fine Arts Bulilding Room 200. The investigation is still active.

■ SCIENCE/MATH Tuesday, March 7, 9:44 p.m.

A teacher called Campus Police to have a student removed from their classroom. The student was referred to administrative action.

■ SSC Tuesday, March 8, 8:07 a.m.

Another instance of burglary happened on campus, this time in the Student Services Center. The person is being forwarded for prosecution.

■ COLLEGE DRIVE WEST Tuesday, March 8, 3:16 p.m.

A report was taken of a narcotics violation. The person was later arrested due to possesion of less than 1 oz. of marjuana, no proof of insurance and illegally tinted windows.

■ BUS STOP

Thursday, March 10, 6:23 p.m.

Campus Police were unable to locate a man yelling at another man at the bus stop.

■ PE 400

Friday, March 11 11:38 a.m.

A report was completed about a skateboard violation . The skateboarder apparently was on the roof of the Physical Education Building.

■ LOT 10 Saturday, March 12, 7:41 p.m.

A person was arrested in Lot 10 due to reckless driving and no proof of insurance.

■ LOT 9

Monday, March 14, 9:15 a.m.

A mental health evaluation was done in Lot 9. A person was reported attempting suicide. The report was completed.

CONTRIBUTIONS The Lariat gladly accepts contributions in the form of guest articles and letters to the editor from students, faculty, staff and anybody else involved in the Saddleback College community. Please submit any articles or letters to lariatnews@gmail.com.

ADVERTISING The Lariat offers advertisers many opportunities to reach a diverse audience through color or black and white ads.

For rates, call 949-582-4688 or contact the advertising manager at lariatadvertising@gmail.com

News

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SDSU professor discusses disease Professor speaks on pathogens still evolving, threaten world population KURTIS RATTAY NEWS EDITOR

“It remains the leading cause of death worldwide and there are no geographical boundaries,” said Dr. Stanley Maloy during Saddleback College’s most recent Science Lecture Series. “Infectious diseases do not obey our borders, and even if we build a big wall, they still wouldn’t obey.”

Former Saddleback College adjunct chemistry instructor Stanley Maloy returned to the campus Friday, March 4, to discuss the evolution of microbial diseases, where they come from and why they are so important. Maloy is currently dean of the College of Sciences at San Diego State University and founder of Center for Microbial Sciences.

“The death rate from infectious disease doubled in the last two decades,” Maloy said. “We found there are new diseases we had never seen before. Antibiotic resistance began occurring at a very high level.”

Deaths in the United States decreased significantly between 1900 and 1960 due to antibiotics, vaccines and sanitation, said Maloy. As a result, government decreased funding of infectious disease research, believing the problem was “fixed.”

But they were “very wrong,” he said.

Maloy shared a timeline of infectious diseases that had newly

KURTIS RATTAY/LARIAT

Infectious: Stanley Maloy visits Saddleback College to deliver a lecture on the evolution of microbial diseases Friday, March 4. emerged, changed or adapted in some way. The timeline listed a different disease each year and spanned several decades.

Scientists first identified Nipah virus after the 1998 outbreak that infected South-East Asia, causing acute respiratory syndrome and swelling of the brain, according to World Health Organization.

An Ebola virus outbreak devastated entire countries in West Africa before reaching parts of Europe and the United States in 2014, according to Center for Disease Control.

For 2015 and 2016, Maloy would include Zika virus and dengue fever, he said. Dengue, or “breakbone fever,” can cause high fever, difficulty breathing, bleeding and a variety of other serious symptoms. Dengue and Zika virus are carried by the same species of mosquito.

The mass production and distribution of food have caused “big outbreaks of disease instead of local pockets.” Additionally, “human disruption of the en-

vironment” is the common denominator behind the constant emerging outbreaks of infectious disease, he said.

“We build houses in areas that were previously natural environments, and that allowed Lyme disease and SARS,” Maloy said.

“Climate change is allowing the spread of Chagas disease, which was once limited to Brazil. It’s now moving into the southern United States through Mexico.”

The current paradigm for dealing with human disease is to observe, investigate and find treatment. But because human changing of the environment may allow the disease to grow “more effectively,” a different paradigm of treatment may be needed.

Instead of starting surveillance of human infectious disease, One Health paradigm begins by surveying environments and animals, looking for possible pathogens. Data is then collected and used to help prevent disease outbreaks.

“If we want health of humans

Foundation hosts 16th Annual Gala CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

in advertising financial aide type services on campus, they effect change by representing the student body.

“The student government—the way we effect change is by representing students,” Vassetizadeh said. “We are the associated student government and our goal is to represent students on campus-wide committees, with the presidents, the deans, the administrators, the faculty, the staff—and any change that we ultimately want to effect goes through that avenue.”

Saddleback College President Tod Burnett says that out of the seven foundation gala events he’s been to, this one has been comparatively successful.

“This is my seventh foundation gala and frankly the gala today is nothing like it was seven years ago— first and foremost we’ve raised three or four times the amount of money,” Burnett said. “The amount of money

net bases is about five times more.”

Burnett says the change that he loves the most is that the gala has started to focus more and more about what is important—the students.

“My first year at Saddleback I went to the gala and they never said anything about students—I don’t think there were really any students there,” Burnett said. “It was really not a good event. We’re very thrilled to bring back to what it’s all about— our students.”

And that is what the gala is all about, helping student succeed at Saddleback College. Students like Nataloo are examples of what the Foundation and the gala can do for student success.

“My story at Saddleback, what I experienced, somebody who heard my story and took care of my debt for almost $20,000,” Nataloo said.

“I didn’t even know this person— he didn’t even know who I was, but he just wanted to do something for someone—that is why I do what I do.”

we need to worry about the health of the environment, of animals and of humans,” Maloy said.

One Health is a collaboration of animal medicine, human medicine and environmental sciences, all of which generally have different funding and are researched in different facilities. One Health initiative opens lines of communications between all areas of healthcare.

Very few seats were available in the SM 313 lecture hall, which can accommodate more than 200 occupants. The Science Lecture Series is free of charge and open to the public, however audience participation suggested a majority of chemistry, biology and math students.

“It had a lot of relevance to what we just learned,” said Jai Kahlon, biology major. “He was talking about how genes could be spread and how it effects the environment.”

The program also included a trivia game where students identified molecules and answered chemistry and math problems.

Students who answered correctly received copies of books written

by Maloy.

“We are now in our seventh series, so its been going on for about six years,” said Sara Sperazza, who has been organizing the program since it began in the 2009-2010 academic year.

The final lecture in the series, titled “Unlocking Jupiter’s Secrets- The Juno Project,” will feature Dr. Steven Levin of NASA, who will discuss the Juno spacecraft on April 1. Juno is destined to orbit the planet and will help determine size, temperature, and atmospheric composition.

2+2+3 Initiative helps students on track for law school CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

resources and opportunities to traditionally underrepresented groups who may not have otherwise realized that they too could go to law school,” Quinlan said.

“While the Pathway to Law School 2+2+3 Initiative at Saddleback welcomes all students from every walk of life and background, the unique and diverse make-up of the community college student population will benefit tremendously.”

Two important things when applying to any law school is the student’s GPA and their Law School Admissions Test or LSAT score.

With help and guidance from the Pathway to Law School students will be much better prepared to apply and will have also made connections with the legal

profession and with the academic counselors who can help and guide them.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for every student who wishes to pursue a future in law as it provides a clear path to law school,” Goeransson said. “Unfortunately, statistics show that ethnic minorities are largely unrepresented in the legal profession. While California’s population consists of 60 percent ethnic minorities, the Californian Bar Association is made up of 20% that affiliate with ethnic minorities.”

The Pathway to Law School program is a way for any student who is interested in law to receive support toward their journey to law school and Saddleback is only 24 out of California’s 113 community colleges participate.

Opinion

LARIATNEWS.COM

Bring back the trains

Amtrak loses millions while we sit in traffic

KURTIS RATTAY NEWS EDITOR

Every afternoon between Monday and Thursday, Saddleback College students circle campus parking lots, burning gas while looking for a place to stop their cars. While students inch their way up Marguerite parkway and around campus lots nine and 10, Metrolink and Amtrak are losing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Both train services pass through Orange County, making stops in Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano. Metrolink’s Laguna Niguel stop is located near Camino Capistrano and Forbes road, directly across the 5 freeway from Saddleback College. The station is about 1.5 miles from the college and bicycles are permitted on trains.

Students commuting from cities with train stations like Orange, Tustin, Irvine, San Clemente or Los Angeles might have found relief from traffic and campus parking lots if the cost of trains were more affordable. Additionally, if Metrolink and Amtrak lowered the cost of fare, their ridership would likely increase, giving some relief to the millions lost.

With gas prices about $2.85 per gallon, a round trip from Los Angeles union station to Saddleback College is about $8 for a small sedan like Toyota Yaris or Honda Civic.

Since January 2015, Metrolink began offering 25 percent discounts for students.

However, a discounted round

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trip from Los Angeles union station to Saddleback College is $18, about the same price as driving a 1999 GMC Suburban.

An Amtrak round trip from Los Angeles to Orange County is about $21. For the same price, a small sedan can travel between destinations about five times.

Metrolink’s total operating loss for 2014 was more than $137 million. The cost to operate the Southern California rail system more than doubled the total operating revenues, ac-

Metrolink’s total operating loss for 2014 was more than $137 million. cording to Southern California Regional Rail Authority Comprehensive Financial Report.

Losses in 2013 were slightly less, around $135 million.

The majority of Metrolink’s funding comes from local sales tax, State Rail Bond Funds, State Highway Account Funds and federal and state transit funds, the report said.

The nation-wide rail service Amtrak had a total operating loss of $1 billion in 2014 and about $ 1.27 billion in 2013, according to an independent audit report of Amtrak’s comprehensive financial statements for 2014. The report was dated February 2016.

“The Company has a his-

tory of operating losses and is dependent upon substantial Federal Government subsidies to sustain its operations and maintain its underlying infrastructure,” the audit report said of Amtrak. “Without the receipt of Federal Government funding, the Company will not be able to continue in its current form and significant operating changes, restructurings, or bankruptcy might occur.”

Unlike New York, Chicago and most European metropolitan cities, Southern California’s infrastructure consists more of freeways, highways and toll roads than a passenger rail system. The shortsighted infrastructure was put in place when gas prices were cheap and climate change was not yet a concept.

California recently passed a $156.4 billion dollar budget to help fund a high-speed rail project as part of the state’s Cap and Trade Program, according to the Metrolink financial report. The Cap and Trade program targets greenhouse gas emissions in certain areas of California and aims reduce emissions to the levels of 1990. Metrolink, or SCRRA, will start receiving funding for the project in 2015, the report said.

Increased rail infrastructure and the ability to travel free of road rage will likely attract more riders and help dig the companies out of the million lost. But to pull those commuting long distances from comfortable air-conditioned cars, the cost of train fare must rival, or at least compare to the price of gas.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

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Body art has left its mark on Southern California Corporations are more forward thinking than military on tattoos NICK ALAIMO

OPINION EDITOR

From tattoos to piercings, body art has exploded in our little slice of California called Orange County. It’s becoming extremely hard to find an 18-30 year old who doesn’t have some type of expression on their body. Nose piercings have become extremely common with women, both hoops and studs. Tattoo’s are so prevalent that many workplaces do not even require that they be covered up.

Saddleback student Alex Brown, an astronomy major, has a tattoo of a peace sign on her wrist that she got at 18 and a hoop nose ring that she got at 16. Neither of them hold any particular meaning to her, she just likes how they look. “I’ve never had to cover it up at work” states Brown, who has worked as a cashier at Target and Petco, both major corporations.

Although Brown has never been treated differently because of her tattoos, she has been treated differently due to her nose ring. She has never been allowed to wear her nose ring at any place she has worked. Even when not working Brown still faces negative feedback. “Old people always look at me like ‘oh my god it’s the antichrist’” she states.

Another Saddleback student Marco Bejarano, a business accounting major, has two tattoos.

His first is a tattoo of a helm on his

forearm, each grip on the helm represents a different member of his family and the unity between them.

The second is a shipwreck on his ankle which serves as a symbol of Bejarano’s love of the ocean, as he is an avid sailor, surfer, and bodyboarder. He has never had to cover up his tattoos for work, but he has faced some adversity elsewhere.

“The only time I’ve had any issue was when I was signing up for the marines, my ship tattoo was too big and couldn’t be covered with one hand” states Bejarano.

It seems as though the military is stuck in the past regarding tattoos, even farther than corporations.

So whether or not your piece of body art means something as intimate as your ties to your family, or whether it means nothing more to you than a way to look cool; it’s clear that tattoos have ingrained themselves in our culture. Southern California is one of the most progressive places in the United States and it shows through our extremely liberal tattoo policies, but other body art like piercings are still discriminated against.

This could be due to the fact that tattoos are permanent and piercings can be removed. If an employee has some originality in the form of a tattoo there’s usually no choice in the matter for the employer, especially if the tattoo is in a difficult place to cover up.

But a nose piercing or earring can be easily removed, stripping the employee of their own ability to exhibit personal expression. Although some companies are making strides in the tattoo department, the discrimination against piercings veers us ever toward the dystopian corporate controlled future.

Who’s the real choice for president?

MATTHEW KIRKLAND LIFE EDITOR

Every election season political parties provide American voters with a variety of faces throughout the process only to disillusion them into thinking they actually have a choice. At the end of the process, voters are still left with a false dichotomy to choose from.

The 2016 presidential campaign race has been no different. This year and in the years leading up to the election both of the prominent political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, have been supporting candidates that do not necessarily match the traditional “politician” mold.

At the beginning of the race, multiple people from diverse backgrounds were all trying to win the nomination. The Democratic party has a chance to have the first female president elected with career politician Hilary Clinton and the other candidate is socially progressive senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders.

Republican voters had even more candidates to “choose” from. For example, Ben Carson is an african american retired neurosurgeon, Carly Fiorina is a retired CEO of Hewl-

ett-Packard, Marco Rubio is a young senator with Cuban heritage and Donald Trump is a caucasian business man and reality television star.

One of the ways the illusion of choice has been presented is through the media coverage of political events. This year’s primary has seen Democratic and Republican candidates participate in 34 debates and forums with 3 more scheduled. Each time millions of Americans watched as candidates paraded themselves on national television as the “right choice.”

As of Super Tuesday, the day in which the greatest number of states are holding primaries, those choices were even more limited.

The original seventeen potential candidates for the Republicans now stand at four and the third Democratic candidate dropped out with less than a percent of the vote.

What is more problematic is how confusing our system makes the process. The Electoral College is famous for its complexity but its is just the tip of the iceberg. Caucuses, primaries, delegates and super delegates are all words that get tossed around this time of year with little understanding of what they are or

how they function.

One of the reasons the process is so convoluted is the different ways each party in each each state decides to set the rules in order to control the outcome. While some of the formatting is the same across the states, the lack of consistency between the two parties is confusing.

The major difference between caucuses and primaries is how

At the end of the process, voters are still left with a false dichotomy to choose from. votes are cast. In primaries people simply vote by ballot. However, in caucuses, voting is much more intimate and passionate supporters can go around lobbying for more votes for their candidate.

Going beyond the simple contrasts of a caucus or primary, each party decides how the votes count differently state-by-state. In the Re-

publican party, all the votes go towards the delegates with some states deciding to have a “winner takes all” model and other states keeping the delegates proportional to the votes.

The Democrats have an entirely different way of counting their votes. In their party there are two types of delegates. Regular ones and super delegates who are important party leaders that are not pledged to the candidate with the most votes from the caucus or primary. Essentially, this means that Democratic party leaders have as much say as the people.

The false dichotomy that is our presidential primary system is only furthered by the fact that citizens have to affiliate themselves with a party to be able to have a say in who can run for president. Registered independents in this country are deprived of the nomination process simply because they do not absolutely agree with a party or its ideals.

Ultimately, Americans are left to choose from a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican who have been molded by their parties political ideals in order to win the nomination. While new faces appear every few years, the choice remains the same.

11 THINGS SAUDI WOMEN CAN’T DO In Saudi Arabia, restrictions placed on women by law and cultural norms are some of the worst in the world.

1 Go anywhere without a chaperone 2 Drive a car 3 Wear clothes or makeup that “show off their beauty” 4 Interact with men 5 Open a bank account 6 Go for a swim 7 Compete freely in sports 8 Try on clothes when shopping WIERD ONES: 9 Enter a cemetery 10 Read uncesored magaizines 11 Buy a barbie

Who run the world?

International Women’s Day March 8 helps provide better focus on gender equality issues

Y

By Sasha Baharestani

es, women do it all. From taking gold at the Olympics, despite monthly physical setbacks, to working a 24/7 shift, caring for their children, while also taking care of the house and nowadays thanks to progression, bringing home the bacon. Women hold specific traits of compassion, love, understanding, empathy, but don’t think for a second that it stops there. Women have shown incredible strength, grit and resistance, that they helped achieve thanks to society. A society that has continuously tried to render them helpless with restrictions and oppression, but it is because of this that women have gained an unbelievable resilience that has now been put towards energy of bringing justice to their gender.

This month is not only Women’s History month, but in its second week also marked what is recognized around the world as International Women’s Day. “Today on International Women’s Day, we recommit ourselves to achieving a world in which every woman and girl enjoys the full range of rights and freedoms that is her birth right,” said President Obama.

These “rights and freedom” are still unfortunately just starting to see any rise within countries around the world. Some of these injustices have hardly been heard of, discussed in hush tones.

However, thankfully in the United States where freedom of the press is a constitutional right, and where people of many nations bring stories and word of these issues in their country being faced, word can hopefully be spread to which will hopefully lead to progression where it is not yet found.

This lack of gender equality, although being faced everywhere, especially here within the U.S., shows its truest colors in the east, from places such as Ethiopia, to the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia.

Ruth Alemu is a student from Irvine Valley College who was raised in Addis Abbaba, Ehiopia, and recalls many instances of gender inequality within the country.

“I’m from the big city, but with most of the other cities, woman cannot go to school,” said Alemu. In most of the farming cities, they don’t have a highschool, where they [girls] can continue higher education, so they just learn up to grade 6 or 7.”

However, she goes on to explain that the government has started to push forth further ed-

ucation for girls, however since this is not a law to be implemented, progression is happening “very slowly and not how it’s supposed to be”.

“Education is the main thing helping the progression. She will teach her kids to be more sup-

within her country, especially rural areas, as it is still happening within the world.

The UN passed a resolution two years ago to end child marriage, yet in rural areas and beyond, girls are still being brought into these young marriages

“Today on International Women’s Day, we recommit ourselves to achieving a world in which every woman and girl enjoys the full range of rights and freedoms that is her birth right.”

President Obama portive and not radical” and “the government needs to implement more,” said Alemu.

Perhaps this is a reason we can assume attributes to the lack of education with women around the world, because as history has proven with any society, the more the people learn, the smarter they become, and the harder they are to rule.

Something else Alemu managed to bring up was the issue of child marriage still happening

against their will.

Recently even CNN broadcasted a segment showing young girls around India who live in impoverished cities where they are offered jobs to help support their family however they end up being forced into endless child labor where they were often sexually assaulted and taken advantage of.

One may start to ask oneself where do these injustices against women and girls start? And where does it end?

Looking more into issues of women, we look to Saudi Arabia that is still known today as probably the most gender segregated country in the world, and also a country where many obvious rights and freedoms have still not been received.

As an American teen, there is not a day more awaited then the day a driver’s license is received.

To be able to drive on one’s own, has always been connected with the idea of freedom, to be free to drive wherever and whenever and to make as many stops and alternate routes as possible. This freedom that is awaited for so many, and can often be taken for granted, is a freedom and a right that woman in Saudi Arabia still have not had the privilege of receiving.

Many of these rights are something that many women have still not received, this having the most to do with their significant lack of voice in any matter, and it is this voice which starts with voting.

Saudi Arabia is the last country where women have received the right to vote or where women could seek election to public office, and have only begun to really do so within the last year.

However, although the idea of being able to vote may seem optimistic and ultimately showing possible progression, it’s more of the government pulling a fast one.

NPR released an article following the first Saudi Arabian elections titled, “After Historic Elections in Saudi Arabia, What’s the Future for Women?” Where former University lecturer Aziza

Youssef declared her point of view on the election as shared by many.

“I’m boycotting the election” said Youssef. “In my point of view, its putting backward the women movement for rights…

This election is just— it’s just for the West, it’s not for us… It’s good for our picture in the West” said Youssef.

She goes on to explain how the Saudi regime is putting on the biggest façade and essentially

Photos courtesy of Bokage, BDphoto1, jrl_photos, Alex_Saurel/Flickr Commons

Girls?

just showing the West what they want to see.

It’s hard to try and refute this statement when there are “1.36 men registered to vote according to the Wall Street Journal” compared to “130,000 women”.

In other words, although it may seem as though progression is underway for women, as with the rest of the world, there is a long way to go.

Another NPR article titled, “Saudi Women Can’t Drive to Work, So They’re Flocking to the Internet” was released on the restriction of women to drive, and how they have not allowed it to deter them, from what might not

have been a completely obvious thought; going to work. Because as most of us especially here in Orange County and Los Angeles know all too well, jobs are usually reached through commute, which is only made possible through driving.

These women have found ways around this annoying and extremely inconvenient case. To where they’ve taken to one of the most progressive tools today, social media. Many businesses have started being brought up by women both online and spurred through social media, therefore allowing them to run these businesses at home and still in line with rules set in their culture, that prevents them from driving, going anywhere without a “guardian” and having little to any interaction with men.

“There are still challenges. For example, she needs a male driver

to make deliveries. But the women are finding ways to make it happen.”

Women are go getters and problem solvers. No longer solely holding the house down, but now holding businesses down as C.E.Os. Through the progression of gender equality women will be able to bring their strengths to the table and to contribute not only economically, but even socially.

Women are not objects to be ruled over and controlled. There is male and there is female, but each is a human being, apart of this world, contributing their own unique character, traits and abilities to society.

Without women, this world would have most definitely have gone under flames already. Women have a compassion and love unique to them, but they also have a fight, intuition, strength, and power that is their own.

POWERFUL

WOMEN

SPEAK UP “I hope the fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say, ‘Yes, women can.’”

Dilma Rousseff “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”

Sheryl Sandberg “I’ve never met a woman who is not strong, but sometimes they don’t let it out. Then there’s a tragedy, and then all of a sudden that strength comes. My message is let the strength come out before the tragedy.”

Diane von Furstenberg “I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.”

Hillary Clinton “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.”

Beyoncé “Women are the real architects of society.”

Harriet Beecher Stowe “The idea of being a feminist: so many women have come to this idea of it being anti-male and not able to connect with the opposite sex, but what feminism is about is equality and human rights. For me that is just an essential part of my identity.”

Lena Dunham

6

Life

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016

LARIATNEWS.COM

BETSY JOHNSON/ LARIAT

BIG TENT: Equestrian

circus hits south Orange County at the juncture of the I-405 and SR-133.

MATTHEW KIRKLAND/LARIAT

FUN FOR ALL: The Fiesta de las Golondrinas or Festival of the Swallows is hosted in San Juan Capistrano every year by the Fiesta Club Association to promote awareness of the swallows returning to the city and participate in the city’s deep culture.

City celebrates heritage MATTHEW KIRKLAND LIFE EDITOR

San Juan Capistrano residents flocked to the 58th annual Swallows Day Parade on Saturday, March 12. The parade, along with the Mercado Street Faire, is part of the larger Fiesta de las Golondrinas and marks the return of the swallows to the city each year.

Attendees of Fiesta de las Golondrinas can walk Mercado street and buy all types of items from local vendors, see horses and community figures in the parade and participate in the culture of the town.

“Fiesta [de las Golondrinas] has been around for many, many, many years and it evolves and re-evolves and comes back around again. I think it is probably the biggest event in San Juan Capistrano every year,” said Helen Gardner, secretary to the board of directors at the Fiesta Club.

The Swallows Day parade is one of the largest non-motorized parades in the nation and is

made possible by a cooperation between city officials and local citizens. Road closures, shuttle busses and countless attendees are all handled by local police and volunteers.

“It’s kind of controlled chaos and its a lot of fun, 99.99 percent of the people are just here to have fun and it’s a great family event, it’s a great community event,” said Lt. Spalding of the Orange County Sheriffs Dept.

“The Fiesta [Club] Association that puts this on does a great job, they are so pro-community, pro-San Juan Capistrano.”

The Fiesta Club Association, an organized group of volunteers, hosts the parade and other events every year in San Juan Capistrano. A lot of planning goes into the event as it is one of the biggest in the city.

“In May we elect new officers and a new board and decide who is going to chair what event because we have about six or eight events leading up to this,” Gardner said. “So it is a lot of planning and most people who

are on the board have full time jobs and it is just a lot of dedication.”

The parade was not the only event on Saturday, the Mercado Street Faire also took place. Food trucks, clothing vendors and other booths were all in attendance. The faire serves as a great way to support local businesses and provides an excellent resource for consumers.

“I used to love coming to the parade as a guest so it was a great opportunity for me to be a vendor here as well,” said John Kessler owner of Infinity Sauces. “I get a lot of foot traffic and a lot of brand awareness and as you can see the reaction is just amazing, people love the sauces. It’s a great environment.”

The Fiesta de las Golondrinas is a culmination of the efforts of the police, businesses and its citizens as volunteers and attendees.

All of San Juan Capistrano comes together on one day to celebrate its deep heritage.

Stars amplified in thrilling ‘Mauritius’ Saddleback College theater students take stamp collecting to a new level SASHA BAHARESTANI FEATURES EDITOR

A play built on female oppression, dark humor, lengthy dialogues and awkward tensions, “Mauritius” manages to overcome the presumed banal outcome of a story line about stamps.

Unfortunately, there were predictable elements in the plot but it was salvaged through the acting of the five person cast.

What could’ve been exhausting exchanges between each character was consistently brought to life through dynamic expressions and dramatizing.

“When I heard it was going to be about stamp collecting I thought it was going to be

COURTESY OF NINA WELCH

IN THE ZONE: Sterling, played by Michael Kaye, exudes his power to the audience through a stare at the studio theatre. super boring but there was actually a lot of twists and I do like when I can’t predict the end of a show,” said Jasmine Anderson, Junior at San Juan High School.

“I thought the actors didn’t give it away, they really did a great job, keeping those twists for the end.”

This unexpected thriller follows the path of two half-sisters

who came into an inheritance of stamps.

One of the sisters, Jackie, played by Paige Vanderwarker, finds herself in a financial predicament and searches for a way to profit from the stamps.

No sooner than she arrives at a stamp shop she is turned down by the shop owner Phillip played

by Keivon Akbari, who couldn’t

care less about a little lady with a book of stamps, but who could blame him.

As the true value of the stamps reveals itself, greed, envy and desperation start to unfold.

Relationships start to become built through alliances, however other relationships are brought to ruin.

Arguments are escalated to verbal fights and choke holds, until the starring piece of violence is met, when Jackie is smacked to the floor by her male oppressor, Sterling.

From the get go it seems as though the women hold all the cards. But as Mauritius helps to remind us, even though the odds may be in your favor, if you’re a female you’ll always be out of luck.

However, if you are good with a quick slip of the hand, you could still manage to run away with the pot of gold and maybe even luck out on a new lover like Dennis, played by Conor Shaw as audience members are excitedly left hoping.

Cavalia ‘Odysseo’ Acrobats, horse back riders and live musicians make Cavalia a can’t-miss show BETSY JOHNSON PHOTO EDITOR

Cavalia presents “Odysseo,” a traveling show featuring 65 horses of varying breeds and nearly 50 performers, now through March 27 under the White Big Tent in Irvine near the juncture of the I-405 & the SR-133 freeways.

“Odysseo” combines equestrian and stage arts with hightech theatrical effects under a tent covering a stage about the size of a football field in this 2 hours, 30 minute show. The horses as well as the actors come from across the globe.

Along with the riders, the show includes acrobats, aerialists, dancers and musicians.

For the riders, it takes time to develop the artistic relationship essential for this type of routine.

“For some horses to be trained it can take years or a couple months, depends on the horse, depends on the trainer,” said Cavalia spokesperson Joice Truban Curry. “The horse’s age range from 4-16 years old, most riders when they come here they specialize in one or two different things then train as they go.”

The show opened on Sunday, February 7 with an exclusive VIP, star-studded red carpet gala and on it’s first night, entertained more than 2,000 guests, according to a press release. Due to popular demand, Cavalia recently announced it would extend its stay until Sunday, March 27, when the show moves to Salt Lake City.

Ticket prices begin at $29.50 for both evening and matinee performances. The entrance is located at 16576 Laguna Canyon Road. For further information, visit cavalia.net.

Sports

LARIATNEWS.COM

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

7

Saddleback loses state title game to SF, again

The Gauchos defeated Fresno City College in the semi-finals only to fall in the championship NICK NENAD

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lyle Hexom’s 21 points and eight rebounds were not enough, as Saddleback College fell to City College of San Francisco, 68-57, in the men’s basketball California Community College Athletic Association state championship game Sunday.

The Gauchos suffered only their second lose of the season and saw a 25-game winning streak snapped because of the loss.

If CCSF is familiar to Gauchos fans, it is because they played them in the football state title game earlier this season.

Saddleback suffered the same fate as they did on Sunday in that game too, losing to the Rams, 2614. Saddleback head coach Andy Ground doesn’t think there is anything to either loss.

“Not at all. It’s too good teams playing and they were the better team that evening,” Ground said.

The Gauchos did not have an easy road to the state title game even though they had home field advantage.

Saddleback played two overtime games, including a comefrom-behind win against Fresno City College in the state semifinals Saturday, and all but one of their games was within ten points.

“It took a toll on the team, however that’s not the determining factor of the state championship. We might have been a little

tired because of the Fresno game was a tough game to battle back from,” said Saddleback head coach Andy Ground.

Saddleback got the first basket of the game Sunday, but was unable to capitalize on it and CCSF went on a quick 6-0 scoring run.

The game came to a halt in the scoring department after that and midway through the first half the score was only 12-8.

Defense was a key for both teams coming into the contest.

The Rams were averaging nearly 90 points-per-game and the Gauchos averaged 72.5. Both teams delivered on the defensive side of the ball during the game.

“I thought that their defensive game plan was one that they executed really well,” Andy Ground said. “They got us out of running our offensive sets by their pressure. They pressure was good in the full court and it disrupted us and that was the difference.”

When halftime arrived, the Rams had extended their lead even more, to a more comfortable 33-22.

CCSF’s Zachary Copeland and Troy Thompson led all players in scoring, combining for 21 points. Hexom and Breaon Brady led Saddleback, each having six points.

The Rams shot much better than the Gauchos did from the free throw line in the first half.

CCSF got to the line 14 times and converted nine points. Saddleback only had seven free throws and they only made a mediocre two shots.

When the second half began, Gauchos guard Josh Mishler made the first basket, but just like the first half, they were unable to capitalize on it.

The Rams had the momentum most of the second half, until Saddleback had a small spark

COURTESY OF CLIFF ROBINSON

NICK NENAD/LARIAT

LOSS: Gauchos forward Breaon Brady (No. 34) shoots over a block attempt. Saddleback played a tough schedule in the playoffs and lost to City College of San Francisco in the state title game. seven minutes in. Gauchos guard Maurice Jones hit a three-pointer to cut the CCSF lead to seven and making it seem like they would take over momentum in the contest.

Instead, Saddleback forward Daniel Young missed a wideopen put back dunk and the Rams went on another scoring run, this time putting their lead all the way 50-33, their largest of the game, with just over ten minutes to go.

From that point in the game, the Gauchos tried to make one last comeback and they eventually cut the CCSF lead to 58-47 with 3:26 remaining in the game.

The Rams’ Keondre Dew hit a three-pointer on the next possession, seemingly putting the game

away.

After a couple of desperate shots from Saddleback, the contest ended and CCSF won the state championship, 68-57.

Forward Jalen Canty led the Rams with 16 points and nine rebounds and Copeland added a team-high 18 points on three three-pointers. Thompson also made three three-pointers and finished with 12 points.

Jones had a big game for the Gauchos, 13 points and six rebounds, along with Hexom’s near double double. Brady added ten points and five rebounds. The three players combined for 44 of Saddleback’s 57 points. “[Hexom] carried us, he really did. He played well and he’s very

talented and a very good player,” Ground said. “I just think we didn’t play well.”

CCSF beat the Gauchos in all three shooting categories. The Rams outshot Saddleback 43.1 percent to 39.9 percent from the field, 40.9 percent to 33.3 percent from the three-point line and 65.2 percent to 50 percent from the free throw line.

Saddleback won their fifth straight Orange Empire Conference title this season, going undefeated in conference play (12-0) and finished with a 31-2 overall record. The Gauchos only lost four games the past two seasons.

“It was a fantastic year. Any coach in America would love to be 31-2,” Ground said.

Saddleback College world-traveled surfer prefers San-O Mason Klink has been riding the waves since he was 9 years old BETSY JOHNSON PHOTO EDITOR

Mason Klink won the 2016 surf state championship title in the long board division for Saddleback College. Mason has been on the surf team for four semesters and has enjoyed his amazing experience traveling to multiple beaches. Coach Lindsey Steinreide has also been a big support and source for a push to perform better.

“Lindsay is so supportive and having a world champion long boarder as your coach, makes it so rewarding and pushes me to perform my best,” Klink said.

Klink started consistently surfing in the third grade, when

his dad would come pick him up from school in a motorhome full of surfboards. They would go to San Onofre three days during the week and again on Saturdays and Sundays. Making it so he wanted to go every day. He became interested in the sport by watching his father and being surrounded by friends at school who surfed as well.

“One of my first toys was a skateboard and growing up my dad was such an inspiration to me it made me want to go surfing with him,” Klink said.

“He’d pick me up after school from San Juan Montessori with his board strapped to the roof and sometimes I’d be so upset if he didn’t take me I’d cry. So I’ve honestly been interested in surfing as long as I can remember.”

Klink learned how to surf on a long board and sometimes feels the need to stay loyal to his roots, although he has learned to ride whatever the wave calls for. If it is knee to chest sized,

COURTESY OF MASON KLINK

LIFE ON THE WAVES: Klink has surfed exotic locations like Costa Rica, Indonesia and took on 20-feet waves in Hawaii. he prefers to ride a nose rider, but if the waves are bigger he will usually find the board that fits the wave.

Klink started competing at 9 years old and is unable to count the amount of competitions he has been in. While going up and down the coast, he and his family were in the International Surf Festival and National Scholastic Surfing Association

battling it out multiple times together.“The feeling of winning any contest is incredible.

It’s so rewarding and gives you great confidence in your ability. Whether it’s the San-O club contest or NSSA State Championships the feeling of winning is so awesome,” Klink said.

Competing against a life long friend and other talented surfers from places like San Diego to

Santa Barbara, this last win was especially meaningful to Klink.

The feeling of winning made him want to perform better and push himself even more.

Even though Klink does not plan on becoming a professional surfer, he wants a future in business and plans on taking sewing classes to learn about making garments. He would like to intertwine his natural artistic ability and love for surfing into high fashion and runways designs.

Klink has traveled around the world surfing in places like Costa Rica, Indonesia and 1520 feet waves in Hawaii before.

Although those places have been an incredible experience, Klink’s favorite spot is still in his hometown, San Onofre.

“My surf team coach in middle school, Senor Hennings, used to joke that my mom gave birth to me under the shack at Old Man’s. I will most likely end up getting married on the beach there,” Klink said.

8

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

Sports

LARIATNEWS.COM

Saliba ‘shoots’ for pro career DOMINIC EBEL STAFF WRITER

Chicago-born Hannah Saliba started athletics early in life at the age of 8. She was a threesport athlete, combining soccer and volleyball before she narrowed down basketball as her primary love. When she was older, basketball was her favorite sport and she imagined herself becoming a professional player in the future.

Early in her basketball quest, she tried out in Niles North feeder team and made the cut out of 60 girls. Her frame and agility seems to be a good combination as she stands strong at 6 feet 2 inches. She has a good posterior on the court and is willing to do what it takes to play hard. “[I’m] excited for Hannah a good player, but a great person,” said Fentriss Winn, head coach.

Her dream was kept alive even though she was moving out of the U.S to Lebanon in 2009.

Her basketball career would continue as she found a club she joined called Harlem, that wasn’t that well known. The coach who found her saw she had potential to develop her basketball skills.

He became her private coach.

“It was pretty hard for me to move to Lebanon freshmen year of high school because it was a new country, new language, new people,” Saliba said. ”At first it was hard but with time I got used to it and when I got involved in

basketball there it helped a lot with settling in and doing something I love.”

She moved to a better club called Antranik and played on the third division team. After competing that season in the summer her opportunity call came in which she seized the moment.

This was one of her early biggest moments was getting selected to the Lebanon national team. She earned this honor at the age of 16, beating 80 other girls going for the same opportunity.

“Chicago Sky is one of my favorite basketball teams because Elena Delle Donne is one of my favorite players and I’ve always admired the way she plays the game,” Saliba said. ”If any, I would probably want to play there. Nothing feels better than playing at home.”

Her accomplishments further now her being the starting sophomore forward at Saddleback College having these highlights and stats in her games. Out of Christian Teaching Academy in Beirut, Lebanon, she played with the 18-under National team before she came to Saddleback College. She played in all 29 schedule for the Gauchos during her freshman year. Saliba averaged 8.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, 34 blocks, 20 steals, 22 assist and 206 points as a Sophomore and started playing all 24 games, 28 minutes each.

“I had Cal State Maritime contact me, UCR, San Diego

DOMINIC EBEL/LARIAT

MAKING PLAYS: Saddleback College guard Hanna Saliba (No. 21) calls for the ball from Gauchos guard Amy Yoshinaga (No. 3) in the middle of a home game.

Christian, Fresno Pacific University and I have been emailing back and forth with SDSU,” Saliba said.”San Diego State University is my dream school so I will do my best God willing to go there and if it works out for me then I could finally say I made it.”

Big plays in critical moments is how I describe Saliba play.

She is a hawk on the basketball court with her size and agility.

Saliba demands to be doubled teamed to stop her on offense. In the Fullerton College basketball game, she showed how they had to collapse on her play to stop

her. In the December Fullerton game, Saliba came out of the gate quickly and never looked back.

Saliba lead an 11-2 attack in the opening minutes as Hannah Saliba scored seven points against Fullerton. They had no early answers for the 6-foot-2 forward from Lebanon. Once the Hornets finally clamped down on Saliba, Troncea Bennett took over and put the game out of reach. Bennett finished with a game-high of 21 points, scoring eight points in the second quarter as the Gauchos carried a 26-15 lead into the locker

rooms.

Saliba lead the charge for second straight win 52-49 over Orange Coast. Saliba again opened the scoring in the second half when she made a layup to get the Gauchos within two points at 29-27 with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter. From that point forward the game was on the shoulders of two players, Saliba and Bennett.

The two scored 8 of the final 10 points for the Gauchos while the defense shut down the Pirate offense. Saliba’s layup with 1 minute 48 remaining evened the score at 46-46. Bennett would then get to the free throw line with under a minute remaining, burying both shots.

Gauchos took a 48-47 lead with 57 seconds remaining. Saliba would again score on the final possession of the quarter to get the Gauchos within one with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Sophomore Hannah Saliba lead all scores 17 points and top rebounder 13 as the Gauchos moved up in the Orange Empire Conference standings.

Since Sabila was one of the 12 players who won gold medals representing Lebanon, she hangs a gold Medal on her neck at the age of 16, committing herself to earn the honor. Now she excels on working hard to achieve her goal to play hard earning a four year College and an opportunity to play at the professional basketball ranks in the WNBA.

Sophomore Roberto Llevana tackles life’s struggles to better his future Saddleback College golfer immigrates to U.S. to broaden his horizons AUSTIN WEATHERMAN ONLINE EDITOR

From a young age, Saddleback College golfer Roberto Llevana knew he wanted to be successful.

Hailing from Mexico City, Mexico, Llevana was born into the sport of golf due to his family and environment.

“I grew up on a country club, so it was either that, swim or tennis, so I started playing golf when I was little,” Llevana said. “My grandfather actually took me to play.”

Going through grade school, Llevana expressed that he had wanted a better education to set himself up for success in the future. He felt like his calm town didn’t possess the tools he needed to better himself.

After sophomore year, he finally put his plan into action to further his education.

“So one week before school started, I jumped onto a plane to Austin, Texas,” Llevana said.

“From there, I started in the schools and saw my future was better here.

I went through the process of registering in schools and getting citi-

zenship. I had to go back to Mexico to fix some papers a few times, but it was a fun process.”

After leaving his family in Mexico City, Llevana continued playing golf while continuing his studies in Texas. Llevana said he played well at his old high school, but golfing in Texas was more intense.

“Texas high school teams are like division one players,” Llevana said. “All of them are playing in like Oklahoma State, Harvard, and other schools. It was really hard to shine.”

Llevana had the opportunity to take sixth place in the regionals tournament. He also played in a few Amateur Golfers Association tournaments, making his presence known in the golfing community.

After graduation, Llevana had the option to study at Baylor University or move to California and attend at a University of California.

“After high school, I wanted to go to California,” Llevana said.

“My aunt said she lived next to a good community college with the best transfers to UC colleges. So I packed up and left Texas. Now I am here at Saddleback.”

Llevana has played golf with Saddleback for two years now, having had a taste of both coaching styles from the year before and today’s coach, Wayne Westling.

“Last year’s coaches, they were

AUSTIN WEATHERMAN/LARIAT

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Saddleback College golfer Roberto Llevana came to the U.S. to further his education. Llevana has become a huge impact for the golf team, leading them to the victory of the 2016 season. football coaches so I can understand their attention was there,” Llevana said. ”Coach Westling is focused on us. He is amazing.”

Llevana started the 2016 season of with a score of 74, being the only player in the tournament to shoot par on the day. Since the Orange Empire Classic, the team as a whole has placed from second to fifth. Llevana described

the season as a rollercoaster but hopes to make it to state.

“We can still make it to state, but we have to tighten up our game in these last matches,” Llevana said. “I’ve had my ups and downs. Sometimes I’m bad with some of the clubs in my bag.

I am good with my seven iron but I suck with my putter.”

Practice makes perfect, but

mental blocks can affect how a golfer’s round may go that day.

Llevana is a shot-by-shot player, only focusing on what needs to be done at that moment. Players often times hit the golfing range, practicing their stroke, but Llevana doesn’t go with the crowd.

“I go to the putting green and work on my short game the day before. I try to forget about my long game and focus on the short game,” Llevana said. “I am in the moment. I forget about what is going on, I just focus on the shot I have to do and basically have somewhere I want to be in the match, but basically it’s black. “ Llevana said golf isn’t his life, his education is his highest priority.

“I am studying financial actuarial mathematics, basically measuring risks for businesses,” he said. “My plan is getting a bachelor’s from hopefully UCLA so I can work anywhere in the world. It will allow me to go back to Mexico and help.”

Even with the past season and the bad games, Llevana is grateful for his teammates and his overall experience with them.

“I love my team,” he said.

“Other schools have some problems between themselves, but we all get along very well.”

The men’s golf team has four matches left until the OEC Championship on Monday, April 25.