Heather Oakley loves baseball. Her father coaches the sport, and she has been playing since she was 5 years old. For Oakley, a first-base player, the softball field has been a home away from home for years. But there is one softball field she hopes to never step on again.
Tomatoes for $3? JuanLaChica says that is something he cannot get used to paying. Tomatoes are the same produce he picked in the Central Valley fields as a child. LaChica’s father planted and picked tomatoes in the fields. At the young age of 9, he joined his father in the tomato fields, working in the heat of the valley.
A City College counselor for more than 30 years, LaChica says he worked every job possible in and out of school but always appreciated “the value of a dollar” and all the hard work and obstacles that occurred just to earn a living. Growing up, LaChica says he never even dreamed of going to college or anything outside his daily world. He grew up a true Californian Chicano, born in the Imperial Valley and raised in the San Joaquin Valley.
But one day after a school official spoke to his brother about the option of being paid to attend college, LaChica was sold. Having originally majored in computer science, LaChica quickly realized he was definitely more of a people person who thrived on his interactions with others, so he changed his major to sociology. He graduated with a bachelor’s in sociology…» Read More
A new spot has made its way to Davis’ West Village apartment community for it’s eating and drinking pleasure.
Mere steps away from the entrance to Sacramento City College Davis Center, Hub, a café, kitchen and market is in its finishing stages of construction and will soon be fully open to the public.
To many in Sacramento, having the train or light rail ramble by every 15 minutes may be disturbing and distracting. But to a man who says he lives by flowing with the current of life and enjoys simple, yet artistically creative outlets, hearing the rumble of the rails is more serene and inspiring than a nuisance.
Chris Currier lives by the motto, “Art imitates life; life imitates art.” In this case the artist imitates life and creates art by living behind the lens of a camera, and his love for art and the craft of filmmaking can be seen throughout all his projects.
Currier, who is in his third year studying graphic arts at Sacramento City College, has been involved in the film industry since the ‘70s, a time that marked the beginning of a progressive style heading towards the digital era.
Since then, Currier has watched the film industry transform from the methodical process of hand-made films to a modernized version that uses computerized programs in place of human hands. Some of his works were screened in April at the Sacramento City 48 Hour Film Festival.
“I was able to see and evolve with this entire industry, cause I…» Read More
As many little girls dream of their perfect wedding day—walking down the aisle to meet the man of their dreams and live happily ever after—just as many young women are putting off that day where it gets to be all about them to give themselves more time to pursue other interests.
According to “Knot Yet,” a report released in early March from the Relate Institute, The National Marriage Project and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, more Americans are pursuing their education and establishing careers before exchanging wedding vows, leaving the age at which they marry at “historical highs.”
Meanwhile, Americans are increasingly more likely to have a child before a marriage, the study also reports.
“Knot Yet” explores the benefits and costs of delayed marriage in America and the reasons why unmarried motherhood moved from the domain of the poorest population to the middle class. According to the report, the current median age for marriage is approximately 26 years old for women and approximately 28 years old for men.
The report also explores the “why” in delayed marriages. It poses the question, “Why are women entering motherhood without marriage?” and it studies the changing relationship culture…» Read More
The dirty t-shirt, holey jeans, glasses and Afro will make you look twice. After you ask him how his day is and he explains how rotational pulls and vectors are affecting his mood, you’ll raise an eyebrow. Once he continues about how he tripped over his foot because he is quite clumsy, you will crack a smile.
Some say Michael Armstrong is a perfect combination of Screech and Steve Urkel. He does not prefer that comparison. He considers himself a knowledgeable gentleman. Everyone agrees Armstrong is unique.
Armstrong, 27, is in no way a conformist. He does not dress conventionally, he does not talk like anyone else, and he does not do what anyone else does. He is one of a kind.
After a few bumps, Armstrong is on a road to redemption. Some of Armstrong’s bumps include being discharged from the military, suspended from school and mourning the death of his mother.
“Education is everything to me,” Armstrong says. “It’s how I got my mother’s approval.” Armstrong, whose mother died at the beginning of April, slows his speech and lowers his head at the mention of his mother.
“She thought me to learn all I can,” Armstrong reminisces. “I’ll…» Read More
The background action is seemingly unruly asseveral male athletes loudly bombard the room, taking helmets, shoulder pads and searching for other gear before practice.
In the foreground a slender man covers his neatly trimmed white hair with a baseball cap. He is deep in concentration as he examines the equipment’s buckles and straps and checks for cracks and possible dangers that would bring harm to the players. Born with a hole in his heart and told he could not play physically demanding sports, Sacramento City College’s equipment technician Dave Whittington has nonetheless been part of the athletic family for 20 years. Whittington underwent heart surgery when he was 5—a procedure that made him physically strong. Now, his love of sports is a theme throughout his life. He speaks fondly of the City College sports program and says, “A lot of our coaches are loyal.”
“I always loved football, always wanted to be around football,” remembers Whittington. “That’s what turned me into being a student equipment manager.” He personally fits shoulder pads and helmets to each player doing his part to keep the Panther football team safe. Though he takes care of all sports-related equipment, Whittington tends mostly to football because…» Read More
At the sliding glass doors of Rodda South, she heard it for the umpteenth time.
“What’s up, Subway girl?”
The young man got too close, insisting he knew her, and backed off when Cassandra Wilson pulled out a knife. People often recognized her from the Subway in Greenhaven, where she used to work, but this time she felt harassed.
“I didn’t know I was in the wrong. I didn’t even know we had campus police,” says Wilson.
Wilson, now 27, recalls talking on the phone when campus police approached her and took her purse. In it, they found her knife. She was then arrested and taken to jail, where she remained for 36 hours. Wilson joked with police officers before bursting into tears.
“My mom’s gonna kill me,” Wilson cried with disappointment. She took anger management classes on campus shortly after the incident.
“I never went back [to jail],” says Wilson, who is now working on a certificate in the cosmetology program and A.S. transfer to California State University, Sacramento.
She is also studying American Sign Language, which she loves because it gives her the chance to help others, she says. Helping others is what she does daily on campus,…» Read More
I met Mike through a mutual friend a few months ago at Low Brau in Midtown Sacramento. I quickly discovered that Mike is a friendly fellow Sacramento City College student with a passion for soccer, guitar, and home brewing beer. He graciously agreed to let me photograph him brewing his latest recipe: a Red Rye IPA.
Mike Lambruschini, 28, moved to Sacramento three years ago after he left the U.S. Marine Corps. Mike served in Afghanistan once and Iraq twice. When asked about how he and his fellow Marines are transitioning back to civilian life, Mike humbly offers, “It’s a bell shaped curve, I’d say I’m on the better end of the curve.”
Mike explained how he first discovered home brewing just after he left the Marines.
“I was listening to NPR and they were interviewing [UC Davis Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences] Charlie Bamforth,” Mike said, “and they were talking about making beer. And I was like, oh, you can school to make beer. That’s cool!”
Home brewing also gave Mike a reason to take his City College science classes seriously, a focus that has paid valuable dividends on his report card. “Before [joining the Marines] I was…» Read More
Stage Lights Rise and begin to twinkle off the brass. Rows of musicians await their cue. The black tuxedo-dressed conductor stands patiently at his podium. Band members take their positions, poised with their hands at the ready. In a smooth jazz fashion, the baton waves, and the melodies start flowing from instruments through the audience.
On March 19, a stormy night, the members of the Sacramento City College Jazz Band took to their rows of positioned chairs and brought to life the live street music of New Orleans at the Little Theatre on campus.
Th e instruments playing together in silky harmonics made the audience understand that this band knew its jazz. Each first chair soloist from saxophone to the drums took his or her turn showcasing what he or she has practiced all semester, hitting every note and being rewarded with applause.
With a flash, bam and alakazam, saxophones, trombones and percussion filled the room with a big sound. The compositions from the likes of Herbie Hancock to Orange Colored Sky gave the feeling of listening to music live from the streets of New Orleans.
Jazz admirers were impressed with the level of skill of the band.
Robert Rudolph, 55,…» Read More
