色界吧

Legends of Tomorrow

By Dick Anderson

The Class of 鈥22 has arrived at 色界吧鈥攁nd if first impressions are any indication, we鈥檒l be talking about these Tigers for years to come

Here鈥檚 what the numbers tell you about the 566 members of 色界吧鈥檚 Class of 2022: 12 percent are the first in their family to go to college. 8 percent of them have alumni ties. 32 percent speak a language other than English at home. 57 percent are women, 43 percent are men, and 35 percent of them are Californians. 23 first-years come from China, and another 18 of them hail from 15 countries on five continents. They belong to 色界吧鈥檚 most selective class in 70 years, with an admit rate of 37 percent out of a record 7,281 applications to the College. But looking beyond the numbers, here鈥檚 what the people who know the Class of 鈥22 best鈥斏绨赦檚 tireless team of admission officers鈥攖ell you about the first-years you will meet in the profiles that follow: 鈥淎 force for good in her community.鈥 鈥淚nsane recommendation letters.鈥 鈥淣ever boring, never bland.鈥 鈥淯nabashedly passionate about making the world a better place.鈥 鈥淗is heart led him to 色界吧.鈥 Let鈥檚 get to know them on a first-name basis.

Matt

鈥淚 grew up right here in Highland Park, so I would always drive past Occidental, but I never actually stepped onto the campus until I was admitted,鈥 says Matt Almazan. 鈥淚t feels like a different world. There are almost no palm trees. It doesn鈥檛 even feel like I鈥檓 close to home.鈥

As a student at Franklin High School, Matt spent the last two years competing on the Academic Decathlon team鈥攁 contest covering 10 fields of study (such as art, math, and science) with a common theme. 鈥淢y junior year it was World War II,鈥 he explains. 鈥淪enior year it was Africa.鈥 The team finished third and fourth statewide, respectively, in 2017 and 2018鈥攁nd the experience made Matt a stronger student, sparking an interest in economics that he plans to pursue as his major at 色界吧.

To fulfill his Cultural Studies Program requirement鈥攁 staple of the first-year curriculum鈥擬att is taking Philosophy in the Twilight Zone, taught by professor Saul Traiger, which examines the philosophical concepts behind Rod Serling鈥檚 classic series (and more contemporary 鈥淶one鈥-inspired progeny such as Netflix鈥檚 鈥淏lack Mirror鈥). 鈥淪ometimes watching an episode makes me very anxious before the tension is finally released,鈥 he says of the show鈥檚 signature twist endings.

Outside of his studies, Matt is planning to join Archery Club 鈥渂ecause I鈥檝e never done that鈥 and Dance Production 鈥渂ecause I really love dancing.鈥濃圓s a high school freshman, 鈥淥ne of my friends asked me to be in her quinceanera, in her court, and initially I wasn鈥檛 feeling it,鈥 he admits. 鈥淚 thought I really sucked at it, but after I learned the movements of Latin dancing, I loved it.鈥 Subsequently, Matt was invited to an additional four quinceaneras. (His three favorite dances? 鈥淏achata, cumbia, and banda. They鈥檙e all different tempos of musics and different steps, but I really love them all.鈥) Despite the countless hours he devoted to Academic Decathlon, Matt insists that he hasn鈥檛 lost his moves: 鈥淢y mom says dancing is valuable. It can always get the party started.鈥

Stephi

Stephi Howard鈥檚 college counselor at the Lovett School in Atlanta鈥攚ho also happened to be her homeroom teacher鈥斺渕ade fun of me for being Goldilocks, because I didn鈥檛 want to be in the South, but I also didn鈥檛 like the cold, and I wanted a very small school,鈥 Stephi recalls with a laugh. In November 2016, she visited 色界吧 for the first time, 鈥渁nd within five minutes of the tour my mom whispered to my dad, this is where I was going.鈥 Stephi bought an 色界吧 sweatshirt at the bookstore that day, 鈥渁nd every time I would take the ACT鈥坥r anything regarding my future, I would always put it on to remind me of my goal,鈥 she says.

That November was auspicious for another reason. Following the results of the 2016 election, Stephi developed a passion for social activism, respectful debate, and various causes. When politics and other hot-button topics would come up for discussion in the classroom, 鈥淢y classmates were very surprised at the beliefs I held and not necessarily in a positive way,鈥 she explains. 鈥淚 had to make the choice:鈥圖o I want to stop speaking my mind and basically make high school more bearable, or was it more important to me to speak up for what I believed in鈥 no matter the consequences?鈥

In the end, Stephi held strong to her beliefs: 鈥淚 lost some friends, but I found other friends who were more similarly aligned to me,鈥 she says. 鈥淪ome days I regretted it, but you learn the most from the things that are hardest. I鈥檓 very grateful for the experience in that I found my fire鈥擨 want to help people.鈥

Coming to 色界吧 posed a different challenge than high school. 鈥淚 was hesitant to go to a place expecting that people would have a lot of similar beliefs to me,鈥 Stephi admits. 鈥淚 had grown so much being around people having very different opinions. Yet I have found that even when they share a similar ideology, people come at a subject with such different perspectives. They are showing me ways to think about things which I have never thought, which is really exciting.鈥

Stephi originally intended to pursue a political science major at 色界吧, she says, 鈥渂ut when I read the description for critical theory and social justice, my brain exploded. Currently I鈥檓 taking the intro course [CTSJ 101], which is very dense: Karl Marx鈥檚 Manifesto and a lot of very intense reading. I said to my parents, 鈥業f I take CTSJ as a major, what career do I go forward with?鈥 And my parents said, 鈥楻ight now you need to pursue what you truly love.鈥欌

That exploration is part of the beauty of a liberal arts education. 鈥溕绨 is very comfortable but not in a way where I feel complacent. I love it here,鈥 Stephi says. 鈥淚 feel I need to be a tour guide already.鈥

Anjolie 

鈥淏efore I knew how to swim I used to always jump into pools,鈥 says Anjolie Charlot of Maplewood, N.J. 鈥淢y dad would be like, 鈥楪o! Go!鈥 That鈥檚 the way that鈥圛 still approach things鈥攂y jumping in head first and figuring it out as I go along.鈥 Anjolie鈥攚ho studied in France for 10 months and committed to 色界吧 soon after visiting campus for Admission鈥檚 MVP鈥圵eekend last spring鈥攊s eyeing a major in Black studies with a minor in politics or sociology. 鈥淭he idea of having a Black studies major, especially coming out of the occupation, was really important to me,鈥 she says. The November 2015 occupation of the Arthur G. Coons Administrative Center by hundreds of students precipitated the addition of the major to the curriculum this fall. 鈥淥ne of my missions on campus is to make sure that legacy is carried on and make sure black students have space for that discourse鈥攖o ask the hard questions and make sure our answers are heard,鈥 she adds. 鈥淓very time you get over a hump there are three more humps to get over.鈥 Anjolie鈥檚 extracurricular pursuits reflect a broad range of interests, from Black Student Alliance and Student-Labor Alliance to Surf Club and Pulse Dance Club鈥斺渕aking sure I have some more serious things but also some fun,鈥 she says Oh, and one more thing:鈥堚淚 like to rep the lefties hard because we don鈥檛 get our own desks. I鈥檓 just saying.鈥

Ethan

It鈥檚 been a running joke his entire life that Ethan Hodges was going to 色界吧. His parents (Cathryn Campbell 鈥89 and Craig Hodges 鈥88) met as students here, as did his paternal grandparents (Diane and Jack Hodges, both 1961 graduates). All his life, his grandfather has been giving him 色界吧 wear. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a picture of me as a baby wearing an 色界吧 singlet,鈥 Ethan says. Despite the constant sartorial cues, 鈥淚 never felt directly pressured to come here,鈥 he insists.

What turned the trick? 鈥淚 think a lot of students will say the same sort of things,鈥濃坰ays the Media, Pa., resident. 鈥淚 want to be a name, not a number. I want that small classroom setting where I can ask questions. I developed a lot of rewarding relationships with my teachers in high school, and I want to continue making those kind of relationships.鈥

Another factor was meeting track and field head coach Rob Bartlett, although a knee injury over the summer sidelined Ethan for much of this fall. 鈥淚 ran my first half marathon in seventh grade and a full marathon in ninth,鈥 he says. For his application to 色界吧, 鈥淚 wrote my idiosyncrasy essay on how much I think about what I wear on my feet all the time.鈥 Pointing to his white Vans, he adds, 鈥淭hese are intentional. They鈥檙e very thin. I go for foot-healthy shoes. The shoes that we wear oftentimes have really big heels and a lot of cushioning on them. That鈥檚 not the way a foot is supposed to function, so the shoes that I wear when I run are really, really thin. They鈥檙e hardly even shoes. The goal is making my body function the way it鈥檚 supposed to be so that I can get rid of stuff like my knee pain and my hip issues. You鈥檒l never see me walking around with shoes with big heels.鈥

In addition to thinking about footwear, 鈥淚鈥檓 really passionate about teaching myself little tricks here and there,鈥 Ethan says. 鈥淚 taught myself how to do a handstand and how to juggle. I was a terrible whistler, so I committed myself to practice whistling.鈥 He credits an app on his cellphone called Streaks: 鈥淚t reminds you every day to do activities.鈥 These days he鈥檚 working on his language skills as well. 鈥淲hen I go for runs around the neighborhood, I see signs that are Spanish. I鈥檓 also hearing Spanish every day now, and I find that stuff really great. If my GPA didn鈥檛 matter, in an ideal world, I鈥檇 be a group language and philosophy double major,鈥 he adds with a laugh, 鈥渂ecause my skill versus my passion is a little offsetting.鈥

Grace

How small is Grace Meschery-McCormack鈥檚 hometown of Sierraville? Smaller than the Class of 鈥22鈥攂y more than 200 people. 鈥淚鈥檓 always telling people it鈥檚 near Tahoe or Reno,鈥 Grace says. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 met anyone at Occidental who has been there yet.鈥

How many people were in your high school? About 150 total in grades 7 through 12. There were 22 of us in my graduating class. My mom was my high school teacher. Because it was such a small school, she taught drivers ed, film, English, Spanish, and French. My dad is a contractor鈥攈e does a lot of solar power and remodeling work. He and my mom recently bought a motel in Sierraville.

There can鈥檛 be many of those around. No, no. There鈥檚 just this one, but it鈥檚 doing really well. Birders come there a lot. We have a lot of guests who like to watch birds or watch stars.

You spent 10 months in France as a Rotary exchange student. How did that happen? My family has hosted Rotary exchange students since I was really small and it鈥檚 always been a huge part of my life. Last year I went to Normandy because I really love languages, and speaking French was one of them. I was enrolled in public school, and that was huge. Honestly, if I had not gone to that school and participated in the way I did, I would not have the level of fluency I have now. Because now I鈥檓 taking a lot of philosophy classes at 色界吧, and before I had left for France I wanted to be an art history major. But after going there and experiencing eight hours a week of classic philosophy classes and really bonding with the teacher, that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 doing now. It鈥檚 not what I expected. And you meet people from all over the place. There were 35 other exchange students and we鈥檇 get together once a month. One of the students from my program is from Brazil and lives in my dorm at 色界吧. I would not have expected that she鈥檇 be right down the hall from me and we would become best friends. We speak Portuguese together.

When did you decide that you wanted to attend 色界吧? I had come down here for Admitted Students Day. I took a mock class called something like Race, Gender, and the Female Body. It was super incredible and really well done. We spent a day on campus and I got to explore the L.A. area with my family. Then I went home and I couldn鈥檛 choose between 色界吧 and Bard College [a small liberal arts college in upstate New York]. A little later I remember getting an email from a former Bard student saying he had to use a UV light during the winter for Vitamin D. 色界吧 just seemed really cool, and the small class sizes for me was just so important. Plus, there鈥檚 sunlight.

What activities interest you at 色界吧? I am joining the International Students Club. Even through it鈥檚 technically not for me, I鈥檓 going to wiggle my way in somehow. I also signed up to be a group dialogue facilitator at a high school through the Neighborhood Partnership Program. One totally wild thing I did that I didn鈥檛 think I鈥檇 do was I applied for The Fang, the comedy magazine. I haven鈥檛 heard back yet, but even filling out the application was super funny.

Do you write? Do you create? I got into travel drawing the last few months. One of my more formative experiences was when I went on a bus trip around Europe with 60 other exchange students. Fifteen minutes into the trip, I dropped my phone into the toilet. We hadn鈥檛 even left France yet鈥攊t was a nightmare. So, in order to preserve my memories, I was forced to paint a little bit.

Instead of taking pictures, you wound up painting? Yeah, because I had no way of taking photos. I had these little notebooks, and this paintbrush that had water inside it already. And so I would just run around really quick like sketching and painting things.

Have you drawn anything since you鈥檝e been here? A little bit. I went up to the garden behind the President鈥檚 House with some friends, and we just painted and colored. It was really fun.

What鈥檚 your favorite thing about 色界吧 so far? Professor [Damian] Stocking, and his class called Style and 鈥淪ubstance鈥: Philosophy and the Arts. It鈥檚 like everything I鈥檝e ever thought about, he put into words in an hour and a half. It was just incredible. I mean, all my classes are really amazing and we talk about stuff I鈥檝e never thought about, but this one is different. It鈥檚 just like, whoa. And everyone in that class is aesthetically very beautiful. It鈥檚 been a blast so far. I鈥檓 so happy I made this choice.

Sylvia

鈥淪ince primary school, I have read a lot of books, from theoretical physics to history stories of ancient China,鈥 says Hanyun 鈥淪ylvia鈥 Lou. Her favorite author is Isaac Asimov (鈥淚 love The End of EternityThe Gods Themselves is also really good鈥), and during a monthlong stretch in high school she devoured most of the novels of Hermann Hesse (鈥淢y favorites are SteppenwolfNarziss und Goldmund, and Das Glasperlenspiel鈥). 鈥淭he city library is near my high school, so I could go almost every day if I wanted,鈥 Sylvia says. She was attracted by 色界吧鈥檚 commitment to social justice, and her Cultural Studies Program course, Expulsions, examines migration, refugees, and statelessness. Her range of interests knows no boundaries: Inspired by the Japanese manga series character Detective Conan (鈥淪he鈥檚 a master at biochemistry鈥攚hen I was young I really admired her鈥), Sylvia built a chemistry lab in her study, growing a crystallized gold slide from materials ordered online. 鈥淚 like to try new things,鈥 the Hangzhou native adds, and she looks forward to being active in 色界吧鈥檚 Ski and Snowboard Club: 鈥淚 really want to learn to ski.鈥 Her verdict on tacos? 鈥淭hey鈥檙e too spicy. I do not eat spicy foods.鈥

Myles

When Myles Hultgren was looking at colleges, 鈥淚 really wanted to move away from Minneapolis, just because,鈥 the native Minnesotan admits with a laugh. 鈥淪o the location was definitely part of that.鈥 Myles鈥攚ho created an app for the Android device as a high school senior鈥攑lans on majoring in computer science, 鈥渂ut I鈥檝e always enjoyed learning things like philosophy, so I wanted to go somewhere where I could do that.鈥 

What are your early impressions of 色界吧? It鈥檚 beautiful. The classes are all amazing. The Cultural Studies Program I鈥檓 taking is Los Angeles From Local to Global鈥攁nd that relates to what I鈥檓 doing. Maybe I鈥檓 putting too much weight into my classes, but they feel transformative.

What has surprised you the most so far about the College? I think just how easy it was to adjust. When people would tell me it was going to be hard, I鈥檇 kind of brush it off, but it is a big adjustment. I鈥檝e done good, though. It鈥檚 only been three weeks but I feel like I鈥檝e been here longer. 

Outside of class, what activities are you looking at? Frisbee was a really big thing in my high school that a lot of my friends did, so I want to do that here and get better. And my mom was always really good at dancing, so I want to do that, too. Another one I heard about on the tour that I want to join is the Mixed Race Club. My mom is black and my dad is Swedish. 

What鈥檚 your app? It was a choose-your-adventure game called Mages and鈥圡onarchs. I didn鈥檛 publish it thinking it would be big or that I would be a millionaire, I just wanted to do it to see if I could. So I just told people to try it and then I tested it myself. It felt good just looking it up and being able to see it, you know.

Lis

鈥淚 never thought of myself as a leader,鈥 Lis Jimenez says, but the first-generation college student鈥檚 accomplishments suggest otherwise.鈥圓s a junior and senior at Oakwoods School in North Hollywood, Lis led the LGBTQ+ Alliance and Latino Affinity Group, and co-founded the People of Color Feminists Club. 鈥淭here were other clubs on campus that talked about gender equality in the 鈥榯hird world,鈥 but not about gender relationships within the school,鈥 says Lis. 鈥淚 thought, why don鈥檛 we have an official club where we can get funding, with actual meetings in an actual space? I wanted to connect the young kids with the older kids, especially during the college process.鈥 A lot of students have since joined the organization, Lis adds: 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 more of a joint club with other cultural clubs. We all mix in together.鈥

Growing up in a single-parent household鈥擬om immigrated to Los Angeles from Mexico when she was 12 and is a housekeeper for a family in Studio City鈥斺淚 honestly get a lot of strength from my mom,鈥 says Lis, who lives in a guest house belonging to a family friend and her three sons 鈥渨ho became my second family.鈥 A budding filmmaker, 鈥淚 make documentaries and narratives and experimental art films mostly about cultural identity,鈥濃圠is explains. 鈥淚 made a film about my mom and my second mom鈥檚 stories.鈥 Another film, La Persona, 鈥渨as more experimental. It shows me basically putting a bunch of stuff on my face: ground-up coffee beans to represent my indigenous Mexican cultural background; lotion over the coffee beans to represent the whitewashing of myself; and confetti over the lotion to represent my LGBTQ+ identity.鈥

Lis took a look at 色界吧 on the advice of Oakwood counselor Steffany K. Perez 鈥94: 鈥淪he knew that I loved being able to engage with students about social justice, not just teachers,鈥濃坮ecalls Lis, who is the recipient of a Point Foundation Scholarship (a highly selective merit-based scholarship for LGBTQ+ students). 鈥淢y mom was on the tour with me, and she got a feeling I would be safe here.

鈥淏eing indigenous was a big part of our culture,鈥 says Lis, who is looking at a double major in critical theory and social justice coupled with media arts and culture. In their application to 色界吧, Lis wrote an essay about traveling to Chiapas, Mexico, in connection with the Oakwood School Chiapas Project, which sells artisan products such as sweaters and bracelets made by more than 200 Mayan women. 鈥淲e sell at a high price so they can send their kids to school and build their homes and have a better life,鈥濃圠is says. 鈥淪o, I talked about that and having my relationship between being a person of color in鈥圓merica and also my mom being indigenous and being faced with the reality of what it would have been for my mom to stay in Mexico and lead her life there as opposed to coming here. I talked about the complexities of the Mexican culture and American culture and how I don鈥檛 fit in with either.鈥 Take it from us:鈥圠is is a natural fit anywhere.

Mira

Mira Tarabeine was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Damascus, Syria. Her father took over the family printing business, and although she saw a lot of poverty around her, 鈥淚 knew we were blessed,鈥 she says. When war broke out during the Arab Spring in 2011, 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 very close to us but we still would hear about it on the news.鈥

That quickly changed in 2012, when a bombing occurred less than a half-mile from their home. 鈥淲e had the windows taped in our apartment so they wouldn鈥檛 shatter, and we moved our beds so they faced away from the window,鈥 she recalls. 鈥淚t felt like an earthquake and that was very uncommon. A week later, we left the country. My parents didn鈥檛 tell me until the day before and I had to go to school and take all my things. I didn鈥檛 really get to say goodbye to people.鈥

After finishing out the school year in Phoenix, with five people living in a two-bedroom apartment, the family relocated to Beverly Hills, where 鈥渕y uncle had an apartment and let us stay there. We had eight people living in a one-bedroom apartment鈥攎y grandma, my aunt, me and my mom, my three siblings, and my dad. Basically my dad lost his entire business and everything he had ever worked for.鈥 But she and her siblings were able to enroll in a good school system鈥斺淕oing to college in the U.S. was always my mom鈥檚 goal for me and my sister鈥濃攁nd it was at Beverly Hills High School, after Mira joined the volleyball team, 鈥渢hat I feel like I found my voice.鈥

Over the course of her senior year, Mira made the effort to educate her school district on the refugee crisis with an assembly she called 鈥淜ids Are Not Invisible.鈥 Each assembly began with the same two questions:鈥堚淗ow many of us in here are first-generation immigrants? How many are second-generation immigrants?鈥

鈥淲hen I asked first-generation, about 10 percent of the room stood up,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen I asked second-generation, it was always over 60 percent鈥攄uring all six assemblies. Throughout each assembly I talked about what鈥檚 going on with the refugees, who they are, and then I would ask the question, 鈥榃hat makes immigrants different than refugees?鈥 Because none of them fled their countries because they wanted to leave their families鈥攕omething drove them out. They needed a better life.鈥 Following her first talk, she received a $500 donation for the Karam Foundation鈥攁 nonprofit organization whose mission includes taking kids out of low-paying child labor jobs and putting them in school. 鈥淚 told everyone it鈥檚 a big problem but we can start by educating one child.鈥

For middle- and elementary school audiences, she created a 鈥渧ery childlike book鈥 that illustrated the refugee crisis without using the word 鈥渨ar鈥 through the perspective of best friends Mia and Tia. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to get it printed,鈥 says Mira, who hopes to travel to Lebanon next summer to teach English to children living on Turkish campgrounds so they can be integrated into the Lebanese school system.

Meanwhile, she鈥檚 embracing all that college has to offer. 鈥淚 am so in love with 色界吧鈥檚 commitment to community,鈥 Mira says. At September鈥檚 Involvement Fair in the Quad, 鈥淭here were all of these little community engagement programs,鈥 she adds. 鈥淚 think I signed up for all of them.鈥

Lesh

As a junior defensive end for the Fayetteville (Ark.) High School Bulldogs, Lesh Chadick broke his right hand during football practice in the middle of AP test season. That didn鈥檛 stop him from taking his tests鈥斺淚 got accommodations so I could type in extra time for something鈥濃攐r from getting back on the field. 鈥淚 had a cast over my hand and extra padding,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 wrapped it up and went out and played.鈥

That fall, Fayetteville won its second consecutive state championship in football and its fifth in a decade. And Lesh grinded through enough AP courses during high school鈥13!鈥攖hat he bypassed his freshman year altogether entering Occidental this fall: 鈥淚t was definitely taxing, but I鈥檝e gotten into the college of my dreams, I鈥檓 getting to play football here, and I鈥檓 coming in as a sophomore.鈥

Lesh was recruited to 色界吧 by assistant football coach and co-颅defensive coordinator Ricky Lang, but it was his homeroom teacher and college adviser, Ellen (Bogart) Reynolds 鈥08, who helped seal his decision. 鈥淪he loved her experience at 色界吧 and helped me learn more about the College,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 was looking for a place where I could explore everything that I wanted to. A liberal arts college is a great place for that鈥攊t鈥檚 all about finding out what you love.鈥

Lesh鈥檚 parents, both graduates of the University of Arkansas School of Law, have encouraged him to get out of Fayetteville and see the world. While in high school, Lesh visited Berlin for an extended stay and became 鈥渋mmersed in everything,鈥 including speaking German, he says. 鈥淎 lot of the kids there liked the same stuff we like here, just in a different language.鈥

His dad, Vincent, is of counsel at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull and is an adjunct lecturer at the law school. His mom, Terri, is associate director of career services at the law school. His brother, Eli, a high school junior, 鈥渋s interested in 色界吧 because I talk it up so much.鈥 

As for his early impressions of the College, 鈥淚t鈥檚 very different from home,鈥 Lesh admits. 鈥淔ayetteville is a pretty liberal place, but it鈥檚 Arkansas liberal. So it鈥檚 been a straight-up culture shock when you鈥檙e on one of the most liberal college campuses in America.鈥

Despite the head start on his education that his AP credits have given him, Lesh (who is eyeing a major in physics) has no plans to rush through his 色界吧 education. 鈥淚 could use that four years and I have time to play around,鈥 he says. 鈥淚f I decide to switch my major, it can help me through some of that stuff and not leave me behind.鈥

Besides, he adds, 鈥淚鈥檓 all in for this football team.鈥 After a 2017 season cut short by an injury-plagued roster, the Tigers returned to play September 1 with a road trip to Mexicali, Mexico, and a 20-0 win over CETYS University. After the game, 鈥淭he teams got together for a picture and everybody was happy and celebrating,鈥濃圠esh says. 鈥淚t kind of tore down borders, even though we didn鈥檛 speak the same language. It was just a really cool experience. You鈥檙e not going to meet a lot of people that can say they鈥檝e played a college football game in Mexico, but we did.鈥 

What鈥檚 the mood like on the team? 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 re-energized about everything,鈥 Lesh says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all so excited and going into it and attacking it head on. There are a lot of freshmen on the team and the three seniors and upperclassmen have shown us what to do: how we practice, how we get better. They鈥檙e all in on this football team even if they might not see the returns this year.鈥

Lesh鈥檚 enthusiasm for sports spills over into podcasts, and he hopes to find an outlet for his own opinions. 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking about getting involved with KOXY at some point,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 want to get some kind of radio show going even if no one鈥檚 listening.鈥 

Photos by Max S. Gerber

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Los Angeles CA 90041-3314