City College music professor John Villec points out various audio tracks being recorded in his class.

Picture this: you wake up earlyin the morning like you typically doon a school day, and make yourway to City College for class. As thelast students trickle into the room,the professor begins instruction. Thisisn’t so unusual, however, instead oflearning the function of a prepositionor the religious significance ofGothic architecture, the topic ofdiscussion is auto-tune.

At City College, students aregiven the opportunity to delveinto a variety of fields that maypossibly define their futures. The CityCollege Music Department offers courses and programs that simultaneouslyprogress their students’ educational agendas, as well astheir musical resumes and experience.Over 50 music courses areoffered at City College, rangingfrom music business to beginner’spiano and advanced audio lab,where students work independently (but with supervision from faculty) with City’s College’s facilities and equipmentto create a personal musical project throughout a semester.

City College even has its own record label, DiverCityRecords, which was founded by Gabrielle Beatrice, a CityCollege professor who teaches a music business course.In the class, students learn the ins-and-outs of the musicindustry, including how to start their own independentlabels. Each year, DiverCity Records releases a compilationalbum of songs recorded by City College students.

Any student is eligible to submit an originalrecord; you don’t need to be a music majorto do so.

Mateo Brown, a music major whois currently taking Beatrice’s class,says he believes that City College’smusic program will pay dividendsfor his future.

“I have been into music sinceI was a kid and I kind of alwaysknew that I wanted some sort ofcareer in the music industry,” Brownsays. “Whether it is engineering,producing, or songwriting, I feel withthis class it will teach me the toolsI will need to be successful in thebusiness.”

Learning about the differenttypes of copyright deals and recordroyalties, along with advances andrecord deals can be just asimportant as the musical productionand performance side ofthe spectrum for those who wantto achieve success in the musicindustry.

However, City College has thatbranch marching along effectively as well. Of the numerousmusic courses offered, nearly 40 are production or performance-based classes. Thetechnical teaching, along with City’s recording facilities,musical equipment, multiple practice rooms, and at-thereadytutors, combine to give students ample opportunitiesto groom and hone their musical skills.

Classroom mixing board.

Rachel Kang, a City College professor who teaches piano, praised the Los Rios Community College District’smusic program in general. She says the great facilities atFolsom Lake College are another example of the strides thedistrict has taken to widen the education spectrum for itsstudents.

“I think we do a very good job of facilitating localSacramento music,” Kang says.

With so many different musical courses and programsoffered, City College opens itself up to new beneficial usesthat are available to all of the students on campus in oneway or another.

As the music department continues to grow, so willthe amount of Sacramento artists making noise in themusic industry.

Yes, that’s right. You’re an adult—and youknow living the college life is going to be thebest experience ever.

But then, you meet the real world. It’s 10p.m. and after you’ve spent all of your time inclasses and studying, you don’t have the time orenergy necessary to make a meal. You look inyour cupboard and find your savior, the staplefood that always comes through for you: ramennoodles. Five minutes on the stove and yourmeal is complete.

For many City College students, it’s afamiliar scenario, however it doesn’t have to be.The unhealthy diet that so often accompaniesthose living the college life can be easily, andthriftily, averted.

Nutrition professor John Polagruto wasn’t somuch a ramen noodles expert, but he masteredthe art of cheap food with another staple duringhis college years.

“I lived off of black beans and rice withLouisiana hot sauce,” Polagruto says. “That wasthe bulk of my diet. I bought fruit on campusat the dining commons. And then it was beer—that was my liquid of choice. I did not drinksodas. I just didn’t have any money for them.”

Polagruto, who has taught nutrition classesfull-time at City College for six years, adds thatthere is more to the unhealthy food choicespeople make than just lack of time and money. The way they were raised plays a role in diet choices as well. If people were raised around badfood, they will usually continue that tradition.

“I don’t blame students at all, it’s not theirfault at all that that’s the culture my generationraised them in.”

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this lifestyle hasconsequences. About one-third of the populationin America is obese with approximately 17percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19years fitting the definition. On top of that, only31 percent of adults in the U.S. report that theyengage in regular leisure-time physical activitywhile 40 percent of adults report no leisure-timephysical activity at all.

Scarlette Charles, a liberal studies major,admits that while she has a generally healthydiet, her busy life on campus can hinder that.

“I will usually try to eat a cup of soup, butI’m moving pretty fast so I’ll eat like pizzaor something like that. And a cup of coffee,”Charles says.

Fortunately, there are ways to eat healthywithout breaking your budget. If you plan onstaying on campus all day, you can make yourfood before you head to school to ensure youwill be eating healthy food. There are five localfarmers’ markets that are open year-round andoffer homegrown fruit and vegetables at anaffordable price. The times and locations forthese markets can be found at www.californiagrown.com/market-times.html.

Psychology major Patrick Michael Andrakinsays he arrives at the farmers’ markets right beforethey close to save even more money on produce.

“You have a good chance of getting a gooddeal because those guys have to get rid of all theirproduce that they don’t sell,” Andrakin says.

City Farm Club advisor Robyn Waxmansuggests taking it one step further and starting yourown garden in your backyard or wherever youhave room. The farm offers seeds to students or shesuggests getting them from a good organic farmer.

“Grow it yourself. Grow enough to can it,which you learn how to do online,” Waxmansays. “Then you can have food all winter.”

Polagruto agrees that bringing food fromhome is the cheapest and healthiest way tocontrol the amount of and what kind of foodis being consumed. A peanut butter and jellysandwich on wheat bread, he says, can be ahealthy meal.

“To be fair, I know students say they don’thave that much time, and of course they do,”Polagruto says. “I was a student too.”

For students who want to grab food before orafter class, there are plenty of places around thisarea that serve nutritious food at a reasonableprice. Polagruto recommends eating a salad firstbecause it fills you up. Then order a small entrée.If that doesn’t suffice, order something else butbe conscious of what you are eating and howmuch food you are digesting.

Students’ unhealthy habits are just that, hesays—habits. Habits that can be unlearned.

“Students need to realize that part of theirdiet is not of their own thinking, it’s beenprogrammed as an American.”

Ramen, from bland to grand

OK, you’ve tried to eat healthier,but timeand a lack of money will still, on occasion,undermine even the best efforts. No fear,with a little time and preparation, you canturn classic ramen noodles into a fun andhealthy meal.Do not use the spice packet as it is filledwith sodium. Opt for low-sodium or sodiumfree soy sauce or stir-fry sauce if you desire.

You will need:

• 3 quart pot

• 14-inch pan

• Olive oil

• 5 cups of water

• Your favorite vegetables

• 3 ounce tofu or beans

• Fresh garlic (optional)

• Ramen noodle brick

First, start off with a medium pot, half-filledwith water.

Next, add some olive oil as it speeds upthe process and adds some taste. You wantto bring the water to a medium boil.

While the water is heating up, you havetime to slice up your veggies. A good combinationcan be red and green bell peppers,carrots, mushrooms, purple onion, yellowsquash and green zucchini. However,you can use whichever vegetables you like.

Use a 14-inch pan and add olive oil.Once the pan is heated, add the vegetablesand some tofu. If you are not a fan oftofu, you can use black beans or any typeof bean for protein. You can also add freshgarlic for a kick.

Now it’s time to add the ramen noodlesand cover the pot.

Once they are softenough, drain the noodles and let them sitin the pot.Once the vegetables are tender, addthem to the noodles.

Stir and enjoy!

The City College Library is a shelter for students, providing not only a place forcomfort during those windy, miserable and rainy days but also an academic refuge where knowledge is just a book aisle, click or page away.

While the library, which is located within the building known as the Learning Resource Center, stands as a building that is an immediate resource for students. With its vast array of academic tools, it is representative of the people behind the scenes who often supply the greatest assistance by putting a human face on the library process— making it much more approachable.

“The library is an area where I want students to feel comfortable, and know that they are cared about,” says Dean of the Learning Resources Division, Rhonda Kravitz. “Student success is really what makes libraries’ existence powerful, and we’re really here to make students succeed in the best way we can.”

Kravitz says she tries to inspire students by showcasing their work. Various examples of this are on display, there to greet all those who enter the LRC, which houses both floors of the library.

There is an ever-changing array of paintings and sculptures, pieces of literary art and scientific exhibits.

“I think what I’ve created here is opportunities to create exhibits so that students can see the work that our students do,” Kravitz says.

Throughout a typical day in the library, an average of 8,000 people passes through the sensors at the entrance of the LRC, according to Kravitz. The library is such a popular study spot, she adds, sometimes there isn’t enough space to accommodate every request for group study rooms.

By noon, the busiest hour here, the two floors of the library have turned into a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds from students, library staff and computers.

“We see students in a different way than the instructors on campus do,” says City College librarian Pamela Posz.

Posz says she believes that the library staff is composed of people who are teachers just as much as the school’s professors are. The task of educating students on how to research information, she adds, is a priority.

“With the Internet it’s gotten more challenging because there’s a much bigger range of different types of information to learn to evaluate,” says Posz. “It’s a whole different level than what you hit, even 10 years ago, doing research.”

In recent years, the library has adapted to the digital age, implementing tools such as libraian instant messaging, which allows fast direct communication from computer to librarian, and other online resources such as PILOT (Path to Information Literacy Online Tutorial), an online tutorial for using information resources.

Librarian Stephanie McDonald recounts her success many years ago helping a student research information for a paper he had to write. She said that afterward, she went to a restaurant with her husband and friends and that the student, working as her waiter, surprised her and brought free dessert for helping him earn an A on his paper.

“That was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me in my life,” says McDonald. “I just love that story, that’s my success.”

As you tuck your massive weapon into your T-shirt, you hear someone call out your name.The next thing you know, you realize you’re backin the classroom and that the person saying yourname is your business management professortelling you to finish his final exam. As you continuefilling in random answers on a Scantron, itoccurs to you that studying for that test wouldhave been a better choice than staying up lateshooting zombies in the face. For gamers who arestudents, this is an all-too familiar experience.

In the past 10 years, video games have evolvedfrom being part of a niche market into a multimilliondollar industry. The success ofsystems, such as the Sony Playstation 3,Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii provethat console gaming is still alive and kicking.However, mobile devices, smart phones, tabletcomputers and technological advancements, suchas touch screens and motion controls have alsochanged gaming from the at-home kid’s hobbyof yesteryear to an on-the-go experience that justabout everyone enjoys.

In today’s world, even grandma is a gamer. Withso many ways to play, gaming can be a hugedistraction—especially for students. When itcomes to balancing school work with any hobby,it often seems as if there just isn’t enough time inthe day. Finding the balance between work andplay is a tough foe to defeat, but at CityCollege, gamers are finding ways.

The school’s Advanced Technology Departmenthas offered a three-course video gamedesign program since 2008. In the program,students learn what makes a game fun (or notso-fun) and how to create simple 3D design with a software program that uses many of the toolsused in the gaming industry. By the end of theprogram, students are able to create their owngames. Patrick Crandley, a graphiccommunications professor who teaches gamedesign at City College says that taking thesecourses is a great way to combine a passion forgaming with school work.

Graphic Communication professor Patrick Crandley demonstrates 3D modeling software.

“We are a culture of gamers,” says Crandley.“We’re playing games almost every single week[in my classes], at various stages of development.I never have a problem with attendance in myclasses because students want to come to class.”

Taking Crandley’s classes can send studentswell on their way to being able to develop andpublish their own games, even without thebacking of a software or video game company.A prime example of potential success an independentdeveloper can achieve is the populargame “Angry Birds.” Though the concept of thegame is simple, it has sold millions across variousplatforms and has become a retail sensation withT-shirts, stuffed animals, toys and even a boardgame adaptation.

Yes, a board game based on avideo game—now that’s success.

“I thinkit shows you how far you can go with it,” saysCrandley. “A game like Angry Birds goes toshow you don’t have to be [part of ] a big gamestudio to have good ideas. There are some uniquesparks out there that will continue to push thisindustry. I’m happy that the development toolsand the independent developer community arealive and kicking to support these sparks andturn them into fires.”

But even if you prefer playing games tomaking them, there are many options for findingthe balance you seek. The adventure begins withfinding which option works best.

“Budget time in your life,” says Crandley. “Itell myself this, and I have to do this, I mark outvery specific times in my day, and for me, sinceI’m really busy during my week, I’m allowed toplay two hours of “Gears of War 3” on Fridayevenings after I’ve done X, Y, and Zbut if I budgetan hour, I only play for an hour.”Another tipis to use your hobby of choice as a reward foraccomplishing your daily or weekly goals. “If Ido all the things I’m supposed to do that day,then I reward myself with some gaming,”Crandley says.

Nick Williams also works hard to find thatbalance. Williams is a City College 3Danimation major with a focus on environmentart for video games. He has already completed allof Crandley’s courses. Williams says maintainingequilibrium between work and play is all aboutfinding the right amount of time for each aspectof your life.

“The best advice I can give is to ration yourtime,” says Williams. “If you take RegionalTransit, use that time to get some of your homeworkor reading done. That really helped me tofree up time to get in some quality gaming.”

Photo illustration by Ryan Angel Meza

Taking game design courses at City Collegeor scheduling your hobbies into your extremelybusy life are just two solutions to a problemfamiliar to many students.

“The important thing that people tend toforget is that video games at their core are entertainmentso we should treat them like any otherform of entertainment,” says Crandley.

Whether you’re into shooting other playersin games such as “Call of Duty” or you’re a casualgamer who enjoys a few rounds of “Angry Birds,”the bottom line for gamers is clearly to find theway to a strong balance between work and play.It doesn’t matter if it’s gaming, movies, music,social activities or any other hobbies that tend tokeep students from focusing on school—balanceis the key to success.

The paycheck you’ve just received, however, has already been sparingly applied to all of your bills and though it’s sunny outside you now must tap into your rainy day fund.

Many single parents choose City College to further their education because of its wide array of opportunities to help improve one’s fi nancial future.

Although, college can be big expense, there are some programs and resources that can make your journey a bit easier—and cheaper.

Eligible California residents can receive a Board of Governors waiver to pay for enrollment fees. To apply, visit www.cccapply.org or apply through the Financial Aid Office in Rodda South.

Assistance for books and other supplies must be applied for separately. Federal student aid is also available for eligible students in the form of grants, which don’t have to be repaid. To apply, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Loans are also available and, even better, payments don’t begin until six months after you stop attending school—but be careful of how much money you borrow. Lenders recommend that you ensure your future income will allow for these monthly payments.

The Extended Opportunity Programs Services offers many helpful programs, some of which are specifi – cally geared towards single parents. EOPS provides book vouchers, book loans, and student support programs.

Another part of EOPS is the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) program, which provides assistance for childcare, transportation, support services, advising workshops, and networking activities for single parents. Students may only apply for this program once a year, in April, because space is limited.

City College also has a Child Development Center for children from 2 to 5 years of age. The fees are free or reduced for qualifying families and a registration packet can be filled out online at web.scc.losrios.edu/cdc/ or may also be picked up at the front desk of the CDC.

The pre-school offers full and part-time day programs and a summer enrichment program. The CDC’s hours of operation are Monday- Friday, 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Designer Monte Christo with model Megan Harris.

Most students who attend City College saunter through these halls and try to figure out who they are, what they are becoming and what career path they’ll eventually take. They knock down the prerequisite barriers, complete the basic training-like tasks of general education, and all the while trying new things along the way and using City College as a vehicle to get where they want to go—or at the very least, to find out where it is they want to go.

Monte Christo arrived at City College with many of those “big picture” questions regarding his future already answered. He started college knowing where he wanted to go and who he wanted to become.

Now Christo, 28, is a local fashion designer who makes clothing and accessories. He studied at City College in 2002-2003, looking for what the school had to offer and what he could learn here to push his fashion dreams into reality.

In the years since he left here, Christo’s designs have appeared on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16; he’s also made clothing worn by celebrities, such as the pop singer Kelis.

Christo’s history is rooted in Tonga, a small island in the South Pacific known for churning out more than its fair share of rugby stars and football players. Measuring in at over six feet tall, Monte Christo’s parents naturally thought their son would someday terrorize the rugby field. Yet, while his family and childhood friends were out on the field, Christo was busy making up routines with his dance crew.

And so, Christo the designer was birthed out of necessity.

Sequin Batty Riders and Sell Off Tank with DVSN 4 Gold Rope Earrings.

“I was dancing a lot,” says Christo. “The group I was choreographing for, we were straight out of high school. So we really didn’t have any money. So I took charge and decided I was going to make our outfits.”

Developing the drive and dedication to make it as a fashion designer from Sacramento was a challenge, he says. It was even more difficult to find someone to unlock the secrets of the sewing machine. Christo’s father was not one of his early supporters. He was skeptical of a man, let alone his son, making a living by designing women’s clothing.

“My grandma sews, and my mom sews,” says Christo. “One day I was like ‘you guys have to teach me’, and they told me’ No! Boys don’t sew! Go play rugby!”

Christo watched from a distance but once he learned to thread a sewing machine his passion took over and he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

Christo says he came to City College ready for design, with the influences of dancehall, the Fly Girls from the TV show In Living Color, and dance and street culture from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Christo combined inspiration with the instruction from City College’s fashion program to capture his ideas and make them tangible. Here, he learned stitching techniques, consistency and that City College is a melting pot—a place where culture and style mingle and inspiration walks the hallways.

“City College was amazing,” says Christo. “Being around the people was very influential. It helped me to find myself on that campus.”

Now, Christo describes his style as “high fashion street style,” a look he calls street driven with a focus on fabrics and textures.

Custom Spiked Rebel Denim Jacket and neon angel one piece, with DVSN 4 Tassel Earrings.

He says his goal is to stay humble and true to the values instilled in him by his parents. For all the focus and drive he shows in the pursuit of his dream, he remains approachable and encouraging. He’s also tried to avoid, he says, the industry norm of backstabbing and blacklisting.

Christo knows how to hustle, a skill which he says was honed on the streets of Meadowview in South Sacramento.

Once, for example, when he found out music artist Kelis was performing in Sacramento, he figured out her measurments and made a dress for her. He then shocked her by presenting her with a one of- a-kind dress.

“In this business like anything else you have to get noticed,” says Christo. “You can’t be lazy or timid. You have to put yourself out there.”

Christo says this attitude, combined with his connections and ambition, even landed him a job on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16, where he designed all the outfits and accessories for a friend who was chosen for the show.

These days, the designer doesn’t let the fact that he is in California’s Central Valley and not New York or Paris, stop him from realizing his vision. He uses social networking to overcome the shortcomings of small town living and markets himself globally.

He says he is continually pushed by the memories of how hard his mom and dad worked not only to come to this country, but to support and encourage him as well. “It’s your dream. Take ownership of your dream and your future,” he says. “Have real integrity, no matter what you do.”

City College student Jayme Fields (right) juggles classes with parenting her 3-year-old daughter Breanna.

Jayme Fields is rushing around her house, her alarm failed to wake her up this morning and now she’s frantically trying to prepare herself and her daughter Breanna, 3, for another day. Fields calls her boyfriend, who is supposed to give them a ride to school and is relieved to fi nd out he is running late as well. Then, remembering that daycare workers told her about a lice scare at City College’s Child Development Center, Fields sweeps Breanna’s long blond hair into a thick bun and heads to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Fields, 35, is a returning business management student at City College. She is also a single parent whose daughter attends the CDC daycare program on campus.

Breanna, Field says, is the reason she has returned to school. With the help of Extended Opportunity Program Services and the CDC program, Fields says she’s determined to fi nish school and become a certifi ed medical biller and medical offi ce manager.

“I am finishing school to be able to provide the best possible life for Breanna,” Fields says.

Parenting, education, and the jumble of making it all coincide harmoniously keep Fields constantly on the move.

“The first and foremost diffi cult thing about going to school, as a parent, is the scheduling,” Fields says.

Back at the house, her boyfriend arrives in his red Toyota pickup. As the adults discuss their plans for the day, Breanna plays quietly in her car seat. Fields says transportation ranks as the second most diffi cult thing about going to school.

Fields drops her daughter Breanna off at the CDC before classes.

“Each day I have to fi gure out how I am getting Breanna and myself to school and back home,” Fields says. “The schedule changes every single day.”

Fields says she’s grateful for the support from her mom, with whom she currently lives, and her boyfriend, a fellow City College student. Fields spends many hours during this particular day trying to fi x a course scheduling error before the start of secondterm classes. She has an exam at night so she studies in the library before zooming to the CDC to pick up Breanna. There, Fields is met by her daughter who’s covered in blue paint from the day’s fi nger painting activities. Throughout the rest of the day, Breanna brags, “I have blue hair! I have BLUE hair!”

Fields and her daughter share lunch together in the City College cafeteria. Breanna’s demeanor is upbeat and friendly; she switches between eating her lunch and entertaining herself, skipping quietly in circles around the cafeteria table.

“I’m going be this tall,” Breanna explains as she indicates a point slightly taller than her current height.

“Breanna may be into acting,” says Fields. “She can narrate whole movies. She is my earth child though, she also loves rocks—any type or size.”

The CDC program offers many interactive activities for the participants. Breanna says she enjoys the “name game” where the students sit in a circle and clap, chanting each student’s name.

“Breanna absolutely adores CDC,” says Fields. “She has no attachment anxieties about being at school,”

Toward the end of the day, Fields must drop Breanna off at a babysitter’s because the CDC center closes at 5 p.m. and Fields still has to take her exam. It can be tough at times being a single parent, she says, but the reward will be worth the hard work in the end.

City College student Amanda Mays found her teenage years dramatically altered after she was forced to make a life-changing decision. The international studies major, now 24, was still just a minor when her parents’ physical and mental health problems rendered them unable to care for her, causing Mays to be placed into the foster care system.

School became a safe haven for Mays and she decided to apply to California State University, Los Angeles to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business law. Soon, however, she realized she lacked the necessary funds and decided to attend a community college instead.

Amanda Mays splits her time between being a full-time City College student and caring for her mother and son.

Like Mays, many students arrive at City College after life throws them an unexpected curveball— a job loss, sudden illness or a new baby. Increasingly, community college offers students the path to a new beginning.

It wouldn’t be the only time Mays’ educational plans changed unexpectedly. Mays was set to begin her first semester at City College in 2006, but was forced to drop out after her father’s sudden death.

“He had spent the last 20 years of his life drinking and doing drugs,” says Mays.

Still, she adds, his death was unexpected. “No one knew he was sick, he seemed the same as always.”

Mays planned on going back to school but her return was further delayed when she became pregnant a few weeks before the semester began.

“My pregnancy was tough and I was sick all the time,” says Mays. “I was supposed to be bed-bound [so] school was not an option.”

While caring for her infant son in 2008, Mays says her mother’s health issues worsened and she took on the responsibility of caring for her. With these new responsibilities, Mays says there simply wasn’t enough time to go to school.

Finally, in 2009, Mays returned to City College. She says, the school is ideal for its affordability and a schedule flexibility that lets her take time to care for her family.

The changes that occur in one’s life because of sudden family responsibilities are similar to the change that occurs with a new career path.

City College student Jeff Nakata, who is working toward a computer engineering major, began taking classes in 1999 but says college wasn’t an important part of his life at that time because he dropped out of high school when he was approximately 15 to focus on work.

“I started going to City College when I was 18 to appease [my thengirlfriend’s] mom,” Nakata says.

By the time he reached his early 20s, Nakata says he matured and began to see the value of college. However, Nakata remained focused on work as he embarked on a new career in the mortgage industry. For Nakata, working and earning money took priority over school due to necessity.

He quickly found success despite only having a GED and no work experience in his new career field and became a top producer and was helping clients nationwide.

Then, in 2008, Nakata took a short break from his job to explore new employment opportunities. To his surprise, the ever-increasing economic recession had, by this time, caused his previous employer to go bankrupt.

“No one could predict the severity of it,” Nakata says. “Given the fact that I had been successful without an education, I always felt like I could be successful…at the time I was making more than the top degrees out of college, out of universities.”

Full-time student Jeff Nakata spends his time at City College earning straight A’s and participating in the school’s psychology club and Honor Society Phi Theta Kappa.

The sudden housing crash forced Nakata to take a new direction in life and he says he chose to return to City College with a new outlook on the importance of education. Nakata is now dedicated to school and putting all of his time and energy into learning the skills needed for a new career in computer science and technology. He says he hopes to someday work for Apple.

Conversely, it wasn’t economic forces, but rather the unexpected aftermath of illness that precipitated Dana Cantu’s return to City College. In 2006, four years after joining the Air Force, Cantu started to feel ill a few days after receiving a routine flu shot. Although she’d initially felt fine within a few days, she began to feel a coldsensation in her left hand.

“My skin was warm to the touch, but I felt a cold-feeling within my body,” says the 28-year-old general science major.

Cantu figured the icy-sensation in her hand was normal and would go away, but the chillyfeeling remained—eventually accompanied by a tingling feeling in both of her arms and legs.

After several trips to the emergency room and numerous blood tests, doctors couldn’t seem to find anything wrong with her. Then, following her seventh and final visit to the military emergency room, Cantu found herself struggling to breathe. She called 911 and was taken to a civilian hospital.

There, a spinal tap test revealed that Cantu had Guillain-Barrè Syndrome, a rare disorder that causes a person’s immune system to attack the body’s nerve cells and affects about one in every 100,000 people. She was told it was most likely a result of the flu shot.

“I felt relieved, but angry at the same time,” says Cantu. “I could have died and no one listened.”

Following her diagnosis, Cantu endured months of physical therapy and a handful of daily medications. She also had to retrain her brain to communicate with her body and had to learn basic functions, such as walking all over again.

In 2007, Cantu was honorably discharged from the Air Force. Two years later, after fully recovering, Cantu enrolled at City College to pursue a career in physical therapy. She hopes to one day help people in similar situations to the one she experienced.

There are many reasons that cause someone to step back and reconsider their path in life. Whether illness, family responsibilities or an uncontrollable job loss occurs, life’s sudden and shocking events can force many to switch gears. For many students, community college provides an affordable and accessible answer to lifes curveballs.

“I knew I wanted to go back at some point, but felt it could wait,” says Mays. “[City College] is very forgiving about taking breaks.”

Photo courtesy of the City College photo archives.

The late 1960s and early 1970s were times wrought with social revolution and political upheaval. Itwas also a time of enlightenment. Events at City College refl ected this national shifting zeitgeist. Women’sand ethnic studies courses were added to the curricula and the Black Student Union was also formed here. Throughout the country and on campus, people became increasingly aware of the need for equal rights and those who were oppressed came together to use their voices, loudly, in protest against unjust laws and hateful attitudes.

Sacramento citizens participated in these uprisings with a burst of unrest that resounded from peoplewho were motivated to change the stratosphere of a white-male dominated culture.

One such group, the Third World Liberation Front was active at City College, especially in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Its members regularly issued demands to the school districtand administrators. In February 1969, TWLF demanded that programs similarto Sacramento’s Oak Park School of Afro-American Thought be established in the city’s Asian andChicano communities. The New School for Afro-American Thought was founded in the late ‘60s by poets and intellectuals as an expressionof black power and separatism.

TWLF fought to undo what itsmembers saw as the apparatus of aracist societal structure. Its purpose,members said then was, to “combat and change the racist nature of American education.”

It was around this same time that Pacific McGeorge School of Law began recruiting minority students from City College. Representatives from McGeorge met with the Black Student Union president and Mexican-American Youth Association leaders.

Later, as students protested the war in Asia as unjust, others started to decry the myriad injustices. People began to question the systemas a whole, a process knownas disestablishmentarianism.

Then, after four students were shotand killed by the National Guard during a protest at Kent StateCollege in 1970, campuses across the country erupted in protest. As a result, then-Governor Ronald Reagan ordered college campuses throughout the state be temporarilyclosed and then-Chancellor Sydney Crossman briefly shut down the Sacramento City College campus.

But students still showed up to join the strike rally and picketed in front of the school on Freeport Boulevard. Some departments, such as Aeronautics, held classes despite the ordered closure. These professors didn’t see a viable safety threat, and wanted their students to be able to attend class. Some professors took umbrage to the campus closure and held class as an act of defiance in honor of the virtue of education, according to the Express.

Over the past four years there’s been resurgence in student activism. Students from Sacramento, Davis,Berkeley and San Francisco have rallied to stop budget cuts affecting their ability to receive a meaningful education. In April, thousands of students in California linked hands aspart of the statewide Hands Across California rally in an effort to raise funds for—and awareness about—the state’s community collegebudget woes.

Student activists (left to right) Seth Wilson, Dalila Perez and Miguel Campos.

As activists gather around for their general assembly at Cesar Chavez Plaza, a steady  ow of water washes down the fountain that sits in the heart of the park. In the middle of the fountain, there’s a towering statue depicting farm workers dedicated to the life and accomplishments of Chavez, the civil rights activist who, in 1962, founded the National Farm Workers Association and spent his life fighting for the rights of farm workers across the country.

The statue’s workers stand as pillars, each holding a bowl of water—with hands outstretched towards the sky. The lasting impression of unity, strength and community spills from the fountain even as tension builds in America.

Protestors  line out towards the street, their voices rising in a chant:

“What does democracy look like?  is is what democracy looks like!”

“We are the 99 percent!”

A City College student takes time away from her studies to march and attend a Sacramento City Council meeting protesting the nightly eviction of Occupy Sacramento participants in Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Nearby, police  officers patrol the park, sitting atop horses and surveying the scene as activists move between the tentsand canopied booths.

Occupy Sacramento protestors set up camp in Cesar Chavez Park in October.Occupy Sacramento is, in part, a coalition of the national Occupy Wall Street movement that, in September, built up as a protest against social and economic inequalities and corporate greed, particularly at the hands of bankers, lobbyists and big corporations. The 99 percent refers to wealth disparity between the U.S.’s wealthiest one percent and the rest of the country’s population. 

Throughout the Los Rios Community College district, students are also voicing their frustrations through activism; there are many campus organizations and while they may not be as visible as Occupy Sacramento, their members are organizing and building relationships within their communities to make a difference.

City College student, Sean  Thompson, remembers sitting in class and scribbling in the margins of his notebook, thinking about what social problems needed to be tackled and how to solve them. Prior to this protest, he says he became distracted by his work with Occupy Sacramento and decided to leave school to become active in the movement.

“I felt like I was making a difference,”  Thompson says. “My heart is bigger than my brain.”

For American River College student Jesus Santana, activism about finding answers and demanding accountability.

“We want to send a message to the individuals hiding behind their logos,” says Santana. “They need to go, we’ve had enough of them, not just Wall Street but other corrupt institutions too.” 

The protestors behind Occupy Sacramento are not alone in organizing to make positive changes in the community. The Sacramento City College Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Caucus, is a support group on campus for students protected by AB 540, a measure that allows undocumented students to attend college in California and pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. 

The federal DREAM Act would allow undocumented children of immigrants as old as 35, to follow a path to permanent citizenship either by serving in the military for two years or completing two years of higher education at a four-year college.  The bill failed to pass the Senate by five votes in May.

“My passion in life is helping others,” says Dalila Perez, a City College psychology major and member of the school’s DREAM Caucus. “I do get satisfaction knowing someone got even a little help or made a small change in their life from what I do.”

Perez has been organizing for the passage of the federal DREAM Act for six years now. In October, Governor Brown passed the California DREAM Act into law, making it possible for such students to receive private and public  financial aid. Perez says more access for undocumented students could create a wealthier country of more educated professionals entering the work force.

In 2010, the DREAM Caucus raised funds to provide ten $200 scholarships for quali ed students; the money helped those students attend classes.

Another organization involved on campus is Brown Issues, a group that aims to advocate for education, youth outreach and giving back to the community. 

The organization’s members fund their goal by hosting drives for canned food, school supplies, books and coats.

“Each person gets to pick out which coat they like not just one that  fits,” says Miguel Campos, a City College communications major and Brown Issues member.

Along with giving back to the community, Campos says he’s attended several protests but onestood out as the most memorable: A rainy day in May when students and educators all across California’s community colleges stood at the doorstep of the capitol to protest proposed budgetcuts to higher education.

“It was powerful, there were buses coming in …[with] many people who care about their educationmarching,” Campos says. “You felt friction. It wasoverwhelming, we’re all in the rain marching forschool but the state would rather build a jail.”

The Brown Issues group works to get a positivemessage out to youth that they can obtain a highereducation, its members say.

Seth Wilson, a City College student, joined the Brown Issues group in 2008 and says he wants students he mentors to know that going to college means more opportunities.

“ The higher the education you can obtain, the better your chances are at going into a career youwant to do for your life,” Wilson says.

Decades ago, student activists made their mark,creating a social and political consciousness on topics such as civil rights, gender equality and war. Now, a new generation is making a difference, raising awareness by organizing and mobilizing other members of their communities.

“When they see our organization, they see unity. We all look different but we’re all  fighting for the same cause,” says Campos. “Orgnaizing is importantbecause it puts everyone on the same page.”