CSUDH alum Jesus Trejo wears several professional hats—standup comedian, actor, writer, award-winning children’s book author. What informs all these roles and serves as the touchstone for his humor is a deep connection to community. “Comedy is being able to speak my truth in a funny way that resonates with people in my community,” says Trejo, who returned to his alma mater to screen two episodes of his new six-episode PBS docuseries Roots of Comedy. “And if you’re not in the community, you’ll get a deeper understanding of it.” The screening and subsequent panel discussion took place at the Marvin Laser Recital Hall on Oct. 15 as part of the university’s Hollywood ... Read More
Alumni
Toro Paralympian Seeks Gold in the City of Light
Some 4,400 athletes from 168 delegations joined the Parade of Nations in the Place de la Concorde on Aug. 28 to mark the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and a proud graduate of CSUDH’s certificate program in orthotics and prosthetics walked among them. Para canoeist Jillian Elwart, 41, will make her Paralympic debut at the Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Sept. 6. Her event is a 200m sprint in a Va’a, an outrigger-style canoe fitted with a float on one side. Elwart’s Paralympic journey began in 2014 after a whitewater expedition in Mexico introduced her to para canoe sprinting. Meeting Paralympian Kelly Allan, who represented the U.S. in Rio in 2016, gave ... Read More
Toro Alum Works to Share History of Early Civil Rights Activists
Edwin Henderson might not live anywhere near CSUDH, but his experience after taking teacher credential courses here shows how the Toro community’s commitment to social justice transcends distance and history. Henderson taught elementary school in the Compton Unified School District in the 1980s, attending CSUDH to take the required courses to renew his teaching credential. He later moved to Falls Church, Virginia, teaching in public schools there until his retirement in 2012. It was there in Northern Virginia that Henderson started his work commemorating the region’s early civil rights history. He founded the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation in 1997 to research and preserve the critical ... Read More
LA Times: How Kei Kamara Escaped Sierra Leone to Star for LAFC
Source: LA Times The explosion outside of his school. The vultures feasting on corpses in the streets. The water gushing into the boat that was ferrying him to safety. The images of war remain with Kei Kamara to this day. The LAFC striker pictures them whenever he shares the story of his childhood in Sierra Leone. He often sees them in his dreams. “I get these nightmares,” Kamara said. “I’m always running. I’m always running from chaos.” The memories continue to haunt the 39-year-old Kamara, but they also have convinced him of how fortunate he is. So rather than be disenchanted with how he’s switched teams more than a dozen times in his career, he celebrates how ... Read More
Homecoming — The Encore Hits All the Right Notes as Alums Show Their Toro Pride
The sounds of live music and the scents of local food vendors filled the Sculpture Garden at CSUDH on June 22 as an estimated 500 alumni, faculty, administrators, and their family members marked Homecoming 2024 in an event dubbed The Encore. Severe storm forecasts earlier in the year preempted a week of festivities originally scheduled in February. The warm June weather could not have been more accommodating as attendees relaxed in the shade, danced to the music of DW3 and the CSUDH Jazz Ensemble, or mingled with fellow alums in the beer and wine garden. Cedric Hicks, Sr., Carson city councilmember and graduate of CSUDH along with his parents, wife, and daughter, reminded attendees ... Read More
