Godzilla, Growth, and Connections with Leo Lopez

In this episode of Beach Peeps, CSULB Vice President of Student Affairs Beth Lesen sits down with Leo Lopez, a kinesiology major whose journey at The Beach is all about growth, connection, and embracing every part of who you are.

Leo shares how he came to CSULB unsure of his path, initially studying economics before discovering his passion for kinesiology and a future in physical therapy. Alongside his academic journey, he’s built a strong sense of community on campus through SOAR, multiple student organizations, and is now serving as a teaching assistant in anatomy labs.

Outside the classroom, Leo brings a completely different creative energy; he’s an artist with a deep passion for drawing, especially his long-time love of Godzilla. What started as an interest at a young age has grown into a meaningful creative outlet that continues to shape how he sees storytelling, design, and even emotion.

Leo also reflects on pushing himself out of his comfort zone, going from being more introverted to actively seeking out leadership roles, friendships, and opportunities to help other students. Through orientation, clubs, and mentorship, he’s built connections across campus and found a true sense of belonging.

His story is a reminder that growth happens when you take that first step and that sometimes, the things you love are part of what makes your journey unique.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

You have a lot of creative passions. Tell me about what what you do.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

I draw, yeah. Um play art and Godzilla. Oh, that too. But um I draw Do you draw Godzilla? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:11

You do?

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Yeah, I'm a big huge fan of Godzilla.

SPEAKER_03 0:15

You're a Godzilla fan.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Yeah, I have a tattoo.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

You have a Godzilla tattoo! And you're into it.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:20

Like and still, and this has endured since you were 10.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

So that's like 12 years.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Twelve years of watching, drawing, listening to Godzilla.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

I'm Beth Lesson, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment at Cal State Long Beach. And this is Beach Peeps, a podcast about students, stories, and the interesting things happening on campus and beyond. Hi, Leo.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Hello.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Hi, so I'm here with Leo Lopez. Hi, Leo. What um what year are you in in school?

SPEAKER_01 0:53

I currently am in my third year and I am in kinesiology, uh, exercise science.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

Exercise science. What do you want to do with that?

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Right now I'm thinking about physical therapy. Okay. But also my mind is like in other places as well. So like think like athletic training or like being a personal trainer, anything like that. Uh but right now, also just mainly uh physical therapy.

SPEAKER_03 1:16

What do you study when you're in kinesiology? Um that's a word that not a lot of people know.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Um a lot of like STEM like branches, so like chemistry, biology, anatomy, and also things like math related, like physics, um, statistics, and just like a whole a whole lot of that.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

Do you learn about the body?

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Uh specifically in anatomy, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

But there are other kin courses related where it teaches you kind of like physics and anatomy combined.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Why is that your major?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Um, at first well, at first I came in as economics. I came in as economics.

SPEAKER_03 1:49

That is not the same thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

So what happened? Um, I kind of didn't know what I wanted to do. And I came in like from high school, and I was like, okay, I don't know what to do. I just thought like money, and that's it, economics, and that's it. So um, but during my sore orientation, I was like, I think I think I'll change it to something. And I heard some people talking about like kinesiology, and I didn't know what that was. And I was like, oh, it has some something to do with exercise, math, science. I'm like, I think I can I think I'm like I'm interested in that.

SPEAKER_03 2:19

You're like, why not? I'll give that a shot.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Yeah, and I didn't I had no idea that Long Beach had a doctoral like program in physical therapy.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

One of the only ones in this system, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Yeah, and uh I was like, oh, I feel like this the choice I made to move into kinesiology kind of led me to like in this path kind of.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Do you like it?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I love it, yeah. You do, yeah. Sometimes it can be a little bit challenging, but for sure. I feel like that's what you know makes me grow as a student. It's a hard program. Yeah. Um but I enjoy it for the most part.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

Uh are you a big are you big into exercise? Because kinesiology students are usually pretty they sp they like to go to the gym.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Uh yeah. I've recently gotten more into running um because I usually just go to the rec here. I live a little bit far. I live in like West LA. So I can't make the drive like every day to and from the gym. So during the semester I like to go to the gym weightlift. But recently at home, I just run. So running.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

Do you commute from West LA?

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

So I've just been getting to running mainly because of like my family. My dad, he runs a lot. So I'm like Oh, is he?

SPEAKER_03 3:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Is he a runner? So I'm just like, I feel like it's important to take care of your heart.

SPEAKER_03 3:31

Do you run with him?

SPEAKER_01 3:32

No, he's he goes like really early in the morning.

SPEAKER_03 3:35

Like when do you go? Uh I go like I'm not getting up at 5 a.m.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

No, he gets up like at 4 a.m.

SPEAKER_03 3:40

Are you kidding?

SPEAKER_01 3:41

No.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Uh-huh. And then but I go like I'm the opposite. I kind of go like later at night. So at 9 p.m., sometimes like 10.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

That makes me nervous because it's dark. It's like I just honestly, I just met you, but I'm already nervous about you getting hurt in the dark while No, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

It's I wear like highlight highlighted stuff, like reflective gear and everything. But um I don't I don't listen to music when I when I feel like So you're very alert. Yeah. Okay. So I'm just like, I know it's dark, it's late, you know, anything can happen. So I'm just like, I don't have airpods or anything. I just and I with that I just control my breathing.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Are you um running for distance or are you running for speed?

SPEAKER_01 4:19

Uh mainly distance. Distance.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Yeah, I'm how far do you go?

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Uh the farthest I've gone was like 10 miles.

SPEAKER_03 4:25

That's a significant run. Do you do races?

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Uh I've done one. I've done a couple, like 5K's in in here and there, but um my most interesting one, I did a 5k in New York. Oh, did you? Yeah. I'm from New York. Really? From which part?

SPEAKER_03 4:39

Born and raised from New York City. So where did you do your 5K?

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Uh Queens.

SPEAKER_03 4:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

Yeah, went to Queens.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

Um you went there for the 5K?

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Not specifically, but Okay. Uh my partner, she's she goes to school across the country, so I wanted to go visit her. And we did it together. Oh, fun. Something new, something fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

Ten miles is a long way to be running. Are you training for a marathon?

SPEAKER_01 5:00

That's the goal. Yeah. I feel like it's in the back of my mind, but right now I'm just kind of like, I need to take care of myself, my heart with like exercise. I don't I'll get better in like mentally. So right now, but the marathon is in the back of my mind.

SPEAKER_03 5:12

When you say you get better mentally, what do you mean by that?

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Like just being physically healthier helps me feel like um I can handle more mental challenges when it comes to like school and everything like that.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

It's a great stress reducer. Yeah. Yeah. So it frames your heart rate, it lowers your bait your resting heart rate and really makes you calmer. And you also get all those endorphins from running. So after you run a lot, do you feel like that runner's high?

SPEAKER_01 5:42

A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. Especially like when I'm when I like open the door, get back from a run, and I start like making like breakfast or lunch or whatever time I run, I'm just like it feels completely different if I wasn't running. Like I feel good. I feel like there's this kind of like energy around me.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

It feels good. How do you run at night and then go to sleep? Um because after I don't run anymore, but I used to do some jogging. My partner's a big runner, he's a huge marathon runner. But I'm not. I'm a slug basically now. But I used to jog, and after I jogged, I felt so much energy that I can't imagine how I would go to sleep after. Are you able to go to sleep after you run?

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Yeah. Yeah. I I just like get home, shower, and then wait for like my hair to dry and then And then you're fine. Yeah. And then I feel like when I like start just scrolling a little bit and my eyes kind of just like shut and like they're like on and off, and I'm like, okay, I think I know. Now it's time to go to sleep.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

It's fine.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:39

Running is not the only thing that you do though. You have a lot of creative passions. Tell me about what what you do. My you draw.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

I draw, yeah. Um I have an account on Instagram.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

You do? What's the account? So that people can go look at it.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

It's uh it's A-T-O-G-O-J-I. Ato Ato Goji.

SPEAKER_03 7:00

Ato Goji. Yeah. That sounds like something from anime.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Um a little bit. I think it's like Japanese. Okay. It's like art. Ato goji. It's like art and Godzilla. Oh, that too. But um I draw Do you draw Godzilla? Yeah. You do? Yeah, I'm a big huge fan of Godzilla.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

You're a Godzilla fan.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Yeah, I have a tattoo.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

You have a Godzilla tattoo! So when did you start? When when did you get into Godzilla? That's a whole thing. Like there's a whole culture around that.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

I think, well not I think, but it was 2014 when the first like uh American movie was made. Yeah. And that's when I started getting into like all that and like the history of Godzilla, why it was made.

SPEAKER_03 7:37

Just because I like you've like studied this.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Yeah. Yeah. I've I've just like everything.

SPEAKER_03 7:42

Why was Godzilla made?

SPEAKER_01 7:43

Um something to do with the with um I'm getting a little bit Can you remember?

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Yes. If you don't remember, I'll look it up.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Like as a a message, not a message, but like a reflection of like Hiroshima and like the attack. Yeah, and how it was um kind of like um a yeah, like a reflection of that of like the war and destruction that Hiroshima had, and it's like Godzilla was kind of like like a metaphor. Yeah, there you go. Metaphor. That's what I was looking for.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

And so you found this in 2014, and you were how old?

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Uh you were a kid. Yeah, I was like 10, I think.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

And you got super into it.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

And you've been into it ever since. How many movies? I don't even I honestly don't know how many Godzilla movies there are.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

There's I think there's like I don't know. There's a lot.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

I don't know the exact number, but there's and there are a few of the do you watch just the American ones or also the Japanese ones?

SPEAKER_01 8:41

I mainly like keep up to date with the American ones, but also the Japanese ones as well, like um Godzilla minus one, which is like the newer Japanese-made movie.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

So the newer ones, you don't go old school.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

I do sometimes. You do? Yeah, when I have time, I'm like, I think I should watch this to like learn more. Or like I watch videos about the history of the movies, the history about like what um, like you know, why they came up with these designs and everything like that. Like really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:07

You watch videos on the history of the movie, yeah. So and you're into it, yeah. Like and still, and this has endured since you were 10.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

So that's like 12 years.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

12 years of watching, drawing, listening, Godzilla. Um, I'm also like a really big fan and super interested in like the sound design too.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

Interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Like why? Just because it makes me feel like it makes me feel a different way when I'm in the movies and I hear that, like the roar, the music, or like both of them together, and it's just like it makes you feel like make me feel like I can do more.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Huh. So it's empowering.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Yeah, it's empowering.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

It's a it like you hear the the effects have like a visceral effect on you. Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Give me like like goosebumps. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

And do you draw exclusively Godzilla related art?

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Not really, but um it's like 90% Godzilla, yeah. But I also draw other things like comic-wise, like Ninja Turtles, Spider-Man, um, and a bunch of like you know, like superheroes and stuff like that, but so like fantasy kinds of yeah, character-based kinds of things. Yeah. So a lot of that, but did you draw your own tattoo? Um, kinda. I got it off of Pinterest and then I just traced it and then like added like a little bit more like strokes here and there.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

Really? I didn't uh when I asked that, I thought for sure you were gonna say no, but you kinda did.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

A little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

That's cool. Can I see it again? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Well, it's we're supposed to read it like this way. It says Godzilla that.

SPEAKER_03 10:40

Oh, and that's what it so it's it's actually the word Godzilla.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Yeah, or in Japanese it's gojira, but Godira. Yeah, and then English it's Godzilla.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

Fascinating.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

So I'm really I've always I've been wanting to get a tattoo of like this writing for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

It's interesting to me that you have this this that you draw and that you draw a lot and you have it's an art account, but you're a kinesiology major. You never considered a career in art.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

I just I feel like I had to not choose, but kind of just go with something that I know can I can like l live. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Live like I would like to be able to make money.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

So like yeah, making money. So I was like, okay, I think I could do something with this, but also had like continue to have this passion.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Yeah. And not let it doesn't mean that you can't you don't have to create an entire career out of something to be passionate about it and to continue doing it for your whole life.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:36

And do you think that you'll be drawing for your whole life? Oh yeah. Do you study drawing?

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Uh yeah, I have a couple like books about like anatomy and stuff, and also the anatomy of like animals, so I can like learn more about the structure and like if I include it in my drawings, I'm I can just refer to the book and be like, okay, this muscle doesn't go this way, it's supposed to go like this.

SPEAKER_03 11:56

You know, your anatomy class must have been really come in handy for that drawing.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

I did, yeah. I have a lot of like, especially on the forearms and arms specifically. I'm like, okay, I draw a lot of arms, forearms, like Godzilla-wise. I know he probably has like a bicep, you know, the muscles probably go like this and search ones go like that. So I'm like, okay, this makes sense when I look at it from like a drawing.

SPEAKER_03 12:17

So what do you do here on campus?

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Um here a typical semester looks like I work and go to school, but specifically the classes that I have. So it's a lot of labs.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

What do you work? What what work?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Oh, um, the new student and family programs office.

SPEAKER_03 12:36

Oh, do you work for orientation?

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Yeah, I'm an orientation leader for the summer.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

Oh, I didn't even know that.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Oh um, well, I'm an orientation leader for the summer, for the winter, and then also during the semester I work in the office as well. So answering phone calls, um, you know, sending messages um to students during the semester if they need help. I'm part of like that texting campaign. Yep. And also You're Sam. Yes. You're Sam.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

So everybody, anyone who listens to this podcast will have at some point been texted by Sam. And they so many of them think that Sam is not real, that Sam is a bot. Here's Sam. We're Sam.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:14

We tell we tell there are a couple of students who are Sam, but you're one of them.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yeah, we tell students that are doing orientation and then they still don't believe you. Yeah, I'm like, no, this we're we're real. So yeah. Um, but during the semester it's a it's a lot of labs. Yeah. It's a lot of science classes. Um, and right now for this upcoming semester, I'll be taking the second part of chemistry, doing a motor control class for kinesiology. It's a lot. Yeah. Well, I'm also doing a winter course right now that kind of goes into the beginning of February. Yeah. And then also I recently got an anatomy lab TA position.

SPEAKER_03 13:48

Oh, so you're gonna TA also? Yeah. All right, well, I want to ask you about that, but first I want to ask you about SOAR. So and then I'll get to the TA position, okay? How did you wind up working for SOAR?

SPEAKER_01 13:58

I it was really because I feel like I didn't do a lot in high school. I was only a part of the track team for the last half of the last semester of the last year. Yeah. So I didn't do much. Like I wasn't in any clubs or anything, and I felt like I had to do more.

SPEAKER_03 14:14

Did you regret that?

SPEAKER_01 14:15

A little bit.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

You kind of wish that you got uh gotten a little more more involved in high school? Yeah. Yeah. So during You didn't want to make that mistake again.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

Not really. Yeah. No, yeah. I feel like college was more for me to like you know, spread out, meet a lot more people. Yeah. And so with SOR, I saw I would see their their videos on Instagram, saw their flyers, and I feel like I was kind of an extroverted person when I can be. Yeah. And then introverted, like for the most part. And I feel like I was more introverted than extroverted. So I was like, this is like a challenge for me.

SPEAKER_03 14:47

This is not the first time I've heard this. So you wanted to push yourself. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

So I signed up for the info session. I went, I asked questions, even though I kind of felt like, uh, I just raised my hand and I asked questions. Were you scared? A little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:00

Yeah. And you pushed yourself?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Yeah. Why? Just because if I can push myself in like one area, I can continue to do that, whether it's with school, like exercise, I can do it.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

It's like working the muscle. Yeah. Like the push yourself muscle.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Just keep pushing yourself and you keep going.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

Yeah. So um So you pushed yourself to go to the info session, ask questions, and then what?

SPEAKER_01 15:23

And then they had a experiential event, which was like a lot of students, and then seeing how you worked in a team, how you worked in a group, um, and also things that made you stand out. And I feel like one of the things that made me stand out was was was the drawing. Yeah. So we had to do this one like um compet not competition, but like a little competition. I'll should just say competition, um, where we got into groups of like five or six, and we had like six uh like blank pieces of paper on the wall, and we had to come up with a character that was not LB, it was LB's friend.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Oh, this was this competition was made for you.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Yeah. Um I was like, okay, I can I can draw. I didn't I kind of didn't want to just because no one asked me. But then, you know, no one was like stepping up saying, Oh, I can draw, I can draw. Everyone was kind of just like, Oh, do you want to draw? Do you want to draw? And I was like, Yeah, okay, I could draw. Um, so I was like, I did that and I drew like an octopus, I think. His name was Nugget, I think.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

Was everyone just like, What?

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Yeah, a lot of the the story leaders and yeah, I imagine.

SPEAKER_03 16:30

But you're like, I can do that.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Just like, mmm, and that's it. Yeah, and it's like that's what made me stood out. But yeah, I was kind of um um self not self-conscious, but after I left the experiential, I kind of didn't think they would message me back. I didn't think they would email me, and I was like, Oh, I dcause I didn't talk much. Interesting. Yeah, I there I only talked during like one or two portions where it was like split up into groups.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

And you were a little bummed. You were like, all right, I didn't I didn't get that.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

Yeah, I was kind of just uh like this is my only chance. Yeah and I could have done more, but I didn't. Um then I got an email from It worked out. Yeah, from Rachel Sanchez, and it said congratulations, and I was like, no way, like I was in disbelief. And um from How long ago was that? This was How long have you been doing SOR? For two summers. Okay. So it was I want to say two years ago. Yeah. Yeah, so in the my freshman year, I think. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

And why did you want to do SOR? Just because I like yeah, push yourself, but there are a lot of different ways to push yourself.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Um mainly because of because of my dad. He's always like pushing himself, you know, telling us to to keep keep going no matter what. Like it's important that you just take action to do things and so he inspired you. Yeah, and also when I was smaller, like in fifth grade, uh sixth grade, I was part of this junior cadet like police program with LAPD. And we would kind of just learn about leadership skills, learn about like public speaking, and have like also field trips and stuff. It was like an after school program that I would go to. And I feel like that also kind of was embedded in me to do to do more in college.

SPEAKER_03 18:06

So you recognized SOAR as something like that, like something that you could do that would be like that. Yeah, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Yeah, and ever since then I've been I've been like feel like uh reaching out more to people, making more connections, and I feel like it's not as scary as it was before.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

Yeah. Well, when we practice things, they get a little easier as we go along. Do you like doing SOAR? I love it. Yeah. You do? Yeah. What do you like about it?

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Just the people, you know. I feel like whenever I have to go to work, it's not going to work.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

I feel like the SOAR leaders really develop a bond.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Yeah, they they all do.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

It's like being a camp counselor. Like you really become good friends with everyone.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Yeah. And every day when I would like make the commute here, I wouldn't think like, oh, I have to go to work, I have to give tours for an hour. It's just like I'm meeting with all these amazing people, and we're like building off of each other and like learning more about each other, and it's just a good way to connect with not just the store leaders, but also students as well, and giving them advice that you wish someone gave you when you were coming into college.

SPEAKER_03 19:08

Speaking of which, what kind of advice do you give students?

SPEAKER_01 19:11

Uh, mainly things about finding friends, like finding people to connect with, and I tell them about like clubs, organizations. Um, because I didn't really get involved with clubs during my first semester here. Yeah. It was not until like the second semester, second year that I started getting involved. But um, I would tell them about clubs, and it's okay that you know, maybe right now you may not have as many friends as you did in high school, but it'll get better. Yeah. Right now it may not be as good, but it will get better.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

Especially as a commuter, the c joining things is really important because if you're driving here, going to class and going home, it's gonna be really hard to connect with people if you don't join stuff.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

Yeah. So I always like connect with students and tell them as much as I can about the the different clubs on campus, especially the ones that I'm also involved in as well. Like you should join this club because we do this.

SPEAKER_03 20:01

Which clubs are you involved in?

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Uh I'm involved in three. So it's yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

On top of this, you you're the gift that keeps on giving. What are you involved in?

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Uh I'm in the College of Health and Human Services Student Council. Okay. So I'm the social media coordinator for that. Okay. I'm part of the Health Science Student Association. Okay. And the treasurer for that club. And I'm also part of the pre-physical therapy club as well.

SPEAKER_03 20:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

That one, I'm the community outreach coordinator.

SPEAKER_03 20:29

So you aren't just involved with three different clubs, you have offices. Uh you're an officer for three different clubs.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:35

That feels like a lot.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

Yeah, um, it can, but I feel like I've been managing it as best as I can and finding that like routine so I get things done.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

So are the different the three different clubs that you're involved with through the college, are they a lot of the same people? Or do you have different networks with every single one of these organizations?

SPEAKER_01 20:56

There's different networks. Yeah? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

You must know so many people now.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Yeah. That's the funny thing too. Whenever I'm walking with friends, like just coming up from um Horn Center to the library, I'm saying hi to like 20 different people. Oh, that must feel really nice. Yeah, and they're always like, you know so many people, like you know the whole school. I'm like, well, I'm involved.

SPEAKER_03 21:14

Um, but how does it feel to know so many people in in a place like this? Because a lot of it's a big place and a lot of people feel kind of anonymous. Like they don't that's unusual. Not that many people can say that they walk from the horn center to the Kins Building and say hi to 20 people.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

I feel um, I don't know, I feel I feel seen, like I feel good. I feel that some of these people are the students from orientation that I've helped out. And I say hi to them because I remember them, you know, I talked to them, so it's it's good because I know I help this person uh, you know, you know, kind of break out of their show a little bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

So if you Do any of them keep in touch with you?

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Um mainly some of like the friends I made during like my first semester or like second semester as I started getting more, you know, involved. Yeah, but um some of the students not really technically You should tell them about your Instagram account. I should.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

And they'll all follow you on Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Yeah. Yeah. But we kind of have like a connection through like the clubs. Because I see some of them in the clubs that I'm in. Yeah. And so we kind of keep in touch like that in a way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:22

What is your favorite part of going to Cal State Long Beach?

SPEAKER_01 22:27

I love being here. It's it's um it's like my you know, you have like like I feel like you have three different locations where you can feel good. You could like feel good at home, um, like your mental space, and also like a second kind of home. I feel like this university is kind of like a second home.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

This is like your set home away from home. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Home away from home. So I really feel connected to this campus because I know so many people and I've been involved in a lot of things and I'm able to help out a lot of students as well. So I feel like this is my place. You know, during my first time here, my first semester, I didn't I was kind of unsure because I feel like this was um close to like last option. So I kind of felt like this is my last option. I'm not gonna feel like I'm not gonna do a lot. But it's been like a good complete 180. So I feel like I'm doing a lot more than I thought I would.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

So it wasn't the place you wanted to attend, but now that you're here, you're really glad that you're here. Yeah. Yeah. So I've I've been asking people, I'm gonna ask you. It's okay if you don't have an answer, but if you do, I'd love to hear it. Who is your favorite professor?

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Favorite professor, probably Manuela Gardner, my anatomy professor. She she showed like tough love. She wanted you to succeed, but Oh, and you like that.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

Yeah. That works for you. You like being pushed a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

In the beginning, I just thought her I thought her teaching methods were like a little um different, just because she would kind of just like run through the slides and I was kind of upset. I was like, I don't have time to write this down. But it wasn't about writing down the slides, it was about learning it, like, you know, listening to her teach those slides and and embedding that in your brain and practicing what she said in like the labs. So, you know, I I started to to it started to grow on me a little bit, and I started getting better with like the different advice that she gave when it came to like flashcards or like Quizlet. Um, but it's just mainly just her personality. Like she's she's real, she keeps it real, and she just shows that tough love that she wants you to succeed. Um but yeah, shout out Gardner.

SPEAKER_03 24:28

Nice. You said that you're gonna be a TA this semester. Who are you gonna TA for?

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Gardner.

SPEAKER_03 24:33

Oh, for her. Yeah. Okay. She's gonna be your boss. Yeah. And in anatomy. What does a TA do?

SPEAKER_01 24:39

Mainly helping students out with the different models of like the body, if it's like nerves, things that are um unseen, like veins, things like teeth. Basically like the whole anatomy.

SPEAKER_03 24:54

So teaching, you're you're helping them in the labs.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Yeah, helping them mainly in labs. Mostly in labs. And helping them with like the lab manual, filling it out, if they're missing anything. Um but basically basically, yeah, mainly helping them in in the labs and like on the the cadavers also as well. Just helping them with uh because it's like a hu a human body. So it's like they're when I first saw it, I was like confused. There's so many things, all these muscles look like veins, veins look like nerves. Um, but when it's like at the hang of it, I'm like, okay, I feel like I can, you know, grasp it a little bit better. And even during my time taking the class in the lab when I wasn't a TA, um, I was also kind of teaching students like, oh no, this is this nerve, but you can see like the differences between this nerve and that nerve, it's like different.

SPEAKER_03 25:41

So I noticed that in everything that you get involved with on campus, SOAR or TA ing or the clubs at in the college, it seems like you like getting involved with things that help other students. That feels like a big calling for you. Yeah. Yeah. Um has that always been a big passion of yours helping other other students?

SPEAKER_01 26:04

I feel like it's grown more in university.

SPEAKER_03 26:07

I feel like I had that maybe not as much in high school, but it was like a feeling there.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Yeah. But in university, it's like grown a lot more because into a practice. Yeah, more opportunities to like help students out.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Yeah. Well, you certainly are helping hundreds of students between SOR and what you're gonna be doing TAing. You're gonna be helping a lot of people, and I'm sure they really appreciate it. I really enjoyed having this time to get to know you a little bit. And I really I want to go to your Instagram account and see all of your Godzilla art. I'm excited about that. And that was a delightful surprise. I did not expect to be talking about Godzilla art today.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, no problem. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 26:48

My pleasure.