Features

When Anthony Johnson, then a sophomore at Cosumnes River College (CRC) in 2010, saw the red and blue lights in his rearview mirror and heard the sirens, his heart sank. He knew he was caught. The breathalyzer would reveal his true state. Leaving…

Of the top 12 point-scorers for the 2024 Hawks, seven were freshmen. For a team that made a deep run into the playoffs, the idea of seven experienced returners figured to bode well for the 2025 squad. But as Las Positas prepares for…

Ainsley Wade has spent her life chasing wins. Not just in organized sports fields either. Before she was a two-sport star at Las Positas, she remembers breaking paddles in celebration over winning family ping-pong tournaments. She’s a born athlete who’s lived a…

Pugsley was the best Jacklene “Jackie” Garcia thought she could hope for. Her heart was set on Wednesday Addams in Edna Hill Middle School’s 2017 production — but that dream felt far out of reach. Even landing Pugsley felt like a stretch…

Naomi Mangini walked through the glass door of the Student Life Office. Unsure of what to expect — but definitely not a room full of balloons, floor to ceiling. A 17-year-old freshman in fall 2024, Mangini entered the office, led to this…

As a 14-year-old in India, Maahee Joshi stepped onstage for a poetry competition in Pune, India. About 100 people watched in the large auditorium at Vidya Pratishthan’s Magarpatta City Public School. Her performance, on this afternoon in August of 2019, was a…

Long before he was a Golden State Warrior, Gary Payton II got an ultimatum. Option A: He could get a sports scholarship to fund his potential higher education. Option B: He could forgo a college degree altogether. In high school, Payton, as…