The California Aggie

1. FEB 2015A CALIFORNIA AGGIE NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION
MAGAZINE

2. As we approach The California Aggie Newspaper’s
100th year of production, we must consider how far Davis
as a city and campus has come. We have truly grown as a
campus community and it is important we have a medium
to share our stories and personal narratives to continue to
flourish.
The Centennial Magazine is a monthly online
magazine that will feature personal essays, investigative
reporting, cultural commentary, photo essays, music, art
and more. We hope to capture, preserve and celebrate the
essence of Davis and the individuals who contribute to our
community.
As the editor of The Centennial Magazine, I invite
you to share your experiences and stories. There is power in
the written experience.
Please email us at magazine@theaggie.org to ask us
any questions, engage in philosophical debates and submit
your writing. Check us out online at The Aggie | Online
Newspaper for each monthly edition.
Sincerely,
Gabriella Hamlett
Editor, The Centennial Magazine
Note from
the Editor
Gabriella Hamlett is the Editor of The Centenni-
al Magazine. She is a third-year Psychology Major,
B.S. Quirky socks and clogs, the fiction section of
the New Yorker and lavender oil make her happier
than they should. You can usually find her at strange
hours of the day in The California Aggie office. To be
her pen-pal or share submissions for The Centennial
Magazine, contact her at magazine@theaggie.org.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
04 SO WHAT BRINGS YOU TO AUSTRALIA?
10 BRIGHT NIGHTS
14 TALKING TO STRANGERS
18 MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
20 FOLDING THINGS, SELLING THINGS AND GETTING
24 PERSONAL STYLEBOOK
28 Q&A with UC DAVIS COMPUTER SCIENCE
30 OFF THE COURT, ON THE RECORD
32 CARTOONS
WELL, IT’S KIND OF A LONG STORY
GETTING COFFEE FOR YOUR BOSS
ASSISTANT Professor YONG JAE LEE
EDITOR
Gabriella Hamlett
ART DIRECTOR
Jennifer Wu
WRITERS
Melissa Gaherty, Akira Olivia
Kumamoto, Camille Woods, Sydney
Cohen, Tarischka Stamboel, Ryan
Reed, & Scott Dresser
GRAPHIC DESIGN TEAM
Sandra Bae & Tiffany Choi
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Katie Lin, Ken Cunningham, &
Samantha Spargo
ILLUSTRATORS
Shaina Forsman &
Evan Liley (cartoonist)
32

3. So What Brings
You to Australia?
Well, It’s Kind of
a Long Story
That was my cue. A long line of fellow travelers
gathered in front of the ticket stand. I took my spot
at the end, observing the people in front of me.
Little kids ran around the waiting area, some laugh-
ing and others crying as their parents yelled at them
in a frenzy. Middle aged couples held hands while
calmly chatting about their adventure home or
abroad, ignoring the kids. And then there I stood, a
young college student holding only a passport and
a pillow. I clashed against the norm of the crowd.
When the other passengers asked about where I was
headed, they all reacted with a similar response: a
mixture of envy and nostalgia. They all knew I was
in for an exciting adventure.
The line shortened and I approached the
ticket stand, where a lady in blue uniform checked
my passport and boarding pass. I clutched my re-
turned items as I walked on to the plane.
Proceeding down the aisle, I looked at my
assigned seating. Oh yes, the middle seat that I so
adore. Better yet, I did not know who I would be
sandwiched in between until my arrival in Sydney.
That’s when it dawned on me — I did not know who
“Now boarding economy
section. Rows A Through G.”
I was going to sit next to because I had never trav-
eled on my own before; I mean truly on my own.
For the first time I was going to experience
life on my own, taking a quarter abroad in Austra-
lia, far away from my family and friends.
At this point in my life, I was in desperate
need of independence. For a couple years I had felt
smothered by my family, ready to break free. My
parents had recently gone through a divorce, leav-
ing my father and younger sisters desperate for my
attention and guidance. At first, I embraced the role
of the caretaker until the stress and sadness over-
whelmed me. As time went on, the more my family
needed me, the more I wanted to avoid responsibili-
ty, get away and be carefree.
Since I was seven years old, I developed
this strange association between independence and
Australia. At that time, my favorite movie was “Our
Lips are Sealed,” a classic Mary-Kate and Ashley
adventure film that came out in 2000. Mary-Kate
and Ashley Olsen were twin pre-teens who entered
into the witness protection program after acciden-
tally interfering with a museum robbery. The girls
were instructed to leave the U.S. and attend the
rest of high school in Sydney. During their time
there, the twins thrived, mastering the stereotypical
Australian lifestyle. They rode around the harbor in
a yacht, lived with a pet kangaroo, met cute Austra-
lian boys, learned the funny Aussie lingo and even
won a surf competition.
When I was seven I dreamed about mov-
ing to Australia, simultaneously living in the vast
Outback and attending school in the city of Sydney.
Like Mary-Kate and Ashley, I wanted a romantic
Australian life where leaving home meant that all
these amazing experiences would follow. Their
movie catered to every kid’s na-
ive perception of an ideal future,
where any fantasy could become
reality. By the end of the movie, my
seven-year-old self connected to
their story and experience, seeing
it as my own. It was much like
watching a Disney princess movie
and suddenly believing that you, too, could become
a mermaid or rule a fake kingdom as a legitimate
profession.
Fourteen years later and I remained attached
to a place I knew nothing about other than what the
Olsen twins had told me. All I knew was I was sup-
posed to go there, away from the confines of home
and ready for an exciting new experience. Finally,
the time had come.
Sometime after taking my seat, the seat belt sign
flashed bright orange. As the flight attendants
performed their safety procedures, the walls of the
plane seemed to narrow in on me. The plane began
pulling away and lifting into the air. I saw San Fran-
cisco’s buildings and roads get smaller and smaller
below me until all I could see were clouds and sky.
Looking over at the passenger next to me, out of the
small, oval window, I realized there was no turn-
ing back. I distracted myself with
the newest Hobbit movie I never
had the chance to see in theaters.
Watching the little hobbits and
dwarves made my nervousness
temporarily subside and I drifted
to sleep.
“Please close your tray tables and return
your chair to its upright position.”
My eyes opened and came into focus as
flight attendants walked through the aisles collect-
ing garbage and repeating that same memorized
phrase to each row. The pilot announced over the
intercom that we had 20 minutes until descent. My
long hair was frizzy and knotted, my brown eyes
drooped and my back hurt from the uncomfortable
economy seat I had spent too much time in. Had
“All I knew was I was
supposed to go there...”
by Melissa Gaherty
54

4. Islowlybegantorealizethat
unlikeMary-KateandAshley,Iwas
allgrownupandlivinginreality.
I slept at all? I faintly remember
waking up every 20 minutes out
of discomfort and then falling
back asleep. I was as ready as I was
going to be for my arrival.
I exited the plane, gathered
my luggage and approached the
rotating airport door. It was time
to finally step outside and see Aus-
tralia for the first time. All these
expectations buzzed around in my
head: What would I see next?
A train, a bus, another
train and then a busy city. My
surroundings mimicked San Fran-
cisco, which was 30 minutes from
where I live in California. A bit
anti-climactic, I would say. I did
not recognize anything surprising-
ly new or unfamiliar.
Signs led me to my in-
structed train heading towards
Central Station. There were several
empty seats to choose from so I
spread out, making myself so com-
fortable that my eyes again glazed
over and I drifted off. After some
time, the train suddenly jerked. I
zoned back in right as I was riding
over the Harbor Bridge. Oh my
god! I’m on the bridge! Hey, there’s
the Opera Ho…Oh wait, it’s gone.
Yes, there it was; the icon
of Sydney…and I had basically
missed it. My tiredness quickly
transformed into disappointment.
Already my actual experi-
ence in Australia had turned out to
be quite different than I imagined.
When I looked around, I did not
see kangaroos casually hopping
around. The days I went exploring,
I did not immediately befriend
native Australians. The first beach
I went to, no one was surfing. Why
didn’t I feel more like Mary-Kate
and Ashley?
I slowly began to realize
that unlike Mary-Kate and Ashley,
I was all grown up and living in re-
ality. My first two weeks were spent
battling the hardships of transpor-
tation, coping with the unexpected
pain of being away from my family and friends, balancing
school and an internship, and questioning how indepen-
dent I really wanted to be. In the movie, the Olsen twins’
biggest challenge was winning over the queen-bee by
eating vegemite and smashing soda cans on their heads.
Weren’t things supposed to be easier? Why was life here
already so challenging?
Despite my complaints and disappointments,
I knew I’d find that love for Australia I had but could
not yet quite pin-point. I just did not realize how long
it would take. As my program went on, I quickly forgot
about the hollywood life of Mary-Kate and Ashley. I was
starting my life here independent of theirs, experiencing
my own adventures and excursions.
My favorite excursion happened to be the most
physically exhausting. Our group went on a kayaking trip
at Bundeena Beach, a small paradise about two hours of
outside of Sydney. After a train ride to the city of Cro-
nulla, we transferred to a green, old fashioned-looking
ferry boat. We sat on wooden benches with many open
windows that surrounded us, allowing the ocean breeze
to rush in. Riding along the shore, I looked out and saw
roughness of the bright blue water against the soft, beige
sand.
Once we docked our group ran down to the
beach, eager to begin our kayaking adventure. I had never
kayaked before so I was not prepared for the physical en-
durance it required, especially in the rough ocean water.
Before I realized this, it was time to pick partners.
I paired myself with my close friend, Ayesha, who, like
myself, is quite lanky. I figured her sassiness would keep
me entertained and her relaxed personality would make
us a perfect match. Plus, we both shared the love of old
90s TV shows so we could keep a consistent banter full of
endless quotes and references.
As we chatted and laughed, we did not take the
directions of the instructor too seriously. We decided
to relax behind the main group, lying in our kayak in
the middle of the water. The sun beat down on us as our
kayak swayed to the rhythm of the waves. Ayesha’s wavy
black hair and natural tan contrasted my dirty blond hair
and paleness as we basked in the heat. After a long dis-
cussion of the Lizzie McGuire Movie, we realized that the
group had gone far ahead, around the beach peninsula to
the other side of the ocean.
We came up with the brilliant idea of walking
our kayak across the beach as a shortcut instead of trying
catch up to them. This way we could intercept the group
as they come back around the other side of the peninsula.
We dragged the heavy yellow kayak across the sand. At
the other side of the shore, the waves were very intense
and the current pushed towards us. Preparing to jump
back into the kayak, a big wave crashed into us and we
76

5. capsized. Saltwater burned our eyes and sand filled
our swim suits.
We pushed the kayak out towards the mon-
strous waves again, only to be thrown around a few
more times. We managed to laugh through the pain
of being hit by consistent, strong bodies of saltwater
and a heavy kayak. As we shoved along, we even-
tually got the kayak out into the water face up and
jumped in. At this point we were exhausted from
the battle against the water but had a long way to go.
To keep motivated we sang silly songs and talked
about our favorite movies when we were young,
including Mary Kate and Ashley’s “Our Lips are
Sealed.”
“Life here isn’t anything like theirs were in
the movie,” I said. “They made it seem so easy, like
all these amazing experiences would just happen to
us.”
“Yeah, but it’s just a silly pre-teen girl movie.
What we are doing here is real and it’s exciting. It’s
definitely not perfect but I’d say this reality is pretty
epic,” Ayesha responded.
And she was right. Here, we are still sub-
jected to reality. I had imagined Australia to be a
magical escape, where life would be easy and care-
free. However, I had not found that at all. I battled
many hardships during my time here; I just did not
realize I had been battling with myself. In the lead
up to and in the beginning of my trip, I had tried to
find an escape that did not exist.
I realized the purpose of traveling was not
to escape or avoid pain, but to embrace indepen-
dence. All of my problems at home will still be
there whether or not I return. Traveling away will
not make life any easier or better, but it will help
you find yourself. I had, in a way, accomplished just
that. At home, I limited myself based on what oth-
ers wanted from me, rarely thinking about what I
wanted for myself. My experience in Australia made
me realize that when I go home, I should not try to
avoid my problems or my family but instead learn
to balance the person I need to be with the person I
want to be.
My Australian trip had been nothing like
the expectations and dreams I had 15 years ago.
However, reflecting back on my seven-year-old self,
I found that this trip has been much better than I
imagined. I had not found a pet kangaroo, ridden
on a yacht across the harbor or fallen in love with
an Australian surfer. However, I had mastered the
city lifestyle, battled the ocean on a kayak and trav-
eled across the world and back on my own.
Melissa Gaherty is a staff writer for The Centennial
Magazine. She is passionate about traveling, volun-
teering at Challah for Hunger, watching Mary-Kate and
Ashley movies, being Whiskey Business’ number one
fan, studying political equality and meeting Harry Styles.
On any given day she can be found “studying” at Peets
with friends, running at the gym, writing in her journal,
watching netflix, and swinging in a hammock on the
Quad. You can reach her at magazine@theaggie.org.
98

6. It’s Friday evening.
The last glow of pink in the sky just faded and the crows have
settled into trees. The last handful of students bike as fast as they
can off campus. As the night blackens, the air runs quiet. But un-
der the dark blanket of the night sky, Davis students are anxious-
ly making their way from place to place.
It’s the unseen that adds to the excitement. The lines blur be-
tween the music, the conversation, the emotion, the scenery. It’s
this blurred feeling that draws me in to taking photos at night.
Most people I take pictures of don’t even notice the blinding mil-
lisecond that exposes the scene for what it really is. But in that
millisecond, my cheap-y film camera flash captures more of the
night than any device (human or machine) could.
Ken Cunningham is a photographer for
The California Aggie. Catch him around
campus sporting sunny shorts on a rainy day
making his way to a food engineering class.
He is currently transfixed on composure,
observation, and culture. You can contact him
at photo@theaggie.org.
1110

7. “It’s the unseen that adds to the excitement”
- KEN CUNNINGHAM
1312

8. by Akira Olivia Kumamoto
“When we’re young,
we are advised by our
parents not to talk to
strangers.”
Adultsusethiswarningtoprotectchildren,
of course, but I’ve noticed that as we age
and we understand that “not talking to
strangers” just means avoiding dangerous
situations, we continue to accept the notion
that we shouldn’t speak with people we
don’t know, period. In waiting rooms we
stay glued to our phones, we avoid eye
contact in elevators, and even pretend not
hear another person when they try to start
conversation. Sure, there are moments
when it’s best to avoid bugging someone,
but I’ve come to realize that maybe every
time I don’t grasp an opportunity to get to
know a stranger, I may be missing out on
learning something important. In order to
explain what I mean, I’ll do what I do best
and offer you a recent experience of mine.
A few nights ago, I was taking
a jog near the North Davis pond and the
train tracks on the outskirt of the city. The
road near the tracks was completely empty
and seemed to disappear into the dusky
watercolors of the horizon. The birds of
the night were emerging from their sleep,
litteringtheskyabove,andthecricketswere
tuning their nightsongs. I’d run further
than usual as I had begun to lose myself in
the cinematic evening scene surrounding
me. I forced myself to ignore the breath-
taking beauty of this little-populated area
of Davis because it was beginning to get
dark, and I decided I needed head home.
As I rounded the lake, though, I noticed
an old man, maybe around 60 or 70,
standing alone at the edge of the water, eyes
towards the sky. He noticed me and, quite
unexpectedly, yelled “Quick! Come here!”
I was completely thrown off-
guard and honestly, kind of scared. The
man, though, called me with urgency and
beckoned me over with an unthreatening
outstretched arm. My mind told me to keep
running, but my instincts caused me stop
at his side. As I approached him I noticed
his eyes were bloodshot and his face was
puffy, like he had been crying. He pointed
TALKING TO STRANGERS
1514

9. across the shadowy pond to the top of a
tree, his eyes once again towards the sky.
“Do you see them? Can you
believe how beautiful they are?” he asked
excitedly. In the tree were two large
brown owls. Their eyes were beginning
to glow green as evening set in. The
man began to hoot at them and to my
surprise, the birds cooed back. I watched
and listened for a short while as the two
exchanged this music, and for a moment, I
completely forgot what I was doing there.
Eventually the man grew quiet, but
kept his eye on the owls. Feeling compelled
to understand why he wanted me to see
the animals, I decided to speak. “Are there
a lot of owls around here?” I asked. He
immediately began to tell me about all the
birds he’d seen at this pond in his lifetime
and how this was the first time he’d ever
seen owls. Never taking his eyes off the
birds, he spoke to me for a long while
about his nightly nature walks and how he
loved picking fresh flowers to bring to his
daughter and how he would bring her on
his walks sometimes because all she ever
wanted was to bird-watch and witness the
cargo train as it sped past civilization into
the the great unknown (“a.k.a. Winters,
CA”, he chuckled). She hoped one day,
he said, that she would get to see an owl.
I noticed he hadn’t brought his
daughter that night and realized he must be
in a dilemma. I took out my cellphone and
offered to take a photo of the birds for him
— or at least try the best I could beneath
the setting shadows — so I could send
the photos to his daughter on his behalf.
For the first time since I
approached him, the man looked me in
the eye. His eyes began to well with tears
and his body started to shake violently. I
didn’t understand what was going on as
he took one of my hands in both of his,
and squeezed it. “Thank you,” he said,
“but you don’t need cameras in Heaven.”
At first I felt horrible, guilty, and
I started to apologize profusely — for
his loss, for my unknowing, for myself in
general. The tears rolled down his cheeks;
he was still squeezing my hand. He looked
back towards the owls as his grip loosened.
This, of course, is the part where
you probably expect me to tell you that the
man offered me some tidbit of wisdom,
told me something that changed my life,
or gave me the ring of Mordor (you all just
THOUGHT it melted). In reality though,
we stood there silently until the sun set
and until we could only see shadows of the
birds. I began to shiver as the night grew
chilly. The man saw this and told me to get
a move on. I agreed, but didn’t move for a
while as I watched him leave — I was still
processingthemoment.Hedidn’tlookback.
I never asked him his name and
never inquired about his daughter, but
that didn’t really matter. As I ran back
home, I couldn’t help but feel like I had
just unexpectedly dropped in on one
of the most purely human experiences:
loss. Like I said, I wasn’t given a worldly
revelation, nor did I necessarily learn
anything new. This experience simply
reminded me that life is short and that
you cannot regain time once it’s lost.
If I already knew this then why did
talking to this stranger matter? Well for
starters, sure I know I should live life to the
fullest, but that doesn’t necessarily mean
I do or that I keep this sentiment at the
front of my mind. This human encounter
remindedmeofandenforcedthenotionthat
time is precious. His tears spoke volumes,
his emotion was real and I could just feel
he regretted that he was never able to help
his daughter find an owl he didn’t — have
to say it out loud. I couldn’t help thinking,
what would I regret in my lifetime? Is there
anything I would want to do today if I were
to die tomorrow? Is there anything I would
do for someone if I knew today would be
the last day I would ever get to see them?
Because I took the time to talk to this man
and allow him to let me into his life, even
just a little, I felt the urge to spend the
last few days, and hopefully the rest of
this week — maybe even the rest of this
quarter, making sure the people I love
know it, and living life to the absolute
fullest. If I hadn’t met him, perhaps I
wouldn’t have remember to contact my
sister and remind her I’m thinking of her,
or maybe I would have missed out on just
enjoying the spiritual catharsis that is the
sun setting behind the hills of Winters
after my runs, rather than just speeding
past in a hurry without appreciating the
world around me. I’m not saying you
should feel obligated to talk to strangers
nor am I condoning you if you don’t, but I
just want to put out into your universe the
questions of “who knows?” and “why not?” Akira Olivia Kumamoto (A.O.K.) is the Arts Editor at The
California Aggie. She writes the “Talking to Strangers” column
in The Centennial. She is passionate about string theory, Mark
Ruffalo [the human], jazz and cultural journalism. On any given
day you can find her writing poetry, practicing acappella, running
long distances, fighting for social equity and not sleeping. If you
would like to remind A.O.K. that talking to strangers is creepy as
heck, you can reach her at arts@theaggie.org or send her a tweet at
@akiraolivia.
1716

10. My last will and testament
By Camille Woods
Dear Love,
All I want in life is God and a Doctorate
After that I’m gone
Burn me like the pages of a banned book
and sprinkle my ashes over Coretta Scott King Roses
Life full of pain
pained discoveries that classroom history books
are fiction novels
and fiction novels are banned and burned
if they are any good
banned thoughts that support the value of the marginalized
burned pages that detail untold stories
they banned me
they burned me
until you get your doctorate
then, to the world you’re legitimized. Kinda.
A professional of thought. Kinda.
still marginalized, still devalued, still other
still labeled
But I am reborn in these pages that they burn
pencils and pages give me the opportunity to be
the petals of a beautiful black woman
out of ash, dirt, and death
they let me talk to God
So I write you love letters
and maybe one day, my love letter will get me a doctorate
I mean all I want in life is you and a Doctorate
After that I’m gone
Let the pages of my soul burn
and sprinkle my ashes over Coretta Scott King Roses
So my love will grow pink and bloom
Let the earth be my urn and my royal tomb
I’ll be home soon. See you then.
Sincerely,
Dr.Woods
MY LAST WILL
AND TESTAMENT
“Camille Iman Woods is an undergraduate at UC Davis interested in advances in medicine through the arts.
Camille would like to do graduate study in linguistics to examine the impact of Art therapy – poetry, dance, etc. –
on the autistic brain and social interactions. Camille is the creator, editor and facilitator of aggieANGELOUS, UC
Davis first poetry column. She loves to laugh and has a newfound love for Afro-Cuban salsa dancing. “
1918

11. Folding things, selling
things, and getting coffee
for your boss
I wedged my thumbnail into the crev-
ice where my perfectly polished ring-finger-
nail met my flesh. With a rhythmic picking, I
scratched away at my dry cuticles until a small
droplet of blood appeared. Pressing my now
throbbing finger into a kleenex I found at the
bottom of my purse, I stared out at the grey,
choppy bay, hypnotized by the methodical
rising and falling of each individual wave.
The Larkspur Landing Ferry Terminal shrunk
behind the boat. To occupy my mind, I ran
over all the items in my purse to assure myself
that I hadn’t forgotten anything. Pen? Check.
Wallet? Check. Compact? Check. Oil blotting
sheets? Check. Resume? Check.
As I began to tear away at the remain-
ing, shriveled cuticle on my
ring finger, I stared into the
cold water whizzing by be-
neath my window. It remind-
ed me of a Ted-Talk I had
watched back in May. Back
when the air was heavy with
heat, and my bedroom on Sycamore Lane
was filled with the off-putting scent of the
cherry blossom trees that surround my apart-
ment building’s parking lot.
The speaker was Diana Nyad, the
64-year-old woman who swam from Hava-
na, Cuba to Key West, Florida, the first to
do so without a shark tank. Nyad completed
the swim after three failed attempts. In the
Ted-Talk, she harped on the message of not
giving up and following your dreams at any
age, but the thing I found most interesting was
the credit that she gave her team. Although
no one was allowed to physically touch her
during her swim, her team provided her with
water, food, medicine, navigation, lighting
during the night, in addition to unwavering
dedication and moral support. Nyad said that
this swim was as much their accomplishment
as it was her own, because she could have
never done it on her own. She wasn’t afraid to
recognize that she needed help.
I had never been like that. I never ask
for help if I can avoid it, taking the longer
way around instead of asking for directions,
printing from the library instead of admitting
I couldn’t set up my own printer. I didn’t do
this because of pride, really, it came more
from a place of deep desperation to be con-
sidered an adult. To me being a grown up
meant not needing help, being independent.
If that was true though, I was far from
being an adult. Approaching the end of my
last Fall Quarter I had spent the last three
months asking everyone and their mother if
they knew anyone in human resources that
would give me an interview, nagging my par-
ents to read dozens of cover letters and being
at the mercy of my friends with printers for
last minute copies of my resume. I wasn’t get-
ting to this job interview by my own accord,
not even close. I wasn’t even dressed in my
own clothes. I was donning my sister’s stock-
ings and my mother’s sweater, both of which
she picked out when I struggled to piece
together something interview appropriate on
my own.
Through the thin blanket of fog the
“Port of San Francisco” sign glowed brighter
and brighter red as the ferry approached its
stop. I checked my hair, swept away from my
face and gathered at the nape of my neck, in
my reflection on the scratched up window ad-
jacent to my seat. Making a mental checklist
of all of my things again, I pushed my way
to the door of the ferry, desperately trying to
avoid getting caught behind a mother with a
double stroller. The heavy metal door clanked
open and I half ran out of the boat and
toward the bustling Embarcadero sidewalk. I
had an hour to get to my interview, but I fig-
ured that I should make haste because some-
how I’m always always getting myself lost.
I passed by a couple of teenage boys
that were cheating death on skateboards. I’ve
passed by them so many times. When I was in
high school, I used to come to the city nearly
every weekend just to escape the monotony of
the suburbs. I felt alive keeping pace with all
of the hustling people in grey suits. If this job
interview went well maybe I would join them,
the pulsing blob of grey suits. I honestly didn’t
know if the grey suit life was one I wanted, a
question approaching graduates tend to ask
themselves. The only thing I confidently knew
I wanted out of my post-grad life was some
kind of employment.
In my job search, I learned that the
only jobs I was qualified for were executive
assistant positions, retail positions and sales
development programs. That is all corporate
lingo for Anne Hathaway’s character from
by Sydney Cohen
“I thought that that’s what
being an adult meant...”
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12. ‘The Devil Wears Prada” — folding things,
selling things and getting coffee for your boss.
I’d been told by a lot of people that I would
be good at sales, and being sort of lost, it was
hard to ignore the same advice repeated to
me over and over again by both people who
knew me and people who didn’t.
I clung to the pole of the Muni car,
despite the fact that it felt sticky from all of
the clammy commuter hands that had been
groping it all morning. I thought back to
Nyad’s words of wisdom, about needing a
team to accomplish your dreams. Maybe
adulthood is less about self-reliance than I
thought. My time at Davis has been all about
teamwork. I don’t mean on school projects
— that’s forced teamwork and let’s be real,
we’re not relying on each other, we’re just
praying no one in the group will screw over
the grade for everyone else . I mean your
team of friends that have become your family.
Your team that helps you pick out an outfit to
impress the boy you like, your team that saves
you a seat in the CoHo so you’ll have some-
where nice to study, your team that shares
their reusable bag at the farmer’s market and
your team that braves an 8 a.m. P.E. swim
class with you so you can stay in shape. With-
out my team, my time at Davis wouldn’t have
been nearly as special.
With my graduation date quickly
approaching, I am learning to appreciate this
era of lasts. My last time studying for finals
next to the Christmas tree made of books in
the library, completing my last stamp card at
Yoloberry, my last jog in the Arboretum. Al-
though this era of lasts is heart wrenching, to
put it lightly, there was no one I would rather
share them with than my team. I understood
Nyad’s appreciation of her crew now, why
thanking them wasn’t watering down her
accomplishment, but how in fact it further
celebrated it. Without the people in our lives,
the rejections and the accomplishments, they
don’t matter unless they are there.
After my walk out of Montgomery
stop and down the scaffolding covered side-
walk, I approached the building where my
interview would be held. I sucked in a big
gulp of dirty tasting air and walked in.
As I was checking in at the front desk, the boy
next to me overheard and asked, “Are you
here for the Account Executive interview? I
had mine yesterday!”
I said I was.
“You’ll do great,” he said, sounding surpris-
ingly genuine.
I smiled back and thanked him. As
I followed the doorman to the elevator he
called after me.
“Wait, you have something on your
face!”
I turned around and he picked a piece
of my makeup brush off of my forehead.
“Good luck!” and he walked away.
As I rode the elevator up I thought to
myself, who needs self-reliance, when I can
share this with my whole team.
Sydney Cohen is a Staff Writer for The Centennial
Magazine. She enjoys lime flavored tortilla chips, the Jack
Johnson Pandora station, and spending time in the woods.
Her favorite pastime is being #basic with her #basic
friends. You can reach her at sjcohen@ucdavis.edu, find
her on her instagram account @thesquidney —because
she just looks better with a Valencia filter, or shoot her a
tweet @sydnoosh #shamelessplug.
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13. PERSONAL STYLEBOOKS
Tiffany Choi
“Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable.
Style is more about being yourself.”
- Oscar de la Renta (Vanity Fair)
J: Could you tell me what you’re wearing today?
T: Well my hat and shorts are from forever 21, the sweater is from
talbots. I got this top from my mom’s closet. I’m also wearing tights
with knee high socks and my clear heeled boots are from urban
outfitters.
J: What is your inspiration behind your fashion?
T: I get my inspiration from almost everywhere. I follow a lot of
fashion bloggers on Instagram and sometimes I’ll just look at what
other people wear and get inspiration from that.
J: What’s your favorite brand and why?
T: I’m not really sure, because I try not to be too obsessed with
name brands, but I kind of just go everywhere and if I come across
something I like then I’ll get it. I really like H&M and ASOS though
because they have a lot of clothes that are edgy and simple which
is more my style.
J: What’s unique about the way you approach your style?
T: I like to be “out there” with my style. I like to stand out, even
though I usually just end up wearing all black. Sometimes I’ll put
on an outfit and I’m just like, “What am I wearing?!”, but it’s okay
because I’m just having fun and I try not to worry about what other
people think.
Tiffany choi, 3rd year, design and communications double major
INTERVIEWED BY: JENNIFER WU
PHOTOS BY: JENNIFER WU
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14. Bella Ly
J: What is your inspiration behind your fashion?
B: Halfway through last year I realized I was constantly revamping
my wardrobe and easily grew bored of my clothes. It was a vicious
cycle of buying clothes and then donating/selling to consignment
stores. I got tired of being so inconsistent with my style and had
to strip my closet back to the bare basics. I found out I’m so much
more comfortable with classic, closet staple items and have been
going for minimalism ever since. I also really enjoy menswear, so
I always look for structured, boxier pieces and balance them with
feminine details.
J: What’s your favorite brand and why?
B: I’d have to say Zara. Although their clothing is trendy, it’s not
outlandish enough to not be worn ten years from now. As for my
favorite designers, I’m a huge fan of Oscar de la Renta, Lela Rose,
Alice + Olivia, and Elie Saab.
INTERVIEWED BY: JENNIFER WU
PHOTOS BY: JENNIFER WU
J: Could you tell me what you’re wearing today?
B: I recently got this leather jacket from Forever 21 and haven’t stopped wearing it since. I’ve been
wanting one for a long time and I’m so glad I finally bought one! My sweater is from H&M and my
boyfriend jeans are from Gap. The jeans are definitely the star of the outfit in my opinion. They’re
so comfortable but easily dressed up or down. I love pairing them with heels.
J: What’s unique about the way you approach your style?
B: I wouldn’t call it unique, but I just try to focus on my personality and my comfort. In the past,
I’ve always bought things I thought I liked but wouldn’t actually wear because it just wasn’t
practical or comfortable. I’m focusing on what I feel most empowered and confident in. I don’t
want to worry about how I look all day because I’m unsure of what I’m wearing. Now, I try to buy
items I know will contribute to my wardrobe and style – not just something pretty to look at.
Bella Ly, 4th year, Communication & Sociology- Org. Studies; Minor in Textiles and Clothing
Jennifer Wu is an aspiring designer currently attending UC Davis. She is a huge fan
of cats and even has an instagram for her kitty, @shweetiepoo. Her hobbies include
powerlifting at a local gym, pigging out on Mcdonald’s (soon after hitting the gym),
and quoting Kung Pow, Family Guy, and South Park.
You can reach her through email: magazine@theaggie.org
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15. When someone asks you “how was your day?”, we usually
indicate only the important events of the day to serve an understandable
summary. We don’t talk about breathing, every step we take, or anything
too detailed that we judge as insignificant to our day. Although this ability
is inherent for humans, extensive coding is needed for computers to
perform the same task.
Assistant Professor Yong Jae Lee, one of the newest members
of UCD’s Computer Science Department, has been developing coding
that can accurately and concisely summarize important information from
a video. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and got his Master’s
degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Ph.D at the University
of Texas, Austin. He has published several papers focusing on computer
vision, most recently the 2014 study, “Predicting Important Objects for
Egocentric Video Summarization.”
The following is adapted from an email interview with Assistant Professor Lee.
THE CENTENNIAL: Many of your studies focus on computer vision. Can you elaborate on the field of study?
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: Computer vision is the study of building machines that can “see” the way
we humans do. My research focuses on the design of algorithms and image representations that allow a machine
to accurately recognize objects, their properties and the activities of people appearing in an image or video with
minimal human guidance.
THE CENTENNIAL: In your study “Predicting Important Objects for Egocentric Video Summarization” what were
your main findings? What are the implications?
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: In that work, we developed an algorithm that automatically creates a
short visual summary of a very long video taken by a wearable camera, like Google Glass. Our algorithm
Q&A with UC Davis Computer
Science Assistant Professor
Yong Jae LeeWritten By TARISCHKA STAMBOEL
predicts the important people and objects that the camera wearer interacted with, and uses those predictions to
select the keyframes that go into the final summary. With our algorithm, we can go from a video that is several
hours long to a short keyframe summary that depicts the key happenings of the camera wearer’s day, and can be
viewed in a matter of seconds.
THE CENTENNIAL: In what ways will this research be applied in society?
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: There have been studies that show that people with memory problems
can better recall key events that happened in their day when viewing a visual diary compared to when reading a
written diary. Our algorithm could produce visual diaries to aid such patients. Similarly, our algorithm could be
used to summarize videos captured by police officers while on duty or to summarize surveillance videos. An-
other application could be to summarize videos captured by robots that are exploring new unexplored territories.
These would help relieve the burden of someone having to watch these videos from beginning to end, which can
sometimes be many hours long.
THE CENTENNIAL: What should be done to increase interest in computer science?
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: To increase interest in any discipline, I feel it’s important to provide acces-
sibility and opportunities to people from a young age. Computer science is no different. This means providing
computer classes in elementary, middle and high school.
THE CENTENNIAL: What important aspects do you believe students should know about computer science?
YJL: The field of computer science is growing rapidly; computer scientists will be in much need, as computers
will become ubiquitous in almost all aspects of our everyday lives. If you are a creative person that likes to
solve problems and think clearly and logically, then this is a field that you should definitely consider.
THE CENTENNIAL:Aside from your area of research, what other fields within computer science interest you?
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR YONG JAE LEE: While my current research interests are in computer vision, machine
learning, and computer graphics, I’m generally interested in all areas of Artificial Intelligence. One research
area that I would like to explore in the future is robotics. I want to create a robot that can autonomously learn
about environment by physically interacting with objects, like grabbing them, rotating them, etc., much like
how we humans learn about our world.
For more information, visit Assistant Professor Yong Jae Lee’s website at web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~yjlee.
Tarischka Stamboel is a staff writer for The Centennial Maga-
zine. She can answer any questions at magazine@theaggie.org
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16. OFF THE COURT,
ON THE RECORD
A sports podcast recorded by Ryan Reed and Scott Dresser
Welcome to Off the Court, On the Record, the
sports focused podcast for The Centennial Mag-
azine! We covered a number of topics this week
and will give you a brief overview of what we went
through.
UC DAVIS MEN’S BASKETBALL:
The Aggies have started the season on a
spectacular roll, currently holding first place in the
Big West while winning four out of their first five
games. A lot of the success comes from senior
guard Corey Hawkins, who has consistently been
in the top-10 nationally in points scored per game
this year while shooting around 50 percent from
three. He was also named the 25th best collegiate
player by ESPN’s John Gasaway in an article earli-
er this year.
Hawkins has been a huge part of the men’s
basketball team’s rejuvenation, a year after the
team finished in last place in the Big West Confer-
ence. Still, it has not been a one-man show from
the Aggies, as the team is benefiting from four big
men who either did not play or barely played a
year ago.
The Aggies’ formidable frontcourt is made
up of senior forward Josh Ritchart and junior
forward J.T. Adenrele, who both sat out most of
last year with injuries, and junior transfers Josh
Fox and Neil Monson. Ritchart, who is averaging
almost 11 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, has
been at the forefront of the big man resurgence.
Still, the team does not seem to be running a lot
of plays for Ritchart, who has turned into a glori-
fied spot-up shooter, despite having a far wider
skill set. The Aggies could benefit from going
to Ritchart more in the post, especially when
Hawkins is on the bench. UC Davis has solid
game-managing point guards, but the offense
sputters when its leading scorer sits.
Corey Hawkins, for all of his greatness at
this level, does not seem to have much of a future
playing in the NBA. He is not quite a point guard,
he often turns the ball over and he is too small to
play shooting guard. While there are a few NBA
players his size, they are generally either fire-
cracker scorers who can play some point guard or
defensive bullies. Hawkins doesn’t seem to have
either in him quite yet, although he does have
stretches of games when he absolutely takes over
offensively for the Aggies.
There is a chance, however, and that may
be based on comparisons with his father, Hersey
Hawkins who was drafted sixth overall in the 1988
NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Hersey
was a 6’3” shooting guard, like Corey, and aver-
aged over 35 points per game in his senior year of
college. He also now works in NBA player devel-
opment, so that may help. The league is simply
different now, however, and Corey is finishing at a
time when people are bigger, stronger and faster.
UC DAVIS FOOTBALL:
With the basketball team playing so well
after finishing last in its league last year, many UC
Davis fans wonder whether the football team will
go through a similar transformation. The answer
to that question would have to be “maybe.” The
Aggies did benefit greatly from sophomore quar-
terback Ben Scott’s move to the starting lineup,
something that did not happen until midway
through the season. On the other hand, the Aggies
will lose senior running back Gabe Manzanares,
who has been fantastic over the past two seasons.
The real issue is whether the Aggies will be
able to overcome a poor passing defense, espe-
cially since Ron Gould has made it seem as if they
are simply hoping to get improved production out
of their current players. Defensive backs were con-
tinually in the right position but were beaten to the
ball by receivers that they were covering. The one
team that the Aggies were able to upset, Cal Poly,
was a ground-and-pound team, and UC Davis
really struggled against any team that could throw.
NFL COACHING:
The Bay Area’s two NFL teams both re-
cently went through major coaching transitions,
with the 49ers departing with Jim Harbaugh in
favor of defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and
the Raiders hiring proven Jack Del Rio as head
coach after another disappointing season. The
49ers situation is a little puzzling; Harbaugh went
49-22 in four season with the Niners, taking the
team to three NFC Championship games and one
Super Bowl, essentially taking the team out of two
decades of mediocrity and transforming it into a
perennial Super Bowl contender. However, Har-
baugh reportedly had a strained relationship with
ego-centric owner Jed York, leading to the depar-
ture of the successful coach after a disappointing
8-8 season. Emotions aside, it seems unfathom-
able and somewhat ridiculous that any team would
rather have the unproven Tomsula over Harbaugh.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It seems as though
the franchise is falling exponentially away from its
recent success.
Amazingly, there seems to be more optimism
across the bay in Oakland, where the Raiders, who
haven’t had a winning season in over a decade,
have the opportunity to build on a solid rookie
season from quarterback Derek Carr. Del Rio has
local ties, as he grew up in Hayward, and has the
experience and proven track-record, most recently
as the Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator, to
turn the franchise around.
NBA BASKETBALL:
The Sacramento Kings also went through
a significant coaching change earlier in the year,
firing head coach Mike Malone while promoting
Tyrone Corbin. The Kings got out to a great start
under Malone but then struggled as their star cen-
ter Demarcus Cousins went out with viral meningitis.
Malone was fired under the pretenses of poor coach-
ing, but it seems that there was far more at play with
the decision of ownership. The move has widely been
considered to be a headscratcher among people who
follow and report on the league. The team has strug-
gled since his firing, and Cousins has returned to his
temper-tantrum throwing ways.
Only a few hours down the road, the Golden
State Warriors are absolutely dominating the NBA,
perhaps the best team in the league. Klay Thompson
just put up a record 37 points in a quarter this month
and the backcourt of him and Stephen Curry is the
best in the league. The Warriors also bring two former
all-stars, David Lee and Andre Iguodala, off of the
bench with a few other solid rotation players. After
years of struggling, it seems that the right combination
of coaching, players and front office moves have made
them a powerhouse.
Speaking of Cousins, the All-Star game is com-
ing up and the Kings center is one of the more confus-
ing decisions. He is one of the most dominant offen-
sive players in the NBA, but struggles defensively and
is helming a pretty bad team. It’ll be interesting to see,
especially with the loaded Western Conference, who
ends up making it. The Aggie will jokingly nominate
Jeremy Lin and Ryan’s favorite player, Carlos Boozer,
of the Los Angeles Lakers for the game.
The Lakers are struggling now, perhaps for the
first time in the memory of current college students.
Kobe Bryant just opted for season ending surgery,
they lost first round pick Julius Randle at the beginning
of the season, and the team is now relying on players
to start who would generally be sitting on the bench
for other teams. It is sad to see a career like Bryant’s
end in the way that it is, but this year seems to be a
lost year for the team.
That wraps up the podcast, thank you for read-
ing and listening to our first edition and stay tuned for
next month’s! Please email us at sports@theaggie.org
if you have any questions or comments.
Ryan Reed and Scott Dresser are both editors for The Cali-
fornia Aggie. Ryan can be found listening to Grantland pod-
casts while playing 2k15 in bed, or waiting for Scott to show
up late to their 10 a.m. language class every day. He can be
reached at sports@theaggie.org. Scott can be reached at
campus@theaggie.org.
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17. Evan Liley is a cartoonist for The California Aggie. Send him
questions to magazine@theaggie.org
CARTOONS
3332