Local student Tyler Gutierrez is passionate about surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding. The eighth grader was influenced by his father and uncle from a young age to participate in extreme sports. Tyler hopes to one day be a professional big wave surfer. When he isn't surfing, he enjoys learning how to shape surfboards and watching videos of top surfers.

1. by JENNIFER FRAKES | photo by Spark Photography
:::: STUDENT STAR
F
or Tyler Gutierrez, surfing,
skateboarding, and snowboarding
are a way of life. “My dad and my
uncle influenced me in these sports starting
from when I was three years old. I think
my dad wanted me to be a golfer, but I
was always trying to jump off everything
as a kid, so X Games sports became
what I was interested in,” laughed Tyler,
an eighth grader at Marshall Middle
School. Tyler hopes to one day be a
professional big wave surfer and when
there is no surf, he can often be found
hanging out with his friends learning how
to shape surfboards or watching videos of
today’s top surfers conquering the waves.
When it comes to skateboarding,
Tyler loves the thrill of mastering new
tricks. “It is very rewarding when
you land a trick after trying over
and over again, no matter how
Name:
School:
Grade:
Parents:
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Favorite Place
in 92131:
Tyler Gutierrez (13)
Marshall Middle School
8
Kristine & John Gutierrez
Sierra Gutierrez (11)
Any stairs I can skate,
and Hoyt Park
Local Student Tyler Gutierrez
is Passionate about Surfing,
Skateboarding, and Snowboarding
Name:
School:
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Parents:
Favorite Local Spot:
by BILL STEWART | photos by Spark Photography
Olivia Marie Mawanay Palombo (10)
Creekside Elementary School
5th grade
James Palombo and Kathleen Mawanay
My house!
:::: STUDENT STAR
T
o be recognized as world champion in any sport is impressive,
but to accomplish it at age 9 is amazing. For Olivia Palombo, fifth
grader at Creekside Elementary School, it represents achievement
of a level of excellence not usually associated with one so young.
This well-rounded young lady from Sabre Springs has many
interests. She has played a lead role in a Creekside musical, is first-chair
violinist in the fifth-grade orchestra, participates in the school's science
fair, sings with the children's choir at Saint Michael's Catholic Church,
and has performed advanced level ballet at the Royal Academy of
Dance. Plus, she's earned a second-degree black belt in taekwondo.
Taekwondo: An Olympic Martial Art
Her real passion since the age of 5 has been taekwondo – a martial
art that blends precisely orchestrated movements with a healthy interest
in self-defense or combat. Taekwondo is Korean for "way of the fist and
foot." It requires strength, speed, balance, flexibility and stamina. Along
with Judo, it's one of only two Asian martial arts in the Olympic Games.
This Girl Gets a Kick Out of Taekwondo
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Favorite Place in Solana Beach:
by LYDIA COBB | photo by Soul of Photography
Glen Paul Gordon
16
Canyon Crest Academy
11
Karen and Darrell Gordon
Anna Gordon (24) and Cory Gordon (22)
Hideaway Café by Fletcher Cove. It’s
everything that’s great about our community’s
culture wrapped up in one restaurant.
:::: STUDENT STAR
T
he first time Glen Gordon served
on a church mission to Ethiopia,
he met a single mother who was
HIV positive. “Every day she would get
up at dawn and work until dusk creating
dresses to sell at the market so that she
could put her 10-year old daughter through
school, pay rent, buy her medications, and
eat,” shared Glen. Her goal was to see her
daughter receive a higher education.
Glen Gordon is a junior at Canyon
Crest Academy in Carmel Valley. He is
shaped by what he’s learning abroad
and in class. His favorite subjects are
history, geography and world politics.
“Learning about the past gives me an
infinite archive of insight on why things
are what they are today and how they
might be tomorrow,” revealed Glen.
He is one of four who represents
the academy’s Academic WorldQuest
team, a global affairs and U.S. foreign
policy-based knowledge competition.
The team will have competed in the
national competition in Washington
D.C. in April. As a delegate to American
Legion California Boys’ State, he’ll
ACADEMICS
WORLD MISSIONS
GLEN GORDON’S PURSUIT
FOR A BETTER WORLD
MAGAZINE FEATURES Magazine feature designs for hyper-local San Diego publication,
ZCode Media. Zip Code based magazines feature local students,
families and volunteers.ZCodeMedia
CHAMPION
GYMNAST
by LINDA FRABL | photos by Soul of Photography
:::: STUDENT STAR
M
organ Davis, a 9-year-old third grader at Carillo Elementary, proves
that if you persevere and overcome obstacles in order to do what
you love, then you will succeed. Winning the All-Around South State
Championship for gymnastics, in addition to amassing a whopping fifty-
seven first place gymnastics medals in the span of two years, Morgan had to
overcome intense shyness to reach the heights she has achieved.
Dawn Davis, Morgan’s mother, described the apprehensiveness her
daughter experienced when she first began training at SoCal Gymnastics in the
fall of 2011. Dawn recalled, “In the beginning, Morgan was so shy that I couldn’t
leave the gym; I always had to be in her sight. The coaches were not so
sure it was going to work out. I asked them give her a few months to get
comfortable, since she is a cautious child. Then she blossomed!”
MORGAN DAVIS OVERCAME HER SHYNESS AND
BECAME A GYMNASTICS CHAMPION
Name:
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Sibling:
Favorite Place in 92009:
Morgan Davis (9)
Carrillo Elementary School (3rd Grade)
Jon and Dawn Davis
Nathan Davis (12)
Rita’s Italian Ice
MOUND
ONTHE
All Star Pitcher Tanner Kaiden
Gives His All to Baseball and to
Life in Carlsbad
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Local Favorites:
Tanner Kaiden (10)
Mission Estancia Elementary School
4th
David & Cynthia Kaiden
Cooper Kaiden (8), Montgomery “Emmy” Claire Kaiden (6)
My favorite place in 92009 is my home/neighborhood with
my family and friends. My favorite activity is playing baseball
and basketball at the local parks, like Stagecoach Park.
by JENNIFER FRAKES | photos by Soul of Photography
:::: STUDENT STAR
F
or Tanner Kaiden, nothing beats being
out on the baseball diamond pitching in
an All-Star game. “I am most proud of the
genuine San Diego Padres spring training team
jersey that I was awarded when I was named
MVP of the All-Star game I played in this past
fall. Pitching in the All-Star game was so
amazing and exciting,” revealed Tanner. To
keep his pitching skills sharp when he’s not
on the mound, Tanner practices his motion
and form whenever possible, even while
walking from room-to-room at home.
While baseball is a big part of
Tanner’s life, he has many other interests,
including math, science and robotics.
As a fourth grader at Mission Estancia
Elementary School, Tanner feels very
lucky to be in a school community that
encourages learning and kindness.
“Our teachers are awesome. They have
encouraged and inspired me to be a
good student with high grades and good
behavior,” said Tanner. He also enjoys the
activities held on campus, such as the jog-
a-thon and talent show, both of which he
participated in with enthusiasm.
Tanner is also a member of the
Mission Estancia robotics team under
Coaches Vivian Lee and Curtis Walz. The
team builds robots out of Legos and
participates in tournaments at Legoland
GUY
THE COOKINGSAM ZIEN FINDS FAME WITH HIS
UNPRETENTIOUS AND ACCESSIBLE COOKING
by LINDA FRABL | photo by Lynn Chyi
:::: LOCAL CHEF
F
ame and fortune are usually reserved for those
cherished few individuals who are supremely
talented, educated, and even a bit out of
reach from us mere mortals. The average Joes of
the world need not apply… with one exception. Meet
Sam Zien, otherwise known as “Sam the Cooking
Guy” on Discovery Health Channel’s “Just Cook This”
television show, and on his own Sam Livecast internet
series. A Canadian native who has lived in Carmel
Valley with his wife for twenty years now, Sam proudly
touts himself as a regular guy who can make cooking less
intimidating, and that has won him accolades.
Sam recalled, “After watching this
complicated boring cooking segment on a
local TV channel, I thought, ‘What if
somebody made it a little bit
more accessible?’ Nothing
fancy or over the top;
just stuff to encourage
people not to go out
to fast food and to do
it themselves and not
buy frozen food. And
that’s what I did.”
Of course at
the time Sam didn’t
cook. But that
wasn’t a hurdle, for
Sam reasoned,
“I decided I was
going to do easy
enough stuff. If
I can do it, then
the people watching
can do it, and it would
be very instructional,
fun, helpful and
encouraging.”
Now it is twelve
years later, and Sam
has still never taken
a cooking course.
Thankfully, his uneducated
status works to his
advantage. He explained, “I’m
self-taught, and I’m not inclined to
say things in culinary terminology.
I make great food that is simple
enough that anybody could do it,
and it still tastes great.” Some of Sam's favorite dishes
include bucatini with asparagus, prosciutto and poached
egg, chili salmon, and gochujang and bacon fried rice.
That unpretentious approach to cooking has
already garnered fourteen Emmys for Sam! In addition,
he has received the “Golden Bell” award for his work with
the Salvation Army, and he also achieved the Outstanding
Celebrity Philanthropist award. Two major philanthropic
interests for Sam are Mama’s Kitchen, a charity
in which thrice-daily meals are provided
to those with AIDS, and Noah
Homes, in which beautiful
single-level “home-like”
housing units are made
available for those with
severe developmental
disabilities.
Sam shared,
“The cooking guy
thing was solely
about me. Once
it turned around
at some point,
I realized that
I could use
my name and
celebrity status
for better things
than just me.” He
gratefully added,
“I feel very
fortunate that I
found something
that I like to
wake up and do
every day.” ¢
Name:
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Hobbies:
Favorite Local Spots:
Sam Zien
Culinary Personality
Carmel Valley since 1994
Spending time with my wife, hanging out with my dogs,
watching TV, entertaining friends and family at our house
The beach between Torrey Pines and Del Mar, Torrey
Pines State Reserve, Los Peñasquitos Canyon Reserve,
the communities of Little Italy and North Park, my backyard
FIGHTER
by LIZ ONUFER | photos by Spark Photography
:::: FACES IN THE CROWD
H
is list of accolades
is intimidating:
World Cage
Warriors Champion,
UFC, Strikeforce,
Total Combat World Midweight
Champion. But for this 4S Ranch resident,
the world of professional mixed martial arts
(MMA) is his way of continuing to do what he
loves – and making a living out of it.
Jesse Taylor did not always dream of
becoming a professional MMA fighter. The
one time wrestler began to pursue the sport
when he realized wrestling after college
wasn’t going to pay the rent. As a new father,
Jesse was looking for a way to support his
family. His jump into MMA was successful.
“I’ve been a professional mixed martial
artist for about eight years now traveling the
globe,” Jesse said.
Jesse began wrestling at
Poway High School and continued
on at Palomar College. He stood out
among his fellow athletes, winning
many titles, including California Junior
College State Champion in 2004. The
impressive track record earned him a
scholarship at Cal State Fullerton. It was here
that Jesse entered the world of professional
fighting. He began training in Jiu Jitsu, learning
the martial arts quickly. After only a month
of training, Jesse entered his first MMA fight
against a tough component and won.
Fast forward to 2008 and Jesse’s skills in
the sport landed him on the seventh season of
Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter. His success
on the show created a lot of exposure. “I
did very well on the show, not losing a fight.
However it was the first time I was thrown
into stardom and was young at the time, so
[I] had to learn a lot. It was a
great learning experience and
allowed me to become a full time
professional fighter,” shared Jesse.
Back at 4S Ranch, Jesse
shares his skills and experience in
the community. “I help children work on
their wrestling skills and many kids look up
to me, so being an active good role model is
very important,” Jesse acknowledged. Time
away from MMA is spent with his two children,
Alexander and Nikolas. Jesse enjoys playing
with his kids and dogs, reading, yoga, and even
occasionally, being lazy.
Today, Jesse continues to work towards
filling his trophy case. He is a currently competing
in the final rounds of the World Series of MMA.
Jesse’s goal, following the pattern of success he
has seen so far, is to win the World Series MMA
Middleweight Championship in March. ¢
Name:
Age:
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Favorite Activites:
Jesse Taylor
30
Professional MMA Fighter
Reading, MMA, all martial arts,
relaxing in my sweat pants.
Watching my kids play sports!
Jesse Taylor Fights Around The World
1 • 92130Magazine.com • August | September 2012
MISSION
Daisy Aguilar Has a Plan for her Future
YOUTH
by ANGIE GALLO | photos by Soul of Photography
:::: STUDENT STAR
Y
ou would never guess Daisy Aguilar is only 16 years old. Especially once
she begins sharing her life experiences. But, at her young age, Daisy has
accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime.
Growing up in Eden Gardens, a community within the city of Solana Beach,
where many children thrive and many who have difficulties that lead them in the
wrong direction. Luckily Daisy has taken the high road and arrived where she is
today. Thanks to her mother and the La Colonia Boys & Girls Club, Daisy knows
exactly what she wants from life and has a plan to get there. After receiving the
La Colonia Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year award some teenagers may
ON A
Name:
Age:
School:
Parent:
Sibling:
Daisy Aguilar
16
Torrey Pines High School
Enriqueta Aguilar
Juancarlos Cigarrero (10)