2014 About the Authors
Delta Winds: A Magazine of Student Essays
A Publication of San Joaquin Delta College
2014
About the Authors
These biographical statements were written for publication in 2014.
Chad Hammerback is a very happily married father/step-father of nine with children ranging from two to twenty-one. He is also a grandfather to a three-year-old grandson. He is an avid reader and sometime writer hoping to one day publish a novel or two. As a South Dakota transplant, he quite often struggles to understand Californian society and many of his essays deal with this disparity as he pursues a degree in Philosophy and Religion.
Caitlin McDougall is a Stockton native, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2010 and was a member of the 2010-2011 theater company. She plans to complete her associate's degree and transfer to a four-year university to obtain a BSN before continuing on to a Nurse-Midwifery graduate program. It is her dream to travel with Doctors Without Borders to teach women in underdeveloped countries healthy birthing practices.
Mohammad Afghani was born in 1994 in Afghanistan, during a civil war. When he was two years old, his father was able to save his mother and him from the worsening conditions of the time and bring the family out to live in the Bay Area. Mohammad's life experiences are what makes him an optimist. He is attending school in order to become a physician assistant, who can one day work abroad to assist people in war-torn areas. His favorite hobbies include basketball, football, and reading. He likes learning about history, politics, and social matters.
Valerie Garcia, 18, was born and raised in Lodi, California. She lived in Mexico for four years before moving back to her hometown at the age of eight. She attributes her desire to study abroad and work in the Peace Corps to the experiences she had while living there. She plans to continue her education at one of the UC schools and earn a degree in Biology or Kinesiology. Valerie also hopes to minor in French or ASL, and pursue her passion for languages.
Michelle Livingstone did not provide a biographical statement.
Soumaly Faiivae did not provide a biographical statement.
Stefany Ensor is a 23-year-old Communications major and superhero-in-training who is incredibly excited, honored, and humbled to be published in Delta Winds for the first time. Writing is her passion: a byproduct of her lifelong obsession with books and language. (She thanks her parents for always letting her be their "Belle.") Stefany is a writing tutor and reader for Delta College, and hopes that the experience will prepare her for a future teaching career. In addition to transferring in the fall, Stefany is looking forward to participating in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (G.I.S.H.W.H.E.S.) for the second time in August. "Last year, I wore toast underwear, created a GISH-mobile with my best friend, and realized just how precious sleep really is. It was seven days of absurdity, and I can't wait to see what's on 'The List' for this year so I can do it all over again!" She hopes that she and her team can help creator Misha Collins change the world, and bring "Death to Normalcy!" Of course, it is difficult to contain all of Stefany in a simple bio. She is like the Matrix. No one can be told what she is…you must experience her for yourself.
Stormie Stocke did not provide a biographical statement.
Joanne Minasi, a transplant from Ontario, Canada, followed her heart and moved west. After being out of school for a few decades, she set her sights on continuing her education, and is now in her fourth year at Delta College, shooting for an A.S. Degree in Mathematics. Taking only one or two classes per semester, she is about halfway done. She thoroughly enjoys being a student, almost as much as she enjoys singing, playing guitar, reading, hiking, driving all over the country, and being a beach bum. Joanne is a mother (some are kids she has acquired, some are her own), a Nana (just to one right now, but looking forward to many more!), and the wife of the guy who is her constant cheerleader and unwavering ally. Joanne works full-time at a software company in the Bay Area, and has her mind set on a Master's Degree in Business Administration from U.O.P. someday.
Luke Flaig-Brummett is a Computer Science major, mentor to the Jim Elliot Robotics Team, and free-lance writer. He loves science and the joy of discovery it brings.
Laura Hull, a San Joaquin County native in her twenties, is an English major because she wants to learn to write with technical skill, and in a way that will lead others to find hope and to love one another. Her favorite writing projects are literature class essays, and both fiction and nonfiction short stories. However, Laura does do more than write: she backpacks, works in food service, draws, tries to keep up with loved ones, and, of course, quotes Shakespeare as often as is socially acceptable—and then some.
Deana Ceja is a seventeen-year-old student who became a San Joaquin Delta College student through her high school, Middle College. After spending four truly unforgettable years at Delta College, she transferred over to University of the Pacific to study biology. Writing had been a personal interest for her when she was younger, but she left it behind when she started high school. It wasn't until her spring 2013 English class that her fascination with writing and literature was rekindled. Her English class helped her see literature with a new light and gave her a different perspective on writing. She believes that "paper and pencil are the keys to a world unbeknownst to any other soul but the author; it is up to the author to decide how loud that world will speak to the universe."