Education

Cal State East Bay Grad Antonio Garcia Speaks on Completing College with Asperger’s

Published

7 years ago

June 17, 2017

By Dan Fost, Cal State East Bay News

Senior Antonio Garcia recently realized just how formative his years at Cal State East Bay have been. It was an average day in Garcia’s ceramics class when a fellow student accidentally dropped one of the pieces he had just finished.

“The end result actually came out better, since the outside of it was glazed and the inside was completely burned black,” Garcia says. “It was quite amazing. I’ve learned how to bounce back from accidents or things not going right.”

The ability to navigate the unexpected is a skill set all students must develop over time, but for Garcia, coping with sudden anxieties — and walking across the graduation stage at Cal State East Bay this June — is all the more significant considering the challenges presented by his Asperger’s syndrome, a subtype of autism. And he credits the university’s College LINK program with helping him succeed.

The program, which serves students on the autism spectrum, started in 2010 with five students and now has 27, according to program coordinator Bryan Fauth. Fauth says Garcia, 24, is a shining example of what students can achieve with the right support in place.

“When Antonio came in as a freshman, he was very shy,” Fauth says, partly due to how overwhelming the transition from Oakland’s Skyline High to Cal State East Bay was for Garcia. “It took a while for Antonio to open up to us,” he recalls.

Math presented another challenge.

“I was able to think of the work in my head, but I lost points because I never showed the work on paper,” he says.

Because of that, Garcia was placed in a remedial math class, which Fauth says often results in students losing confidence and leaving college.

“But Antonio never got discouraged. He kept coming in every day, working on math with his coaches, and really utilized the program to its full extent. Eventually, he was able to get over that hurdle.”

The longer Garcia persisted academically, the more acclimated he became to the university environment. “Socially, the difference between now and then is night and day. Antonio is flourishing from the support the College LINK program has to offer,” Fauth says.

Garcia feels the difference too, saying he’s not only made friends, but he’s also gotten more comfortable speaking out in class and in groups — and developed the ability to roll with the punches in situations that used to throw him off emotionally. In fact, he’s found a professional passion that frequently entails multiple variables and unknown factors: photography. Garcia recently tackled a complex project for which he had an exacting vision — to capture volunteers in silhouette form aboard the USS Hornet, the decommissioned aircraft carrier that’s now a museum in Alameda.

Using software to add sailor hats to the silhouettes, Garcia hopes to create a sense of how the servicemen on the ship appeared in its heyday during WWII.

The photo, he says, will show people that “everywhere has its own place in history, either minor or major. Someone in the past was standing in the exact spot that you are now.”

In addition to the USS Hornet piece, Garcia also works in an art gallery and hopes to become a professional photographer. His images were recently featured at Spectrum Showcase 2: The Electric Boogaloo, a showcase of creative works — music, photography, theater, visual art and more — by students with autism and their collaborators at in the university’s recital hall.

“Cal State East Bay has been a great experience for me,” he says. “The College LINK program was the biggest help in my college life. Without it, I would have given up and gotten a job at McDonald’s.”

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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California Black Media

New California Law Will Protect Students During Extreme Weather

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health. Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Robinson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health.

Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Sen. Hurtado stated last Spring. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson, the twelve-year student who lost his life due to heat related illness during on-campus physical education, for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.”

Supporters of the legislation say the lack of uniform guidelines and protocols across schools and school districts in California intensifies the issue, creating an urgent need for safeguards to ensure student safety during extreme weather conditions.

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California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.