Summer 2015
Freed at Last
Franky Carrillo Jr., now pursuing his LMU degree, was freed In March 2011 after spending 20 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
A Conversation With Nathalie Sánchez ’07
Nathalie Sánchez ’07 is a full-time teaching artist with P.S. Arts and works in two Los Angeles charter schools. She is co-founder of Ceramic Studio 153, in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Sánchez earned her bachelor’s degree in the College of Communication and Fine Arts with a double major in studio arts and art history. Follow her @Ceramics153. She was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch.
A Conversation with Jennifer Ramos
Jennifer Ramos, associate professor of political science, studies the causes and consequences of political change, U.S. public opinion and foreign policy, drone warfare, and religion and foreign policy preferences. She is the author of “Changing Norms Through Actions: The Evolution of Sovereignty” and teaches in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. Ramos was interviewed by Editor Joseph Wakelee-Lynch.
Dispatches Winter 2015
1971 Ricardo Navarrette [LibArts] is vice-president of student services at Santa Rosa Junior College, in Santa Rosa, California. His wife, Luz (Armendariz) [LibArts ’73], has a private hynotherapy practice and teaches a course at the college. 1973 Maureen (Shannon) Diekmann...
Michael John ’77
Michael John is an actor, stage-fight trainer and expert in theatrical uses of combat weapons — has made his living wielding knives, daggers, pistols and swords. He has appeared in movies, TV and stage productions. As a Romulan in charge of weaponry, he has been blown up in Paramount’s television series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” He has performed frequently with the LA Opera, including a production of “Billy Budd” in 2014 in which he played the whip master.
Freed at Last
Franky Carrillo Jr., now pursuing his LMU degree, was freed In March 2011 after spending 20 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
Freedom Restored: Franky Carrillo Jr.’s Day in Court
In 2011, after 35 years as a lawyer, I was graced to witness an extraordinary occasion of restorative justice that took place in a Compton courtroom.
Charles Higgins
Charles Higgins teaches in the Department of Finance and Computer Information Systems in the College of Business Administration and has twice won Faculty Member of the Year awards. He is an investment practitioner and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an academic honor society in the field of business. Higgins also has taught at Claremont Graduate School, the University of Redlands and Mount St. Mary’s College. Higgins’ research interests deal with the term structure of interest rates from mathematical and computational aspects of investing to the utilization of derivative instruments. He is also interested in linguistics and foreign languages, science, travel and railroading.
Rite Now
Commencement is a rare moment that is both end and beginning. The day seems stretched by its gravity, its hours elongated by ceremony. But the rite, a tenuous instant in time, passes. It doesn’t last long.
New Zealand
I haven’t worn deodorant in four months. And forget about makeup. My sense of vanity — and perhaps my sense of smell — were flung to the wayside when I started hiking 3,000 km across New Zealand with my dad.
Bonding in Fire and Snow
Rod Quartararo ’73 and Jean Sever ’73 — you could say their bond was forged in fire.
Coyotes in Westchester
Coyotes — our wild neighbors — live an accommodating lifestyle along the bluff and in the nearby wetlands. They may be adapting to the natural surroundings better than the humans.
The Burcham Tributes
When David W. Burcham came to LMU after leaving his post as dean of Loyola Law School, he displayed his penchant for walking around campus and speaking with people in all walks of university life. When named president, he asked for a university-wide day of service to Los Angeles as part of his inauguration events. It is impossible to picture David W. Burcham apart from the people around him. We asked members of the LMU community to share their thoughts about him and his presidency.—The Editor.
Unmanned Man
In February 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration released proposed regulations governing civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. Mark Pestana ’75, a former NASA research pilot, consulted with the FAA as it formulated its rules. Pestana is an expert in aircraft user interfaces and has flown drones to fight fires. We spoke to him about the emerging technology that will impact privacy laws, aviation safety and the nation’s economic health. Pestana was interviewed by Doug McInnis.