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Hey Ruby! Thanks for talking with me! Could you give a background of yourself? Sure! I was born in Watsonville and raised in Moss Landing. I am the daughter of Rudy and Esther Vasquez. My dad immigrated to this country from San Luis Potosi Mexico and my mom was second generation, born in Salinas and […]

NAMI Santa Cruz County is the Health and Wellness NEXTie winner for this year. Hello! To get us started, what is NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)? NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental […]

Hey Daisy! I hope you are excited for the NEXTies! Could you tell me a little bit about yourself? Sure! I am a first-generation Mexican-American and my upbringing is deeply influenced by the hard work and resilience of my migrant farm-working parents and the love of my family. As a migrant family, we spent a […]

Hey Alwa, excited to get started! Could you give a background of yourself? Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Santa Cruz, and have lived in various parts including Capitola, the westside, scotts valley, watsonville, and midtown. My mom is Japanese, English, Irish, and French. And my dad is black. What […]

The Soquel High Football Team had quite the year. They ended the season 13-2, winning 2023 California Interscholastic Federation Division 4-AA title. This is the first time any school football team has achieved this in Santa Cruz county… ever. We talked to Coach Dwight Lowery, a former pro turned coach. Hey coach! Could you tell […]

Aylana is an accomplished local surfer. She is know for a variety of things, from hosting surf comps to running her own apparel brand, but I’ll let her tell you herself! Hey Aylana! Could you give us some backstory on yourself? Sure! I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains-Boulder Creek. I learned to swim […]