Monthly Archives: September 2012

Reflections on Student Challenges & Success: William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustee Award 2012 Winner Erin Enguero

 

By Erin Enguero, KIN undergraduate student

KIN student Erin Enguero wins 2012 CSU Trustee’s Award

Since 1999, the William Randolph Hearst/ CSU Trustees Award has recognized one student from each campus who has overcome adversity while demonstrating exceptional academic, personal, and community achievements.  At the time I applied for this scholarship, I had been wearing hearing aides for nine years, was elected as SJSU Pre-Physical Therapy Club Treasurer, and was hired at the campus Student Health Center as a Physical Therapy Aide.  When I became one of 23 award winners of the William Randolph Hearst/ CSU Trustees Award, and the first student scholar that was hearing impaired, it was a lot to take-in, as I had only just completed my first year of college!

Last week on September 18th, I woke up at 4:30am to fly down with my family to Long Beach to attend the awards ceremony at the CSU Chancellor’s Office.

To get to this point, I have overcome social and educational challenges of being a hearing impaired student, which has pushed me to reach higher levels of success. Stories of other award winners were also powerful including candidates who had faced homelessness, abuse, poverty, and additional hardships. I was in awe of what my fellow award winners had accomplished. We all shared the funny sentiment that the candidate next to us had a story more inspiring than ours! I feel so blessed to have met such a talented, humble, and resilient group of students. Scholarships often recognize individuals for their community service and leadership, but to celebrate life challenges that have strengthened our spirits is truly an exceptional recognition.

After receiving a surprising bundle of gifts from Sony, a standing ovation from members of the Chancellors Office, and the opportunity to shake President Quayomi’s hand, I am still trying to take-in what this great accomplishment means.  The one thing that is clear in my mind is that it is a thrill to be a member of the CSU system and a representative of SJSU.  Most importantly, I am blessed to be a student of the Kinesiology department.  Due to their welcoming arms, I am proud to be the individual who I am today and am excited to see what is around the next corner!

Stop Destroying your Body!

 

by Joshua J. Stone, MA, ATC, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS
Article originally posted onhttp://athleticmedicine.wordpress.com/
Follow Josh on Twitter http://twitter.com/JoshStoneATC

Have you ever wondered why the ankle swells after a sprain or why we get a fever or why you get allergies around pollen? This does not happen because our body is weak; it happens because our body is strong and functioning as it should. Swelling after a sprain is needed to heal damaged tissue. Fever from a flu is because our immune system is attacking a virus. Runny nose, watery eyes from allergies is a histamine response from your body to protect. Our body is designed to protect itself – we are robots that have specific programs in place to counteract disease or illness. Unfortunately, we are preventing our body from doing its job.

In the cells of your body are a class of proteins called Sirtuins. These have specific jobs that are designed to help the body function, live, and
heal. SIRT1 is a specific type of Sirtuin that is specifically designed to facilitate metabolism. Yes this little guy helps breakdown and utilize the food you eat. Previously, Leonard Guarente of MIT found that this protein has many benefits including protection against Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Most recently, they found that when mice were fed high-fat diets a myriad of metabolic disorders developed when the protein was absent.  These proteins are helping to keep cells alive and healthy.
We are killing these proteins and preventing them from doing their job. Research has proven that diets high in fat produce inflammation (see my blog). During the inflammation process an enzyme called Capase-1 is released. The specific job of Capase-1 is to go out and cleave (destroy) proteins and ultimately alter the primary objective of the protein. Are you following me?
When we eat a high-fat diet SIRT1 wants to begin metabolism, however the Capase-1 enzyme destroys SIRT1 before it can do its job. What happens next? Well, fatty deposit storage increases, followed by multiple metabolic and cardiovascular disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension (to name a few). By limiting high-fat intake and foods that initiate inflammation, we can allow our body’s natural protective mechanisms to go to work. Stop Destroying your Body.
Reference:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Protein that boosts longevity may protect against diabetes: Sirtuins help fight off disorders linked to obesity.” ScienceDaily, 8 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Aug. 2012.

KIN Student Erin Enguero Awarded CSU Trustees’ Award

By:  Shirley Reekie, Chair, Kinesiology

Erin Enguero, a Kinesiology Major, is one of six 2012 Hearst CSU Trustees’ Award Recipients.

The William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement is given each year to those students who have demonstrated financial need, experienced personal hardships, and have attributes of merit, including superior academic performance, exemplary community service, and significant personal achievements.

See the CSU Award website for more information.