On Friday, August 23, 2024, Connor moved into the Huaxyacac dorm. He will be sharing space with two other guys from Northern California, Ethan from San Carlos and Trevor from Marin County. Their check in
time was supposed to be 12:15pm, but we got to campus about an hour early so we got in line at registration to begin the process of moving in right away. It's a good thing too because when Ethan and Trevor
showed up, the room got really crowded. It would have been impossible for all three guys to unpack and set things up at the same time. Once we were done settling Connor in we headed out to buy him some
things he would need for dormlife and then had lunch.
Outside dorm.
Huaxyacac.
All moved in!
Convocation 8/24/24
On Saturday, we attended SDSU Convocation in the afternoon. It was a really nice ceremony where we were entertained by cheerleader, dance squad, and cultural/club performances. There was also a ceremony
where every student in each major was asked to stand and then introduced as this year's incoming students. Finally, a pinning ceremony took place where every student pinned their parents with an "Aztec Parent"
pin and parents pinned their student with an "Aztec for Life" pin.
At his desk.
Outside Viejas Arena.
Heading in!
Inside Viejas Arena.
Kawhi Leonard.
Proud Aztec Parent.
Pinned.
Pinning Dad.
After pinning.
SDSU Aztec.
The "Sprain" 8/25/24
In an effort to meet people, Connor went to the Rec Center located about 2 blocks from his dorm. He shot around for a little while when he got together with a bunch of guys for a pick up game. He was two
plays into the game when he took a shot. When he came down, the guy defending didn't give Connor any place to land. As a result, Connor twisted his ankle pretty badly on the guy's foot. He was able to get
some ice from First Aid, but that was it. He made his way back to his dorm but was in great pain. At some point walking became almost impossible, so Mom and Dad recommended he go to the ER to check it out.
He ordered an Uber that took him to the Alvarado/UCSD Hospital located just one exit down the freeway from campus. They saw him pretty quickly and took an X-Ray and found no evidence of a fracture. They put
his ankle in a splint and gave him some crutches. He Uber'd back to the dorm and began the process of applying for student disability services that would provide transportation to and from his classes. He
was approved for cart services and started getting rides by Wednesday (day 3 of classes). Unfortunately, they would only pick him up and drop him off at designated "Safe Stops". None of these stops were
close to his dorm or any of his classes for that matter. He appealed to disability services and, perhaps with the help of one of the cart drivers, was able to meet the cart at the entrance to his dorm. They
would also take him back to his dorm when he returned from class. Now, after about 2 weeks he's feeling better. The swelling has gone down some, and the pain has subsided enough where he can use a simple ace
bandage to support his ankle. He doesn't have to use the crutches anymore and he plans on discontinuing cart services after the 13th of September. Oh, by the way, he made the shot.
Super swollen.
What a way to start college.
Be using this for a while.
Splint came off (8/28/24).
Still swollen (8/28/24).
Daily Life 8/27/24
Aside from learning to use crutches to get around, Connor has found adjusting to college life "challenging". He really can't go too far for food, so he relied on his roommate Ethan a little to help him
get a sandwich or something when he went out. There are food trucks that stop by his dorm in the courtyard for dinner, so he's been trying that. He also had to learn how to use the washing machines. In time,
things will get easier and become routine, but for now he's learning as he goes.
What is this?
This is better.
Where do I put the Tide Pod?
Feeling Better 9/10/24
After nearly 3 weeks, Connor is finally feeling better. The pain in his ankle is much more tolerable and while the swelling hasn't gone away completely he is able to get around with relative ease. Since
he's on the mend, he and his roommates decided to move furniture around in their dorm room. They believe they've found a way to give them a little more floor space. Next, they're going to get some LED lights
to brighten up some of the dark spots. They're also going to get a shoe rack. Take a look at what they came up with.
First, he turned his desk.
"The plan has drastically changed".
Nikkei Student Union 10/4/24
Connor's been attending Nikkei Student Union meetings since the semester began (even after he sprained his ankle). It took a little while for the club to get up to speed, but they finally had their first
post-meeting social at Sul & Beans. It seems all NSU's have socials after their general meetings, and SDSU is no different.
Meeting announcement (Connor on the left).
First NSU Social.
SDSU/UCSD NSU Bonfire 10/26/24
So I don't know what it is, but every time a candid photo is taken for an SDSU NSU event Connor has his back to the camera. If you look closely at this picture, Connor is sitting on the bench (on the
right) with his back facing the camera. He was waiting for a ride to go to the SDSU/UCSD NSU Bonfire.
Waiting for a ride.
11/2/24
After getting the OK from the doctor at SDSU, Connor participated in the USC NSU Basketball Tournament in Little Tokyo. Here are a few SDSU NSU Instagram Posts from the Tournament.
In total, Connor played 3 games but didn't score any points. In one game, however, he did make 7 assists! Maybe he didn't make any buckets, but we bet he made some great memories.
Fun!
Thank you!
11/9/24
The weekend following the USC NSU Games of Troy Basketball Tournament, Connor was back in L.A. at UCLA, this time, playing in the 31st Annual Yuji Ichioka Memorial Tournament for NSU. The great thing
about these tournaments is Connor gets to meet up and compete with all his old high school friends who are attending college down in So Cal.
Ryan (LMU), Evan (UCSB), Jarret (UCSB), and Connor (SDSU).
At some point in time near the beginning of the school year, NSU's have their Big/Little Reveals. An older NSU member will take on a new member to help or mentor them. Connor, being a new NSU member, is
considered a Little. He was therefore assigned to a Big who will take him under his wing and help Connor if he needs him.
The weekend between Finals, Connor and 3 of his friends from his dorm (Dillon, David, and Cyrus) took the trolley to see Red One with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. After the movie they took this picture
in the lobby in front of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 display. I guess this will be the next movie they see.
Connor's been back at school for about a month now after Winter Break. He's been plugging away at his classes and he's trying to find a way to "enjoy" them all. In the meantime, he's been regularly
attending NSU meetings, and when the opportunity arises he plays in NSU basketball tournaments. Today, he was at San Diego City College where UCSD held their annual basketball tournament. In one of his games
he hit a 3-pointer and had a couple of lay ups. The following video isn't of him making any buckets, but you can see him (#4) heading back on defense after the shot.
On Saturday, March 1st, the Intercollegiate Nikkei Council presented Nikkei Professionals 2025 in Little Tokyo at the Japanese American National Museum. This event gathered volunteer professionals and
sponsors to help Nikkei Student Union members gain valuable insight and create connections to explore potential career paths. Jordyn was recruited by the Cal Poly Pomona NSU to be a volunteer professional to
offer insight at one of the workshops. Tyler was one of the CSUF NSU students who showed up to network and learn from professionals. Now, Connor, on the other hand, didn't want to attend the event, but he did
want to go to L.A. with other SDSU NSU members who did participate. So, he jumped in the car with the others, crashed at the Airbnb, hung out, played poker, and went back to San Diego when it was all done.
Now, can you understand why we worry about him so much?
Connor was nominated by a friend to participate in another ice bucket challenge. The first one originated over 10 years ago to raise funds and bring awareness to ALS. This latest challenge was brought
about by the founder of University of South Carolina's Mental Illness Needs Discussion Club (MIND) who wanted to solicit donations for Active Minds, the largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to changing stigma
around mental health in youth and young adults.
Time seems to be flying by. It wasn't that long ago when Connor moved into his dorm room back in August. Just like that, it was time to move him out. On this day, Connor completed his last final exam
around 3:00 pm. Dad drove down from L.A. after lunch to help him pack up whatever else needed packing and then schlep everything into the Pilot. SDSU doesn't make moving out very easy. Every student must
make an appointment to move out, and the only time Connor could get was 7:45 pm. At that appointed time Connor would be given a bin to move all his belongings from his room to the pick-up area where Dad could
drive the Pilot up for loading. Since they were packing so early, they elected to carry all his stuff from the dorm to the parking structure about 1/4 mile away. After about 5 trips back and forth, they had
the Pilot loaded and ready to go. By this time it was around 5:30 pm when Connor returned to his room to clean and dust everything. While there he bumped into his RA (Resident Assistant) who was assisting
everyone moving out. Connor asked if there was any way we could move up our check-out time since we were finished packing, loading, and cleaning. The RA was available right then and there so he completed the
walk-through and gave Connor the OK to return his dorm key and check out. This was awesome because it allowed Connor and Dad to head out to Phil's BBQ for dinner. Once they were done eating they could simply
head back to L.A. without having to return to SDSU to complete check-out at 7:45.
Move-in was slightly earlier this year because Connor is a Sophomore now, and they always have upper classmen move in before the Freshman. We headed down to SoCal on Tuesday, August 19th. We spent the
evening in L.A. at Deb's folks house, and left at 8:00 am Wedneday morning for San Diego. The timing was perfect because we arrived on campus at 10:00 am when Connor was scheduled to move in. SDSU has a pretty
good system in place for arriving students. Everyone checks in at their scheduled time in this one big parking lot where they're given their room keys, directions to their new dorm, instructions on where to
drop everything off, and finally where to park. We found Connor's new dorm, Granada, right above the UPS Store where everyone on the west side of campus picks up their mail. He's in a 4-bedroom 2-bathroom
on-campus apartment with 5 other guys. He has one of two single rooms (the other single is occupied by Connor's good friend, Dylan). The other two bedrooms are doubles. The apartment is really quite nice.
It has a pretty large kitchen and a common living area along with a washer and dryer. So far, everything seems really good, and we're hopeful his living situation will be the least of his worries.
Just like Tyler in his Sophomore year, Connor is living in an apartment and is learning to cook. He already knew a little (he can bake brownies like no other), but he hadn't really made anything strictly
on his own. He had some ideas on what he was going to try early on, so here are a couple of dishes he felt pretty confident about. The alternative to cooking is to order out.
Fried Rice (9/1/25).
Chocolate Chip Pancakes (9/3/25).
Raising Cane's (9/3/25).
NSU 9/5/25
Connor is back in NSU (Nikkei Student Union) again this year. Today was their first meeting where they did speed dating as an ice breaker. It was an opportunity to reintroduce members to one another or get
to know potential new members.
Connor is getting more and more confident with his cooking. For dinner he made chicken katsu and broccoli.
Chicken katsu.
NSU 9/19/25
Connor attended another NSU meeting this past Friday. You can see him on the far right of this Instagram Post.
NSU Meeting.
NSU 9/26/25
The first non-meeting activity for Connor this semester was a beach bonfire social. He got there with his "Big" (older NSU student) to help set up. Connor said he had a lot of fun.
At the beach - Instagram post.
NSU 10/4/25
The SDSU NSU posted on their Instagram account a sign-up for NSU Co-Rec Intramural Basketball. The posting has Connor sitting of the far right in one last year's NSU basketball games.
Co-Rec Intramural Basketball.
INC Beach Day 10/18/25
Every year the Intercollegiate Nikkei Council gathers local NSU's for a beach day. Connor enjoys this get-together because he has friends from his high school days who attend schools down in the Southern
California area. It's a great opportunity to see them during the school year.
Connor's cooking has gotten to the point where he can actually give others instructions on how to prepare dinner now. This is a picture of Connor's go-to dish, chicken katsu, however he didn't make this.
His roommate Dylan made it with help from Connor.
Dinner!
NSU Big/Little Reveal 11/15/25
Connor became a "Big" this year in NSU. He and his "Sib" Tyler were assigned 3 "Littles" who they will help with NSU meetings, events, and activities.
2025/2026 NSU Big/Little Reveal.
TWICE Concert 1/24/26
Right after Connor returned to SDSU following Winter Break, he attended the TWICE concert with a couple of friends at the KIA Forum in Inglewood. TWICE sang the hit song "Takedown" in the Netflix animated
movie, "KPop Demon Hunters". The thing is, the Saturday before we drove him back to school, he and Tyler attended the very same concert in Oakland!
Before trying this, Connor called home to verify the recipe. Mom was able to give him some quick pointers to make sure he got the amounts correct. Looks like it came out pretty good!
Korean beef with fried rice and broccoli!
SDSU NSU Black & Red Tournament 2026 2/21-22/26
The SDSU NSU hosted their annual Black & Red Tournament over the President's Day Weekend. Connor's good friend Brad showed up with the Cal State Long Beach NSU team to play.
