UCLA, USC teams to be honored at White House
Tennis, Water Polo, Gymnastics, and Softball
LOS ANGELES - The USC men's tennis team and men's and women's water polo teams and UCLA women's gymnastics and softball teams will be among more than 30 NCAA championship teams from the 2009-2010 academic year honored by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony today.
The Trojan men's water polo and tennis teams also won NCAA championships during the 2008-2009 academic year, but neither received invitations to the White House.
"We're pretty excited,'' said Steve Johnson, who was a member of the All-Tournament Team in both singles and doubles for helping lead USC to a second consecutive NCAA men's tennis championship in May.
"We were bummed out last year when we didn't get invited.''
Matt Sagehorn, who concluded his Trojan water polo career by scoring USC's final goal in a 7-6 victory over UCLA in the 2009 NCAA championship game, called going to the White House and having the possibility of meeting the president "one of the greatest privileges that I could ever have.''
Sagehorn told City News Service he and his teammates "were a little bit worried'' about again being bypassed for a White House visit, because they did not receive confirmation of the trip until about a month ago.
"It's special because it's been two years in the making to get to go,'' said Sagehorn, a graduate of Wilson High School in Long Beach.
Brittani McCullough, whose career-high equaling score of 9.925 on the floor exercise clinched the NCAA women's gymnastics championship for UCLA, called going to the White House "a once in a lifetime opportunity.''
"To be able to go and meet Obama to me means a lot,'' McCullough said. "It's very special.''
For McCullough, who is black, "it means a lot'' that Obama is the first black president.
"That was a very big step,'' McCullough said. "To be able to meet a person who was able to accomplish that is awesome.''
When asked what she would like to discuss with Obama, McCullough said, "I would like to congratulate him on his accomplishments because it is very inspiring.''
Megan Langenfeld, named as the Most Outstanding Player in softball's Women's College World Series for helping lead the Bruins to the championship, said if she had the opportunity to speak with Obama she would ask if he is backing efforts to have softball returned to the Olympics.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A three-day count of the homeless population in much of Los Angeles County will begin tonight in the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles.
What is billed as the nation's largest count of the homeless is conducted every two years and is headed by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority.
PASADENA, Calif.—A Caltech professor was named as the recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists.
Amnon Yariv, a professor of applied physics and electrical engineering, will receive the award, along with 10 others, during a ceremony at the White House later this year.
“The extraordinary accomplishments of these scientists, engineers and inventors are a testament to American industry and ingenuity,” President Barack Obama said.
Vickie Knight has seen how the other half lives, and knows that one day, she too, will get back on her feet thanks to the opportunities afforded her through education.
Knight, a Compton native, who found herself homeless through a seers of unfortunate circumstances, recently spent a few days in the luxury of the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia. She was in the City of Brotherly Love to accept an award for being named the 2010 National Graduate of the Year by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).
Women, you need to fix yourself and be independent.
Take my advice into consideration, don’t be offended.
Stop complaining about your man; love him for who he is,
If you are not stable, stop opening your legs and pushing out kids.
Stop looking for love in all the wrong places.
Don’t stay with a man if he keeps catching cases.
On Sept. 23, the Urban Issues Forum of Greater Los Angeles will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its forum, and given this difficult economic time, it is quite an achievement that the event has made it to, and surpassed, the 10-year milestone.
