Akil and Hong welcome MaryLou to the show to discuss Enrollment Services and how her outreach visits help get community students ready for SBCC. From there, the three discuss MaryLou's path to SBCC (twice over, since she was a former student as well), her love of Chili's Triple Dipper appetizer platter, and her lifelong love of folklórico dancing.
Mentioned in this episode:
SBCC Enrollment Services - https://www.sbcc.edu/enrollmentservices/
SBCC Orientation - https://www.sbcc.edu/orientation/
SBCC Registration Workshops - https://www.sbcc.edu/enrollmentservices/registration-workshops.php
Financial Aid Technician Megan Ortega - https://www.sbcc.edu/financialaid/contact.php
SBCC Academic Counseling - https://www.sbcc.edu/counselingcenter/
SBCC Promise - https://www.sbccfoundation.org/sbcc-promise/
SBCC Steps to Enrollment - https://www.sbcc.edu/apply/
DSPS - https://www.sbcc.edu/dsps/
SBCC Application Walkthrough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrLNfKApbfM
SBCC Application Guide English - https://www.sbcc.edu/enrollmentservices/2425%20App%20Guide%20-%20ENG%20.pdf
SBCC Application Guide Spanish - https://www.sbcc.edu/enrollmentservices/2425%20App%20Guide%20-%20SPANISH.pdf
CCCApply - https://home.cccapply.org/en/
FAFSA - https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Dream Act - https://dream.csac.ca.gov/landing
CCPG - https://www.cccapply.org/en/money/california-college-promise-grant
SBCC EOPS - https://www.sbcc.edu/eopscare/
SBCC Foundation - https://www.sbccfoundation.org/
SBCC Rising Scholars - https://www.sbcc.edu/equity/rising-scholars.php
SBCC SPARC - https://www.sbcc.edu/eopscare/sparc.php
SBCC Raíces - https://www.sbcc.edu/raices/
SBCC Umoja - https://www.sbcc.edu/umoja/index.php
SBCC Dream Center - https://www.sbcc.edu/equity/dream-center/
SBCC Noncredit ESL - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/esl.php
SBCC Apply and Enroll - https://www.sbcc.edu/apply/index.php
SBCC Enrollment Coaches - https://www.sbcc.edu/enrollmentservices/enrollment-coaching.php
Adolfo Corral - https://www.edhat.com/news/mary-jane-adolfo-corral/
Fiesta - https://www.sbfiesta.org/
Chili’s Triple Dipper - https://www.chilis.com/menu/appetizers/triple-dipper
Mole Poblano - https://www.seriouseats.com/mole-poblano-recipe-how-to-make-mole
Los Agaves - https://los-agaves.com/
Cuernavaca Ventura - https://cuernavaca-taqueria.com/
Tinga - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinga_(dish)
Pozole - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozole
Horchata - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horchata
Tequila - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila
Raising Cane’s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila
In-N-Out Burger - https://www.in-n-out.com/
Tostilocos - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tostilocos
La Michoacana - https://www.michoacana.com/
Finney’s Crafthouse - https://www.finneyscrafthouse.com/
Cheese Pull - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/food-goals/food-goals-articles/how-to-get-an-instagram-worthy-cheese-pull
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetos#Flamin'_Hot_Cheetos
Lasagna - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagna
Garfield - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield
Chicken Pho - https://www.seriouseats.com/30-minute-pressure-cooker-pho-ga-recipe
Love Pho Cafe (Pho in the Annex - Oxnard) - https://www.lovepho805.com/oxnard
Ume Chips - https://www.bokksu.com/products/suppa-mucho-chips-plum
Folklórico - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baile_folkl%C3%B3rico
Spirit and Junior Spirit - https://www.sbfiesta.org/santa-barbara-fiesta-spirit-junior-spirit
Danza Azteca - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concheros
Ozomatli - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozomatli
Menudo (group) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menudo_(group)
Linda Ronstadt - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Ronstadt
Vicente Fernández - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Fern%C3%A1ndez
Shakira - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakira
Selena - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selena
Pitbull - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitbull_(rapper)
Jalisco Folklórico - https://balletfolkloricomitotiani.weebly.com/regions.html
Grupo Límite - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grupo_L%C3%ADmite
TLC - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLC_(group)
Brandy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandy_Norwood
N.W.A. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.W.A
Coolio - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolio
Radio Bronco - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KIST-FM
Radio Lazer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KZER
Los Bukis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Bukis
Santa Fe Swap Meet Dancing - https://www.tiktok.com/discover/santa-fe-swap-meet?lang=en
Captions Provided by Zoom
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Hong Lieu: Hello and welcome to another episode of SBCC Vaquero Voices - a podcast highlighting the unique voices that comprise our campus culture, and how we're all working together to serve our students and the community at large.
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Hong Lieu: As usual, I'm joined by Co-host Akil Hill.
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Akil Hill: What's good y'all.
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Hong Lieu: And today we're honored to welcome MaryLou Huerta to the show. Welcome, MaryLou.
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Akil Hill: Welcome MaryLou.
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MaryLou Huerta: Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for having me guys really excited.
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Hong Lieu: It's an honor to have you. You represent. You know, Enrollment services, student services. We had Vanessa on earlier in the, you know, show's history a while back. Yeah. So we kind of have.
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Hong Lieu: We kind of have a baseline of how enrollment services functions. If you want to just let the listeners know how you kind of fill in the gaps, or where your where your particular role lies with enrollment services, and just.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. So I am really the person that helps and assists with our local outreach, but not just local outreach. Right? So I actually am the one, the only.
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MaryLou Huerta: the only person really in the department.
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Akil Hill: That does.
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MaryLou Huerta: The one the what akil.
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Akil Hill: The one and the only.
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MaryLou Huerta: And the only. So I do our local and our out of area outreach. So really, with our local outreach right? That's going to really oversee providing services to our local high schools, whether they're the private schools, our small campuses, and then our private, so promise eligible students.
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MaryLou Huerta: and what I do with at our local high schools is really provide students with
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MaryLou Huerta: assisting and completing their steps to enrollment. Right? So, workshops so primarily, I go out to the high schools, and I do application workshops. We also have done. We've
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MaryLou Huerta: changed over the years how orientation is done, but our department also oversees orientation. And then I do registration workshops so really assist students with completing their application to Sbcc. Assist them with orientation, and then, lastly, with registering for classes. Along with those, though we also do monthly visits at the high schools. So
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MaryLou Huerta: not only are we there doing the big workshops and helping students complete those the key steps to enrollment is, I'm also going out taking key folks with me. So I'll take representative from financial services. Normally, it's megatron. I gotta give my girl a shout out. Sorry! But you know
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MaryLou Huerta: oh, Megan's dude. She's the real one, but you know key folks that help our students, so I'll take financial aid with us normally. That's that's Megan. And then each individual high school has their assigned academic counselor. So example, Carpenteria, you have Maria Morales at Santa Barbara you have Jen Hamilton or Jennifer Hamilton, and then this year they did a little bit of a switchy route.
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MaryLou Huerta: But at Santa Marcos High school we have this year Christy Grant, and then at Dp is Sabrina Barajas, and then Sabrina also serves some of our smaller schools, so like La Cuesta and Altavista campuses, and then she actually supports me with some of our out of district schools as well. So during those monthly visits I bring academic counseling financial aid. But I also bring folks from the promise. So, Luis and Denise, they both come out with me, and we're really wanting to bring
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MaryLou Huerta: the services out to the high schools, and it kind of be a catch, all right if students have questions about hey? You know what I haven't done my application, or hey? I submitted. My application still can't get into pipeline, or I don't even know where to get started. I can't remember if I applied. Do I need to do orientation, all of those things right? So those monthly visits are really meant
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MaryLou Huerta: to be a catch-all. Students have questions they can come in check in. Ask any of those questions, and then we'll guide them
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MaryLou Huerta: kind of make sure they're taken care of. And then
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MaryLou Huerta: for orientation. We traditional, I mean orientation has kind of changed over the years. This year we do have some exciting fun, things planned for orientation. Our plan and our goal is to bring all of our local high School seniors who have applied to CC. To our Spcc campus and really highlight campus. Right? Why really show them why they want to come here. Why should these students be coming right? Not just because they're promise students. But
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MaryLou Huerta: you know the benefits of campus, highlighting campus life, highlighting some of the amazing support programs we have here, and then we'll wrap up our department enrollment services will wrap up with registration workshops in early June. But along with that students. Right? Our 1st year students, I actually have a question for you guys.
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MaryLou Huerta: I know Akio could probably.
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MaryLou Huerta: But could either one of you guys list the steps to enrollment that our see, our 1st year students have to complete all 6.
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Akil Hill: I'm like.
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Hong Lieu: I don't think I could. And I actually help update the website to keep them up to date. And I don't even think I could.
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MaryLou Huerta: So.
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MaryLou Huerta: And that's 1 of my biggest things. Right is just bringing awareness that you know not just our students ending up in these classrooms or in these programs or in these support areas, right is, there are a lot of steps that are 1st year and even transfer students that they have to go through to get to where to get them into that classroom right to get them on that athletic team to get them into that support program, and I will say that I really think our department is
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MaryLou Huerta: not the only ones that assist. But we we really are the main ones, right. And we really try to also work with other departments across campus, in ensuring that these students are getting the support that they need, which is why we do those monthly visits. But I just want to highlight to everybody and kind of just clarify. So we all know what our steps to enrollment are for 1st year students. So students will begin with submitting their application.
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MaryLou Huerta: The next step is, we want them to activate their new, my Spcc portal. Right after that we want students. The 3rd step is to check their placement right? Because students are no longer required to take those math, and English assessments want to make sure that they're on the right page, that they, when these young adults completed their application, that they entered the correct information. So we're going to go ahead and check math and English levels that they entered, because
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MaryLou Huerta: we are trusting that these young adults successfully enter the information correctly.
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MaryLou Huerta: After that, after placement we go into orientation. And whether a student decides to do an online, the online orientation, or if they're a local student, then they're going to get that in person orientation. After that is class planning. Right? So that's when the academic counselors will or students will work with the academic counselors to clear that hold right. They complete their student. Ed plan kind of like the roadmap of what to take.
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MaryLou Huerta: depending on what their career academic goals are. And then at the end is registration, and we all know, based on the different student types. Students will have different registration times or in windows. So it is really my job, especially for our local schools and our local students to support all of our seniors that are coming to us, our promise eligible students to assist them through that whole process, right to kind of be that person. Hey? You have an IP, you have a 504. Okay, let me get you connected to Christian. He's going to be
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MaryLou Huerta: kind of your go to person who's gonna get you started. So
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MaryLou Huerta: it's not something, you know, when people are like, oh, you're really the one that gets it done. I don't look at it that way, because there's no way I'd be able to go out and do this if it wasn't for the rest of the department. Right, Christy, Liz Vanessa support if it wasn't, for you know, Christian from Dsps coming out and connecting with our, you know, Dsps, eligible students, or even those non eligible students. I was one of those students, you know. I went to CC. Never knew I had a learning disability till I got here?
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MaryLou Huerta: so making sure that you know I'm working across these different departments and connecting them so that these students are getting the support and the resources that resources that they need. So when they get here, they're being, they're successful or hopefully successful, right? But that's for local. So I also do our out of area
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MaryLou Huerta: outreach. So that means North County, South County. But I also get to. I've had some amazing opportunities to travel through California and out of State and participate in national college fairs. And that's probably one of the
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MaryLou Huerta: more funner things about my job is being able to share how
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MaryLou Huerta: much of an amazing campus. Sbcc is and can be to our students and to our community. You know, I'm a product of this college. I'm a product of many of our support programs. So, having the opportunity
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MaryLou Huerta: to truly share my journey and my experience that I had as a student here and now have as an employee, I think, is one of the coolest parts about my job, right?
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MaryLou Huerta: so hopefully that encompasses for the most part kind of what I do. But yeah, it is me, only me. And so it's funny. When I get to go to these
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MaryLou Huerta: college fairs, people will ask me other reps. Oh, how many? How big is your team?
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MaryLou Huerta: I'm like, well, we have a department.
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MaryLou Huerta: But when it comes to the outreach component, right? It really is me on the road.
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Hong Lieu: And I will anoint you as the hardest working person in show business, because a telltale sign, a telltale sign of the people that do the most is, they always say everyone says I do the most, but really it's and then you name all the team members.
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MaryLou Huerta: I work with you. That's a telltale.
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Hong Lieu: Sign of someone who's doing the most, because helping to bring all that together and make it a well oiled machine and make these visits as effective as they can be for the students that you're serving. That's on you. So you know, I mean, you gotta. You gotta. We gotta give you the flowers while you can smell them, and.
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean, you know, Hong, you're part of that team, both of you guys, I mean, think about it, Hong. How many zooms trainings have you helped me with, you know, expanding my knowledge in creating and updating the website so that our local schools, our students, our parents, have a space to go and say, Oh, my kids, at Santa Barbara High School, I can go onto that web page and look at next time you're going to be there I can see workshop dates, all that stuff. So
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MaryLou Huerta: you know I do. I help organize this stuff? Yes, I help organize it. But could I put it on without everybody. No, like it would never happen. There's just no way.
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Hong Lieu: Which is fair, but just like you can't give yourself your own nickname you can't give, you can't be. Tell yourself that you're the hardest working person show business. But we can tell that we can say and just hearing you describe the passion in your work and the amount that go amount of work that goes into teacher visits and helping students get across that finish line. I mean for the record in my mind. I didn't have the placement step, and then I added a financial aid step. But I was pretty close to enrollment, but not quite there, not quite. There.
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MaryLou Huerta: And then we don't want to forget, especially for our promise students that promise often right? And that's something we're constantly reminding students because it's on them right to do these steps right. They have to take the initiative. They they really have to also advocate for themselves. And that's definitely something that I hopefully am trying to get across with all of our students is you? You gotta learn to try to advocate for yourself and ask the questions, and there are no dumb questions. Right? Because
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MaryLou Huerta: for a lot of us, I know I'm a 1st Gen. Student. I had to figure this out on my own, or with some support. Right? And what I mean, like some support, is, once you find those people, you kind of hold on to them, and then those become your people of well, this person can help advocate for me, or this person I know is going to help remind me of these things.
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Hong Lieu: So I have 2 questions for you, then, in that respect, in terms of
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Hong Lieu: for students in or your your audience, high school students in the area and out of the area.
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Hong Lieu: Is there one part of the process that is the most difficult? I mean, is it just the application? Or is there other other pieces that in terms of giving the advanced information? And then a second, the second follow up would be, is there a piece of information that you tell them that always kind of shocks them like. Oh, I didn't know Sbcc was, I mean, besides, the fact that it's like the most beautiful campus in the world, and you're right by the beach. But is there one that we're like? Oh, wow! That changes everything like. Why, why didn't I consider Sbcc before. This is incredible.
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MaryLou Huerta: So I would say so. Let's answer the 1st question. So the 1st one, what's the hardest part?
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MaryLou Huerta: so I wouldn't say that the steps themselves tend to be challenging or hard. What I think tends to be challenging is
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MaryLou Huerta: the is the figuring out how to even get started right? More so, especially for students that are first, st Gen. English is not their 1st language right? Students
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MaryLou Huerta: like, I see myself in a lot of these students. Right? My parents were adamant and very vocal. You're going to go to college.
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Hong Lieu: You can.
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MaryLou Huerta: Work. But college is going to be and getting a higher education is going to be
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MaryLou Huerta: a goal, and that's a priority.
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MaryLou Huerta: Did my parents know what kind of degree I would get, or certificate, or anything at community college? No. Did they know the transfer process? No. Did they know that?
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MaryLou Huerta: You know, I should have maybe been getting support early on, so that going to a 4 year right after high school could have been an option instead of community college. No, they didn't know. So a lot of times, right when I'm out in the community, whether it's doing a parent presentation, a senior class presentation, or a college fair is, I think, the hardest part sometimes
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MaryLou Huerta: is
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MaryLou Huerta: almost educating the families and the parents, especially when there are those language barriers, or those cultural barriers or those educational barriers of being 1st Gen. Students is they don't know how to even get started right and hopefully, with the presentations that we do. The outreach that we do. The family engagement that we try to do is breaking down those barriers so that parents and families and students
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MaryLou Huerta: feel empowered to ask those questions I need to apply. How can I get started once you are doing, for example, our Spcc application right? I've created application guides in English and Spanish. And there's a Youtube video that walks you through the entire process and hopefully helps alleviate any stress. Now, questions will still come up because
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MaryLou Huerta: these students are completing. And I'm just going to focus on the 1st year student, right? These students are completing this application as a 1st year college student.
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MaryLou Huerta: but it's asking questions where they have to think in the future of. Did I receive my high School diploma? Well, I'm still in high school, so I haven't received it yet. So these those little questions are things that sometimes they can get mixed up with and
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MaryLou Huerta: can cause confusion. But I think it causes more confusion when there are those cultural, those language barriers, those like 1st gen barriers, right? Is because they haven't had anybody go through that process to say, oh, well, you have to
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MaryLou Huerta: answer this application as if you've already you're going to graduate with that mindset. Right? So I would say, that's
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MaryLou Huerta: one of the harder things is parents sometimes, and families and students don't know where to even get started because they don't always have that initial
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MaryLou Huerta: I don't wanna say knowledge. But they just don't have. Yeah, I guess that knowledge for doing that. Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: I just didn't want to kind of take that away from parents that maybe
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MaryLou Huerta: are trying. But they just don't have the tools right? They just may not have those tools to do that. So I think that's 1 of the hardest things, is really not knowing how to get started and
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MaryLou Huerta: and where to go from there. So anytime I'm I'm connecting with students or families. I am not assuming that these parents know what Ccc apply means.
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MaryLou Huerta: I'm not assuming that these students know what Fafsa Dream Act, Ccpg means. These are all foreign terms to a lot of our
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MaryLou Huerta: of our families of the community. Right. I know if I were to go and ask my dad. Hey? Do you know what the pass for the or in Spanish, you know. Dream act. He's not going to know how to answer those questions. So I think a lot of times it's like
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MaryLou Huerta: the hardest part is not having the information.
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MaryLou Huerta: and so hopefully by me going out. And you know me being bilingual. I'm hopefully and not just me. But you know the rest of the team members. The rest of these folks that do this outreach to and that assist and support me with outreach is hopefully, we're just breaking down those those barriers and.
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Hong Lieu: And I'm glad you brought that
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Hong Lieu: up, because even for my parents were the same way, you're definitely going to college, but we are unable to give you any assistance, and how to get there. What you need to know, because they never went to school, if not for my 2 older sisters with the blue. They they kind of laid the path for me.
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Hong Lieu: If it was just me being the 1st one to go to college in my family. I probably wouldn't have gone because I wouldn't have known how to fill application. I wouldn't have any idea how to do any of that stuff, Fafsa. The Fafsa is so intimidating, filling it out. And college applications are so intimidating
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Hong Lieu: that without that little bit of a nudge to be like, yeah, we want you to go, and we can help you, because my parents definitely wanted me to go. But they had 0 ability to provide any sort of assistance. They couldn't call for help. They couldn't ask anybody for help. There weren't those kind of that. What? That level of translation was not available in my parents, you know language of Cantonese, so there was just no assistance there at that time.
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Hong Lieu: and you know my sisters luckily laid the blueprint for me, but it's good that the the community here has folks like you and folks that are kind of ready to help knowing that that's a big, a big gap, and especially your experience as as a former student yourself. I mean just having that path being being tread before. I mean, that's that's really awesome that you're here for the community.
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Akil Hill: Well, you know also what I kind of hear from listening from. You know, both you guys is like it's, you know, we always talk about generational wealth, right? And we also, it's there's that piece of, you know, generational knowledge, right? And so, yeah, you know, our parents can say, like, we want you to go to school, but in terms of being able to access that is a whole different kind of situation. You know what I mean like
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Akil Hill: And and we see that when we talk about communities that you know of color, you know, like the likelihood of your parent having gone and attended and graduated from an institution of higher Ed. You're going to be more likely to know how to navigate that system, because, you know, they're going to share that information in that in that knowledge with you.
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Akil Hill: The other piece to me that I also hear, too, is like really trying to get our students to make a shift, like we all know, after high school comes college. But sometimes there's a mental shift like you're like you. In some ways. I don't want to say you've been conditioned, but all through, from elementary to junior high to high school. It's kind of all been done for you now, all of a sudden.
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Akil Hill: It's a there's a mental shift that you have to make like. I'm actually going to college. And I got to find my community where you almost like going from elementary all the way up to high school. There's almost a built in community there for you. And so I think that's the piece of having people such as like Mary Lou, and people who are really warm and out, front and welcoming, who have great energy like Mary Lou.
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Akil Hill: is, is so so impactful to our students. And you know I had once the great fortune of being able to travel, and Vanessa Pelton asked me to if I could do some.
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Akil Hill: It was like a weekend thing. It was called Success Week up in the bay. So I traveled, and so it was really cool. I got to kind of see, probably what you're doing when you get to brag about all the great things that
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Akil Hill: that we have going on here, and it for me. It felt like it was a refresher in my job to to be able to see the people who want to go to where you're at, you know.
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Akil Hill: and so it's. It's a great, great thing. I mean definitely great to have you on our campus, Mary Lou.
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MaryLou Huerta: Thank you.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. And honestly, I do feel lucky to be in the role that I am.
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MaryLou Huerta: Akil probably remembers this hong. I don't know if you know this, but when I 1st came to CC. I actually started in Eops I was a spa in Eops. That's when I started in 2016. And, man, I remember when I got that job it was like
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MaryLou Huerta: my dream job had opened up like I was so excited I remember being a student in the caf, having my chicken tendies with my bestie Christina, and who also works here, by the way, and I remember we'd both be like, Oh, my God, how cool would it be to work here! And like all the you know, we just we could envision it, we could see it. And so.
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MaryLou Huerta: having that door open up for me in 2016, and get to come and work in the Ops. And connect with students right and support students. The way I got supported as a student was probably one of the most rewarding things. And then, in 2019 is when I walked into the enrollment Services world. And that door opened up to me, and having that transition even opened up like
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MaryLou Huerta: like my mind, even more so right, and it gave me the ability to really work across
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MaryLou Huerta: the campus and with other folks, and with other departments. Really, because
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean, y'all know me. I love making friends, and I love connecting and talking to people, and that's also one of the reasons I try, and sometimes not to leave my office when I'm on campus. Because, man, if I bump into you, it's for sure we're gonna start talking about what food the weekend babies now, I mean, just it's endless right? Which is one of the cool things. But that's also why I like my job so much in the outreach component. Because
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MaryLou Huerta: now I get to talk to students to families about the benefits, and this will lead me into my second answer.
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MaryLou Huerta: hung of an appeal of what makes Sbcc so special to other students right? Kind of like. Why.
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MaryLou Huerta: I don't want to say I try to convince students, because I tell them my job is not to convince you to come to CC. My job is to share with you the different opportunities that are out there through through our college. And I because some students will come to me and say, Well.
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MaryLou Huerta: but I got accepted at Ucsb. And I got a full ride.
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MaryLou Huerta: Then what are you doing talking to me? Go get that, if that is your goal, my job and I tell them my will. Never try to convince you to do something right for students that you don't want to do. If you have your goal, your mindset on doing this, then that's I should support you with that. And if I have connections there, if I can connect you with somebody there or highlight a program, hey? I'm going to do that. But one of the things I think that really I have an easy part of talking about our college is again because
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MaryLou Huerta: I am a product of this college. I am a product of of our programs. I am at Spcc. I am, you know, my story started here at CC. Back when I was, you know, 17 going on 18 years old.
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MaryLou Huerta: when I 1st came to campus and not knowing how to do really anything, and a fun fact that some, not few folks might know, but actually have older siblings. I have an older sister, who's 10 years older than me, who did go to college has a college degree, and then I have a brother of 8 who's 8 years older than me, and then me, the middle child, who really acts like the oldest and then my younger sister. But I remember.
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MaryLou Huerta: you know, although even my sister really pushed college. I still didn't have
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MaryLou Huerta: that support right? Maybe that support that like. Now, I'm able to really provide the next generation. My kids, my nieces, my nephews, like I still didn't have that handholding of.
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MaryLou Huerta: Hey? Don't forget you have to play basketball is open. It's opening early December, you know. What's what are your plans with that I still didn't have that, even though, and you know part of it was that age gap. Part of it was. You know, she was living her college life. She you know, she was not my parent. Even though a lot of times that responsibility tends to be put on the older siblings, you know. And I don't fault her for that. It was. There was a big age gap, you know. She was doing her thing. But going back to, you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: some of the things that really catch students attention is. And eyes is really when I'm sharing my story is
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MaryLou Huerta: we, we truly have some of the
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MaryLou Huerta: the best support programs in the State. I mean, we probably have one of the best Eops programs in the State of California. Right? I mean, we have. I remember when I was in Eops we would have folks from A, you know, colleges up north coming to to meet with us. Observe our our Eops program and a lot of.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I'm not saying the only reason. But you know we have an amazing foundation that really makes having
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MaryLou Huerta: eops is some of the support programs within eops like running start, you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: Formerly, you know, transitions which is now rising scholars and and spark. It makes
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MaryLou Huerta: our foundation really helps fund a lot of these programs. Right? But we really do have one of the best Ops programs in the State. The support that I got through them through Dsps, you know, getting tested, not
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MaryLou Huerta: not even knowing I had a learning disability till I got to CC. And sharing all those opportunities and experiences our study abroad. You know we're one of the few community colleges in the State. And
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MaryLou Huerta: sharing that, sharing my experience of how I got to study abroad. It was hard work. Oh, man, it was hard work, and I'm real with students, you know. I I share my truth. You know I saved for a whole year I was doing yard sales. I was working at the Swami and selling at the Swami. I was recycle's like, I didn't know this. I was dude. I was literally recycling my cans and water bottles for a whole year
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MaryLou Huerta: at my old job. That's when I worked for the school district the preschool parents would come, bring me their cans and their water bottles.
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MaryLou Huerta: so that I could recycle them and put my that money or that savings towards studying abroad.
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MaryLou Huerta: So it's those unique programs, right? It's our athletics. It's, you know, our our newer programs like Rice's. All these, you know, Emoja Dream Center, that make our campus so unique and so desirable for our students. Because
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MaryLou Huerta: whatever student you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: all these students come from different backgrounds, different needs right? And when they start to see a little bit of them reflected in the person who is doing outreach, or when they start to see. Wait. There's a program that can support, you know, my area of interest or my cultural needs.
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MaryLou Huerta: That is that sparks that interest for students
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MaryLou Huerta: feel like I'm rambling. Does that.
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Hong Lieu: No, that that.
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Akil Hill: Yes, that makes sense.
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Hong Lieu: Actually a great answer.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. So just you know, being a part.
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MaryLou Huerta: So do you.
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MaryLou Huerta: I went to San Sebastian, Spain because.
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Hong Lieu: Go ahead!
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MaryLou Huerta: Honestly, I just wanted to go to Europe, this little brown girl man. I wanted to go to Europe so bad I just thought it was like the coolest thing to be able to want to go to Europe.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I was the 1st in my family to go to Europe. I mean even now, you know, I remember. Oh, my God! Makes me like emotional. But I remember one day I called my dad, and they were at the Santa Barbara Swami back in the drive-in, the Golita one, because my parents still be selling. They'd be hustlers. They'd be selling at the Ventura Swami
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MaryLou Huerta: To this day. My dad's 82 still sells, and we were. I called him, and they were all at the Golita Swami, and you got like I still remember, like I feel like I could still hear him. It's 1 of those things that like, I think will always stay with me. But I remember calling him.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I was in it. I was at the Vatican, and I had called him, and because I ended up, you know, to be young and just like I. I'm a planner, and I'm safe. But some of those things that I like did. I'm like.
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MaryLou Huerta: I studied abroad, and then I was like, you know I'm not going to be ready to go home yet. So I just want to travel through Europe. I had no plan, you guys, I just knew that like where I needed to be to come home. And that was it. So, anyway?
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MaryLou Huerta: Nice, my dad, one day, and or on a Sunday, they're at the Golido Swami, and
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MaryLou Huerta: the like, the joy in his voice, and
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MaryLou Huerta: how he started like bragging to all the customers, there, to some of the vendors around like. Oh, my God! You know she you know my dad's only Spanish speaker, and was just telling them, and I'm like, Hold on! What do you want me to bring you from here from the Vatican like. What do you want? And I remember he asked for holy water and a cross, and he still has that, and I'm like you can use the holy water, and
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MaryLou Huerta: he's just like, no, that's like the holiest of holy waters. My parents are Catholic, and so am I. But anyways, yeah. So that was, you know, that was one of the coolest things. But I went to San Sebastian Spain, and although I'm a Spanish speaker. My writing and reading was not always the best, and so I was like, you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: I kind of wanted to stay like in my comfort zone of like at least knowing the language and being comfortable. But I still wanted
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MaryLou Huerta: to go, you know, and be in a different environment, and that was the only time I had a roommate, and I feel like really got to experience like that college life of, you know, being amongst other college students and having a roommate and all of those things. So
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MaryLou Huerta: yeah, and you know, being able to share that story with a lot of our in 1st time
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MaryLou Huerta: incoming college students as they start to see it. Because a lot of them, you know, I'll ask them like, Hey, how many of you guys want to study abroad? Or is that something you're interested in? And view? I'm like, Okay, how many of you want to go? But you don't know how you're going to pay for it, everybody right away. And it's like, Okay, that was me. And let me tell you how you can do that. And let me tell you of the support right that we have now through scholarships, through financial aid, and
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MaryLou Huerta: just hopefully spreading that knowledge. Right?
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: And the reason, yeah, that's the reason your answer is so good, because it's not about pointing to something that we're doing is just about bringing the realness and the truth of the situation. And then the students instantly kind of gravitate into that. And because the biggest thing like you're mentioning is, a lot of students don't see themselves as college students, or don't see themselves, as you know, ready for that leap, or you and and
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Hong Lieu: a part of it is that they don't even have to, because, you know the idea of going to college or after high school where other countries have gap years. And there are other things you can do. We should really kind of do better about making that a more normalized process. But also we should also normalize making more of the community see themselves as college students. And I think your answer is just highlights, that how important that is, and highlights, how it doesn't have to be difficult.
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Hong Lieu: But you really need the right people. You need people that can communicate with the people that you're trying to reach, because, you know, there's that that realness is not just. It doesn't just naturally exude, you know, come out from certain people in certain situations, and I can just tell that with you. It's just easy, you know, like, because that was you. It is not. It's not easy, because, you know, it's easy, because
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Hong Lieu: you you already did the hard part which is walking that path for yourself, and you can see how it was done, and so communicating to other people. You've made it easy, and in that, in that sense it's really something that I wish we were better at in terms of getting to more of the community and showing that they belong here at Sbcc.
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Hong Lieu: But it's something that it's. It's good to know that someone like you is in that position here, you know, for helping us kind of lead the charge there. So it's it's it's good to know.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, it's the lived experience, that's what it is, you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: 100%. It's that lived experience.
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Hong Lieu: And yeah, going to the Vatican for a Catholic that's like high end high end achievement right there. So I can see how proud your dad was, too.
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MaryLou Huerta: Well, and just have, you know, being able to share like my daughter's going to college. But you know she's she's studying abroad. And what does that mean? And you know, giving him the opportunity to explain that to his friends, you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: Because my parents were immigrants, you know. That's why they came here. That's that's why they came here to provide, you know, that future for their parents. Funny stories. My parents actually met in an Esl class here at CC.
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Hong Lieu: Oh!
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MaryLou Huerta: I know.
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Hong Lieu: How the connect. It's just generationally, just yeah.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, you were literally indebtedest. Vcc.
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MaryLou Huerta: I know, literally. Yeah. But they met in an Esl class.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I'm I'm pretty sure I mean my
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MaryLou Huerta: my dad beyond elementary school. Did not, you know, continue schooling, but you know he was in a new country, and well, you need to learn English, and luckily Sbcc, you know, has an Esl program and has those opportunities for
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MaryLou Huerta: for other members of our community. Right? And yeah, my parents were a product of the Esl program here.
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Hong Lieu: Very cool.
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Akil Hill: That's awesome.
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Hong Lieu: So last question on this
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Hong Lieu: ice outreach, and then we'll move on.
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MaryLou Huerta: On the outreach part.
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Hong Lieu: Yes. So for folks. What's the 1st place they should get started if they're gonna apply to Spcc, is it? Is it? Ccc apply? Is it our website.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Reaching out to you, or what's what's the best.
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MaryLou Huerta: Great for step for aspiring students.
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MaryLou Huerta: Great question. If students want to reach out to me, hey? The more the merrier you keep me employed. So contact me. If not honestly, that we have different types of students. Right? There are different students, types. So we have the 1st year student, those are really going to be students that are graduating right out of high school completed a Ged program. Really receiving their high school or Ged diploma right?
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MaryLou Huerta: and then we have our transfer students. We have our returning students.
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MaryLou Huerta: Every different type of student or every student type has a. They have different steps to enrollment that they need to do
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MaryLou Huerta: the best way to kind of navigate those. And Hong, you're a webmaster, so you really have simplified it. Right is going to our Sbcc website, Sbccedu, you can click on, apply and enroll, and then from there it lets you pick your different student type. Because let's not forget. We also have our dual enrollment and our noncredit campuses right? And those also have different steps to enrollment our dreamers. They have a different step to enrollment process because we want to make sure that
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MaryLou Huerta: all of these students are going through the right tunnels. But they're also going and getting the appropriate financial support that they need, whether it's financial aid or applying for different grants. Things like that. So really going to our website, I'm going to try to keep it short, even though, I rambled.
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MaryLou Huerta: going straight to our website identifying your student type. If you're not sure contact the Enrollment Services department stop by. If you can't stop by
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MaryLou Huerta: check us out on the website. You can always email us if you're not sure. Well, I graduated high school, but I didn't go anywhere. Would that be a returning student? No, you're still a 1st time college student, because you never took college classes. So really, just going on to our website identifying your student type and going through those steps. And then our enrollment Services office Chrissy has actually launched a great
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MaryLou Huerta: campaign or initiative, or, you know, enrollment coaches and her enrollment coaches are available for in person and zoom appointments to help students. Right? So we're hoping to kind of close those barriers for the students, and she's really working hard to support our students and whatever ways that they need that support, whether it's on a zoom appointment or in person or a phone appointment of guiding them through those steps to enrollment. So lots of different resources, if even for students, just to go on our enrollment services, webpage.
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Hong Lieu: Excellent. Thank you very much. I will get all the info in the show notes. I will get all the as much possible.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. Awesome.
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Hong Lieu: Your contact info as well.
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Hong Lieu: Segwaying along, you touched on this already. But what your what brought you? Sbcc. Or in your case? What brought you. Sbcc. Then what brought you back to Sbcc? I'm assuming you grew up in the area.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. So born and raised in Santa Barbara, born and raised in Santa Barbara. Moved my parents. You know Santa Barbara is really expensive. So for those folks listening that live here good for y'all, it is so expensive.
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MaryLou Huerta: But in when I was in the 6th grade my parents moved to Ventura. They bought a home. We were think we were very, you know. My parents
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MaryLou Huerta: really worked their way up, and you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: really, you know, they struggled, I mean, but they they worked, they saved, you know, and we were able to successfully buy a home in Ventura and that was as I was transitioning into 6th grade. So then finished up my
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MaryLou Huerta: middle school and high school years in Ventura, and then I always knew I wanted.
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Akil Hill: Did you go to Buena, or.
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MaryLou Huerta: Oh, no, I'm a cougar cougar, proud!
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MaryLou Huerta: Oh, my God, 20! Can you guys believe? 20 years ago, wild 20 years ago, was my high school reunion, anyways. Yeah. So that was 20. Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: So no. I went to Ventura, but I always knew I wanted to come back to Santa Barbara City College. I also through high school, did not always have.
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean, I did pretty well in high school. I did do well, but I didn't always have. I didn't have the grades of applying straight to a 4 year like there was no way that was going to happen of going to Ucsb, especially now I mean, you look at these kids that are
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MaryLou Huerta: not getting accepted with like 4.5 gpas. I am not a wizard, that it was not my Gpa.
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MaryLou Huerta: so I always knew that I wanted to come to Santa Barbara City College, though I always knew I felt like it was.
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean. It's a beautiful campus, but there was always more campus life. There was always things going on, so I always wanted to come here, and I wanted to have that experience of going away to college without not having to go away and just being able to be a commuter, because Ventura College would have been easy and accessible to me. But
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MaryLou Huerta: I wanted something different. I wanted to feel like, Okay, I'm going to community college. I want to change a pace. I want to see different people. I want to meet new people. So that's how we ended up coming to school here and then work. Wise
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MaryLou Huerta: did a lot of things. But my background was actually in early childhood education. A lot of people don't realize that I actually worked for shy of 10 years for Santa Barbara Unified Child Development Program before I had the opportunity to work at Antioch in admissions.
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MaryLou Huerta: And then it was through them that I really got my higher Ed experience. And then that's when a door opened up here at CC. Through Eops. And
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MaryLou Huerta: I will say that I remember when I got that call. I, you know, when
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MaryLou Huerta: I don't know if you guys have experienced this yet, or or if you have, but when you get that call from that job, that man. You just really want it. You get that little burning sensation inside. That was that call that I got for me, Ops.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I remember being so excited and so happy like feeling like man.
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MaryLou Huerta: You know I did it like I I made it. I got my job, my dream job
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MaryLou Huerta: And I loved it. I oversaw at 1 point running Star. I oversaw our guardian scholars program right where our formerly foster youth students. I had the Eops Club man some good times at the Eops Club. I supervised the peer mentors.
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MaryLou Huerta: and then in 2019 enrollment services opened up a new position, and it was going to be really to focus on the local outreach, local high school outreach and out of area.
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MaryLou Huerta: And I remember when I saw that job description, I'm like I could do this. I could do this, and I still remember my interview, and I remember Adolfo was on my interview committee, and him just being like, damn you! Killed it! I'm a i'm a planner, and I prepare. And I you know I do everything I can to
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MaryLou Huerta: get ready for my interviews, and I have to share this one of the things that I remember when they gave me, like my prompt for
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MaryLou Huerta: for the interview was, I had to prepare a presentation.
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MaryLou Huerta: and the presentation was geared to our local
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MaryLou Huerta: promise students, but their families. But it was a bilingual audience, or it was like mixed English and Spanish speakers.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I remember
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MaryLou Huerta: translating my whole presentation and having the slides available in English and in Spanish for my interview. Right? This is just the interview.
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MaryLou Huerta: but I also was able to get my hands on interpretation equipment, so like the whole headsets.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, wow!
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MaryLou Huerta: And I brought those in for my interview, and I set it up, and I mean I I put on a show.
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Hong Lieu: Having props and everything that's that's really good.
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean, if you're gonna do you do it right right.
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Akil Hill: And listen. I will say this. Speaking of. If you're gonna do it, do it right. I'm just gonna interject. I went to Mary Lou's baby shower.
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MaryLou Huerta: Oh!
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Akil Hill: And if you want to talk about doing it right.
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MaryLou Huerta: Time.
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Akil Hill: This tracks what she's saying about the bringing the the headpieces, and it tracks very much on bread for Mary Lou. When she does something. She does it the right way.
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MaryLou Huerta: Oh, I'm gonna go all out. Yeah. And I'm gonna feed you.
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MaryLou Huerta: that's all that. I was probably missing in that interview. But yeah, and and I remember. And I mean, I've been in my role since 2019. And one of the things I definitely really pride myself on is not only strengthening and growing our local relationships with our district, but some of our out of district relationships. Right? So now, I'm getting those regular invites, those calls, those emails from our out of district schools, right? Which normally
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MaryLou Huerta: it's been hard for us to get into, or some of those college fairs like at Laguna Beach School at
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MaryLou Huerta: Santa Monica High School, but with our out of district schools. Now I have schools, you know, up north and down South Ventura, Oxnard, Sanas, Lompoc, that are asking, hey! Can you come out and do an application workshop? Hey? Can you come out and do orientation with our students which
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MaryLou Huerta: you know, nor, you know, in previous years. It's not something that we would have or offer. So
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MaryLou Huerta: you know, working, working to really strengthen those relationships and provide the same services that we are providing to our local students who are out of district.
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MaryLou Huerta: Did I answer your question, Hong cause? I feel like I kind of, went on a ramp, but.
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Hong Lieu: The rants. The rants are kind of. It's a feature. It's a feature, not a bug, because that's.
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MaryLou Huerta: Okay. Okay.
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Hong Lieu: That's what we like. We like you to flesh out your answer, and and as much context and nuance, because you never know what people will latch onto, so it's always good to have as much.
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Hong Lieu: I do have a question for you, though.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: So in terms of
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Hong Lieu: you know your parents are are grinders, hard workers, you know. My parents are the same way. Have you ever found a way to communicate the difference in, like the work you do versus the work they do, because my mom still is always like, Oh, man, you know you. You work hard, but you'll never work as hard as I do, and I'm like, it's different, right? It's like your. Your work was mostly physical.
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Hong Lieu: and my work is very mental, so I feel like the strain, and the burden is similar. But it's hard because they're used to seeing the toll, you know, like they don't always see the toll on my body or my or my face, and my, so it's hard to explain sometimes
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Hong Lieu: how hard your work can be, not to say your work is hard all the time. Of course not, but in terms of explaining that, like having that connection, I still have trouble connecting my struggles at work with my parents struggles at work. Yeah, you know, it doesn't always. It doesn't always go one to one for them. So I was curious. If you ever ran into that yourself.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yes and no, because
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MaryLou Huerta: everybody knows where to find me the 1st week of fiesta, and that is, it was working at my parents. Booth, right? I mean, since I've been in
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MaryLou Huerta: middle school, has been working the fiesta booth, you know, up until
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MaryLou Huerta: pretty much when I moved out because I got married it was helping them at the Swami. So those things and it could be those cultural expectations, right is. And I think, man, my parents. And I think I was telling Akil this at 1 point, like my parents, literally left their country, they left their family friends everything.
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MaryLou Huerta: so that when they came here, and they eventually had their kids, their family, right? Because my parents didn't meet in Mexico. They met here.
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MaryLou Huerta: It was with that mindset of creating a better future. So.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I love my baby. But man to think about like just getting up, and whatever you can carry is what you take like.
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MaryLou Huerta: That's that those are hard pills to swallow. Right? So
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MaryLou Huerta: do my parents get it. They get it. They get that. I do a lot, and then I work, and you know I do have to travel a lot for work sometimes, and having a little one now is
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MaryLou Huerta: has its own challenges.
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MaryLou Huerta: They do get it, but they they under.
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MaryLou Huerta: How do I explain this?
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MaryLou Huerta: They hear me, but do they understand it like fully process it? Probably not because, as as I said.
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MaryLou Huerta: where do you find my dad on Sundays working at the Swami.
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Hong Lieu: And and that's always a trump card, right? It's like the trump card, and I mean I guess it's a poor term. But that that ace in the hole, so the ace in the hole, so to speak, is always do they walk it like they talk it, and my parents are probably a lot like your parents were.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: They always have. They've never.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Said something and not done it. They've never said someone to another family member like oh, I'll be there and not been there, even if it's like the day of someone's sick, the last thing they want to do is be there. They will pile the family in the car as miserable as we are. If it's raining, and if they say they're going to be there, they will be there. So it's always something like
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Hong Lieu: it's something that I've always aspired to be, and I've never, you know you always come up short in terms of this. You're never going to win a gold medal in the struggle Olympics compared to your parents. But it's, you know, like you always try. You know you always.
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MaryLou Huerta: That's right. And you know what's so funny. And I don't know if this is just like a cultural thing. And I don't know if you guys have experienced this, but
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MaryLou Huerta: my parents will not always like I don't think I've ever heard my dad like specifically tell me, like, Oh, you're doing such a great job, or.
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Hong Lieu: Such a great mom. But it's so funny.
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MaryLou Huerta: But when they're talking to their friends
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MaryLou Huerta: or to the people they know, then they're bragging, and it's like, Well, why can't I need to hear that, you know. I need to hear that.
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Hong Lieu: It's a.
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MaryLou Huerta: And I don't hear that. Yeah, but it's like they'll say it to everybody else. But then it's so.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, I I don't know if I answer the question, or if I can, I guess I mean, do they know? Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: do they fully understand it? Probably not right.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, and it's only where they never will understand. But I'm just wondering if yeah, just if if there's ever a way, if you've ever found a way to kind of cross that divide cause. I still struggle with it, and I'm you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, I mean, maybe one day.
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Akil Hill: That's funny, too, because I mean, I you know
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Akil Hill: my parents. Obviously my parents didn't immigrate here. So they but and then also, I think it's really as people of color. We I could totally relate to both you guys, but kind of in a different way. I think my parents were a little bit more like
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Akil Hill: reassuring like you could do it. You could do it. Based upon the racism, the discrimination, and all of that that they've experienced in their own lives. So they went the opposite way in terms of trying to lift people up because they know what's out there beyond your front door. So it's kind of interesting to have that approach as well. You know.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. No, for sure.
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Hong Lieu: And it's good to know at the end of the day that it all works, you know, like any, and there's no right way, or there's no wrong way. It's all how you take it in. And are they there for you to support you? Because that's really at the end of the day. What it is is you need their support. Are they there for you? And in all of our cases you know that that's been the key
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Hong Lieu: is having that support and having that assistance. And now, Mary Lou, you in your position here at City College, providing not fully parental support, but that support system and having that in place for students that need you like. If someone needs you reaches out to you. Are you gonna walk like you're talking? You're gonna be there for them. Yeah, you know.
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MaryLou Huerta: Definitely, yeah.
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Hong Lieu: As long as when the certain hours otherwise, you know, as you will get our Union representatives to contact you about over time.
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean, I will say.
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MaryLou Huerta: having a child has made me definitely try to be more aware of the like those boundaries, and work within those work parameters, because man, before
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MaryLou Huerta: it'd be the weekends. It'd be 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock at night, and I'd still be like, Oh, my God! A student emailed me. I gotta get back to them because I read, I am the type that I get panic mode. I mean, you're not answering me. Why aren't you answering me? I need this answer. I need
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MaryLou Huerta: but you know I do make sure and do my best to try to communicate that to families and to parents like
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MaryLou Huerta: you gotta be reasonable, you know, if it's
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MaryLou Huerta: it's Veterans Day. I'm gonna enjoy my veterans day.
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: But yeah.
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, Phil, well, thank you for that.
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Akil Hill: Yes, now.
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Hong Lieu: Now now we get to the the fun part of the gauntlet.
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MaryLou Huerta: Our food.
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Hong Lieu: Section, good evening.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yay!
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Hong Lieu: So as many as you want to list. If it's just one or many, or restaurant dishes anything you got.
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Akil Hill: Go in, go in, Mary, Lou, go in.
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MaryLou Huerta: Here's the thing Akeel knows. Okay, so here's the thing. There's different. Mary Lou's right there. There's so there's like, there's big back. Mary Lou, who wants to go to Chili's, and I wanted I want that trio platter. Huh!
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MaryLou Huerta: I heard. I haven't had it yet. It looks so good. It
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MaryLou Huerta: I had my triple dipper last night. Funny story. So I told my husband. I want to be big back, and I want my triple dipper, and he's like, do you really want to go all the way to Oxnard? Because we're right at the entrance of Ventura right off the avenue? Right? And that's like that is like a mission. But I'm like, I really want it. And it's Sunday. And I want to be big back. And he's like, Okay, fine. So we go right
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MaryLou Huerta: and all I wanted, that's all I wanted like that's I was gonna get the triple dipper.
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MaryLou Huerta: triple decker, dipper dipper for for dinner, and my husband's like raining on my parade.
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MaryLou Huerta: No, let's let's get in. We'll share it, and I'm like.
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MaryLou Huerta: but I don't want anything else he's like. No, no like, let's get it as an appetizer. That's not enough for you to eat like, let's get that as an appetizer like that's. And I'm like.
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MaryLou Huerta: I'm like, okay, fine.
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MaryLou Huerta: And like right away, I'm like this is not going to be the same.
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Hong Lieu: You have to have it.
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MaryLou Huerta: You have to have it on your own.
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Akil Hill: She did.
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Hong Lieu: If you set the portion, if you know what your portion size is like. I used to be the same way, where, like sometimes with my sister's like. Oh, can I have a couple like a chicken, 10 or something? I'll just take the whole thing because it's not, you know, like at that point. It's not enough, you know, like I'm just wasting calories.
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MaryLou Huerta: One you're like.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, I'm like, I'm going to make it worth it because it comes with what like the Tiktok way right? The 2 mozzarella sticks the 2 little sliders right, and then, like the chicken tendies, if you want to do that
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MaryLou Huerta: well, when he realized funny, though, when he realized
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MaryLou Huerta: when the waitress brought that out and he ordered a burger. He realized I didn't get anything else he was like, Wait, where's yours? And I was like. It's because this is all I really wanted, so still got it my way. I know I know.
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Akil Hill: Like read in between the lines.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. Goodbye.
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Akil Hill: 100.
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MaryLou Huerta: I just I wanted to be like, I'm gonna be a bicker. I just wanted, you know, to enjoy. I wanted to have my cheese pull. Oh, you guys, I had that cheese pull. I ended up sharing like I ate the one my one mozzarella thing, and then the 2 sliders, and then just one chicken tendy. So actually we took the rest home.
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MaryLou Huerta: But he was like, what is so special about this, and I dip it in the ranch, and I'm like, Look.
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MaryLou Huerta: my baby's just
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MaryLou Huerta: like staring at me, and it was the best cheese pull ever. But that's what I'm saying. There are different Mary Lou's, because if you asked me today, you know, I had my cottage cheese with my peach for for breakfast and my coffee, and then I had, you know my veggies and dip for snack, and then for lunch I had a salad. So it just depends on my mood, do I? Normally
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MaryLou Huerta: I have my favorites. But I try to be healthy, right? Because of like
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MaryLou Huerta: family stuff, right? Like my parents have their own health things. And then, just
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MaryLou Huerta: culturally, you know, diabetes runs high in in the Mexican or Hispanic community. So just being mindful of those things like, I try to be careful of what I'm eating. And and I'm also trying to set those healthy
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MaryLou Huerta: role like examples for my baby. Right? But
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MaryLou Huerta: if we're going to be real like my, I mean. My favorite, like one of my favorite dishes, is Mole. Do you guys like Mole? Oh, right with like rice, the chicken, but the sweet mole, not Mole Ranchero mole ranchero is like that red one. It's a little different. I feel like it's more bittery. No, no, the sweet one with the chocolate.
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Akil Hill: Everything.
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MaryLou Huerta: With like half dozen corn tortillas. Because let's I'm not gonna lie like I'm gonna have a corn tortilla with every bite of my mole
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MaryLou Huerta: that is like my mouth is watering. That is like my birthday meal, like my mom's asking me what I want, and your girls asking for mole
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Hong Lieu: Does it have to be mom made? Or is there anywhere in town that passes, passes.
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MaryLou Huerta: I'm not gonna lie if I'm in Santa Barbara los Agaves has some real good Molenchiladas like they're they're fire and then in Ventura cuernabacas.
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Akil Hill: Yeah. Quitable?
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Hong Lieu: My God.
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MaryLou Huerta: But cuerna vaccas they do some. They do some good
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MaryLou Huerta: there, too. I'm always disappointed when I order Mole, and it's not the sweet mole.
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MaryLou Huerta: you know. It's like the ranchero one, that red one I'm like. This is not the mole I wanted.
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MaryLou Huerta: my mom has brought Mole from Oaxaca and Dang! That's fire that's so good! And then she makes it like she brings the paste and then makes it at home. That's really good, honestly like those Mexican. I I love me, Thinga, so. It's like.
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MaryLou Huerta: That, like the chicken with.
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Akil Hill: Said, well.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, yeah, to town on those.
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Akil Hill: Have you tried the tinga, the chicken tinga from Kona Vaca? They do a tinga, too.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, they don't think.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: Or bomb. You guys.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: It just depends on
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MaryLou Huerta: what kind of I don't have a sweet tooth. So I'm definitely going to be savory over the sweet tooth like I
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MaryLou Huerta: like. I want to.
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MaryLou Huerta: and I'm not like big on drinks, either, like I'd rather eat my calories than drink them. You know what I mean like I'm like, give your your girl like a a bowl of posole, and I'm happy.
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Akil Hill: Wait! Hold up! Hold up! Hold up!
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Akil Hill: No Agar frescas!
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MaryLou Huerta: I I mean, I like I like Horchata. I do like Horchata, my little Mexican Cokes. Oh, man! We had coolers of the Mexican Cokes at the baby shower. Sorry home.
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MaryLou Huerta: and honestly, I probably have some at home. I can hook you guys up.
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MaryLou Huerta: Go to Tj. He'll make those Tj. Runs, and he'll come home with like. And it literally looks like we're like selling Mexican cokes out of our garage like, if our when our neighbors walk by you guys. They are probably like what is going on with these Mexicans right here, like they're seeing all these cokes, all these tequila bottles. You can cut that out, too. Not promoting drinking. I'm just.
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Hong Lieu: Well, but just tequila. Are you also doing the just, the the mezcal, and all that stuff, too?
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MaryLou Huerta: My. So my husband's a big tequila collector, but he really likes Agnieco.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: I mean, and I'll ask him like, what are we gonna do with these bottles? We have like a whole. So we used to be displayed really nicely in our house.
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Akil Hill: It's good.
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00:53:33.950 --> 00:53:44.770
MaryLou Huerta: Displayed nice. But it was like a really, Oh, yeah, Kyo has those pictures so really nice display. But we have a baby. Now we have a 1 year old, this child. Oh, he is testing my limits
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MaryLou Huerta: times. He grabs anything he can.
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00:53:48.530 --> 00:53:52.860
MaryLou Huerta: And I'm just like this kid is gonna break an arm one day and like, yeah.
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00:53:53.060 --> 00:53:55.029
MaryLou Huerta: so we had to put him away.
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MaryLou Huerta: So it's in a Oh, my God! I don't know how to say it in Spanish, in English. It's called a Beatrina. How do you say that in English?
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00:54:02.150 --> 00:54:03.960
MaryLou Huerta: Like a glass thing? I I don't.
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00:54:03.960 --> 00:54:04.880
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
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00:54:04.880 --> 00:54:06.830
Akil Hill: It's like a like a hutch cabinet. Yeah.
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Akil Hill: yeah, you're trying to cut. Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: Right? Okay. I only know the Spanish term, anyway.
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00:54:10.830 --> 00:54:11.240
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
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MaryLou Huerta: we have the China cabinet lobby, Trina, and it's all filled with his tequilas. But now you can't really see them unless the thing is open.
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00:54:18.990 --> 00:54:21.550
MaryLou Huerta: I'm not going to open in. How, my child, you know.
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00:54:21.850 --> 00:54:28.229
MaryLou Huerta: knock down these 3 $400 bottles that he has in there. But I'll ask him, what are we going to do with them? Maybe I'll drink them one day.
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00:54:28.760 --> 00:54:29.340
Hong Lieu: I'm like.
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00:54:29.340 --> 00:54:34.229
Hong Lieu: wait till he's climbing up the side like King Kong, and he just grabs the hand of the car. Yeah.
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Akil Hill: You better tell you better drink before your baby turns.
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MaryLou Huerta: Oh, I know! Oh, I know!
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00:54:40.070 --> 00:54:41.889
Akil Hill: Or maybe he's gonna pass it down.
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00:54:41.890 --> 00:54:55.980
MaryLou Huerta: But what are your guys is like? I mean, I there's lots of spots like man. I love me. Some canes. Sometimes I know me to kill have talked about canes, you know. Canes is good, so it just depends. I love me some in. And now I'm not gonna lie. When I was pregnant. Oh, my God!
385
00:54:55.990 --> 00:54:58.150
MaryLou Huerta: A protein, a protein burger like
386
00:54:58.820 --> 00:55:00.620
MaryLou Huerta: in and out animals have a
387
00:55:00.720 --> 00:55:04.159
MaryLou Huerta: lettuce wrapped protein, salt man! That was my jam.
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Akil Hill: So I follow Mary Lou on, on Instagram and I think just Ig, but maybe a few others. But anyway.
389
00:55:11.560 --> 00:55:12.560
MaryLou Huerta: And Facebook, yeah, yeah.
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00:55:12.560 --> 00:55:13.500
Akil Hill: Yeah, so.
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00:55:13.500 --> 00:55:14.699
MaryLou Huerta: Socials. We have the socials.
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00:55:14.700 --> 00:55:22.389
Akil Hill: Have a social, so I remember when she would go to Mexico. She was like posting crazy like all the drinks, all the chips.
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00:55:22.390 --> 00:55:22.880
MaryLou Huerta: Oh, yeah.
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00:55:23.040 --> 00:55:23.200
Akil Hill: So.
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00:55:23.200 --> 00:55:24.080
MaryLou Huerta: To lava.
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00:55:24.080 --> 00:55:28.689
Akil Hill: Yeah, I was hitting around. I was like, yo. I see you eat those rancherro, flavored Doritos.
397
00:55:28.690 --> 00:55:30.259
MaryLou Huerta: Oh, yeah. Oh, dude!
398
00:55:31.070 --> 00:55:34.439
MaryLou Huerta: That's the thing. Here's the thing. Your girl can be like.
399
00:55:35.130 --> 00:55:42.489
MaryLou Huerta: Your girl can be big back if she wanted to, but I tried not to. Right like there ain't no way but so that's
400
00:55:42.810 --> 00:55:43.160
MaryLou Huerta: are my.
401
00:55:43.160 --> 00:55:43.899
Akil Hill: False sense.
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00:55:43.900 --> 00:55:49.300
MaryLou Huerta: Weakness. Oh, yeah, my chips like anything crunchy, and people will be like, Oh, we'll have nuts.
403
00:55:49.310 --> 00:55:54.459
MaryLou Huerta: nuts, carrots ain't tasting the same like a bag of like Doritos from Mexico like let's be honest.
404
00:55:54.500 --> 00:56:03.650
MaryLou Huerta: or like the toritos with like or like the some, my god
405
00:56:03.720 --> 00:56:10.250
MaryLou Huerta: Tosti, Locos Michocana down the street from the house with the Curritos and the yeah Chamoy, and everything.
406
00:56:10.250 --> 00:56:31.629
Hong Lieu: So so quick question for you in this regard is there? Can you put your finger on what makes Chili's better than the other ones, because, like, you know, Applebee's and those other restaurants, they're all kind of in the same class, but they're not. They're all not thriving like Chili's is Chili's right now, financially, is doing much better than the rest, and I can't put my finger. I mean, they have the the big Mac knockoff thing that I like, and the triple dippers, and that but is that it? Or is there something else.
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MaryLou Huerta: So funny.
408
00:56:32.700 --> 00:56:33.490
Akil Hill: With Jake? Question.
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00:56:33.490 --> 00:56:37.530
MaryLou Huerta: And yeah, no, this is a legit question. Okay? Right now, we're okay.
410
00:56:37.740 --> 00:56:40.379
MaryLou Huerta: Tiktok, not even joking. It's just tick tock.
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00:56:40.380 --> 00:56:40.770
Hong Lieu: Okay.
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00:56:40.770 --> 00:56:54.959
MaryLou Huerta: Yes. So yesterday, my husband was like, Okay, so what's so special about this? Because when we got there, I was like, I have to go to the bathroom. So it's like my story. Every time you know. Talking to Kim was like dude. I need to use you guys vip bathroom, anyway. So I'm like, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. And as I'm walking through like Chili's right.
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00:56:55.320 --> 00:57:04.669
MaryLou Huerta: I'm not even kidding you guys every other table because I'm looking like I'm the type of person that if we go out to eat I need to ask all of you guys what you guys are getting before I.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah.
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00:57:05.090 --> 00:57:06.310
MaryLou Huerta: I'm going to get, and then
416
00:57:06.310 --> 00:57:23.130
MaryLou Huerta: to look at pictures. If the picture doesn't look good, then, you know. So anyways, I'm going through, and I'm looking at all these people, and my husband's like. So you're telling me you were looking at what all these people were were eating like you practically probably asked them for a bite, and I'm like, no, I was just observing, let me, let me, you know, make this observation. Every other table had
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00:57:23.330 --> 00:57:26.050
MaryLou Huerta: the triple deck like dipper, like
418
00:57:26.160 --> 00:57:36.970
MaryLou Huerta: appetizer platter. Like every other table. There were some tables where it was 4. I'm not even joking. It was they were right by the window, and it was a little 4 like square one.
419
00:57:37.060 --> 00:57:39.740
MaryLou Huerta: Every person had their own like app.
420
00:57:39.930 --> 00:57:54.220
MaryLou Huerta: So, apparently because I just saw this no joke like last week on Tiktok was, how insane it is that one Tiktoker, one girl, made a review going to Chili's of the Triple Dipper triple deck or whatever it is.
421
00:57:54.500 --> 00:57:55.770
MaryLou Huerta: posted it.
422
00:57:55.840 --> 00:57:58.330
MaryLou Huerta: And it went from Chili's like
423
00:57:59.020 --> 00:58:02.590
MaryLou Huerta: profits, being like this to all of a sudden. It's just like
424
00:58:02.620 --> 00:58:08.949
MaryLou Huerta: it. They're like skyrocketing, and it wasn't their marketing team. It wasn't their social media. It was
425
00:58:08.970 --> 00:58:12.360
MaryLou Huerta: a random tiktoker who went in
426
00:58:12.370 --> 00:58:19.830
MaryLou Huerta: order this combination. And now it's like their most popular item on their menu, and I.
427
00:58:19.830 --> 00:58:21.870
Hong Lieu: Baby back ribs the baby back ribs. Ain't it? So.
428
00:58:21.870 --> 00:58:22.560
MaryLou Huerta: So.
429
00:58:22.560 --> 00:58:24.379
Hong Lieu: Trying to market those versus the triple dippers.
430
00:58:24.380 --> 00:58:24.910
MaryLou Huerta: Right.
431
00:58:24.910 --> 00:58:25.740
Hong Lieu: In the dippers. Yeah.
432
00:58:25.740 --> 00:58:28.949
MaryLou Huerta: So here's the thing is, I'm not a big fan
433
00:58:29.120 --> 00:58:32.360
MaryLou Huerta: of chain restaurants like, sit down. Chain restaurants like
434
00:58:32.750 --> 00:59:02.390
MaryLou Huerta: I'm going to sound like a diva. I'm not like you're not going to find me at a Denny's or to Carol's like that's just not my vibe like I like local Mom and pop, for, like breakfast houses and Ventura man, they got some good ones. I'm just throwing it out there. Ventura has some real good ones. Santa Barbara does, too, but I feel like Ventura. We got a lot of breakfast spots. I'm more local, and even for like restaurant, I mean, like, I love going to Finney's downtown Ventura. It's a good vibe. They're family friendly, and that's kind of like a small chain. But I'm not into the big chains. So the fact that, like
435
00:59:02.390 --> 00:59:19.069
MaryLou Huerta: yesterday told my husband, let's go to Chili's. I want to be big back. He was like, why, Chili's he's like you don't even like that, you know, but it just hits. I think it's just the combo, and it just hits. It's good, and it's that cheese bowl you have to have your cheese bowl, though.
436
00:59:19.430 --> 00:59:21.169
Hong Lieu: Tiktok ain' never told a lie right.
437
00:59:21.170 --> 00:59:26.698
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, it's but it have. You guys seen those videos when they like bite in. And they want that cheese pull. And it's just like,
438
00:59:27.280 --> 00:59:36.659
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah, I definitely seen the good Cheese Bowl videos. But I didn't know that Chili's was so big on Tiktok. So. But that does explain it all because virality nowadays is really like.
439
00:59:36.700 --> 00:59:38.080
MaryLou Huerta: A big, a big.
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00:59:38.080 --> 00:59:39.660
Hong Lieu: You watch Tiktok.
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00:59:39.660 --> 00:59:44.160
MaryLou Huerta: Listening. And before you know, when you go on your social media, it's gonna be like all these people.
442
00:59:45.200 --> 00:59:46.689
Hong Lieu: Doing them, and we get in the.
443
00:59:46.690 --> 00:59:47.140
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
444
00:59:47.140 --> 00:59:48.829
Hong Lieu: Top 10 cheese pools, and it's coming up.
445
00:59:48.830 --> 00:59:49.969
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, yeah.
446
00:59:51.300 --> 00:59:51.660
Hong Lieu: Excellent.
447
00:59:51.660 --> 00:59:58.819
MaryLou Huerta: Wait. What about you guys? What's like? What's your? I don't know. Top 2 dishes, no name, a top, 2 name, a snack and a dish.
448
01:00:00.060 --> 01:00:02.909
Hong Lieu: Well, flaming hot Cheetos would be the number one snack.
449
01:00:02.910 --> 01:00:03.819
MaryLou Huerta: Of all time.
450
01:00:03.820 --> 01:00:22.669
Hong Lieu: There's no flame. Hot Cheetos is the Michael Jordan of snacks to me, because not only of how good it is, but when it came out, you know, because there's basketball players that are better than Michael Jordan now. But you're not going to give them the goat status right? There's snacks that are better than flaming hot Cheetos. But I'm not going to give them the goat status because flame hot Cheetos have been holding me down for literally 30 years. Now.
451
01:00:22.830 --> 01:00:24.950
MaryLou Huerta: Okay, Hong, and not to like, okay.
452
01:00:25.120 --> 01:00:27.370
MaryLou Huerta: But do you feel like? Because
453
01:00:27.750 --> 01:00:38.090
MaryLou Huerta: with age personally for me, my little Panza cannot handle hot Cheetos, and I still eat them, but I can't handle them the way I did like in middle school or high school. Oh, yeah, like, I can't be having those things for breakfast.
454
01:00:38.090 --> 01:00:38.480
Akil Hill: Thanks.
455
01:00:38.480 --> 01:00:39.070
MaryLou Huerta: More.
456
01:00:39.070 --> 01:00:39.390
Akil Hill: Ace.
457
01:00:39.390 --> 01:00:39.750
MaryLou Huerta: Like.
458
01:00:39.952 --> 01:00:42.179
Akil Hill: Speak on it, Mary Lou, I'm with you. Speak on it.
459
01:00:42.180 --> 01:00:44.939
Hong Lieu: I did the one chip challenge. And I haven't been the same ever since the one chip challenge.
460
01:00:44.940 --> 01:00:47.779
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah, okay. But hot cheetos for you. Okay.
461
01:00:47.780 --> 01:00:49.119
Hong Lieu: yeah. Hot cheetah is my number one.
462
01:00:49.120 --> 01:00:50.080
Hong Lieu: Okay? And but
463
01:00:50.080 --> 01:00:57.760
Hong Lieu: I can still handle hot Cheetos, though when they have the extra hot at the at the corner store. Those are touchy, but the Ogs. No problem, no problem.
464
01:00:57.760 --> 01:00:58.550
MaryLou Huerta: Going to be. Maybe.
465
01:00:58.550 --> 01:01:00.197
Hong Lieu: Or the tight curl.
466
01:01:01.220 --> 01:01:02.989
MaryLou Huerta: Okay, what about the hot cheeto puffs.
467
01:01:03.310 --> 01:01:10.560
Hong Lieu: I like the hot cheeto puffs and the handicaps hot fries. You know that that kind of like pseudo, like, you know. Okay.
468
01:01:10.920 --> 01:01:12.460
Hong Lieu: dollar pack. I could do that.
469
01:01:12.460 --> 01:01:16.960
Akil Hill: I don't know how it dissolves in the mouth. The crunchiness.
470
01:01:16.960 --> 01:01:19.569
Hong Lieu: The tight you like the tight curl. Yeah, yeah.
471
01:01:19.570 --> 01:01:21.950
Akil Hill: Puff like I don't like how it dissolves. I'm like, no, that's not it.
472
01:01:21.950 --> 01:01:24.949
MaryLou Huerta: No, those are good. Those are good. Okay? And what about your dish, though? Huh?
473
01:01:24.950 --> 01:01:26.029
Hong Lieu: My dish
474
01:01:26.140 --> 01:01:44.469
Hong Lieu: would be Lasagna. It was the first, st like American food that I learned how to make, and fell in love with. I mean, learn how to make in terms of just it's like Lego. You just assemble it. But it was like one of those things where I was like, I think, second or 3rd grade, and we made it. And I ate it. And I ended up being the whole thing. And I was like, Okay, I can definitely get down. Lasagna plus Garfield was on the TV at the time, and Garfield Lasagna.
475
01:01:44.470 --> 01:01:45.460
MaryLou Huerta: Oh, yeah.
476
01:01:45.460 --> 01:01:56.480
Hong Lieu: I can get down with that. Those would be my 2 picks. I mean, there's a ton of Chinese food and a ton of other foods, but in terms of like like out to me in terms of formative years, like flaming hot Cheetos and Lasagna would be my 2.
477
01:01:56.830 --> 01:01:59.070
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, dude. I love me. Some good Chinese food, too.
478
01:01:59.674 --> 01:02:03.000
Hong Lieu: That's why I had to put that caveat in, because there's a million dishes I can name. There.
479
01:02:03.000 --> 01:02:03.420
MaryLou Huerta: Oh!
480
01:02:03.420 --> 01:02:10.449
Hong Lieu: People like you sell out. You're talking about Lasagna. You're not even talking about no Chinese food like. Listen, I do love it. But if we're going that way, then, you know.
481
01:02:10.450 --> 01:02:15.019
MaryLou Huerta: You know what one of my comfort foods were like. I'm feeling sick, is buh chicken buh.
482
01:02:15.020 --> 01:02:15.820
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
483
01:02:15.820 --> 01:02:16.330
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah.
484
01:02:16.330 --> 01:02:28.180
Hong Lieu: Chicken. Pho, specifically is a nice one, because a lot of times what they'll do there's places most places will do the beef broth with chicken in it. But there's chicken pho! Where they actually cook the chicken bones for that long, and get the broth.
485
01:02:28.180 --> 01:02:28.500
MaryLou Huerta: To be.
486
01:02:28.500 --> 01:02:32.729
Hong Lieu: That when you find a chicken full place that does that. Oh, yeah, never let them go, because it's it's just.
487
01:02:32.730 --> 01:02:33.240
MaryLou Huerta: At 5.
488
01:02:33.640 --> 01:02:42.709
Akil Hill: So there's a spot in the Annex Vietnamese restaurant that their chicken is really good.
489
01:02:42.710 --> 01:02:44.849
MaryLou Huerta: Right when you walk in. It's on the right side.
490
01:02:44.850 --> 01:02:46.110
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah, we're in the conversation.
491
01:02:46.110 --> 01:02:47.110
MaryLou Huerta: Stop, all.
492
01:02:47.110 --> 01:02:49.029
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah, behind the coffee shop. Yup, that's it.
493
01:02:49.030 --> 01:02:51.109
Akil Hill: They make some good spring rolls, too.
494
01:02:51.110 --> 01:02:51.930
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
495
01:02:52.143 --> 01:02:57.059
MaryLou Huerta: We need to go on the food tours. Can we take this? Podcast can we take Vacura voices on food tours? Let's just.
496
01:02:57.060 --> 01:02:58.470
Hong Lieu: We should actually do a live one at.
497
01:02:58.470 --> 01:03:00.639
MaryLou Huerta: Right we should do a live one.
498
01:03:00.740 --> 01:03:02.150
MaryLou Huerta: Alright, Akil, what.
499
01:03:02.150 --> 01:03:03.820
Hong Lieu: Yeah. Before we move on to Kiel we got to hear it.
500
01:03:03.820 --> 01:03:23.408
Akil Hill: So I'll speak. I'll be super short. I think one of my my snack, my one of my favorite, all type snacks. It's a Japanese snack, but it's called, and I have to bring you guys some it's called. They're like ume chips. So Ume is a plum flavored and so that is, usually they comes in either potato chips or the shoestring
501
01:03:23.760 --> 01:03:45.870
Akil Hill: size chips. But that's for something about that that's like that's that feels like home to me that I like. And so anytime I'm at the Japanese market. That's my 1st thing I go to look for, and then dishes are tough. I mean, there's so much that I that I could say. But I'm just gonna have to keep 100. My mother's catfish
502
01:03:46.130 --> 01:03:50.430
Akil Hill: freshly fried catfish like to me. That's like
503
01:03:50.750 --> 01:03:52.170
Akil Hill: love. You know what I mean. Like.
504
01:03:52.170 --> 01:03:55.750
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, feeling that you talked about when that bullet hits where it's just like.
505
01:03:55.900 --> 01:03:57.659
Akil Hill: Like, you just felt like.
506
01:03:58.020 --> 01:04:06.359
Akil Hill: yeah, you've just been transported all your childhood memories and all that stuff comes back all the good memories. It's definitely my mom's catfish
507
01:04:06.390 --> 01:04:08.189
Akil Hill: and stuff. So.
508
01:04:08.920 --> 01:04:12.219
Hong Lieu: I'm gonna get a call from my mom like you didn't name no dishes that I made.
509
01:04:12.646 --> 01:04:13.500
Akil Hill: Okay. Okay.
510
01:04:13.500 --> 01:04:16.329
MaryLou Huerta: Name right now. Name one dish that your mom.
511
01:04:16.330 --> 01:04:29.380
Hong Lieu: My mom had a really good. She did really good fried fish. It was like a tilapia. But then she also did this dish that was like pickled mustard greens with squid in it, and tomato in a tomato sauce. That was probably the one that I used to love, the most growing up.
512
01:04:29.590 --> 01:04:33.752
MaryLou Huerta: But still I'm not letting go of Lasagna. I'm I'm I'm standing by twos.
513
01:04:34.450 --> 01:04:35.250
Hong Lieu: It's like.
514
01:04:35.250 --> 01:04:36.670
MaryLou Huerta: 3rd island in Hong.
515
01:04:36.670 --> 01:04:37.190
Hong Lieu: Yeah.
516
01:04:37.190 --> 01:04:38.060
MaryLou Huerta: Sonia with him.
517
01:04:38.060 --> 01:04:39.289
Akil Hill: In the heart, in the paint.
518
01:04:39.290 --> 01:04:55.179
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah, that is. But that is my young heart, because, like you said how you lose spice tolerance, my ability to carbo load and not have to take a nap later is pretty much impossible now. So I gotta be really mindful of yeah, the wrong place being being super tired at the wrong time is not good, so.
519
01:04:55.370 --> 01:04:58.440
Akil Hill: Thank you for that, Mary Lou, Mary Lucy.
520
01:04:58.440 --> 01:05:05.880
Hong Lieu: Us. Home segwaying along higher learning piece of culture, TV, movie music book, anything, video game.
521
01:05:06.450 --> 01:05:08.100
Akil Hill: Yeah, anything. That thing.
522
01:05:08.100 --> 01:05:13.569
Hong Lieu: You feel it to touch you in an artistic way, or has driven you or given you like just something you think about, you know, like.
523
01:05:15.100 --> 01:05:15.580
MaryLou Huerta: First.st
524
01:05:15.580 --> 01:05:18.769
Hong Lieu: You ever read, or 1st TV show you ever loved any of that stuff.
525
01:05:19.129 --> 01:05:22.719
MaryLou Huerta: I'm gonna bring it back to something honestly, that my.
526
01:05:23.810 --> 01:05:32.739
MaryLou Huerta: and always goes back to my parents right? Always goes back to kind of like that that foundation for clerical. So for those who don't know.
527
01:05:32.740 --> 01:05:33.350
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah.
528
01:05:33.350 --> 01:05:51.710
MaryLou Huerta: Is, I was raised for the most part. Yeah, raised as a Flo clorico dancer. So I started dancing Flo Clorico when I was in preschool. So like 4 or 5 years old, right? Preschool. Yeah, 4 or 5 years old. And I actually one of my last performances
529
01:05:51.990 --> 01:05:53.190
MaryLou Huerta: was.
530
01:05:53.660 --> 01:06:00.280
MaryLou Huerta: no. Was it right before the pandemic? 2,019, 2,019 was my last year? I did fiesta.
531
01:06:01.340 --> 01:06:06.319
MaryLou Huerta: So it was pretty much all the I mean, yeah, it was right before the pandemic. But
532
01:06:06.360 --> 01:06:13.859
MaryLou Huerta: 2,019 was the last year that I got to perform on the old mission stage and dance for fiesta
533
01:06:14.360 --> 01:06:18.660
MaryLou Huerta: and it's so crazy because I think about you know, I
534
01:06:19.230 --> 01:06:32.630
MaryLou Huerta: I grew up. Really, I grew up poor like I grew up low income. You know my family didn't have a lot. And to think, and me and my sister will have these conversations like Dude. How did our parents do it like, how did our parents do it? They worked multiple jobs like, how did they do it?
535
01:06:32.710 --> 01:06:47.759
MaryLou Huerta: And they still manage to like, put us on flow and pay for the monthly fees and bias. You know you're growing up, you know, when you're in preschool all the way through high school like your shoot your shoe size is constantly changing, your waist is constantly changing your height. And so
536
01:06:47.900 --> 01:07:06.689
MaryLou Huerta: to think that the sacrifice that my parents did to be able to do that, and it's so funny you can choose to either keep this or take it out. If you do some edits, I'll ask my mom like, why did you put us in? And yes, some of it was cultural. But one of the biggest things is, she didn't want us to be stereotypes.
537
01:07:07.010 --> 01:07:09.149
MaryLou Huerta: She did not want us to be
538
01:07:09.640 --> 01:07:20.920
MaryLou Huerta: like, and this is no offense. But she just did not, you know, to to those folks who have had those experiences, but she did not want us to get caught up in trouble.
539
01:07:21.100 --> 01:07:23.699
MaryLou Huerta: you know. Kind of be running around the streets
540
01:07:23.970 --> 01:07:32.269
MaryLou Huerta: to be teen mops. She just did not want any of those stereotypes to follow us, and she really wanted to keep us
541
01:07:33.250 --> 01:07:56.670
MaryLou Huerta: kind of like engaged in an activity and something that I mean we were. We had practice 2, 3 times a week, and then weekends we were performing, and our parents were with us at everything, you know, so there was no time for messing around or getting in trouble. We were, you know, we were constantly at practice or constantly performing and yeah, my last performance was in 2019, and then
542
01:07:56.880 --> 01:08:02.070
MaryLou Huerta: through the pandemic, I was teaching classes via zoom for my instructor, helping her do that
543
01:08:02.380 --> 01:08:27.090
MaryLou Huerta: and honestly, it gave me. It taught me a lot, taught me a lot of discipline and a lot of responsibility. It taught me a lot of respect, taught me a lot about my culture, too. I mean, I can name multiple states and regions in Mexico. And I could, you know you could show me a picture of a traditional dress or costume, for for you know the men or the women, and I could tell you, oh, that goes to this region that belongs to this state. These are the songs, you know.
544
01:08:27.397 --> 01:08:40.919
MaryLou Huerta: So it taught me a lot, and it definitely helped me not be embarrassed of who I am, of my roots, of my culture, of my traditions. It really helped me embrace it. It's so funny because I'll hear the music now, and
545
01:08:41.470 --> 01:09:01.759
MaryLou Huerta: it makes me still want to dance like I still have all my dance costumes. My dad will mess with us and tell us that he's going to sell them or donate them, and my mom is literally like you will never. They will never talk to you again if you ever get rid of their stuff. But we have all of our I mean, I have all my costumes. I probably have over 20 different dance costumes for different regions and states and
546
01:09:01.760 --> 01:09:12.039
MaryLou Huerta: different dances. Fun. Fact is, when I was between the ages of 9 and 12, so for those 4 years I auditioned for junior spirit here in Santa Barbara. However.
547
01:09:12.750 --> 01:09:28.729
MaryLou Huerta: they will they have? Never, I will say they will never. They have yet to select a folk dancer, to represent as junior spirit or spirit. However, it was still some of the best years of my life like I had such an amazing experience doing that. As a young girl like I just
548
01:09:28.750 --> 01:09:46.079
MaryLou Huerta: you know I got to be in the parade, for you know, during junior spirit, and I got to go to different shows and perform. And you did a lot of community service. That's when I was going to school, still in Santa Barbara. So that was really fun. But Florico definitely Florico. I got to travel a lot.
549
01:09:46.506 --> 01:09:49.170
MaryLou Huerta: Got to go to some really cool dance workshops.
550
01:09:50.013 --> 01:09:54.219
MaryLou Huerta: But you know now, now I'm Signora life. Now I'm a mom, and
551
01:09:54.340 --> 01:10:08.510
MaryLou Huerta: as much as I want to go back, I think I got away a kill dies every time I call myself I I am a senora life like literally, although I'm not gonna lie when I'm out in the real world. And people will say like, Oh, Senora, I'm like what my husband's like. Well, you're.
552
01:10:08.510 --> 01:10:08.930
Hong Lieu: Singer.
553
01:10:10.030 --> 01:10:11.830
MaryLou Huerta: But still.
554
01:10:11.830 --> 01:10:22.430
MaryLou Huerta: ew, it's like so like I want to be like, I don't feel like I'm Senora, Senora vibes like I'm like, Pre Senora Vibes, but I am a senor, I guess you know, like, but anyways.
555
01:10:22.430 --> 01:10:30.479
Hong Lieu: That question of what is, what is a real adult age? Because people are like legally is 18. And up. What would you put the adult age at. If you had to pick an age when you're an adult.
556
01:10:30.520 --> 01:10:33.619
Hong Lieu: I'm like 2829. That's my you know what.
557
01:10:33.620 --> 01:10:35.619
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. But I'm honestly, even at.
558
01:10:35.620 --> 01:10:39.070
Hong Lieu: You think someone's like 25? I don't even think 25 is is.
559
01:10:39.070 --> 01:10:49.240
Akil Hill: I don't think well, I'm not gonna bring Jinder into this conversation, but I I would have to push it from. I only can speak from a man's point of view, and 28 to me seems.
560
01:10:49.240 --> 01:10:49.630
Hong Lieu: Young.
561
01:10:49.630 --> 01:10:53.480
Akil Hill: Still young, for I see, okay. I can see that I could see that I could see that.
562
01:10:53.480 --> 01:11:06.679
MaryLou Huerta: I mean, there are times that right now. I'm like, I'm 38, and I'm supposed to make grown folks decisions for my child, for my home. And sometimes I mean, I think it just depends on the situation, right and sometimes
563
01:11:06.680 --> 01:11:31.189
MaryLou Huerta: on the environment. And I know there's times where I don't want to be the adult, and I want to be taken care of, and I still want my mom to fix things for me, or you know my safe space. My husband, too, like I'm like you just worry about like anything to do with my card. It's he's like you have to do this, and I'm like, but that's that's not my that does not fall under my realm of responsibilities. That's your realm of responsibilities.
564
01:11:31.190 --> 01:11:33.370
Akil Hill: Wants to eat mozzarella sticks and be happy.
565
01:11:33.370 --> 01:11:34.180
MaryLou Huerta: Dude. I just want.
566
01:11:35.390 --> 01:11:37.180
Hong Lieu: Yeah, yeah.
567
01:11:37.180 --> 01:11:44.230
Hong Lieu: And that has to change change for me throughout the years. Because when I was like 13, I thought when I thought when I was 50 I knew everything I needed to know. So yeah, it definitely fluctuates.
568
01:11:44.230 --> 01:11:44.850
MaryLou Huerta: Oh, yeah.
569
01:11:44.850 --> 01:11:49.580
Akil Hill: So here's a question I have for you. So are you. Gonna keep it the tradition going with the
570
01:11:50.204 --> 01:11:53.950
Akil Hill: yes. So with your sundance or.
571
01:11:53.950 --> 01:12:04.559
MaryLou Huerta: I would like. Yes, I would like my son. So. I'm big on my younger sister. She we're super like we're tight. She
572
01:12:04.810 --> 01:12:13.210
MaryLou Huerta: it all was also Florico, dancer, and 2,019 was the last time we were both on stage together. She was right next to me. So super cool
573
01:12:13.990 --> 01:12:20.079
MaryLou Huerta: and she's also big on Danza. So our ancestors were Dansantes right?
574
01:12:20.080 --> 01:12:21.240
MaryLou Huerta: And so
575
01:12:21.240 --> 01:12:27.720
MaryLou Huerta: she was really big, and it still dances. Danza hasn't gone back since she had her little one, too.
576
01:12:27.780 --> 01:12:42.589
MaryLou Huerta: But I would love for my son to hopefully show interest in. I do want something that he could at least learn about his roots, his culture, because, you know, he's a productivity. My husband and
577
01:12:42.690 --> 01:12:47.050
MaryLou Huerta: both of our sets of parents were immigrants, and they are Mexican, and
578
01:12:47.150 --> 01:12:52.040
MaryLou Huerta: I want my son and my future kids, you know, to
579
01:12:52.170 --> 01:13:01.649
MaryLou Huerta: to embrace that and to be proud of those those roots. Which is honestly why I'm so I'm the Spanish speaker parent at home. I only speak speak Spanish to
580
01:13:01.740 --> 01:13:07.880
MaryLou Huerta: to the baby, only Spanish, and it's so funny because he's so used to it. And yeah.
581
01:13:08.050 --> 01:13:08.550
Hong Lieu: But yeah.
582
01:13:08.550 --> 01:13:22.969
Hong Lieu: and from a practical perspective, dancing, teaching, dance, and for political and any kind of dance, because you can use it anywhere, like if a party starts starts going down and you got some rhythm, and you take take over the middle of dance floor, and you set the tone for the rest of the crowd. I mean that that's a useful skill.
583
01:13:22.970 --> 01:13:23.480
MaryLou Huerta: 100%.
584
01:13:23.480 --> 01:13:24.370
Hong Lieu: You know so.
585
01:13:24.370 --> 01:13:28.560
MaryLou Huerta: Married a non dancer, my husband that's at the end.
586
01:13:28.560 --> 01:13:29.900
Hong Lieu: Everybody got a little bit.
587
01:13:29.900 --> 01:13:30.370
MaryLou Huerta: I believe.
588
01:13:30.370 --> 01:13:31.130
Hong Lieu: Got a little bit.
589
01:13:31.130 --> 01:13:31.660
MaryLou Huerta: He's just.
590
01:13:31.660 --> 01:13:36.412
Akil Hill: Oh, I really disagree with that. I see people. Some people just say you got it.
591
01:13:36.710 --> 01:13:37.690
Hong Lieu: I mean Friday.
592
01:13:37.690 --> 01:13:43.409
Hong Lieu: Whatever you got. If you flaunt it, then people can rock with it a little bit. I mean, you know it's not. It's not like you love it, but at least you can.
593
01:13:43.410 --> 01:13:59.460
MaryLou Huerta: I don't know my husband. He just does not like dancing where me like I'm on the dance floor. I'm dancing. I'm burning those calories. Man used to catch me. Christy's gonna hate me for saying this, but like Zumba man, we used to get wild on those dance floors that could be ours
594
01:13:59.815 --> 01:14:00.170
MaryLou Huerta: like
595
01:14:00.170 --> 01:14:05.409
MaryLou Huerta: zooming out with our dance. Do you guys like we were? We were jam. We were a good old time.
596
01:14:05.550 --> 01:14:10.589
Hong Lieu: I got no, I got no good moves, but I definitely got moves. That's the thing. As long as you rock it, you know. Like you got.
597
01:14:10.590 --> 01:14:12.364
Hong Lieu: I was playing modest. She got.
598
01:14:12.660 --> 01:14:13.560
MaryLou Huerta: He probably got moves.
599
01:14:13.560 --> 01:14:15.310
Akil Hill: You got some rock? I know.
600
01:14:15.310 --> 01:14:21.650
Hong Lieu: Yeah moves. Some of the moves exist. But yeah, they're not great. But as long as you put it out there, that's what I'm saying, you put it out there. Then some of them.
601
01:14:21.650 --> 01:14:22.970
MaryLou Huerta: Just does not.
602
01:14:23.030 --> 01:14:26.930
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, he doesn't like to dance. And me, I'm just like I love dancing so.
603
01:14:26.930 --> 01:14:38.000
Akil Hill: So let me ask you this, since you can't talk about dance without music, so give us a couple, maybe your top, 2 or top, 3. Spanish musician or artists.
604
01:14:38.860 --> 01:14:55.280
MaryLou Huerta: Top. Okay, so one of the groups that I love listening to. And I can like, okay, 2. But one doesn't do a lot of of Spanish, but I just love his vibe, but I love the group. So I remember back when they were.
605
01:14:55.280 --> 01:14:56.180
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
606
01:14:56.180 --> 01:14:59.029
MaryLou Huerta: Late. No, like early 2,000. Well, I remember them in.
607
01:14:59.030 --> 01:15:02.800
Hong Lieu: I saw. I saw him like 96, 97, the 1st time I saw him. So they've been. They've been holding.
608
01:15:02.800 --> 01:15:07.819
MaryLou Huerta: They were small like. That's what I mean. So when I 1st saw them, it must have been like 99 or 2,000 like.
609
01:15:07.820 --> 01:15:11.140
Hong Lieu: Before the oso kids and all that other stuff blew up, too. Yeah. So.
610
01:15:11.140 --> 01:15:24.529
MaryLou Huerta: Yes. So also motley like you could go to the Park and you they were just playing right. That's what I mean like. So I love also motley love their jams like just their music. So I remember, you guys remember the movie never been kissed with Drew Barrymore.
611
01:15:24.850 --> 01:15:26.600
Hong Lieu: They make a cameo in the nightclub.
612
01:15:26.600 --> 01:15:27.980
Hong Lieu: That's right.
613
01:15:27.980 --> 01:15:35.439
MaryLou Huerta: Favorite scenes anyways love that. So that's 1 of my favorite groups. And they're just they kind of just remind me of like being a kid.
614
01:15:37.050 --> 01:15:41.110
MaryLou Huerta: You guys are gonna crack up when I see this next one, because they're not so much.
615
01:15:41.330 --> 01:15:42.130
Akil Hill: Menudo.
616
01:15:42.560 --> 01:15:52.800
MaryLou Huerta: No, they're not. I can't with you. They're not so much Spanish, but they're cause like I love Linda Ronston, you know, and Vicente Fernandez and.
617
01:15:53.220 --> 01:16:02.769
MaryLou Huerta: You know. All like all of them like love me some Shakira like Selena. Oh, man, Selena, like she was waiting for that like
618
01:16:02.770 --> 01:16:03.679
MaryLou Huerta: I was waiting for that.
619
01:16:03.680 --> 01:16:12.989
MaryLou Huerta: Do like Selena man, you know, growing up, and that but now more so like I'm over here like pumping my fist dude. Give me some pitbull. I love.
620
01:16:12.990 --> 01:16:14.299
Hong Lieu: Mr. Mr. World.
621
01:16:14.300 --> 01:16:17.680
MaryLou Huerta: I know. See? That's what I know. Dude, Mr. Worldwide. Okay.
622
01:16:17.680 --> 01:16:18.150
Hong Lieu: You better.
623
01:16:18.150 --> 01:16:20.510
MaryLou Huerta: Con dude. His concert
624
01:16:20.650 --> 01:16:27.329
MaryLou Huerta: went to his concert man, living my best life. I'm not even lying like Mr. Worldwide.
625
01:16:27.710 --> 01:16:28.820
Akil Hill: Okay. Okay.
626
01:16:28.820 --> 01:16:30.840
MaryLou Huerta: Fireball. He
627
01:16:31.600 --> 01:16:44.239
MaryLou Huerta: listen to some of his like. He puts out a lot of motivational stuff out there. Like his Tiktok, his Instagram. He's like very positive and motivational. He does a lot of things for like kids in the community. Love me, Mister Pitbull.
628
01:16:45.080 --> 01:16:55.019
Hong Lieu: So from a folklotical perspective, is there like a classic like textbook jam that like to get to that? Everyone just loves to dance to universally, or they all because I mean a lot of.
629
01:16:55.020 --> 01:17:08.190
MaryLou Huerta: Florico is very traditional dance. They're very traditional dances. So more so to answer your question, I'm going to just say, my favorite region or state. My favorite region to dance to is Jalisfel.
630
01:17:08.240 --> 01:17:16.049
MaryLou Huerta: They're bright, beautiful colors. They're the big skirts, a lot of footwork, but I love the skirt work, and I love Mariachi.
631
01:17:17.020 --> 01:17:28.970
MaryLou Huerta: So to me it's going to be Jalispo, because that represents I love colors. I love the bright like the vibrant, the happy music, and I love Mariachi so.
632
01:17:29.530 --> 01:17:30.420
Akil Hill: Okay.
633
01:17:30.420 --> 01:17:31.720
MaryLou Huerta: I would say, like Marie.
634
01:17:31.720 --> 01:17:35.180
Akil Hill: I thought you would. I thought you were gonna drop group of the limite on this.
635
01:17:35.590 --> 01:17:36.000
Hong Lieu: Quit.
636
01:17:36.000 --> 01:17:39.750
Akil Hill: Limits. Amen, man, I used to listen to that back in the early.
637
01:17:39.750 --> 01:17:47.940
MaryLou Huerta: I mean Ricky Martin, like remember Rick and Martin back and like I mean, that reminds me of like being a kid again, and like growing up listening to all that right.
638
01:17:47.940 --> 01:17:48.290
Akil Hill: Yeah.
639
01:17:48.290 --> 01:17:54.449
MaryLou Huerta: I thought a lot of like my sister, you know they were all into, you know, old school hip hop, which was the jam.
640
01:17:54.940 --> 01:17:55.580
Akil Hill: You know.
641
01:17:55.580 --> 01:17:59.949
MaryLou Huerta: Like Tlc. Brandy, you know. Nw.
642
01:17:59.950 --> 01:18:00.670
MaryLou Huerta: A.
643
01:18:00.670 --> 01:18:01.789
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
644
01:18:02.640 --> 01:18:09.849
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, curio dude like all of like that. I remember all of that like that. But I also had a lot of that mixture, too. But then
645
01:18:10.210 --> 01:18:12.980
MaryLou Huerta: in the car, and my dad was listening to radio Bronco, you know.
646
01:18:12.980 --> 01:18:14.700
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
647
01:18:14.700 --> 01:18:16.029
MaryLou Huerta: A little bit of everything.
648
01:18:16.963 --> 01:18:18.830
Hong Lieu: That's what.
649
01:18:18.830 --> 01:18:19.969
MaryLou Huerta: There's broncos.
650
01:18:19.970 --> 01:18:20.470
Akil Hill: There's.
651
01:18:20.470 --> 01:18:21.900
MaryLou Huerta: Radio laser.
652
01:18:21.900 --> 01:18:22.859
Akil Hill: Yeah, there's low ball.
653
01:18:22.860 --> 01:18:23.930
Akil Hill: Yeah, global.
654
01:18:24.150 --> 01:18:26.120
Akil Hill: Yeah, those bookies.
655
01:18:26.510 --> 01:18:30.190
MaryLou Huerta: Do los bookies actually took my parents to Los Bookies.
656
01:18:30.190 --> 01:18:31.170
MaryLou Huerta: Oh, really.
657
01:18:31.170 --> 01:18:35.820
MaryLou Huerta: yeah, my mom had never gone to A. Neither of them have actually had ever gone to a concert.
658
01:18:35.820 --> 01:18:36.599
Hong Lieu: Is it recent, or.
659
01:18:36.600 --> 01:18:39.129
MaryLou Huerta: Time ago. Was it like 2 years ago, a year.
660
01:18:39.130 --> 01:18:40.939
Hong Lieu: Did they do? The the one at Dodger Stadium, the.
661
01:18:41.315 --> 01:18:43.940
MaryLou Huerta: No, they were at so by so.
662
01:18:43.940 --> 01:18:44.380
Hong Lieu: My whole.
663
01:18:44.380 --> 01:18:48.189
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah. Lafc, yeah, at Sofi or no. The Coliseum.
664
01:18:48.190 --> 01:18:50.240
Hong Lieu: Bank of Bank of America. Oh, okay, yeah.
665
01:18:50.240 --> 01:18:53.169
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, the Coliseum cause. That's the Coliseum's right. Next to
666
01:18:53.810 --> 01:18:55.440
Akil Hill: Usc, Usc.
667
01:18:55.440 --> 01:18:58.100
MaryLou Huerta: Right where lafc play over there.
668
01:18:58.100 --> 01:18:58.449
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
669
01:18:58.450 --> 01:19:00.010
MaryLou Huerta: The Coliseum they had
670
01:19:00.750 --> 01:19:06.450
MaryLou Huerta: in their whole life, you know my dad just turned 82 had never been to a concert in his life so took them lot
671
01:19:06.820 --> 01:19:08.789
MaryLou Huerta: like 2 years ago, 2 years ago, I think.
672
01:19:09.030 --> 01:19:12.709
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, that was really cool. That was really cool to see them just enjoy that.
673
01:19:13.090 --> 01:19:14.209
Hong Lieu: Took him to the 1st concert.
674
01:19:14.210 --> 01:19:14.920
MaryLou Huerta: That you know.
675
01:19:14.920 --> 01:19:16.680
Hong Lieu: Call them, call them from the Vatican.
676
01:19:16.680 --> 01:19:17.260
MaryLou Huerta: I'm not.
677
01:19:17.260 --> 01:19:17.859
Hong Lieu: The Great.
678
01:19:17.860 --> 01:19:18.220
MaryLou Huerta: It.
679
01:19:18.220 --> 01:19:20.380
Hong Lieu: Grade a grade. A Child. Child work.
680
01:19:20.380 --> 01:19:21.210
MaryLou Huerta: Thanks.
681
01:19:21.680 --> 01:19:26.140
Hong Lieu: Vatican, taking on the my 1st concert. No problem, no problem.
682
01:19:27.030 --> 01:19:41.889
Akil Hill: Wait. I gotta ask. I gotta jump in and say this. Speaking of Tiktok, have you seen? I I don't know even know what it's even called. I don't know if there's a word in Spanish for it, but like there's like these, get downs like in this at certain Major swap meets, and they're all dancing to music.
683
01:19:41.910 --> 01:19:43.660
Akil Hill: And there's like, literally like.
684
01:19:43.870 --> 01:20:11.110
MaryLou Huerta: Okay. So at the Santa Fe Swami in like la, I think. Yes, those are like, so La has some real big swap meets, and they are like they're swap meets. But they're not. They are swap meets. But they're like set up like establishments. I mean, you can find like they have multiple like full on restaurants in their stores. And yeah, Snoop actually made an appearance at one of them, and they get down. And they're like selling like Micheladas.
685
01:20:11.200 --> 01:20:16.070
MaryLou Huerta: And you can interpret a Michelada to whatever you want it to be, to be appropriate for this podcast.
686
01:20:17.140 --> 01:20:18.490
Akil Hill: Voices.
687
01:20:18.764 --> 01:20:27.259
MaryLou Huerta: But yeah, they get down. A lot of those are in La. I've been to one of them, and it was like Near East la, or downtown. La! It was crazy.
688
01:20:27.580 --> 01:20:35.149
MaryLou Huerta: My husband's cousins took us because they live right there, and I was like, what is it they were doing like pony rides.
689
01:20:35.150 --> 01:20:35.969
Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
690
01:20:35.970 --> 01:20:40.220
MaryLou Huerta: There were people outside selling driver's license and other things. It was very interesting.
691
01:20:40.220 --> 01:20:40.900
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah.
692
01:20:40.900 --> 01:20:43.620
MaryLou Huerta: Good. It was good times. It was good times.
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MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, lots of good stuff.
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MaryLou Huerta: X.
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01:20:45.640 --> 01:20:48.960
Akil Hill: Always see them dancing, live on Youtube like showing them, getting down.
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01:20:48.960 --> 01:20:49.750
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, yeah.
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01:20:49.750 --> 01:20:50.969
Akil Hill: And I was like, that's cool.
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01:20:51.780 --> 01:20:53.129
MaryLou Huerta: Yeah, it's cool.
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01:20:53.130 --> 01:20:56.966
Hong Lieu: I would definitely do my best to get as much of that in the show notes as possible.
700
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Akil Hill: Is it like the.
701
01:20:57.850 --> 01:20:58.830
MaryLou Huerta: World's longest podcast.
702
01:20:58.830 --> 01:21:00.490
Hong Lieu: No perfect perfect length.
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01:21:00.490 --> 01:21:01.020
MaryLou Huerta: Okay.
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01:21:01.020 --> 01:21:05.590
Hong Lieu: And and wrapping up. Now, thank you so much, Mary Lou, for taking the time.
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01:21:05.590 --> 01:21:06.750
Akil Hill: Thank you. Mary Lou.
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01:21:06.750 --> 01:21:09.710
MaryLou Huerta: It was an honor to have you any last words before we say.
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01:21:09.900 --> 01:21:11.799
Hong Lieu: Say bye, bye! To the listeners.
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01:21:11.800 --> 01:21:41.120
MaryLou Huerta: Thank you for your for doing the work you guys are doing honestly like this is so awesome. This is so fun. Thank you for inviting me, and I will say, cause I was nervous. So I was like, I popped into Akil's office earlier, and I was like, What am I? Gonna and it was like, he's like, dude. What we're doing right now, this is it? And and then I had to remind myself like, that's right. Anytime. I had, you know, Pop, by Akil's office, or anytime hong like you're God. You're so patient with these, with us, learning it and just learning. You know how to master the web.
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01:21:42.090 --> 01:21:53.109
MaryLou Huerta: we always had such fun conversations like just such fun. And you know, just getting to know you guys through work. And you guys are just truly awesome guys and thanks for doing this. And you know.
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01:21:53.310 --> 01:21:55.200
Akil Hill: Yeah, I hope we never lose you guys.
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01:21:55.370 --> 01:21:56.810
MaryLou Huerta: These are great. Those are a good time.
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01:21:56.810 --> 01:22:17.449
Hong Lieu: Likewise. Likewise you absolutely because you do a lot of heavy lifting over there. You know one of the hardest working people in show business, because your work directly helps with, you know, getting high schoolers in the community and outside the community as well to know more about Spcc and see what an awesome place it is, and how it's really perfect for their their next step in their educational goals. So.
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MaryLou Huerta: Thank you to them.
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MaryLou Huerta: Can you make it.
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Akil Hill: Invite me for 2 food tours.
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MaryLou Huerta: Oh!
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01:22:23.480 --> 01:22:47.730
Hong Lieu: No, you're going to help lead. You're gonna help lead it for sure. Because, again, what helps with this, the high school students and what helps with a food tour as well, that realness, that that knowledge that haven't walked that path yourself. You know exactly what you want. You know how to get it. You know what you you know, how it is going to break down and how to make it all fit in a good, well organized time, because that's where I slip up. Is you talk about your really good planner. I know I have a lot of good ideas, but I'm very, very bad at planning any.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, expertise will definitely be needed.
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Hong Lieu: So yes, thank you very much, Mary Lou.
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Akil Hill: So much Mary Lou.
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Hong Lieu: Thank you. As always. Akil.
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MaryLou Huerta: Were you going to say.
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01:22:56.740 --> 01:22:57.900
Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah. Go ahead.
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01:22:58.591 --> 01:23:04.127
Akil Hill: no, I was just gonna say, we gotta maybe do like a food truck. Taco, crawl
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01:23:05.210 --> 01:23:10.140
Akil Hill: down Oxnard Boulevard, because there's there's few trucks down there that.
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01:23:10.140 --> 01:23:10.560
MaryLou Huerta: Oh, yeah.
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01:23:10.560 --> 01:23:13.790
Akil Hill: They get down, so wear my stretchy pants for that.
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01:23:16.060 --> 01:23:18.939
Hong Lieu: All my pants stretch now, that's all I got.
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01:23:19.720 --> 01:23:21.799
MaryLou Huerta: It's even the jeans.
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Hong Lieu: Okay, okay. Y'all until next time. This was Vaquero Voices. Take care everyone.
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Akil Hill: Peace.
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MaryLou Huerta: Bye, guys.