Akil and Hong welcome Alejandra to the show to talk about the School of Extended Learning and all of the recent changes (most planned, but some unexpected) happening at the Schott and Wake campuses. From there, the three discuss Alejandra's time at SBCC - as a student, hourly employee, part-time, and then coming back as a director - before delving into some of her favorite restaurants, books, and podcasts. Make sure to check the show notes for bonus recommendations from Alejandra after we finished recording!
Mentioned in this episode:
SBCC School of Extended Learning - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/
SBCC SEL Fee-based Life Enhancement - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/feebased.php
Alice Schott and the Alhecama Theatre (mentions naming of Garfield School to the Schott Center) - https://www.independent.com/2016/04/26/alice-schott-and-alhecama-theatre/
SBCC SEL AHS and GED - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/ahs-ged.php
SBCC SEL ESL - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/esl.php
SBCC SEL Apply and Register (Application is step 2) - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/apply-register.php
SBCC SEL Student Support Services - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/student_support_serv.php
SBCC SEL Personal Care Attendant Program - https://catalog.sbcc.edu/sel/career-skills/personal-care-attendant-program-certificate-completion/
SBCC SEL Medical Assistant Program - https://catalog.sbcc.edu/sel/career-skills/medical-assistant-training-program-certificate-completion/
SBCC SEL Registration Dates and Calendar - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/calendarevents.php
SBCC SEL Basic Needs Center - https://www.sbcc.edu/extendedlearning/noncredit_basic_needs_center.php
EOPS (Shout-out to Elias!) - https://www.sbcc.edu/eopscare/
Running Start Program - https://www.sbcc.edu/eopscare/runningstart.php
Live Oak Cafe - https://www.liveoakcafe.com/
Your Choice Thai Restaurant - https://www.yourchoicerestaurant.com/
Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar - https://emptybowlnoodle.com/
Lucky Thai Ventura - https://www.luckythaiventura.com/
Duke’s Beach Grill (formerly Duke’s Griddle and Grill) - https://dukesbeachgrill.com/
Olio Pizzeria - https://www.oliopizzeria.com/
South Coast Deli - https://southcoastdeli.com/
Three Pickles - https://www.threepickles.com/
In-N-Out - https://www.in-n-out.com/
Taffy’s Pizza - https://www.taffyspizza.com/
Super Cuca’s - https://www.supercucasrestaurant.com/
Cesar’s Place - https://www.instagram.com/cesarsplacesantabarbara/
Naan Stop - https://www.yelp.com/biz/naan-stop-isla-vista
Masala Spice - https://www.masalaspicesb.com/
Apna - https://apnasb.com/
Flavor of India - https://flavorofindiasb.com/
Bibi Ji - https://bibijisb.com/
Indian Rasoi - https://www.indianrasoiventura.com/
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/
Educated by Tara Westover - https://tarawestover.com/book
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - https://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard - https://armchairexpertpod.com/
Crime Junkie - https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/
Unsolved Mysteries - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsolved_Mysteries
Based on a True Story - https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/based-on-a-true-story
Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
(Some additional restaurant selections Alejandra wanted to plug after we stopped recording:
Carnitas el Brother - https://www.carnitaselbrother.com/
Xielo Artisan Desserts - https://visitoxnard.com/directory/xielo-artisan-desserts/
Rebecca’s Juice Bar and Cenadurias - https://www.yelp.com/biz/rebeccas-juice-bar-y-cenaduria-oxnard
El Chilito - https://www.chilitogroup.com/
Broad Street Oyster - https://www.broadstreetoyster.com/)
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. 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 are honored to welcome Alejandra Ildefonso to the show. Welcome, Alejandra.
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Akil Hill: Welcome, Alejandra
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Bye, happy to be here
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Hong Lieu: And I'm learning that you and Aqil, I guess. Go way back, but I guess we'll get to that in our next segment. But for now you are the director at the school of extended learning. You oversee certain parts. I think noncredit admissions and records, noncredit student support services and the fee-based life enhancement courses that the school of extended learning offers.
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Hong Lieu: So if you want to just kind of just start with an overview about the sections that you kind of cover, and then how that fits into the wider school of extended learning and like, are you only at shot? Are you shot and wake, and all that, just just to let the listeners know about fee based courses, and then your overall kind of responsibilities at the SEO
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Of course, sounds good. So yes. So I oversee the noncredit admissions and records student support services which is actually going to be well, we have officially moved our staff to start working together, so we will be the new welcome center at the noncredit so similar to what happened in student services with Vanessa Pelton's team. They now have a welcome center. We will be the new welcome center at noncredit
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and then I oversee for the fee based program. So I am actually located at both shot and wake. So we do have. We'll have a welcome center at the wake campus. We keep calling it the flood. It's like the flood of 2024, but
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Alejandra Ildefonso: right before winter break. Unfortunately, unfortunately, our main office had a pipe burst, and so while we were planning to have you know that space reconfigured and remodeled this coming year, it kind of just moved everything up. And so all of our staff is now working from shot at the moment, and we're hoping that that
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Alejandra Ildefonso: construction, everything gets finished by the end of spring semester. And then, once that happens, we're actually going to move all of our staff over to Wake, and then our office here at shot will get remodeled. I'm not sure if you guys know this, but shot used to be actually an elementary school. And so if you come and check out some of the spaces they still have like small toilets, like the smaller, you know, just
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Alejandra Ildefonso: like even like classroom spaces. They're just. The layouts are all very different than what we see at the credit side. So we're really excited for the renovations that are happening. We'll have
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Alejandra Ildefonso: new layouts, more technology. We'll have computer labs at both of our locations. So Shaw and wake and so that's really exciting for us. Let's see, we also. So I also oversee the fee based program. And this is a program that was, you know, really, really big before. And it has
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Alejandra Ildefonso: we have shrunk that that program to try it because we're really trying to convert the majority of our fee based classes to noncredit, because, as in the name of States, there is a fee associated to the class that someone wants to take. So we want to be able to offer them majority or all of our classes moving forward to be completely free. So we are in that transition right now.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: But some of our classes that we offer through Fee base are, you know, like cooking, you can take a sushi class. You could take an engine cooking class. You can take Spanish. You can also take a class like at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. There's world dance. There's
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Taiji Yoga. There's just so many different courses that are available through fee-based, that are really, you know, really great for our community to know about. And I think sometimes people
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Alejandra Ildefonso: think of Sel. And I say this because I used to work at the credit side. We think of Sel just as the place where someone can come and learn about adult high school, Ged or Esl. But now that I am working here, I realize just how many classes we have, you know, through fee base. And then also the noncredit classes that I think our community just really doesn't know. And we're trying to do a better job of marketing those classes and
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Alejandra Ildefonso: bringing awareness also to the cliff campus just within our staff to to inform them that, you know, we have a lot of like, we people can get digital badges. You can improve your resume by taking classes that count towards your professional development. If you're currently an employee at City college. But there's a lot that Sel offers that I think
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Alejandra Ildefonso: a lot of people don't know, and then the ones that do know they are really good about signing up for the same classes over and over. So we have students who are really passionate about like our jewelry classes, our glass classes, our sewing classes
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Alejandra Ildefonso: my 1st registration day that I got to work here. I was really surprised. I referenced it back to kind of like Thanksgiving black Friday. I couldn't believe how people actually showed up like at 6 30 in the morning to sign up for specific classes. But that's just how passionate they are. That's people who've been taking these classes for like 20 years plus. And so I think
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Alejandra Ildefonso: sometimes people, the people that have been taking those classes are the same ones. But we really want to. We're trying to do a better job of getting new students to take. You know, the ceramics, classes and glass and things like that.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: so I don't know if I answered all your questions, but
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Hong Lieu: Yes.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Bit of about
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Akil Hill: Yeah, definitely.
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Hong Lieu: And I know the school of extended learning does does have a big reach in the community. Because I know when I used to work at the Public Library, and that schedule would drop. I would I would, you know, as an employee I would thumb through and be like, Oh, man, they do this, they do this. I knew about the ceramics.
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Hong Lieu: I knew about all the random, you know, the glass work classes and Tai Chi and stuff, because I looked through it, and I'd be like, Oh, man, I should take this. I should take this, and people would always be coming in asking for schedules of the library. So trust me, the name, the school of standard name is definitely good in the community, but it is always good to get that additional outreach out there for folks that might not be aware of things like the Career Skills Institute like you mentioned, and things of that sort.
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Hong Lieu: So for folks that don't know about the registration process, or
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Hong Lieu: are curious about signing up, is the best way to sign up for classes going in person to the office and talking to somebody? Or is there because I know there is an online component to browse the classes and stuff like that. But what is the best option for someone who wants to take a class and wants to learn more, and just like get registered, and everything is is stopping by the best option or
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Alejandra Ildefonso: So yes, for anyone who needs help with the registration process. But I'm really glad you're asking this question because I wanted to highlight specifically what A and R and student support services does here. But so we actually as of August of last year, we
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Alejandra Ildefonso: are now using the Ccc apply system, which is what the credit side uses. So students can submit their application online and actually register themselves for classes online as well. So there isn't a need to come here, but we do know that a lot of the students who we serve have.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you know, may need additional help registering. So if someone needs someone to sit with them to do the entire Ccc application, we will do that here. So we will also help someone register. We still have an in-house paper registration form, because kind of changing that whole process for our students was already, you know, a big challenge. So we're really trying to kind of ease into the technology. So we do have Ccc apply. But we do have the registration form.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: And then what our goal ultimately is is to be able to become paperless, but we know that our student population is probably not ready for that, so as of now filling out the Ccc. Application is a huge accomplishment for school of extended learning because we're still, we were still using the paper application a year ago. But if a student needs help
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Alejandra Ildefonso: learning about our classes filling out an application and registering. They can do all of that, both at shot and wake. So even though we don't have a main office right now at the Wake campus. We do have remote services
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Monday through Thursday at wake. So if a student lives closer to the Golita area, they can visit the room 4 at wake for assistance, or they can come to shot
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Alejandra Ildefonso: campus and our admissions and records team will help them, you know, fill out the application registration. And when I said, Our our goal is for students to eventually be able to do this on their own so that they can do the entire process from home and
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Alejandra Ildefonso: But and another thing, sorry that I wanted to highlight was our student support services. We have 2 advisors, Roberto and Mari. They are, you know, a huge support to our students because they help them learn about the student support services that we offer here at Sel, but they will also help them with Ccc. Apply. They'll help them with the registration process. But they also focus specifically on some of the programs that we have, which are
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Alejandra Ildefonso: our adult high school, Ged, Esl, and then we also have our personal care attendant program, our medical assistant program. And we are, I believe.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: pretty soon we'll also be offering a Cna program. And so you think about some of these programs out, not not within Sbcc, but
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Outside agencies sometimes charge up to $20,000 or more to go through programs like this. And so this is while the Pca and medical assistant have a small fee associated with them. Everything else is free. So it's under a thousand dollars for them to to do these things. So we really want students to know that these like vocational programs, are available to them.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: but they can always come out and ask to meet with one of our advisors. They're available on a walk-in basis, or can also schedule an appointment.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and we do have an academic counselor here on our site. Now, Renato Marquez, and he does not only academic counseling, but also mental health and wellness counseling. So that's available for our noncredit students. And
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Alejandra Ildefonso: we're looking to expand those services because we know that. Currently, you know, it's always stressful to be a college student. But I think in the political climate that we have right now, students need more support. And we're really wanting to shift our services to be able to provide the the services that students need. So so that's really exciting
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Akil Hill: So one question I have for you was so is. It is like on the credit side, right? So you know how the enrollment dates and times are given. How is it with the non credit side? Is it like 1st come 1st serve.
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Akil Hill: or how like so is it faster? Is it better to do the application online? So you can actually enroll online versus showing up at 6 am.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, so so we do have our own registration date. It used to be associated with the dual enrollment date. But then we we also, as we know, we have some
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Alejandra Ildefonso: technology challenges were like sometimes the system crashes. And so we decoupled that so that way, we found that maybe the site wouldn't crash. So we have our own non credit registration date. And we also have our own fee based registration date. So students, we encourage now, because of Ccc apply. We encourage students to do the application ahead of time. And so if you see any of our class because we still do printed class schedules here.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: If you see any of our marketing, it says, apply today. Register April 23rd at 8 am. So we're trying to get the word out that you have to apply before you can register, because in the past they would fill out a application registration form. So it would all be a 1 transaction kind of
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Where now it's a series of steps where you have to do the application online, and then you have to. You can register through your portal. But if you don't know how to do that, then you will. You can email the registration form or you can bring it in. But we do have our own registration, date and time.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: And so the people that come here at 6 30 in the morning, 6 am. They are usually sometimes students who when we talk to them. And we kind of explain that, you know. Now, they could do everything online if they choose to. Sometimes they'll just say, like, I don't have an email. I don't do email. So they choose to come in person. Yeah.
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Akil Hill: Oh, yeah.
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Hong Lieu: And it's it's something if they've been doing for years and years. And it's it's it's become like a routine where they probably see like friends.
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Hong Lieu: Friends, mate.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, so they kind of like it. Also, yeah, it's really sweet.
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Hong Lieu: But it's also been really nice to see how much the campus at the campuses at shot and wake have expanded. Like, you know, you have a basic needs center. Now you say you have Hanato doing counseling both. You know, academic as well as mental health. So it's just really nice to see shot and wake kind of really blossom, and I mean they've always been very, you know, lively, vibrant campuses. But just to get that parity with with the main cliff campus, you know, having that having those services at all, 3 campuses is really nice to see. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Exactly we really are. Now, I want to say that we really do have pretty much all the services that we provide at the cliff campus here at Sel. And we're looking to expand those services at both shot and wake. Currently basic needs is only primarily at wake. We we've gone through a few
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Alejandra Ildefonso: trial and error things where we have brought food over to a specific class. Students can come and get it. But then you need supervision. You can't have hourlies there, so you kind of have to work through those things. But I know that Juan and Roxanne are working really hard to be able to expand those services to shot. And then we also have dream center. So we have dream center resources available at Sel as well
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Akil Hill: Has a lot going on
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yes, yes, we do.
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Hong Lieu: And then so in terms of, I guess, one question for you. Since you are responsible for the admissions and records and student support services. The move to Ccc apply did a lot change on the back end for you, or was it? Was it an improvement? Did it make things easier for you, because, you know, like moving from paper to having everything stored with Ccc. Apply? Or was it kind of? Maybe you can speak on that a little bit
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, of course. So it definitely.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I trust.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: So. It's been a huge improvement. Because you're talking about anytime. Someone that wanted to add a class or drop a class. They had to fill out the application on the front side, and then put the drop or ad on the second side. So sometimes a student is having to fill about 10 of those a semester. You know what I mean, where now they fill out an application, and it's good for an entire year.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Well, really, unless they lapse, you know one semester and attending like they don't have to fill out an application again until they stop attending our school. So it really, I think it has really streamlined a lot of our processes that we do here. So before we'd get thousands of applications in a semester. And
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Alejandra Ildefonso: we're not having to process those anymore. So it's all through. Ccc apply there. Of course, Ccc apply doesn't come without its challenges. I think even at the credit side we hear
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Alejandra Ildefonso: the students, student feedback faculty feedback. And so we have the same challenges here. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: we are seeing the the benefits of having an online application, because students aren't having to come in with that paper application again and again, just to make one change. And so I think students appreciate the that they only have a registration form, or that we now have the time to show them how to use a portal and then register themselves. And then they're like, Wow, this is actually really easy. I think I can do this on my own next time. And so it's really great to hear that
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Alejandra Ildefonso: that they're wanting to take that challenge, to to learn and then be able to do it on their own.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: So it has really helped
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Akil Hill: I like, how you guys are kind of giving them both options. You know what I mean like. And you're just not making everyone
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Akil Hill: fill out an online application. And I think that's pretty good, because I know
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Akil Hill: some people I know in my in my own family that you know they're all about that paper application
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Alejandra Ildefonso: So we do make everyone fill out an we make everyone fill out an online application. But they don't have to do the registration online, they could do a paper one. Yeah. So just to clarify because we just had a meeting about explaining that you know, the registrations have to be student led. And so we are so fortunate that faculty here are really hands on with our students. But we are wanting to, you know, really empower students to do things on their own. And so I I kind of let everybody know. We, as a
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Alejandra Ildefonso: school, have made a decision to have an in-house paper registration form, which is something that really we shouldn't have anymore. But we we don't want to take everything away from our students because we know that
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Alejandra Ildefonso: these things can be challenging. So we want to still be able to support our students. The best way we can
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Hong Lieu: And the best part about the whole thing is, whatever option you know, whatever route you want to take, whatever, however, you want to approach the situation. You always have help in place at any point, to help to want to be there with folks and walk them through if they need that level of attention. So it's good to hear that no matter how folks want to interface with the process, if they if they really want to do this, and they take the time to go. Then they will get it done. Someone is there, and they will help you help make it happen. So that's great to hear
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, yes, I just really have to give a shout out to my team here. You know our
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Alejandra Ildefonso: in our student support services. What will be the welcome center is they're amazing. You know, our full time staff. And then we're really lucky to have
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Alejandra Ildefonso: 4 hourlies for? Well, 5. We have a Federal work study student also, but 5 who support us and we couldn't. You know we wouldn't be able to do our jobs without them. So they're they're amazing. And they are really the ones that keep you know the office running smoothly because
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Alejandra Ildefonso: we, you know, I hear people like, Wow, your staff is so great they're just so they're so welcoming. And and people will come in in our space and say you could just feel the good vibes. And I and for me, that's that's a lot. Because customer service is huge for me and knowing that people are coming in, feeling supported and wanting to return, that, I think, speaks volumes so
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, especially at SEO. That customer service element is important, and you can definitely feel it going into the office. You know the Wake office and the shot office both going in. I mean, everyone's always say hello and anything. And it's just just really great. So looking forward to when everything gets all renovated and fixed up, and you're you're fully rolling. But the same time, even right now
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Hong Lieu: there is help at both locations. So if you're interested or curious at all, feel free to stop by. I will get all the info from the website in terms of hours, and because you don't want to stop by when there's no one there, but you know I will get all the info in the show notes. So thank you for that, Alejandro, moving right along to what brought you to Sbcc. So sounds like you go, you and Sbcc go back a ways. But if you want to even start before that, wherever you want to start.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: All right. So it's really interesting, because so I'm going to embarrass myself. And maybe we could cut this part out. But today, as I had mentioned to Hong. We were doing an interview committee, and one of the candidates asked a question pretty much like the question that Hong just asked, and I think I was already mentally preparing for this part of my day that like. But it was interesting, because I even told the candidate like, Wow, I didn't expect your question to make me so emotional. But I think it did just trying to think back like, okay, what am I going to talk about in the podcast but
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Alejandra Ildefonso: then the other committee member said, Yeah, I kind of feel like it made me emotional thinking about. You know why Sbcc is so important to me, and like what brought us here, and like your journey that you've gone through. And so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: so I just kind of briefly mentioned that. It. My, I mean, I started here in 2,006 as a student. I've had the been so fortunate to be a student, a student worker
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Alejandra Ildefonso: hourly worker, and then come back and, you know, start my career here. But I I started here shout out to Eli, he really was like the person that that because of him I. So we're talking about customer service, and why it's so important. But we were like to. Highlight is just like how one interaction can really kind of have a defining moment in your life. And so I had explained how education was something that I really enjoyed like high school, but I didn't end on like the best
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Alejandra Ildefonso: like the bus on a high note you could say. And so I wasn't really, ever even thinking about going to college, but for some reason it was either like I go to college, or I have to be at home cleaning and taking care of my brother. So I was like, Yeah, I'm going to go figure out what species about. And so I walked into Eops by really by chance and I walked in. And then I was about to walk out, was walking right by the computer lab. And
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Alejandra Ildefonso: someone said, Hey, like, do you need to help you look lost? And this someone was actually Eli. And I said, No, I'm good. Actually, I'm fine. And he's like, Well, what did you need? And then I was like.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I think I want to take a class, and he's like, Well, what class do you want to take? And I was like, I don't know. I just. I know I'm not good at math, so maybe I should start with math. And then he's like, why don't you just come into my office. And so then from that he actually ended up signing me up for running start, which had already started, and he said, come back
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Alejandra Ildefonso: tomorrow, and if you want we'll pay you to go to school, and you take 2 classes, and every Friday you go on a field trip. And I was looking at this guy like, what is he talking about like you've been paying me to go to school? I'm gonna get to go like on a field trip every Friday. And so that's how I started. My journey at City College was through the running start program, but it all had to do with some, you know, someone being friendly and willing to take the time to to talk to me. And so I think that's why, even to this day. I tell my staff, and even just like, you know, colleagues like how
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Alejandra Ildefonso: every day we really have to be mindful of how we come to work, and
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and how we present ourselves, because you may have, you know, a lot going on in your personal life, or even just work wise. But you have to remember that that interaction that you have with student can be the 1st time they're coming, and so if they get treated unfairly, they're not going to come, they might leave and not come back, for you know, maybe months or years, or never come back. And so I think that's why that sticks so closely to me, because I just know that 1st interactions last forever. And so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: that that was a super meaningful moment for me. But after that, fortunately I was able to go through running. Start. I got a job
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and it wasn't all, you know, Rosy Pink, because I did fail all my classes. My 1st semester and Marcia brought me into her office. Marsha Wright, the director of Eops at the time, and she's like, What are you doing like you were doing so good and Running Star. And then what happened? And so I think it was a change, because in running start you have all the support. You have someone who's like constantly checking on you and then going into my 1st semester. I
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I was just kind of goofing on hanging out with my friends in the Ops department. And then when she said, Well, you can't keep your job here anymore. So you kind of have to figure it out. And so then she was really nice, and had me go talk to Pat Canny, who was in charge of enrollment services at the time, and she said, Do you have a job for her like I just don't want her.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you know, just hanging out anymore. And so they said, You have to keep your grades up, and you have if you want to have this job. And I started my job as a tour guide for Spcc. And little did I know that having that job led to eventually me, having my 1st job, as like my career was an outreach specialist, and I did that for
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Alejandra Ildefonso: 10 plus years. And
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Alejandra Ildefonso: that was really I'm like, who would think that a student job could lead to so many things. And that's really how I met, you know, keel, and everyone that I currently work with, and I feel so fortunate that people who were either my counselors, advisors, or people that I would be like. Hey? Can I ask you a quick question? Turn into friends, and for you know we've known each other for 20 plus years now. And I worked at Sbcc for almost 10 years, and then I made a difficult decision to
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Alejandra Ildefonso: to to take a new job somewhere else, and I think that was the hardest thing I ever did, because for me City college wasn't just like a place I worked at it. Was it really was like my second home and and I was like, Oh, my God, this is, I'm so crazy for trying to leave, but I felt like I
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I'd done what I had to at City College, and maybe I needed to just kind of expand. And it turned out to be one of the best things I did, because I think leaving is what was actually what brought me back to City College. I was probably the really annoying person at the other campuses that I worked at. That would be like what city college they do this. And at City College they do that city college. But I knew that eventually I'd love to come back.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I didn't know how that would happen. But this has always been home for me any chance they got, you know. Come and visit my friends and things like that. But I think just the journey that I've taken has been really, I've been really fortunate to meet the people I have and build the relationships that I've been able to. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah, I don't know if you guys have any questions I'm like, where what else am I saying?
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Hong Lieu: I think
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah. Go ahead. Akil
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Akil Hill: No, I was gonna say, I mean Allie and I go so far back. I remember when she 1st got accepted into her 4 year.
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Akil Hill: And I just remember how excited she was. I remember having a conversation about her. So yeah, this, I mean, that's just the special.
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Akil Hill: The special thing about Sbcc is just those type of connections that she had had alluded to, you know, just really feeling like a family in a lot of ways, you know.
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Hong Lieu: And I think leaving gives you that context because some folks, you know like you, if you stay in one place, you only know, really know that place. So, knowing how other folks operate. Not that there's anything wrong with anywhere else, but it does give you this idea of every place has their own kind of secret sauce, you know so
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Hong Lieu: and certain. And you just kind of you know you realize you get in where you fit in. You realize that it's
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Hong Lieu: as many things that you can complain about. It's not that bad as many things that are great about it. It's not that good. But you know, like, but there's certain places that just kind of you have you fit where? And you feel like you belong there, you know, and it's good that that allowed you to have that context and coming. And when you come back you're not coming back expecting this place to be the answer to everything or the root of all your problems. It's just what it is, you know. So it's it's having that fuller picture does does kind of help. So it's actually
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, it's really great. And I, you know, I feel like I've been really fortunate to have really great mentors, like, you know, Michael Madele was my first, st I would say, like my 1st official boss, because he took a chance on me and gave me my 1st like
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Alejandra Ildefonso: big kid, like, you know, adult job. So I'm like, Wow, like, I was only 21 at the time or 22. And I remember my 1st trip that I had to go to for enrollment services. I had to fly to Arizona, and I thought like, Oh, well, Michael's gonna come like, you know, he's my boss. We're gonna go to this, you know, Outreach fair. And then he's like, no, this is all on your own Phoenix, or have your stuff delivered there.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and I remember flying from Santa Barbara to Phoenix, and I was like, I can't believe, Michael. Let me do this on my own like I felt like, you know, I like talk about imposter syndrome, which I don't even know if it was a thing back then. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I was like, Oh, my God! Like someone's going to find out that like, I don't know what I'm doing. Quit this job. But I was like, Wow, like, now I think back. And I'm like, Wow, that they really took a chance on me. I was, you know, 2122, and I was able to get, you know, my 1st full time job and I loved every moment of it because I actually, you know, I wasn't born here. I was born in Mexico City, and so, having been an undocumented student, and then now in that moment, like being having had the chance to
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Alejandra Ildefonso: like travel, for my job was just like really life changing for me, and it just I think it kind of opened my eyes to like the opportunities that I had. And so I've also yeah, to this day I'm grateful for every single person that's come into my life. And and like Akil said it, really, yeah, I think, Sbcc, everyone that I worked with, and had
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Alejandra Ildefonso: like they, I think, sometimes knew more about me than like my own parents. And so I I think I just shared a lot of special moments with them. So that was has always been really, really,
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Alejandra Ildefonso: really special for me. Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: And and that conversation about imposter syndrome is is important to have, because at the end of the day a lot of nobody really knows what they're quote unquote, fully doing.
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Hong Lieu: You know, everyone has an idea. Everyone has, you know, like there's job descriptions, of course, but every position and what you do is so much more. And there are all these random things that get thrown at you that I it's it's important to for me. Imposter syndrome is just another name for like humility, and just being a little bit like coming at something with modesty and not like, you know everything, and just being willing to learn about things. And I think that's really the important piece. Is that because
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Hong Lieu: you're not? If you come into something really confident that you're gonna really just kill it and be good at. You're usually terrible at your job. So, having that humility of like, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm willing to figure it out, and just on the fly kind of learn about it. I think it's like, really the flip. It's like the best straight to have as opposed to like somebody be, really. But I'm the same way where I feel like I you know, I get imposter syndrome all the time, but that's how I try to flip it in my own brain. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, I get that now, even as a director. Oh, my gosh! They really let me be a director
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Hong Lieu: So I guess I'll ask this question.
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Hong Lieu: is there a point? Did you just kind of keep going? Because it was a steady career. And you just kind of kept like rising that way. Or was there a point where you really knew that you wanted to focus on this kind of work and just kind of really lock in that. This was kind of the path for you, I mean, because because it sounds like it was kind of a job, and then it became a career. Is there something that flipped for you, or did you just kind of just over time you just were there for so long that it just became so comfortable
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I love to work. That's always something that
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Alejandra Ildefonso: has come like super natural for me, just having a job. If I really think about how old I was when I started working. And I'm like, probably like 6 years old, because I started cleaning houses with my mom at that age. But so working is something that is easy for me. School was hard, so doing. So going to class hard going to my job super easy. So I always loved being challenged by whatever I had to do within my student job or my hourly job.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and so I always knew that I needed to have a job. And so when I learned that you could have a job that you enjoyed going to every day. And so I so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I realized, like I I could make this work for me, you know, like so I was fortunate because I
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Alejandra Ildefonso: talk about building relationships. And so after I graduated from Long Beach State.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: It was one of those chance things where I was like. Well, I don't have anything to lose to go ask for a job, but you're kind of embarrassed because you're like God. This girl's like back again. So I, you know, walked into Michael's office, and I was like, Hey, just graduated. Do you need any help? And he's like, Hey? As a matter of fact, we do need an hourly. And so he hired me to be an hourly. And then it just happened that the advisor who was in that position
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Alejandra Ildefonso: was leaving, and I was like, well, what the heck like I should apply. Well, I didn't actually think I should apply because I thought I was too young. And then someone said, like, Why aren't you going to apply? You're doing the job right now, and I was like, Well, I guess I guess I could do it. I could apply. So I applied just by
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Alejandra Ildefonso: by chance, and it worked out. And I did. I think I worked. I did that job for almost 5 years, and then
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Alejandra Ildefonso: And then I and then I became an Eops advisor, and I worked there for almost 5 years, and then after that, that's when I took a job at Moorpart College. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I think it was one of those things where sometimes you don't believe in yourself, but other people believe in you. And so again I say, I'm so fortunate about the people that I've surrounded myself with, because one of my colleagues he had
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Alejandra Ildefonso: made the transition from Santa Barbara City College to Ventura College, and he's like, Hey, just check it out like you never know what you know what could happen. And so I just kind of decided to apply. And it worked out, and that's how I ended up at Moore Park, and then Ventura College. And then with this job someone had said, like, Hey, there's this job you should apply. And I was like a director. I was like, that's a huge step, like I don't know. And they're like, just go for it. You never know what could happen. And so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: again, I really, I'm so thankful for the people who constantly believed in me. And then you kind of sometimes need that little push, and then it has worked out. But I think working hard is something that is something that I really believe in, and it's something that I like to do, and I like to work with people who have, you know, the same mindset also. So it comes easy when you get to work with colleagues that have the same passion for serving students and and for me, I think it was more of like I want to give back.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you know, to the same community that gave so much to me as a student. Because I feel like I'll never be able to repay Sbcc. And so just being able to provide that for
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Alejandra Ildefonso: for others is really what drives me every day. I guess you could say, Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Real, nice, excellent.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, I'm like, I'm just talking
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Hong Lieu: No, it's true. I mean, it's 1 of those things where honestly, all the positive reinforcement I've ever gotten has been outside of my family, you know, like my family, like they have a certain style, and the style is always like, build you up by breaking you down, you know. So so in terms of when you 1st time you get that kind of positive reinforcement like Oh.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: It's so weird.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah. And then, and like, this is, this is a way to. There's a way to do things that doesn't involve just kinda like, you know, like you don't. I don't have to put myself through the ringer. I can, you know I can just like based on what I just did is good enough, you know, like, so it's I can definitely see how that would that would be, you know.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Exactly. And so I think once you're in education like I can't even imagine like I mean. Yes, granted, I left and worked somewhere else. But I think I know that this is where I want to, you know, retire from, and because it really is something that I'm passionate about, and just knowing that you really do make a difference in people's lives. And I mean, I think a lot of people look for that. And it's like, how fortunate am I that I'm in a position where that that's something that I get to do on a daily basis. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: it's really it's really nice
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Hong Lieu: Excellent. Yes, we're grateful. You came back glad you're here, and great story
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Hong Lieu: moving right along. Good eating food. Section
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Alright, and she
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Akil Hill: Said. She's a foodie
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, my God!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh.
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Hong Lieu: So yeah, whether it's restaurants or something you like to cook or anything
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Akil Hill: Or or Carnitas, or
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Those who know. No, and we're gonna leave it. But I think anyone who knows me knows that my favorite topic of conversation is definitely food. So I do. One. I I'm not a gatekeeper, that's for sure. I love to actually share with people. I know some people are like when they know they have a spot they're like, I'm not telling anyone about this, but
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Hong Lieu: And I feel like I feel like this arid you, don't. You definitely don't need a gatekeeper because
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Alejandra Ildefonso: No.
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Hong Lieu: In la, the lines can get crazy. So I definitely understand where some of you don't want your spot to blow up. But here you do want to support small, you know, small businesses. You wanted to blow up so. And because the lines, I mean, there's some places in town that do have wild lines, but at the same.
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Hong Lieu: yeah, it's
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Hong Lieu: at the same time there's plenty of room, you know, plenty of room to go around, so feel free to just drop as much knowledge.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, I do love to talk about food all the time. It was actually really one of the one of my 1st things as a director here at Scl was that we hired we hired somebody, and they were new to the area. So, after you know. Obviously the the work talk I was like, Hey, so do you know, like.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: do you like to eat? Because some people are like eating is just the thing you do. But other people, you know, we're excited about talking about food, and he's like, Oh, I love tea. He's like, why do you have some recommendations. And I was like, Well, if you want, I could write you a list. And so it's really sweet, because I just decided to like, write a list of all my favorite places, and
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Alejandra Ildefonso: he doesn't work at Sel anymore. But he he got stolen over to the credit side so but he'll we'll constantly check in and be like, Hey, he's like I'm working through that food list, and he's like he'll tell me, like his feedback on what him and his wife like. And it's really fun, because I feel like food can really
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Alejandra Ildefonso: bring people together. And so I I love being able to talk about that so kind of. I was talking to Hong and letting him know we were in an interview
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Alejandra Ildefonso: committee the last few days this week, and some of the people don't bring lunch, and I was like, No, you have to eat like. Let's walk over to Live Oak, and they're like, What is that? And so, you know. Sometimes I think even when you've lived here your whole life, or or the majority of your life, I think there's so many places that people don't know about. And I think you go to what you know. And so that's why I always appreciate people sharing their places that they like to eat. But yeah, I don't know
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Hong Lieu: Live. Old cafe is a good one, too, because they have the birds in the front, and it's because
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Alejandra Ildefonso: The bird. So I'm not going for the birds. I'm going for the food
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Hong Lieu: You would skip it, you would, and you would skip it when knowing it's a hotel restaurant. Sometimes you would skip it
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: No, to go
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Hong Lieu: But it's live. Oak is a good one.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, but I know you asked me about cooking. I do I do like to cook. I like to bake but I guess I
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Alejandra Ildefonso: one of the things that I make is like Chili. I don't know Lasagna. I make a few things, but I think now, as a parent. I mentioned this to someone. I feel really bad saying this because we just talked about how I'm a foodie. But I think once you become a parent.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: You realize how much time you took for granted when you didn't have kids. And now I kind of cooking. It's like my kids not even going to like that. So do you want to make it? But my favorite foods are, you know, obviously Mexican food, because I'm Mexican. But Italian food. Thai food is really my favorite. I love. Is it your choice? Right here on Upper State Street? That's my favorite Thai food.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and also the public market, you know it's good. They have empty bowl. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah, anytime someone recommends a place. I I'll share a funny story.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: a few. Maybe it was like a year ago. I know there was like when it was raining a lot. I was laughing because I had, like
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Alejandra Ildefonso: 5 of my friends reach out, and they're like, Oh, my God, your thai food place is going to get flooded. It's like the waves are crashing into it, and I just thought it was hilarious, because I'm like, I know it like, no, it's like everyone knows that that's my Thai food places. There's this place off seaward. It's called Lucky Thai. And I was like, I must. I try to tell people about these mom and pop shops because you want those you know to be successful. And so I was just laughing because I was like, there's these huge waves crashing into.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you know, the streets and everything. But everyone's concerned, because it's my favorite restaurant to eat at. I was like good looking out guys. Thank you.
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Hong Lieu: Lucky Thai is pretty good because I've been. I've actually been there, and because I for a while I was going to Duke's Grill and grill, which is on seaward, too, because they have pinball. So I was like eating at all the little restaurants around there.
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Hong Lieu: But there was that video of the wave crashing through that one time so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: The concern was found
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, it was. But they're the nicest people, and I always say, do take out because they give you extra food, and they're so nice
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Akil Hill: What's your what's your go-to in thai food
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I would. Well, here in Santa Barbara I go to I always forget, because there's a my, isn't it? My
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Akil Hill: What do you like to order, though?
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, the pad, thai! And then the
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, God, no! I forgot what it's called. You put me on the spot. Oh, the drunken Noodles!
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, drunken rules are probably the top tier for me. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah, honestly, anytime, I I'm a i try to convince people to share their plate. So I'm like, Hey, if you get this and you get that, then we could all have 3 different plates
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Hong Lieu: Family style is totally valid. No, that's that's the way
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Hong Lieu: that's the default. That should be the
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Hong Lieu: that's why they bring on the one plate with the big serving spoon. You're expected to spoon a little bit
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Alejandra Ildefonso: No, I know, you know it was really hard for me, because my husband does not like to. He likes his food for himself, and so now he, now he shared. But at 1st I was like you like to share like, have multiple options like, why.
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Hong Lieu: You gotta give the taste of the flavors. You got to get a little because I you don't need to need one flavor to get full, but you got to try it to let the taste buds get a little bit of exercise. So yeah, definitely worth the taste
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, yeah.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, I've been duked a few times on that, though, you know, like you end up worrying the better the better of the 2.
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Akil Hill: And then you end up getting, and then you end up getting less of it. So we know how we know how that plays out. Sometimes
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Maybe that's why husbands don't want to share
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: I used to be the where I, you know, like I was a big eater, so like one portion is barely enough. So someone came off of my plate like now I don't even have enough now. I'm still hungry. What are you doing? But, as you know, in my old age I'm much better with my portion control now. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Happy, to share.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I know I love sharing. But and then my favorite gosh! Why did I just blank on their name? I was. Gonna say I was gonna share my favorite Italian place. You're gonna have to move this, because now I can't remember it.
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Hong Lieu: We can help you get there. We can brainstorm it
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Alejandra Ildefonso: It's a you know, Victoria Court, across the street from the public market
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah, is it?
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Hong Lieu: Cadaria? No, all the other ammonium
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Akil Hill: Loading.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, there!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I like the pizzeria!
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, holy used to be. Video, Schmideo used to be the video
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: That's a place that was down the way, and it was like bar 29 or bar 22, or
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I think I don't know, but it's across the street from the Chinese Food place
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, it's sushi is a yeah. It was a sushi
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Hong Lieu: 29, now
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Akil Hill: Plays.
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Hong Lieu: Then it was hungry cat
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Was exactly.
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Akil Hill: This was good.
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: No, the the place after Hungary. I think I can't remember
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah, it was bar 29 or something.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, that was really good. I always get sad when places that are so good. Leave. But do you guys remember Tupelo Junction? That was super good
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Akil Hill: Yeah. Tupelo Junction was
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Hong Lieu: I love Tupelo Junction, but I used to order that because the fried chicken salad is what everyone would get, and I used to love it, but it is not on the bone. I don't. You can't call it. Call it a chicken strip salad. It's not a fried chicken salad. It's a chicken strip salad, but it was still good
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Alejandra Ildefonso: That just happened to us recently. We went to a lunch, and I thought I ordered a cobb salad, and then my coworker and I looked at each other, and we're like, Where's the lettuce? And then we looked back at the menu. It says, Oh, a cobb bowl! And I was like, who makes a cobb bowl. And I was like, where's my lettuce? Like, yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Wait. So it was all the Cobb stuff, but over rice or something
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, it was. It was interesting.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I wanted my lettuce
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Hong Lieu: Very. That's very hardy, though. Man that that
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, yeah, it was good. But I was like, you just are so used to having it caught salad. But yeah, I'm big on sandwiches so definitely South Coast Deli. 3 pickles.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I'm like, I don't know. It's just
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Akil Hill: Have you tried? Have you been to Mission Street, Deli?
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Fried, but they're closed on Mondays. And so the one Monday that I wanted to go because I was near Cliff, I was gonna check it out. But I heard they're they're good. Do you agree? Or what do you think
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Akil Hill: Oh, they're yeah. They're definitely good. They're definitely good. I've only tried. I've tried to been there twice. So. But yeah, definitely worth going to
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, I have to check it out
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Hong Lieu: Okay? So the question then someone new, you know, new at Sel or whatever. And they're like, I wanna go to lunch. Where should I go like, what's your 1st top of the top of the head recommendation? Just you know.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I would tell them South Coast. Well, I'd ask them first, st like what kind of food they're looking
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Hong Lieu: And
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I'd say, like South Coast Deli, because I mean they have salads and sandwiches, and literally you could get anything of your Vegan pescatarian. A meat eater? But South Coast is a a big go to because it's different. You don't get that. And also
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Alejandra Ildefonso: let's see what else is around here, or or I tell them about the the Thai food place, because it's so good
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Hong Lieu: And they and they have good lunch specials. Your choice
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yes, yes, they do. And they're always super nice also. So yeah, I. So it's, you know, when you get good food and good customer service like.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Come on, that's you know that that's really really lucky. So yeah. But I would probably say South Coast or or Lucky Thai, I thought that now I was really excited when I started working at Scl, because I was like, Oh, my God! I'm going to be right here in your shop, where everything, you know, there's all these food places nearby, and then when I'm at wake, there's in and out, and I could eat in and out every day. It's almost embarrassing to announce that. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Then you realize, like, you don't get to eat like I've been to South since I worked here, and I've been here almost I don't even know over 2 years. And once I was like, Yeah, no, it doesn't
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Hong Lieu: You know, 10Â min ago you were talking about how you gotta eat lunch. And now you're like, you don't eat.
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Hong Lieu: I know something's not enough.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, honey, what's going on
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Akil Hill: No, you're actually, you're the one that's on the menu.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I know, I know, but I know I'm like man. I thought I was gonna get to go out and eat a lot more. But I know people here also.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Don't sleep on Taffy's. I ordered Taffy's for my staff a few months back, and then that was really good. I like forgot how good their pizza was
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Hong Lieu: And they have a nice little dining area, and they have some some pinball machines in their arcade, which, if you're, you know, on the low, low pinball fan, like, you know, shout out to Dean previous Guest.
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Hong Lieu: There aren't that many Pmo machines left in town, but Taffy's does have them so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah.
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Akil Hill: Because they're all at Dean's house
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Alejandra Ildefonso: That's hilarious. That's funny.
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Hong Lieu: Good choice.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah. Good choice is all the room
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Akil Hill: One last quick question, what's your Mexican go-to dish cause you said you
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Alejandra Ildefonso: That I like. Oh, I mean enchiladas. Honestly, I love green enchiladas, but I'm biased because I don't really get those from restaurants, because I usually have my my aunt cook those for me. But burritos like I think if I'm going to go get Mexican food, I probably get a burritos from super cucas or.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah, I think I try when I go out to eat, and I don't know if you guys do this, but when I go to eat. I try to think like, what should I order that I don't make at home because I kind of feel like you have to like, justify like eating, because it's so expensive now. And so I'm like, can't be ordering like I mean, granted a sandwich. But if you get a really good sandwich like South Coast Deli. Then I can justify that easily. But but sometimes I with Mexican food, I'm like I have to get something I don't normally
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Alejandra Ildefonso: make at home. So yeah, but yeah, green enchiladas. But Caesar's place like their ahuachiles
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Hong Lieu: Oh, very goodness!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: So, yeah, those are really, really good. I and I won't make those all the like the time at home. So I'm like, Yeah, let's go
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Hong Lieu: And bring it back to what you're talking about in terms of you don't like to cook as much. It's not the cooking. That's the problem right? It's the cleanup. So I think about ordering. When you order dishes, you order something that you don't want to clean up after Agua Chiles. No one trying to like, clean up after like shrimp, and making all that marinade and citrus this and that. It's like
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Alejandra Ildefonso: How much work.
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Hong Lieu: So yeah, that's definitely
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, yeah. Do you know what else? I'm sorry just to go back to about things that are good at Lucky Thai. Their curry is really good. I was like used to boycott curry, and I'm like I've been missing out for like 20 years on good curry. So I'm looking for a good Indian food place in town. So if you guys know of one, let me know
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Alejandra Ildefonso: we go to non. Is it nonspace and ivy?
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Hong Lieu: Oh nonstop.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: No, yeah, there we go. Nonstop. Yeah. But you know of another place.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: There's there's actually a decent
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Akil Hill: Dude Indians having a moment right now
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, really
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Akil Hill: Oh, yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Even masala spice in the mesa just opened up. They have a location in the mesa, but Opna, on State Street
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Akil Hill: Up, now
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Hong Lieu: Flavor of India is the old standby. And then but yeah.
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Akil Hill: What's the new one that's there where Mcdonald's used to be, too
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Hong Lieu: Oh, bbg.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, bb.
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Hong Lieu: They were down on state, and they were down a little farther down. They moved up over there, where the Mcdonald's used to be across from the Granada
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Akil Hill: I heard that that inside there the whole restaurant's pink
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, really
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Hong Lieu: There is a
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Akil Hill: Yeah, some pink lighting, and like led neon, I think on that. But
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Hong Lieu: But yeah.
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Akil Hill: Since there's also one Indian spot in Ventura right on the avenue. I forget the
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Name of that plays
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Akil Hill: T road, seat, no
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, maybe. Yeah.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, it's it's a little bit. It's on the avenue a little bit past.
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Akil Hill: you know. You drive that past that strip mall. Right?
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Akil Hill: Ian, Rossoy is, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: It's a lot
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Akil Hill: So what they do one of their specialties is they do non burritos
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh!
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Akil Hill: So they take the 9, and then they
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Alejandra Ildefonso: And then you
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Akil Hill: You can pick like whatever like the butter, chicken, or the chicken tikka, and then they put all the season. Then they roll it so it's like a burrito. And then they put the rice obviously in there and stuff so
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Hong Lieu: And they have mango, lassy, and strawberry lassie
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Akil Hill: Very last seat
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Hong Lieu: Always. See?
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Hong Lieu: Excel. Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: That sounds delicious. I'm like now. Now I'm hungry
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Hong Lieu: Yes, so I will get all this in the show notes. I'll you know, winnow it down and get it all in there. Thank you very much moving right along. Final section, higher learning, pieces of culture.
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Hong Lieu: anything you want to share book, movie, music, TV, anything that's moved you throughout your life that has, you know, pushed you to be where you are today, or just you enjoy on a on a random weekend off
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah. I think a book that I recommend to everyone to read at least once in their life is gosh! No
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Alejandra Ildefonso: pause.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Sorry
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I was like, hold on. Now, I can't think, because honestly, Mom, brain is a whole thing like you just don't remember things anymore.
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Akil Hill: Oh, yeah, for sure.
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Hong Lieu: You're still. You're still deep in baby jail. So I definitely understand
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, my God! Oh, the last lecture! Sorry. So, yeah, so. Book
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Hong Lieu: Oh yes!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Is to people is the last lecture. Which
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Hong Lieu: I mean, did you watch the video of it, too.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yes, yes.
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Hong Lieu: Video is very yeah as well. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: It's super moving. Yeah. But I mean, I there's a section of the book where he talks about I mean, so many different things just really make you reevaluate and think about how you live your life and things like that. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: one thing that I think about often about this book is. He talks about how, thank you. Cards are huge. And so I like cards. In general. I'm definitely someone who keeps all my birthday cards and any cards that people give me. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: just that section of the book you're like, Wow, like, you don't know how it could have such a big impact on someone or like the
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Alejandra Ildefonso: like, how it could make someone feel just like having a taking, a taking time out of your day to write someone to know and letting them know how you know whatever they did, it was made an impact on your life. So, but that book in general is something that I share with a lot of people. But educated is another one that's really good. But yes, I like I
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Alejandra Ildefonso: before I had a kid I would read a lot more. So I do miss reading, but I have to get back into that. So any book recommendations that you have I I would highly, you know, I would let please tell me so I could. So I could read those. Someone just recommended a book. And I'm gonna see if you guys know about it. It's called
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Alejandra Ildefonso: being mortal. Is. Have you read that
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Hong Lieu: I haven't read it, but I know they made a movie about it, too.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: That's really good. So I want to check that out. But I'm like, what else was the question I was like, but yeah, reading audio books. So I'm a big I listen to. I actually do love listening to podcasts as well. So I like to listen to the Dax shepherd. Podcast I was big on crime junkies until you start to realize like, that's kind of depressing to listen all the time. But yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you don't realize how easy it is to get away with things until you listen to so many. It's like, Oh, man, it's way way easier than I thought. Shoot.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah. So yeah, I enjoy. You know the audio books, podcasts and things like that.
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Akil Hill: There was a TV series about that. I forget the name of it. It's escaping me. But basically it's like they basically were into like watching or listening to podcasts about, you know, people, you know, past murders or whatever. And then they turned it. Then they found themselves like so engaged because there was like I think they were trying to do it after, like.
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Akil Hill: what are the 2? What was that serial killer in the Los Angeles
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Hong Lieu: Which one the night stalker
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Akil Hill: Know. I know. I know the night soccer
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Hong Lieu: Nice side.
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Akil Hill: Or the yeah.
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Akil Hill: But the show. Actually, it's kind of it's kind of like a quirky show where they actually find themselves in.
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Akil Hill: In what's the name of the show I can't remember. But they find themselves basically in meeting this. They end up figuring out that the guy who's like their plumber is actually the guy
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, my God!
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Akil Hill: It's so good it's really good. I gotta find the name of it. I'm gonna I gotta try to look that up. I was just escaping me.
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Akil Hill: Oh, my gosh! It's really good!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: But yeah, I imagine, like, you're so into that. And then you end up realizing that someone is
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Alejandra Ildefonso: the serial killer. That's kind of scary. But
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, I grew up, you know, you know, in the early to mid eighties. So like those were the things that the parents would tell you stories about like the night stalkers still on the loose, so make sure the windows are locked and the doors are locked like when my mom would tell like robber stories. There was backup. And then that was before all the stuff that was just not like the grim sleeper didn't even have a name, until, like 10 years after, he was done with most of his crimes. And it's like
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Gosh! I know!
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Akil Hill: Yeah, I'm not even going to lie true transparency. Since we're putting it out there. My mom used to be in love with like unsolved mysteries
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Hong Lieu: Oh, no! That shows the worst.
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Hong Lieu: How we that's what it was
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Akil Hill: In the eighties, man in the eighties, with the unsolved mystery like the music. Come on! I was shook every
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Hong Lieu: And Robert Stack. They picked the host with like the scariest
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Really watch that show
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Hong Lieu: He was an airplane. He wasn't scary then. He, you know, he showed up there, and I'm like, Oh, man, forget about that
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Akil Hill: It's called, Based on a true story. That's the name of it.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Okay.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, it's a TV series. I think it's streaming. Maybe it's on Peacock or something like that. But if you get a chance to check that out. You would like that, maybe up your up, your out
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Alejandra Ildefonso: The.
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Akil Hill: Fun intended
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, is that the one that they go highlight about? The roommates like they highlight about like? How I think some some of the roommates end up being, I don't know like
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Akil Hill: Like a comedy. It's kind of
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, okay. So then, no. Okay.
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Akil Hill: Yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: But there's so many shows nowadays.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, there's a lot
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Hong Lieu: So in terms of the last lecture is, I mean, it's
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Hong Lieu: it's kind of an interesting book, because it is kind of like. The whole point is like he achieved all the dreams, you know.
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Hong Lieu: But there's still more, you know, like there's there's.
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Hong Lieu: I guess I it's just one of those things where
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Hong Lieu: it was something where I was, you know, growing up, I was always taught to like kind of push through, and just do because you're trying to get to. You know that that finish line. But there's never that second part of like after you get there like that's supposed to be enough.
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Hong Lieu: you know, and that was the thing I really take away from last lecture of this guy was super successful, you know, really ticked all the boxes on his list. But still there's always more. And that was really the enlightening thing about that. Where for my parents, they never got even close to where they thought they wanted to be so, the more was still in the striving of the main goal. So
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Hong Lieu: for me that in
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Hong Lieu: it's given me that context because I you know I don't. I never really thought of my life in that way, like I had never set goals for myself, because for me, survival was a goal, you know, like, just like getting through the day. So to really
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Hong Lieu: like, I never have to like. I never have that disillusionment of like oh, I should have done. I mean, of course, you. You feel that no matter what, just in terms of like, you know, hindsight, and this and that reflection, but at the same time I definitely feel I'm lucky I got that ground. That groundedness of not needing to chase as much. But at the same time
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Hong Lieu: the last lecture really did help in that regard, because with all that chasing and and he made most, did almost all the things he would sought out to do. And still there is that more so it's it was definitely a very insightful book, and and helpful in that regard. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, it's a great book, because then it helps you put things into perspective, like it's like, well, also about remembering to live in the moment, because we're always like when I do this. And when I get to this.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you know part of my life, I'm going to be happier, and it's like, well, no, because don't forget to enjoy the moments that are taking you to where you think you. You know you're going to achieve happiness because you should be happy now, and I think that's 1 of the things that sometimes we forget, because, you know, life is just so busy. And you're just trying to get through every week, but
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Alejandra Ildefonso: remembering to slow down and and remember. And I think sometimes it's like realizing that I used to, you know. Personally, I want to, you know. Think about it my perspective. It's like I used to work so hard thinking like I can't wait to have you know my 1st career, and it's like, and then you do. And then it's like you forget to, even, you know. Celebrate that. And then it's like I can't wait to, you know. Go back and work at Sbcc. And it's like, now I'm here, and it's like sometimes you forget to enjoy enjoy the moment. So. I think it's just sometimes life is just so busy. But yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: remembering to reflect is is good also.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, I like that point that you made about the handwritten notes I meant like, last week
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Akil Hill: I had a student stop by and he left a note for me, and he even said in the note, I decided to leave a note, because I think it would be pretty cool.
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Akil Hill: and and so like, right? So it just. But it's funny, because it literally hit me like, just like how I appreciate it. And I actually still have it here on my desk. But that's actually just that like, he could have sent me an email. He could have texted me. But the fact that he actually Hand wrote a note meant so much to me
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Alejandra Ildefonso: And you know
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Alejandra Ildefonso: it kind of sticks out like it's just you remember those. And it's not to say that like
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you're now telling everyone. Please send me. Thank you. Notes, or any
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Akil Hill: No, I am telling you
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Please.
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Akil Hill: After the show is over. Hey? Enter campus mail after the show, Ali. I'll be on the lookout
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Hong Lieu: Stock in hallmark, because
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Car companies are like, Thank you. A kill.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: But it's but when it's, you know, and when it's so, when it's genuine, you're just like, wow! That was like, I really take the moment to be like, wow! That was really nice of them to take the moment like, you know, the time to do that, because no one has time really nowadays to do those things. So. And it's also, I think someone was talking about like the art of writing, because a lot of us don't take the time to write things down anymore. And it's always like a text or an email. So you're like, Wow, like, someone actually took a moment to write something. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
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Hong Lieu: Hand cramps up. Quick now! And
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, gosh me, too! We don't write anything anymore
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Akil Hill: Holly and I were joking, too. Was that earlier this week we were talking about that we're talking about like handwritten letters and mixtapes. Oh, yeah, you know, like, back in the hallway
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Alejandra Ildefonso: In the day. You don't
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Alejandra Ildefonso: more than yeah, like people don't do. I mean, I think it's now probably text each other. But yeah, I remember getting in trouble, for you know you'd write. You pass notes to your friends, and that was part of middle school and high school, and I don't think people are doing that
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Hong Lieu: No, they're my son is still getting notes. Well, he's intercept
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00:59:29.760 --> 00:59:38.570
Hong Lieu: like he has people that are right notes, and he's on the like the along the way, and he'll like find a way to intercept it and be like I got this like espionage style, like, Oh, man!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, my! Gosh!
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Hong Lieu: Someone finds out. Someone finds out you've been sneaking nose that's like a that's like an elementary school death penalty right there
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Akil Hill: Man. Listen! I remember I got the note of my life, man. I remember where I
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Hong Lieu: Right.
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Akil Hill: I opened it up she told me she had a crush on me. I remember everything.
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Akil Hill: Oh, that's like nice, because
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Hong Lieu: Love was puppy man.
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Hong Lieu: I got the opposite where I wrote the note, and then they're like, I'm not about that. I wanted to work hard to get that courage to write that note. No.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Bye.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, my gosh! That's funny! You go back and look at your memory box and see what you find. They're like. Oh, gosh! The things we used to write about
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, I mean, because talking about mixtape, the effort to make a mixtape like you had to either record it off the radio or
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Download your thing.
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01:00:23.820 --> 01:00:44.579
Hong Lieu: Or in a in a post home alone world. You could have a tape recorder, you know, because after the after home alone 2 came out. Everyone will kind of want I got a tape recorder, I know that, but I mean so I was either tape recording songs or recording them off, tape off the radio and then sequencing them onto a second tape and that tape. Then you then getting someone else to do the nice drawing on the cover, because I can't draw like that.
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Hong Lieu: you know, but I would write the track list out, and then, you know, give it away. So the effort of the effort in the curation and in the creation. I mean, that's that's where the thank you know that essence comes
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yes.
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Hong Lieu: Well.
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Akil Hill: Yeah, yeah, that's absolutely spot on
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah. And I just remembered one last book. If you haven't read, I highly recommend atomic habits. It's also really great on audiobook. That helps just like not just like for work, but in your personal life, how to change your habits to be more efficient. And I think sometimes we think about like, oh, we have to have goals, or we have to set, you know, resolutions. And it breaks it down to
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Alejandra Ildefonso: the the smaller your habit is, the more likely you'll continue to do it longer long term, and I don't know if you guys are like used to be this thing where people are like? Does everyone have a chair in their room where it's like, you just leave all your clothes from the week. And then, by the weekend, there's this huge pile. So I definitely used to be one of those people. But
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Alejandra Ildefonso: that book, like it, helps you like really kind of change your lifestyle, if you know like. However, you want to implement it, but it talks about like if you just get home and you do one thing every single day, and you repeat it, it becomes a habit. And then at the end of the week, you don't have to. Do.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: You know all these different tasks because you've already been taking care of them during the week. And so it actually was such a great book for me to to read at the time when I was working somewhere else, because I was trying to learn how to be more efficient in certain things. And just there's a lot of life stories in that book as well. I love biographies. And so an autobiography. So
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and so, yeah, that's a really good book. So I really recommend that one
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Hong Lieu: Okay. So just for the cliff notes, versions for the for the listener in terms of you want to try to change one of these habits, because I have one of those chairs with jackets all over it in my living room right now.
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Hong Lieu: Is there?
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Hong Lieu: Is there an anecdote or a tidbit from that book that you
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01:02:37.170 --> 01:02:37.670
Alejandra Ildefonso: Okay.
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01:02:37.670 --> 01:02:38.340
Hong Lieu: Motivate me.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah. So when you get home and you're you're like, take your jacket off. You're just gonna put on a chair. You just walk straight to your closet. Hang it, just start doing that, you know. So you avoid the chair. Just start, you know. If it's your shoes, you take off right. When you get home, put them in your closet or your shoe rack. And then I was like, it's so crazy because this is like, 3 years ago, I started doing this, and for 2 years, yeah, and and I'm like, Wow, I don't even have a chair anymore, like where I put all my
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Hong Lieu: Wow!
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, but I mean, it's like, it seems like something like, so- so lame because you're like, Wow, it's literally just a clothing of shirt. But it's other things, you know, like, if you
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I don't know like like, if you you procrastinate on like, oh, having to check emails if you just tell yourself, like, you know, every morning from 8 to 9, like, it's just my email time, or whatever it is, or you know, the 1st 15Â min of the day I do emails. And so then you start to do that. Then that's just what
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Alejandra Ildefonso: you get so used to it that not doing, it actually becomes weird for you. So so just hang your clothes, walk straight to the closet and start doing that every day. Then you'll be like, oh, wait! Like, as soon as I take something off I just have to put it back in my closet. But yeah, I know it seems silly. And it seems like things that you're like, well, yeah, I know if I just do that it's that easy to change.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: but something about someone reading it or hearing it. They're like, Well, that's true. I'm going to start to do that because it's kind of like when you're when you talk about when you're an athlete. You say I want to be
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01:04:06.200 --> 01:04:29.619
Alejandra Ildefonso: the best runner you're like, well, yeah, I know I have to focus on my diet. I have to focus on my exercise, but it's like those are so vague. Where, if you're like, well, I want to be a better running runner. So every morning going to start waking up early. So you start waking up early, and then the next thing that you implement is like, well, I'm going to wake up early and need a good breakfast, and then you start. So you stack habits on each, like, you know, like kind of. So you stack habits.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: and then it becomes a routine where normally we're like, Oh, I just have to eat healthier, and it's like, Well, that's not going to get you to eat healthier, because you have to say, like, I have to stop shopping in this section of the store, I'm gonna start focusing more on just the produce section. And so you really are shifting the way that you think about things. And I'm like, like.
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01:04:46.550 --> 01:04:54.834
Alejandra Ildefonso: it seems again so easy. But when you, when when they're breaking it down, and they give a really great story about how
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01:04:56.040 --> 01:05:22.556
Alejandra Ildefonso: about like the Tour de France like how there was a country that wanted to. They hadn't had any winners, and they were looking into why? And then they started focusing like their time on like getting all these specialists and nutritionists. And and then how that country ended up winning after a couple of years. And so it was just really great to see how like changing a few things really makes a huge impact in the long run. So,
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah, good book.
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Akil Hill: I definitely have one. Have one of those chairs in my room
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Hong Lieu: But the funny
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Akil Hill: But here's the funny thing I know now, like cause I kind of was doing that right. So when when it gets stacked with like clothes I feel out of balance right? So that's the piece right? Like I'm not by any means. I'm not like a Mr. Feng Shui, or anything, but
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01:05:49.500 --> 01:05:49.819
Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah.
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01:05:50.140 --> 01:05:52.859
Akil Hill: The the pieces that like.
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Akil Hill: You know what it feels like when the room is clean, and and how you feel in that space, and then, when you're not, when that space isn't reflective of that, you feel off a bit. So yeah, I believe that completely
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Alejandra Ildefonso: But if you yeah, you should take the like, if you should like, if you get a chance to read like, do the audio book. It's easy and and you're like, Wow, like, like, I know all these things like, why, why don't I just implement them
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Hong Lieu: Acting on that initial small step gives you the motivation and just keep building incrementally like it really
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01:06:26.130 --> 01:06:26.800
Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah.
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01:06:26.800 --> 01:06:28.990
Hong Lieu: It really does come down to that which is good
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Alejandra Ildefonso: I don't know how it works out for you, Hong
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Hong Lieu: I'll probably end up at Ikea 1st and get some kind of coat rack. A coat rack would help, too.
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01:06:40.102 --> 01:06:41.830
Akil Hill: With the cheat codes on with the cheat codes
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01:06:41.830 --> 01:06:43.370
Alejandra Ildefonso: Never
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Hong Lieu: I'm usually not a shortcut guy I am, but I'm not, you know. But yeah.
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01:06:46.792 --> 01:06:47.610
Alejandra Ildefonso: In this case
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Hong Lieu: Part of the court
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01:06:48.190 --> 01:06:49.700
Alejandra Ildefonso: Works harder to harder.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, so yeah, thank you. I will get all the show notes. Thank you, Alejandra. You made it through.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Oh, yeah, thank you.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Where'd they go?
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Time to listen to to me?
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Hong Lieu: Oh, it was! It was an honor and a privilege. But before we say goodbye, any any final words, or any anything you want to share with listeners before we let you go.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Yeah, Akil, don't tell people about the Carnitas and
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01:07:15.290 --> 01:07:18.270
Akil Hill: Look I was gonna say it. I had so no openings. But I'm like
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01:07:18.270 --> 01:07:18.930
Alejandra Ildefonso: I know.
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Akil Hill: Not going to do it.
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Akil Hill: I know that's why you asked me what my favorite food is, and I do love Carnitas. But I wasn't gonna say that
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Alejandra Ildefonso: No, thank you all so much. This is really great. I do appreciate the fact that you guys get to do this. I didn't even know, Spcc had a podcast. Until you guys shared the link for your previous guest. And it was awesome just to, I think we see each other all, you know, at work, and we know the academic part of what everyone does, but being able to hear their stories, and how people got here is really inspiring. And so
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Alejandra Ildefonso: definitely subscribed to the podcast so that I can listen to the rest of the episode. So good job.
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Alejandra Ildefonso: yeah.
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Hong Lieu: And
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Akil Hill: I just
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Hong Lieu: Got. Everybody's got a great story at the end of the day, for sure
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Akil Hill: Yeah. And if you guys, if the listeners want to hear the stories about the Carnitas, you know where my office is at.
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Akil Hill: we'll put you on air. But if people want to know, I have to let, I gotta let the people know
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Hong Lieu: And on that note. Thank you again, Alejandra. I will get all the info and shown us about Sel. And sign up for classes. Thank you as always. Akil.
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Hong Lieu: do you listen until next time. This was Vaquero Voices. Take care y'all
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Alejandra Ildefonso: Thank you so much. Bye.