“One day, a friend stopped by [my job at Chrome Digital in Little Italy], and on a whim, I asked him to step into the street for a quick portrait,” Castillo says. “A few days later, another friend visited, and I snapped his portrait, too. That was the moment something clicked. I knew I was onto something.”

We’ve woven a selection of Castillo’s portraits throughout this issue because, well, we love people- watching. Humans are beautiful, unique, wild, and complicated. And fun to look at.

Richard Ybarra (above)

What’s one interesting fact about you that people—even your friends—may not know?

“My friends know me as a cowboy wannabe—they call me Buckaroo Richard. But what they don’t know is that I’m a Western TV and movie aficionado. I’m up at 4 a.m. watching my movies and shows.”

Nan Coffey

What’s one interesting fact about you that people—even your friends—may not know?

“When I was 12 years old, I carried the torch in the 1984 Summer Olympic Torch Relay. I ran my segment in Carmel, CA. I still have the torch.”

Drasko Bogdanovic

What’s your favorite SD memory?

“I work as a State Parks Lifeguard. I got to rescue a sea turtle during El Niño years back.”

Sofía Tannenhaus & Elena

What are you thankful for?

“I was widowed while I was pregnant and I am profoundly thankful to have a healthy, vibrant, and caring daughter. It is such a privilege to be her mother. I am forever grateful that my husband chose to marry me and for his last gift to me: our sweet girl.”

Denise Pomplun

What’s your favorite SD memory?

“Definitely going to breakfast and the swap meet on the weekend with my family. Me and my dad used to go eat at Jimmy’s Family Restaurant, then hit up Kobey’s. I always remember having the best time and getting so excited about what I would find.”

Chenoa Scalora

What’s one interesting fact about you that people—even your friends—may not know?

“I played the alto saxophone when I was in junior high. I played it because of Lisa Simpson—and because the teacher told me my hands were too small to play it, so I wanted to prove him wrong.”

Tone Anderson

What’s one interesting fact about that people—even your friends—may not know?

“My mom calls me Boo, still.”

Daniel Rodriguez

What are you thankful for?

“I’m thankful for the San Diego cycling community. Many people in that community invest their time and energy to host free local events that bring so many different cyclists together. At the same time, I appreciate the effort of local political leaders who have worked on improving city infrastructure to [make biking] safer and easier around San Diego.”

Lety Beers

What are you thankful for?

“I’m thankful for my music and skate family. Keeps my life rich and full of action and amazing friends.”

Vayunamu Bawa

What’s one interesting fact about that people— even your friends—may not know?

“I have always wanted to be a fashion designer and release a clothing line.”

BJ & Pete Jezbera

What’s one interesting fact about that people— even your friends—may not know?

“I have performed plays on three iconic stages in San Diego—The Old Globe, the La Jolla Playhouse, and San Diego Repertory Theatre.”

The post Photos: Portraits on Kettner appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Read by Alexander and Altman, Episodes is a braided narrative of memory. The authors, both San Diego natives, take turns recounting stories of their budding friendship in their 20s and building on each other’s recollections of their deepening connection. It’s an impressive feat, both in intimacy and structure.

Along the way, Alexander fills in the gaps of her childhood, recounting how abuse at a young age shaped much of her experience as an adult. The story traverses decades, culminating in a touching act of friendship in which Altman flies to Mexico on a rescue mission to find Alexander naked on the streets of Playa del Carmen in the midst of a manic bipolar episode triggered by IVF treatments. 

San Diego Magazine checked in with Alexander and Altman ahead of the audio book launch to find out more about the project. 

How did the idea for Episodes come about?

Mara Altman (MA): I always write about personal stuff and taboo subjects. Kat and I were navigating her recent bipolar diagnosis and some intense manic episodes. I was working on another writing project, but I kept thinking about the experiences we shared during her mania. Finding her on the streets in Mexico was a huge part of that. It felt important to show people what a mental health crisis really looks like and the ripple effects it has on family, friends, and community.

What’s the heart of this project for you both?

Kat Alexander (KA): I like to say it’s a love story about me and my best friend. This project isn’t about me being defined by my trauma, my infertility, or my diagnosis. Mara captures me and our friendship with humor and heart, and she’s helped me learn how to have healthy boundaries.

MA: I’d call it a love story, too—two best friends navigating an intense mental health crisis. It’s a window into what it means to experience psychosis triggered by IVF treatment and the fallout of that, especially given our fractured mental health care system.

Kat, how did you feel when Mara proposed co-writing this with you?

KA: It was serious for me. I mean, I burned out in my previous work, and I’ve learned that you can’t try to save the world when you’re struggling to get through each day. So I told Mara I’d need space if I needed breaks and that I had to write this for myself. I wasn’t going to try to save the world with this book—it was just about telling the story as it happened.

How did you structure your writing process for such a personal story?

MA: It was a slow peeling back of layers. I started by writing my perspective as a foundation, then added questions for Kat. We’d get together, take long walks, [and] talk it out, or I’d write while she dictated. Sometimes she’d free-associate memories, and, later, she’d go back and add more detail. As she healed, Kat remembered more, and we kept building from there.

Was it challenging to tell this story, given how memory can be affected by trauma and mental health struggles?

KA: Memory was definitely a hurdle. After my first psychotic episode, I was overwhelmed by grief, feeling like my life as I knew it was over. Mara would gently help me recall certain moments. This process was incredibly healing for me—it gave me the space to process what had happened.

Who are you hoping to reach with Episodes?

MA: For me, I hope to give people a window into what a mental health crisis looks like, to show them the human side behind the headlines about mental health. I want people to understand that a crisis can happen to anyone.

KA: There’s an epidemic of unresolved trauma, and it can lead to addiction, health issues, and so much more. This is an invitation for anyone with unresolved trauma or who’s going through a crisis to find hope. I also hope it shows that mental illness is not what defines a person.

Can you tell us about one of the most challenging aspects of this project?

KA: Grief was a big part of it. After my first psychotic episode, I lost a lot—friends, relationships, stability. Mara would scoop me up and gently help me recall certain moments. It was intense, but healing.

Did you learn anything surprising about mental health in the process?

MA: Definitely. I’ve learned a lot about managing mental health, even joining a call with Kat’s psychiatrist to better understand her medication adjustments. It was a whole new layer of insight for me as a journalist and friend.

What’s one thing you learned or are particularly proud of in this project?

KA: I’m proud that Mara and I are still friends, even closer. Writing a project like this can strain any relationship, and we’ve definitely had hard moments, but it’s made us stronger.

MA: I’ve learned so much about mental health. This project taught me to be patient and compassionate, and it’s changed my understanding of what it means to be there for someone going through a mental health crisis.

Q: What’s the message you want people to take from this story?

MA: I want people to break the stigma around mental health issues. And ultimately, we’re just telling the story of what happened—people can take from it what they need. We always felt that we didn’t need to do too much, the story is enough.

KA: Healing is possible.

Alexander and Altman will celebrate the release of Episodes on Tuesday, November 12, at 6 p.m. at Bivouac Adventure Lodge in North Park (3980 30th Street).

The post The Story is Enough appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Then, Rosinsky came to roost in San Diego in 2012, building her nest in a most unusual location: the Fairmont Grand Del Mar.

Following a health scare in San Miguel de Allende, where she’d briefly moved after the death of her husband 15 years ago, Rosinsky was diagnosed with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), a condition that can cause excessive bleeding. Doctors at UC San Diego Health were among the top experts on the disease, so Rosinsky traveled here for treatment, taking a room at the Fairmont. Initially, she says, physicians gave her four months to live—but seven months on a lung medication that kept her virtually immobile dramatically extended that prognosis. The treatment has since saved others. “God gave me work to do in San Diego: to find the cure for HHT,” she adds.

Somewhere along the way, Rosinsky realized she’d need more long-term housing. But when she informed the Fairmont she’d be checking out, she recalls, a receptionist asked, “Why? We love you here.”

“My dear,” she replied, “I can’t afford you.”

The general manager, however, suggested she make a deal—and then accepted her offer. “Welcome,” she recalls him saying. “This is your home now.”

As the hotel’s only permanent guest, she spends her days practicing pilates in her room; writing her memoirs; and dining at the resort’s onsite restaurant, Amaya, where the staff members all know her by name. “I’m the grandmother of everyone here,” she says.

The post Meet Fairmont Grand Del Mar’s Only Permanent Guest appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The kids at Eunime Por Tijuana orphanage are just like other children. Their deep belly laughs, sweaty games of street soccer, and ambitions and dreams for the future are the same. However, one difference sets them apart: Most of the kids at Eunime are HIV-positive.

Just a few miles south of the San Diego-Tijuana border crossing and framed by a rainbow fence, Eunime serves as a safe haven, providing orphaned children the necessary medical care and resources to live a life as unaffected by their diagnosis as possible. Founder Juana Ortiz started Eunime 20 years ago in honor of her sisters Eunice and Noemi, who, according to Juana, were among the earliest diagnosed cases of HIV/AIDS in Tijuana. Ortiz now serves as the general director.

“Eunice did not have the opportunity to receive treatment and be in good health,” Ortiz explains in Spanish. “It is in her memory that we do our best to give attention to all children that may need it.”

While Ortiz and I talk, I hold a 22-day-old baby, still unnamed, in my arms. His fate remains unknown, as the bloodwork that will determine his status hasn’t come back yet. His mother is HIV-positive and doesn’t regularly take her medicine. After he was surrendered at a local hospital, the hospital reached out to the National System for Integral Family Development, which contacted Ortiz for placement help. The baby’s eyes, big and brown, catch mine. He gurgles contentedly and falls back asleep, nestled in my chest.

“Do you think Sebastian fits him?” Ortiz coos, pinching his fat tummy.

“I do,” I reply, trying to swallow the growing lump in my throat. Ortiz and I walk to the abandoned lot next door which, thanks to a recent donation, now contains a playset. The children flock around her with their incessant chirps of Juana, Juanita, Ma.

A little boy swings on the new playset, pumping his legs with all his might to achieve the highest possible arc. The other residents race under him, nearly keeled over with laughter, trying to avoid colliding with the pendulum.

Despite support from donations and government assistance, Eunime is increasingly more expensive to run. Ortiz cites the increased minimum wage and decreased government support following the pandemic as financial stressors.

“We are operating with 70 percent of what we need,” she says. A rotating staff of caretakers and volunteers allow for around-the-clock care and supervision. Between looking after newborn babies, doing laundry for 20, helping with homework, and distributing the children’s medicine, there is never a dull moment.

Once, Ortiz tells me, the kids managed to sneak around 20 dogs into the orphanage, moving the pups from room to room trying to avoid her, hoping she wouldn’t hear the pack.

January 19, 2023

PHOTOS: The Growing, UCSD-Backed Migrant Community in TijuanaRELATED ARTICLE

“We have to have some sort of rule in place,” she laughs. “There can’t be more dogs than kids.”

Since 2004, nearly 70 children have called Eunime home. Eight have been adopted; the rest have grown up entirely under Juana’s wing.

“We will never match the attention [a child can get from an adoptive] family,” Ortiz says. “So we feel deeply grateful that God may grant them the opportunity to have a family.”

Ortiz works closely with the kids to create a life plan for when they age out of the orphanage at 18. Residents have gone straight from Eunime into university. Others have joined the workforce or started their own families.

Ortiz motions to a wall of photos in the waiting room. Alongside images of her sisters are records of all her residents’ young lives, from baby pictures to middle school sports team shots to college graduation photos.

“Here, we are a big family,” she says.

The post Eunime Por Tijuana Provides Refuge for Orphaned Children with HIV appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

After months of planning, I learned just how stressful it can be to decide on the ideal time and place to ask for my partner’s hand in marriage. Let me save you some headaches and sleepless nights with this list of the 10 best proposal spots across San Diego County.

Inside Sunset Cliff’s Hidden Cave

When it comes to proposing in San Diego, Sunset Cliffs is often at the top of the list (even my brother-in-law and one of my best friends proposed here). For a unique twist, venture off the beaten path and consider trekking down to the Sunset Cliffs cave. The hike from Luscombs Point can be challenging, so make sure to wear sturdy footwear and check the tide charts to ensure the cave is accessible (you can only reach it during low tide). Just remember to keep a firm grip on the ring as you navigate the rocks—you don’t want to accidentally offer it to the fishes.

Among the Gardens in Balboa Park

Balboa Park, with its 130-year history, is one of San Diego’s most enchanting spots for a first date—or an unforgettable proposal. Although the Balboa Park Botanical Garden is under construction until 2025, the Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) offers a serene and beautiful alternative. Spanning 12 acres, JFG as a beautiful and serene spot for couples tying the knot. Located on 12 acres of winding gardens full of exotic plants native to San Diego and Japan, JFG is the perfect spot for nature-loving couples. Surrounded by hundreds of cherry trees, azaleas, and camellias, you can pop the question in a truly magical setting. The garden is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a $16 admission fee, but for a more private experience, reserve a VIP photoshoot from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., giving you the garden all to yourselves.

Overlooking the San Diego Bay

For something low-key yet special, book a table for two at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse on Harbor Island and reserve a suite at the Pendry for after the celebrations. Tom’s offers fresh seafood and outdoor dining with panoramic views of the San Diego Bay, all within a historic lighthouse that offers two levels of patio seating. Imagine enjoying a plate of freshly caught salmon, a glass of your favorite white wine, and a tray of oysters, and then watching your soulmate’s reaction as you propose at golden hour. Finish the evening with a Champagne toast at Fifth & Rose inside the Pendry Hotel.

Sailing the Seas

There’s nothing quite like being on the water, away from the noise and bustle of the city. If you’re confident enough to venture onto open waters with a ring in your pocket, consider popping the question aboard a private yacht or sailboat from Triton Charters. Just to be safe, take some Dramamine, skip the shots until afterward, and maybe do a few split-squats to steady your sea legs for the big moment. (Everyone thinks they’re steady until they’re making arguably the most nerve-wracking decision of their life. No pressure.) For a more relaxed experience, a dinner cruise with City Cruises starts at $113 per person.

Among the Sealife at the La Jolla Children’s Pool

The La Jolla Children’s Pool is another picturesque location for couples looking to propose. Located along the stunning coastline of La Jolla Cove, this spot offers stunning views of the local wildlife and a variety of nearby venues to celebrate. To access the Children’s Pool beach, park (or valet) in the La Jolla Village and take the stairs on Coast Boulevard to the crescent-shaped hideaway. Avoid weekends, as it tends to get crowded—with both tourists and seals. Walk down to the end of the seawall, which juts out into the ocean, and take a knee with the coastline and a golden sunset behind you. Afterward, enjoy a three-course meal at Eddie V’s followed by drinks at the historic La Valencia Hotel patio or the newly revamped Whaling Bar.

Among North County’s Vineyards

What better way to celebrate your engagement than with a day of wine tasting? Just 30 minutes from San Diego, Orfila Vineyards in San Pasqual offers award-winning wines, tasting experiences, and stunning scenery to enjoy with your partner. Just be careful not to indulge too much in the good stuff before you pop the question—don’t let a buzz get in the way of hours of rehearsal. Time your proposal for sunset and grab a bottle of wine on your way out to keep the celebration going. Afterward, consider adding Orfila’s Wine Lovers Club to your wedding registry for the gift that keeps on giving.

Gliding Above Black’s Beach

If you and your partner are adrenaline junkies, consider proposing while paragliding at Torrey Pines Gliderport. Also, it’s hard to say no to a proposal while soaring hundreds of feet above the ground, right? Jokes aside, for $200, couples can paraglide (or, for $225, hang glide) over Black’s Beach for an unforgettable experience. Afterward, set up a romantic picnic with candles, blankets, and a bottle of wine on the grassy hillside just north of the gliderport.

On Snapdragon Stadium’s Jumbotron

Sure, it’s been done before, but what better way to shout your love from the rooftops than on a giant screen for everyone to see? Sports enthusiasts can propose at Snapdragon Stadium during a Wave, Legion, Aztecs, Seals, or MLS match, sharing the most memorable moment of their life with thousands of other fans. (Be sure to casually check with your partner beforehand so you don’t strike out on the big screen.) For more information about game-day proposals, contact guest services at Snapdragon Stadium.

In a Hot Air Balloon

Inspired by Pixar’s Up, why not take a private hot air balloon ride with your loved one via Compass Balloons? High above the city, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the Encinitas coastline, Del Mar cliffs, and rolling hills of Rancho Santa Fe. For $500, the proposal package includes professional photography, a drone video of the proposal, and a post-flight engagement shoot. Whether you choose a sunrise or sunset tour, you’ll toast with complimentary Champagne and create memories to last a lifetime. Pro tip: Tie the ring to a string and through a belt loop until it’s safely on your loved one’s finger—juuust in case there’s any turbulence.

Intimate Picnic on Coronado Beach

If you prefer a more private and intimate proposal, consider reserving a private picnic on Coronado Beach with the help of San Diego Picnics. Their picnic proposal packages start at $535 and include a charcuterie board, a pitcher of lemonade, and optional professional photography during and after the proposal. Celebrate afterward with dinner and drinks at Serẽa, followed by a stay at the iconic Hotel del Coronado.

The post 10 Stunning Places to Propose in San Diego  appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Deep in the sea of booths, Wali Amin settles comfortably in his abyss of folding tables, crowded with a dizzying array of used doodads: shoes, CDs, a picnic basket. Amin has been buying out storage spaces for the past 12 years—but this is far from his first business venture.

“It’s in my blood,” he says. “My father was an entrepreneur, my grandfather was an entrepreneur, and so on. They used to travel the Silk Road.”

Amin’s father was a fur merchant in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amin was a tween when the Soviet Union invaded the country in 1979. His family fled to India, where Amin earned a college degree before moving to the US in 1990.

In between shifts at a gas station and as a valet driver in San Diego, Amin slung antiques at small swap meets in El Cajon. Over time, he eventually opened a high-end Italian clothing store. He married in 2000 and started a family. Then, the 2008 recession struck, and he lost everything.

“There were times, after I went bankrupt, [that] I didn’t have the money to buy McDonald’s,” he says. “[But] we have to work, you know? This country is opportunity, and it all depends on how you take it.”

Amin turned to garage sales and storage unit auctions to rebuild his business. “The best thing about doing this is the excitement of what comes out of the box,” he says. “It might be gold, and then there’s times that rats jump out.”

A customer pauses at one of Amin’s tables to pluck a beautiful acoustic guitar—one of the many treasures Amin pulled from obscurity. The drive to make the most from the least seems to be another family trait.

“[My brother] always used to tell me that you have to make good out of your bad,” Amin says.

The post The Treasure of Kobey’s Swap Meet   appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Courtesy of Georgina Trevino

“I feel like I love to go into the chaos knowing that I can come home,” she says, adding that she often gets asked why, after all she’s accomplished so far, she doesn’t simply move. “I love San Diego. I just love being here, because I’m in between both worlds.”

Following Treviño’s Instagram is something of a whirlwind experience itself; a crash course in what it means when an up-and-coming designer generates enough buzz to where they’re becoming the go-to accessory for photo shoots and step-and-repeats for the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Lady Gaga, and Bad Bunny, the latter of whom insisted on keeping a pair of earrings she created after he wore them for a music video. “That almost made me cry,” she admits.

Courtesy of Georgina Trevino

Inspired by lowbrow pop culture as much as by ’80s punk rock aesthetics, Treviño’s custom rings, bracelets, and dangles have appeared in Teen Vogue, Purple magazine, and most recently, the Los Angeles Times, who commissioned her for a custom spread in their style magazine, Image. This is in addition to her even more notable accomplishments, such as appearances in a Nike Air Max campaign and a deal to bring her signature pierced designs to Chunks hair products. She’ll also be customizing purses and creating her own in- store intervention for Spanish fashion tastemaker Bimba y Lola inside their Mexico City storefront. Not bad for an Otay Ranch local who, only a few years ago, switched her SDSU major from painting to metalsmithing.

Courtesy of Georgina Trevino

Next up, she says she’s going to check out real estate while in Mexico City in hopes of opening her own brick-and- mortar space there. “There are so many more, other things I want to do to challenge myself,” Treviño says. “I’m just going to figure out how to do it, you know?”

The post Jewelry Designer to the Stars appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The two were married nearly 70 years, together even longer than that. “We met at Cornell when we were 17,” Jacobs says. “I took her to a fraternity party in 1951. It was kind of a blind date—I knew of her, but we hadn’t met. We started going together after that.”

They married in 1954 and moved to La Jolla in 1966, having four sons along the way. Jacobs was a professor of engineering; Joan worked in schools and in the travel industry. When Jacobs decided to quit his tenure-track position to eventually co-found Qualcomm, Joan mostly supported the move. The couple had no idea they’d end up with a net worth of over $1 billion.

They began donating hundreds of millions of dollars to arts, educational, medical, and scientific causes across San Diego, including more than $100 million to the San Diego Symphony after its bankruptcy in the 1990s.

“That was her idea,” Jacobs says.

Today, Joan is largely remembered for her philanthropy. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, the Jacobs Medical Center—all are tied to her vision.

“What I loved about her was, I came from a small town—New Bedford, Massachusetts. She came from New York City—Washington Heights—so she had a bit more sophistication than I did,” Jacobs says with a lingering Atlantic accent. “She was lively and outgoing. I was shy. She filled in the blanks.”

“And she was a good traveling partner,” he continues. “Our favorite thing was going to cities and walking. Visiting art museums, galleries, music, theater. Paris, London, Amsterdam. Her favorite place to go was probably New York City.”

But they always found their way home, back to the kitchen.

“We ate three meals together at this table every day,” Jacobs says. “This is where we drank our coffee.”

The post Remembering Joan Jacobs’ Legacy appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

When Bryce Wettstein rolls up on her skateboard—her golden locks tied in low pigtails and a pinwheel pen in her pocket—I’m immediately struck by the sheer amount of talent in one place. The 20-year-old Olympic skateboarder hugs Marshall, visibly excited and nervous to be talking with a him.

Nearby, Winyl Club is gearing up for its weekly DJ set, which draws hundreds of San Diegans to a wide expanse of grass overlooked by the park’s iconic tower. Dogs in birthday hats, overflowing picnic baskets, colorful blankets, and plenty of Solo cups checker the lawn. No one is paying attention to us—no one seems to know that the future of San Diego sports is only feet away.

Shaw, Marshall, and Wettstein are three of the city’s youngest talents already on their way to sealing their names in the history books. But today, they’re just young people, playing dress-up for a photo shoot in the center of a city that is helping shape their careers.

Jump to: Jaedyn Shaw (soccer) | Jake Marshall (surfing) | Bryce Wettstein (skateboarding)

Jaedyn Shaw, 19

U.S. Olympian & Wave FC Forward

A week earlier, I sat down with Jaedyn Shaw over a Zoom call. She was in Orlando for a National Women’s Soccer League game. If you’ve been paying attention at all lately, you’ve likely heard her name in the sports world—whether you’re a soccer fan or not. At the very least, you’ve seen her next to other top athletes—such as Wave captain Alex Morgan—on billboards, buses, and social media promos, repping Wave FC.

A forward, Shaw signed to the Wave in 2022 at just 17. She earned her first US Women’s National Team (USWNT) call-up at the age of 18, making her the second-youngest player to compete on the national team. (Though it wasn’t her first time wearing a US jersey abroad—she also played on the under-17, under-19, and under-20 national teams.)

But on that Zoom call, I didn’t see the seemingly unshakable confidence and sharp-beyond-her-years instincts that earned Shaw the distinction of becoming 2022’s US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

Instead, Shaw sat quietly in front of me in an oversized sweatshirt, battling a cold after coming off six days of travel, training, and a game, with more coming up. It’d be a lot for anyone, but watching her, I was reminded just how much work must go into being the next big thing at such a young age. The Del Mar resident carries the weight of a city’s hopes on her shoulders.

In 2023, the International Olympics Committee asked, “Can Jaedyn Shaw fill the void left by Megan Rapinoe in the USWNT?” At the time, Shaw was 18 to the retiring Rapinoe’s 38, but the term “prodigy” was already making the rounds in the football world.

During that same season, Shaw began to seal her name in history. At age 19, she became the first teenager to score 10 US national women’s league soccer goals and helped the Wave bring home its first-ever NWSL Shield, the annual award given to the team with the best regular-season record. She’s also the first Vietnamese-American to ever represent the USWNT, a banner that she doesn’t carry lightly.

“I am biracial, so making an impact on both communities through my sport is really cool,” she says. “I’ve gotten a lot of messages on social media [from the Asian community]. They’ve backed me. That’s another side of support that I have now.”

Two years into her contract with the Wave, Shaw shows no signs of slowing down. At time of print, she’s made 19 career goals and will don Team USA’s jersey at this year’s 2024 US Olympics in Paris.

Shaw’s achieved more career-defining moves in her two years of adulthood than some pro athletes do their whole lives. But the accomplishments have, in some ways, taken as much as they’ve given. Being born with exceptional talent is only half of what it takes to truly become great. The rest requires sacrifice.

“I didn’t go to high school,” Shaw says. “I didn’t go to college, and I grew up very independent and knowing that I don’t really have time to have friends. I knew that my journey was going to be different. Everything that I was doing was to get to the next level. And it cost me a lot.”

We pause as she finds the words to encapsulate what she’s given up to don the Wave’s number-11 jersey.

“There was a point where we moved into a one-bedroom apartment so that we could have extra [money] to fund all of my opportunities,” Shaw says. “We consolidated from a three-bedroom house to a one-bedroom apartment. Me and my brother shared a bed in the living room. My parents were in the room, and we had one bathroom for the four of us.”

But the tight quarters weren’t the only reason she’s so close with her family. “[My mom and I] were together all the time,” she says. “She would take me to all my trainings— whatever I needed, she was there with me. Both of [my parents] have sacrificed a lot for me.”

They had made a promise to themselves when they were younger, she tells me, to always support their children and be at as many practices, games, overnight trips, and international experiences as they could.

“Jaedyn has always had a spotlight on her. I think her mom, Anne, was instrumental here and was always the rock for her,” says Derek Missimo, who coached Shaw from age five to eight at Solar soccer club in Allen, Texas. “This is the crux of being great. You’ve got these expectations, and I think her mom balanced her. You got to eventually play for yourself. You can’t play for other people’s expectations.”

He calls Shaw a “pro’s pro,” noticing that even at a young age, she seemed to find her purpose and passion in the game. She was supportive and encouraging of her teammates, he remembers, but with an intensity that was more dialed in.

“She has integrity; she has high character. All the things she learned from the game of soccer and athletics have played well for her in the game of life,” Missimo says. “Soccer is what she does and what she does well, but it epitomizes everything about who she is.”

It was her time on FC Dallas’ youth team, though, that really began to shape her career and attract attention. Whispers of her talent began to circulate.

“She always put her own spin on everything. It was never like, ‘I’m going to copy someone. I’m going to do exactly what they do,’” says FC Dallas coach Matt Grubbs, who mentored Shaw from age 12 to 16. “That’s where I just think she’s such a unique player. And honestly, I think she’s one of the top five players in the world.”

When Shaw got the call that she’d be joining San Diego’s new women’s soccer team, she and her family had already begun the process of moving to Washington DC so that she could pursue an education. Within days, they packed up and made their way to the West Coast.

But things didn’t truly sink in, she says, until two-time World Cup-winner and gold-medal Olympian Alex Morgan said hello to her as a teammate.

“I was like, ‘What is this right now? I don’t understand what’s happening,’” Shaw says. “It was so crazy.”

But it didn’t take long for the now-record-breaking athlete to get comfortable in her new home. “Once I played at Snapdragon, it was a whole different thing,” Shaw says. “Snapdragon just felt like home.” Finally, the hours of training, missing out on proms, saving every penny to travel for games—all of it began to feel worth it.

“What San Diego has created for us as players—especially as pros playing at a brand-new stadium in this league that’s still growing—it’s such a cool opportunity for young players,” Shaw says. “Averaging 20,000 fans a game last year, that’s not normal. It’s just raising the bar. So it’s so cool being able to play.”

Back in San Diego today, as we snap photos of her on a sunny afternoon, Shaw is once again the athlete you see on your screens. Funny, personable, confident. Kicking around a soccer ball, she commands attention, draws people in.

For the 30,000 or so fans that sell out Snapdragon at Wave games—and, beyond them, a city of more than a million residents—Shaw could be a critical part of the antidote to the curse that’s kept SD sports from a championship for more than 60 years. Under such pressure, even older, wiser players might buckle. But Shaw, her gaze steady as she lobs a soccer ball at our camera, keeps her head high.

Jake Marshall, 25

WSL Pro Surfer

I meet Jake Marshall over the phone just as he’s waking up on the other side of the world. Though he’s currently down under for the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, his Southern California roots show through his slow, drawn-out words, punctuated with a hint of vocal fry. It’s Endless Summer on the other end of the receiver.

In 2021, at age 23, Marshall began his rookie season on the World Surf League Championship Tour, ranking 18th in 2022 and dropping down to 30th last year. But this year, Marshall is putting San Diego back on the map with his sixth-place ranking as he follows in the footsteps of locals like Rob Machado and Taylor Knox.

“When I was maybe 8, Kelly [Slater] signed my backpack at an event and I was like, ‘Oh my God, Kelly!’” Marshall says. “For that kind of stuff to have come full circle, and [for me to] get to compete with him, it’s been super special.”

Though he was born in Encinitas, Marshall and his family moved to Naples, Florida from 2004 to 2006. Traveling to Newport, Rhode Island in the summers, Marshall caught his first wave in the East Coast city at the age of 7. The next year, he placed second in the 14-and-under division in his first contest, an event hosted by Volcom.

In 2006, the family moved back to San Diego, and, while Marshall loved playing all sports, it was surfing that really stuck. His dad and two younger brothers joined him in the water daily.

“The four of us would head down to the beach super early and surf. [The boys would] go to school, and then, after school, I’d pick them up and we’d go back to the beach,” says his father John Marshall. “He was in kindergarten and first grade and going to school with his hair all wet and the teacher would be like, ‘What have you been doing? You’re surfing before school?’”

At 10, he secured a Hurley sponsorship. By 12, he’d already set his sights on going pro.

“Being in the ocean and reading [it] and dissecting the lineup and figuring out where waves come in—that was really natural for me,” Marshall says. “I had a good connection with lineups no matter where I was in the world.”

He began traveling internationally, switching to homeschool to accommodate his many trips. He’ll graduate from college next year in between global jaunts.

Like Shaw, Marshall had to trade quintessential teenage experiences for the trappings of a pro athlete’s life: long stints on the road, days between heats, sometimes-unglamorous destinations, and lots of alone time. But if he finds the lifestyle hard, he doesn’t show it.

“He has an amazing style. I think that’s why so many people like to watch him,” says his younger brother, Nick Marshall. “He’s so relaxed and everything he does looks so easy and effortless, so it’s really fun to watch.”

This year, the athlete has consistently placed in the top 10 in major events around the globe— especially impressive considering that the number of pro surfers globally hovers around 720,000. But he still radiates that notorious California chill.

“I definitely think, growing up in a place like Encinitas, it’s pretty easy to stay humble and kind of true to where you came from,” Marshall says. “All the older guys who I grew up surfing with at my home break, they always keep you in check and make sure to remind you to not get too full of yourself.”

By the time of print, if Marshall remains healthy, he’ll have competed in the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, Surf City El Salvador Pro, and VIVO Rio Pro. Next month, he’ll surf in the Corona Fiji Pro.

Will he keep up his winning streak? Who knows—but maybe it doesn’t matter. “Just being relaxed and accepting of whatever happens is the mental state that I’ve been trying to find this year,” he says.“I’ve really just been trying to have a lot of fun and not be too worried about the results that I’m getting.”

Bryce Wettstein, 20

U.S. Olympian & Pro Skateboarder

Bryce Wettstein’s phone goes straight to voicemail the first few times I call. It’s a Tuesday afternoon. I text her with no response.

“Hi Nicolle… are you on with Bryce right now?” reads a message on my phone. The texter doesn’t introduce themselves. I ask who I’m speaking with. “This is her mom,” comes the reply. “She is charging her phone.”

When Wettstein finally jumps on the line, she’s scattered, sitting in her car in the parking lot of a gym in North County. “I just got done skateboarding,” she says, in a kind of laissez-faire voice that suggests schedules have no business being in her calendar.

She speaks in a soft, whimsical, sing-songy way. It’s only been five minutes, and the 20-year-old has already given me a snapshot into her life as a young athlete.

Unburdened and carefree, she’s still very much learning how to navigate the world—her mom at her side ensuring she keeps her appointments. Watch Wettstein skate, though, and you see a fierce competitor able to hold her own among the top skateboarders in the world.

“[Her skating style is] really poetic,” says 34-year-old Amelia Brodka, an Olympian and pro skateboarder who has known the athlete since Wettstein was 7. “You can tell that she’s skating from the heart, you know? She’s doing these things that typically you’d associate with aggression, but it looks really effortless.”

At the age of 15, Wettstein was named to the first-ever USA Olympic Skateboarding team. In 2019 and 2022, she won the women’s park national championships. She finished sixth in the women’s park finals in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics (the first time the sport was introduced into the Olympics), was a member of the 2023 USA Skateboarding team, and will make an appearance at this year’s Paris Olympics in July.

An amateur surfer, volleyball player, gymnast, singer, ukulele player, and future ballerina (she’s taking classes at her local YMCA), Wettstein is the picture of a true SoCal native. Like many kids from Encinitas, she was paddling out on a surfboard and clambering onto a skateboard at just 5 years old. By seven—the same year she secured her first sponsorship—she decided to focus on skating, allowing the water to become a place of respite instead. But the two remain interconnected for her.

“Skateboarding and surfing meet each other,” she says. “They still hold hands with each other.”

She speaks constantly in romantic phrases and vivid metaphors like this. The city, she says, reminds her of poetry. “I just know that if I didn’t live here, I’d feel like a different person— changed a little bit,” she adds. “And I think the most amazing part is [that you feel a sort of] otherworldliness in skateboarding already, but when you’re at a park in San Diego, you feel this warm kind of haze over you.”

Being with her, you sense the same warm haze.

Even the grueling grind of developing Olympic-level skills—practicing two to three hours a day on a ramp in her family’s backyard—sounds like a fun hobby through her rosy lens.

“I feel like sometimes I have this part of me that comes out and I feel competitive,” she says. “It’s almost like fire in the ocean. You only see it for a second.”

Ranked number nine in the world, the regular-footed skateboarder makes her success seem like an afterthought. She’d much rather talk about her music-writing and ukulele-playing. Or ask you what makes you happy in life.

“Getting to skate with her in a contest is really kind of nourishing,” Brodka says. “She kind of calms everybody down. You know, it doesn’t feel competitive.”

This is the beauty of Wettstein. There’s no ego here. No reminding you that you’re talking with an Olympian. She skates like a kid having fun doing the sport they love. Medals, titles, rankings—nothing seems to phase her, and maybe that’s the key to her accomplishments.

“Her skateboarding is something else. She’s weaving a web. She’s writing a poem,” Brodka continues. “And she’s the only skater that I’ve seen that skates that way.”

As we bid one another goodbye, Wettstein lets me know that, if the magazine would ever like a volunteer for our events, she’s happy to come help. “I’m a big fan,” she says.

The post The Young Locals Leading the Wave of Next-Gen Athletes appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

“You’ll find love when you stop looking for it,” you’ve all told me. “Focus on yourself and the right person will find you.” 

If I stopped looking, I’d never find anyone. I’d be at home nonstop, only spending time with close friends. Dating isn’t a fun pastime that I did for sh*ts and giggles. I’m guessing most singles wouldn’t be out there dating if they didn’t have to be. (Though, fine, maybe some people do like it.)

“Why are you searching so hard?” someone wrote in response to this column. I don’t know, Richard, I’d like a husband one day.  

“I hope you find love, because it’s not for lack of trying,” said another male Instagrammer. I don’t know if the second person was trying to come off as condescending or not, but it definitely didn’t make me feel better about trying to date.

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to “just stop looking,” then I’d be on a yacht in the Greek Isles somewhere with a cabana boy at my side. 

I get the sentiment behind the saying—happy people attract happy people—but I also think it can be damaging—or at the very least confusing—for a lot of us to hear. Imagine telling someone trying to learn how to cook that if they just think about how good their food will be, then they’ll become the next Julia Childs. 

It’s also unhelpful for someone to hear if they’re sharing the hardships they’re facing in finding a partner.

I have never put myself out there as much as I have since starting this column. If you Google me, my dating articles pop up front and center. Strangers have brought up the series to me at events. Even our interns have said that their professor referenced it in class. 

I’m the last person who could say “Oh, I just gave up looking for love, and I found it.” Instead, I put everything out there, made my intentions clear, and met the person I’m currently dating through this column. 

This isn’t an article on how to find love like I did, because everyone is different and what worked for me may not work for you (though if you’ve been thinking about launching a dating column, consider this your sign). But it is a rant against those who will tell you to give up searching and just focus on yourself in order to attract a partner. 

There are truths to this way of thinking, of course. You should try and find happiness within yourself first and create the life you want, regardless of who is or isn’t in it. But it doesn’t take the full picture into account, because I’m betting that a lot of you out there have done the work, love yourself, and are proud of the life you have.

If you want to be in a relationship, but you pretend that you’re not looking, it means you’re not being your authentic self, and a potential partner will pick up on that. This could also lead to not making time for dates or continuing to hide out in your comfort zone (aka: in your bed with Netflix). 

With this mindset, you could also be putting off the vibe that you’re not interested in dating. You may miss a potential match if your eyes and heart aren’t open. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve passed up on good men because I wasn’t fully ready. 

Let’s also not confuse “looking” with “obsessing.” Don’t be that person who can’t pay attention to a conversation with your friends because you’re too distracted scanning the bar for your next boo.

I don’t have the secret formula to finding love. Hell, my relationship may only last a few weeks until I’m back here with you all on the hunt (although, I’m going to bet on myself with this one). 

I am certain of a few things, though. If I never actively tried to find love, I’d likely never know myself as well as I do. You learn a lot about who you are, both in and out of relationships, and dating is essential in knowing what you do and don’t want in a partner. It’s also a good temp check to find out what parts of yourself may need some adjusting.

I also know that, because I was dating with purpose—with extra-large neon flashing signs—I was able to meet someone who I’d never have run across in my normal, everyday life. So, if you’re looking for love and need someone to do a little Tom Cruise couch jump for you as you put yourself out there, come to me. I have your neon signs ready.

If you’re new to Unhinged, catch up on all the dating chats you’ve missed here and follow along at @monicles and @sandiegomag on Instagram to know when a new article drops each week.

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The post Unhinged, A Dating Series: You’ll Find it When You Stop Looking appeared first on San Diego Magazine.