an trujillo: hello, and welcome to "communidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo, and today the gardeners are back, los jardineros, giving their scholarship on your, "communidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "communidad del valle," with damian trujillo. damian: we begin with the upcoming legacy revival of luis alfaro's "oedipus el rey." with me on "communidad del valle" is oedipus himself. esteban carmona is my guest on "communidad del valle." welcome to the show. esteban carmona: thank you for having me. damian: you're an east coast guy. what are you doing on the west coast? esteban: i'm comin' out for this show. it's the first time. damian: but tell us about your acting career and why this was an important role for you. esteban: yeah, well, actually, my career started as a-- it was a mix-up. i originally wanted to be a dancer and a singer 'cause i saw "step up," so channing tatum was in it, and i was like, "i wanna be a dancer, that's great, that's me. yeah, let's do it." and i went to my high school for the academy

of performing arts audition. there was a mix-up. i ended up in the acting audition, and i was like--i found out in the audition. i was like, "wait, this isn't-- somethin's not right here." but i just went with it, and, you know, the first time i was on the stage, i felt something i had never felt before, and it was like i had to just continue doing it. damian: wow, what doyohe c? esteban: i love it. i love it. the weather's amazing. the weather has been amazing recently. definitely flip-flop, but it's nice. damian: all right, well, let's talk about the "oedipus el rey." now, we're talkin' about oedipus, right, the old greek mythology? damian: uh-huh, so you kill your dad and marry your mom? esteban: yeah, yeah, just about. damian: whoa. esteban: it's a lot. it's a lot to handle. damian: tell us about the role. esteban: so, it's a huge undertaking for the show in general. so, basically, what luis alfaro has done is combine this heightened greek tragedy with contemporary life so it's a little more digestible for people nowadays and it's also touching upon political topics that are currently happening. so, it's amazing in how he fuses the two worlds,

and that's also part of the challenge, is finding out that, you know, keeping that heightened greek, anybody's really killingit their father and marrying's--ah. esteban: yes, yeah, yeah, it's set in south central la damian: is there any latino aspect to it? and it's a mainly chicano play, so there's-- it's revolved around hispanic culture. damian: mm-hmm, when you were reading the script and to see if you were gonna get the part, and then you get the part, and then you're reading the script again, anything stand out? or what you made you say, "yeah, that's me," or, "that's not me, but i can play that person"? esteban: luis's writing is so beautiful. reading it, there was something that i related to immediately, and it's also just being able to tell the story as a person of color. i wanna share, you know, cultural stories as much as i can, and i wanna be able to have a voice for people that don't necessarily have voices. so, when i read this, i was like, "this is exactly what i wanna be doing.

this is exactly the kinda work i wit was amazing.ike,ne and the team is just incredible. damian: yeah, i don't know if the original oedipus has a message that gets across, but is there somethin' here that the folks can go home with, or is it more just, "come enjoy some--"? esteban: typically--well, it's-- typically, there is a message. i mean, typically, with theater, there is a message. but what luis does here is he-- and loretta, you know, also dug into this as well, is there's no answer. you don't leave the theater with an answer. you don't leave--it's not like luis is really diving this one-sided idea. what he's doing is he opens with a question, and he ends it with a question. so, it's open ended. what supposed to happen is you go home thinking about it, and you think about what you saw. you think about how you interpret what you saw, and you think about the questions that he asks you so that you, you know--? thea tyr. whfirsassociationwi

it was a nice refresher. i had to read it again just to, you know, there are a lot of similarities between thisat leks wrote, so e to know th damian: is it easy to catch the fusion? those of us that know the original oedipus, are we able to see the fusion when he mixes it with chicano theater? esteban: yes, yes, which i think is also part of the skill, yeah. if you know the story of oedipus, you will see similarities. it's different because oedipus, luis's oedipus was raised in prison, so there's a completely different aspect when it comes to how he holds himself as opposed to oedipus rex, who was pretty much born into royalty. and i think those two lifestyles are completely opposite. but what's interesting is how they both come to the same fate. damian: you mentioned casting. horforta esteban: everyone that i'm working with right now is such

a seasoned actor that i was learning a lot from them. and you would think, like, as--but, you know, no, i was-- i'm fortunate enough to be able to work with actors that are just on it completely, and the director too is just, like--i'm learning so much from loretta, it's incredible really. damian: all right, well, it's called "oedipus el rey," the adaptation by luis alfaro on oedipus rex. it runs through june 23, so not too long from now. it's at the magic theatre in san francisco. there is the web address for more information, magictheatre.org. any final thoughts, esteban? esteban: come check out the show. it's gonna be amazing. it's the kind of show that makes you really think about some of the life choice you've made, and, you know, that' why we do theater. damian: awesome, hey, good to have you on. welcome to the west coast. esteban: thank you so much for having me. damian: and up next on "communidad del valle," the gardeners are givin' out their scholarships. stay with us.

giving out those annual scholarships, a lot of money. don catalino tapia is spearheading this event.

erendida amador is one of the recipients this year. she'll get her scholarship in a few weeks. in fact, next week, on june 22 in redwood city. so, welcome to the show, welcome back. catalino tapia: thank you so much, damian, for having us. damian: don catalino, what are we talking about here? you're here every year giving thousands of dollars every year. how many recipients? what are you giving them? catalino: okay, well, june 22, we gonna give 34 scholarships. damian: wow. erendida amador: yeah. catalino: yeah, that's our record because we were giving 30. so, it's something new. but i'm here to invite the community to join us to celebrate our 13th anniversary. since 2006, we have provide 297 scholarships to low-income students, and i would like to invite everyone to help us

change the lives of these young students by buying a ticket. and do the fundraising is not-- damian: no, no, it's not. so we're gonna have that information on the screen at the end. we're gonna have for you two segments--at the end of that. erendida, what was your reaction when they called you and said you were one of the recipients? erendida: i had mixed emotions. i wanted to cry. ias, like, so happy, especially to especially low income and first generation students to pursue higher education. so, i felt so blessed. damian: and especially the humility that don catalino expresses all the time, and his background, what he did for a living. he's now retired. but that probably adds more to the value,

not just the monetary value, but the social and emotional value of what you're receiving. erendida: yes, and actually, in regard to that, i could definitely connect because my father is actually andsinping, and has been all his life. and so i definitely got the connection there as well. damian: don catalino, what was about erendida and she's so organized. very intelligent person, if you see her application, you'd be saying, "oh, my god." damian: are you a virgo? all: [laughing] catalino: no, i mean, she's organized. when i received the folder with her application, whew, "don't even look at this. she's gonna be a winner." erendida: aww. catalino: that's the way she is.

so we are very proud to sponsor students that are very focused because we know they gonna go all the way. damian: so, how much money are we talking her per student? and you also get a laptop.apto that they give you. catalino: we give $2,000 plus a laptop to 34 recipients, donate to the foundation. everyone out there to consider all the information is gonna be there. and if you can come down and be with us that night, i promise you that everything is gonna be so nice and you gonna be cryin' because of the stories of these students. damian: do you still cry, 13 years later, when you hear the stories? catalino: not only that day, but when i read the applications and all the stories, you know, i cry like a little baby.

damian: how does this motivate you, erendida, to say, "somebody else besides my family believes in me. this is going to take me places." erendida: it definitely gives me that strength to continue because i know that i not only have my inner support system, which is my immediate family, but i also have people outside believing in me and, like mr. catalino said, he saw something in me. and just, you know, seeing that i do have the ambition and the grit to continue my higher education. it's something, like, unexplainable like, you know? it's something that you feel, like, inside your heart, like, it makes you feel proud and then just more stronger because, like i said, they're believing in you.

and they're telling, you know, "i know you could do this, and we're here, and we're gonna guide you through it." and since i am first generation, you know, my parents did not go to college. so just having somebody that knows that journey and the struggle, barriers, and obstacles that we face as first generation and latino students damian: yeah, i mean, the "grit" is a perfect word to use because that's what you have to have. and there's the information. it starts at 5 o'clock on june 22. you can log on for more information to the bay area gardeners scholarship foundation. we'll be back with don catalino and the recipients after this.

scholarship foundation, and don catalino, i mean, you started as a gardener, and now you're a philanthropist.

you raise money to give money back to the community. you're a philanthropist. it was a hard road, but it probably fulfills your heart. catalino: what a big difference. damian: right. catalino: well, like i always say, onscol, that was it. that was the beginning of the bay area gardener scholarship foundation. it wasn't easy because at first i was kinda scared to ask my clients for donations. but i say, "well, no matter what, the worst thing can happen is they can say, 'no,' or fire me." both: [laughing] catalino: and i went out with my idea, and 13 years later, we have sponsored 297 recipients. many of them are professionals, and many of 'em are comin' up. so i'm very proud of all of them,

and i am thankful to god for giving me an opportunity to do what i've done by now. damian: all right, well, erendida, you are transferring to san jose state university from evergreen valley college.? assd one in economics.siness administration i am gonna get my bachelor's in business administration at san jose state. anlife goal is to be an entrepreneur and make a community-centered business for the betterment of latinos and latinas in my community. damian: does this help put that vision in focus? erendida: yes, definitely, yes, yes. i mentioned to mr. catalino that i also planned myself, once i become a professional and then i put my put my professional expertise to come back and also form scholarships.

two that i already have in mind are one for mothers pursuing higher education 'cause i am a mother of three children, and another one for dreamers because i'm a dreamer myself. damian: wow, you kinda hit that main headline here, but so you're one of those who people have told, you're not gonna make it becauf and you're one of those who said, "the heck i'm not. i'm gonna make it." i had to overcome a lot of obsta a in every aspect, financially, emotionally, but, like i said, i'm very thankful for my family and my support system, my parents, my husband, and just seeing my children are looking up to me and to be that role model for them. and to have great people like mr. catalino and this great foundation that are also believing in me and have faith that i will reach my goal.

and, like, i want to also come back and give back to my community because i feel that in order for you to pursue and you have to come bk toanhae that helped you.le village. damian: all right, we have time for one more question. don catalino, you're not giving this money away. you're investing in the community. you're planting the seed.ht wd, their money on students, they are really focused and they have a dream. and i know they gonna go all the way. and they will come back and help the community as well. damian: wow, what a beautiful and uplifting message. thank you to you both. again, this is happening next saturday, june 22 at 5 o'clock. the bay area gardeners scholarship foundation annual scholarship recognition. there's a web address for more information. if you can't make it to that event, you can always log on and donate because they will have

more recipients. thank you all so much. erendida: thank you for having us. damian: we'll have more when we continue. stay with us.

"que pasa": ♪ damian: and now felicidades to those celebrating a special day. ♪ damian: and here is our contact information.new. also pick up a copy of "el-observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area.

we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us. on this father's day, we wish every father a happy father's day today. we live you now with another special interview and a little music, buenos dias. damian: she is a superintendent of schools in santa clara county, dr. mary anne dewan is my guest here in, "communidad del valle." welcome to the show, finally. we've been tryin' to get you here for i don't know how many years, and finally we were able to get you on the schedule. dr. mary anne dewan: wonderful, thank you so much for the opportunity. i'm glad to be here. damian: thank you, and just, we have you for a couple of seconds, but tell us about your role, your office as a county superintendent. dr. dewan: so, as county superintendent of schools, where i'm responsible for oversight of our local school districts and their fiscal situation, student achievement, and things of that nature. and then we're also a service provider and partner with community-based with some non-profitsmilies,ishn data book is about, and what's in it,

and what we can glean from it. dr. dewan: so, we're very pleased to have been able to partner with the children's agenda network, and a number of other community-based organizations to lift up and share some data about how children are faring in santa clara county. so, we look at education, health, interactions with the juvenile justice system, and other things, and each year we publish this children's data book in order to share this information and to use it as a call to action. we wanna collaborate more. we wanna lift up the work that each of us are doing andbe inta in terms of high school graduation. and about 18% of latinx children in our county leave and we believe by publishing some of this information and sharing this information together in the data book, we can have the conversations about what's needed to change

that data and change those outcomes for young people. damian: all right, so let's talk about some of the problems that you saw countywide in this segment. the next one we'll talk about some of the positives if you don't mind. so that is attributed to probably a variety of things. are districts addressing that adequately, in your estimation as a county superintendent, or do we need to roll up our sleeves even more? dr. dewan: i think there's always opportunity to roll up our sleeves even more and to lip different ways to make sure that they're meeting the needs of all of our students. i do think that there are some things that the data book helps shine a light on, and some of that has to do with poverty, levels of poverty in our county, as well as challenges of food and security, homelessness, home insecurity, and health issues, challenges that impact how children damian: psychologically, how does that impact a child and their ability to learn or not learn? the poverty, the fact that maybe they're a single-parent home, and maybe a foster home, no parent in home.

that's gotta have a huge impact on the future of that child. dr. dewan: one of the ways that we talk about those different types of impact is through a lens of adverse childhood experiences or trauma. so, what we do know from the research is that each of those types of insecurities, whether it's food or shelter, childcare, access to quality childcare that might be lacking, it does impact a young person's psychological development, and we really cannot take away or separate out education from wellness. and there are many aspects of child wellness, mental and psychological wellness, and physical wellness as well as social and emotional. damian: who do you want to read the book, and what do you want them to do with that information? dr. dewan: well, we think that the data book is really useful for policy makers, elected officials. it's also very useful for leaders in our schools

and in our school districts, and our partners and our community-based organizations. we try to show some of the programs and initiatives that are promising. there are some aspects of the data book that celebrate accomplishments and progress that is being made, but it also is a very useful tool for finding those gaps and how we can work better together as a county to ensure all of our children thrive. damian: and let me touch on a subject really briefly. when a child has initial contact with he juvenile justice system, and that we get 'em back on track? dr. dewan: well, i think the data would show for the juvenile justice system and engagement as well that it is disproportionately affecting young women and boys of color in our county. and it has a significant trauma impact when a young person becomes engaged with the juvenile justice system.

and so, i think it takes a lot of investment and understanding the needs of that young person and their family, and providing a lot of wrap-around support to help ensure that, if they have that interaction, that it's the one and only time. damian: all right, well, it's published by the county office of education. there's their website for more information. there's also their phone number. it's the "santa clara county children's data book." ♪

♪ ♪ i love the way you make me love you ♪ ♪ i love the way--

oes this bathroom look at all familiar? dated '80s-style bathroom décor, oversize tub that really just takes up too much space in your bathroom, perhaps even a carpeted floor, outdated lighting fixtures,

and tile everywhere that is so hard to clean. what if you could turn your dated bathroom into something amazing like this? if you're even thinking about redoing your bathroom, you are not gonna wanna miss today's show. we are gonna show you some amazing bathroom transformations and tell you how re-bath can make the entire process effortless. stick around, and see some amazing bathrooms. cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 abercap.com lisa: we're in concord at re-bath's beautiful bathroom desi cte