KUCI: Get the Funk Out!

Garen Staglin Chairman and Founder, One Mind | Leading a Global Impact on Mental Health, Founder & Co-Chairman and Interim CEOFounder & Co-Chairman an...

Garen's Italian heritage has always influenced Staglin Family Vineyard. Born in 1944, he learned early in this life the importance of wine to the quality of life from his father, Pasquale Stagliano (later changed to Ramon Staglin when he was naturalized) and his mother Darlene Guilliams. Family dinners with relatives and friends were almost always accompanied by wine, and Garen often got a little glass of wine with club soda to taste. As he grew up in Southern California, Garen started to learn more about wine through books and importantly, numerous tastings. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in electrical and nuclear engineering he was fortunate to be accepted to Stanford Business School in the late 60's. While there, he and Shari would take day trips to visit the vineyards in Napa back in the days when surprisingly there were only six wineries in Napa! They were so impressed they felt that it was one of the greatest places on earth, and someday they had to find a way to come back and make their life here.
When he finished Stanford with an MBA, Shari and Garen were married and they traveled to Japan where Garen served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and fought in the Vietnam War. After a year, he was transferred to the Pentagon and worked in the Systems Analysis Group under Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. While in DC, Garen's passion for wine was cultivated by frequent trips to the main wine shop in DC where favorable import taxation allowed him to purchase 1st Growth Bordeaux for less than $10/bottle. When he was discharged from the Navy, they headed north to New York City where Garen began what has become a lifelong career in venture capital and investments. Frequenting New York's finest wine shops became a Saturday morning tradition. As Garen searched for bargains he found himself experimenting with new varietals to extend his knowledge.
Garen remains active in the world of venture capital and private equity investing, serving on public and private Board of Directors. He couldn't be happier balancing his time between investing, philanthropy, and helping with the wine business, all the time enjoying a wonderful marriage and family, and the pride of having his family all working together at Staglin Family Vineyard.
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Barbara Becker, author of Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind and Winner of a Gold Nautilus Award

“We can do extraordinary things when we lead with love,” Barbara Becker reminds us in her debut memoir Heartwood.
When her earliest childhood friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Becker sets off on a quest to immerse herself in what it means to be mortal. Can we live our lives more fully knowing some day we will die?
With a keen eye towards that which makes life worth living, Barbara Becker―a perpetual seeker, a mom, and an interfaith leader―recounts stories where life and death intersect in unexpected ways. She volunteers on a hospice floor, becomes an eager student of the many ways people find meaning at the end of life, and accompanies her parents in their final days.
Becker inspires readers to live with the end in mind and proves that turning toward loss rather than away from it is the only true way to live life to its fullest. Just as with the heartwood of a tree―the central core that is no longer alive yet supports the newer growth rings―the dead become an enduring source of strength to the living.
With life-affirming prose, Becker helps us see that that grief is not a problem to be solved, but rather a sacred invitation―an opportunity to let go into something even greater…a love that will inform all the days of our lives.
In her 2022 Nautilus Gold Award-winning memoir, Becker, an ordained interfaith chaplain, sets off on a quest to find the answer to the question: can we live our lives more fully knowing someday we will die?

Coming up 12/5 9:30am LIVE on KUCI - UCI students Sandra Quintana and Marissa DeGeorge

Meet Sandra! She is a 4th year
Psychological Sciences major at UCI
Originally from los angeles, Sandra now lives in riverside. She is a fourth year transfer student at UCI. Sandra has always been interested in people and the way relationships work. She decided to major in psychology and hopes to make her career surrounded in making an impact in the education and mental health space. In her free time, she loves taking photos and going out with friends. Her favorite thing is going to concerts! Fun fact: She has been to one every month this year. Sandra also loves watching movies, especially in theaters.
Meet Marissa! She is a 4th year at UCI
studying Psychological Science and Criminal Law
Marissa DeGeorge is a double major in psychological science and criminal law. She is very passionate about learning and would like to go to graduate school. Marissa decided to major in both of these fields because she is eager to learn more about our minds and behaviors individually and socially. The topic that interests her most would be neuropsychology! I am excited to explore, learn, and grow through this journey!

12/5 LIVE on KUCI - Victoria Garza, author of forthcoming memoir THE FIELD

Victoria Garza, author of forthcoming memoir THE FIELD (on sale: November 15; JackLeg Press) "the song of the sister who died by the sister who survived" (Barbara Cully, author of Desire Reclining). Focusing on themes of coping, loss, healing, the metaphysical, the Mexican-American diaspora, queer identity, and more, Garza's memoir is a story of emotional healing--for anyone who has experienced loss in any form. Each section of the memoir introduces a literary verse that has allowed Garza to unpack her grief in a new way and contextualize the story she is telling.
Kirkus Reviews writes: "The author illustrates, in observant, poetic prose, the reverberating effects that grief can have on a life, and the many ways that her family has coped with it. As she does so, she examines her protective mechanisms and peels back layers of guilt and sorrow to tenderly uncover revelations about herself." Beth Alvarado (author of Jillian in the Borderlands and Anxious Attachments) writes: "A tender and deep evocation of Mexican American culture."

The Wellness Initiative in Social Ecology also known as WISE - a new and rising wellness resource for the UCI community. Several students from the Wel...

ABOUT THE WELLNESS INITIATIVE IN SOCIAL ECOLOGY
The Wellness Initiative in Social Ecology also known as WISE is a new and rising wellness resource for the UCI community after recognizing the greater need for more mental health and wellness resources. We aim to improve and expand upon mental and behavioral health and wellness programming services for the UCI School of Social Ecology students while complementing ongoing campus efforts.
One major project of WISE is the Wellness Initiative in Social Ecology Peer Advisory Collective (WISE PAC): a student-led, student-driven team of individuals within the School of Social Ecology who represent diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, lived experience, ability, and socioeconomic status. All members are driven and passionate people, who want to create real change in wellness and mental health in the UC Irvine community. As a team, we aim to destigmatize mental illnesses and increase access to mental health uses and resources. As we continue to expand, we hope to have our efforts reach more to not just the students of UCI, but also the community of Orange County.
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Lisa Carey, founder of Intentfully FiT, a well-being platform for women over 50

MEET LISA CAREY
Saying yes to new adventures has propelled Lisa Carey through three careers, and she’s just getting started.
In her latest role as founder of Intentfully FiT, a well-being platform for women over 50, Lisa is redefining the anti-aging narrative by creating a community that finds joy in the age of NOW. She sees the journey of becoming the best versions of ourselves as a celebration of ageless authenticity in each moment along the way.
Lisa’s first act began at 17 when she said yes to talent scouts who recruited her to join the Ice Follies. “I was a National Figure Skating Pairs Champion who had just missed my try at the Olympics and they wanted to match me up with another partner professionally. It was all very ‘kismet-esque,’ but I remember boarding the plane to leave home and seeing my dad cry for the very first time. Still, I couldn’t believe I was actually getting paid to do something I loved to do with all my heart.”
Thus, started a decade of travel as a professional athlete -- touring with Ice Follies, Ice Capades and Scott Hamilton’s Stars on Ice; capturing a National Professional Pairs Championship and World Silver Medal, and representing the U.S. in events in China, South Africa, and Spain.
Returning to Los Angeles at age 27, Lisa resumed her education with evening courses in marketing and public relations at UCLA. One night after class a guest lecturer offered her a job interview and she said yes to career adventure number two. She worked her way up to Agency General Manager, then became PR Director of the Harlem Globetrotters, before establishing Lisa Carey Public Relations when her first of two children was born.
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University of California Irvine’s School of Education Dean Frances Contreras spoke with Janeane Bernstein on KUCI 88.9fm

On January 1, 2022, Dr. Frances Contreras officially began her tenure as dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Education. The third dean in school history, Contreras is the first Chicana/Latina dean to head a school of education in the University of California system.
A first-generation college student, Contreras joins the UCI School of Education from UC San Diego, where she was associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and a professor in the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego. These roles, she explained, prepared her with a foundation in which she enlists diverse viewpoints and perspectives, critically examines change and growth, and oversees processes to improve efficiency and fairness.
Contreras is a UC alumna, earning a bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University.
With this in mind, Contreras, a SoCal native, looks to expand the reach and impact of the UCI School of Education for its students, UCI, and surrounding K-12 community. Entering its 10th year and already ranked No. 7 in the nation among public schools of education, Contreras calls the UCI School of Education a “diverse, vibrant and influential school.”
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”Catch the Bus” a short film written, produced and directed by Chloe Owens and starring her Dad, Peyce Byron

"Catch the Bus” a short film written, produced and directed by Chloe Owens, will screen at the 10th Annual Studio City Film Festival ion Monday November 7th at 7:30PM at the Laemmle Noho 7 in North Hollywood.
“Catch the Bus” tells the story of James (Peyce Byron), an older gentleman who is the last to audition to be a television sports anchor. Initially sized up to be a no by producer Marlene (Krista Unverferth). James, who took two buses to get to the audition, presses forward to get the job of his dreams. Will he win over the irritable Marlene? The film lightly touches upon ageism and the instant judging we use on others.
Byron, a graduate of Northeastern University, celebrates his 15th year as the Lead Singer of The Platters Live. He is not only a singer and songwriter of Gospel and R&B music, but also a two-time award-winning actor which includes an NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a lead role and the ADA Award for Best Actor performing as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most recently Byron won for Best Actor in the International Independent Film Awards for his role in “Catch the Bus”. His latest single “You Can Give Love” and CD “Whosoever” are available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, CD Baby, Google Play Music and all online and streaming music stores.
Owens studied Film a year abroad at Reading University in England, and later graduated from Rutgers University. She moved to NYC where she ran a cable TV show on MNN and wrote, directed, and produced a popular webseries. She won BEST SHORT SCREENPLAY in the WESCREENPLAY DIVERSITY COMPETITION and BEST SCREENPLAY in the ROADMAP DIVERSITY WRITING COMPETITION. Chloe was also a finalist in the AT&T SHAPE contest which allowed her the experience of shooting on WB studio lot. Additionally, Owens placed in a number of other screenwriting competitions. Most recently, she won BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM for “Catch the Bus” at the International Independent Film Festival. Chloe is now in post-production on W.I.L.S.D.M - a short film she wrote & directed; that will enter the festival circuit in 2023. Owens is currently writing a feature screenplay, based on her award-winning short film: Catch the Bus. She's excited to meet producers interested to help bring the film to life.
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One of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau tells her remarkable story--Tova Friedman’s THE DAUGHTER OF AUSCHWITZ

THE DAUGHTER OF AUSCHWITZ
My Story of Resilience, Survival and Hope
by Tova Friedman and
Malcolm Brabant
A powerful memoir by one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, Tova Friedman, following her childhood growing up during the Holocaust and surviving a string of near-death experiences in a Jewish ghetto, a Nazi labor camp, and Auschwitz.
"I am a survivor. That comes with a survivor's obligation to represent one and a half million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis. They cannot speak. So I must speak on their behalf."
Tova Friedman was one of the youngest people to emerge from Auschwitz. After surviving the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto in Central Poland where she lived as a toddler, Tova was four when she and her parents were sent to a Nazi labour camp, and almost six when she and her mother were forced into a packed cattle truck and sent to Auschwitz II, also known as the Birkenau extermination camp, while her father was transported to Dachau.
During six months of incarceration in Birkenau, Tova witnessed atrocities that she could never forget, and experienced numerous escapes from death. She is one of a handful of Jews to have entered a gas chamber and lived to tell the tale.
As Nazi killing squads roamed Birkenau before abandoning the camp in January 1945, Tova and her mother hid among corpses. After being liberated by the Russians they made their way back to their hometown in Poland. Eventually Tova's father tracked them down and the family was reunited.
In The Daughter of Auschwitz, Tova immortalizes what she saw, to keep the story of the Holocaust alive, at a time when it's in danger of fading from memory. She has used those memories that have shaped her life to honor the victims. Written with award-winning former war reporter Malcolm Brabant, this is an extremely important book. Brabant's meticulous research has helped Tova recall her experiences in searing detail. Together they have painstakingly recreated Tova's extraordinary story about the world's worst ever crime.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Tova Friedman is eighty-four years old and lives in New Jersey, USA. She is one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz and uses her vivid memories to write and speak against anti-Semitism and prejudice. She was the director of a nonprofit social service agency for twenty-five years and continues to work as a therapist.
Malcolm Brabant is a veteran, award-winning veteran foreign correspondent. Brabant has reported from over 80 countries.
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Peter Orner author of STILL NO WORD FROM YOU talks about his new release with KUCI host Janeane Bernstein

A new collection of pieces on literature and life by the author of Am I Alone Here?, a finalist for the NBCC Award for Criticism. Stationed in the South Pacific during World War II, Seymour Orner wrote a letter every day to his wife, Lorraine. She seldom responded, leading him to plead in 1945, “Another day and still no word from you.” Seventy years later, Peter Orner writes in response to his grandfather’s plea: “Maybe we read because we seek that word from someone, from anyone.”
From the acclaimed fiction writer about whom Dwight Garner of The New York Times wrote, “You know from the second you pick him up that he’s the real deal,” comes Still No Word from You, a unique chain of essays and intimate stories that meld the lived life and the reading life. For Orner, there is no separation. Covering such well-known writers as Lorraine Hansberry, Primo Levi, and Marilynne Robinson, as well as other greats like Maeve Brennan and James Alan McPherson, Orner’s highly personal take on literature alternates with his own true stories of loss and love, hope and despair. In his mother’s copy of A Coney Island of the Mind, he’s stopped short by a single word in the margin, “YES!”—which leads him to conjure his mother at twenty-three. He stops reading Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Beginning of Spring three quarters of the way through because he knows that finishing the novel will leave him bereft. Orner’s solution is to start again from the beginning to slow the inevitable heartache.
Still No Word from You is a book for anyone for whom reading is as essential as breathing.
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