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Published: May, 2008

Where are they now?

See how 10 people who graced our covers have grown over the past decade

1 The older mom

> In July 2002, Sueanne Sylvester, 45, had twin 5-month-old boys, Andrew and Matthew.
Those babies have grown into active 6-year-old kindergartners, and their mom is now 51. The family lives in the small New Jersey town of Mountain Lakes. Sylvester and her husband, Dan, moved there from Orange County more than 2 years ago, due to his job transfer.

Sylvester is acutely aware that she is older than many other moms in her community with little kids. “I’m the wise old lady driving to kindergarten.” Her 20-year-old daughter from her first marriage is at UCLA; her 23-year-old son studies at the Music Institute in Los Angeles.

When Sueanne and Dan married, the couple turned to fertility treatments. “The boys are now losing their baby teeth and learning to read,” says their mom.

Sylvester works part-time from home, writing advertising copy for a chain of children’s stores, and as a fund-development specialist for a local nonprofit for children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Would Sylvester do it all over again? “I couldn’t imagine my life without these 2 sweet, wonderful, darling boys. We would be empty-nesters; we wouldn’t have the financial obligations and have to worry about college. But when you get little kisses 100 times a day…you realize how lucky you are.”

2 The star quarterback

> We profiled Mark Sanchez, then 18, in June 2005 as one of 20 top students in Orange County. Now a junior at USC, Sanchez, 21, will be the starting quarterback for the Trojans next fall. He also has a 3.2 GPA and expects to graduate from college a semester early with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

After college, Sanchez would like to play pro football with the Chargers or Raiders. “That’s always been a dream of mine,” he says. If it doesn’t work out, he might seek a career in sports broadcasting.

Playing with the Trojans is everything Sanchez dreamed it would be.

“It’s so fast-paced and high-energy. I’ve been having a great time and making lots of friends on the team. The coaches are very supportive, and I feel like I’ve been adopted into a second family,” says Sanchez. He lives in a 2-bedroom apartment near campus with his roommate Stanley Havili, a starting USC fullback.

Sanchez likes Los Angeles, but misses Orange County. He visits his family and friends in Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo most weekends during the off-season. He is quick to thank his mother, dad and older brothers, Nick Jr. and Brandon, all of whom, he says, have supported him and helped him get to where he is today.

3 Our local “American Idol”

> So, what has Lisa Tucker of Anaheim been doing for the last 2 years since she made it to the Top 10 on “American Idol” in 2006, a lucky break that catapulted this talented teen from modest, local success as a singer to national fame? Maybe we should ask, “What HASN’T she been doing?”

Lisa, who turns 19 this month, has been doing a lot of face time – on TV and at corporate events. Last year, she completed 4 episodes of Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101”; did a campaign for Macy’s on the East Coast, promoting a new line of “American Idol” T-shirts; was the featured guest at an awards show in Belize, her mother Eleanor’s home country; sang at the Susan G. Komen Pink Tie Ball; and performed at the 150th anniversary of the Anaheim Grove. What’s more, the dynamic teen just returned from Europe, where she performed for our troops.

It looks as though Lisa is proving Simon right, who said that she is going to have a long career after “Idol.” She is starring in her first motion picture, to be released this month, called “The Hustle.” It’s a comedy starring David Alan Grier, and, according to her mother, it’s a big role for Lisa, who plays a troublemaker – a real stretch for someone who “has never been in a fistfight or gotten into an argument with anyone.” This spring, she’ll shoot her second movie, “3 The Hard Way,” in which she’s been cast in a lead role.

And yet, Lisa, who plays piano and guitar, and writes her own music, hasn’t even cut her first CD. Her mom says she’s been very selective. “She said she’s got 1 big shot and wants to make sure it’s the right music.”

It’s been an exciting 2 years (Did I mention she also wrote an essay for “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul”?). Yet, despite the heady success, the level-headed teen still has her sights set on college. She’ll be taking online classes through Cypress College and will transfer to USC to major in – what else? – music!

Lynn Armitage is the editor.

> Heart Of Gold: Modern-Day Mother Theresa

By Kathleen Crain

Kelli Zepeda, a former senior from Mater Dei High School, was one of our “Shining Students” in 2000.

Where is she now? The young humanitarian is now Mrs. Kelli Zepeda-Kruis. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jason, and works as an adapted physical education teacher at Widney High School. OC Family Magazine recently caught up with Kelli.

OCF: Where did you go to college?
Zepeda-Kruis: I went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara and majored inkinesiology.
OCF: What did you participate in while at Westmont?
Zepeda-Kruis: I studied abroad in Guatemala and helped start a special education school. I even wrote some of the curriculum.

OCF: What did you do after graduation?
Zepeda-Kruis: I graduated in 3 years and went to work for the Santa Barbara school district. I had NO idea what I was doing! I worked as an adapted P.E. teacher and fell in love. Then I started my master’s and credential programs.

OCF: Are you still working as an adapted P.E. teacher?
Zepeda-Kruis: Yes. I work for Widney High School in Los Angeles. All the students have special needs, as opposed to most high schools, where special-needs students are incorporated.

OCF: You sure have kept busy.
Zepeda-Kruis: (Laugh) That’s not all I’ve been doing! My principal and I just got approved for $50,000 and $100,000 grants to build a new fitness center. And my husband and I are helping start a special-needs school and therapy program in Mexicali. We just broke ground. I also speak at conferences about adapted P.E. fam

Kathleen Crain is a staff writer for OC Family magazine.

4 The tall OC girls
> Katy Daly and Megan Blackshire were volleyball stars at San Clemente High School in February 2002. The best pals stood 6 feet tall when we interviewed them for a story about today’s generation of taller, stronger kids.

After high school, Daly played volleyball for Pepperdine University in Malibu and Blackshire joined the UC Santa Barbara team.

Daly, almost 24, earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. She then backpacked abroad for 6 months. Today, she lives in San Clemente and coaches the Laguna Beach Volley Ball Club (her old club). She also teaches fitness and health at Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Blackshire, 24 and pregnant with twins, earned a bachelor’s degree in law and society from UCSB and went to law school for a year, but hated it. She now lives in Hollywood and runs a nonprofit after-school program at Bret Harte Middle School in South Central Los Angeles, part of a nationally recognized model for high-quality after-school enrichment programs in several American cities.

5 A little girl got her transplant
> Drew Denny of Laguna Hills was just 3 and very ill in November 2002. She had been waiting for a life-saving liver transplant and had been on and off the transplant list for more than 2 years. She was diagnosed at the age of 2 months with a severe liver condition that would kill her without it.

In 2005, Drew received her transplant at UCLA Medical Center. The donor was a 17-year-old boy.
Now 8, Drew is a healthy 2nd-grader. “She’s in the GATE class and reads with no delays,” says her mom, Mika Denny. “She’s a rough-and-tumble kid and has a great spirit.”

Last December, Drew underwent a follow-up procedure to widen the main vein connecting the circulatory system to the liver. All went well, and hopefully, the donated organ will last all of Drew’s life.

Drew’s ordeal had a major impact on her mom. In 2006, Mika co-founded an online support group called “Liver Families” (liverfamilies.net) with 4 women she met online. It has about 1,000 members in 38 nations.

6 Surfer girl rides a big wave

> Courtney Conlogue hasn’t left Santa Ana or the ocean. Courtney, who was 12 when OC Family Magazine featured her on the magazine’s July 2005 cover, has grown up to become a world-traveling junior surfing champ with scores of awards; she is well on her way to achieving the same fame in surfing as an adult. It seems there is no wave this teen can’t conquer.

Now 15, Courtney is surfing as much as ever. She is a high school sophomore at Sage Hill, a private school in Newport Coast, and in her 5th year on the USA Surfing Team. She has traveled to Hawaii, Brazil, Tahiti, Portugal, Australia and Asia for surfing events and contests. This month, Courtney heads to France to compete. Her parents, Tracey and Richard Conlogue, support her surfing endeavors because they know how much their daughter loves surfing.

“I probably will be one of those surfers who can’t stop. It’s an addiction now,” says Courtney, who has competed since she was 10. “I have a craving to do it.” Courtney says she feels more at home in the ocean than on dry land. “You feel free out there. You leave everything behind and go out there, have fun and enjoy yourself.”

Adds her mother: “As long as she is having fun, our role in all of this is to support her in a way that keeps her grounded, to keep her in school and to help her understand the work that is still involved. It will be a lot of work and commitment and dedication.”

Courtney is the 2007 winner of the ASP North America Pro Junior Women’s Series held in Florida, among the highest achievements in surfing for those 20 and younger.

Surfing and college are in Courtney’s future plans. “She wants a college education, and we want her to have a college education,” says her mom. “She needs to have something beyond her sport.” The surfer’s interests range from marine biology to business and marketing, and she is interested in UC Irvine – conveniently close to her beloved family and the local waves. “I probably won’t be leaving here anytime soon,” she says.

7 A military family reunited

> The Sandoval family of Santa Ana appeared on our April 2003 cover for a story on helping kids understand war. Dad Jose Sandoval was about to be sent to Iraq. Now in his 14th year in the military, Jose returned home safely in 2004, re-enlisting in the Army a year ago. No future deployments are planned.

His wife, Maria, hopes things stay that way. While Jose was gone, she took care of the home and their 4 children. It was a tall order for Maria, who has a demanding job teaching gifted 5th-graders.

When Jose returned, it took a while to get back into the family groove. His youngest son didn’t recognize him at first. He’s now a staff sergeant and works at the base in Los Alamitos as a diesel mechanic. Jose Jr. starts high school in the fall and wants to learn about West Point, so he can be an Army officer.

Through it all, the Sandoval kids gained a healthy respect for the military, according to their mother. “My son tells me that when they say the Pledge of Allegiance at school, he gets upset when kids are not taking it seriously. He tells them they’re not showing respect.”

8 Salute to a navy mom

> A lot has changed for Maile Shimoda Divis in the 6 years since she and fellow midshipmen were pictured on the our cover.

Shimoda Divis, born and raised in Orange, married Frank Divis, who she met in the Navy, and they are the parents of 1-year-old Samantha. She works in distribution for Avon Products, and Frank is a pharmaceutical sales rep.

Shimoda Divis, 25, attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis and received a medical discharge after graduating with a political science degree in 2004. She worked for 2 years for the Defense Intelligence Agency. After Frank was discharged in 2006, they moved to California.

At times, Shimoda Divis misses the Navy and thought about joining the reserves. Now, with a baby, she has reservations about possibly being deployed.

“I miss the military and the brotherhood. But we’re both enjoying being home and being able to see each other every day, especially now that we have a little one.”

9 The quads

> Shelly Hodges of Costa Mesa and her quads were on the cover of OC Family in August 2005 when the kids were 6. They turn 9 this month and are keeping their parents very busy.

The quads attend 3rd grade at College Park Elementary School. The school lets the Hodges decide whether Melissa, James, Jon and Lucas will have the same or different classes, and their mother is grateful. “We’ve put 2 and 2 in separate classes, but we switch the 2 each year,” explains Shelly, who says she’d be overwhelmed with 4 different teachers and homework schedules.

The family, which includes dad Jim, is looking for a bigger house in Huntington Beach, and Shelly would love a pool. Melissa and Jon continue to share a bedroom, as do Lucas and James.

She describes her quads as normal siblings who fight, but get along great, too. “They’re so protective of each other. They always have to know where everybody is at the playground, and yet they could strangle each other at the same time.”

Shelly Hodges works part-time, keeping the books for her husband’s plumbing business. The family enjoys camping, and the boys play basketball. Says their mom: “I can’t believe how much kids know, or how much they think they know, at this age. It’s a challenge to keep them safe and happy and healthy.”

The couple underwent fertility treatments for 7 years to conceive. The quads were born 3 months premature and weighed between 2 and 3 pounds. All are healthy now.

Shelly calls family life “controlled chaos.” “You can never plan anything; you never know what tomorrow will bring. It’s always that way. It’s crazy, but I would rather have the craziness than not at all.”

10 M-I-C-K-E-Y

> Three years after the famous mouse graced our cover for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, Mickey Mouse still matters. No cynic can argue otherwise. The 80-year-old mouse continues to bring happiness to millions of people around the world.

Mickey first appeared in a screening of “Steamboat Willie” in New York City in 1928, and he has appeared in more than 140 films. On November 18, 1978, he became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2005, Mickey was the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade. He’s still a TV star, appearing in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a children’s series that premiered on the Disney Channel in 2006.

Mickey has helped create a multi-billion-dollar entertainment empire, including resorts and theme parks, films, television shows, DVDs and merchandise. His likeness remains on a dizzying array of collectibles – from clothes to watches to artwork.

But that’s not why he still matters. Children love him, and he makes people happy. Have you ever seen the huge grin that covers a child’s face at Disneyland when he meets a big, live Mickey and gets to shake his gloved hand, up-close and personal?

Mickey stands for fun and innocence in a world that needs more. Long live Mickey! fam

Amy Bentley is a regular contributor.