On newstands weekly
Volume 60 Issue 4
Thursday, October 6, 2022
THE USD VISTA
The Official Student Newspaper of the University of San Diego since 1968
USD community members walk the Camino de Santiago Participants in the pilgrimage share powerful experiences
ALLIE LONGO ASST. FEATURE EDITOR This past June, a group of 32 USD community members, aged 17-71, embarked on the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. The 70-mile pilgrimage takes six days to complete and starts in Madrid, Spain. The trek involves a network of routes that lead the pilgrims to the shrine of Saint James the Great, located at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The Camino de Santigo is one of many world-famous pilgrimages completed by members of all religions, with various motivations for one to walk the Camino. Some may partake for religious healing, others for clarity on personal matters. The wide range of ages in the group of USD pilgrims brings about a diverse range of reasons for participating in the trek. For Kimberly and David Cesal, college sweethearts who met at USD, they went to celebrate their 27th anniversary. USD sophomore Fatima Licona Balderrama had no specific intent; rather, her interest in attending
Day six of pilgrimage started in O Pedrouzo and ended in Santiago de Compostela. Photo Courtesy of Claudia Gonzales
began as general curiosity when her Resident Assistant (RA) sent out an email about the pilgrimage. Fatima took quite the risk as the only USD student to attend, but she brought along her younger sister, who celebrated her 18th birthday while on the walk. Fatima reflected on her
intentions to walk the Camino. “Sometimes it’s okay to not look for anything,” Balderrama said. “Most people walk it for a reason, but when talking to people, I realized maybe I don’t need to look for anything. Maybe I just need to walk, just enjoy it, do nothing, just admire the
Claudia Gonzales and President Harris by the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Photo courtesy of Claudia Gonzales
present and walk and not think about anything or find answers.” USD President Dr. James T. Harris III intended to fulfill the Pope’s declaration of the year 2022 being the year of the pilgrimage. President Harris is accustomed to long walks and hikes as he incorporates them
Mahsa Amini’s death inspires protests around the world
USD students react to Iranian police’s laws on women’s bodies ANJALI DALAL-WHELAN CONTRIBUTOR The latest uproar of women in Iran started when Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iranian morality police on Sept. 13 for allegedly violating the country’s dress code for women. On Sept. 16, she died at the age of 22. Iranian authorities reported that Amini suffered a stroke while in custody, but her family insists she was beaten or tortured to death. Amini’s death quickly inspired protests in cities across Iran. During these protests, many
See El Camino, Page 9
MORE STORIES DUO complications See News, page 2
True crime criticism See Opinion, page 4
Domestic violence awareness See Feature, page 6
Noah Schnapp Cars on the way to Carlsbad show support for the women in Iran with signs for Mahsa Amini and Iranian flags. Colin Mullaney/The USD Vista
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into his daily life. However, he experienced a hiking accident in January 2021 when he fell hiking the Rocky Mountains and ended up in a neck brace for six months. This accident completely altered Harris’ intentions for the trek. “I was not sure I could do it,
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women burned their headscarves and publicly cut their hair. The protesters are calling not only for the removal of strict modesty laws but also for the end of the dictatorship of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During the two
weeks of protests, demonstrators clashed with Iranian police, throwing Molotov cocktails and destroying police cars. According to Iran Human Rights, a nonprofit based outside of
See Iranian Protests, Page 2
See A&C, page 11
Weekly recap See Sports, page 12