SDSU Showcasing #AztecHeroes
San Diego State University is empty. Viejas Arena is quiet. Tony Gwynn Stadium is still. There isn’t a single splash at the Aztec Aquaplex.
With classes being held remotely and no sports due to the novel coronavirus public health stay-at-home order, the SDSU Athletics Twitter account (@GoAztecs) is transitioning from sports updates to shining a spotlight on former Aztecs who are working as heroes in their community.
They put out a call asking for people to nominate healthcare workers, grocery store employees, truck drivers and more who went to San Diego State and are helping on the frontlines.
So far, they’ve featured members of the Aztec community assisting others in various ways.
Former Aztec Water Polo player Anna Gonzales who is working as a Registered Nurse in the emergency room at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest; Acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy James E. McPherson; Melissa Atala-Ramirez who is helping veterans as a CRNA at the VA Medical Center in San Diego; a pair of former lacrosse players - Sarah Dorl and Alexa Comfort - who work together in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC; Theresa Erb who is the Program Lead for the Bethlehem Food Pantry in El Cajon; former Aztec Athletic Trainer Mikala Pino who is on the frontlines as a Physician Assistant at West Hawaii Community Health Center in Kona; Hawaii and Tamara McMillan who went from a Track & Field athlete to working at UCSD Hillcrest where she specializes in trauma and is active in COVID-19 screenings.
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There are too many #AztecHeroes to list here, but you can see them all on the GoAztecs twitter page or search the hashtag.
If you want to nominate an Aztec Hero, email a photo of your nominee and a description of why you’re nominating them to GoAztecsMarketing@sdsu.edu and remember to clap at 8:00 p.m. every night to thank our frontline workers.
