Mike Hiles

Not long after the Soboba Sports Complex swimming pool was reopened with extensive safety protocols in place, Daniel Mazza was tapped to teach water aerobics classes. He is a fitness specialist with Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc. and has taught group exercise classes and served as a personal trainer at the Soboba Sports Complex.

Making good use of the Soboba Tribal Preschool’s absence of a summer session this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers began taking classes of their own to learn more of the Luiseño language.

After a highly successful academic career at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), Rachelle Peterson found a graduate program that could deliver what she wanted. With an ultimate career goal of working as a school psychologist serving the Native American population, this member of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians found what she needed at San Diego State University (SDSU).

After her junior year at Great Oak High School in Temecula, Yawaywish Laupsa-Briones got noticed by a West Point softball recruiter who had viewed a couple of her tournament games. She did some research on the school and its athletic program and decided she wanted to commit to the school. On July 11, she left California to start her academic career there.

The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians teamed up with Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District to put on a fireworks show that lit up the San Jacinto Valley skies – and computer screens for those that livestreamed it. Both entities are well known for their annual spectacular pyrotechnic displays but due to COVID-19 limits on public gatherings, things were done differently this year.