Lindsay Tuggle
Staff Writer
Jesus Castro
You can’t spend half an hour in public with freshman Jesus Castro without someone coming up and greeting him with “Hey, Big Poppa!”
A frequent participant at the Pepperdine Volunteer Center, Castro has helped out with Special Olympics, missions and blood drives, on top of working for Jumpstart, a program that allows students to mentor and teach young children before they enter kindergarten.
The Mexico City native is well known at Pepperdine for having a lovable personality, a philosophical outlook and a big heart.
How did you get the nickname “Big Poppa”?
In our Frosh Follies skit, I played George Pepperdine’s father. Because of that, Darnell Brisco started calling me “Big Poppa.” Now people have shortened it to just “Poppa” because they’re lazy. Soon it will just be “Puh.”
You have an interesting heritage. Tell me about your parents.
My dad is half Japanese and half Mexican. My mom is just all kinds of Mexican. It’s not a common combination. My sister, Yuriko, has a Japanese name actually. It means “white flower.”
Having just had Valentine’s Day last week, what are your thoughts on love, both universal and romantic?
I think that a lot of conflict in the world is due to the lack of love. People just don’t know how to understand and accept each other. As far as romantic love, I believe that there is someone who fits with you perfectly, and you should never settle for less than that. You also can’t find them yourself. You have to do your thing and they will find you.
And if you don’t ever find them, well then you should be happy, because you’ll never have to open yourself up that completely.
What is the most exciting thing that you have done since you have been here?
Last night I helped out with the Special Olympics. They showed us a video, sort of a highlight reel, and then this figure skater, Loretta, gave a speech to the athletes. She told us that they did things on that tape that each one of them had once been told they couldn’t do. It was amazing.
Why do you choose to spend much of your free time helping those less fortunate than you?
It’s because no matter what anyone says, they just don’t have the opportunities that we do. It is not fair for me to sit here and look out on the ocean and $50-billion homes and they have only their life to their name, especially when I am nothing that they aren’t.
You are very philosophical, I hear. What is your take on spirituality?
I believe that religion and spirituality have been split. People do things because they think they are supposed to, not because it’s what in their heart. There’s a lot of conflict in the world because people can’t see the bigger picture, no matter what you tell them. It’s like trying to tell an ant in your bathroom about your backyard. It wouldn’t even be able to comprehend it.
02-24-2005
