SAN DIEGO. Calif — Thousands of individuals from all backgrounds are sexually trafficked in every part of San Diego County. From National City to La Jolla, to middle school, high school, and college students who walk the same streets and share the same classes. Victims of sex trafficking come from all walks of life and local law enforcement officials have encountered survivors who are minors, as well. Since 2013, Children of the Immaculate Heart built its existence on refusing to look away from a reality that remains in front of our society. Known as “CIH,” the organization was created to…
Author: Sacha Connesson-Robic
Sacha Connesson-Robic
Sacha is a French international student pursuing a double major in International Security and Conflict Resolution and Political Science at San Diego State University, with aspirations of continuing his education at law school. Prior to relocating to the United States, he spent three formative years in Northern England, where he balanced the rigorous demands of the International Baccalaureate with competitive, high-level soccer. A dual pursuit that cultivated his high work ethic, leadership instincts, and deep appreciation for teamwork. At SDSU, Sacha continues to embody this commitment to both academics and athletics as a member of the men's club soccer team. He is equally engaged in the intellectual life of his university as a dedicated member of the Alexander Hamilton Society, a national institute devoted to the study of American foreign policy and international security. He also serves as an ambassador for the Global Perspective Symposium program, through which he delivers weekly, multidisciplinary symposiums to fellow students, offering nuanced perspectives on the culture, politics, and society of his native France. Beyond campus, Sacha draws upon a professional background in sales in France and devotes himself to humanitarian work focused on expanding educational pathways for women in Afghanistan. In partnership with an established NGO, he has overseen the development of workshops and supported on-the-ground efforts that have produced tangible milestones, most notably, the creation of a business hub designed to provide women with safe and ethical industry standards. Complementing these pursuits, he serves as a fellow at the San Diego Weekly, a role through which he continues to refine his writing, digital literacy, and community engagement. Curious, principled, and quietly driven, Sacha aspires to a legal career grounded in service that draws upon his international perspective, scholarly rigor, and commitment to advancing human dignity on a global scale.
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San Diego. Calif— Holocaust survivor Benjamin “Ben” Midler, 98 years old, is a living lesson of pure hope and optimism in the way he tells his survival of the Holocaust as a 13 year old boy. On June 9, 2026, the San Diego Weekly editorial team went to the encounter of Ben at the La Jolla Library inside the RUTH, Remember Us the Holocaust, exhibition. What follows is Ben Midler’s account of his story living as a Jewish person during Holocaust. A poignant testimony of why we owe ultimate remembrance to all those massacred during that time. The Ordinary Livelihood of a…
From Mexican fusion and the art of the taco to coffee mixology and craft beer, Tijuana is serving a new chapter of flavor, creativity, and culture. This feature is part of San Diego Weekly San Diego Standouts’ ongoing Tijuana Renaissance series, which explores the people, places, flavors, businesses, and cultural spaces helping reintroduce Tijuana to visitors, locals, and the larger Cali-Baja region. In this installment, we follow the city through one of its most powerful storytellers: food. Tijuana, B.C., Mexico — If one was to find an excuse to return to Tijuana, it would certainly be to re-experience the taste…
A trusted, prevention-focused youth mental health organization serving San Diego schools and communities with a holistic, relationship-based support that helps individuals thrive emotionally, socially, and academically Statistics have continuously raised the alarm about the state of mental health across the younger generation. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that one in three students has experienced poor mental health, while a staggering forty percent said they have felt persistent sadness and hopelessness. Verenice Hernandez-Herrera witnessed those numbers negatively affecting the students she taught for more than twenty years as an educator and school counselor in the San Diego,…
As one of the two percent of Black women in medicine, a multi-business entrepreneur, and advocate she’s the living proof that it can be done. At ten years old, Aliya Frederick made it her priority to become a doctor. Though she had no role model to follow, she had ambition that would outpace all predictions. Indeed, one should never dare underestimate a child whose love of science and math is coupled with a family that never once told her that her dream was too big. Today she is Dr. Aliya Frederick, MD, PhD, a double board-certified pediatric neurologist and clinical…
The founder of Women in Technology at San Diego State, a leader rooted in resourcefulness, accessibility, and bringing others along. Lena Truong learned early that the opportunities she wanted were rarely going to be handed to her. So she started making them, first for herself, and then for everyone she could bring along. As founder and Executive Chair of Women in Technology (WIT) at San Diego State University, Truong has spent her time as a student building a community: convening events, opening doors to industry, and creating spaces where students who feel underestimated can find their footing. A Vietnamese American,…
Reflections on the important dialogue among Leaders that refuse to look away from a crime that continues to prey on San Diegan vulnerable women and youth. SAN DIEGO, Calif.— The You Can Stop Human Trafficking Campaign held its inaugural presentation at One Safe Place in National City on Thursday, May 14, 2026. The event brought together activists, community leaders, political figures, NGOs, attorneys, and more to demonstrate that public safety is a combination of prevention, enforcement, awareness, leadership, services, and whether a community is willing to act before a crisis becomes a mere headline. Inside One Safe Place (South -…
SAN DIEGO STANDOUTS 2026 WOMEN OF INFLUENCE SERIES San Diego Weekly’s first networking event on May 7th gathered changemakers, community builders and honorees from across the San Diego, California, Cali-Baja region, and Beyond. SAN DIEGO, Calif. — There are nights that unveil themselves loudly while others settle into you quietly, the way a powerful conversation does, the way the realization that something powerful just occurred. The first networking event of San Diego Weekly was the second kind. For months, we have been sharing the stories of those who refashion this region and for the March 2026 women’s day and international…
Ron Morrison, Mayor of National City, is the kind of leader whose devotion for his community deserves attention. SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Growing up in National City, long before the regional appointments, the decades of public service, and the title he quietly watched and understood what his city and community needed. An early belonging that never left, shaping the leader he is today: shoulder to shoulder with those he serves. And still after being termed out of the mayor’s office in 2018, he came back, not because there was no place to go, but because, there was no other place…