Kamron Javaherpour will be the first one to tell you that he is a computer geek.
He has always been fascinated by electronics and how they work. This fall, 22-year-old Javaherpour began his first semester at CSUN. For Javaherpour, it wasn’t just as simple as going to school and working toward a future—he needed a little extra motivation.
The junior, a transfer from College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, found that drive and motivation in the hockey rink.
During a rough patch in his life, Javaherpour turned to his love for video games as an escape. His game of choice was Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. Javaherpour said he felt the need to get out of this funk and start taking constructive steps toward the next stage of life.
The first step was not to abandon his love of video games, but to focus his energy and time elsewhere, he said.
Like most young boys, Javaherpour had dreams of playing professional sports, mainly professional hockey. But as dreams faded and reality set in, he knew what he really wanted to do. He wanted to be on the cutting edge of technology.
When Javaherpour made this mental shift, he also began to pick up his old hobby of playing hockey, which he said started as a positive outlet for the stress and emotions he had been harboring. While the hockey world is different from the computer industry, it served as a motivator while teaching discipline and structure, two things Javaherpour said were lacking in his life.
“Hockey is a game of emotions,” Javaherpour said. “It’s all or nothing out there. You have to leave everything you have on the ice. Balls to the walls.”
Javaherpour said he took that approach and applied it to school and his everyday life. The choice to play again was a constructive move that as he said brought order to his life and relationships.
“Hockey is the main driving force to allow me to move into the position I want,” he said.
Although dreams may fade and most sports dreams die, his has been revived here at CSUN. Javaherpour picked up his old hobby in adult leagues, playing both roller and ice hockey. With his new motivation and positive outlook, he began to look at the hockey programs at the prospective colleges he had in mind for his eventual transfer.
Javaherpour applied to and toured many CSUs and a few UCs while he was in the beginning stages of his transfer.
“CSUN was not my first choice, but I’m glad I didn’t go anywhere else,” he said.
He said the hockey program at CSUN was the main factor in his decision. During his initial visit, Javaherpour said it was love at first sight.
“The campus is beautiful and there was a sense of school spirit,” Javaherpour said.
School spirit was something he missed since his high school team won its league championship. Javaherpour said he decided CSUN was the place for him.
After transferring, Javaherpour said he was able to make the hockey team and prides himself on being the only computer science major on the team. He revels in the fact that he does not fit into the mold of the stereotypical jock.
Every day he wakes up early and commutes from the Santa Clarita Valley to CSUN for a 6:30 a.m. practice with the team. He is also taking a full unit load this semester and is working part time.
While all of these can take a toll on a student, he said he wouldn’t change it for anything.
“The bond and camaraderie created while on the ice cannot be replaced,” Javaherpour said. “The brotherhood created is a fraternity within itself. Going into battle builds up this unspoken bond.”
This bond is something Javaherpour shares not only with the team, but also with the university.
“I am proud to be a Matador and a part of the Matador legacy,” Javaherpour said.
