22-year-old Cristina Gonzales of Whittier, California can be considered one of Sasha’s biggest supporters and a proud Lakers fan. This multi-tasking Sasha fan is a second and third grade after-school teacher; she is also a docent at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens as well as a volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

In addition to being an animal lover, she is also a self-proclaimed poster freak. She has been seen at various Lakers and Sasha events with interesting posters, one of which said “Yo Soy Una Vujachick” signed by Sasha at Fiesta Lakers earlier this year.

How long have you been a fan?

I’ve been a Lakers fan since birth… Well as long as I can remember. My parents were always willing to show my brother and me the world, and luckily we were introduced to basketball, and sports for that matter, at a very young age. On weekends my dad would take us lots of places, and one of those places was the Great Western Forum. The details of the games I saw are all hazy now, but I remember going to a Laker game with my brother and dad. In October of 2008, I was lucky enough to play onstage with Weezer at the Forum. It was such a surreal experience not because I performed with Weezer, but I played where the Lakers once did.

As for me being a Sasha fan, I became a fan during the Fall of ’07. Sasha was my guilty pleasure. For me, it was a subject I wouldn’t really bring up until I hear someone else likes him too. If I did bring him up and that person had no idea who I was talking about I would get embarrassed a bit, mostly because I felt like I wasted my time and because they had NO IDEA who I was talking about. Most of my family members are into Kobe and the popular players; but I prefer the underdogs, the ones that should get a lot of recognition too but get shadowed at times. Those are my kind of players.

What was it about Sasha that caught your attention?

Besides his incredulous smile, I’m amazed at his love for the game. I played basketball all four years in high school and watching him play makes me miss it dearly. The way he’s yelling at the refs whenever they do a bad call or cheering a fellow player reminds me of the things I used to do. I even had little time on the court, but when I did I made the best of it, just like Sasha does.

What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

My favorite thing about him is his caring. I had no idea about that essay contest a few months ago and if I did, I would’ve totally had my students writing to him! All the things he did for that elementary school were awesome. I think giving back to your community is important, but for Sasha to go above and beyond like that, words can’t describe.

Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

I’m really lucky to say that I’ve had some pretty amazing Sasha experiences. If I had to choose, it would have to be on January 27, 2009. I got Laker tickets as a birthday present. I’m a poster enthusiast, so I naturally made a Sasha one. During a commercial break I flagged the camera man and showed him my poster. He quickly told me to “be ready in one minute.” I must’ve been on that Jumbotron for at LEAST 10+ seconds and then they zoomed in on Sasha smiling at my poster! Everyone was laughing and cheering, which was the best feeling EVER! All I wanted was for him to see my poster and with the help of that nice camera man I got that chance. It was a great jumpstart to my Vujachick life.

You have been seen at Sasha and Lakers events with creative posters. What is your inspiration behind these?

A lot of inspiration for my posters comes from all over the place. After making my “Vujachick” poster I never realized how many people were just like me. A couple of days before going to the game I subscribed to Emily’s Sasha Watch, which unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore, but she gave me the will to make the poster. She gave me the realization that there are lots of us, and I wanted to show the world that I’m proud to be a Vujachick.

Since Fiesta Lakers landed on Easter Sunday this year I had to make an appropriate poster. It said “Yo Soy Una Vujachick” with glued purple & yellow Peeps, drawn confetti and Easter eggs. After Sasha signed my poster it felt really good to know that my work is appreciated.

You mentioned your family isn’t as supportive about your love for Sasha. How do you cope? Do you know other fans?

At first, my family members thought I was a weirdo. I would talk about Sasha related stuff so much my mother even told me I had a problem. Little by little, I started reducing my knowledge of Sasha to my relatives. At Fiesta Lakers, my mother won a wristband to meet Sasha but we didn’t know until the last minute. I was trying to sneak in with my mom and little sister but security wouldn’t hear my sob story. At first I was kind of upset to see two of my relatives that don’t like Sasha about to meet him, but I told myself this was the PERFECT way for them to see what an amazing person Sasha really is. I gave my mother my poster so Sasha could see my work. He then signed my sister’s basketball and my poster! When I met up with my family, they now had a totally different view of Sasha. They’re not big fans like I am, but they respect him a lot more.

After I blogged about me being on the Jumbotron, I started getting friend requests from MySpace and Facebook from all over the US. It felt good knowing there are more of us out there. It also felt good sharing with others about how awesome Sasha is without the other person being scared of me. So now when I have some cool news to tell friends, I say it to my Vujachicks and Vujadudes.

If you could say one thing to Sasha, what would it be?

“The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills, it’s very brightly colored and it’s very loud and it’s fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: ‘Is this real, or is this just a ride?’ And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, ‘Hey, don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because it’s just a ride.’”

That’s my favorite quote from my favorite comedian, Bill Hicks. I tell myself this when I’m happy or down. A lot of times things get to us and it can be hard to shake it off. But always remember, Sasha… It’s just a ride, and we can change it any way we want to. It’s all up to us. So enjoy the ride.

Anything else about your Sasha and Lakers fandom you would like to share?

When it’s game day, I like to wear my purple and yellow earrings. Also before the game starts, I like listening to The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Magic Johnson.” Even though they talk about the dream team players of the 80’s, it still gets me pumped. Now that Lil’ Wayne made that Kobe Bryant song, that’ll have to be a part of the music tradition. I turned into a huge Disney freak after I bought my annual pass back in March. Their promotion this year is called “What will you celebrate?” and at City Hall in Disneyland, they give out nifty buttons that say “I’m celebrating!” I told myself every time the Lakers win during the playoffs and eventually finals I’m going to get a button for every win. Sure enough, I have at least 20 lying around my room! Thanks to Disneyland, I ALWAYS have something to celebrate.