Featured Athlete
Ahnaf Mabarrat

How long have you been skateboarding? 

“I’ve been skating for a little over 6 & a half years. When I first got to high school I noticed everyone was brandishing a skateboard or a penny board & watching the skaters during & after school doing all these crazy tricks fascinated me. So after skating around on a penny board for a few months, I finally felt confident enough to pick up a real skateboard. I bought my first complete off this kid at school for 12 bucks. It was a Birdhouse Tony Hawk complete like the stocks completes you can buy off Zumiez.”

Why is education important to you? 

“Education has always been a big part of my life. Both my mother & father graduated from Dhaka University, which is like the Harvard University of Bangladesh. When my parents immigrated to the United States in 2000, my mom decided to go back to school, earning herself her second bachelor’s degree. She then went on to attain her Masters in Family and Consumer Sciences at California State University Northridge, ironically the same university I currently attend. My mom now teaches child development as an associate professor. I had no idea I would ever attend the same school as my mom did. I guess it’s kind of a legacy thing. Seeing my mom achieve all of this all the while being an immigrant mother of 2 children with a full-time job is truly inspiring. I wanna be able to do big things like her, if not bigger, which is why education means so much to me.”

How is the skate scene on your campus? How many students skate? 

“It’s honestly pretty great. Everyone meets up at this spot on campus called Manzanita Hall, home to some of the best flatground I’ve ever skated. That’s where I met Ash for the first time. I’d say there’s a good 20-30 skaters on campus who’ve I’ve interacted with in some shape or form. It’s never a case of who’s better than who or who’s the best skater on campus. What I love about our skate scene at CSUN is that we all continue to push each other, not only to learn new tricks but also to be the best versions of ourselves we can be. We have a group chat where we share clips, notify others of school cops if they happen to be around, etc. Just in general it’s a great environment to be around.”

Favorite trick right now? 

“Fullcab flips. Been my favorite trick ever since I landed my first one 2 summers ago. I bust them out during games of SKATE & people tell me “Yeah bro I’ll take a letter.” It’s pretty funny. But it’s such a great trick. So much going on with your feet. Not only are you going fakie doing a backside 360 but you also gotta add a flip to it, making sure to land heavy on the nose to get that extra pivot & complete the turn. When you put it all together it’s one of the most satisfying feelings. Hopefully I can throw one of them down a set someday. .”

Favorite thing about skateboarding? 

“The sense of community or the social aspect of it I would say. I guess feeling like I belong. Before skateboarding was ever a part of my life, I was such an introvert. I was bullied throughout all my years in school. People would make fun of me for my skin color, my height, my ethnicity, & especially my religion. I’m no stranger to being called a “terrorist” or being told to go back to my country. I was excluded from a lot of the cliques in high school, including volleyball & even chess club. The skate scene at my high school was welcoming. As soon as I got my Tony Hawk complete I was in the mix with everyone else & I saw myself progress faster than I thought I would, with the other skaters giving me tips and a boost of confidence. I finally felt like I belonged. It didn’t matter where you’re from, how good you are at skating or any of that. It’s not about being competitive or trying to be the best. What mattered is that we all share the same passion for something we love to do. You don’t see that in many sports. Skateboarding has given me some of my closest friends over the past few years & for that, I’m forever grateful.”