Sapphira cristál articles

  • Sapphira Cristál of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' discusses her Latino ties

    In a season that had the most Latina queens in "RuPaul's Drag Race" herstory, Sapphira Cristál felt right at home. Though now based in Philadelphia, the Season 16 contestant and fan favorite was born and raised in Houston in a diverse household — her mother is Black and her stepfather, who came into Cristál's life when she was 10 months old, was of Mexican and Thai heritage. "I was raised in Latino culture, Thai culture and Black culture. I was very multicultural growing up," she said. The drag...

  • Freshman Josiah Rosales-Cristales learned to dive via YouTube; now he's City champion

    The story of freshman diver Josiah Rosales-Cristales of Hawkins High will make you smile on any day. He taught himself how to dive through videos on YouTube growing up in South Los Angeles. At age 4, he was so excited to try diving at the neighborhood pool that he didn't tell the truth about his age. "He lied about his age and told them he was older and that's how they allowed him to use the spring board," his mother, Sabrina, said. On Wednesday at the City Section diving championships at...