Pursuit | Fall 2018

vo lu m e 9 . i s s u e 1 . fa l l 2 01 8

Finding Identity in Diversity 10

Overcoming the Cultural Disconnect

20 surviving the ride Tips for Overseas Travel

38 happy gut happy life A Recipe for Better Mental Health

50 art begins where language ends Creating to Cope with Loss

F E AT U R E

10

38

happy gut happy life A Recipe for Better Mental Health

Overcoming the Cultural Disconnect

20

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Finding Identity in Diversity

surviving the ride Tips for Overseas Travel

50

art begins where language ends Creating to Cope with Loss

Conversations in the Community

16

energy vampires

TRENDS

Sucking Life Out of Relationships

42

A RTS

R E L AT I O N S H I P S T R AV E L

true Christianity

54

The market of influencers The World of Integrated Marketing Through Social Media

46

basic politics for dummies Everything You Forgot From High School Government

22 bombay beach: a town forgotten From Riviera to Ruins

26

CON T E N TS

6

universal understanding Cultivating Empathy Through Travel

representation in media The Importance of Cultural Immersion

58

pursuit recommends

LIFESTYLE

Podcasts

32

swap meets of socal Perks of Thrifting Vintage Threads

36

connecting to oneself Practicing the Art of Self-Love

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s ta f 4 | Pursuit

Lauren Shelburne

Kaylah Valdez

phillip ndowu

Managing Editor

Design Editor

Photo Editor

danyella wilder

niki costa

sarah dean

Relationships & Arts Editor

Lifestyle Editor

Travel & Trends Editor

matt tam

michael gotz

heather finnigan

Designer

Designer

Designer

dr. michael chute

sonya singh

jim veneman

Director of Student Publications

Assistant Director of Student Publications

Photojournalism Consultant

Editor-in-Chief

We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.

e d i to r s not e

lauren sawdey

Jimmy Neil Smith These words uttered by Jimmy Neil Smith, founder of the International Storytelling Center, echo our pursuit in creating a magazine that serves as a home for stories. We strive to highlight the stories, and lives, of others — our roommates, our neighbors, our friends, those we know and those we do not. Stories allow humanity to connect to something deep and to grow through this connection. They allow us to share in others’ successes, failures, hurts, fears and joys. Hearing and sharing stories, whether a passing moment or an impacting memory, roots us to our humanity — to what it means to be human, to feel, to move forward, to empathize and to understand more deeply than we did before.

Every story in which we come into contact or find ourselves a part of enlarges our personal network of stories and, essentially, our connection to others and the world. As our interaction with others expands, whether that is across the street or across a country, our meaning becomes intertwined with those stories we intimately know. It is my hope that this issue of Pursuit pushes us to acknowledge others’ stories and to have the courage to share ours.

Lauren Sawdey

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Written by Diana Corona Illustration by Matt Tam

T

he lights dim and the lead singer of the Chapel Band waves his hands in an upward motion, eliciting a response from the audience. Within a few seconds, the students seated in the first three rows of the auditorium stand up sharply, and raise their hands to the sky.

But what exactly are they reaching for?

The idea of worship is peculiar for students with a non-Christian background. In an article written for Pursuit last year, Jeff Lewis, director of Mobilization, made a statement regarding the demographic of Christian and non-Christian students enrolled at California Baptist University. According to applications, 30 percent of students did not identify as Christian.

Still, beginning the 2018-2019 school year, one-third of the CBU campus does not identify as Christian.

St u d e n t s e l f - i d e n t i f icat io n So many students on campus do not identify as Christian, nor do they have the desire to declare themselves as such for reasons they find justifiable. A number of reasons exist why students feel drawn away from the church as a whole. Some pertain to a lack of understanding, and a disconnect regarding one’s personal ideologies and the purpose of the church.

“Contemporary Christianity made me feel left out because I’m (Mexican); it just made no sense to me,” says Daniela Marquez, alumna. “People are dressed a certain way and music is American alternative — it’s just strange to me.”

Some Christians within the church community share that their experience within the church is welcoming, kind and inclusive. Individuals who look at

C onv ers at io ns in t he co m mu n i t y

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R E L AT I O N S H I P S

the church and the Christian community from the outside-looking-in, however, still feel a sense of hesitation. The church is often seen as a place of intolerance.

“The greatest expression of church is the welcoming of all people groups regardless of race, ethnicity and cultural background,” Lewis says.

“If what remains homogeneous hasn’t been welcoming of other races and ethnicities, or hasn’t been chasing after them so that the best expression of the church can be manifested, then we have sinned greatly against Christ.”

Church in the media Lately, however, the media has shed light on human flaws within the church, leading to detrimental damage to the church itself and encouragement of the scapegoating of all Christians.

In August 2017, a number of stories that surfaced placed hate groups and intolerant rallies front and center in the news. One of the most memorable was an interview broadcast on Univision in which Chris Barker, a Klansman, sat across from an Afro-Latina reporter, Ilia Calderon, and displayed a repulsive atmosphere of hatred while continuously quoting biblical texts to justify his actions and beliefs.

The misrepresentation of Christianity that Barker exemplifies falls far from the message of the church, but because of its exposure on a mass scale, it has become a catalyst for continuing the conversation of the underlying issue of racism, lack of acceptance and tolerance of Christian people in a church setting.

“Whether it is extreme racism and white supremacy that would use Scripture to support the perspective, you can prove anything with (biblical) text and do that,” Lewis says. “But if you really get into the story, you begin to see Jesus was intentional to strip away the cultural biases of his disciples. It’s taking a long time for us, but are we willing to yield to that?”

Incorrect biblical Interpretations Incorrect ideologies surface when individuals read biblical texts and interpret them through the lens of the present culture. These misinterpretations lead to a misrepresentation of Christian life and, thus, of the Christian community.

“You can take any work of literature and manipulated interpretation of scripture it for your own gain,” Lewis says regarding incorrect and manipulated translations.

The actions displayed by Barker exemplify what Ramzy Muhammad Ali, graduate education major, defines as “far from true Christian.”

For Ali, this is not his first encounter with a person of Barker’s racial bias. Raised a Muslim-Arab in post-9-11 America, Ali says he has had a number of experiences with people who claim to be a part of the church.

“The thing that alienated me the most was having these people who were screaming in my face,” Ali says. “I was a kid and I had grown men waving crosses and Bibles at me, calling me a heathen and telling me that my people needed to go back from where we came. How do you claim to be a child of God when that’s your way of showing it?”

For many, these incidents are not isolated occurrences. Marquez says she shares a similar experience.8

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“I can tell you various times that I received racist comments or discrimination because I was more Catholic than contemporary Christian or because of my political beliefs,” Marquez says.

Her experience with the Christian community points out a valid issue in the church — political ideologies intertwined with religious beliefs.

“Both the Catholic and (Protestant) church create subcultures and it’s always like you’re either all in or you’re made to feel all out,” Marquez says.

Acceptance for all Intertwining political ideals and religious beliefs has been a recurring issue since the beginning of church history and it continues to create tension within the church community, as well. The church is a gathering of diverse people groups that meet to reflect their faith in Christ. Individualistic ideologies or political ideals should be neither supported nor refuted within the church.

“The church should be a place where there is total welcoming of anyone who comes, doesn’t matter where they come from, what they are, who they are, but if they sense a conviction because of what is spoken from the word of God, well, the word of God convicts

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sin; it doesn’t welcome sin,” Lewis says.

Although the church faces recurring issues, generalizing that all churches have failed is not accurate. Ali says there were times he felt welcomed in the church setting.

Regardless of Ali’s feelings of oppression and ostracism by the church, he says he also believes “true Christians are very much welcoming. They don’t want to shove (their faith) in your face. They want to sit down, have conversation and they want the interaction to begin.”

One of the biggest problems that comes from being on the outside of the Christian community is not being able to identify the difference between a “true Christian” and a misrepresentation of a Christian. People often look at the wrong representations of Christians and form generalizations of the Christian community as a whole.

As Ali says, a true Christian is willing to have “stimulating conversations.” These conversations include the topics that often seem taboo within the community — the issues such as racism, ageism, classicism, and other personal differences and experiences.

A true Christian, Ali says, focuses on and is consumed by knowing Jesus Christ through his word, not with the intention of defending his or her own ideologies, but with the will to foster an environment of inclusivity here on Earth and especially in the church, as Jesus did throughout the course of his life.

Being a true Christian means establishing a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds, not just as guests, but in leadership positions, as well — the same way Jesus fought to welcome Gentiles and teach his disciples to do so. The Christian community is often quick to point out “us” and “them,” yet Christians should try to strive to treat all people as one.

When individuals within the Christian community come to terms with this realization, the Church will be as Jesus established it would be: an inclusive, welcoming place with a focus on him and not our culture, our politics or our personal ideologies. ◆

R E L AT I O N S H I P S

The greatest expression of church is the welcoming of all people groups regardless of race, ethnicity and cultural background. — Jeff Lewis, director of Mobilization

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OVERCOMING THE CULTURAL DISCONNECT

Written by Ninasophia Stowe Photos by Phillip Ndowu

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R E L AT I O N S H I P S

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was in the second grade when I was first Being “mixed” means to consist of different asked the question, “What are you?” I qualities, elements and racial identities. came home confused, not knowing how Culture, race and family are split into halves to answer the question. I went to my mother or quarters. No matter what I believe or desire, with my frustration, looking for answers. I I will never be 100 percent African American, was nervous she would not have the answer German or Mexican.

I needed, or rather the answer that kids at As soon as I realized race mattered to other school wanted, but she then replied with the people, the impossibility of being accepted answer that mattered most. began to fiercely bother me.

“You are human. It doesn’t matter what you I have never felt accepted in any of the racial are, because at the end of the day, we all bleed cliques at my school where I was not ethnically red.” black or white enough. I had many arguments My mother is half with black German and half students who African-American. My would not believe father is half white my ethnicity until and half Mexican. This they saw a picture gave me three cultures of my mom. to learn, explore and I had to embrace. We would constantly fight celebrate Christmas for a place in my with German traditions own communities. and cookies, while When I was with preparing soul food white friends I was throughout the the “black friend,” holidays. When I would and with my black visit my Nene, we friends I was the would spread masa all “Mexican friend.” day for the annual Tamale Day. This tends to be — Amy Sanchez, When I was with my family I did not the case for many junior English major question my ethnicity or identity, but it mixed people. was in school where I understood that I was Amy Sanchez, junior English different. Because of this, I struggled with major, faced similar cliques, boys and bullying. experiences during her adolescence while trying Finding Acceptance to find her identity as a half Mexican, half I could not ignore the racial cliques while Korean woman. growing up. In high school, I experienced Sanchez says this from multiple people groups. I was so her perspective of concerned about fitting in that I would change herself was shaped things about myself to gain acceptance: My hair through others’ to make it more curly so people would believe eyes. 8 that I was black. Straightening it so I would look more white. I was conforming so much I did not know who I actually was.

People were always trying to identify me, but I am so much more than just what they see or assume. ... I see it as, this is me, this is my personality, my background.

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R E L AT I O N S H I P S

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You are human. It doesn't matter what you are, because at the end of the day, we all bleed red. — Gloria Stowe

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R E L AT I O N S H I P S

“Growing up, most people identified me as Asian. It was hard for me, though, because I was raised in multiple cultures and was confused when people put labels on me as just Mexican or just Asian,” Sanchez says.

Like so many others with roots on opposite sides of the globe, Sanchez was asked, “What

“I noticed the physical differences, yes, but I never felt excluded. They always made me feel accepted and a part of the family,” Sunahara says. “They didn’t focus on the difference but on the similarities between us — our smiles, personalities, our laughs and habits — they weren’t focused on the physical. We could just

punchline of their jokes.

Taylor Bader, senior music education major, also comes from a multicultural background.

Bader is half German, a quarter Hawaiian and a quarter Japanese.

Bader talks about her adolescent experience growing up in Hawaii while also being Japanese

are you?”

“When I was with Asian people, they knew I was different because they saw the Mexican side of me. It was difficult for me because I felt like people were trying to put me in a box that I don’t fit into because half of me is this and half of me is that,” Sanchez says. “People were always trying to identify me, but I am so much more than just what they see or assume.

I come from so many different places, so I don’t see it that way. I see it as, this is me, this is my personality, my background.”

I am so many things and every time I heard that question I initially just thought, “I’m Nina.”

I can be Nina, who is mixed and not have to pick a culture in order to be secure with both my personal and racial identity. I am a mix of so many different things. I am not just one culture.

be Sara and Nina.”

and German.

“I went to a school for children of Hawaiian descent and grew up learning the language and culture, but I was blonde growing up and other kids would tell me I was white,” Bader says. “It made me feel out of place, but as I got older I grew into my Hawaiian culture.”

Despite some negative experiences, Bader says she chooses to look at her experiences from a more positive light.

Different Perspectives Among Sisters My sister, Saramonet Sunahara, experienced the opposite of this experience. To our parents, we were seen as equal and beautiful. My sister has a much lighter complexion, dirty blonde hair and green eyes, whereas all my features are different shades of brown. Many people made the assumption that we were not related at all. This bothered the both of us, but more so for Saramonet when looking at family photos, noticing how much lighter she was compared to the rest of our family.

Embracing One’s Cultures Multiracial children are allowed a mixed experience in which they are exposed to more than one culture and can also empathize with minority groups outside of their own group.

According to the Pew Research Center, 55 percent of multiracial children are subjected to slurs or racist jokes because of their racial background. The same survey reports that 59 percent of multiracial adults feel more open to other cultures and 60 percent of the survey’s participants say they are proud of their multiracial background.

“I tend to forget that I am multiracial because I am just me and it’s all I’ve ever known, but I have also been told that I’m ethnically ambiguous,” says Kaci Masterson, sophomore nursing student.

Masterson is half white, a quarter African American and a quarter Korean.

While connection to your culture is important for many minority communities, it can also be damaging to others when specific communities are unaccepting to mixed-race children.

While I was not 100 percent African American, I was not excluded from the racism in my public schools growing up. I can recall a number of times when kids would use things about my physical appearance or traits that marked me as different or my ethnicity as the

A Privilege to be Multicultural “It’s a privilege to be multicultural, because you are one person with so many different cultural experiences and it’s like seeing a different color. You gain so much perspective and understanding and have respect,” Bader says.

Many people who are multiracial, including myself, have come to terms with their racial identity and no longer need others to validate his or her race.

Allowing others to define and categorize me was the most damaging thing I did to myself growing up. I put myself in the boxes that others drew for me knowing I would not fit.

It was not until I realized that I do not have to be anyone but myself that I finally felt relief.

Now as an adult, I can reclaim my identity and proudly say that I am an African-American woman, just as I can say I am German, and I am Mexican. ◆

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E N E R GY VA M P I R E S

sucking life out o f r e lat i o n s h i p s

E

nergy vampires. At first glance this term appears unusual and foreign, but it describes a person everyone knows but may not recognize. To better visualize who this person is, one has to look no further than Rachel and Ross’ relationship on the iconic sitcom “Friends.”

Given the regard for this infamous relationship, it is obvious why people do not recognize the energy vampires in their lives.

The dynamic between Ross and Rachel exhibits a deep dysfunction that contributes to toxic relationships.

Ross, always selfish and whiny, is alarmingly controlling in his claim for Rachel’s affections.

More than once he is able to manipulate her back into a relationship, obviously holding little or no regard for her feelings or aspirations as a person. Because of this Rachel is often left to re-establish herself, — and her value — with or apart from him.

All people have met a Ross or Rachel, or has even identified themselves as either character.

The wreckage of their relationship is a classic representation of an energy vampire in effect.

By definition, an energy vampire is an individual who, for lack of a better phrase, “sucks the life out of others.” This individual is

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known as the “taker,” the one associated with the toxicity in a relationship.

Oftentimes people associate this person with a negative connotation and regard him or her as the cause of dysfunction in relationships.

However, a deeper understanding of the psychology and motives behind these so-called energy vampires tells a significantly different story — one that should be the start of the conversation.

In order to understand the complexity of this person and his or her role in unhealthy relationships, one must first look behind the curtain of his or her own life. Human beings are often a collection of mirrors composed of the traits and behaviors taken from those closest to them, oftentimes mirroring those who raise them.

“There’s so much of who we are that is passed down from the experience of how we were parented,” says Dr. Aine Bergin, assistant professor of psychology at California Baptist University.

In other words, if parents are trying to meet their own needs through a child, then quite likely this child will mature into a similar version of the parents, often resulting in what is known as a “taker” in a relationship.

R E L AT I O N S H I P S

Written by Lauren Sawdey Illustration by Kaylah Valdez

Because of this parent-child relationship, many times these individuals are unaware of their behavior and in their unawareness the problem is perpetuated. Although the parent has a large role in shaping this person, it is not until the individual recognizes his or her motivators that change occurs.

Life’s maturing process is such that, at some point, people must take responsibility for their development and their ability to regulate through healthy forms. This is where relationships can be affected.

For the taker, “often what’s going on is a desperation to connect, to be known, to develop friendship and intimacy. It is to be seen and to be recognized. Those are big drivers occurring at deep levels, often mixed in with fear of abandonment,” says Jeff Biddle, licensed marriage and family therapist and CBU Counseling Center director. “It is the desire to get something locked down so that the anxiety is relieved. The person is concerned about not being abandoned, about making sure he or she is not going to be alone.”

Where misrepresentation of the energy vampire occurs is the means through which these individuals try to achieve such connection.

“They are using what they believe are skill sets to make a connection with another human being, but the skill sets are actually creating distance in the relationship,” Biddle says.

“Instead of recognizing it — because it could be a blind spot or such a deep need of which they are not aware — it perpetuates and even strengthens their attempts.”

Takers in relationships are primarily perceived as the “bad guy” in a relationship.

Therefore, many people overlook the possibility that this person is, at a basic level, trying to find connection with another human being.

This is where most discussion on energy vampires goes wrong and where a new perspective can be given — one that talks about the mutual roles of the taker and the giver in an affected relationship.

“Takers exist because givers exist, and givers exist because takers exist. We can’t default into ‘one sounds better,’” Bergin says.

Relationships, by nature, are designed to be two-way streets. It is a necessary component for mutual growth and understanding, for reciprocal love and respect, for two imperfect people continually striving to serve one another. The status of the relationship cannot, in most cases, fall only on one person. 8

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Keegan Roberts, senior psychology major 18 | Pursuit

"W e th i n k, 'th ey n eed my a dv i ce, my positiv ity, my listen i n g ea r; that's w hy th ey keep co m i n g to m e a n d that's w hy I stay.'"

R E L AT I O N S H I P S

Many times dysfunction occurs through the mutual unhealthiness of two people in a relationship. The same can be said for those participating in toxic relationships.

I DEN TI TY I SSU E When we get down to the core, the taker’s main struggle is dealing with identity issues.

For the giver, who is usually not discussed when identifying toxic relationships, the motivator is often the need for the responsibility of another person and the fear of rejection.

“Rejection in the giver’s eyes has to do with a sense of worth that ‘I’m needed.’ As much as the ‘giver’ role feels better than the ‘vampire’ role, there is a lack of wholesomeness in the giver too,” Bergin says.

G I V ER ’S R OL E The giver often perpetuates an unhealthy relationship in a completely different way by receiving meaning and purpose from having responsibility for another person — usually, the taker.

Keegan Roberts, senior psychology major, has seen firsthand how her friend, a giver in the relationship, was significantly affected through a toxic relationship.

Not only was this friend negatively impacted by the relationship, Roberts says, but through that relationship many other friendships and connections began to fall apart. As Roberts began to see, her friend perpetuated this relationship through her desire to be responsible for the other person.

“We think, ‘They need my advice, my positivity, my listening ear; that’s why they keep coming to me and that’s why I stay,’” Roberts says.

Broken down, this relationship is where dysfunction meets dysfunction, Biddle says.

The insight that needs to occur in both individuals is recognizing their role in the relationship and why they are so desperate to stay in the relationship, especially in an unhealthy one.

“The fear of aloneness perpetuates a dysfunctional relationship. Usually what keeps someone in it is the fear of what it would be without being in (the relationship).” Biddle says.

“A lot of people in very dysfunctional relationships think that is all they deserve, (so they) never challenge the relationship.”

So how do two people challenge a relationship?

What steps can be taken to safeguard relationships from the beginning?

First, both individuals must recognize their participation in the relationship and whether their actions, words and behavior are bringing life rather than destruction to the relationship. This can be difficult as humans generally associate recognition of unhealthy behavior with failure.

“Recognizing it is (realizing) ‘my life makes sense because — I was rejected, abandoned, abused or because my parents were workaholics — my need to connect with people is that much stronger” Biddle says, “that doesn’t make me the failure, it actually helps me recognize why this need is stronger in me than it might be in other people.’”

C HA LLENGE R ELAT I O NS HI PS Recognizing one’s role in a relationship is a significant step toward reshaping a relationship.

Along with that, setting boundaries is necessary to ensure protection of the relationship.

“Boundaries keep relationships safe, they are not meant for rejection. The boundary is rejecting a behavior that’s not necessarily healthy for the relationship,” Biddle says.

Setting boundaries with the insight that they are not personal and are designed to protect the relationship allows people to interact with more freedom from hurt.

Relationships are not a savior. They will not mend deep hurts or cure unhealthy traits and behavior. If people continue to believe, as many do, that a relationship or another person is the solution to their individual limitations, then they are allowing toxicity to undermine the foundation of their relationships.

HO W T O C HA NGE “Where it becomes more toxic and detrimental for the psyche, and even physically, is when we believe the relationship is going to make us healthy. We’re going to stay in the relationship because the relationship is the cure,” Biddle says.

“That’s not really a relationship; it’s more of a container. It’s what we do in the relationship that challenges the baggage.”

Once we set aside blame on the other person — whether that is the energy vampire or the giver — and look inwardly at our own shortcomings, we begin to notice change and removal of our emotional hurts.

We, as humans, are capable of change and growth, Bergin says.

“We have the right to ask for evidence of that change (from others and ourselves),” she adds. ◆

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SURVI VI NG

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RIDE T i p s f o r O v e r s e a s T r av e l

Written by Lauren Sawdey Photo by Elizabeth Johnson 20 | Pursuit

T

raveling by plane, especially for new travelers, can be a daunting undertaking and international flights attach even more uncertainty to the average travel experience as some journeys extend well over 24 hours.

Any international flight comes with challenges, so how does one navigate through screaming children, often-unsavory plane meals and the lurking jet lag to make the best of his or her temporary home for the next 15 or more hours?

From booking the flights to layovers, and everything in between, here are some tips that not only aid in choosing the best flight experience but creating one while on the plane.

T R AV E L the aisle, and the wall provides a resting place for your head. Window seats are also said to be the best spot for staying away from germs as the other seats provide a buffer between sick passengers walking up and down the aisle. + Leg Room Because of the length of international flights, leg room is often sought after for optimal comfortability. First class and premium seats obviously aren’t in everyone’s budget, so search for bulkhead seats — those that are situated directly behind the walls that divide the plane into sections. + Try For an Upgrade If you have arrived early to the airport — you should give yourself at least two hours — ­ try asking for an upgrade if there are empty seats in the class above you.

This can also be done once you are on the plane and if you ask nicely enough, the flight attendant may upgrade your seat for free.

On the Flight Carry-on Essentials

Before the Flight Maximizing a smooth travel experience begins long before stepping foot on the airplane. Utilize these tips to book and prepare for the best flight, or flights, possible for an international expedition. + Booking Tickets This should go without saying, but the earlier tickets are booked the better chances you will have of getting a great seat. Along with that, Tuesday afternoon is usually the best day to book a flight because airlines are competing to match deals that other airlines announce the previous evening.

The Best Seats + Sleeping & Staying Healthy Window seats are the best seats for sleeping because no one will disrupt you by walking over you to access

+ Blanket and Travel Pillow Although this may seem like an obvious tip, many people do not think about why it is important to bring your own pillow and blanket. Apart from the pillow providing comfort on an extensively long flight, packing your own blanket helps from catching germs.

Unless your flight is the first to use the blankets provided on international flights, the blankets are folded and reused after every subsequent flight, meaning you may be cuddling up to a blanket that has already lived through multiple flights and many passengers – potentially covered in drool and germs. + Toiletries A toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste and deodorant are essential in maintaining hygiene because, let’s face it, mouths can get pretty funky after that many hours and eating a couple of airplane meals.

Packing these small but important items may be a lifesaver if you do not have time to clean-up in between the descent and your destination. + Devices and Chargers A 15- hour or longer flight can leave anyone wondering what they will do for entertainment. To avoid watching the same movie five times or rereading that one book you brought, pack a laptop, iPad or similar device with predownloaded movies, books and podcasts – and do not forget to pack extra chargers, a power pack and noise-canceling headphones to be able to utilize your devices for the entirety of the flight. + Extra Set of Clothes and Shoes Not only

will this come in handy if you want to change into a clean outfit, but if your luggage gets misplaced you will at least have an extra change of clothes while you are navigating your way in a foreign country. + Airborne or Peppermint Gum Either of these items aid in unclogging ears for the plane’s descent. Airborne is an important item to include as it also functions to prevent sickness.

What to Do + Wear Compression Socks These socks will help avoid “economy class syndrome,” or swollen feet and ankles, leg pain and even blood clots that occur from being seated too long in the same position. If you did not pack compression socks, doing some in-seat exercises for three to four minutes every hour is equally effective. + Drink Green Tea Take advantage if your flight offers decaffeinated green tea. The drink is said to reduce the effects of jet lag and it will not dehydrate you like coffee or another caffeinated drink. + Hydrate Along with tea, continually ask for and hydrate with water. This seems like common knowledge, but most travelers wait to ask for water until too long after they have already become dehydrated. Such high altitudes dehydrate the body and skin more quickly so utilize chapstick, lotion and a hydrating facial spray to avoid becoming raisin-like.

Layovers Although this portion of the flight is often the most undesirable, layovers are a perfect time to buy gifts internationally if you are planning to do so.

International airports allow travelers to buy gifts “duty free,” providing duty free bags to fill up with goods without an extra carrying charge or exemption.

A layover may also be the best time to freshen up between flights. Not having access to a shower for almost a full day or more has the potential to dampen anyone’s international travel experience. If you want to avoid cleaning up in the airplane restroom, you can wait until you arrive at the airport and use wet wipes as an untraditional, but effective “shower.”

Following these tips and tricks will not only give you a smoother flight, but they will allow you to enjoy the journey and sit in anticipation for your oncoming international adventure. ◆

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BO M BAY B E AC H : A Town Forgotten Written and photographed

by Lauren Sawdey

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From Riviera to Ruins

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eat-cracked dirt, rusted cars and a distinct smell of salt in the air — one has just arrived at Bombay Beach near the edge of the Salton Sea, two hours from Riverside.

Before becoming what it is today, the Salton Sea had, at one point, thrived for a couple of decades largely because of the town of Bombay Beach. Known as California’s “French Riviera,” the beach was designed as a playground for rich vacationers. + Bombay Beach (pop. 295) was once the jewel of the sea — a pristine resort community one hour from the desert of Palm Springs. The town earned its title as a paradise back in the ’40s and ’50s during the sea’s high time, attracting even Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys for weekend performances and sport fishing.

Present day Bombay Beach, a fraction of what it had once been, has undergone extreme changes since its time as a desirable resort town. In order to understand the progression of this town’s downfall, one must first look to the history of the sea upon which it was built. + The Salton Sea, the largest lake in California located along the Southeastern edge of the state, encompasses 378 square miles in Imperial and Riverside counties.

It was created in 1905, when a diversion that was engineered in the Colorado River breached a dike and flooded the Imperial Valley in the direction of the Salton depression.

Left on its own, the water that once filled the Salton Sea began evaporating because of the desert climate and lack of precipitation.

By the early 1920s, the water level in the sea had reached record low levels and in 1928, Congress designated the lands within the basin as storage for seepage water from Imperial Valley’s irrigated farmland. The Salton Sea continues to act as a repository for agricultural wastewaters.

Its utility as a basin for seepage brought increased levels of salinity. The sea is about 50 percent saltier than the ocean. Because of this increase, many of the original freshwater fish disappeared and new fish were allocated back into the sea between 1929 and 1956 with the hope of attracting sport fishing in the area.

These factors — low water levels, seepage from farmlands and overabundant salinity — led to the eventual demise of much of the fish and wildlife resources, especially the

waterbirds — now leaving the sea mainly for use as a dump for agricultural wastewaters.

Fast-forward to present day and the town appears strikingly different from its glory days. Upon arrival, Bombay Beach feels eerily apocalyptic with no one in sight. The town has two grocery marts, a bar and the Ski Inn hotel. The nearest gas station is 20 miles away. Many of the residents live in trailers that provide refuge when the sea’s water level rises and covers blocks of the tiny town.

Ruins of the formerly thriving beach community are littered throughout the town; In fact, Bombay Beach Ruins is an actual designated location within the town for visitors to explore. Scattered everywhere are dilapidated classic cars, worn-down homes and discarded objects lying around.

This virtual ghost town of abandoned homes and ruins of the past has led many residents to flee. Those who have stayed, however, are fighting for both the sea and their way of life in the face of environmental and economic collapse.

Over the past couple of years, the eccentric town of Bombay Beach has experienced a slow rebirth of sorts. Growing awareness of the town is partly because of an annual arts festival known as the Bombay Beach Biennale. + The Biennale, founded in 2016, transforms the town into a fully immersive art experience for three days of the year. This festival is a celebration of art, music and philosophy.

As an anti-establishment experience that desires to build community, the entire festival is free in the sole effort to save the sea and providing an outlet where awareness and admiration can flourish.

Although the Biennale itself is only an annual three-day festival, several of the participating artists have bought property in Bombay Beach as homes, studios and exhibition spaces.

In an effort to rebuild the community and attract tourists from all around, many of the artists have chosen to gift permanent art fixtures that are scattered throughout the town.

These art installations are just a few of the permanent art fixtures gifted to Bombay Beach through the work of the Biennale.

Other than boasting this creative, offbeat art, the ruins and town of Bombay Beach are themselves pieces of cryptic, ghostly art. ◆

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Permanent Biennale fixtures: The Bombay Beach Drive-In An outdoor movie theater featuring classic car shells, worn boats and off-road vehicles gifted to the town as a year-round cinema in 2016.

The Hermitage Museum Bombay Beach Gifted to the town in 2016, artist Greg Haberny opened the exhibit “Why Do I Destroy Everything I Love?” alongside works from various renowned artists. Tours of the museum are available upon request — just ask Steve at the Ski Inn.

The Bombay Beach Opera House A bright-blue, dilapidated house rebirthed into a state-of-the-art performing arts space, which was gifted to the town in 2017 by artist James Ostrer.

The Tesseract Overlooking the edge of the sea, the Tesseract is possibly the world’s largest representation of a four-dimensional hypercube. Designed

by S. Shigley, or Shig, the Tesseract lights up at night to highlight the dimensionality of the cube. It was gifted in 2018.

The Bombay Beach Estates An art park containing multiple installations by Thomas Linder, Camille Schefter and more.

Any traveler willing to trek to what seems like the end of Western civilization will not be disappointed upon arrival at this eccentric town.

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cultivating empathy through travel Written by Danyella Wilder Photos by Austin Romito

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hen we travel, we usually do not think about the magnifying effects our experience can have on our lives. We snap photos in front of the Eiffel Tower, or atop a decorative elephant, or of ourselves munching on Italy’s best gelato, only to edit them good enough for the sake of social media, without ever giving thought to who prepared the gelato so that the expectations of our tourist experience would be met.

We don’t stop to pause or consider appreciating the beauty found in the people we meet or work alongside in those foreign countries. Maybe it is because Americans are used to a fast-paced society; we think too infrequently of slowing down. But for those who can, they have learned to use their eyes as their lens, becoming more empathetic to other people and their surroundings.

“In a very basic sense, empathy is the ability to share in and understand the feelings of others. Most behavioral scientists would state in order to express genuine empathy one must have the capacity to place oneself in another person’s position (at least mentally) in order to best experience that person’s frame of reference,” says Dr. Doug Wallace, assistant professor of sociology and associate dean of undergraduate programs.

“Others would add the necessity to sense other people’s emotions and the ability to imagine what others might be thinking or feeling. Empathy is examined in the context of social behavior and there is plenty of data suggesting that the more empathy an individual can comprehend and experience, the greater tendency to be involved in helping behavior toward others.”

We deeply connect our emotions to others when we empathize with them. It sounds simple. But if it is, why do people feel threatened in another culture or become quick to judge others from different countries?

As humans we continuously fail to fully appreciate people groups other than our own, and the work of art that is a culture. Instead of looking for ways to fully embrace one’s identity, we take small pieces — such as the Eiffel Tower — to prove how cultured we really are. How

from my parents that communication is key. If you aren’t open-minded and if you don’t try to communicate, chances are you’ll be offended by a new culture.”

Friesen, born to an American father and French mother, both of whom are missionaries, says she has found pure joy from exploring the world. She has ventured to nations across almost every continent, including Ireland, Germany, Turkey, Morocco and Thailand. She says her opportunities to visit new places have reminded her to seek engagement with people different from her.

“The more places you go, the more you realize how many different ways there are to communicate,” Friesen says. “You become less offended by a different culture’s actions because you learn that’s just simply how they are.”

Learning a different language or finding another mean of communication is crucial to

then can we become more empathetic through travel and all it has to offer if we only focus on caricatures easily found plastered across postcards?

begin empathizing with people globally. People want to be noticed and want to see foreigners make the effort to learn about their world. So sit down, have a conversation over chai and get to know the people living in the place to where you came, which they call their home. 8

“You have to open your mind,” Talia Friesen, senior photography major, says. “I learned

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Morgan Banducci, senior nursing major, plants and waters a baby mango tree in a local village garden upon the team's arrival to the village.

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The California Baptist University ISP team rests at the top of a hill after taking a hike led by their local host.

They watch the sunrise together over the surrounding hills in a village in Western Kenya.

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Stepping away from Presumptuous attitudes when stepping into new cultures is the best way to build trust and invite others into your life.

Be open to relationships Making friends, building a network and finding connections may look different depending on where one travels. But if one thing is certain, it is the fact that relationships are why humans were created. Everyone is naturally equipped with the capacity to decode cross-cultural experiences. Other than personal biases, people have nothing to fear within a new culture when traveling. As long as we keep open minds, the chance to see relational growth is possible.

Part of what makes traveling so extraordinary is meeting new people. There is just something more exciting about shaking hands with someone you conversed with at a small café in Paris in comparison to talking with the barista at your local coffee shop back home. It is thrilling, and it can be emotional. Connecting on a deeper level with someone drives us to a place of empathy.

Whenever we travel, we have to remember that the moment we make conversation we can either choose to maintain our ethnocentric lens or to empathize by letting our barriers down.

Joshua Brown, sophomore undeclared major, was born in the United States but raised in Papua, Indonesia. He says the best way to build on a new relationship is learning how to share similarities with one another.

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“Since I grew up overseas, I have understood how to put myself in others’ shoes and how to view things a way different from my own,” Brown says. “I may not necessarily fit in, but I see everyone’s point of view with much less personal bias.”

Invite Others Stepping away from presumptuous attitudes when stepping into new cultures is the best way to build trust and invite others into your life. At times, people fail to let go of those biases because they figure there’s no use in reaching out to people they’ll never see again. However, being an empathetic traveler requires that someone opens himself or herself to others regardless of the tenure of the relationship.

Brown, who has also traveled to England and France, says he always makes a point to deepen his relationships with friends, even when knowing there is a good chance he may never see them again.

“I’ve traveled all my life and have learned that people come and go and some relationships don’t last forever,” Brown says. “But I’ve told myself that just because I may not know someone long-term doesn’t mean I won’t try to invest in them. You should always engage; you should always get to know people.”

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Learn who you are

The Vantage Point Kenya ISP team arrives in Eldoret, Kenya after 23 hours of travel and prepares to travel to the village where they will

If your sole purpose for traveling is simply to show Instagram followers that you hiked a waterfall in Hawaii or visited the ruins in Athens, you should probably rethink the allocation of your money. Exploring the world has a much better reward to offer than mere “likes” on a photo. It rewards you with greater wisdom about God’s creation and his people.

“Keep an open mind about every culture you visit,” says Lisa Bangean, senior nursing major.

“Find something about the culture on which you can educate yourself before you immerse yourself there. Learn all you can and partake in community.”

Bangean, who was born in Romania, has allowed her traveling experiences to broaden her perspective about the people God has placed on this Earth. She packed her luggage and has ventured all over Europe to Switzerland, France, Austria and the Czech Republic, to name a few. She says visiting so many places has opened her heart to see how God works to bring people together.

Although traveling can be a thrilling experience, it becomes even more remarkable when people learn to fully appreciate people universally. In turn, you learn more about yourself and your heart and the purpose to why traveling can be such an emotional journey.

“You learn so much about yourself,” Bangean says. “The more you travel the more you see how small the world really is. I’ve learned so much about my relationship with God because of it.”

Wherever you are headed, buckle your seatbelt and enjoy the journey. Seize the opportunity because traveling is a gift. It can require people to move into uncomfortable situations but it’s the first step to becoming more empathetic to what is different. ◆

serve for three weeks. The service focus for the team is healthcare and community assistance in a local village.

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LIFESTYLE

Written by Lauren Shelburne Photos by Lauren Shelburne and Danielle Lutjens

PERKS OF THRIFTING VINTAGE THREADS Pursuit | 33

Sisters Alyson and April DiFranco, 40 and 44 years old respectively, meet every weekend to sell their favorite thrifted finds from their personal closets and from around the world. The pair jump from different swap meets and flea markets to promote their store, “Decandented.”

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anopies pop up one by one across the historic grounds of the Pasadena Rose Bowl as vendors await the rush of early bird shoppers searching for vintage t-shirts, antique cameras and knick-knacks to fill the shelves of their homes. A community gathers here every first Sunday morning of the month with the sunrise and a common love and appreciation for these items searching for a new home.

Like-minded communities like this gather across Southern California at various swap meets and flea markets sprinkled throughout the region — each with their own culture and specialty.

Nowadays swap meets center around vintage clothing and furniture as well as showcasing local artists. Handmade pottery, paintings and jewelry can be found amongst the rows of vendors as far as the eye can see. Depending on the location, live music and food vendors can also be found. The markets not only provide a space for vintage items to find a new life of love and appreciation but for new artists to find a following in their community.

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SELLING AT SWAP MEETS “More people should shop at flea markets,” says Maria Lozano, handmade jewelry artisan and swap meet seller.

“I find it important to give second-hand fashion and furniture a new life and flea markets are a good place to start since you are also supporting small business vendors while you’re at it.”

Lozano began designing and creating her own jewelry in seventh grade after learning from a family friend. She eventually went on to create her own brand and launch a website in 2016 under the name, “Crossing Accessories.”

After meeting the designer and creator of La Quixote through Instagram, the two decided to rent a booth at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Swap Meet to sell their pieces.

Together they set up in the “handmade” section of the market and while they had a slow start, they learned a lot about the world of flea markets and enjoyed the experience. Lozano herself has visited flea markets for many years always on the hunt for affordable vintage clothing and handbags.

“I can spend hours digging through giant piles of clothes to just find one cool top or one amazing designer handbag,” Lozano says.

“My best find to this day is an Expos satin baseball bomber jacket that I got for $10. The Expos don’t exist anymore, but they were a baseball team from Montreal and I get a lot of compliments on it because it’s so unique and it’s a great conversation starter.”

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PERKS OF VINTAGE FASHION Enaia Greber, co-owner of Cru le Fix, has had success selling at the Rose Bowl after learning the in’s and out’s of searching for the perfect vintage finds to resell. She began collecting vintage pieces after graduating high school but has run her official shop for the past year. She began scouting through yard sales and thrift shops but has graduated to more warehouse and wholesale sales as her business have expanded.

While she enjoys the freedom the job allows with her own dictation of hours, being her own boss and the opportunity it allows meet new people, it is a rain or shine job that requires more hard work than one may imagine.

“It’s a job like anything else, so sometimes it can be frustrating, but it definitely is [a labor of love],” Greber says. “But [my co-owner and I] both love vintage clothing so it’s cool to see people get excited about things and appreciate things you can’t find anymore.”

Greber remains a strong fan of the ‘60s and ‘70s era of fashion but also buys for the persistent ‘90s trend and up and coming ‘00s trend.

Natalie Carter, senior English major, is also a fan of the ‘90s trends thanks to her mom saving her fashion staples from the time and passing them onto her. “I love vintage style because I feel like it’s so expressive — you can communicate who you are through your clothing while bringing back a trend that’s maybe decades old,” she says.

Natalie Carter is an assistant manager at Plato’s Closet Corona, a second-hand consignment shop that gives clothing another chance at life by reselling it to another loving home. She enjoys the stories that come with every secondhand piece of clothing and the opportunity to cut down waste through this avenue of shopping.

“I also love a vintage style because of the

sustainability it brings,” Natalie Carter says. “As shoppers, it should be a conscious decision we make to prolong a piece of clothing’s life to do our part to keep it out of landfills.”

A love for vintage and fashion runs within the Carter family as Natalie passed her knowledge onto her younger sister Cassie Carter, freshman liberal studies major who also works at Plato’s as a sales associate. The family attended swap meets growing up with their

knowledge and prices. Greber advised that shoppers look at how the item was constructed to determine if it is accurately priced. Small details from the type of plastic used for buttons, zipper manufacturers and stitch lines can tell if an item is truly vintage and one-of-a-kind or a mass-made reproduction.

“Over time, once you get into it, you can spot it from a mile away,” Greber says.

The mass options of flea markets and swap

parents and grandparents being exposed to the vintage world early on in their lives. Cassie Carter has fallen into the world of vintage for the individuality it allows her and others to express.

“Each ‘vintage’ trend is unique to each person and the style can reflect on how you either feel or want to embody that day,” Cassie Carter says. “Fashion is fantastic because you can change it, create it, influence it and make it your own.”

meets that span across the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County allow for a wide variety of specialties so every customer can find what they are looking for. Some swap meets specialize in vinyl records, others in clothing or furniture. You never know what hidden treasures may be hiding once you do a little digging. The hunt is not only a fun way to spend a weekend for all ages but a chance to take care of our environment and invest in the future of fashion through a visit to the past. ◆

HOW TO SHOP Scowering through rows of vendors and piles of clothing can be difficult to score that perfect find. Each vendor has different specialties,

Santiago Gonzales from Riverside, enjoys strumming and humming along to the music on an early Sunday morning at the Van Buren swap meet.

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ONE

SELF Written by Sonia Luiz Photo by Kengkue Her elf-love often sounds like a narcissistic indulgence that should be avoided for fear of coming across as one who feels.

When in reality, there is a whole other side to this idea that is rooted in the core of each individual. Self-love speaks to a person’s understanding of his or her placement in the universe and connection to the world around that person. It even affects interpersonal relationships as well as spiritual understanding.

So how do we love ourselves?

A step toward self-love is connecting to oneself and understanding what kind of love to give. Dr. Toni Kirk, professor of English, shares her own perspectives on the question of self-love.

“The two greatest commandments are you have to love God with all your heart, your soul and your mind,” Kirk says, “but the second commandment is to love everybody else the way you love you.”

The root of loving oneself comes from a spiritual understanding of who you are as a person. If you wanted to understand a physical aspect of yourself, you would look to biology and DNA. When a person understands God as the creator, that is the starting point for growing in self-love. Kirk explains how understanding ourselves as God’s creation brings a new perspective to this topic.

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“We are made in the image of God . . . and each of us is an example of this infinite variety of God’s creative expression,” Kirk says With God’s creativity, each person is made completely unique and has the capacity to express love, in different ways, especially self-love.

Dr. Virgo Handojo, professor of psychology, has researched topics surrounding self-love for his piece, “Love, Spirituality, Happiness,” in which he explains that a person’s outward displays of love spring directly from the relationship with self and spiritual understanding of God. He presents the two factors that define the styles or types of love people fall into as a sense of closeness or distance, and a sense of security.

“Closeness is a factor that correlates to relationship with others, but security is how you feel about yourself,” Handojo says. “Every human relationship, including a relationship with God, is determined by how you love yourself and you can only love other people if you understand and love yourself.”

There are uncountable ways to express this kind of self-love, and it is crucial to take time to unwind and connect to yourself . Many people turn to creative outlets to move into a more clear headspace that helps them to express their inner selves. Riley Navarez, junior English major, strives to take consistent time to be creative and get to know herself.

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“If you don’t spend time with yourself and get to know who you are, then you don’t have an identity,” Navarez says. “It really shapes you: your interests, your passions and your hobbies.”

Navarez began using watercolor painting once she started community college and, ever since, it has become one of her favorite ways to unwind and connect to her thoughts and emotions. Most of the time she says she lets what she feels inside direct the art that comes out.

“Sometimes I’ll just put a blob of color on the paper and then I’ll draw something in that color and just see if it flows,” Navarez says. “Usually, I have a goal but it depends on what kind of a mood I’m in.”

Painting is just one of her many outlets. Journaling has also helped give her thoughts specific words and has pushed her to grow as an individual. Three years ago, right after high school, she began a quest through journaling to be more honest with herself and her everyday struggles or victories.

“I have about three years of journaling,” Navarez says, “and you can see the process of who I am now and how I got here.”

Being as authentic and candid as she can in those journal entries has even helped her work through stages of anxiety by giving her a space to write down how she’s feeling and how she’s confronting problems. Journals can act like a deep conversation with oneself and for many, such as Navarez, they help with personal growth and understanding.

Painting and journaling are only two examples of things that people can do to connect with, and understand, themselves in order to practice selflove. Learning to have grace for yourself is a process that positively impacts mental balance and selfimage.

Whether it’s getting creative and reflecting on feelings through art, journaling and digging into those internal thoughts, or just taking time to slow down and reflect, connecting to oneself can have lasting benefits not only on personal growth but on relationships, as well.

If God takes the time to piece together every bit of ourselves, then we have a responsibility to understand and appreciate that unique self. ◆

Riley Navarez, junior English major, spends her afternoons painting with water colors to take a break from her busy schedule and relax.

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H a p py G u t H a p py L i f e

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a recipe for better m e n ta l h e a lt h Written by Krista Abrahamsen Illustration by Lauren Shelburne

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t 6:30 a.m. most college students would be sound asleep, but Jenny Vo, junior kinesiology major at California State University, Northridge, was wide awake ready to start a long day. Vo went into her kitchen, opened the window to get some fresh air and made breakfast before hitting the gym to escape the stress of life. It was the fall of 2015 and Vo was wearing many hats — being a fulltime student, coaching a swim team and trying to be the best first-generation daughter she could be by taking care of her little brothers.

Although she was busier than the average nineteen-year-old, on the outside everything appeared to be normal. However, right before her 20th birthday, she got sick with a fever that would not go away.

“It turns out I had pneumonia and it went on for about four and a half months,” says Vo, junior kinesiology major at California State University, Northridge. “I got so thin; I could not eat anything. I had lost 40 pounds of fat and muscle in that time period.”

When the year 2016 came around, Vo had to take a re-test for lifeguarding. Despite her battle with pneumonia, being the prideful person she is, she decided to take the test.

How could she not?

The pool had always been Vo’s second home. She was a swimmer growing up and eventually coached her swim team to become No. 1 in the city. The pool was her pride and joy. Vo was devastated by the result of her test.

“I could not pick myself up out of the water,” Vo says. “I’ve never felt so embarrassed and weak in my life. I took some time off from lifeguarding and came back to work in July.

Within a week of working, my symptoms had decided to show up again. This time, my knees were so stiff I could not even bend them.”

After a trip to the doctor, Vo was told her white blood-cell count and inflammation markers were 12 times higher than someone with a normal immune system. She was soon diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a disease that causes inflammation, stiff joints and swelling.

Now in 2018, Vo has been able to manage inflammation and soreness caused by PsA after switching her diet from mostly fast-food to nutrient-dense foods. Not only did the foods relieve her physical symptoms and allow her to gain healthy weight, she says her new diet has helped her mental health, as well.

“Once I started cooking more at home and getting more creative in the kitchen, I found that my mind got a lot more clear and calm,” Vo says. “I know what I was putting into my body and it makes me happier. I started to feel a lot better mentally, which also helped me physically.”

Food Is a Building Block Diane Madrigal, nutritionist and naturopath for Healthy Counsel in Temecula, says there is a connection between the foods we eat and all our body functions. 8

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“There is a link between food, all body functions and moods because food is our source of nutrients, that provide the building blocks to all (bodily) function,” Madrigal says.

“Additionally, foods can be contaminated with toxins, especially mycotoxins (mold poisons), that can affect brain function.”

Mycotoxins can be found in cheese, cereal, corn and sugarcane because these foods are often stored in dark and wet environments. Not only are mycotoxins carcinogens, but they have the potential to worsen anxiety and depression by damaging DNA and weakening the immune system.

Depression and anxiety have reached

but in my opinion are ‘direct effects’,” Madrigal says. “Medicine has its place and doctors have their place, but usually, most things can be fixed through natural solutions.”

N at u r a l ly S o u r c e d v i ta m i n s Fungi found in foods also have the ability to restrict the body from receiving necessary vitamins, such as Vitamin B, which promote healthy serotonin and melatonin levels. When fungi disrupt brain chemistry, insomnia may occur because fungal infections rob vitamins and minerals that affect peaceful sleep. Eating

epidemic proportions that many people battle late at night can also every day. Those cause an unhealthy gut who struggle and brain connection with their mental because instead of the health may believe body repairing and work, school or rejuvenating while other outside asleep, the brain may sources are the still be active and alert. cause of their Although many mental health supplements on problems. While the market claim to these stressors promote gut-health, can contribute to they may backfire depression and because many contain anxiety, people — D i a n e M a d r i g a l , yeast or soy products. may not realize Whole probiotic foods, n u t r i t i o n i s t a n d such as kimchi, yogurt the answer to healing could n a t u r o p a t h f o r H e a l t h y with live cultures be as simple as C o u n s e l i n Te m e c u l a and unpasteurized changing the food sauerkraut are some they consume. natural, minimally processed foods that “Food is an indirect form of anxiety and support gut-health. depression,” Madrigal says. “All the nutrients “I don’t think a lot of people realize how you need to create hormones that make you commonly contaminated foods are with molds happy are in your digestive system and your and their toxins,” Madrigal says. “Because of gut.” that I often put around 50 percent of my clients When it comes to treating anxiety and on an anti-fungal diet and that removes the depression, Madrigal says she does not yeast, mold and toxins from food. I see it all the recommend medication as a solution for her time ­— a ­lot of clients are eating those foods clients and always looks first at their diet. and once they stop they feel a lot better.”

“Medicines have what they call ‘side effects,’

Fo o d i s a n i n d i r e c t form of anxiety and depression. All the nutrients you need to create hormones that m a ke y o u h a p p y a r e i n your digestive system and your gut.

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LIFESTYLE

An approachable H e a lt h y l i f e s t y l e For college students used to eating unhealthy foods, a healthy lifestyle may seem like a challenge with a hectic schedule, yet it is possible.

Carey Wilson, graduate student studying nutrition science at California Baptist University, advises people to not give up all unhealthy foods right away and to take small steps.

“Too many people quickly give up on eating healthy because it becomes too hard to maintain the lifestyle,” Wilson says. “However, if they make subtle changes week after week it will not become a burden. For example, drinking one soda a day instead of two sodas a day is a subtle change that is still challenging but manageable.

Then they can start drinking one soda every other day and so on.”

Wilson adds that focusing on maintaining a well-rounded diet of fruits, vegetables, protein, fats and carbohydrates, and eating everything in moderation, are simple ways to make sure the gut and brain have a healthy connection.

“Unfortunately, carbohydrates are sometimes avoided because people are afraid they will gain too much weight when consuming them,” Wilson says. “This can be true; however, carbohydrates are important because they are broken down into glucose, which is the brain’s main source of energy,” Wilson says.

Despite the potential dangers that can arise from eating certain foods, there are also many foods that promote healthy gut and brain health.

Foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins help with brain function and ensure that people’s bodies feel and look their best

high levels of antioxidants, boost blood supply and improve brain performance. A fruit popular among nutritionists is avocado because of the healthy fat and energy it provides.

While it’s beneficial to eat fruits and vegetables, Madrigal offers simple advice on how to know what foods individuals should be eating to help improve gut and brain health — just look at what is lacking.

“It’s different for everyone. It’s whatever is missing for you personally. Some people don’t eat a lot of vegetables, and that’s what they really need,” Madrigal says. “The food I hear the most (recommended) is blueberries for their antioxidant properties, but if you’re eating a lot of fruit already, the best thing could be something like Omega 3.”

Making the decision to have a healthy gut and brain connection can be difficult since it means cutting out junk food that may taste good, but the result of having a healthier mind and body is encouraging.

“You all have a purpose in this world, but in order to fulfill that duty you have to take care of yourself first,” Vo says. “That starts with what you put in your body.” ◆

Perso nalized d i ets People looking to improve their gut health should eat plenty of vegetables, such as beets, which contain

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The Market of Influencers The World of Integrated Marketing Through Social Media Written By Niki Costa and Lauren Shelburne Illustration by Matt Tam

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n today’s world, social media has become the primary source of news. An average of up to 18 hours per day are spent scrolling through social media and has become a place where millenials feel at home. A relatively new platform, social media now employs millions of people. One of the fastest-growing job markets, careers in this field are not limited to a specific skill-set or background — the possibilities are endless and fame is now achievable for anyone.

Becoming a household name is now possible simply through the internet. People all over the world are picking up their mobile devices and establishing a career that was once unimaginable just 15 years ago.

Marketing Driven The world of social media can be boiled down to marketing. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or other social media hubs take up the time of almost everyone with a smart phone, independent of age. Anyone from a toddler to a grandparent can understand the basics of these platforms. With these applications downloaded on their

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phones, social media now dictates what content we see through integrated and creative marketing. With most age demographics, traditional marketing is no longer as effective as marketing through social media.

Public relations experts have had to become adaptable with all social media platforms to propel their client’s message and connect with their demographics. Victoria Brodie, visiting professor of public relations, teaches a course on social media strategies and informs students on the ever-changing and evolving platforms that will become a large focus of their careers.

“Social media is absolutely important to understand, but the platforms change,” Brodie says. “Don’t be an expert at one platform. As they change and evolve, but even if an idea dies, you will see it reincarnated as something else.”

Trends and hashtags change every day and influencers and marketing departments need to be on top of it. Sara Escobedo, alumna and digital marketing coordinator at Sideways Inc, emphasized the importance of people having a handle on all things social to excel in the field. As the media and trends shift, it is easier to roll with them once the basics are down. Working with musical artists, she keeps an eye on the media and what social tactics have benefited other bands.

“Sometimes we will see something throughout the network and use it, or if something has been working for a

certain band or artist’s fan base, we will continue to use whatever trend that is,” Escobedo says. “It never hurts to experiment with trends, but it is important to keep track of the ones you use, via analytics, and see if they work for you or not.”

Rise of influencers Marketing has always been around but influencers have not always existed.

“There’s this misconception that everyone is a walking advertisement now but the real question is, ‘Haven’t we always been?’” says Haley Ivers, fashion and lifestyle social media influencer about to hit 10,000 followers. “We’ve always spoken about what we’re drawn to. We’ve always worn what we love. And now we have a platform to have a larger conversation about what makes us, us.”

Celebrity endorsement is a major part of social media marketing, but the beauty of social media is the reality that anyone can be an influencer. The mailman down the street can secretly be a fitness star who has a massive Instagram following, or the teenage barista at Starbucks can be a makeup guru with a notable number of YouTube subscribers. The key is that marketers know this.

Marketers know that the majority of their customers are on social media and they know that over a third of them .check social media more than five times a day. They also know consumers will trust people who do not “work” for the brand. People will take up being an influencer as a full-time career and dedicate a majority of their time creating content. They will have photoshoots with products, write about products, make videos about them — all without being an employee.

Trusting influencers Because of their status and interaction with their fan base, social media “stars” earn followers’ trust. People want to be like their favorite influencer, so they will trust and listen when the influencer is selling them a product.

Just like that, the landscape of marketing has been dramatically altered.

Trust is earned, not given, and many of influencers feel the same way.

“It’s important to be 100 percent transparent and honest. That’s what I value the most and stand by,” Ivers says. “This also helps establish a relationship with the people that follow you. Not only do you gain their trust, but you can have confidence that communication and relationships built through social media

are based on integrity, good intentions and reliability.”

According to a study conducted by Twitter and Annalect in 2016, more than 40 percent of people say if they see an item used by an influencer on social media, they are more inclined to purchase it. The repetition of viewing a product in the hands of trusted individuals online whom users strive to emulate is more successful than one may think.

“Social media is the main way information gets put into the world, so being on top of the trends and the ever-changing cyber network is important,” Escobedo says.

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Integrity in promotion Now, it is up to the influencers to keep their integrity and trust when accepting marketing deals. As more incentives come, they must stay true to themselves to allow people to continue to genuinely trust them when endorsing their products.

Influencers such as blogger Jasmin Vanessa work to produce content that is true to who they are. Far beyond marketing, she says she wants to make sure her content tells a story.

“After growing from 1,000 to 10,000 followers within the span of a year and a half, this has always been my passion, I just now have an audience,” Vanessa says. “I feel so fulfilled knowing a simple photo of me and a caption has inspired anyone, and that is what keeps the fire burning inside of me. I want to create photos and content that tell a story, set a mood and, hopefully, inspire along the way.”

As the world continues to shift more into a consumer-endorsed marketing driven society, people need to notice the shift in how marketers are trying to reach the public. Increasingly, ordinary people can make careers out of something that 20 years ago was not even a thought. ◆

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h o w to b e c o m e a n St e p 1 : D e f i n e Yo u r N ic h e To stand out as an influencer, you must first create your content around one specific niche. By dominating a niche, it won’t matter whether you have 1,000 or 100,000 followers — what you’ll end up with is a highly engaged audience and a list of brands that will want to collaborate with you.

St e p 2 : C r e at e H ig h Q u a l i t y P o st s The quality of content you post determines if people comment on — and follow — your account. Marketing your brand with high-quality images that inspire, educate or entertain people will gain that following.

St e p 3 : M a i nta i n a C o h e s i v e D e s ig n T h e m e One of the main things that set influencers apart from the crowd is having a consistent aesthetic.

A cohesive feed allows followers to know what to expect, as well as increased engagement. Engagement is important as brands looks at engagement statistics when considering collaboration.

S t e p 4 : P o st r e g u l a r ly Instagram’s algorithm rewards accounts that post consistently. Use tools such as Planoly or Later to adhere to a regular schedule of posts and plan your feed for the week.

Taking the time to curate your content will result in an increased following.

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St e p 5 : E n g a g e w i t h ot h e r s This is especially important in becoming a successful influencer. Replying to comments, posting polls and interacting with other accounts encourages engagement. Ask your followers what kind of content they would like to see — this strengthens the relationship with your followers.

i n sta g r a m i n f l u e n c e r

TRENDS

St e p 6 : C o l l a b o r at e w i t h Ot h e r s

@_jasminvanessa

Collaborating within the community of influencers will make growing your account easier and quicker.

By doing this, you will form relationships — on social media and in real life — and network for better opportunities with brands.

St e p 7 : R e ac h O ut to B r a n d s Once you’ve begun growing your account, reaching out to brands that fit within your niche is the final step.

Start pitching your brand and vision to those with whom you want to market.

An engaged following and cohesive content is likely to help you land that brand.

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S C I T I L O P C I BAS for

S E I M DUM Everything you forgot from high school government Written by Sarah Dean Illustration by Matt Tam

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I TED

VO

TRENDS

E

veryone knows the terms.

Democracy. Checks and balances. Electoral College.

Some might even know the preamble to the Constitution to the tune of Schoolhouse Rock. Anybody can throw out a few key words in conversation before carefully steering the topic away from politics. But how much about the American political structure does everyone really understand? Here is an honest, simple guide to our political system for those who were not paying attention in their high school government class.

T h r ee B r a n c h es o f G ov er n m en t When the United States first gained independence, the biggest fear of many of our Founding Fathers was that someone in the government would become too powerful and gain an undue amount of control over the new country. So, in an effort to prevent this, a system of checks and balances was put in place in which each branch of government would have unique responsibilities and limitations.

At the federal level, the legislative branch is Congress, the executive branch is the president and his staff, and the judicial branch is the federal courts and the Supreme Court. This same structure is mimicked in state and local governments, with state legislatures and local city councils, governors and mayors, and state and local courts.

Fu n ct i o n o f t h e El ecto r a l C o l l eg e Probably the most confusing and dubious part of American politics is the Electoral College. It has been the subject of much debate and criticism for nearly as long as it has been established.

Like many things included in the U.S. Constitution, the Electoral College was a compromise. The Founding Fathers8

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were split — some wanted Congress to elect the president and vice president, while others wanted it to be a direct vote by citizens.

To appease both sides, the Electoral College was born. Citizens vote for candidates to determine the state’s electors, and in turn, the electors vote for the president.

Essentially, when one votes on election day, that vote counts toward the electors who will vote for the president. Each state has the same amount of electors as they do senators and congressional representatives, which is based on population.

In most states, whichever presidential candidate gains the majority of votes on election day will get all the electoral votes from those state’s electors. For example, if most Californians voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election, every single Californian elector would vote for Clinton. Maine and Nebraska are the only states who use proportional representation, in which electoral votes are divvied up according to how citizens voted.

Where many take issue with the electoral college is that a candidate does not have to win the majority vote, nationally, to win the electoral vote. In other words, the majority of Americans can vote for one candidate and the other can still win. In the 2000 election, George W. Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore, but won the electoral vote 271 to 266. In 2016, Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Clinton with 47.5 percent of votes to her 47.7, but he won in the Electoral College. This result occurs when a candidate’s votes are con-

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centrated heavily in a few of the largest states in population, such as California, New York, New Jersey, Texas.

Most Californians who voted in the 2016 presidential election voted for Clinton, but regardless of whether every single Californian voted for her or only exactly 51 percent, she earned the same number of electoral votes. On the other hand, Trump could have won majority votes by slim margins, but when he did so in many states, he accumulated more electoral votes. In theory, this protects smaller states from being overpowered by states with large populations.

T h e n at i o n a l b u d g et b r ea k d ow n In 2019, $4.407 trillion will comprise the federal budget. This money is broken down into three categories: mandatory spending, discretionary spending and interest on the national debt. Mandatory spending is made up of social security, Medicare and Medicaid, which stacks up to $2.739 trillion, which is about 62 percent of the national budget.

Discretionary spending amounts to about $1.203 trillion, and is allocated to the military, defense-related departments, health, housing, education and foreign aid. Consistently, the majority of discretionary funds are spent on the military with less than 1 percent spent on foreign aid.

When surveyed, Americans unfailingly are in favor of reducing spending on foreign aid, often believing that it comprises upwards to 25 percent or more of the national budget. In reality, the

TRENDS

United States spends more on the military than almost any other sector.

Interest payments on the national debt are exactly how they sound — money spent each year on reducing the national debt. This coming year, the debt payment will total $363 billion. National debt is the accumulation of budget deficits. Because the United States does not have enough money to fund all the programs it must upkeep, national debt is created. For example, the Social Security system has become strained as more cash flows out of the federal budget than come in through citizens’ social security payments, which are deducted from their pay checks..

H ow to b e po liti ca lly activ e For most people, the thought of reaching out to their congressmen and congress women, or the president himself, is both daunting and stressful.

However, it is actually quite simple to get in contact with political leaders. With pressing issues and concerns, one can directly email or call the office of his or her representative leader. The majority of these emails and calls are tracked by interns, who then keep a tally of what legislation or problems the constituents of that leader care about.

Ashley Woods, junior political science major, says she believes young people need to take a more active role in politics and work hard to stay informed.

“We have a unique political system that works on the basis of representation, not popular opinion,” Woods says. “You get out what you put in — in simple terms.”

Most politicians have newsletters they send out regularly to inform their constituents of current government happenings and endeavors. By signing

up for these online, individuals can consistently follow what political leaders are doing and maintain awareness of any political events, such as a local town hall meeting.

Here in Riverside, the district representative is Democratic Rep. Mark Takano., who is a native of Riverside and has been the district representative since 2013. California Baptist University students, who are not from this district of California, or even from California at all, are considered dual constituents. These students are members of more than one congressional district, but are a valued member of both. Anyone’s voice can be heard, regardless of permanent residence in Riverside.

In addition, the U.S. senators from California are Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who have served respectively since 1992 and 2017. To find representatives in other districts of California or other states, one can simply go to the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate websites.

As students attempt to understand the political arena, Manuel Aguayo, freshman political science major, encourages students not to be discouraged and to continually exercise their voice.

“Although it may not be perfect now, our political structure is going through a period of change in which we as students and young adults will play an important role,” Aguayo says.

Do not be afraid to call. It is as simple as giving your representative your name, zip code, and what issue or bill you believe he or she should be supporting.◆

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ART

begins where

language

ends

Creating to Cope with Loss

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Duncan Simcoe, professor of visual arts, advises Natalie Codding, sophomore graphic design major, discussing different color combinations and brush techniques in their Painting 1 class.

Written by Alex Applegate Photos by Lauren Shelburne

A

line-painted house stands on a seemingly normal, suburban street. The driveway falls into the street where similar houses stand as its neighbors. A rain cloud covers the neighborhood and pours water onto the street.

But inside the window of the first house, one can see a bright desert scene with large, white clouds, vast, open land and prickly cacti and brush.

“Desert Rain,” made from oil paint strokes on black tar paper, contrasts the dark and the light while also contrasting the normal with the lost, overwhelming desert. Nothing seems ordinary in the desert and everything is taken from the viewer.

Duncan Simcoe, professor of visual arts, created this piece in the years following the death of his wife, Kate, to whom he had been married for 32 years. After she was diagnosed with cancer, Simcoe says time and rational

thinking ceased to exist for him. However, being an artist for several decades, Simcoe instinctly turned to his craft.

“When it comes to grief, loss is inevitable and that’s part of being alive. In this world, we will have tribulation and that’s not really negotiable,” Simcoe says. “For me, art is also inevitable. When I lost my wife to cancer five years ago, I didn’t have to introduce a new kind of thought in how to process (the loss). It was just what I do. I had a language — a kind of vocabulary ­­— that allowed ways in which I could take that journey. It’s a strange coupling of death, loss and beauty as a way of transforming something otherwise intolerable.”

Simcoe says he found grounding and comfort in the mediums he knew best: black tar paper and Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions.

While his unconventional use of a construction roofing material came from accidentally buying it once and storing it in his studio, his faith came from years of studying his religion and identifying with the different characteristics and beliefs.

Eastern Orthodox Christian history tells

of the Desert Fathers, men who gave up their material possessions to make a home in the desert for intense self-reflection.

“The idea of the desert is a place where you’re spiritually stripped naked,” Simcoe says.

“Everything normal is taken from you. So for me, grieving was a place that I called the desert ,and there’s imagery that comes up in parts of the work where I subconsciously used the desert.”

Simcoe, in his slightly ripped and paintstained work clothes, remembers in the depth of his grief that even if he could not find physical words to speak, he found a different type of language in his desert.

“Ultimately, the experience of grief is not a language thing or rational condition to be in.

It’s overpowering,” Simcoe says. “One of the things that’s overwhelmed is your own ability to think or even talk.

“There’s an old expression that art begins where language ends. That’s certainly true for me, but also children who struggle with overwhelming circumstances. They don’t even have language to begin with, and if they do, 8

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it’s not adequate (but) they can make pictures.

It’s a very universal thing.”

In the last decade, it has become more apparent through studies and research that art — including dance, music, writing and more — has numerous benefits and can help someone improve mental health or process a traumatic event.

Creating visual art can reduce stress and encourage relaxation, according to a study by Harvard Health. Music therapy and movementbased creative expression have also been shown to decrease anxiety and stress while encouraging healthy coping mechanisms, according to a study by the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Aine Bergin, assistant professor of

“Using more than your mouth, and using your hands, is so important. There’s something happening in that creative place because hands are moving. You give me something that you don’t give anybody when you do art,” Bergin says. “Just doing something with your hands makes your mind work differently. You’re using the left and right hemispheres of your brain and you might access something completely different than if you were just sitting and talking.”

Brooke Bender, licensed marriage and family therapist and board-certified art therapist, echoes the thought that people are exposed to things through art that they might not know how to verbalize.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to vocalize an experience,” Bender says. “Sometimes we’re just not sure how we feel about something we’ve been through. These are things we’re

people who do. So that’s a lot of the wrestling you do. This image is about me letting go of Kate and handing her over to God.” This piece, as most of Simcoe’s pieces do, started as a roughly drawn sketch when the vision came to him.

“I’m taking something invisible and giving it material expression,” Simcoe says. “You may visibly see someone grieving, but a lot of times you can’t tell. They’re just walking around doing the best they can. This is an incarnational movement to take the spirit and move it into matter.”

psychology, says any type of art therapy can be a way for clients to access something they might not have even realized they were dealing with or feeling.

“We operate in a way where some, or much of what we do, is not what we’re aware of.

Some of these avenues that we might use through art therapy might be what we’re not actually aware is operating,” Bergin says.

“You can’t compartmentalize; you can’t cut off something.”

Although traditional talk-therapy has its benefits and has helped numerous people, Bergin says being creative can act as a gateway to one’s subconscious.

not conscious of that we’re experiencing or feeling and art can provide a space to gain some awareness to help facilitate the healing process.”

Another piece Simcoe created in the years following his wife’s death shows two men on either side of the art piece with a small girl being thrown from one to the other. It is titled “Girl Toss.” On the left side, the viewer can see that man has three pairs of hands, ready to catch the girl.

“In the grieving process, ultimately you’re letting go of your own life as well as whoever has left you,” Simcoe says. “I don’t like to let go of things by nature and I don’t know of many

supposed to be there.

“I have to let go again in order to get something I didn’t know about before,” Simcoe says of the process. “I suppose in a way that is a metaphor for the grieving process. You do have to let go to get the next. Conversely, if you don’t let go, you’re not going to get the next.”

Simcoe has since remarried in his own journey of letting go and finding what is next, while still appreciating where his walk through the desert has taken him. He continues to teach classes at California Baptist University and says he hopes he creates a space for his students to delve into their own art. ◆

benefits of creating

creative process He speaks of his creative process as a give and take — working with the idea, the colors, the shape — until something does not feel right and then trying again until he finds what is

When it comes to grief, loss is inevitable and that’s part of being alive.

— Duncan Simcoe, professor of visual arts

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With paint-stained jeans and hands, Simcoe brings inspiration to his students through his years of expertise and experience.

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Representation IN

MEDIA the importance of cultural immersion

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Written by Lauren Shelburne Photo Courtesy of Andrew Jeric

W

e all represent a color in the mosaic of human experience. One is not more important than the other.

You may be turquoise and I may be yellow, but together, we create something beautiful. However, we are more than a color, an experience, a culture. We are individuals ,and we are all part of what makes this life special.

At a young age, children are thrust into the world of media. It floods their developing minds with images, expectations and faces that do not always look like their own. In an ever-growing world of media consumption, the importance of diversity is key to showing audiences role models to whom they can relate so they can succeed in life confidently and not be defined or limited to the labels placed upon them from a young age.

This is a label-obsessed society, but that is part of the healing process, says Melanie D’Andrea, a director and producer of DanceOn, passionate about bringing diversity to all her projects. Through these labels and engagement with diversity, she is able to see life from another person’s viewpoint and find the magic and value in it while growing herself.

“The danger (of a lack of diversity) is us losing our humanity, losing our empathy, our understanding and kindness for one another,” D’Andera says.

Creativity and culture are driven by storytelling.

From the times of cavemen, written and oral traditions have been passed along through generations but now an ever-expansive world is presented before us by media. While the level of diversity presented has risen greatly throughout the past 50 years, there is still room to grow.

“We’ve always told stories. That’s how we

know what we are, what we are capable of (and) how we learn,” D’Andrea says, “when our main storytelling is not representing who we are and what we can be, it’s dangerous.”

The issue goes beyond casting and into management and planning. There must be a wide range of backgrounds deciding what stories are being told and who is capable of telling them.

In 2017, the Directors Guild of America released the exciting announcement that the number of minority women television directors has reached an all-time high — at 5 percent. Minority male directors were not far ahead at 17 percent.

The University of Southern California’s 2017 study showed 70.7 percent of speaking characters were Caucasian with African-American characters following behind at 12 percent, Latino characters comprising 6 percent and Asian characters finishing at 4 percent.

“For me that is completely unacceptable because that is not what America looks like; that’s not what the world looks like,” D’Andrea says.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and attending an all African-American Christian school, Erin Orr, senior anthropology major, was taught at an early age to have pride in her culture. Orr says her family made a point to educate her about other races and cultures, as well as how to appreciate and understand her own. Her introduction to media centered around Disney Channel’s “That’s so Raven” and “The Proud Family,” which she says allowed her to see families like her own that she could look up to.

It was not until her family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that she really experienced a more diverse community and saw the “pretty white people,” which she says she grew up 8

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admiring, were no different than her. Once she was living in a more diverse environment, it made her work to fight against the stereotypes and labels being put on herself and those around her.

“It is interesting — the gap of how you experience something in real life versus how you experience it in the media and how you interpret it,” Orr says. “It wasn’t until I was emerged into an area where I had to interact with a different ethnicity that I really got a true sense of, ‘OK they are just people like me.’”

Rather than make presumptions from the news and the few sitcoms and dramas available, young people must immerse themselves in cultures different from their own and have those difficult conversations that may be considered “taboo.”

As a selfprescribed melting pot of culture, Americans must have one-on-one interactions with those different from them to understand the lives and cultures of others.

This is an important step in eradicating ignorance and becoming more knowledgeable and accepting of one another.

When one is in an environment where their race is not predominant, it is only natural to look to the media for representation and identity.

Humans crave connections, authenticity and to be recognized.

“If you are one of a few of your ethnicity that exists in a space, then you will look to the media to try to understand yourself, especially without people telling you, ‘This is our history, this is what our race, our culture represents, this is what it means.’ Then, you would just have

to grab at what society feeds you,” Orr says.

With sparse diverse content in the marketplace in which young minorities can identify, it is not possible for media to accurately depict every human experience.

Cassidy Aranda, junior electrical and computer engineering major, reminisced about the days of “Twilight,” “Hannah Montana” and “Barbie” — the faces of beauty, according to her peers, that did not reflect the one she saw in the mirror. Not seeing anyone in the media who was considered “cool or in,” she says, led to insecurities about her Hispanic heritage as a young girl.

“I tried my best to overcompensate for my color in other ways as if I was trying to get people to see past my color, when in reality it is usually one of the first observable physical features about me,” Aranda says.

In her work as a director, D’Andrea says she strives to bring awareness and attention to every group to show diverse representation in all her projects.

In every project she produces she says, “Can I make this more diverse? Who am I not including? Who am I excluding?”

During her time at DanceOn, the leading dance media production and social media hub with 2.5 million Facebook followers, 1.5 million YouTube subscribers and 719,000 Instagram followers, D’Andrea has used her position of power at such a respected media house to introduce her “Dance Docs.” These installments highlight those who defy the norms of the dance world and so many often untold stories that are inspiring a new generation of creators.

“The most defiant thing I do is not quit and

We’ve always told stories. That’s how we know what we are, what we are capable of and how we learn.

— Melanie D’Andrea

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Melanie D’Andrea, directs DanceOn’s newest commercial in partnership with Degree. She discusses the next scene with lead dancer and choreographer Nicole Kirkland.

not accept “no’s” and keep telling the stories of people I feel are not seen,” D’Andrea says. “Because by you being seen and heard, feeling empowerment and growth, community happens and that’s my voice and owning that and knowing that it has a purpose and not quitting is what I do. When I see other (minorities) around me, I celebrate them and empower them.”

So often people are afraid of having those hard conversations Orr says. They tend to sugarcoat them, afraid to offend, afraid to get into the “nitty-gritty” of the truth about the world around them. There needs to be a mobilization of change, not just talk — a commitment to actually make a change and put in the work.

While the goal is to eventually live in a label-free

society, for the time being there is still a need to find community and bring attention to issues at hand. One day it will no longer be a black story, or a Latino story. It will simply be a human story, D’Andrea says.

“Diversity is important because this world is not made up of a singular population of one particular skin, hair or eye color. We need to celebrate these differences, acknowledge them, and support all in their endeavors regardless of their physical attributes,” Aranda says.

“Physicality fades and leaves you as you (leave) this Earth.

The body is temporary, but what is on the inside, the matter of your soul, that is the heart of humanity and what should be nurtured the most.” ◆

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p u r s u i t r e c o m m e n ds Get Hooked On podcasts Written by Sarah Dean Illustration by Matt Tam Title: ‘Crimetown’

Title: ‘By The Book’

Title: ‘Dissect’

Why you should listen: The creators of HBO’s The Jinx, Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier, are pioneering a new type of crime show. Rather than follow the story of one crime, “Crimetown” explores the culture of crime in individual cities. The first season profiles Providence, Rhode Island, and its twisted history of mobsters and heists. The series is being adapted into a television show for FX, so catch up on the podcast now in preparation.

Why you should listen: In what creators Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer term “a wild social experiment,” the podcast follows women as they attempt to live by different self-help books each week. As they tackle books such as “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” and “Why Good Things Happen to Good People,” the results are ridiculous, outrageous and sometimes life-changing. The podcast was named one of the best new podcasts by NPR in 2017 and was selected as a New York Times Podcast Club Pick that same fall.

Why you should listen: In a world where we are constant consumers, with music, television and movies constantly bombarding us,“Dissect” was created in order to force listeners to stop, take a breath and really listen. Each season examines an album — song by song, word by word, beat by beat — to deeply understand the music and the artist behind it. Season 1 scrutinizes “To Pimp a Butterfly” by Kendrick Lamar; Season 2 analyzes “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” by Kanye West; and most recently Season 3 explores “Blonde” and “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean.

Genre: True Crime

Episode to Get Hooked On: Chapter 4: “The Bonded Vault Heist” Where to Find It: iTunes, Soundcloud and crimetownshow.com

Genre: Society

Episode to Get Hooked On: “The Five Love Languages”

Genre: Music

Episode to Get Hooked On: Season 2, Episode 8: “Monster” by Kanye West

Where to Find It: iTunes and Panoply Where to Find It: iTunes, Podbay, Spotify and Soundcloud

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PURSUIT Pursuit magazine is a student-produced publication of California Baptist University that works to utilize professional, balanced journalism to tell the stories of CBU’s community and the real-life, relevant factors that affect that community.

Wa n t p r act ica l m e d i a e x p e r i e nc e ?

write!

shoot!

design!

E m ai l us at :

pursuit@calbaptist.edu

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