Thur sday, Febr uar y 16, 2 017
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E s t a b l i s h e d 1916
A year to grow REEL GOOD TIME
K ATIA PAWL AK | COURTE SY PHOTO
| Cal Poly graduate Katia Pawlak moved from San Luis Obisop to Sitka, Alaska for an “adulting adventure.” After her graduation, she went to work as a commercial fisherman on her uncle’s boat.
Katelyn Piziali Special to Mustang News
Three deep breaths is all it took. Three inhales followed by three exhales convinced Katia Pawlak that her impulse decision wasn’t a mistake. Just 24 hours earlier, she walked across the stage at graduation to receive her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cal Poly. The next day, she nervously stood 1,651 miles away from San Luis Obispo in Sitka, Alaska with a searing cramp in
her back from the three-and-ahalf hour flight. The next three months of her life would involve grueling work and wearying hours as a commercial fisherman on her uncle’s boat. It was just the beginning of her graduate gap year, or what Pawlak likes to call her “adulting adventure.” For students not working in the field immediately after receiving their degree, it’s possible to take a gap year, like Pawlak did. A gap year is when a student takes
a year off to travel, volunteer or prepare for graduate school after graduating college and before beginning their career. The tradition of taking a gap year was originally considered an option for high school graduates and began in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, according to the American Gap Association. By the 1980s, gap years appeared in America with the founding of the Center for Interim Programs. Interim is an independent gap year counsel-
ing organization that provides both high school and college graduates with resources about structured programs and volunteer organizations to enroll in during a gap year. As the tradition became more widely accepted for American high school graduates, it transformed and became an option for college graduates who wanted to take a year off before diving into their careers. Not much data has been collected on college graduates taking
gap years, but they are becoming increasingly common, according to the American Gap Association. Pawlak’s decision to take a gap year was partially whimsical and partially practical, she said. She has a background in counseling and clinical psychology, which led her to work with disabled and mentally ill people in the past. “While it’s very rewarding, it’s usually very low-pay,” Pawlak said. GRAD GAP continued on page 2
Magical movements at Mustang Ball Sabrina Thompson @sabrinaswriting
Sequins on dresses glittered as they twirled across the dance floor. The soft clack of heels was barely heard over music and audience applause. Dancers glided on and off stage, separating from and rejoining with their teams on the sidelines. Cal Poly’s Ballroom Dance Team hosted the 10th annual Mustang Ball Saturday. The event was a full day competition for ballroom dancers from all over the West Coast. Teams from the University of Southern California (USC), University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Arizona State University (ASU) and more joined the Cal Poly team in a bat-
tle of skill and grace. Breaking down the lingo There were three ballroom dance styles allowed at the Mustang Ball competition. The first is American style where dancers step on a bent leg and straighten it. It can be smooth or rhythmic, depending on the type of dance. Popular smooth dances where dancers use the entire floor are the waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz. During the waltz, dancers create waves across the floor, moving up and down with an effortless rise and fall of their bodies. MUSTANG BALL continued on page 5
PROFESSIONAL
ILIANA ARROYOS | MUSTA NG NE W S
| Advanced dancers glided on and off stage, their movements seemingly effortless at the 10th annual Mustang Ball.
Operation: Hip Hop
brings high energy in its second year
Anjana Melvin @CPMustangNews
CHRISTA LAM | MUSTA NG NE W S
MOBBING | Thirteen hip-hop acts performed at Operation: Hip Hop, organized by Flak Mob.
Pulsing bass, hula hoop dancers and the clamor of 200 students ready to listen to hip-hop filled Chumash Auditorium Saturday night. Industrial engineering senior Logan Kregness took the mic. “When I say ‘fuck with,’ you say ‘Flak Mob’!” “Fuck with,” “Flak mob!” Flak Mob is the unofficial group name for a hip-hop
subsection of Cal Poly’s Music Production Union (MPU). This is the second year they’ve organized Operation: Hip Hop, which features Cal Poly student acts along with guest artists from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. “[Last year] it was a good event, but we had a lot of spare time towards the end that we didn’t really account for,” Kregness said. “This time we calculated everything to the ‘T;’ we have a perfect itinerary, it’s all fully fleshed out.” From the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) vs. Cal
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Poly B-Boy Battle to the Knowmads, a rap group based in Los Angeles, the three-hour concert was full of 13 high-energy performances. MPU hosted auditions to determine which acts got to perform in the show. Cal Poly staff and MPU mentors made decisions based on the quality of performers’ content, their stage presence and how much effort they put into their act as a whole. HIP-HOP continued on page 4