Currents Spring 2024

Letter from the Editor

To the Stories Around Us

Story by Samantha Torre

Photos By Mary Elisabeth

Art and Design by Jackie Lopez

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved telling stories.

Telling stories helps me connect with others, make people laugh and occasionally teach them, and me, something new.

Sharing fun facts is something my dad and I bond over every time we drive on the I-15 and he asks me if I know where McDonald’s was founded — yes, Dad, I do, it was in San Bernadino.

Whenever I call my little sister, I try to tell her about my day in the funniest way possible to make her laugh.

When I’m home on break, I can be found in my mom’s office, updating her on anything and everything that crosses my mind.

It is intrinsic to humans to convey information about our lives — telling our stories.

Human beings have been telling these stories for millennia — whether they come in the form of paintings in a cave, graffiti on the walls of Pompeii, or love letters from American artists, sharing information helped people connect in the present and left messages for those looking back from the future.

Sharing stories is so pivotal to the human experience that NASA sent information about life on Earth along on deep-space voyages.

In my four years at Pepperdine, I have been so extremely lucky to have storytelling as my major.

Journalism looks a little different

tlines with the day-to-day actions of my peers, teachers and community members.

Drawings hastily scribbled in the margins of a notebook have been re placed with the amazing designs and photography you see in this magazine before you.

Either way, there is a story to be told, and I hope you find it in these pages.

I’m not alone in telling these sto ries, the amazing people of Currents Magazine have stories to share — through their reporting, photography and design.

When I pitched this magazine, I wanted it and its stories to be snip pets of our lives. What food did we eat, what cars did we drive, what games did we play, what books did we read and what did we tell our selves to keep going?

Every single person in this world has an amazing story to tell, and this magazine barely scratches the sur face of the countless stories waiting to be told at Pepperdine and the sur rounding community. I hope flipping through it encourages you to find stories in both the mundane and the extraordinary.

I hope you use storytelling as a way to connect with the people you love and forge new relationships.

I hope you see yourself, and the people you love, in these stories — I know I do.

Staff and contributors

abby wilt

Executive Editor

mary elisabeth

Photo Editor

marley penagos

Assistant Designer

yamillah hurtado

Assistant Editor will fallmer

Assistant Lead Designer

jackie lopez

Assistant Designer

joe allgood

Assistant Editor

liza esquibias

Production Assistant I

fiona creadon

Production Assistant II

skyler hawkins

Creative Director

kylie kowalski

Production Assistant I

adviser christina littlefield

Associate Professor of Journalism and Religion contributors

Liam Zieg, Victoria La Ferla, Jessie Furrow, Samantha Wareing, Nina Fife, Tony Gleason, Beth Gonzales, Amanda Monahan

Left to right: Joe Allgood, Skyler Hawkins, Kylie Kowalski, Marley Penagos, Yamillah Hurtado, Jackie Lopez, Mary Elisabeth, Whitney Powell, Will Fallmer

Fiona Creadon CONTENTS

Taking a Sabbath

Abby Wilt

Profile:

Avrey Roberts

Victoria La Ferla

Mantras as a Guiding Force

Faculty Children Grow Up Abroad

Jessie Furrow

Profile:

Joe Rickabaugh

Nina Fife

Malibu Iconography

Samantha Wareing

Finding Hope

Yamillah Hurtado

Interfaith Students

Amanda Monahan

Profile:

Sofia Reyes

Beth Gonzales

Rainy-Day Essentials

Currents Staff

Profile:

Smayana Kurapati

Liza Esquibias

“Go big or go home”

-Trent Slocum, Senior

“Strong body, strong mind”

“You miss every shot you don’t take”

-Tessa Hemphill, Sophomore

A CE

Story by Fiona Creadon Photos by Mary Elisabeth Design by Jackie Lopez

“The only thing consistent in life is change”

-Mirella Regondola, First-Year

“Be strict with yourself and tolerant with others”

-Noah Shifter, First-Year

“What is meant for me will find me”

-Soliel Lara, Sophomore

“I wouldn’t rather be anywhere other than where I am at this moment”

-Charlene Kim, Junior

“Do what you like to do”

-Thomas Chang, Sophomore

This mantra is from his senior year in high school and he started using it again because he was a first-year spring admit and decided once he got to college that he didn’t want to be worried about

others.

“Look for the good stuff”

-Samantha Brown, Sophomore

“People come into our lives for a reason, season or lifetime”

“Hope

has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are”

-Isabella Joiner, Senior

“Make the most of everyday”

-Ali Fergusson, Junior

-Kyra Hatton, Junior

Hatton

learned this mantra from St. Augustine in a humanities class.

Story by Abby Wilt

Photos by Yamillah Hurtado

Design by Marley Penagos

Emma Monte

The words “I’m busy,” or “I’m good, just tired,” are maybe the most common words in a college student’s vocabulary.

For senior Megan Elias, these were the words she said the most.

“I am so burned out, I am so exhausted during my classes,” Elias said. “And my weekends are packed with people or homework.”

Elias started taking a Sabbath during her junior year of college. She said she set aside one day of the week to not do work.

But, instead of being “lazy” and not doing anything, she learned to use that time to rest her soul and worship God.

“Once a week, being able to rest and experience God and be filled by His Spirit, and be able to do things that just bring me a lot of joy,” Elias said. “[I like] not having to touch work or anything like that, but really being around community and people that can pour into my cup.”

Life without a Sabbath

As a part of the class of 2024, Elias started college during COVID-19. When she got onto campus her sopho more year, she wanted to pack as many things into her schedule as possible.

“My mindset was, ‘Let me just try to connect with as many people as possible, fill up my schedule, and do as much homework as possible,’” Elias said.

good of a student I was and how good of a person I was,” Elias said. “If I could produce then it was like I was making it somewhere.”

During Elias’ junior year of college, she said she hit a point where she

the Hebrew word “Shabbat,” meaning “rest,” according to Jewish Virtual Library. It is typically a day set aside for rest and worship.

It is defined as “a day of religious observance and abstinence from work,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Many Jewish people honor their Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and many Christians practice a Sabbath on Sundays.

She found her worth in being busy. Elias said she went from one thing to the next and the next — without realizing it was fueling her exhaustion and hurting her soul.

“What I produced equated to how

couldn’t keep up with the busy lifestyle. She had to make a change, and for her, that came in the form of starting to practice a Sabbath.

The word “Sabbath” stems from

Keeping a Sabbath is the fourth of the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus, stemming back to the biblical creation story.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God,” according to Exodus 20:811 (ESV).

But with that, only about half of Americans say they truly keep a Sabbath and prioritize it, according to a survey by Deseret News.

What a Sabbath looks like

Ever since starting to practice a real Sabbath, Elias said she has seen significant change in her life and has felt more rested, more connected to God and even more productive with her time.

“My life has changed for the better,” Elias said.

Practically speaking, Elias said she uses her Passion Planner, a weekly agenda, to plan out her week — scheduling in time for her Sabbath.

Elias said when planning for her

Carolyn Deal

Sabbath, she is more productive throughout the week because she knows she won’t have that extra day to procrastinate her work.

“I try to be as effective and efficient as possible during the school week,” Elias said. “But, if I don’t get all my work done, then that’s where I think true transformation and trust comes in.”

Sophomore Emma Monte started taking a Sabbath in her junior year of high school. For her, it started as just a Saturday morning of prioritizing rest, but is now a full day.

She started practicing a Sabbath after reading John Mark Comer’s book called, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.”

In that book, Comer writes about prioritizing rest in a busy world and gives practical advice for readers on how to slow down one’s life and live in an “unhurried” way, rather than going from one thing to another.

“We hear the refrain ‘I’m great, just busy’ so often we assume pathological busyness is okay,” Comer wrote in the book. “After all, everybody else is busy too. But what if busyness isn’t healthy? What if it’s an airborne contagion, wreaking havoc on our collective soul?”

Comer encourages readers to start simply when slowing down their lives — things as easy as fully stopping at stop signs, driving the speed limit or having one “disconnected” dinner where members turn electronics off and connect with those around them.

“Here’s my point: the solution to an overbusy life is not more time,” Comer wrote. “It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.”

First-year Jack Sulewski takes a Sabbath every Sunday, and said he uses it as a day of rejuvenation, worship, fun with friends, journaling, silence and solitude.

“I have not done school on a Sunday this whole semester, and it’s amazing,” Sulewski said.

After taking about six months to “perfect” his Sabbath routine, Sulewski said he found a routine that works for him now.

“That system has been my foundation and baseline coming into college,” Sulewski said.

Carolyn Deal, Caruso School of

Law 3L student, said she also read Comer’s book and was inspired to start taking a Sabbath from it.

Instead of having one Sabbath day, Deal breaks it up into two — Friday night and Sunday morning. She doesn’t do any work during those times, even if she feels like she needs to.

“I did homework one Friday night, out of all of college, and it felt really, really weird,” Deal said.

Deal also intentionally sets aside time, so if she has something to get done, it needs to get done before her rest time.

“I intentionally have those spaces blocked out for rest,” Deal said.

Life with a Sabbath

For both Deal and Elias, if they don’t get all of their work done before their Sabbath, then they don’t get it done — they still prioritize time to rest.

“Even if I don’t [finish my work], it’s being obedient and trusting that God will give me that time after my Sabbath, to be able to do work,” Elias said.

Just like people trust God with their resources or with their major life decisions, Elias said she trusts God with her rest. If she feels overwhelmed, she said it is an act of surrender for her to prioritize worshipping God and trusting that He will provide her with the time she needs.

After practicing a Sabbath once a week, Monte said it has fully changed her life for the better.

“[I’ve learned] what it looks like to record God’s presence and find joy in small things and simplicity and enjoy silence and solitude,” Monte said.

As a procrastinator, the discipline helps her stay productive and on schedule. And, she said it helps her calm her mind not to be multitasking during every moment of her life.

“When I’m working, I’m working, and I’m not stressed about resting, because I know that this is time to work,” Deal said. “And then when I’m resting, I’m not working.”

Scheduling rest into her routine has helped her feel better mentally, physically and emotionally.

“Every time I skip rest, I feel immensely worse,” Deal said.

Practicing rest translates into every other aspect of her life as well, Deal said. She can live unhurried, and lead a calmer, more peaceful life.

“Rest is more of where your heart is,” Deal said. “If you’re rushing all the time, that is the opposite of rest.”

She also said being rested helps her have more energy and time to devote to the people and things in her life that matter to her.

“If you’re burnt out, you can’t do anything fun,” Deal said.

Even if Deal feels like she is “missing out” or should do work during her Sabbath, she said she reminds herself that this discipline is helping her in the long run, and helps her stay more connected to herself, to her faith and the people around her.

“You have as much time as every other person,” Deal said. “It’s just how you delegate that time.”

Sulewski also said he prioritizes his work during the week so he can intentionally set aside time for his Sabbath. Even on weeks when he is busier, he said he tries to stick to it.

“Often we really have the time we need, just fill it with things that don’t give us rest,” Sulewski said.

For anyone who is trying to start a Sabbath, Sulewski said he recommends reading Comer’s book, alongside “Atomic Habits” by James Clear and “The Monk who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma.

He said he wishes everyone could experience the kind of rest and rejuvenation that he has since starting a Sabbath.

“I have felt so much more focused, energized and refreshed,” Sulewski said. “I know what’s important to me and at the end of the day, I stick to it.”

Megan Elias

Avrey’s Adventures

Exploring the Unknown

First-year Avrey Roberts is not a typical high school graduate. While many students spend their senior year of high school finishing up their education, she chose a different path — graduating one year early and enjoying a gap year filled with adventure, learning and self-discovery.

“It all began with that trek in Peru,” Roberts said, her eyes light up with the memory.

In the quiet paths of Peru’s Inca Trail in November 2019, Avrey Robert’s journey commenced with a single step that she said ignited her spirit of adventure and redefined her sense of purpose.

“This was the first real adventurous trip she’d [Avrey Roberts] been on and so she declared

that she was going to finish her senior year online and spend a year traveling before going off to Pepperdine,” Avrey Roberts’ father, Brian Roberts said.

Inside the bustling airport on their way home from Peru, the two bought the first travel magazines they saw. Waiting near their gate they said they began circling destinations that sparked their shared desire for adventure.

One of those circled destinations was Vietnam, where Avrey Roberts would experience the thrill of a street food tour in September 2022.

“That’s when I really was like, ‘OK, you’ve got to just try the local food,’” she said.

Immersed in the lively streets, Avrey Roberts said she savored

Story by Victoria La Ferla Design by Yamillah Hurtado

Photos Courtesy of Avrey Roberts

the authentic Vietnamese cuisine and indulged in sweet and savory dishes including dragon fruit, pho and banh mi.

“When I think of Vietnam, I think of the amazing food,” Avrey Roberts said.

The sun-drenched embrace of Sayulita, Mexico, captured Avrey Roberts’ heart from April to July 2022. Living among the infectious energy of the coastal town, she said she volunteered with a local kids’ club.

“Volunteering with the kids’ club was a highlight of my time there,” Avrey Roberts said. “It was a reminder of being simple and the joy of human connection.”

Another place circled in her collection of travel magazines was Tanzania in East Africa.

great barrier reef, australia

Avrey Roberts traveled to Tanzania solo in October 2022 and found herself in the vibrant community of Eden Daycare in Arusha, where she taught firstgrade students numbers and letters.

In March 2023, Avrey Roberts got a glimpse of an underwater world in Australia while scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. She said she was in awe of the kaleidoscope of colors and life beneath the waves.

“Our world is so beautiful and we need to take care of it,” Avrey Roberts said.

Through her gap-year adventures, Avrey Roberts learned valuable lessons about herself and the world around her.

“I hate the phrase ‘Don’t talk to strangers,’” Avrey Roberts said. “Talking to strangers is the best thing you could do for yourself.”

Her dad instilled traveling advice in her, she said.

“A rule my dad says to live by

is that [flight] prices are lowest on Tuesdays,” she said. “Also, put it all in a carry-on — you’re gonna run into an issue when you have a checked bag.”

When Brian Roberts reminisced with Avrey Roberts about his travels, he said compassion was essential.

“Compassion leads to the appreciation that you go home with,” Brian Roberts said.

Most people are just afraid to explore the unknown and go out of their comfort zone, Brian Roberts said.

“It’s far more dangerous to sit home on your couch and have your parents protect you in life and tell you not to do things than to let your kid go experience things,” Brian Roberts said.

He urges all people, especially young adults, to be more adventurous, and go beyond visiting the same place every year.

“You have to take the leap,” Brian Roberts said. “You have to make that first step. You’ve got

to try, you’ve got to go see if you don’t like something.”

Brian Roberts said the biggest thing Avrey Roberts’ gained from these trips is increased confidence.

“Every single trip has brought us something, whether it’s just a sense of appreciation for our home life or seeing new cultures, seeing new food, it’s always worth it,” Brian Roberts said.

In the end, it’s not the miles traveled or the stamps in her passport that define Avrey Robert’s journey — it’s the moments of connection, the laughter shared and the memories made along the way.

As she sets her sights on new experiences at Pepperdine, her business administration major and a future study abroad experience in Heidelberg, Germany, in Fall 2024, one thing remains clear: the adventure has only just begun.

machu picchu, peru

arusha, tanzania

baja california, mexico

A ‘Magical’ Experience

Faculty Children Grow Up Abroad

Story by Jessie Furrow

Design by Yamillah Hurtado

Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Faculty Families

caling Mount Vesuvius, gazing at the Duomo, witnessing penguins in Patagonia, delighting in “Harry Potter” in Heidelberg — where the Heidelberg Castle looks like Hogwarts — and soaking in the summer in Fiji and Kenya. These are just a few of the experiences of some faculty children.

Briana Plank, daughter of Biology Professor Donna Nofzinger Plank, described her experiences growing up as a faculty child in Pepperdine’s International Programs as “magical.”

“It felt like a fairytale,” Briana Plank said.

Briana Plank participated in five abroad experiences with her mother, starting from 2 years old in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She visited B.A. at ages 2, 5 and 12, and went more recently to Kenya and Fiji.

Briana’s sister, Alex Plank, described this uncommon way of growing up as “unique.”

“I didn’t miss home when I was in B.A.,” Alex Plank said.

Briana and Alex Plank are two of many faculty children to have adventures abroad. Most faculty IP kids who were interviewed described their experiences as ethereal, but some touched on difficulties in their experiences living across the world.

More to the story

Each faculty child had their own stories of experiencing overseas at different ages, including preschool, elementary, middle and high school. No one could define their experiences as all-encompassingly perfect, nor could they report it being anything less than extraordinary.

Joelle Choi, 10-year-old-daughter of Communication Professor Charles Choi, said she attends a bilingual school in Florence this spring, where some classes are in Italian and others are in English.

One of Joelle’s teachers does not speak English at all, and Joelle said she sometimes has to work twice as hard in school.

“I’m learning independence and figuring it out,” Joelle said.

Joelle’s brother Jordan, who is 6, is having a harder time.

“Jordan misses being understood,” Jordan’s mother, Elisia Choi, said. “He doesn’t want to be the only one who

doesn’t speak Italian. He wants to go home so that everyone can understand him.”

For a young child who is abroad with their family, there are more trade-offs than others may initially realize, sources said.

Organizational Behavior Professor Christopher Collins spent the Spring 2022 semester in Florence and then headed straight to B.A. for the Fall 2022 semester with his family. Mateo Collins, 11, said he got to spend his birthday in Rome and visit the Perito Moreno glacier before he was 10.

“Nothing was hard,” Mateo said.

Meanwhile, his younger sister Adela, 9, said she “really missed her cats,” while in Florence and B.A.

For the Collins kids, their apartments in B.A. and Florence became home — where they felt close to their parents and enjoyed meeting Pepperdine students.

American in a large group made her feel uncomfortable and anxious.

“It was hard being brand new and sticking out in a country,” Alex Plank said. “Not only being an American, but being an American in a group of 30 people, all of us walking around together and wearing matching T-shirts.”

“Malibu bubble.” Instead of growing up with the same people of the same economic status, she heard many different life stories and engaged with cultures that pose different challenges than Malibu’s.

“Everyone gives and takes equally,” Briana Plank said. “Everyone is so loving. They do it out of the kindness of their heart, and it is not transactional. People aren’t expecting anything back in return.”

Making connections abroad

“The apartments were home,” Adela said. “I really missed Florence when we went to B.A.”

Madison Perrin, daughter of Sociology Professor Robin D. Perrin and Psychology Professor Cindy L. Perrin, said she felt lucky to have lived abroad.

Perrin said she missed other 12-yearolds while in Heidelberg, but spending a year of high school in Florence was the “peak of her existence,” and she got to do college classes earlier than most.

Meanwhile, Alex Plank said being an

Alex Plank said she gained more self-agency and personal empowerment over her struggles with anxiety while abroad.

Moving from Malibu to Waco, Texas, for college became less daunting as she reminded herself of how she faced some of her biggest, most uncomfortable challenges when abroad as a kid.

“It [abroad] was a good callback for me in new, stressful situations,” Alex Plank said.

Briana Plank said living abroad at a young age helped her escape the

Growing up abroad had influences on personal and family connections.

Madison Perrin said she saw her parents in their element — teaching. Work and personal life were interconnected, bringing the Perrins closer as a family.

Mateo and Adela Collins said homeschooling for 45 minutes to an hour a day gave them plenty of quality time with their parents and the students, creating a special perception of “home.”

For the Choi family, there is a level of closeness and intimacy that developed while abroad, Elisia Choi said. Joelle and Jordan love to be with their family and enjoy the versatility of their life in Europe — like free art classes and going to St. Peter’s Basilica

“We win together, we lose together,” Joelle Choi said.

It is impossible to narrow down what it is like growing up as an IP kid – but each of these children faced both awe of the world and their own challenges.

“I remember thinking, ‘I am going to remember this for the rest of my life,’” Briana Plank said about an evening in Fiji. “I was so at peace and happy and content.”

perrin children

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Jacob and Madison Perrin (right) in Italy

Mateo and Adela Collins in Argentina

Choi family in Europe

Collins family in Argentina

The Perrin kids in Europe

Perrin family in Europe

7. Kristy (left) and Adela Collins (right) in Europe

8. Mateo Collins

MALIBU ICONOGRAPHY

Students Find Joy in the Evolving Ideas of Malibu

Driving down Pacific Coast Highway, past the long strip of green grass on one side with the blue ocean and horizon on the other, junior Olivia Formato formed her first ideas of college life in Malibu. Her ideas involved the beach, sun and the thought, “How would I ever get anything done if I went to school here?”

While her first sight of Malibu was driving down PCH past Alumni Park on a road trip with her family, Formato said her true firstimpression of Malibu was the day she spent touring Pepperdine with her family in April 2019.

“My first impression of Malibu was Pepperdine and the idea that the next step of my life could be something that had community in it, while being surrounded by nature and Los Angeles,” Formato said.

She did not know anything about the Malibu Welcome Signs or the Malibu pier, and before coming she

thought it would be a much more isolated beach town with celebrities.

Without experiencing the things that make Malibu iconic, the first ideas of Malibu for many students are a mirage, students said. As they experience Pepperdine and the Malibu communities, the mirage dissipates.

How impressions of Malibu change

Formato’s first ideas of Malibu included the song by Miley Cyrus, “Malibu,” she said.

By her junior year, Formato experienced the uniqueness of college life in Malibu. She found community in her roommates and surf class, explored her faith and grounded herself with the sight of the ocean.

She grew to feel like a local, integrating herself with the regulars and feeling the small, surf-town culture.

Formato eventually learned how to get her work done and enjoy frequent rendezvous at the beach. Like

many of her peers, her idea of Malibu changed.

“I think of the beach, palm trees, sunny, PCH, the pier comes to mind,” Formato said. “Funny enough, when I think of Malibu my mind goes back to what I thought of it before I came to school here.”

When reflecting on what makes her think of Malibu today, Formato said she thinks of when she’s on campus and glances at Stauffer Chapel with the ocean as the backdrop.

“It’s the people, it’s my faith that makes Malibu,” Formato said.

Formato said what’s special about Malibu is the combination of the calm, wellness-focused surf-town and the media and entertainment scene of Los Angeles.

She eventually found that Malibu is all about wellness. Nearly everyone here seeks to better themselves.

“You don’t visit Malibu to go to the McDonald’s across from Nobu, you visit to go to SunLife,” Formato said.

Story by Samantha Wareing Photos by Mary Elisabeth Design by Jackie Lopez

You get here and it’s a little less than that fantasy, but so much more real.

Joseph Bowman, Pepperdine Senior “ “

“And when you’re at SunLife, you feel like you’re being healthy.”

Formato said she now thinks of the pier and Malibu sign that says “21 Miles of Scenic Beauty.”

“It’s when you’re driving and you’re almost in Topanga and you sit at a light by the beach and it says PCH on a sign right there,” Formato said.

She loves listening to her playlist called “Pacific Coast Highway” while driving up and down the coast or to the beach.

Senior Joseph Bowman similarly described his first ideas of Malibu as unreal. He had an idea in mind of a perfect beach town.

“You get here and it’s a little less than that fantasy, but so much more real,” Bowman said.

As a first-year, Bowman said he never thought he would integrate into the Malibu community.

“I thought I was going to be like a tourist the whole time, never get to know the local spots, never fully feel like a local,” Bowman said. “But now I do.”

Places Malibu students show visitors

Students find that the places they take friends and visitors embody the meaning of Malibu.

“I take them to the sand dunes, Ralphs Beach or the dog beach halfway down Ralphs,” Formato said.

There’s a lookout spot through Decker Canyon to pull over and look

out over the canyon, which Formato said she loves to take her visitors. She likes taking them to Cafe Habana for good food and walks them through the Malibu Country Mart because she said a visit there is a necessary Malibu experience.

Bowman takes his visitors to Malibu Pier and Malibu Country Mart. He additionally takes his visitors for a hike or drive through Malibu Canyon, which he said is essential.

Senior Kyra Williams said she would also love to take her visitors to Malibu Country Mart, especially on a Sunday to visit the farmers market. She would also take them on a surf lesson to experience the surf culture here.

“I would also take them to Vitamin Barn because that feels very small town to me,” Williams said.

Malibu personified

The people that students surround themselves with and the people in the Malibu community ultimately shape ideas of Malibu.

Formato said when she thinks of Malibu, her roommates come to mind, though none of them are from California.

Formato also thinks of people in the Malibu community — rich people, people in the Malibu Country Mart wearing extravagant outfits and expensive workout wear.

“It’s very L.A. and there’s the people that dress nearly homeless but it’s a million-dollar outfit,” Formato said.

After taking surf class three semesters in a row, her surf instructors embody Malibu to her, Formato said.

Bowman thinks of Pepperdine students and people at churches in Malibu, such as Vintage Malibu and Malibu Pacific Church.

Williams observed that Malibu has a rich mix of different people.

“There’s the celebrities, the uberwealthy boujee people, the rich hippie people, the regular people and the college kids thrown in there,” Williams said.

What makes Malibu iconic

The crosswalk at Aviator Nation Dreamland and Malibu pier represents Malibu, Bowman said.

Williams and Bowman both said the Pepperdine Phillips Tower is an iconic symbol of Malibu to them.

“I’m going to remember the proximity to the beach, but also the feeling of a small town, running into people you know,” Bowman said. “There is a culture of regulars that I will remember.”

Williams said something essential about Malibu is the ease of seeing celebrities in a regular setting.

While grabbing coffee at Alfred with a friend, Williams said she and her friend caught sight of Dakota Johnson, then one time while at an ice cream shop, she saw Adam Sandler.

To Williams, the most iconic thing about Malibu is the way one’s community can be built anywhere, in the ocean within a surf community, in faith at a local church and in an assortment of different ways at Pepperdine.

“It’s so encouraging to see how impactful that community can be and how all the different people come together to support each other,” Williams said.

Williams finds Malibu iconic when witnessing the surf communities, she said. Williams works at The Surfrider Hotel and often surfs with her coworkers, seeing how her coworkers know and interact with the other surfers. Her surf instructor is a Malibu native and she feels his strong connectedness to the greater Malibu community.

Formato said she is going to remember how peaceful it was to be at

school somewhere like this.

“Here I feel entertained being right by L.A. and doing fun things with my great friends, but also I feel so much peace because I’m someone who takes in a lot of joy and finds faith in nature,” Formato said. “Being surrounded by the mountains, the ocean and everything in between gives me a lot of certainty.”

Olivia Formato

Joe Rickabaugh

Story by Nina Fife

Photos by Mary Elisabeth Design by Marley Penagos

Joe Rickabaugh lives and breathes surfing.

Rickabaugh, Pepperdine’s club surf team coach, said he’s been shredding since his parents sent him to surf camp in eighth grade — and hasn’t stopped since. Once he started surfing, he quit everything else and made it his livelihood.

“My whole life revolves around surfing,” Rickabaugh said. “I probably wouldn’t have anything if I didn’t surf. I don’t know where I would be, honestly.”

Rippin’ the Waves of Life

Surfing serves stability

Rickabaugh lost his house in the 2018 Woolsey Fire that burned almost 100,000 acres of land from Simi Valley to Malibu.

“It was very traumatic,” Rickabaugh said. “I guess I just thought that it was going to be fine but it wasn’t. I got a little off course for a while.”

The day before the fire, Pepperdine undergraduate student,

Alaina Housley, was killed at the Borderline Bar and Grill in a mass shooting — a restaurant Rickabaugh frequented.

Throughout all these challenges, Rickabaugh said he always had surfing and its supportive community to lean on — as people donated boards and wetsuits to replace the ones he lost in the fire.

“Surfing was the one thing that never changed throughout that,” Rickabaugh said. “I always still had surfing no matter what.”

“When you’re surfing, it’s just you,”

Rickabaugh’s appreciation for nature is one of Alderton’s favorite things about him, she said.

“He focuses on the beauty of life, which I appreciate,” Alderton said. “The simplicity of just being in the sun, in nature, in the ocean, is something that brings such fulfillment.”

Rickabaugh taught Alderton to view surfing as something that gives life, even during big competitions. She said this new perspective is just one of the ways Rickabaugh pushes the entire team to grow.

“Joe is living simply in a way that just acknowledges that life is the things that bring you joy,” Alderton said. “And he lives that out.”

Coaching the Pepperdine club surf team

Rickabaugh brought his passion and knowledge for surfing to Pepperdine in 2021. Rickabaugh said a co-worker he lifeguarded with got him the head coach position, and he was excited to be involved with a local school since he grew up in the area.

Alderton is very grateful to have Rickabaugh as her coach.

“Joe is the best coach I’ve ever had, and I have had a lot of surf coaches in the past,” Alderton said.

Roman Lange, first-year club surf team member, agreed with Alderton, and said Rickabaugh is one of the reasons he is on the team.

“Part of the reason why I enjoy it is because he’s the coach for it,” Lange

said. “He is very, very caring, very loving of everyone on [the] team. He appreciates surfing in and of itself.”

Rickabaugh would be at the beach in 50-mile-per-hour winds or when it’s pouring rain if it meant supporting his team, Alderton said.

“He is so dedicated in the way that he is the first one on the beach, he’s the last one to leave,” Alderton said.

Surfing can be an individual sport, Alderton said, but Rickabaugh emphasizes the value of teamwork and supporting one another.

“Our team tries to band together and really support each other through our heats, which I think Joe has encouraged strongly,” Alderton said.

Creating waves of impact

As a first-year, Lange said he was nervous to join the surf team but is very glad he did.

“Joe is the broadest horizon,” Lange said. “He saw my potential and pushed me 100%. He has great eyes and is a great dude.”

As a senior, this is likely Alderton’s last year doing competitive surfing. While this ending is bittersweet, she said she is glad it is Rickabaugh that she is closing it out with.

Outside of being a coach, Alderton said Rickabaugh inspires her in her daily life.

“He’s just not afraid to be who he is and express himself,” Alderton said. “I just think he embodies someone who knows who he is and isn’t afraid to share that with the world.”

Rickabaugh inspires her to do the same, she said.

“He definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone and just reminds me to be unapologetically Noelle,” Alderton said.

Rickabaugh continues to inspire those he comes in contact with, and he said he has no plans of changing who he is.

“Literally everything in my future has surfing involved in it in one way, shape or form,” Rickabaugh said. “I love living the dream and just like living in the moment, not getting so caught up in what just happened and what’s going to happen.”

Photo courtesy of Joe Rickabaugh

How Video Games Better People Personal Development & Friendship

Story by Tony Gleason

Art by Whitney Powell

Design by Skyler Hawkins

The year is 1983, and due to an oversaturation of low-quality products and the rise of the PC, the video game market has crashed.

The crash lasted until 1985, when Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System along with R.O.B the Robot and Super Mario Bros, according to History Computer. Marketed as a toy and requiring a “Seal of Quality,” Nintendo revived the video game industry, selling over 33 million units in North America, according to Statista.

Nintendo’s revival of the gaming industry ultimately led to video games being more prominent than ever. Multiple gamers said video games have left a lasting impression and shaped who they are.

“Video games and playing competitive[ly] are a way for people to come together, to share common interests

and to meet people and learn new things in ways that they cannot get in common everyday interaction,” said Jon Schrader, former vice president of growth and marketing at Generation Esports.

In the “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” trilogy, the main character — Phoenix Wright — learns how to trust his clients and pursue the truth, growing as an individual. All the while, Wright forms meaningful bonds as he rekindles a childhood friendship and meets new people who leave an impact on him.

But Wright and other video game characters aren’t the only ones growing, as multiple gamers themselves said video games have helped them grow as a person and in their relationships.

Growing with video games

YouTuber Andrew Hatelt said his favorite console is the Nintendo Entertainment System. He has collected over 700 games — only missing four for a complete collection. After pick-

ing up a copy of “Power Blade 2,” one of the rarest games, Hatelt realized there are many Nintendo games he owns but hasn’t had the opportunity to play.

Starting Nov. 27, 2021, Hatelt said he challenged himself to beat every single game in the Nintendo Entertainment System library — one of the most difficult video game consoles. Two years later, Hatelt has completed over 500 games, building his confidence.

“Now, I don’t look at things anymore like, ‘Oh man, why even try? I can’t do that,’” Hatelt said. “Because I have over 500 experiences now where it sometimes seems impossible, and yet, I got it done.”

Pepperdine has four esports teams — Overwatch, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Valorant and League of Legends. Teams typically have around eight players who regularly practice and attend video game tournaments, according to the Pepperdine esports website.

Senior Juli Wagner, former captain and now coach of Pepperdine’s Over

watch team, said she led her team to an undefeated season in Fall 2023 and the program’s first playoff appearance. Her experience with the team has taught her how to be a leader.

“We went up against a lot of schools that were very difficult and we had to figure out how to work around that and how to strategize,” Wagner said.

Sophomore Ray Truter said he has spent time as the captain of Pepperdine’s Super Smash Bros team and was a top 100 “Fortnite” player in Asia a few years ago. While Truter competed, he learned to improve physically by exercising and changing his diet.

“When I competed in ‘Fortnite’ I ate foods that help with reaction time, like fish, blueberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,” Truter said. “I tried getting a lot of sleep.”

Schrader, who has had multiple jobs within the esports industry, said esports help students learn academic skills and to build social relationships in a way that can’t be taught elsewhere.

“Esports has also proven to be a great way to improve one’s mental well-being,” Schrader said. “There’s a number of different studies out there that show when you’re involved with esports your mental health is better.”

Multiple people said one of the reasons they choose video games over other forms of entertainment is the player gets to grow with the characters.

It’s hard for any media to draw emotions out of people, but video games are often more successful because players can affect the outcome, said Tyler Maddock, an employee of the vintage game store Game Zone in Salem, Massachusetts.

“You’re actively participating in the narrative, it’s gonna lend to a greater sense of empathy,” Maddock said. “And in a lot of cases, a greater sense of your agency.”

Maddock said in horror games, agency is commonly taken away from the player — factoring into the character’s struggle to survive through the game.

Bonds formed through games

Video games are rarely about only the main characters, as the presence of their friends and companions is

Video games and playing competitive[ly] are a way for people to come together.

Jon Schrader, former Vice President at Generation Esports

equally vital. Multiple gamers said video games have helped them form tight bonds with people — just like the game characters themselves.

If it weren’t for Truter playing “Smash Bros” in the Genesis Lab one day, he said he never would have met his soon-to-be-best friend — Pepperdine junior Lucas Lorimer.

“My best friend Lucas — I wouldn’t have met that guy if I wasn’t a video game player,” Truter said. “And my relationship with him has just been so amazing for my personal growth as a human being but also like my faith.”

When Pepperdine was remote for the 2020-21 academic year, Wagner said she and four other students — senior Cole Chuang, senior and Graphic DEI Editor Joseph Heinemann, alumna ‘21 and former Graphic member Anastasia Condolon, and alumna ‘20 Grace Ramsey — joined together to build Pepperdine’s campus in Minecraft.

This experience allowed Wagner to connect with her classmates virtually.

“We weren’t able to physically be there in person because it was closed,” Wagner said. “But we’re able to hang out and enjoy it and talk about it because we were building it.”

Another aspect of gaming is the world of fan translation and ROM (read on memory) hacks — where fans will either translate a game into a language it was never released in or add their ideas or quality-of-life improvements, such as “Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time” having faster text speed.

Hatelt has taken part in both ROM hacking and fan translation, such as when he created one of the most pop-

ular “Super Mario World” ROM hacks — “Super Mario Omega.”

It is in ROM hacking and fan translation where the potential for community in gaming is realized.

“If you’re working on a project, a whole bunch of different people need to come together,” Hatelt said. “Someone to help with the art, some help with the story, someone to help with the game design and the programming.”

One moment where Maddock joked “world peace is potentially achievable” was after an interaction he had with a Polish man. Neither of the two spoke the other’s language but still had an interaction by simply listing different game titles.

“It was moments where different points of view, different viewpoints, different lifestyles — I don’t know what this guy and I have in common,” Maddock said. “But I do know one thing we have in common: We both really like games.”

The bond formed through video games is important because humans tend to fear those who are different, but finding common ground over video games can help bridge those dissimilarities, Maddock said.

“You have at least an option to bring some commonality between the two of you,” Maddock said. “You remove the barrier between us and them, and you’re back toward us.”

From Camp Fire Legends to Cultural Fables: Mapping the Scary Stories That Stick With People

Story, Art+Design By Marley Penagos

THE RED DOT

“The Red Dot” is a short story contained in the anthology, “Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones,” which Scholastic Inc. first published Jan. 1, 1991, according to GoodReads.

The author, folklorist Alvin Schwartz, wrote over 50 books and is not to be confused with a “Superman” and “Batman” comic writer with the same name, according to GoodReads.

Allegedly, British Explorer David Thompson first spotted Bigfoot in 1811, though that instance and sightings since are not verified, according to Britannica.

Bigfoot is also known as Sasquatch, and is the North American version of the Himalayan Yeti, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. A common description of Bigfoot is a tall humanoid creature covered in hair.

Senior Izzy Lincoln first read “The Red Dot” from “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 3” when she was in elementary school.

“[The story] is about this girl, in the middle of the night a spider crawls across her face, just stops there for a second and she wakes up with a big red dot,” Lincoln said. “Over the days it grows and turns into this crazy boil. Then she’s in the bathtub and it bursts and all of these tiny baby spiders crawl out all over her face because the spider had laid eggs in her face.

“That story haunts me,” Lincoln said. “It still haunts me.”

Lincoln said her family didn’t pass down scary stories from their culture, but they did pass down classic campfire stories — Lincoln specifically remembers Bigfoot. She said her parents used Bigfoot as a lesson not to wander away from the campsite and into the woods.

Senior Kamryn Spease said while growing up, her cousins terrorized her with the Latin American folk tale of La Llorona, or “The Weeping Woman.”

La Llorona is most often associated with children in the various iterations of her story, according to the Library of Congress.

“In some stories, she is said to wail for her own lost or dead children; doomed for her actions to be a wandering ghost,” the article said. “In other stories, she kidnaps children, who are never seen again.”

Spease said she was around 5 years old when her cousins first told her about La Llorona.

“They told me that she would catch me, and drag me wherever she is, like she’ll drag me into the closet or she’ll drag me under my bed or she’ll drag me into the attic,” Spease said. “And no one would be able to help me.”

Spease said she recently reflected on the legends that her cousins told to her as a child and how they affected her.

“That traumatized me when I was younger,” she said. “It scared me so much, and it terrified me of literally

everything — every single noise and sound I would just jump at, and it would make my heart start racing.”

Despite the negative memories

Spease said she has of those stories, she also said she recognizes them as important aspects of her culture as a Latina and wants to share that with her future children.

“I probably wouldn’t do it [tell the stories] in such a manner to intentionally make them so scared that they don’t want to sleep,” Spease said. “But I do think that I still would tell them like the stories because it is very cultural.”

Lincoln said she wants to be the person who passes down scary stories to her future children.

Lincoln said most of her exposure to the stories that affected her, like “The Red Dot,” were discovered without

parental supervision.

“If I have kids, I don’t want them to be exposed to scary stories in a circumstance where they could mistake it for a true story,” she said.

Lincoln already feared spiders before being exposed to “The Red Dot,” but said the story frightened her so much that she still thinks of it every time she sees a spider.

ofdifferentareTheremanyidentities

La Llorona – such as the Aztec goddess Coalticue, a poor woman from Ciudad Juárez and the lover of Hernán Cortés La Malinche, according to the National Museum of American History.

If We Go Down That Path

Story by Kylie Kowalski

Photos by Mary Elisabeth Design by Will Fallmer

Junior Emma Lake’s fascination with dystopian science fiction began in elementary school when she first read the “The Hunger Games” series. Along with many of her classmates, she connected to dystopian literature, leading to a developed interest in the topic.

Dystopian literature is a form of speculative fiction that provides a vision of the future where a society is in cataclysmic decline, according to MasterClass. It follows characters who battle environmental ruin, technological control and government oppression.

“These books make people think,” Lake said. “If you think about ‘1984’ or other books, they bring attention to leaders and the mistreatment of people. That’s something people are interested in and for some it’s mind-opening.”

The release of Suzanne Collins’ fourth novel in “The Hunger Games” series, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” delivers an enjoyable read and nostalgic childhood memories, Lake said.

More recent novels and films, like “The Hunger Games”

It's interesting to see what a society will do in terms of making itself dystopian and how scary life could be in the future if we did go down that path.

Raesa Martin, Pepperdine Junior

If We Go Down That Path

series, are typically what comes to mind when thinking of the genre, Lake said, but dystopian literature is anything but new. Lake recalled watching “Metropolis,” a black and white film from the 1920s that shares similar key concepts with many popular dystopian films today.

A long-lasting genre

Mike Stock, professor of English and Film, has taught various courses on science fiction and particularly enjoys cyberpunk, a subgenre of sci-fi. Cyberpunk depicts a darker future. These films comment on technology, claiming it will ultimately make things worse, according to Britannica. The genre consists of Stock’s favorite films: “Bladerunner,” “Videodrome” and “Akira,” all of which came out within the

same decade as the Apple Macintosh.

These films reflect the cultural anxiety surrounding the development of home computing and the normalization of computers everywhere, Stock said.

“We haven’t really gotten a break from our cultural anxiety about technology since then,” Stock said. “Technology has only increased and only infiltrated more areas of life.”

Dystopian sci-fi has expanded beyond literature. Culture and music are also experiencing dystopian effects. There is a darkening of humanity’s relationship to culture and the world, Stock said.

Junior Raesa Martin began reading dystopian sci-fi as a child with her older sister. She said she likes reading dystopian fiction because it shows just how far society will go to establish control, which is a unique perspective compared to other genres of literature.

Martin said she believes the genre has stuck around for so long because people use it as a way to warn themselves about the future.

“It’s interesting to see what a society will do in terms of making itself dystopian and how scary life could be

Modeled by Arabella Reyes (left) and Kate Ho (right)

the future if we did go down that path,” Martin said. “And usually there’s an underlying romance, which I love.”

Junior Ryan Reagan said his favorite genre of books growing up was dystopian sci-fi.

“My favorite trilogy is ‘The 5th Wave,’” Reagan said. “It’s such a page-turner, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it.”

Stock believes sci-fi as a whole is here to stay, but its popular form is bound to change.

“It’s definitely not going to disappear,” Stock said. “Whether it [dystopian sci-fi] will remain the rule of sci-fi, I would think that would change.”

Up until the 1980s, utopian fiction was the norm of sci-fi, Stock said.

“If you look at history, it is always the story of cycles,” Stock said. “So this, just like eventually the Marvel movies, must end.”

Solarpunk, the antithesis of Cyberpunk, is an emerging subgenre in science fiction. It is a new trend in literature bringing back utopian sci-fi.

“We haven’t seen much of it [solarpunk] in the media,” Stock said. “We will though, the books will be auctioned, and there will be shows and movies. It will be interesting to

see if the balance will tip, if viewers want a break from dystopian sci-fi.”

Adaptations

“The Last of Us,” which is about a post-apocalyptic United States that faces infected cannibalistic humans, is a prime example of a successful adaptation.

The popular T.V. series was originally a game on Sony’s PlayStation. The T.V. adaptation quickly became the second most popular series on Max.

Stock said it is rare for a video game to render such great success as an adaptation.

“Adaptations of video games usually are cash grabs,” Stock said. “Usually not focusing on the importance of characters and narrative, but hopefully this will develop a new rule of really great shows that adapt previous existing games.”

Lake believes for screen adaptations to work, such as in the case of a novel, they must involve close collaboration with the author of the book.

“If the original intentions of the media are portrayed in the film, they can be well done,”

Lake said. “But they can also butcher the message.”

Martin prefers reading books before watching their adaptations. She said movies are more basic and often lack important details of the book, but they can still be fun to watch.

“Movies give a good introduction to the book, but the book has so much more detail and elaboration,” Martin said. “So it does capture the characters in the plot more than the movie does.”

Reagan was excited when the movie adaption of “The 5th Wave” was released. Because he had already read the book, the movie only added to the thrilling world the book had built in his head. He said some movies can be a great addition to the books, but not all are.

The effects of dystopian media

While dystopian media is interesting, consuming this media consistently can be

a little sad or even depressing, Lake said.

“There’s probably an effect on mental health after reading books with heavy subjects,” Lake said. “The biggest thing I realized is that it’s not real. It’s fiction at the end of the day.”

Some of the books might even make people feel more prepared for doomsday or natural disasters. Lake’s favorite series — “The Hunger Games” — is full of death and demise in society. Observing a world that is so different from one’s own unlocks an innate curiosity of the unknown, Lake said.

“Most of these worlds I can’t imagine experiencing, so it’s interesting to read about them,” Lake said.

Martin connects societal decline and doomsday preparation to two of her favorite series — “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” series. These two series are among Martin’s first introductions to dystopian sci-fi and continue to be on her list of fa

It can be difficult to digest dystopian sci-fi because it leads people to think about the negative effects of society and political environments, Martin said.

“It could also affect people positively, like teaching them how to not go down a bad path,” Martin said.

Martin likes to view dystopian sci-fi in a positive light because she said it makes her think deeply about changes she can make and new possibilities.

“Although it could be negative, it could be positive too,” Martin said. “I look at it in a positive way, so I hope other people do too.”

Most of these worlds I can't imagine experiencing, so it's interesting to read about them.

Emma Lake, Pepperdine Junior

All the World’s a Stage For

Story by Fiona Creadon

Photos by Mary Elisabeth Design by Skyler Hawkins

For Seaver College senior Jackson Murrieta, performing in front of huge audiences is nothing new.

Murrieta played the lead role of Harold Hill in Pepperdine’s Fall 2023 rendition of “The Music Man.”

In July 2023, Murrieta also landed a job with one of the most coveted entertainment companies in the world: working as a cast member at Disneyland Park. He spends three days a week at the park in Anaheim, and Murrieta said what he has learned at Pepperdine applies at Disney.

“Working in a professional environ ment, the stakes are higher because people are paying to see the perfor mance,” Murrieta said. “But a lot of the training that I received here at Pepperdine comes into play at work.”

The musical theatre major made his acting debut at 7 years old.

“One of my really close friends was in [a show] and we would always hang out together,” Murrieta said. “And one day she was like, you should audition for a show.”

Murrieta landed his first-ever role as an ensemble character in “The Wizard of Oz,” appearing as a Munchkin in the Lollipop Guild, a Flying Monkey and a Citizen of Oz. Murrieta stuck with musical theater for the remainder of his childhood. As he neared the end of high school he applied and auditioned at multiple colleges — though he always had an affinity for Pepperdine, as his parents met and married there.

“If I’m holding too many things, he will always grab something from my arms,” Todd said. “He’s very aware of the needs of others around him.”

Despite the grueling commute from Malibu to Anaheim and the challenges of juggling school and work, Murrieta said he is grateful for it all.

“[Disneyland] has always been a place that I’ve gone to as a kid so it’s very cool to now be on the working side of things and see how the operations really run,” Murrieta said, “It’s so honoring that I am now able to be part of the legacy.”

Theatre Professor Kelly Todd said Murrieta is “a natural leader” and that “his positivity just spreads in any class or cast.”

Murrieta is a gentleman, Todd said.

Stuart O’Rourke, assistant technical director and shop foreman, has worked closely with Murrieta. He said Murrieta is “a formidable triple threat.”

O’Rourke said his favorite memory with Murrieta is being backstage with him during his performances in “The Music Man.”

“He’s sweating like a pig, he’s focused, and you look at him and say, ‘Cool, everything’s good,’” O’Rourke said. “And then he’s moving on to the next scene. That’s the kind of fun backstage when you’re in the show, you’re in the battle.”

Murrieta plans to pursue musical theater post-graduation and hopes

to one day be in the musical “Moulin Rouge” because of its incredible choreography.

He also hopes to one day give back to Pepperdine — possibly in the form of hosting a master class and giving future students advice.

“This program has taught me so much and it would be an honor to give back in some way,” Murrieta said.

Murrieta’s advice to students is to try to love all the trials and tribulations that college brings.

“It really flew by in an instant,” Murrieta said. “Regardless of how challenging college is, and especially going to such an academic institution like Pepperdine, I would tell myself to find ways to enjoy it more even amongst the stress.”

claire taylor in a 2022 mx5 mazda miata

Smiles Per Gallon

Car Culture at Pepperdine

First-year Claire Taylor drives a 2022 MX5 Mazda Miata with a soft-top. She inherited her love of cars from her dad, and her passion took off in her sophomore year of high school.

She envisioned herself driving a Miata at Pepperdine, and after enrolling, she split the cost of the car with her parents.

While she wouldn’t say that the car someone drives reflects who they are, she thinks it is a cool part of someone’s identity.

“People who appreciate nice cars, it’s not necessarily like a bad thing or like a reflection of them,” Taylor said. “It’s just something that people like — the same thing with sports, like people are really into sports. Some people are really into cars.”

Cars as a status symbol

Seaver alumnus (‘05) James Riswick, senior editor for reviews & West Coast coverage at “Autoblog” and former editor-in-chief of the Pepperdine Graphic, said cars have long existed as status symbols. In the beginning, the rich would use leisurely drives to show off their wealth.

“That continued, to a certain ex-

tent, the idea that what you drive is in some way reflective of your style, your wealth or status,” Riswick said. “That way, it’s not that different than fashion.”

The type of car a person drives can also shed light on what they think of status, Riswick said. Someone who “couldn’t care less” what people think may prioritize function over form, whereas others — such as the automotive enthusiast — will choose something that garners respect.

In Malibu, the high concentration of wealth means the people living here often have interesting cars, and while one shouldn’t need a car in college, Riswick said that is not the case at Pepperdine.

“I distinctly remember being on the tour as a high school senior and them saying, ‘Oh, no, you don’t really need a car,’” Riswick said. “Well, OK, yeah, but you don’t really need shoes either.”

Having a car at Pepperdine opens up a world of possibility, senior Sabrina Musharbash said. Her dad owns a car lot and while her daily driver is a 2019 Honda Accord LX she has a 2012 Corvette at home, which she calls her “baby.”

“I had never tried Korean [food] be-

fore college,” Musharbash said. “But K-town is like the perfect distance to drive before you hit the intense traffic on the 10.”

Cars, Musharbash said, are a status symbol.

“If you think that first impressions are so important, how you pull up is the first part of the first impression,” Musharbash said.

Sophomore Mikail Wahidy said he drives a silver 2002 Porsche 911. It has been in his family since he was born. He knew growing up that the car would one day be his.

“When I was a baby the only way that I would shut up was if they put me in the car seat and we all went for a drive in the [Porsche] 911 and then I would just be sound asleep,” Wahidy said.

As he grew older, his dad gave him model cars. He would flip through car magazines and eventually made his way to YouTube, where he would watch “Motor Trend” and other automotive channels.

No matter what someone drives, Wahidy said, they should be proud of it.

“Any car can be cool to anybody,” Wahidy said. “Whether it’s a Toyota Corolla, or if it’s, like a monster Audi.”

Story+ Design by Samantha Torre

Photos by Mary Elisabeth and Liam Zieg

Mikail Wahidy, Pepperdine Sophomore “ “

Forget the cars, like cars are cool, but it’s really the people that make it what it is.

“There’s only 12 black — like my style — 2022 Mazda Miatas in the United States that are automatic,” Taylor said.

To name or not to name

Riswick said he never contemplated naming the car he drove at Pepperdine — a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta VR 6 — and that most car enthusiasts don’t.

Perhaps, because they focus on the make and model, Riswick said.

“‘I have a blue [Corvette] C 3 2.8,’” Riswick said. “It’s not like ‘Oh, I have Shirley.’”

Cars as a form of expression

Musharbash spends a lot of time in her car, and when she first got it she bought accessories to personalize it and make it feel “homey.”

“I got this fat mirror that attaches to the visor thing,” Musharbash said, laughing. “So I can like, look at myself.”

First-year David Zhou drives a 2023 MX5 Miata. His passion for cars developed when he got his license.

“I love my little Miata,” Zhou said. “I got it myself so it’s got a lot of me in it.”

“I don’t think it’s too loud,” Zhou said. “I don’t think I am a huge part of disturbing the peace.”

His car is a way he expresses himself, Zhou said. He and his friends have a joke — where someone’s car either matches them or is the complete opposite.

“The Miata, some of my friends said that it represents me a lot, because it’s a silly little car,” Zhou said. Taylor said her Miata is a four-cylinder with rear-wheel drive, and while most Miata’s come with a manual transmission, hers has an automatic.

His car came with incandescent light bulbs, which Zhou said he switched out for LEDs. He also got an after-market grill for the front and an exhaust pipe.

While Zhou didn’t name his car, he said when he first got the car, he had the option to engrave it, and a friend said it would be funny to engrave it with the name Alexis, to relate to his previous car: A Lexus IS.

Taylor said her Mazda is named Raquelle — like the Barbie character, and a good family friend’s girlfriend.

Cars create connection

Cars heavily influenced Wahidy to come to Pepperdine — other universities he looked at back home in New Jersey either did not let first-years have a car or did not let students have a car at all. Eventually, he found the

alex whitney in a dodge Charger SRT 392

unofficial Pepperdine Car Club’s Instagram — a “golden ticket.”

His time in the Car Club has been the highlight of his time at Pepperdine, Wahidy said, and he has made a majority of his close friends there.

“Forget the cars, like cars are cool, but it’s really the people that make it what it is,” Wahidy said.

The Car Club, Wahidy said, is aware of the danger that Malibu roads pose. The group doesn’t speed — or obnoxiously rev their engines — and meet-ups occur at Malibu Bluffs Park, where members park and hang out around each other’s cars.

“I would say it’s a nonjudgmental thing,” Wahidy said. “I mean, there’s even people that show up that don’t even have cars, that love cars and just want to be around them.”

While his life is not all about cars, Wahidy said he sees his passion continuing in the future.

“Just based on the connection alone — you never know who you’re going to meet,” Wahidy said. “So why stop it now?”

Like Wahidy, Zhou said he met some of his closest friends through Car Club — where he joins other students for safe drives in controlled environments.

“The people in it [car club], are super nice people, even if some of the people in there have really loud, or like some say, like obnoxious cars, very big personalities,” Zhou said.

Driving his car brings him joy, and also relief from stress, Zhou said.

“It’s not the miles per gallon,” Zhou said. “It’s the smiles per gallon.”

Cars were something Taylor and her dad always used to talk about — he is also into Porsches. However, when she was 12 she said she got into a bad accident in her dad’s Porsche –which altered their relationship.

“We didn’t talk about cars for a while and then when I got to college that love for cars sparked up a little bit,” Taylor said. “Our relationship has been very positively impacted because of that passion.”

Her car has two seats, which does occasionally make it difficult to drive

friends around, Taylor said.

“I don’t necessarily need to drive it every day, but I love it,” Taylor said. “I adore it. I wash it by hand a lot of the time.”

Hand-washing her car helps her bond with her dad, Taylor said. In Dallas, she was a part of a Mazda Miata club.

“That’s what we would do on Sunday mornings, me and all the old guys in Dallas would take our Miatas out and we’d have coffee together,” Taylor said. “And it was just awesome to have a community like that.”

Taylor plans to continue her passion for cars through college — it’s something she and her family bond over, and she has since made it her own. After graduating and getting a job, she hopes to buy herself a Porsche, and her dad his dream car: a 911 Carrera S.

“That would be like the dream is to eventually be able to afford him his dream car, which is something that we’re both really passionate about,” Taylor said.

Feeding the

When you think about the food you ate today, where did it come from? Who made it? Did it taste good? Why did you eat it? These questions may seem simple, but the more you think, the further back these questions go.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs lists food as a basic, physiological need, according to Simply Psychology. If

you don’t eat it, you die, but beyond food’s basicness is an abundance of variety. There are endless flavors, ingredients and possibilities. Some dishes date back thousands of years, according to the BBC, some that have only existed for a decade and others have yet to exist.

Food has been a keystone of

cultures the world over, according to the SLO Food Bank, and has served as a tool in understanding and uniting cultures for millennia. It shapes who people are and the lives that they lead. No matter how simple or complex, there is a story behind the food humans eat.

Story + Photos by Joe Allgood Design + Photos by Skyler Hawkins

“People make the food,” said Michael Twitty, culinary historian, author of “The Cooking Gene” and two-time James Beard award-winning writer. “But the food makes the people.”

Come to the table

Ken Albala is a food historian and professor at the University of the Pacific and has authored or edited 25 books on food. Albala also loves to cook and delights in the process as much as the result.

For his recent book “Noodle Soup,” he hand-rolled different noodles every day for two years.

When he started his family and had kids he said he gave his wife one rule:

“Everyone eats together, that’s it,” Albala said.

For families all over the world, dinner time together at the table is the most important part of the day.

“There’s just a sense of peace that comes with being in that setting,” junior Norvashua Cottingham said.

While Cottingham has a table in his apartment and can make his own food, he said family meals bring a different level of comfort.

Cottingham said dinner time was when everyone took a break from their busy schedules to be together, a sentiment senior Kimberly Banda shared in her own family dinners.

“For everyone, it’s chaotic outside,” Banda said. “So I feel like that dinner table provides a pause.”

Hung Le, senior vice chancellor for Alumni Affairs, said “table fellowship” is so important to his family, that he has invited students, neighbors and friends over for countless meals in his own home.

“If you’re hungry, come in,” Le said. “If you don’t mind eating what we’re eating, you’re always welcome at our table. We don’t do lots of fancy meals, our meals tend to be simple, but the table is open.”

Completing the mosaic

rience. Cottingham said people should try to find a story in every dish they eat.

“And it could just be the story of somebody just threw a bunch of ingredients together,” Cottingham said. ”But I think most people would say, they don’t want a bland story. They like a tasty story, an interesting story.”

That story extends beyond the kitchen the dish was prepared in.

“If you say the food is nothing more than just fuel, just tastes good, or just dinner, you’re missing out on all that richness,” Twitty said. “And the opportunity to connect with other people, other human beings about reality, identity, history, and for some people that’s a lot, but it’s also a good introduction.”

In Twitty’s book, “The Cooking Gene,” Twitty traces his African-American roots back through culinary and cultural sites along what he called the “Southern discomfort tour” through states that practiced human enslavement.

Without food, he said the journey would lack something crucial: a soul.

By the time food reaches the table, it has gone through a journey spanning years and miles, and realizing that elevates the expe-

Pork shoulder, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, a biscuit, and blackeyed peas, a New Year’s tradition for many Southerners to usher in prosperity for the year.

The first Thanksgiving feast Hung Le ever cooked. Next to him is his future wife, Corinne.

Photo courtesy of Hung Le

Photo courtesy of Kimberly Banda Kimberly Banda at 1 year old and her dad, Joel Banda, share a meal at KFC after church, a tradition for her family.

Photo courtesy of Norvashua Cottingham

experience with food reminds him of the shoulders of family members that he stands on, and the harsh history of human enslavement in America.

“We have taken those experiences that might have been harsh and devastating to our people,” Cottingham said. “And we have, through food, repurposed them to be something that is empowering, but that is also love and life-giving.”

African Americans created or popularized much of the “soul food” that people commonly associate with the American South, according to the African American Registry. These dishes and ingredients include sweet potatoes, jambalaya, mashed potatoes, okra, collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread, to name just a few.

Twitty said it was more than just the physical nourishment of those

foods that was key to survival for African Americans in the bondage of slavery.

“My ancestors were heroes because they survived, so I could be here,” Twitty said. “And to survive, what do we need to survive? Not just food, but a cuisine.”

Listening to the whispers

Food has changed a lot over time, and it doesn’t look the same as it might have a hundred, or a thousand years ago.

“Until fairly recently in human history, most people’s job was

making food, right?” Albala said. “I mean growing it, processing it, or transporting it or cooking it.”

While fewer people today are directly responsible for food production than in the past, everyone still needs to eat — keeping food, and by extension, recipes, at the center of the human experience.

Knowing a bit more about one’s own food history and others’ food is a step toward greater connection. Twitty said food is a gateway to interacting with other souls.

“I choose to interact with as many souls as possible, to learn what it means to be human on this journey,”

Twitty said. “And I can do that while keeping my core centered in my identities.”

Understanding one’s personal food history can be a challenge, but in the process, it teaches more than just recipes, but how to be human.

“It’s really special because we get those whispers from those long-gone grandmas, we get those blessings from those long-gone grandpas, the awareness that we’re preserving something that makes humanity human,” Twitty said.

FACILITATING

Sofia Reyes Brings

Los Angeles native and junior Sofia Reyes gravitated toward Pepperdine to stay close to her family and express her creativity as a film and English major. After learning about the Latinx Student Association, she knew there was a space for her to create and contribute.

Reyes is the president of LSA, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Panhellenic, a DJ on KWVS, a member of the Crossroads e-board and has restarted the Feminist Club. Her main goal is to create a space to celebrate people’s identities and to grow herself through her four years.

“I have a lot of internal moments of ‘I don’t know if I

can do all this, I don’t know if I am doing things correctly or doing things right,’” Reyes said. “But you just have to keep having the intention that you know what you’re doing, and eventually you learn and you grow.”

Growing up in a Latinx household with Spanish as her first language, Reyes said attending a predominantly white school like Pepperdine intimidated her. But with her parents encouraging her creativity, she knew she wanted to stay in Los Angeles.

Reyes has been involved with LSA on the executive board since her first year, and has served as president since her sophomore year. She said it takes up most of her time, but is also her biggest blessing.

Story by Beth Gonzales

Photos By Mary Elisabeth

Design by Jackie Lopez

SAFE SPACES Community to Pepperdine

Reyes said her main goal regarding LSA was to facilitate a safe space for Latinx and Hispanic students at Pepper dine and to create an active community.

“Something that everyone could get involved with, and something that everyone could celebrate,” Reyes said.

Sofia Reyes’ best friend and roommate is Fatima Reyes. Though not related to Sofia, she said she found a sister in her to navigate college life with, whether they are watching Harry Styles at the Forum, or interning at the Cannes Film Festival.

“She is always on top of all her tasks and it is re ally amazing to see how she does it all with so much strength,” Fatima Reyes said. “She cares about all the things she puts her energy into.”

Despite her involvement, as a first-generation college student, Sofia Reyes said she dealt with imposter syn drome at the start of her college journey.

During sorority recruitment, Sofia Reyes said she felt like others knew more than her about the right things to say or do.

“I said ‘I’m just gonna walk in there and be myself and hope for the best,’ which worked out,” Sofia Reyes said. “I’ve been better at asking for help when I need it.”

Sofia Reyes said she is often asked how she finds the time and balances all her tasks on top of school. She tends to be an overachiever and overbooks herself.

“A big thing has been learning to be a more open and honest person and that’s why I’m so grateful for the wonderful e-board that I work with because when I need help, they’re there to help me,” Sofia Reyes said.

Sofia Reyes’ sorority little, sophomore Emi Escobar, said she leaned on Sofia Reyes heavily during a turbulent time abroad when she wasn’t sure if she would be able to finish the semester. They also found safety in each other on campus.

“I’m always going to her apartment and asking her for advice, it’s basically like having family on campus,” Esco bar said. “She’s my big in my sorority, but also basically my big sister.”

Sofia Reyes’ peers said they have seen firsthand how her advice an leadership bring people together and the change she’s made on campus, making it a better place — one day at a time.

“What I want to be remembered for at Pepperdine is a person who cared a lot about building community and for the communities I helped in the smallest way,” Sofia Reyes said. “As time goes on, I want Pepperdine to become a more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone.”

Let the Light In Finding Hope Amid Darkness

Lainey Fenn (left) and Kyra Hatton (right)

story by yamillah hurtado photos by mary elisabeth design by will fallmer

Imagine a bingo card filled with every possible challenge one can face in life. Now, imagine someone marking each square with a chip.

For junior Kyra Hatton, this was her first two years at Pepperdine.

“I [was] kind of at a point where I was like, ‘I’m just gonna go into my room and I’m gonna just hide, and I’ll just be sad and hopeless alone in my bedroom forever,” Hatton said.

In her first year of college, Hatton said she went through a traumatic event that made her lose trust in everything, and she fell into the hardest years of her life.

“Trust is a hope that someone will take care of you and be there for you and care for you,” Hatton said. “Once trust is broken, in a lot of ways, hope is broken as well.”

Thema Bryant-Davis, a psychology professor at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, said hope is the capacity one has to move forward despite being in difficult circumstances. When one loses hope, it is easy to lose sight of progress.

Hatton would eventually find her hope again — with the help of a quote from St. Augustine: “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”

Members of the Pepperdine community spoke on how they experienced hardship and came out on the other side. With a combination of therapy, faith, community and giving themselves grace, they said they have found hope.

A changing of the road

Bryant-Davis is a trauma psychologist, serves as the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory director at Pepperdine and is the past president of the American Psychological Association.

When Bryant-Davis was a student at Duke University more than 30 years ago, someone sexually assaulted her. The trauma she experienced from her assault debilitated her, and she said

she felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair.

“One of the things that trauma does is it makes it difficult for you to concentrate, difficult for you to focus,” Bryant-Davis said. “It’s overwhelming to your nervous system.”

The aftereffects of the assault permeated through every aspect of Bryant-Davis’ life. She said it was hard for her to focus on school, trust the people around her and cling to hope.

Bryant-Davis sought out therapy and support from other survivors of sexual assault. Through this her hope was restored, she said.

“For trauma survivors, it [therapy] is a hope that there can be more for me than the pain and suffering that I have experienced,” Bryant-Davis said.

It is important for trauma survivors to understand that though trauma affects them, it does not define them, Bryant-Davis said.

“Even though this [felt] like an end of a road, it’s [actually] a changing of my road,” Bryant-Davis said.

“ “

Trust is a hope that someone will take care of you and be there for you and care for you. Once trust is broken, in a lot of ways, hope is broken.

Kyra Hatton, Pepperdine Junior

Therapy is an embodiment of hope

Holding onto hope is a way for people to protect their mental health, as feeling hopeless can lead to depression, Bryant-Davis said. Therapy is reliant on people embodying hope, she said.

“[Therapy] is forward-thinking, it is perspective-taking,” Bryant-Davis

said. “The idea of healing and restoration is built on the conceptualization of hope.”

Hatton said therapy helped her process her feelings in order to better understand how to move forward.

“When you are not aware of why you feel the way you feel and you don’t know what to do with it, that becomes a blockage for fully processing things and moving on and having that hope,” Hatton said.

One psychological practice that can help in building a sense of hope is visualization, the act of picturing what one wants in the present moment. Visualization requires one to assess what their desired improvement looks like, sounds like and feels like.

Another practice in attaining hope is to create possible goals so one can feel empowered to move toward progress. Oftentimes when setting goals, people tend to jump from one extreme

to the other, Bryant-Davis said.

“We build our capacity to hope as we see our hopes fulfilled,” Bryant-Davis said. “In order for my hope to be fulfilled, I have to set [goals] that are possible, within my reach.”

Though feelings of hopelessness and despair can be all-consuming, Bryant-Davis said it is vital to offer oneself grace and compassion — there’s no need to make the world harder, she said.

Hope amid social injustice

When looking at the state of the world, sources said it can be easy to lose sight of hope.

“How can you be hopeful when it almost seems like everywhere you turn, there’s an injustice occurring,” Hatton said.

Senior Lainey Fenn said it’s hard to have hope when every waking moment

one faces what is going on in the world.

Chad Duffy, professor of English and Social Action and Justice program director, said advocacy, though important, can be discouraging in a world where suffering is inevitable. When certain communities have faced and continue to face injustice, it can feel like there is no end in sight.

To combat this, resilience is necessary when there are systems in place that work against specific communities — whether it be according to race, gender, ability, etc. Duffy said resilience is a community’s ability to survive and thrive in these hostile spaces.

Bryant-Davis said people must also cling to what she calls “radical hope.”

“Radical hope is that belief in what is possible for a collective, for a community, especially when those communities have been disenfranchised or marginalized or neglected,” Bryant-Davis said.

For those with marginalized identities, Bryant-Davis said having hope is believing they are worthy of having full lives. That belief encourages a community to continue to advocate for progress.

In advocacy, Bryant-Davis said there is a need for sustained hope and knowing that it takes time for the desired progress to be made.

Duffy said knowing that one is not alone is the key to survival.

“When we see people across race, across generation, across gender, [across] economic status, showing up for equity, then that can give us a sense of encouragement — that there are more people who want things to be just and fair than people who want to control and marginalize,” Bryant-Davis said.

Duffy said as a person of faith, he feels called to create change in this world. In his reading of scripture, Duffy said he views Jesus as a social activist. He follows Jesus’ example as he fights for the communities he advocates for, specifically the community of people with disabilities.

Faith as a foundation of hope

For many, faith in God is their biggest source of hope.

The fact that Hatton is here to live another day, despite everything she has gone through, is a clear example

of God’s presence in her life, she said.

Hatton turned to Isaiah 61 “The Year of the Lord’s Favor” in her despair, and found hope. Reading about God taking those decimated cities and bringing life to them, helped Hatton realize that God can make something beautiful out of her brokenness.

“[The Scripture] acknowledges that stuff can totally go awry, stuff can be really bad, but it’s that opportunity that God’s coming into your life and then rebuilding, and the opportunity for God’s favor after that kind of period of desolation,” Hatton said. “That’s huge for me.”

Senior Marshall Craig said having hope in situations he has no control over is easier than when he does have control because he can give it to God.

In January 2023, Craig’s father was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer, he said. After undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, Craig’s father, though not 100% back to his normal self, can still do the things he loves.

“He is doing as good as you can possibly do with one of the worst things you can possibly have,” Craig said.

Craig’s father has been an example of hope for him in this period. His father has said he felt God’s presence and God’s love throughout this hardship, Craig said.

With his father’s illness being terminal, Craig said the uncertainty of how

much time his father has left on Earth has been challenging to grasp.

“Nothing in life is ever certain,” Craig said. “It’s reminded me of that fact in a more real and visible, tangible way.”

One verse that has allowed Craig to hold onto hope is Luke 12:25 (NIV), which states, “Who of you can add a single hour to your life by worrying?”

Craig believes that through prayer and remaining close to God, blessings will overflow. This is what fuels his hope, he said.

“The promise is that He will be with us,” Craig said. “I’m not living for this life, I’m living for something much bigger.”

This promise is what helps Fenn remain hopeful in life’s hardships as well. It was through her suffering that she said she found hope in God.

“Knowing that there’s something better planned for me, and even if I can’t see it, even if I’m struggling, there’s a purpose to it,” Fenn said. “That’s what [hope] means to me.”

In her sophomore and junior years of college, Fenn’s family underwent hardship, with her mom’s alcohol addiction relapsing and her sister’s cancer scare. Despite the struggle, these situations opened up the wounds of her strained family and brought them closer, Fenn said.

“In the moment He [God] was like, ‘Don’t think, just walk with me. I will fix it,’” Fenn said.

We build our capacity to hope as we see our hopes fulfilled. In order for my hope to be fulfilled, I have to set [goals] that are possible, within my reach. Thema Bryant-Davis, Trauma Psychologist “ “

Knowing that there’s something better planned for me, and even if I can’t see it, even if I’m struggling, there’s a purpose to it.

Lainey Fenn, Pepperdine Senior

Finding hope in community

Amid trials and tribulations, personally or globally, Bryant-Davis said it is important to lean on one’s community.

Bryant-Davis said looking at people who have faced similar obstacles and seeing how they have overcome them can bring people a sense of hope.

“There’s even a Scripture that says, ‘We overcome by the word of our testimony,’” Bryant-Davis said. “So when we hear stories of overcoming, it increases our hope in terms of what’s possible.”

For Hatton, seeing her friends come out of hardships brings her hope. She said she feels lucky to have people who have gone through similar hardships as her and can seek guidance and support from them.

Bryant-Davis said being around people who uplift and “speak life to you”

can help nurture one’s hope.

During the beginning stages of Craig’s father’s diagnosis, Craig was unsure if he should unenroll in school to be with his family. Through conversations with loved ones, he devised a plan where he could both continue school and make time for his family.

“I’ve really been grateful for the love that I’ve been shown through my church community and just seeing the bigger picture of my family [being] bigger than just my physical family,” Craig said.

Glimmers of hope

Oftentimes, when in a state of hopelessness, one’s desired state can feel bigger than what they think they’re capable of achieving, Hatton said. In these moments, Hatton tries to focus on the little glimpses of goodness in her life.

The simple joys in life, like flowers blooming, snails on the road and hints of sunlight coming through her window, bring Hatton a sense of hope. Hatton said her ability to appreciate the beauty of this world gives her a sense of peace and lets her know that she will be OK.

Fenn said she looks to acts of kindness, no matter how big, for hope. She is a fan of videos on social media where people are compassionate toward strangers, like someone dressed up as a superhero visiting a children’s hospital or a hockey player fist-bumping a kid in the stands.

In the same way, Fenn said she finds hope in her friends showing her love through gifting her a cup of coffee, sweet texts or simply their company.

“[Sometimes it can feel like] ‘OK, it’s too much. I can’t move it. I can’t get past it,’” Hatton said. “But what you can do is let little bits of light in.”

ainy

Photos by Mary Elisabeth

Books

Magazines

"The Twilight Saga"

Arts & Crafts Charcoal

The New Yorker

Luke's Diner Mug "Gilmore Girls"

Arts & Crafts Colored Pencils

TWO WORLDS

Story by Amanda Monahan

Art by Whitney Powell

Photos by Mary Elisabeth

Design by Jackie Lopez

Pepperdine is a Christian university that emphasiz es the practice of Christian values for all members of the community. The majority of the campus community hails from Protestant backgrounds, specifical ly nondenominational evangelical forms of Christianity, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness’ web site.

Those who grew up in other Christian traditions, such as Roman Catholic or Orthodox, and those who come from non-Christian backgrounds, must navigate their on-campus Christian surroundings away from their famil iar religious upbringings.

“It’s like two different lives,” said senior Melanie Tad ros, a Coptic Orthodox Christian. “At home, I’m the daughter of immigrants, in an Arab-speaking household and a church-going community girl and then here, I’m the STEM major, predominantly white school minority.”

As an Egyptian Christian, Tadros grew up going to Christian schools all her life, though she never saw her self going to a Christian university.

“I was like, ‘This is my time to branch out to see the real world to just discover myself, test my faith, whatever it might be,’” Tadros said.

Students share their experiences and upbringings

Ronnie Baruch, a second-year student at the Caruso School of Law, grew up in Israel before moving to the United States when she was 11.

“I grew up very immersed, and everyone around me was Jewish,” Baruch said.

Baruch’s family landed in the Silicon Valley of California. Baruch said the area is very Jewish and a lot of Israelis live there, allowing her to feel integrated with others.

However, upon arriving at Pepperdine, Baruch said she experienced culture shock within the first few conversations she engaged in.

“I came here as raised very Jewish,” Baruch said. “I used Christian and Catholic interchangeably, which was fine for Catholics, but I quickly learned was not fine for Christians.”

At Pepperdine, Tadros said, she openly talks about

pus: a modern form of Christianity originating in early nineteenth-century American history.

“It can feel very isolating when I feel like I’m the minority in that sense, even though we do all have a shared faith,” Tadros said.

Senior Smayana Kurapati grew up Hindu, after her parents immigrated to the United States in the 1990s. She said she feels grateful that her parents emphasized that Hinduism is not the only religion out there, as they exposed her to different religious backgrounds.

This upbringing shaped a smoother transition for her when arriving at Pepperdine, Kurapti said.

“It was really cool experiencing people or a larger community with people who have different faith backgrounds and seeing the different practices and culture that they focused on,” Kurapati said.

The three mandatory religion classes she took were satisfying, Kurapati said.

“I got really lucky because the professors I had for all

Melanie Tadros, Pepperdine Senior “ “

At home, I’m the daughter of immigrants, in an Arab-speaking household and a church-going community girl and then here, I’m the STEM major, predominantly white school minority.

three religion classes I took were very good at combining not just Christian points of view, but also other religious points of view,” Kurapati said.

On top of that, Kurapati said she learned about the applications of Christian ideals and how that has affected other religious points of view, allowing her to apply her own faith to the curriculum.

Despite Pepperdine being a primarily Christian campus, Kurapati can easily keep her faith close. Right through Malibu Canyon there is a Hindu Temple Kurapati said she visits on occasion.

Hinduism doesn’t require one to visit the temple regularly, as other religions do, allowing Kurapati to personalize her faith during her time on campus.

As for her personal practice of faith, Kurapati said she starts every day with a Hindu prayer.

“It’s a very good way of grounding me and making sure I understand the values I should continue throughout the day and how I should carry myself,” Kurapati said.

Two worlds: Home and Pepperdine

The Hub for Spiritual Life serves the Pepperdine community by offering prayer, spiritual guidance and pastoral counseling, Tim Spivey, vice president for Spiritual Life, wrote in a March 19 email. Staff welcome students of all faith backgrounds at Hub-sponsored events, he added.

“Our programming is distinctly Christian — consistent with Pepperdine’s Christian identity and mission,” Spivey wrote. “For those seeking non-Christian spiritual resources, we happily connect them with resources nearby.”

Campus Minister Falon Barton said her role on campus primarily consists of serving the University Church of Christ. But Barton said she serves students all over campus and her goal is to create a safe space for all students to ask questions and seek guidance.

“I really love walking with all students regardless of what their religious background is or what their current faith identity is,” Barton said.

She interacts with students of all faith backgrounds, but Barton said she spends most of her time with students who don’t directly identify with Christianity. She said the majority of these students identify as atheist or

agnostic, though she has interacted with many Jewish and Muslim students as well.

From the conversations she has had with students, she said those who identify more with atheism or agnosticism tend to struggle more in assimilating to the Christian environment on campus.

Although students of other faith identities certainly face struggles, she said she has seen a lot of students enjoy the spiritual environment on campus, despite it being a Christian one.

“It’s not like in other contexts where maybe it is not as welcoming to bring spiritual life, to bring faith identity into conversation and lived experience,” Barton said.

Students said it can be difficult to shift from their practices at home to the dominant style of Christianity on Pepperdine’s campus.

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley of California, Tadros said she finds it to be both a blessing and a curse to be so close to home, as she has to constantly switch between her faith traditions at home and the faith traditions at Pepperdine.

Similar to Tadros, Kurapati’s hometown is not too far from campus — just a short 30-minute drive to Thousand Oaks, California. Kurapati said she primarily goes home for Indian holidays, which occur regularly throughout the year.

During these holidays, Kurapti said she goes to the temple, prays and carries out cultural traditions with her family.

Baruch’s home in Silicon Valley isn’t close enough for weekend trips to see her family, but she said she often reflects on her experience of first arriving in Malibu.

In the Bay Area, Christianity doesn’t have a huge presence, so Baruch never grew up exposed to it before coming to Pepperdine. This caused her to be a bit unsure about what her campus life would be like, she said.

“I remember I saw the big cross driving in and thought, ‘This is going to go so poorly,’” Baruch said.

Baruch said she especially remembers Courtney Bryan-Caron — Caruso Dean Paul Caron’s wife — praying over the students for the start of their new journey as the first big culture shock she experienced.

“Everyone had their hands folded together, heads

down,” Baruch said. “I remember all the Jews in the room looked like, ‘What is happening?’”

A place for all

Tadros, Kurapati and Baruch all agreed that feeling like an outsider or minority is a difficult feeling to grapple with. These feelings inspired a search for connection, belonging and conversation on campus.

The difficulty of feeling distant from her faith — and knowing other students were feeling the same way on campus — led Tadros to create the Middle Eastern Student Association this January.

Tadros said MESA has been so important to her, as it combines both of her worlds. Despite starting a few months ago, the club has 70 members, consisting of fully Middle Eastern students, partially Middle Eastern students and students who are not Middle Eastern but are curious about the culture.

Junior Micaela Shackleford is one of the three founding members of “Beyond the Bubble,” a new interfaith initiative for Seaver students. Shackleford helped found the initiative in November 2023 with seniors Colin Wiese and James LaRue.

“All three of us just really wanted to see more spaces on campus where people can connect with people of other faiths and just discuss what interfaith relationships look like in our world and on our campus,” Shackleford said.

The most beautiful thing that has come out of the initiative is it allows students to feel heard and creates a supportive community to have these open conversations, Shackleford said.

“Having these spaces where people get to discuss the importance of interfaith friendship or dialogue, in general, will go on to encourage people to actually engage with other traditions and support students who are from different backgrounds,” Shackleford said.

Baruch hopes to become an international human rights lawyer, which she said requires an understanding of all faiths and cultures.

Because of her own experience as a student outside of the faith majority and the importance of faith conversations in her potential future occupation, Baruch said she wanted to join the Interfaith Council immediately upon arriving at Pepperdine.

“When I got to Pepperdine I asked about joining it, and no one really knew,” Baruch said. “I remember I went to the faculty advisor and asked where the club was, and they responded with, ‘There’s no club, want to be president?’”

After returning from her fall semester abroad in London, Baruch said she decided to bring back the Interfaith Council this semester. There are many separate religious organizations at Caruso, but none of them bring all faiths and beliefs together.

“Those might not be the right club for you, but IFC will always be the right club for you, regardless of who you are,” Baruch said.

Smayana Kurapati

Melanie Tadros

Ronnie Baruch

Smayana Kurapati Creates Community at Pepperdine

Smayana Kurapati has spent her time at Pepperdine curating community.

Ahead of graduation, Kurapati is reflecting on the past four years of her involvement on campus as part of the Student Wellness Advisory Board, Women in STEM and Gamma Phi Beta. After starting her first year on Zoom, she said she was determined to have a real college experience.

“I love just being involved in things,” Kurapati said. “So by putting on events and going into these events, it really allows me to be more involved with the student body — especially people that I probably would never have interacted with.”

SWAB

Kurapati joined SWAB when she first came to Pepperdine in 2020 because she wanted to find a way to meet other students remotely. She said she looked into the Student Government Association and The Student Programming Board, but

she resonated best with the wellness goals of SWAB.

“I was given the most opportunity to connect with the students [in SWAB],” Kurapati said.

Aside from the one semester she went abroad, Kurapati has been a part of SWAB for her entire Pepperdine journey. During her junior year, she reached her goal of leading one of the organization’s branches — Healthy Communities.

“My branch holds an event at least once a month, if not more often,” Kurapati said. “And so it’s really nice because I can see how students are reacting to things, how they’re responding to things and if they’re actually taking information, which was a big draw to Healthy Communities for me.”

One reason Kurapati said she stuck with SWAB is its emphasis on overall wellness. She said the holistic outlook of SWAB’s events and the efforts it promotes are important for college students.

“It’s not just mental health or

physical health, but relational health,” Kurapati said. “We’re focused on having good health, just personally and spiritually.”

Senior Cassie Kinnear, Kurapati’s co-president in SWAB’s Healthy Bodies branch, said Kurapati’s dedication to supporting the student body is impressive.

“She is very enthusiastic and reliable,” Kinnear said. “Working with her, she’s just always excited to do things.”

Women in STEM

Kurapati is a biology major on the pre-med track, and said she has been attending Women in STEM meetings since she was a sophomore.

When a friend asked if she wanted to apply for an open position on the executive board at the end of her junior year, Kurapati said she knew she wanted to be part of the movement to empower other women.

“It’s focused on giving women a voice in the field, especially at the school [program], which is heavily

Story + DeSign by Liza Esquibias

Photo by Mary ELisabEth

It gives an opportunity to meet with women mentors in other STEM fields, and also just have a good camaraderie with other women in STEM.

Smayana Kurapati, Pepperdine Senior -

male-dominated,” Kurapati said. “It gives an opportunity to meet with women mentors in other STEM fields, and also just have a good camaraderie with other women in STEM.”

Being part of this group gives Kurapati a foundation for her future career, which she said she is “very grateful for.”

“I have been able to meet a lot of people — both upperclassmen and underclassmen — who are on similar paths that I want, or had careers that I was thinking about,” Kurapati said. “I was able to communicate with them and hear their perspectives and their stories about why they chose that path or career.”

Kurapati also said she appreciates learning from people she might not have come across had it not been for the club.

Gamma Phi Beta

From the beginning of her time at Pepperdine, Kurapati has been a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Fall 2020’s remote recruitment enticed her to participate.

“It really helped me find my place at Pepperdine, which, was like my biggest worry,” Kurapati said.

Kurapati is now president of Gamma Phi Beta. Just weeks from graduation, Kurapati said she could not imagine not joining.

“Thinking to three-and-a-half years later and I am the president of this sorority, it was a crazy jump,” Kurapati said. “It is amazing because I found a really good group of girls.”

Unlike her other roles, Kurapati said she enjoys the escape Gamma Phi Beta provides her from school life.

“GPhi is kind of like its own thing, it just exists at Pepperdine,” Kurapati said. “So it’s really nice. It’s nice to just kind of focus on something else that isn’t purely Pepperdine related.”

Looking toward the future

Kurapati decided to take it easy during her final semester as a college student, only enrolling in nine units so she could dedicate her time to the organizations she belongs to. She said she will soon take the

MCAT and begin applying to medical schools, so she is focusing on nurturing the relationships she has made at Pepperdine.

“This is the last time I probably will get to be living with all my friends,” Kurapati said.

Her SWAB adviser calls post-grad the “afterlife,” a concept Kurapati remembers because it conveys how many students feel at this time of transition in their lives.

“You don’t know what to expect, because you’ve never been there, and also it’s different for everybody,” Kurapati said. “The anticipation of the afterlife for me is enjoying my time now, but also knowing that my future is important and that I have to put time into prioritizing it.”

Days in the Pepperdine Life

Currents Magazine gave Pepperdine students disposable cameras and invited them to take photos of their daily life at Pepperdine. These photos document where students traveled, what they ate, how they celebrated and how they joined together in community.

Palm Trees line the way outside the Malibu Bay Club on March 11, 2024. Photo by Azriel (Zinou) Zhang

March 16, 2024.

Photos by Pepperdine Students Design by Will Fallmer

Team Alpha Kappa Theta (left) and Team Kappa Kappa Gamma (right) take a pause on the volleyball court on Zuma Beach on

Photo by Claire Taylor

(Left to right) RJ Wicks, Kaila Crouch, Sarah Hunt and Kimberly Banda show off their guitars on Alumni Park on Feb. 8, 2023. Photo by Grace Garrabants

Hannah Loewen stands on top of a lifeguard tower at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on April 9, 2023. Photo by Grace Garrabrants

Dixie Lovett (left), Hannah Snow (middle) and Norvashua Cottingham (right) pose on the Malibu Pier for Pi Kappa Alpha Formal on March 16, 2024. Photo courtesy of Dixie Lovett

Skylar Brown, alumna ‘23, (front) and Sander Tancredi (back) soak up the sun at Crest Tennis Park on March 17, 2024.

Grace Garrabrants poses in the sun on Ralphs Beach on Sept. 8, 2022.

Photo by Azriel (Zinou) Zhang

Photo by Kimberly Banda

Kimberly Banda, Zach Tapp, and Kaila Crouch munch on Irv’s Burgers on Nov. 24, 2023.

Photo by Grace Garrabrants

Kimberly Banda smiles at the sunset in Santa Monica on Feb. 8, 2023. Photo by Grace Garrabrants

Clare Cornelius, alumna ‘23, (left) and Claire Knill, alumna ‘23, (right) swim in the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on April 9, 2023. Photo by Grace Garrabrants