Valley Magazine | Fall 2014 by VALLEY Magazine

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FALL 2014

TA B L E O F CO NT ENTS ISSUE 14 | FALL 2014

BEAUTY AND HEALTH 10. Gyno 101: Fast Facts for Your First Visit 11. The Danger of Birth Control

Could this strange side effect happen to you?

12. Sarah Weber: A Model of Beauty and Health 13. Beauty Brush Boot Camp 14. What You Should Know Before Going Vegan 15. Quinci Peri’s Tips and Tricks to Being in Tip-Top Shape 16. Holiday Hair Guide

ENTERTAINMENT 20. How To Throw a “Hunger Games” Themed Party 22. Discovering the Unknown Major: Film - Video Production 23. The Soundtrack to Shandygaff Nights Throughout the Years 24. Pop Princesses: The Good, The Bad and The Feminists 26. Aaron’s Wonderful World Aaron Carter talks to Valley about his new music, career and love life.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT 30. It’s a Girl’s World: The Issues You Should be Keeping Tabs On

CAMPUS CULTURE An Exclusive Interview With Marie Hardin .36 Meet the new Dean of the College of Communications.

Tal Ben-Artzi: Two Worlds, One Girl .37 From Cow to Cone .38 A sneak peek at what really goes on at the Berkey Creamery.

Penn State Eats Here .39 Can you conquer Valley’s food bucket list before you graduate?

You Met Your Roommate Where? .40 Kayla Nakonechni: The Girl Behind the Cancer .42 Say hello to our Fall 2014 cover girl.

FASHION When Fashion Hits Home: Bringing .51 Fashion to Home D è cor Not-So-Basic Wardrobe Basics .52 Frames for Your Face .53 Find out which glasses are best suited for you.

Baring it All: Fashion Goes Full Frontal .54 Since when does nudity count as fashion?

From the Runway to the Clearance Rack .55 Take it to the Street .56 Fall 2014 Fashion Spread

31. College Crisis Our popular web column returns to print.

32. Happy Pets, Happy Mind

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editorial division

business division

Editor-in-Chief / President: Leah Polakoff Design Director: Kailyn Moore Photography Director: Jose Ponte Web Director: Amanda Hunt Managing Editor: Samantha Allen Copy Editing Director: Corinne Fierro Copy Editor: Rachelle Gaynor Valley Vids Director: Erica Kasan

Business Director: Rachael Kline Advertising Co-Directors: Julia Hummel, Annie Ryan Events Director: Chellsy Costello PR/Marketing Director: Sara Heiden Finance Director: Kayla Sredni Social Media Director: Jillian Baker

Beauty & Health Editor: Sabrina Evans Campus Culture Editor: Natasha Tereschak Entertainment Editor: Jennifer Meyers Self-Improvement Editor: Amelia Friedrichs Fashion Editor: Jillian Selzer Stylist: Madeline Fass Assistant Stylists: Nikki Rose, Laura Barbosa

Carolyn Lanza, Jen Pytlewski, Sabrina Pimentel, Jacqueline McNenney, Katie Levine, Samantha Maceil, Grace Nissi, Katie Seibert, Rebecca Bryden

A DV E R T I S I N G

E V E N T S M A N AG E M E N T

Kacie Iwasyk, Liddy Coddington, Georgie Wayne, Alexa Royle, Lindsey Buckmeier, Taylor Scheese, Carrie Van Doren, Summer Ziernicki, Dana Singer

FINANCE

Samantha Chou

P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S A N D M A R K E T I N G

PRINT WRITERS

Allie DeBor, Amy Wein, Brooke Weidenfeld, Emily Grabowski, Erika Vogt, Kasey Lam, Kate Perkins, Kimberly Winters, Lindsay Zacharia, Nicole Haubner, Nora Bowen, Sam Strebel

WEB WRITERS

Pamela Monk, Ron Smith, Jill Shockey

Katie Wall, Kellie D’Amico, Kelly Gibson, Margaret O’Brien, Raychel Shipley, Sarah Kim

B OA R D O F A DV I S O R S

Christine Dua, Christopher Covert, Emily Keiﬂine, Hunter Talpas, Jordan Molloy, Kaleigh Fasanella, Pooja Kondeti, Shannon Zuber, Vanessa Cardy, Taylor Fowler

P H OTO G R A P H Y

Danielle D’Angelo, Danielle Gallo, Jackie Stumm, Jessica LaGreca, Kiara Kulbinger, Rachel Johannes, Kristen Robertson, Lauren Duncan, Mary Duggan, Meghan Tranauskas, Natalie Runnerstrom, Skylar Yuen

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Jamie Avino, Sarah Urquhart, Sara Silversmith, Kimberly Winters, Jordan Barnett, Kelsey Linn, Alex Mos, Alyssa Cichy Photos by Jose Ponte

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The content and opinions of this publication reside solely with the authors and not the Pennsylvania State University or the University Park Allocation Committee.

Think about it – we go to class all day, have hours of homework at night and then pressure from our professors and parents to perform with high quality. Oh, and we’re expected to have our entire life figured out by the time we’re 22 years old. Hell, I can’t even rent a car at that age…how am I supposed to have my entire future planned out? The road leading up to adult life can get pretty bumpy. And sometimes, the road we thought we were meant to travel is blocked off. When that “road closed” sign is standing in your way, don’t let it stop you from going on the path less traveled. Our cover girl this semester lives by the quote, “Life is tough, but I’m tougher.” Kayla Nakonechni was on the fast track to success until she was diagnosed with brain cancer the summer before her senior year – talk about a speed bump. Despite having to take a semester off for treatment, Kayla is back on the track toward her dreams.

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You don’t have enough money to go to dinner with your friends? Keep working hard and one day you’ll be buying. Did you fail your last organic chemistry exam? I guarantee one exam isn’t going to stop you from graduate school. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And while everybody’s struggles are different, they are what made us who we are today – some seriously awesome 20-somethings who are going to take the real world by storm (whether we know it yet or not). When life starts to knock you down, find something that’s going to pull you back up – a safety net of some sort. Kayla does crossword puzzles to unwind after a long day. I go for a run. There’s no better feeling than the runner’s high after a stressful day of edits and deadlines. I encourage you to find your runner’s high – whether it’s painting, playing with puppies or the performing arts. Something to make you realize that life doesn’t always completely suck.

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The completion of this magazine is the highlight of my semester. Our staff has been diligently working since July, and I want to thank each and every member of the staff for your hard work. All of you continue to amaze me with your fresh ideas, keen eyes for trends and insane work ethics. You all are rock stars.

Name Amanda Pasquini Hometown Sewell, N.J.

A special thanks to Amanda, Sami and Corinne for keeping me grounded amidst the many speed bumps we encountered this semester. Thank you Kailyn and Jose for making this production look pretty. And thank you to Rachael and the business team for being Valley’s backbone. None of this would have been possible without you.

Major Secondary Education, English Year Junior What She Does

Vice President of No Refund Theater, Hair and Makeup Designer for Thespians, Star and Director with NRT and producer of video tutorials for the cast.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy this Fall 2014 edition of Valley. We’ve certainly enjoyed working with the many students, professors and community members.

Star Power

“When I was really, really young, I had an aunt who always loved [acting] and she convinced me I could be an Annie, so I tried out for like, seven productions of ‘Annie.’ I didn’t get any of them, but I loved auditioning for things – it’s kind of like a mini-competition.

And as you go on to complete final exams and search for jobs, remember that everything happens for a reason. Sure, life is tough. But you’re tougher. All my best,

Leah Polakoff Leah Polakoff

Photo by Jose Ponte

While Kayla’s story is a bit unusual for the typical undergraduate, let her success story motivate you to push past whatever is thrown your way.

So the internship you wanted was given to someone else? Don’t worry, another one will come along.

Photo by Jose Ponte

I think I can speak for most college students when I say that life can really suck sometimes.

BEAUTY & HEALTH

“I was in a show called ‘Nunsense’ about nuns. It was a musical about singing nuns and these nuns are trying to put on a talent show and fail exponentially. I was a nun and that was actually my first show I’ve ever done at Penn State and that was just such a great experience.”

Lights, Camera, Makeup!

“I can look at anyone and see something beautiful in them. You don’t need makeup to be beautiful, but if that’s something you think is important then I say do it. But if it’s not something you want to do, I’m sure you’ll still look fabulous! Don’t feel that in a school of 45,000 you might look mixed into the crowd. You’re unique and special in your own way.”

“Definitely test your face out in different lights before you leave your apartment, because I’ve come to realize that you look great in the bathroom mirror, but in the kitchen you look like you’re melting. Everyone can do makeup, you just have to take the time to teach yourself, whether it’s with YouTube videos or taking a class – Basic Theater Makeup [THEA146] is a great elective to take! I made myself into a witch and a fairy.”

By Sabrina Evans

“I just recently discovered how to do winged-liner on myself, so I’ve been playing around with that. I also started watching ‘Gossip Girl’ and I’m obsessed with how Blair does her makeup all the time, so I’ve been trying to emulate that. It’s a work in progress. Doing winged-liner is harder than I thought!

If you’ve got it, ﬂaunt it

“I have no trouble going days without makeup because that’s just the kind of person I am, but I feel like it can switch the path your day is going if you look just a teensy bit less like you just rolled out of bed.

I can look at anyone and see something beautiful in them. You don’t need makeup to be beautiful, but if that’s something you think is important then I say do it.

The Danger of Birth Control: A SIDE-EFFECT YOU DIDN’T THINK COULD HAPPEN TO YOU

gyno 101:

FAST FACTS FOR YOUR FIRST VISIT

It was on a Monday in June when senior broadcast journalism major Gabrielle Yocum got her first migraine ever. Summer break of 2014 had just begun.

By Amelia Friedrichs

“A yearly examination with an OB/ GYN is a great way to be proactive and take charge of your health, detecting potential problems at an earlier stage,” says Dr. J. Frederick Doucette, OB/ GYN physician with Mount Nittany Physician Group. Admittedly, trips to the GYN don’t typically earn the title of “best day ever,” but a little extra knowledge in your pocket can put a more positive spin on your impending visit.

If you haven’t heard, protocols are changing. If you are under

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taking a sample of cells from the cervix to look for cancer or pre-cancer signs – is not required if you are under age 21. In some cases, depending on the result of the test, your next Pap may not need to be scheduled for at least three years; however, your physician will determine the frequency you should have a Pap. “Whether or not you need a Pap test, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women have an annual OB/GYN exam,” says Doucette.

Know what to expect. Your entire appointment will not solely focus on everything below the belly button. Yearly exams will include discussion of nutrition habits, sexual activity, tobacco and alcohol usage, physical activity as well as your height, weight and body mass index.

Schedule your appointment for a non-period day. While rescheduling is always an option, always try to schedule your GYN appointment when you are not expecting your period. Having your period during the

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appointment cannot only skew test results, but also make it more difficult for your provider to examine you. Often times many women will not need an internal exam or Pap smear, and therefore keeping their appointment time is okay. Use your best judgment – you know your body best.

Flash forward to Thursday night. Yocum was watching home videos in her parents’ bedroom and then everything went black. Three days later, Yocum woke up in the ICU and was told she had a stroke.

Get tested. While an STI (sexually transmitted infection) test is not required, if you have been sexually active in the past medical providers may suggest chlamydia or gonorrhea testing. Annual HIV testing is recommended as well for those who are sexually active, so have an idea of what you plan on doing beforehand. These tests are done quickly and usually with just a urine sample or blood test.

Yocum’s boyfriend took her to her bedroom and left but decided to come back only five minutes later. She’s lucky that he did.

To schedule an appointment, visit

When he came back into her bedroom, he asked her questions she couldn’t answer, like what his name was, and then she had a seizure.

http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/ health/ . You may request a specific healthcare provider by name or gender.

Yocum remembered nothing of that night. Her family and boyfriend recounted everything for her. They took her to Urgent Care but it was closed. On the way back, Yocum wasn’t verbally responding to them. Once they got into the house, she couldn’t make it upstairs without throwing up.

Illustration by Jamie Avino

the age of 21, it is possible an internal pelvic exam is not necessary. You and your medical provider will discuss whether a breast exam, physical exam or internal exam is appropriate for you based on age and medical history. If you do not have any concerns and show no symptoms of pelvic or menstrual problems, you may be eligible to skip the pelvic exam all together.

Frequency of Pap smears depend on results. A Pap smear –

Illustration by Sara Silversmith

Regardless of your sexual orientation or even whether you are sexually active, GYN visits are an essential part of a woman’s healthcare regimen.

“It was in the same spot the whole week. I thought, ‘maybe something’s wrong with me.’ But I beat it down and thought, ‘I work out all the time and I’m not this week,’ or ‘it’s because I’m not eating well,’” Yocum says.

The doctors concluded that Yocum had the stroke in the car on the way back from Urgent Care, and all signs pointed to none other than her birth control.

“You know it’s a possible side effect but you don’t really think about it like that,” Yocum says. “After this happened to me I’ve heard more stories from more girls and this is a huge reality. It’s dangerous.” Pregnancy Resource Clinic RN Nurse Manager Nicole Conway says there are predisposed factors to taking birth control. If you’re a smoker, it raises the risk of clots and even stroke. However, she says that even just the extra estrogen in birth control can produce some of these dangerous side effects for anyone. Conway says the first thing women should do before going on birth control is to keep track of their own menstrual cycles and pay attention to factors like regularity, flow and intensity before finding a compatible birth control. “A lot of people don’t realize you need to know your own body and cycle so you’re quicker to notice these abnormalities,” says Conway. “Once you start on a hormone, it’s going to change how your body is acting. If abnormalities happen, we always recommend students go to the health center.” Since having the stroke, Yocum still faces minor difficulties in multitasking and finding the right words, but otherwise she has made a full recovery. She is also completely off birth control. “I just don’t want to take the risk,” Yocum says.

says. “Sometimes I would forget and double up on something, and I know a ton of girls do the same.” Yocum’s situation could happen to anyone taking birth control, and it’s important to learn the risks and possible side effects to what you’re allowing into your body. The more you know, the better prepared you are to handle a situation like Yocum’s. As she puts simply, “be careful.” By Samantha Allen

“

After this happened to me I’ve heard more stories from more girls and this is a huge reality. It’s dangerous.

“

According to Planned Parenthood, nearly 40 percent of female college students take oral contraceptives. Birth control is praised for its ability to prevent pregnancy. But before you pop that little pill, have you read the fine print? Valley brings you the danger of birth control.

She reflects that although the seizure was surely terrifying, it was a blessing in disguise. “If I wouldn’t have had it, they may not have found me until morning, and who knows what would have happened.” Yocum says that since her experience, she has become more aware of the potential risks of birth control and more importantly, the risks of misusing it. “I feel like birth control is being taken for granted. People don’t even think,” Yocum

SARAH WEBER parents couldn’t come up with the money in time for the trip. Seemingly in no time after this realization, Weber says she got a letter in the mail from a local pageant that wanted her to compete.

A senior in broadcast journalism, Weber doesn’t just take on the normal load of courses and tests—she also models in New York and Philadelphia at the same time. And that doesn’t just include posing for photos. “I just did my first movie,” says Weber. “I was featured in five or six scenes.” Weber has also been featured in numerous commercials and even on the Food Network in an upcoming episode of “The Hungry Games.” Even with a full class schedule, Weber makes her modeling career work, but it took some adjusting. “I try to keep it [modeling] to the weekends. I don’t have class on Fridays so that’s helpful. For my episode of ‘The Hungry Games,’ I ended up going home on the bus Thursday night, got to the 5:30 a.m. bus in Philly, two subways to get to Brooklyn by 9...we only shot for four hours.” The constant weekend traveling presents an unbelievable financial burden for Weber and her family. “I just started getting paid and I’ve been doing this for six years. It’s taken a lot out of me and my parents,” says Weber. “Traveling is so expensive—I try to do it the cheapest way. I get paid for only half of my shoots still.” Despite her love of modeling, she has learned to let some opportunities pass just so she can better time-manage. “It was at first really hard for me to say no to opportunities, which is why I have a wide portfolio. But I don’t miss class. I feel very behind if I don’t go. School is still my priority right now,” says Weber.

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Now Weber looks back on the experience of not being able to go to Japan and says that the situation was the one that changed her life path. “I never thought I’d be in modeling ever. I’m a broadcast journalism major. I learned that I liked getting on stage and talking. That one decision led me to my life now. I was devastated not going to Japan, but it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.” One of the other tough lessons Weber had to learn early on was how to keep herself in great shape for her modeling gigs. Weber says like any other college kid, she gained the typical “freshman 15.” “I wasn’t eating healthy. I would eat candy and chips all the time. I was still in modeling school freshman year and I wasn’t doing anything. I was drinking and eating like crap,” says Weber. “My manager was like, ‘Stand up. Look at you. Look at your hips.’” Weber says the gravity of the situation fell heavily on her as her manager told her to take the situation seriously and turn it around. “That’s when I started eating clean. Every year it’s gotten more intense to the point where now I’m on a strict schedule—I eat only vegetables, fruit, chicken, eggs and protein powder. I have my cheat meals and days sometimes but I actually learned to make things out of protein powder—crepes, cookies, brownies...I’ve become really into cooking,” says Weber.

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She not only eats well, but also has a great workout routine. “I got into weight lifting this summer and the summer before. That’s made the best changes I’ve ever seen. Girls don’t realize how beneficial it is,” says Weber. “I used to do the whole 40 minutes on a treadmill thing, but you plateau. I still do cardio maybe three days a week, but weight lifting is the key. I’ve gotten more muscular but looking at me you wouldn’t even know. Females freak out about looking manly, but it’s not like that.”

BRUSH CARE

GETTING SERIOUS

HOW OFTEN?

BLUSH BRUSH

Valley sat down with Looks Hair Design’s makeup artist Aaron Gilson who gave us the drill on beauty brushes. Attention, ladies! This is our kind of boot camp.

At least every other week.

Purpose: Blush application.

WITH WHAT?

What it does: Soft fibers and a round-

FOUNDATION BRUSH Purpose: For even application of liquid foundation.

What it does: This brush gives the face an even and smooth finish – plus it absorbs less foundation than traditional sponges.

LARGE POWDER BRUSH

After having lost her “freshman 15,” Weber says she knows how discouraging the added weight can be, but her advice to those who want to turn it around is clear: learn to say no and do what makes you happy and healthy. Listen to your body and do what’s healthy spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally—for you.

Purpose: Perfect for face and body finishing powders.

What it does: The full and dense shape illuminates the face with bronzer or highlighter.

“If you’re not happy, you need to change your lifestyle, not just for one week, but forever,” Weber says. “And if that means your friends are going out and you know you shouldn’t, don’t go. Do you. Don’t worry about anything else.” By Samantha Allen

Makeup brushes are sort of like weight machines at the gym–they’re things we know we’re supposed to use, but we’re not exactly sure how to use them.

THE BASICS

BLENDING BRUSH

Photo by Sklar Yuen

School has always been number one to Weber. In her sophomore year of high school, she had an opportunity to go to Japan with the Student Ambassador program, but her

BEAUTY BRUSH BOOT CAMP

“That was only $500 versus Japan which was $9,000. I don’t know why but I chose the pageant. I didn’t place but I did it again the next year and I came in the top 20,” says Weber. “That was the year I got scouted by my agency in Philly. My senior year in high school and freshman year in college, I was going to Philly every weekend to do etiquette and modeling classes. I learned all about commercial acting, runway, everything.”

Photo by Danielle D’Angelo

Imagine your life right now as a college student—the tuition bill every semester, exams so conveniently scheduled one right after another, projects that keep you up until 3 a.m.—and then add on the time put into starting your career. Now, you have the life of Sarah Weber.

Purpose: Dome shaped brush for blending eye makeup.

What it does: A “must have,” says Gilson. Use this brush to perfectly blend eye shadows and work makeup away from the crease of your lid.

Gilson suggests Bare Minerals’ Brush Shampoo, but says any sort of hydrating shampoo for hair will work too.

HOW? “Lightly shampoo the brushes and use your fingers to rub back and forth,” says Gilson. “Don’t completely immerse the brush in water.” Let the brushes air-dry overnight on a towel until completely dry.

ed shape allows for even color distribution ad blending along cheekbones.

CONCEALER BRUSH Purpose: Allows for correct application of concealer and under-eye blending.

What it does: The flexible, flat brush has a slightly pointed tip for precise and accurate application. By Raychel Shipley

“Good quality brushes can last years and years with proper care,” says Gilson. “So it may be an investment up front, but it pays off in the end – especially when your makeup looks on-point, all the time.”

SUGGESTED BRANDS Gilson Suggests Bare Minerals, MAC or Sigma, but advises to inspect brushes for shedding before we buy. “It’s more about having the correct shape of brush than the brand,” says Gilson. “But remember that higher quality brushes will last much longer and give you better results.”

What You Should Know Before Going Vegan

Sophomore nutrition major and bikini competitor Quinci Peri knows the secret to being a fit, happy and healthy college girl. Now, Peri is sharing her advice with the rest of us who can’t seem to get our hands out of the cookie jar and our butts on the treadmill.

Vegans don’t just cut out edible animal products, they also avoid leather and fur. “It’s so easy to avoid and there’s pleather and vegan options,” says Morse. “I don’t feel the need to contribute to those industries. I think people go through phases — if they’re just starting to embark on a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle they stop purchasing those products. Trying not to contribute to the cruelty to those industries is really the bottom line.” Morse became a vegan after learning about factory farming at 13 years old. Along with feeling morally sound about where her food was coming from, she noticed improvements in her health as well.

A common question most vegans and vegetarians get asked is, “What do you do for your protein or iron?” As it turns out, getting these nutrients is easier than most people think.

In the beginning of her freshman year, Peri was no stranger to the chocolate chip cookies in Pollock. She says she was never conscious of the foods she ate until she stepped on the scale during Christmas break and decided to change her unhealthy habits.

“Our mission is to help spread the pro-plant based lifestyle by doing outreach and having events and education for people who may not generally experience people who are vegetarian or vegan,” says Keegan O’Donnell, a junior majoring in computer engineering and president of the Veg Club. “We try to have a nice community for vegetarians and vegans who may not have had a good community before they came to Penn State.”

“I had never weighed that much in my entire life and I lost all confidence in myself and had a total lack of self-esteem,” she says. Over break, Peri’s mom encouraged her to start training at the gym. Her mom, Michele Peri, competed in figure competitions (a branch of body building) until this past year when she finally decided to hang up her heels. Michele introduced her daughter to competition trainer Warren Fahrenfeld. Together they convinced Peri to start body building.

O’Donnell says The Veg Club isn’t only for vegans or vegetarians. “We’re very open to everybody who’s interested or even against it if they want to share their viewpoint,” he says. “Everybody’s welcome and we love to have as many people as possible.”

After the decision was made, Peri learned her way around the gym with direction from her parents, her trainer and by doing her own research.

Both Morse and O’Donnell agree that a slow transition into a non-meat or non-animal product life is the healthiest. Morse suggests having “meatless Mondays” or doing little things like substituting soy balls for meatballs when you’re out to eat. O’Donnell says he started out by just cutting fast food meat out of his diet and eventually transitioned into every other kind of meat, eventually cutting out all animal by-products. “I’m able to not really worry about where my food’s coming from and if there’s any cruelty involved,” says O’Donnell. “Obviously if I’m not eating the animal or consuming any product that an animal was abused to get, I just feel better mentally.”

“There’s so many plant-based alternatives,” says Morse. “Beans, lentils, tofu and nuts easily make up for all the protein you would need

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“I love training my shoulders, back and legs,” she says. She encourages girls to try weight training even if they have to start at five pounds. Peri also suggests grabbing friends and going to a group class at the White Building. Butts and Guts and Tabata are her favorite classes.

Illustration by Sara Silversmith

“I felt like I had so much more energy,” she says. “I enjoy jogging a lot and my times really improved. I was on crew in college and eating healthy plant-based foods made me feel so much better.”

While being a vegan is a great dietary option, not many places have good resources for people choosing to lead a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Fortunately for Penn State students, there’s one huge resource: The Penn State Vegetarian Club, affectionately known by its members as “The Veg Club.”

Photo by Meghan Tranauskas

“A vegetarian would avoid eating all meat products while vegans avoid dairy, eggs and animal by-products,” says Laura Morse (class of ‘14), a PETA campus rep liaison.

to being in tip top shape

On top of that, Morse says that vegetarians are less prone to obesity, heart disease and cancer.

It’s no secret that the meat industry is connected with the stigma of mistreating animals. It’s even less of a secret that animals are killed, sometimes cruelly, for daily human consumption. For those reasons and many more, a dietary movement is rapidly increasing: vegetarianism. But for the past few years, the newest diet that people seem to be transitioning into is veganism, which is significantly different than being a vegetarian.

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TIPS AND TRICKS

that way. People don’t realize that vegans get all the proteins, vitamins and fiber we need without all the artery-clogging cholesterol that’s found in animal flesh.”

With each year that passes, more people are going vegan or vegetarian. Most people understand what being a vegetarian means, but veganism is a different story. Natasha Tereschak sat down with two vegans to discuss what the diet entails and how to go about it successfully.

QUINCI PERI’S

Peri wants girls to feel free to experiment at the gym with weights, different types of cardio and classes. She says to start light and work your way to a point where you feel comfortable. “We all had to start somewhere,” says Peri. “Have someone who knows how to properly work out show you the ropes first to ensure you don’t injure yourself, and then take flight and experiment.”

Now is your chance to put your own sweat, blood and tears to the test. Here are four of Peri’s favorite moves that, when done properly, can have killer results. Repeat this circuit anywhere from one to five times for a workout you can do anywhere at any time.

LU NG E Standing with your feet together, step forward with your right foot, and lower your body until right leg is at a 90-degree angle and your left leg is pointing toward the floor. Keep your torso straight and use your core to maintain balance. Make sure your knee isn’t over your toe. You want your kneecap to be in line with your foot. Push through the heel of your right foot and come back to your starting position. Repeat this on the left side.

However, exercise alone isn’t enough to get an amazing bikini body. “The results you’re looking for lay more in how you eat and drink and not so much in the gym,” says Peri. She encourages girls to make a plan and hold themselves accountable. “My meals on a day to day basis consists of different protein sources in each meal, complex carbohydrates [such as] fruits, veggies, whole wheat bread, oatmeal and healthy fats,” says Peri.

For beginners: 10 reps on each leg For advanced: 30 reps on each leg

B U R P EE Start the burpee standing up and feet shoulderwidth apart. Lower your body into a squat position and place your hands on the floor in front of you, keeping your chest up and kick out into a push up position. Lower yourself to the floor and complete one pushup. Kick your feet back into your chest exploding upward. Repeat process.

Peri keeps herself motivated by reminding herself every day that a cookie and some junk food isn’t worth ruining all of her hard work and dedication. “I’m finally happy with myself physically, mentally, emotionally and have confidence in myself again. No amount of delicious food or lack of desire to workout is worth gaining that weight I worked so hard to get off.”

For beginners: 10 burpees

Peri has been committed to training since February for her first two competitions in June and July. Peri walked away from her first show in the summer placing 3rd out of 17 girls in the open class and 4th out of 13 girls in the novice class. Her second show, Peri walked away placing 2nd of 9 girls in the novice class, 2nd out of 8 girls in the open class and won best poser and presentation overall. “Winning best poser was probably the thing I was most excited about because the judges noticed my posing, confidence, poise and passion out of 38 other women,” says Peri. Peri took her spring semester to truly focus on herself physically, emotional, mentally and academically. Her extreme dedication not only rewarded her with the body she has always wanted, but with a 4.0 GPA.

For advanced: 25 burpees

P U SH U P

For beginners: 5 pushups For advanced: 15 pushups

P L A NK

“No one can take your hard work, sweat, blood and tears away from you,” says Peri. By Jennifer Meyers

Place hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart on ground. Depending on what feels more comfortable for you, position your feet either together or shoulderwidth apart (Note: placing your feet farther apart will increase your balance). Keep your body in a straight line. Your butt shouldn’t be piked in the air or sinking in toward the ground. Lower yourself toward the floor, keeping your whole body (especially core) tight and elbows close to your side. Push back upward, away from the floor. Repeat process.

For beginners: Plank for 30 seconds For advanced: Plank for 1 minute

Place your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart or rest your forearms on the floor keeping your feet together. Keep your body in a straight line – your butt should not be piked and raised in the air or sinking toward the ground. Squeeze your core while doing this. Hold this position for as long as you can. This exercise is great for tightening your midsection, which aids in balance when completing other exercises.

Holiday Hair Guide By Raychel Shipley

This holiday season, you bring the dessert – Valley will handle your hair. We caught up with Evolve Studio’s owner and stylist Lauren Kohr to talk this year’s holiday hairstyles.

1. Thanksgiving

The Look: Big, Bouncy Curls Thanksgiving is arguably one of the busiest holidays – with so much cooking and chowing down to do, you don’t have time to worry about your hair. Using a hairspray with a light hold, spray strands before curling. Then, using a barrel curling iron, wrap hair around the iron a few strands at a time without using the clamp. Count to six before releasing.

“You don’t want your curls to be perfect,” says Kohr. “One of the big things is when you’re [curling] around the face, make sure you’re curling away from your face, so the curling iron should be behind your head.” When the curling is complete, go over hair with a medium hold hairspray. Afterward, take the hair in sections and brush curls out.

2. Secret Santa

The Look: Segmented Pony To get started, back-comb through the hair at the top of the head to tease hair and add volume. “We always want to go a little bit overboard,” says Kohr. “This is the trick that takes the ponytail from ‘nuh’ to ‘wow.’” Before gathering the hair into a pony, spray hair with a texturizing spray. Fasten hair into a ponytail at the top-back of the head. Then, using three small elastic bands, fasten hair in small sections down the ponytail.

“This one’s also fun to try in pigtails,” says Kohr.

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The formality of the holiday season calls for some big-time tease. “The thing that people have trouble with is that when they tease, they have a death grip on their hair,” says Kohr. “You have to have a loose hold.” Start teasing hair at the top of the head with a comb and medium-hold hairspray. When you’ve achieved the volume you want, lightly brush the hair back into half ponytail and secure with an elastic. Leave a loose strand above both ears out of the half-pony. Take those sections of hair and braid them, securing the ends with an elastic. Before securing, play with the braids to give them texture and volume by rubbing the braid between your thumb and index finger. Take each braid and wrap it up and over the base of the half-ponytail in order to cover the elastics and secure with bobby pins and hairspray.

4. New Year’s Eve The Look: Messy Braid/Bun

Some prefer a New Year’s in, while other prefer a New Years out. Kohr taught us how to prep for both. Begin by curling hair using a curling iron and medium-hold hairspray. After hair is curled, French braid hair into a loose braid. Pull the braid apart and brush out the ends to give it a sexy-messy look. To take the style out on the town, simply wrap the braid into a bun and secure with bobby pins.

Evolve’s Styling Playlist “Animals” – Martin Garrix “Lights (Bassnectar Remix)” – Ellie Goulding “Memories” – David Guetta “I Still Miss You” – Keith Anderson “Cinema (Skrillex Remix)”- Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go “Too Close” – Alex Clare “Take Over Control” – Afrojack ft. Eva Simons

Photos by Natalie Runnerstrom

After the hair is secured, play with the ponytail and fluff-out the sections to give it a little more “oomph.”

3. Holiday Formal

The Look: Teased Half-up, Half-down

ENTERTAINMENT Name Kelsey Hudak Hometown Scranton, Pa. Major Nutrition Year Senior Where it all Started

Kelsey Hudak decided to take a chance four years ago when her Indian friend from high school dragged her to tryouts for a Fusion dance team, JaDhoom. Fusion dance is a combination of all styles of dance, focusing on Bollywood and hip-hop. The entire team was Indian and she was the only white member. Even though she was an unlikely candidate, Kelsey made the team and they became her friends, family and mentors.

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Photo by Kristen Robertson

Injury Turned Opportunity

That year Infusion was formed. Infusion is a non-profit dance competition for ‘FilmiFusion’ dance teams. The winner of Infusion gets a bid to go to the national competition. The competition is a weekend-long event. I became a Hospitality manager that year. I also served as a liaison, which means that I was a team’s guide the weekend of the competition.”

The Start of Something Big

“The following year, I was chosen as the Hospitality Director on the Board of Infusion. They taught me everything I know today and I could not thank them enough. My partner and I were responsible for a committee of 25 people. The committee holds liaison or manager positions. They aid in the success of Infusion by helping with the mixer, which is a themed, dry event, in which the teams get to meet one another and play games to determine the lineup for the competition the following day, and publicity.”

taken on a mentor role. Infusion has taught me so much about professionalism. It has given me life values and has prepared me for the real world. We hold ourselves to a very high standard and it has been acknowledged by our awards of ‘Best Overall Event’ and ‘Best Hospitality’ in the past.” By Jennifer Meyers

Although I was in pain, I continued to dance in competitions and on the THON stage.

“Second semester of my freshman year I suffered from multiple stress fractures in my feet, which meant I was slowly breaking my bones by dancing. Although I was in pain, I continued to dance in competitions and on the THON stage. I was elected Her Senior Year JaDhoom captain, but due to personal issues, “I was reelected as the Hospitality Director school issues, and remaining injuries I on the Infusion Board. I have the same roles had to quit the team. but it is a very different experience. I have

HOW TO THROW A

HUNGER GAMES THEMED PARTY By Amanda Hunt

With the third film-adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling trilogy slated to hit theaters on November 21, time couldn’t be any more of the essence to host a “Hunger Games” inspired party.

INVITATIONS To get your guests into the spirit of the theme straight away, send them formal invitations to “The grandest affair the Capitol has ever seen!” After all, everybody who is anybody will be in attendance. So they better be there too.

PROPER ATTIRE Fans of the books and films know that citizens of the Capitol dress in the most unusual way. Flamboyant and eccentric, gaudy but refined. Invite your guests to dress in their “Capitol best,” the more extravagant and outlandish the better.

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ACTIVITIES

In the Capitol, food is everything. Provide rich and decadent desserts, cheeses of every kind and wine. Think of theme-related treats: bread from the Districts, soups of many flavors, nightlock berries and sugar cubes, just to name a few. And don’t forget to set aside a few glasses of that wretched liquid that allows you to eat more – because how else can you expect to taste everything?

Encourage guests to role-play as true citizens of the Capitol. Have them place bets on tributes, make sponsorship deals with each tribute’s mentors and, as a humorous challenge, speak only in the lofty Capitol accent.

How you set up your food and drink table is also just as important. Silver and gold platters, towers of cupcakes and cookies, crystal bowls filled to the rim, a chocolate fountain, tall drinking glasses – spare no expense! You may easily clear out the entire Dollar General store.

DÉCOR While no venue could possibly be as grand and luxurious as President Snow’s mansion, replicating that grandeur is actually quite simple. Drape a room from ceiling to floor in white sheets or tablecloths and white string lights. In addition to the ornamented food display, decorate the room with all kinds of flowers – especially roses.

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Is Effie Trinket in attendance? Transform the average prize drawing into a mock Reaping! Every guest’s name is to be automatically entered once. Throughout the party they can have their name entered more than once by signing up for “tesserae,” which in this case could be placing a donation to the host’s charity of choice. At the end of the party, draw 12 names (or 24 depending on the size of the party). The tributes chosen will then battle it out in a best of three rockpaper-scissors competition, counting on the odds to be ever in their favor in order to win.

Photos by Skylar Yuen and Mary Duggan

While your guests might not be dedicated so far in as to dye their skin pea-green, they can reproduce the effect with makeup and temporary flash tattoos. Provide make-up, face paint and colorful wigs to be laid out at a remake station and encourage guests give each other Capitol makeovers!

FOOD & DRINK

Visit our website to find out how to make DIY glow stick chandeliers!

DISCOVERING THE UNKNOWN MAJOR:

Film-Video P r od uc t io n If you’re over 21 and looking for a night out on the town where you can sing your heart out, look no further than the Shandygaff. There’s nothing better than a night spent belting out your favorite songs with your best friends. Valley has compiled a playlist that emphasizes some of the greatest hits you and Penn Staters of the past have boogied to over the years.

Comprised of about 40 to 60 students in all-nighters just as any major might. Some every class year, being a film major at Penn people may think it’s easy, or they think that State is more conspicuous compared to popu- they can make their own film. lar majors, such as engineering or biology. However, it is not just the hard work that Needing to be creative, technology-savvy and goes into it, but also the right technique, book smart, many of these students aim for such as the different shots, angles and a life among the possible glitz of the Holfadeouts. Besides the behind-the-scenes lywood production companies. While many production and technology, the actual art to may believe that being a film major falls film making is not as simple as people make under the category of an “easy” communica- it out to be. tions degree, in truth the road to receiving a film-video diploma is riddled with some of The support that the film-video production the toughest internships, technology classes majors give for each other certainly helps fight and late nights. this stigma. Among the small graduation class size, people truly get to know each other. As a film-video major, senior Jill Margolis says that students must learn how to use high “We all intermingle and technology for all their film products, such help each other when we as Final Draft and Celtix for script writing, Adobe Premiere for editing and not to mencan. There’s a sense of tion the software it takes for budgeting.

The King of Pop always knew how to get everyone on their feet and ready to party.

1985

“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” Wham! This one was too upbeat and fun to forget about, and it will somehow stick in your head for weeks.

1989

“Like a Prayer,” Madonna The original queen of pop got our hearts racing and our feet tapping to this controversial number.

By Sarah Kim

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1991

“Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” C+C Music Factory Photo by Skylar Yuen

Photos provided by Cara Burke

“[Film majors] work very hard to overcompensate the fact that [they] don’t have a black and white major,” Margolis says. It seems Margolis agrees as she says that film students pull

1979

“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Michael Jackson

Whether it is fighting a stigma or making a film, there seems to be something magical about the film-video production students at Penn State. Perhaps Hollywood and the world of filmmaking is not exactly what it is thought out to be, but at Penn State it is much more.

Among the other aspects of being a filmvideo major, Burke and Margolis agree the stigma that surrounds them is an important one to address. This stigma is a reputation of a stress-free major that does not end with a job.

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Shout out to The Boss for visiting our campus last year and reminding us that sometimes, classic rock ’n’ roll is just what everyone needs.

pride being a film major,” Burke says.

While budgeting may not be the first thing people think of when it comes to making a movie, according to junior Cara Burke, being a film-video student entails a great deal of budgeting and preparation. Buying props at Walmart or buying a quality camera is just scratching the surface. As Burke says, “Everything goes to food, lighting and set. What other major do you have to keep supplying yourself with stuff?”

1975

“Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen

This one is self-explanatory.

1993

“I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston A timeless song that just makes you throw your head back and belt. Thanks, Whitney, for creating the most classic love song to date.

1996

“Always be My Baby,” Mariah Carey Another year where it’s impossible to just choose one hit, you know you always wished you could hit whistle tones like pop princess Mariah. “Macarena,” Los del Río You probably aren’t listening to this on your iPod every day, but you can’t go to a wedding without doing this classic dance.

1998

“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” Backstreet Boys You can’t make a playlist of years past without including the other great boy band of our adolescence.

1999

“No Scrubs,” TLC Every girl should still be following these lyrics that TLC preached to us 15 years ago.

2000

“Bye Bye Bye,” N*SYNC Its not about N*SYNC versus Backstreet Boys because no one can argue with the timelessness of this song.

2001

“Drops of Jupiter,” Train This year was too good to us something about this Train song makes it stick in everyone’s hearts more than a decade later. “Let me Blow Ya Mind,” Eve ft Gwen Stefani In what can only be know as the collaboration of the decade, pop and hip hop have never been better together.

2003

“Crazy in Love,” Beyonce ft Jay-Z The queen herself brought everyone together with this song by the celebrity couple of the century, and gave us a nice follow up this year with Drunk in Love.

2005

“Hollaback Girl,” Gwen Stefani Gwen Stefani solidified herself as a solo act with these irresistible beats and girl-power lyrics.

2007

“This is Why I’m Hot,” Mims I don’t think anyone would call this a good song lyrically, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t get stuck in all of our heads that year.

2009

“Just Dance,” Lady Gaga Before Lady Gaga got a little too weird for the mainstream, this song got everyone’s feet tapping and ready to break out the dance moves.

2011

“Give Me Everything,” Pitbull ft Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer If you don’t think too hard about the lyrics of this song, it’s a classic club hit that still gets you going.

2012

“What Makes You Beautiful,” One Direction You cannot deny this song was everywhere. Sometimes a super fun song is just what you need when you are out with your girls. No one could resist jamming out to this pop hit.

2013

“Timber,” Pitbull ft Ke$ha This one needs no explanation.

2014

“Latch,” Disclosure ft Sam Smith Although released last year, this song certainly took off this year appealing to everybody and exposing the angelic voice of Sam Smith to the world. By Kellie D’Amico

dramatic change of style, the sudden declaration of zero concern for societal rules and the pushing of boundaries out of seemingly nowhere, the grotesque VMA’ performance with the also classy Robin Thicke, and now, most recently, the again genius PR stunt at this years’ VMAs in August. Sure, Miley let a homeless youth that turned his life around by the help of the charity she’s now sponsoring accept her (admittedly deserved) award for Video of the Year. She announced earlier on the red carpet that evening that she had a “surprise” for fans. As the young man gave a golden, tear-jerking speech, Miley sat on the edge of the stage, the camera angle ever-so situated effortlessly to showcase the influx of tears pouring down her emotional face. Genius? Yes. Real, genuine concern? Who knows. Miley is a mystery. She’s a fantastic singer, a genius, and she’s absolutely stunning, but I’ll always be a little wary. Maybe someday when the potential mask fades away we’ll see the real Smiley Miley. Only time will tell.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FEMINISTS Agree to disagree or disagree to part? Everyone’s got something to say, and why not let it all out? Valley writers Kelly Gibson and Margaret O’Brien debate on a heavy piece of pop culture the world’s current most trending pop princesses. Read on as they discuss everything from PR stunts, the feminist movement and everything in between. Let the debate begin!

Reviewed by: Margaret O’Brien If you think Miley Cyrus doesn’t know what she’s doing, you couldn’t be more wrong. From her Disney Channel days as Hannah Montana to her raunchy, scantily clad VMA performance last year, Miley Ray Cyrus has always found a way to be the center of attention...and I love her for it. Critics of Miley will tell you she’s “out of control” or “has become a horrible role model for children.” To those critics, I say listen up because I am about to tell you why everyone should join #TeamMiley.

As far as any alcohol use is concerned, she’s 21 (almost 22) thus breaking no laws. When it comes to her “provocative” behavior in her music videos and live performances, Miley stirs an enormous reaction from the

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Well, the joke is on those people because they are giving her the attention she was aiming for and promoting her, whether they meant to or not. She is not behaving any more inappropriately than Iggy Azalea or even Beyoncé, so why do we ridicule her? Miley has moved on from her Disney days and owes no one an explanation for how she has grown as an artist. The children who watched her growing up have matured right along beside her and do not expect a role model anymore. The Miley we see is the Miley we get, and I personally could not love her more.

Reviewed by: Kelly Gibson Honestly, I may not be a fan of Miley personally, but I am not ignorant to the fact that she’s incredibly talented vocally and also a PR genius. As a public relations major who’s interested in entertainment, I do admire her very tactful and direct approaches to gather public attention. There’s just a catch. Breaking away from the Disney mold is not an easy thing to do, as demonstrated by many artists who have either done it successfully, or have essentially fallen off the face of the earth at

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full speed trying. Miley was literally the face of Disney, and “Hannah Montana” was their most successful show for years. As talented as she was, she must have known she was going to have to do something big to fully put a rest to her blonde wig-wearing days in order to begin her career as solo artist.

I think the primary cause for my disdain toward Ms. Swift is the immaturity she shows time and again in her music. When she first entered the realm of musical relevancy, Taylor was an innocent young girl who had her heart broken and wrote catchy, country songs about it. Okay, great. It was cute when she was 16.

It is this reason alone that initially made me question the validity of her persona. I live for artists that I can relate to. I love artists that are raw and real and make me cry with their voices and their vulnerabilities and the way that they share the most intimate parts of themselves with their fans. There is no denying that Miley doesn’t interact with her fans. She has 18.5 million Twitter followers, for crying out loud. But how much of it is real?

But, she is now a young woman in her twenties and her music remains sad, sorry love songs about old boyfriends. How do I phrase this nicely? Grow up. Did anyone stop to point out that the only common denominator amongst all of her failed relationships is her?! Clearly as someone with absolutely zero insight into her personal life, I cannot be sure she is always the problem.

Is the Miley we see REALLY the Miley we get, or is it all part of a greater scheme? While I understand that everyone grows and matures as they age, especially in the world of young Hollywood, she has been an extreme case, a historical case even. Everyone included in our generation will remember the dignifying 2012 VMAs when she showed up with her fresh haircut, as if the removal of her longer locks was a metaphor for shaking off Liam Hemsworth and the last of her early Disney roots. And since then, things have been very messy in the most strategically way possible—the

Illustration by Jordan Barnett

Let’s simply address the most popular controversy surrounding Miley – her behavior. Miley likes to party. I am in no way condoning her frequent references to smoking marijuana (as seen on her various social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram), but she has yet to be arrested or sent to any rehabilitation centers the way countless numbers of her peers have.

public. Which, hello—is exactly what she intended. Miley is the hot topic of conversation for weeks, even months, on end after what some people think of as a “publicity stunt.”

Reviewed by: Margaret O’Brien I could use every inch of space in this magazine to convey my contempt for Taylor Swift, but I will do my best to keep it brief.

But, it’s something I encourage us all to think about. Maybe one day I will learn to like Taylor Swift (or maybe just dislike her less), but as long as she produces lyrics such as “We are never ever ever getting back together” and “The haters are gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,” I will continue to listen to legitimately anything else.

Reviewed by: Kelly Gibson I never really considered myself a “Swiftie,” as the Internet likes to refer to Taylor Swift’s insane and rapidly-growing fan base. Sure, I always was a fan of her music. I think she’s

wicked talented and also impossibly gorgeous, but I never really followed her like the rest of the world does. Can you imagine what it must be like being someone as controversially famous as Taylor Swift is? The sad thing is that the only thing ‘controversial’ about her is the amount of men she has dated, and the fact that she has songs written about her ex-boyfriends. Seriously, look at the other pop princesses and rap artists in this industry that are trending. From sex tape scandals to DUI’s, Taylor could be known for a lot worse than being a 24-year-old young woman who casually dates and has had multiple partners in the media. Who are we to even give Taylor anything less than respect for being in-and-out of relationships and then sharing her heartbreak and vulnerable emotion with the world through her music? First of all, it’s 2014. Not to get all preachy, but the feminist movement is in full swing. Women are allowed to be sexual beings and date whomever they want as many times as they want—the same as a man does. If Taylor was a man writing about the songs with experiences he’s had involving women, would there even be any media attention? Of course not. Newsflash: having an artist that actually writes their own music is becoming a rarity. Would we rather her have hire a team of bimbos to write lackluster songs that lack true emotional depth? It would make less headlines; that’s for sure. I think it’s pretty pathetic that a 24-year-old woman has to worry about her love life and is choosing specifically not to date just because her romantic life is that much of a hot topic. Leave the poor girl alone, and let her continue to write her music and sing with her beautiful voice.

Reviewed by: Margaret O’Brien Ariana Grande has relatively recently taken the music world by storm with her powerful vocals and catchy melodies. Before I go any further, allow me to say I do respect her for her incredible talent, but cannot bring myself to call myself a fan. Let me explain. My problem with Ariana Grande is the way she presents herself. For someone with so much talent, she does herself zero credit. Wearing clothing and styling her hair the way someone one-third of her age would does not do her a single favor. It makes her look immature and takes away from her musical gift. Yes, I’m aware she is 21-years-old, but her whole

life-sized doll appearance is just borderline weird. Maybe this is just me, but I feel uncomfortable hearing grown men talk about her (which I do quite often) when she looks the way she does. Also, I fully admit she has more musical talent in one finger than I do in my entire body, but I could personally go without her ultra-high, screechy notes. She has a beautiful voice, so why the screaming? Overall, I don’t have such harsh criticism for Ariana, but I just cannot jump on the Grande bandwagon. Give me some more time, and maybe I’ll convert. Maybe.

Reviewed by: Kelly Gibson I am quite possibly the biggest Ariana Grande fan that exists. No, seriously. When I first watched “Victorious” years ago, I remember hearing “the pretty red-haired girl sing” and thinking, “Oh my God. Why isn’t she the lead on this show?” I am so beyond thrilled that the world has finally done her justice and has put her and her talent and her unique sound on the pedestal it deserves. There is not a singer in the world that sounds quite like Grande. I actually hate when people compare her to Mariah Carey because of the whistling thing. On her new album, I don’t even recall hearing a single whistle. She has a beautiful sound all her own and is honestly changing the game of pop music. Her voice does things to my emotions that I cannot describe.

Of course though, with the rise of her inevitable star, is the rise of her criticism. A lot of people do think she dresses too provocatively for her young age and baby face. A lot of people question why she always rocks the high pony. My question is why does any of this even matter? She could be an actual troll and I would still cry every time I watch a video of her singing live. She could grow third limbs and start rapidly turning into an alien and I would still blast her music when I’m doing my homework. Nowadays, we care way too much about how people look and not enough about how they sound. This girl has a once-in-a-lifetime voice, vocal range, and sound that’s all her own. She’s young. Let her figure out the whole image thing and find herself. In the meantime, go download “My Everything.” You won’t regret it.

ʻ AARON S WO N D E R F U L WO R L D

VALLEY: You’re currently on your Wonderful World Tour. Of all of the places to go to, why come back to Penn State? AARON CARTER: Penn State just shows a lot of love, they come to my concerts. V: Are you currently recording a new album, or was there one just released? AC: For the most part, it’s done. There’s a couple more songs that we have to do still. There’s no release date right now because different, major record labels are putting

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some attention to the project so we don’t want to just release it independently.

back and selling out arenas again or are you happy with the direction you’re in now?

V: Is this anything like your previous music?

AC: The goal is to do bigger and better things always.

AC: Oh, absolutely. I’ve done five albums already and it’s been a wide range of pop music so I’m just going to stick to pop music. V: What are you most proud of with this new album? AC: Probably with “Wonderful World.” The tour is named after the song. V: You gained so much popularity back in the early 2000s. What was it like going from huge stadium tours to playing at smaller, college town bars?

V: My best friend’s first concert was yours, and she was seven years old. Her mom told us that there were girls throwing underwear on the stage. At that time you were so young, what was going through your mind when things like that were happening?

V: Who were your musical inspirations when you were younger, and have they changed at all today?

AC: I don’t know, nothing really. It’s kind of hard to say what’s going through my mind as a boy, and now a man, having girls throw their bras and stuff like that on stage. Of course I’m not going to be thinking PG-type things. It’s awesome, I love it. The more the merrier.

AC: It’s different, but it’s fine. I’m still performing and I’ve got to start participating more in order to do bigger shows and release more music. I’ve got to work my way back up the ladder.

V: When you were younger you opened up for acts like Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys. What was it like going from the opening act to the headliner?

V: Do you plan on making a huge come-

AC: It’s pretty cool, it’s pretty amazing to

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work my way back up like that. I’ve done a lot of shows and a lot of big things. Even my brother goes around and does the same thing that I’m doing right now, and then he’ll go with the Backstreet Boys and do bigger shows. Doing small shows is cool also. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but being a headliner is the number one thing any artist wants to be and that’s what I am. I’m a headlining artist.

AC: Influences... I mean, I’m not really influenced by anybody right now. V: What is your favorite song that you’ve ever recorded?

Photo Provided

He stole our heart back in 2001 with songs like “Aaron’s Party” and “I Want Candy,” selling out arenas and stadium tours. Now, Aaron Carter tours college towns and plays at nightclubs and smaller, radio-hosted events. We all loved him when we were eight years old, and our love hasn’t changed. Natasha Tereschak had the opportunity to talk with Aaron over the phone about his new album and songs, his tour and of course, his love life.

AC: Probably “I’m All About You.” It was a ballad that I did and it was an awesome song. It went number seven on the Billboard album and singles charts. It was a love song, and I love doing love songs because I’m a hopeless romantic.

V: Speaking of you being a hopeless romantic, you recently said something about how Hilary Duff is your soulmate. Do you still think that? AC: Nah, I’d rather not even comment on it. V: Are you currently dating anyone? AC: No, I’m not. I have my eye on a few girls but I’m not dating anybody currently. But it’s crazy, you would think that me, on the road, I’d want to be single but it’s really contrary to popular belief. I would almost rather be in a relationship, but I just can’t really find the girl. V: Would you possibly be looking for love in State College? AC: Absolutely. I’m looking for love all over the place. I never find it. I haven’t found it lately, but I would love to be in love. It would be fun. It gets lonely doing what I do. There’s so many people that would comment and say stuff but I just think to myself, “What’s real? What isn’t real? How

do I decipher that? Should I put myself in that position?” V: Do your fans still act as crazy as they did in the early 2000s? AC: No, they’re all 70 years old now and sit Indian-style at the concert [laughs]. No, they’re just as crazy or crazier, jumping on stage, pulling on my hair and waiting outside the bus. They’re crazy and I love it.

“I’M LOOKING FOR LOVE ALL OVER THE PLACE... I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN LOVE.”

SELFIMPROVEMENT Name Kelley Harrington Hometown Wexford, Pa. Major Civil Engineering Minor Environmental Engineering Year Senior What She Does

Club Cross Country Vice President, Club Cross Country THON Chair Undergraduate Research Assistant and member of Chi Epsilon Honors Society

‘I Was the Only Girl Engineer in the Buidling’

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Photo by Amanda Hunt

“On my first day of work I walked in and sat down with my boss and job supervisor for the company and they gave me my project, told me what to do and said go,” said Harrington about her first engineering internship. “It was really overwhelming and I didn’t know how I would get it done, but I figured out what they actually wanted me to do and how to do it. I ended up finishing a month earlier than my boss expected me to even though I felt like I was so behind. It was

the first time I didn’t have a lot of selfconfidence. I was the only girl engineer in the building and it was intimidating for me to come in and work with these professional engineers who are in their 50s and 60s. To just kind of know that I impressed them… that really proved myself to me.”

A Summer of Fracking

“I know fracking is very controversial and I kind of wanted to form my own opinion on it. One thing I do know is that it’s a valuable resource, and we’re going to extract oil and gas no matter what, so we may as well have people doing it right and doing it safe. I think what surprised me the most was the environment I worked in. I showed up and for the first three weeks I was the only female out of 50 guys. Clearly I was a young girl, so it’s different. They don’t see many girls out there. Every day I would be black when I would come home from oil and grease and sweat. I worked right along the operators – the guys actually working machines and pieces of equipment, pumping, lifting iron, changing gas, changing parts. I was pretty much one of those guys.”

What She Learned

“I never thought I would be fracking with 50 men. Growing up I never thought that. It really opened my eyes to a different world. I worked with people I never thought I would have worked with. I learned to take stuff with a grain of salt and to be confident with who I am in any situation I’m presented with. It’s also helped me grow as a person. I’m a lot stronger now. I don’t take crap from anyone…even though I really didn’t before.”

Her Advice

“You can’t be afraid of trying something new or unexpected. Everything you try, you will learn something from. Even if you don’t think you’re learning anything, you will. You may not learn what you originally thought you were going to learn, but you’re going to learn something better.” .By Amelia Friedrichs

‘

Girl’s World IT’S A

WHAT ISSUES YOU SHOULD

BE KEEPING

Women’s Healthcare One of the benefits of the 2010 Affordable Care Act was that non-discriminatory insurance plans would be made uniform across the nation for men and women. One argument for the higher cost of women’s healthcare is the “unnecessary” inclusion of contraception.

Education “It is very difficult [for lower to middle class students] to come to a fantastic institution like Penn State just because of the expense,” says Lehtihet.

“Birth control is not just about sex,” says Wood. “It’s really about being able to control your life.”

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Follow credible news sources (Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, etc.) on Twitter or Facebook for regular updates.

Subscribe to The Skimm for daily emails about the top headlines written in an easy-to-read format.

Download your favorite news source’s app for updates while you’re waiting in the Starbucks line.

Make it a point to check the news section of websites like Buzzfeed before skipping to the entertainment articles. Put the news on the television while you’re getting ready in the morning.

Photo by Danille D’Angelo

When it comes to affordable schooling, K-12 Equal Pay education budget cuts tend to get more press coverage. But in keeping higher educa- “Sometimes, discrimination against women tion affordable for students, scholarships is difficult to quantify,” says Lehtihet. But in and manageable loans that won’t accrue terms of pay, the difference is clear. mounds of interest after graduation remain important issues for you to watch out for. Discrimination can exist anywhere from the questions a potential employer asks to

Where should I be looking?

COLLEGE CRISIS

What issues should I be keeping tabs on?

“We are living in a world that is increasingly globalized,” says Lehtihet. So come graduation, you‘ll need to know the market you’re entering into.

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Illustration by Kelsey Linn

With the help of Penn State senior and College Democrats president Nadia Lehtihet and Women’s Studies senior lecturer Jill Wood, Valley highlights issues every young woman should concern herself with.

Not even politicians can agree on the best way to handle foreign policy, but keeping yourself updated will help you form your own opinion.

Not to mention, Lehtihet points out, “Beyoncé believes in equality – everyone should believe in equality.”

......................................................................

But even if it means just grazing the headlines on a regular basis, there are innumerable ways to keep updated and get involved.

“Foreign policy is something that students tend to care about in an abstract way that doesn’t directly affect them,” says Lehtihet.

the paycheck you receive every week, and fighting for your rights starts with knowing what they are.

........................................................................

As easy as it is to get caught up in the flow of life at Penn State, living in that bubble can seriously impact your perspective as a student, as a young woman and citizen of the world.

Foreign Policy and International Tensions

...................................

We’ve all been there – you come home from months of school work, turn on the television to catch the morning news. Given the rapid pace of the news, you realize you’ve missed some big stories.

TABS ON

FROM WEB TO PRINT:

By Sabrina Evans

I’m not ready for the final commitment When I was in high school, there was always that one person ahead of me. Whether they purchased their prom dress in December, or had already committed to college as a junior, they were always just a step ahead.

divorced by 25. It’s a very scary potential situation. I also don’t want to be the girl who is constantly dating a new guy every week in search of the perfect prince charming because, as much as I hate to admit it, perfection isn’t out there.

Recently, I’ve noticed that most of my fellow classmates are way ahead of me. This past year I’ve seen numerous engagement announcements, wedding pictures and even...baby announcements. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this. I mean, relationships are great, but I’m only 20. I am not ready to settle down for the rest of my life and the fact that seemingly everyone else is scares me.

My friends who have relationship experience are looking for the greener grass on the other side. While I’m not exactly doing that, I feel like I have to experience things for myself like everyone else. I want to figure out what I want.

I’ve been in a relationship for two years and my boyfriend is almost three years older than me. He just graduated from college this past May and landed a phenomenal job. That job includes more responsibilities and more purchases. He just bought a new car and a house (yes, a house. My boyfriend is a home-owner). I think about how I can barely cook for myself in my small apartment. All of my friends say how lucky I am and that I should be happy I’ve found someone I can marry. He is wonderful, caring and everything I can imagine for my first serious relationship...but I can’t commit. I don’t want to be the girl who settles down with her first relationship and gets married and

I want to find out where my relationship is going. I’m not in any rush to move into that new house or become a Mrs. any time soon. So, for now I’m just going to take it one day at a time and enjoy it. Every day offers a new chance to discover something about my relationship, and I’m going to embrace that. All I’m getting at is...slow down! Don’t rush growing up to get married and start families. That’s great if you want to, but just know that you don’t have to. Slow down and enjoy every moment, every relationship and every significant other. You never know who or what is out there. Don’t panic either—if it’s meant to be it will be. After all, you have the rest of your life for happily ever after. By Anonymous

HAPPY PETS HAPPY MIND By Amelia Friedrichs

Without a doubt, one of the hardest parts of moving to college is leaving behind your furry friend at home. Well now there’s research proving that having a pet leads to a happier, healthier life. So go ahead, convince your landlord to let you have a puppy: It’s good for you! While professionally trained animals such as guide dogs or K-9s provide obvious benefits to humans, often overlooked are the average household pets, which have been proven to offer many therapeutic, psychological and health benefits to their owners. “I love pets. I think that whenever I’m around my dog I can literally just sit there for hours thinking about life and knowing someone is by your side,” says senior Laura Gibbons, electrical engineering major. “I think everyone should have one because you always have a friend—it’s just nice.” Studies have found that pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets due to the full-time companionship involved with owning a pet.

With the Ferguson protests over the death of Mike Brown and the phrase #WhiteGirl being thrown around, the topic of race has always been and continues to be unavoidable.

“Whenever you feel sad, you walk in the door and you see that little face—you know that it’s okay because someone’s happy to see you,” says Gibbons.

While the topic may anger some, talking about race can certainly broaden minds to what many might call white privilege. For certain readers this term may not mean anything, but to others it may mean the world— a world full of discrimination and injustice based on skin color that has now blossomed into full blown anger or self-loathing.

Playing with a pet has been shown to elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax. The routine of owning a pet also offers a feeling of control and stability in life, positively influencing owners. A pet does not have to be a dog or a cat – simply watching a fish in a fishbowl can help with muscle tension and even lower pulse rate.

For those still unaware of how far white privilege runs, a clear example is seen in Asian beauty products claiming they can whiten or “bleach” skin. Other everyday examples even stretch to fashion magazines supposedly whitening the skin of black cover girls. Just as white privilege can be seen in different contexts, there are different definitions and reactions to it as well.

“I personally feel that the move to college can often be a stressful time that makes students miss home. The ability to reside at a pet-friendly apartment community can often help reduce homesickness,” says The Grove State College general manager Dana Donofrio. Having a pet to care for gives many a sense of purpose, an important feeling when you are feeling overwhelmed by negativity. By caring for another being, you are forced to focus on something other than yourself. This often provides people with a feeling of instant gratification.

With what seems to be a life of never-ending exams and homework, and while you are most likely separated from your favorite furry friend, finding time for a pet fix can seem impossible. If your living option is not pet-friendly, places such as Centre County PAWS are always looking for volunteers.

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FALL 2014

Photos by Natalie Runnerstrom

On top of psychological advantages, pets often force their owners to get moving, be outside and connect with other pet owners out being active.

To Steffan Blanco, a Filipino American and vice president of the Asian/Pacific American Caucus, white privilege is seen as a card game. “People sometimes have better cards and you have to play your best. Some people can win even if [the cards] are not good. You need to move on, and play with what you’re dealt.” In some cases, similar to Blanco, playing with what you’re dealt means pure assimilation into a white community in order to protect yourself from the biased world. Lianne Luu, president of the Asian/Pacific

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Must be the Money

“I didn’t plan for all of my extracurriculars to revolve around money or raising money. I’ve raised $25,000 for Penn State at Lion Line since I’ve been there. For ComRadio, I sold advertisements. For THON this year, I’ll be at Lion Line all weekend long supervising and calling. We call specifically for THON that weekend. We’re at the Lion Line office all weekend, but we also get a box at the BJC so we can still go there since we don’t

call in the middle of the night. It’s fun, it’s a good time. Being in the office is like a tiny version of the BJC – Charles Millard [co-founder of the Four Diamonds] comes there too.”

Get the Most out of Your Penn State Experience

“I asked one of my friends who graduated last year what advice he could give me for my senior year, and he told me to say yes to everything…I didn’t like that idea. I would say it’s so much better if you’re involved in a couple things as opposed to trying everything. Like I said, I didn’t plan for my activities to be about money, but they did, which is kind of weird. In high school I was involved with radio, so I got involved with it in college, and then I did Lion Line because I knew somebody in it. I got involved in Class Gift because of Lion Line – it all kind of evolved on its own. I didn’t actively search out everything, which was nice. But it was stuff that I stayed with for long periods of time. I think that’s better than joining different things randomly. If you

really want to do that and float around that’s fine – but I think when you stick with a few things longer, you get more out of it.”

Utilize Your Free Time

“I’m trying to do more freelance stuff, which I’m really enjoying right now. I’m trying to get into Instagram partnerships, which is really cool – you’re helping other people publicize themselves. I’m also teaching myself web coding. I’m getting into yoga a little bit more, and I really like it — it’s really fun. I’m playing fantasy football for the first time – I’m very into my line up. I really like to read a lot, but I wish I had more time to. With reading, you have to set aside time to really focus on it.” By Natasha Tereschak

I think when you stick with a few things longer, you get more out of it. 35

Two Worlds, One Girl

An exclusive interview with

MARIE HARDIN

Tal Ben-Artzi has been crossing boarders and breaking barriers since her arrival at Penn State two years ago. Now she’s talking to Valley about what it’s really like to be a girl living between two worlds.

“As weird as this sounds, I was fortunate to be in Israel during the war this summer because I just wanted to be with my family,” says Tal. As any daughter far from home would do given tough times at school, Tal makes use of Skype regularly to keep in touch with her family back in Israel. She admits to the occasional meltdown, with her mother acting as her virtual shoulder to cry on.

the new College of Communications dean

How do you feel your experience in journalism can bring positive growth to the College of Communications? Having worked in journalism, I know how fun, exciting and challenging a career in journalism or any of the communications fields can be. So that practical experience has made me excited about providing all the opportunities I can for students.

Have you perceived any challenges within these first months of having the job? There’s a lot to learn about budgeting and development and alumni relations. There

What was the most exciting thing about this promotion for you? The most exciting thing was getting the opportunity to take on new challenges and being in a role where I would get to interact with our fabulous alumni. Could you give us any hints about improvements you are trying to bring to the college that will benefits the students and staff? One of the things that is very important to me is expanding opportunities for our students to travel and to study abroad. That might be through a study abroad program or travel options within a class. Another goal is to continue to expand opportunities for internships for students. Do you feel that being a woman coming into the position will give you a different perspective than the previous dean? Yes, definitely. We all bring a unique perspective into the job. My perspective is impacted by my experience and gender. I’ll tell you a quick story. I was surprised by the number of women that wanted to meet me after the donor dinner. A light bulb went off in my head: this was the first time these students had a female dean in the college.

Are there ideas you’re trying to put in place to assert Penn State and the College of Communications into the digital media world in communications? We are pushing across all majors and programs to integrate the digital reality and our digital future as much as possible. Digital media is the norm, it’s not new anymore.

There you have it, folks. Marie Hardin is excited and prepared to bring the Penn State College of Communications to the next level. She is the face of the future of communications at Penn State. Be sure to wave if you see her around! By Kellie D’Amico

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FALL 2014

While most American girls her age were studying for the SATs, Penn State sophomore Tal Ben-Artzi was fighting for her country as a member of the Israeli navy. “There’s mandatory service in Israel, so guys have to do a minimum of three years after high school and girls have to do a minimum of two years,” says Tal as casually as if she were reading off the syllabus for one of her gen-eds. “Since you’re born you know that if you live in Israel you’re going to have to do the army, and you’re excited about it.”

Any last thoughts you’d like to leave us with? I truly love Valley Magazine. I always read each new issue from cover to cover. I also use Valley Magazine to recruit new students. I love to show alumni and people in the industry what our students are doing with publications like Valley.

In the physical absence of her blood family, Tal is surrounded by the love and support of her Penn State family. Out as bisexual, Tal is actively involved with the LGBTA campus community, while also a member of the Penn State Hillel club and, of course, the track and field team.

Are there any parts of the academia work that you used to do that you won’t be able to participate in and will subsequently miss? I am going to miss being able to teach as much as I used to. I won’t be able to teach all the classes I used to teach. I used to teach Sports Media and Society. I loved teaching that class. Maybe at some point when I get this job completely under my belt, I’ll be able to teach that class again. I’ll miss the research I did as well, but I’ll really miss teaching.

Photo by Danielle D’Angelo

What made you want to pursue more administrative work within the communications field? That’s a good question. I really enjoyed teaching and doing my research. After I got tenure I was asked to take on a more administrative role in the college and I agreed to do it because I wanted to help the college. As time went by, I was asked to do more administrative jobs. I found the work fun and interesting but I also found it was gratifying to impact the students and faculty.

is a whole lot more to learn about the university, even though I’ve been here more than a decade. This might sound surprising, but every day I learn something new about the college.

“But even during those times, I wasn’t regretting this step that I took,” she says about her decision to leave home. “I know this is the best thing for me academically, athletically and as a person developing here.”

It didn’t take long before Tal knew she had bigger dreams than the military. Her time spent serving in the navy in Haifa, Israel was merely a brief interlude before following her wanderlust overseas to the United States. Photo by Lauren Duncan

Last year, previous College of Communications dean Doug Anderson stepped down and a replacement was chosen from within the college. We were lucky to be given a chance to sit down with new dean Marie Hardin. She was warm, welcoming and passionate about her new line of work.

This past summer the strength of Israel’s “family” was tested when the country went to war with Palestine, and yet, amidst what she describes as “the bombing and the craziness,” Tal says she wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.

Between third and fourth grade, Tal moved with her parents to Boston where her father conducted business for a year and a half, experiencing her first taste of American track and field. “Because in Israel [track and field] isn’t really developed at all, I was only exposed to it in

America,” says Tal. “But when I came home, I knew I wanted to continue doing it.”

Tal was lucky enough to share one of her proudest moments since coming to Penn State with both her closest friends and likeminded peers when she donated her hair to THON during the 100 Days ceremony in November 2013. “I had a lot of friends there supporting me,” says Tal. “It was just exciting because I was more excited about giving a wig to a sick child than having my short hair – it grows back.”

Fast forward to 2014 and Tal is taking Penn State by storm as a multi-event athlete on the university’s track-and-field team while also holding a spot on the Israeli national team as a future Olympic hopeful.

Tal’s goal is to grow her hair out so she can donate again senior year, and while THON is a cause near and dear to Penn State hearts, the meaning behind Tal’s decision to donate rings true universally.

However, Tal relays this information without even an inkling of the overwhelming pride you would expect from someone in her shoes. Instead, the topics Tal really opens up about – her home country, her family and her experience at Penn State – are subjects every college-aged girl can relate to.

In her eyes, it’s all about keeping our lives in perspective because we are able to give what others aren’t lucky enough to have.

Growing up in Kibbutz Gazit, Israel as one of six siblings, Tal was raised with a focus on family, with her fellow Israeli citizens included as part of that family. “There is a vibe that I’m just addicted to,” says Tal about her home country. “Just really being with each other and loving each other and feeling like it’s just one big family. I think it’s a lot because of our history and our wars that we have to be united in the way that we are.”

“You’re already here [in college]—you’re so fortunate,” says Tal. “I just want everybody to think at least once a week if not once a day how fortunate they are that they’re even ‘struggling.’” For Tal, overcoming the barriers in her life hasn’t been achieved by submitting to difficulty, but rather by counting her blessings. “Difficult – I think that word in itself is an excuse,” says Tal. “Nothing is difficult – you have to decide if you’re going to do it and if it’s going to be challenging.” By Sabrina Evans

penn state eats here

5,000,000 pounds. That’s how much raw milk comes through the creamery each year, according to assistant manager James Brown, who manages the Creamery salesroom and assists in overseeing the dairy plant operation. 2,000,000 pounds goes to processing ice cream, about 2,000,000 pounds goes to beverage milk and 1,000,000 pounds goes to cultured products. The milk comes from two different places. Brown says that about 75 to 80 percent comes from the dairy barns here on campus, and the other 20 to 25 percent comes from a small brother-owned operation called Hartle Farms in Buffalo Run.

The raw milk is then sent to a pasteurizer to kill the bacteria without affecting the nutrient value. Then the milk is sent off to the homogenizer to break down the butterfat. Homogenization is the reason you don’t have to shake your milk every single time you want to drink it.

valleymagazinepsu.com

Of course, milk also goes into making dry ingredients for the ice cream mix. The mix is pumped into flavor vats. This is where all the delicious flavors we drool over are added. The mix is then sent to another vat where all the nuts, chocolate chips and other yummy ingredients in your favorite ice creams are added. We all have our Penn State bucket lists – you know, that list of things you absolutely must do before you graduate. Maybe it includes things like “take a selfie with the Willard Preacher” or “rush the field at Beaver Stadium.” Regardless of which items you have on your list, we want you to expand it just a little further. Margaret O’Brien scoured State College and accumulated a list of signature dishes from six different restaurants. We challenge you to try them before your time at Penn State has ended.

The ice cream then passes through a metal detector, and goes into a container to be labeled, x-rayed, sealed and popped into the freezer until it’s frozen to perfection. Of the 110+ flavors, the creamery onlykeeps about 40 flavors on hand. Only 10 or 11 of those are made consistently, such as the favorites: vanilla, chocolate and bittersweet mint. But this year, step out of your chocolaty comfort zone and try the newest flavor, Russ ‘Digs’ Roseberry, which honors the volleyball coach. The flavors are mainly focused on featuring people from Penn State. On a football weekend the creamery can scoop about 10,000 cups and cones, and in a year that number goes up to 500,000. There is so much to know and learn about the largest university creamery in the nation that lives right here on our beautiful campus. From farm to stomach, the creamery works their hardest to make sure everyone leaves a satisfied customer. So thank you, Penn State cows and creamery workers for allowing us to indulge in our daily cups of Death by Chocolate.

FALL 2014

Photos by Jennifer Meyers and Natalie Runnerstrom

It takes about three to four days to go from cow to cone. Cows are milked up to three times a day and the milk goes straight from the cow to sanitized pipelines right into a holding tank where the milk is chilled to keep it tasting delicious for the dairy products. The milk is then pumped into the creamery’s insulated tank trucks and dropped off at the receiving bay where samples are tested for antibiotics, bacteria and temperature.

The final products are then made by adding the cream back into the skim milk at different levels and then cooled and stored, waiting to be sold and distributed on campus.

Downtown State College is full of incredible restaurants that we may not always take the time to completely explore. Students are so busy with classes, clubs and other extracurricular activities that going out to eat isn’t always an option. We first talked to Hotel State College’s CEO Joe Shulman, who gave us the scoop on what specialty dishes from his restaurants are a must-try before leaving State College.

BILL PICKLE’S TAP ROOM Photo by Danielle Gallo

It’s no secret that the Berkey Creamery is one of the most beloved places on campus, with around 650,000 customers visiting each year to indulge in their favorite ice cream flavors and dairy products. But what exactly does it take to make that container of Peachy Paterno sitting in your freezer? Jennifer Meyers went behind the scenes to find out.

Located right on S. Allen Street, Bill Pickle’s Taproom has two specialty dishes that everyone needs to taste. Their fried pickle spears, breaded and seasoned with dill then served with a spicy honey mustard

sauce, are unique to Pickle’s. Also, their peanut butter wings can only be found here. Covered in a blend of Louisiana hot sauce, spices, brown sugar and creamy peanut butter, these wings are unlike any other and we think everyone should experience them.

THE CORNER ROOM New to the Corner Room...pizza! Most Penn State students have tried nearly all of the many pizza options in downtown State College, so here’s another one to tackle. The pizzas here are handmade and not costly, good for students on a tight budget.

ALLEN STREET GRILL For more upscale cuisine, we challenge you to try the Allen Street Grill French dip. This sandwich has braised and shredded beef tenderloin tips, caramelized onions and provolone cheese on a French roll, all served with an Au Jus dipping sauce.

ZENO’S PUB Keeping with sandwiches, we dare you to also try Zeno’s Pulled Pork Barbecue. It’s roasted in a chipotle barbecue sauce and served on a Kaiser Roll. You can even get a free one on Wednesdays when you pay to see a Zeno’s band perform.

BABY’S DINER Tassy Lopez, the general manager of Baby’s Diner, also shared a few items that we definitely think deserve a spot on our food bucket list. Plenty of State College restaurants have incredible burgers...but what about a burger served on a grilled glazed donut? That’s exactly what Baby’s offers with their “Craze Burger,” a 1/3 lb. burger including cheddar cheese and bacon. Also, we think you should try one of their 13 flavors of old-fashioned milkshakes because it’s practically a law while eating at a diner – well, we think so.

KILDARE’S IRISH PUB Finally, we challenge you to go across the pond (sort of ) and try a Boxty from Kildare’s, located all the way down East College. A potato pancake with chicken, cheese and onion, the Boxty is unique to Irish cuisine, says manager Kevin Carpin. So whether you’re Irish or not, we encourage you to try this dish. State College has so much to offer, especially when it comes to dining, so we hope you try some of the items on our food bucket list or better yet, complete it!

So they waited. The police waited secretly around the apartment to hear the girl talk to herself, or do something else abnormal. But nothing would happen when the cops were around.

YOU MET YOUR ROOMMATE

“There was one time where I walked into my room and found her running around screaming about how there were maggots everywhere,” Murray says. “She was clearly hallucinating. She began spraying toilet bowl fluid all over the room and bathroom to get rid of them.”

WHERE?

The fear got so bad that Murray and her three other roommates would sleep with various weapons (everything from steak knives to kitchen pots) under their beds. Locks were put on the door. The tension was thick and the nerves escalated every day, because as the police reiterated, nothing could be done for months. Months of fear, months of stress and months of hiding. Eventually, after talking with the apartment staff and with the girl herself, she voluntarily signed off the lease. The company did not make the girls pay for the additional space that was now open in the apartment, and everything returned to what they didn’t even know was normal. Today, that girl is in jail again for other drug fraud charges.“The day we finally got her to move out was the literally one of the best days of my life,” Murray says. “I feel like I’ll be telling this story forever.”

Sharing space is never easy. When it comes to roommates, your friends and Craigslist strangers alike have their own unique set of complications and just plain awkward moments. However, there’s always someone that has had it worse. Kelly Gibson shares the stories of those who haven’t been so lucky and those who have somehow survived less than ideal living conditions.

HOW THEY MET: CRAIGSLIST She seemed so normal with her swinging strawberry blonde ponytail and chipper persona. At least that’s what senior finance major Ali Murray thought at first when she met her new roommate, fresh off the Internet. Murray’s three friends were living in the room across from her, and she was sharing her bedroom with this stranger. At first it was just a huge mess. Paint and other art supplies were encrusted into the carpet. Half-eaten foods were scattered in various places of the apartment. Dirty rags were all over kitchen. Okay, so the girl was a slob. Many people were slobs. That was normal. What wasn’t normal was when the girl began lying about the littlest things.

valleymagazinepsu.com

“My best friend had made me a birthday cake for my birthday, and when I came home one night, it was missing,” Murray says. “We found the cake itself and the jar of frosting hiding under her bed, half-eaten. Yet she repeatedly denied putting it there. Instead, she just ran around screaming about how she didn’t even like cake.” But that wasn’t the only thing the girl would scream about. One night when Ali came home, it seemed that an argument was happening behind her closed bedroom door. And when Ali opened the door, her roommate was the only one there. The girl had written a derogatory term about herself in red marker all over the walls. She claimed a nonexistent neighbor did it, and that they were still calling her the name in that moment.

FALL 2014

HOW THEY MET: MESSAGE BOARD

It was then that Murray and her other roommates decided to get the police involved, half out of lack of knowledge and more out of a growing uncertainty of their safety with her around. This was when the girls learned their roommate had been charged with drug fraud in several states and was potentially not taking her prescribed medications for what could be described as undiagnosed schizophrenia.

During his sophomore year, junior media studies major Rich Gebbia was happily moving in to his new apartment. The roommate moving out had found his replacement on a message board. The new roommate would end up permanently altering the apartment’s chemistry in more ways than one. And by chemistry, we mean smell...lots of smells.

“The police were at our apartment almost every night. It completely interrupted my studies and other things I had going on, but we had no other choice,” Murray says. “We needed a reason for her to be out of here and off our lease.” Unfortunately, Murray says the police could not take the girl into special mental care without witnessing deliberate harm to either oneself, or danger or doing harm onto others.

Photo by Jose Ponte

The Clinically Insane

The Chronic Slob

“He was in his room 99.9 percent of the time with his girlfriend and they were always smoking,” Gebbia says. “But we could always smell the smoke from our room and it made it very hard to sleep sometimes.” Besides their persistent nagging to maybe tone it down in that respect, things got worse.

Not only were the smells an issue from smoking, they then became an issue of rotten food and garbage. Gebbia says their roommate never cleaned up after himself, even when it would make living conditions horrible. The roommate even used all of his kitchen stuff, and never being accountable for them, as well. But that’s not all. Sure, there was the smoking. And then the garbage. But the worst smell of them all is unthinkable to imagine living with on a regular basis. “We literally never saw him shower,” Gebbia says. “It was disgusting and so very obvious, but we never knew how to ask him to shower. How does someone even ask that?”

“I never saw her the second semester. She probably slept actually in our room five times tops,” Roerden says. “The entire last three weeks of school, I didn’t even see her at all and had to text her saying that I moved out for the year.” While Roerden says it was definitely a weird experience, she certainly didn’t mind the situation due to the fact that she pretty much had the dorm to herself. Today, a year later, it seems that the tragic rebound inspired love story has come full circle. “I actually think she’s back with the first guy now,” Roerden says. “Honestly, who knows?”

The One that Disappeared HOW THEY MET: FRESHMAN YEAR DRAWING Sophomore molecular biology major Catherine Roerden was under the impression that her freshman year roommate had just been through a rough break up with her boyfriend right before Thanksgiving break. Returning back from your first break during your freshman year can be a little challenging, especially after settling in back home for a few days. You come back to your dorm and return to classes, part-time jobs and of course, your roommate.

“Today, that girl is in jail again for other drug fraud charges.”

“And by chemistry, we mean smell … lots of smells.”

Except Roerden didn’t return to a roommate, at all. “She apparently had left to visit another guy, a new guy, for the whole week after Thanksgiving break,” Roerden says. “Sometime after she randomly came back, I asked her if she was dating she guy she went to go visit.” This is when things went from pretty odd to just pretty awkward.

“I never saw her the second semester. She probably slept actually in our room five times tops.”

“She then told me she was engaged to this new guy, and she proudly showed me her ring,” Roerden says. “She told me she had been waiting for me to notice.” Talk about a rebound. After this declaration of post-break-upwith-one-guy-get-engaged-to-another news, Catherine said that she rarely saw her roommate again, and that she pretty much just disappeared.

OUTFIT FROM THE COVER: DRESS & NECKLACE: BLUE IV SWEATER: DWELLINGS

Kayla Nakonechni The Girl Behind the Cancer Written by Leah Polakoff Photographed by Jose Ponte | Designed by Kailyn Moore Styled by Madeline Fass, Laura Barbosa, Nikki Rose

SHIRT AND SKIRT: BLUE IV

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FALL 2014

She’s the girl you see on campus wearing a THON sweatshirt and ball cap, with little bits of wispy brown hair playing peek-a-boo with the hat’s brim. Her ear-to-ear, toothy smile defines her and suddenly you realize, “Hey, that’s Kayla.” But wait, what’s her last name again? “My boyfriend says I’m like Madonna,” Kayla Nakonechni says, chuckling as she smiles vivaciously. “People only know me by my first name.” The fifth-year senior (whose last name is pronounced “KNOCK – ah- NETCH – knee”) became well known on the University Park campus when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in the summer of 2013, right after her junior year. Since then, she’s endured up to nine seizures a day, a seven-hour brain surgery and three different types of chemotherapy - all while maintaining a 3.5 GPA in biology. Kayla swears by her mantra, “Life is tough, but I’m tougher.” Kayla, a native of Scranton, Pa., says she gets a lot of looks as she walks around campus. Most students simply know Kayla as the girl with cancer, as one of the older THON children. But, she’s so much more than her diagnosis. She’s a dancer, a sucker for romance novels and an avid crossword puzzler. And she wishes that more people would come up to her. Kayla wants to get to know the people who have supported her. “I feel like people stare at me like they know me,” Kayla says. “Just introduce yourself! Say, ‘Hi, I’ve followed your story.’ Something more than ‘You’re Kayla!’ I would rather see a face and get to know them.” But before Kayla can get to know you, read on to get to know her. The real her.

THE GIRL BEHIND THE CANCER The first thing you need to know about Kayla is that she doesn’t do anything halfway. If she’s doing something, she’s doing it wholeheartedly. Take her obsession with Nicholas Sparks books, for example. She has read every single one. And she’s seen all of the movies. During her interview in early October, Kayla spit out the release date of the newest Sparks movie, “Best of Me,” as if her life

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depended on it (and just in case you missed it, the movie was released on October 17). When her nose isn’t buried in a romance novel, it’s crinkled in concentration in an attempt to complete a crossword puzzle. She considers the app “Crosswords” to be one of the best purchases she’s ever made. While she has yet to complete The New York Times crossword, the app serves her 250 puzzles from various newspapers across the country on demand. Before she became a crossword puzzle solving, Nicholas Sparks book-loving college student, Kayla was a dancer. She began at the age of three, dancing until she finished high school. From ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and lyrical, Kayla made her mark at Carbondale Dance Academy over the course of 15 years. Unfortunately, the dancing ended when she came to Penn State. Kayla recounted the one Lionettes event she attended: “Freshman year I went to one of their workouts…and that was the end of it,” she says, giggling as she remembered the weightlifting and running. Once she realized that her life as a Penn State student wouldn’t include dancing, Kayla discovered two more passions: Nittanyville and THON. It was during her sophomore year that she fell in love with Nittanyville (formerly known as Paternoville), the band of students who camp in tents outside Beaver Stadium’s Gate A the week before a home game. These students are the first ones allowed in the stadium on game day. Kayla says being actively involved in Nittanyville is mostly about school pride. “It’s being front row and supporting our athletes and supporting everything,” she says. “I mean, I know it’s not just about the football but it’s the pride that we have in our school and our group mostly shows that being the first ones to the game and staying the entire time.” Nittanyville not only helped increase her sense of Penn State spirit, but it also gave her the opportunity to meet her boyfriend of two and a half years, former Nittanyville president John Tecce (class of ’12). It was on the day of Joe Paterno’s funeral procession that Kayla decided to venture into a tent outside of the stadium to move away from the wind. John was the only other person in the tiny tent. She said it was “super awkward,” so she decided to have a little fun.

FALL 2014

“He had mini carrot sticks. That’s how we started talking, because I was making fun of him,” Kayla says. “Yes, we met through carrot sticks at a funeral procession.” And so the love story began. While Kayla was only a sophomore, it was John’s senior year. He was dancing that upcoming February in THON and Kayla had lots of time to spend on the floor as an OPPerations committee member. Of course, she brought her newfound crush some carrot sticks for energy during the 46-hour event. While John graduated that spring, Kayla (then a junior) and her friend Chelsie Daugherty (class of ’13) decided to try and dance independently during THON 2013. Together the pair raised $13,000 for pediatric cancer and earned themselves spots on the floor in the Bryce Jordan Center. Unlike most students, the intrepid Kayla opted not to condition her body before being on her feet for 46-hours straight. “Everybody says to train…I didn’t really train too much,” she says. “I had danced for so long, so I knew how to stretch out properly, but I kind of jumped into it not really knowing what’s going to happen. But I ended up doing better than I expected.” But about three weeks after THON 2013, Kayla’s body hadn’t fully recovered from the extreme stress of the dance marathon – or so she thought. On March 10, 2013, Kayla had her first seizure. Kayla would soon find out that she had just danced for 46-hours straight to raise money for pediatric cancer, unbeknownst to the fact that she herself was a pediatric cancer patient.

THE DIAGNOSIS It was 6 a.m. on March 10, 2013 and after a night at John’s apartment, Kayla woke up with a strange feeling in her right arm. At first, she thought she had slept on it in a funny way. “You know how you sleep on your arm and it gets all tingly? I just thought that I had slept on my arm wrong or pulled a muscle in my neck that was hurting a nerve or something,” she says. “You just start thinking of things that seem possible, but you never expect that.” The first seizure was considered a partial seizure. Kayla could talk and she was fully aware of her surroundings. The muscles in her right arm began to spasm, her right hand felt deformed and her right eye kept opening and closing. Despite the weird SHIRT: 45 CONNECTIONS

symptoms, Kayla didn’t think much of it. But two weeks later at the end of April, it happened again. Kayla woke up in the middle of the night to another partial seizure. “I went to reach over to get my roommate and I just collapsed next to her bed,” she says. “All I remember is people standing over me.” In an attempt to see a specialist as soon as possible, she made appointments at three different hospitals. Kayla kept one appointment with a new neurologist, Dr. Gilliam, in May at Hershey Medical Center. None of the other specialists could see her until September. “I can only imagine what would have happened if I had waited that long,” Kayla says. “By July, I was having nine seizures a day.” The seizure medication wasn’t working as planned, and on July 4, 2013, Kayla had her first full-blown seizure – called a grand mal seizure. She said this seizure was a lot stronger. Kayla completely lost consciousness and control of her body. “After my grand mal seizure, I was freaking out because you don’t have answers, so you don’t know what to do,” she says. The doctors performed MRIs to see what was going on. As it turns out, Kayla had a lesion on the left side of her brain, which is why the right side of her body had been seizing.

SHIRT: CONNECTIONS SKIRT: BLUE IV

Bottom Right: Photo by Patrick Mansell

The lesion had grown by the end of July, so the doctors booked her for an emergency brain surgery on Aug. 12, 2013. The doctors mentioned the possibility of the lesion being cancerous, but they wouldn’t know for sure until they could do a biopsy. It was then that Kayla began her blog, “Life is Tough, but I’m Tougher” in order to keep friends and family updated on her progress. The day before her surgery, Kayla went with 14 friends and family members to Hershey Park in Hershey, Pa. She laughed as she recounted having a seizure on a roller coaster at the park—making light of the situation. “I went to go sit down on one of the smaller roller coasters and right as I went to sit down I had one of my little seizures,” Kayla says. “People that were waiting to get on the ride next were like, ‘What the heck? She just ran off the ride!’” The next day, Kayla made it through a seven-hour brain surgery awake. She was put under a general anesthetic so she wouldn’t feel any pain. The doctors had Kayla read “Peter Pan” while they were operating, just

to make sure they didn’t hit any of the wrong nerves. The doctors would touch spots on her brain to stop her speech and her vision. The worst part, according to Kayla, was when the doctors stimulated her seizures by touching the location of her tumor. While it might freak some people out to lay awake on an operating table with their skull cut open, that was the most intriguing part for Kayla. “I like that I was awake. Everyone thinks I’m weird,” Kayla says. “But I think it’s more exciting.” The doctors were able to remove the entire lesion during surgery. But one week later, Kayla had to make the two-hour trek back to Hershey for a follow-up appointment. It was then she learned that her lesion was not benign. “I didn’t think it was just going to be a cut and dry thing,” she says. “I was waiting to hear something, not bad, but hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” The doctor told Kayla that she had a grade IV Astrocytoma – the most aggressive form of this type of brain cancer. “So he [the doctor] told me that it wasn’t benign and my dad just looked like he was going to pass out. He was ghost-white,” Kayla says. “And my mom just started crying. I just sat there, taking it in. I didn’t really cry. I don’t know why. It just was like, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ I was ready to know how to fix it rather than dealing with the fact that I had it.”

STRONGER THAN THE TUMOR In an effort to continue living her life as normally as possible, Kayla wanted to get back to what she loves most: Penn State.

VEST, SHIRT, JEANS: CONNECTIONS NECKLACE: BLUE IV

Just two weeks after brain surgery, Kayla traveled to MetLife Stadium for the Penn State game against Syracuse. “I just brought earplugs,” she says, as if it’s completely normal to attend a sporting event after brain surgery. Despite having to take the fall semester off from school for treatment, Kayla only missed two Penn State football games during the 2013 season. Her cancer treatment began shortly after her diagnosis: 30 days of radiation, six rounds of IV chemo and then she would continue chemotherapy with a pill. But the first pill chemotherapy dropped her platelet levels, which led to five platelet transfusions. But about a month before her 21st birth-

“At first I thought it would be really weird [being a THON child], but I have another friend here who is also a THON child. She became a THON child the year before me. We befriended each other and she’s actually from my area,” Kayla says. “It’s a huge help. The Four Diamonds Fund is amazing.” Kayla began her journey as a THON child with Nittany Nation, the student section of the men’s basketball team, as her supporting organization. She is continuing this year as the Blue Band’s THON child. After raising $13,000 as a dancer the year prior, Kayla says it was strange transitioning from a THON supporter to a THON child. “I could’ve easily paid for my own treatment with the money that I raised for THON,” Kayla says. As of right now, Kayla’s chemotherapy treatment is working. The doctors are not planning to take her off until it is necessary. “I’ll be on it until everything is closed up and looks normal,” she says. “I don’t want to say I’m cancer-free because I’m still on treatment, but I don’t want to say remission. So we [my doctors and I] decided on ‘no evidence of disease.’” As a biology major, Kayla is fascinated with her test results. She says her schoolwork has helped her better understand her diagnosis. “I have such an intrigue about it because it [biology] is what I want to do,” Kayla says. “I like looking at my MRIs and seeing everything.” While she won’t be on chemotherapy forever, Kayla will be on seizure medications for the rest of her life. She says she’s at her lowest point when having seizures. “Every time I have one [a seizure] it bothers me more than having the tumor in the first place. It’s affecting my every day life,” Kayla says. “It’s affecting my writing and my memory a little bit. So I freak out when I have one, especially because they make me feel so funny and I’m wiped out for the whole day.”

Along with her boyfriend, Kayla credits her family for helping her to stay so strong through the entire sickness –and of course, her puppy, a Havanese, Maltese, Shih Tzu mix. “My mom asked what I wanted after surgery and I said a puppy,” she says, her bright green eyes lighting up at any mention of her tiny dog. Kayla named her new dog Gilly, after her doctor, Dr. Gilliam. “Gilly” stands for “bright promise,” she says. Upon her graduation in December 2014, Kayla plans to attend graduate school and then medical school in hopes of becoming a pediatric oncologist – she says she will use her experience as a pediatric cancer patient to support others. With the love and support from her family and her strong will to survive, Kayla isn’t losing hope any time soon. She has plans for the future, and nothing is going to stop her now. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Kayla says. “You just have to get there.”

“T

here is a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to get there.

“

day, Kayla received some incredible news: she was eligible to become a THON child, meaning that the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center would cover all expenses not paid for by Kayla’s insurance or other means. According to the Four Diamonds website, any Pennsylvania family with a child under the age of 21 who is being treated for pediatric cancer at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital is eligible for Four Diamonds support.

when fashion hits home B R I N G I N G PAT T E R N S T O H O M E D E C O R By Jillian Selzer

Contrary to popular belief, fashion is not just meant for the runway. More often than not, patterns and colors popular with designers sneak their way into home décor. Home is where the heart is, so take the opportunity to get creative with your space. Not sure where to start? Create a plan. “Decorating can be an overwhelming task. The first thing you should do is make a story board of ideas. This used to be done by ripping pages out of a magazine, but now you can go on

FASHION

websites like Pinterest and Houzz,” says interior designer Jen Hendrickson of Jen Hendrickson Interior Design. “Once you have a general concept for your space, find something to inspire you. It can be anything from a piece of art, a cool rug or a paint color.” With a little perseverance and some inspiration, taking the fashion patterns you love to your living room won’t seem so scary. Some of the most popular patterns are the most easily incorporated.

Hometown Long Valley, N.J. Major Communication Arts and Sciences Year Junior What He Does

Former College Fashionista style guru, sales associate at Victoria’s Secret, active member of Penn State Thespians and member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Living the Dream

“I love winter and fall fashion, so my favorite go-to is my specific pair of Frye boots with skinny fitted pants or chinos (whatever

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Unconventional Approach

The Secret to Any Good Wardrobe

“Surprisingly, I don’t follow fashion week or major designers. I try to create my own path and form my own opinion. I tend to get so swayed by what I read or watch that I avoid it so I can form an honest opinion on things. The misconception about fashion is that you have to follow the large fashion brands and know the current trends to be fashionable. A lot of fashion and being fashion-forward comes from the attitude and personality that you wear it with. It’s just something that comes naturally. I just do fashion for the fun of it. It makes me happy.”

Confidence is Key

Keeping it Cool, Classy and Comfortable

those days where the minute we step out the door, we’re questioning our outfit and we want to change into something we feel comfortable in. You have to understand that your confidence is a big part of portraying your outfit positively.”

“When you walk anywhere, when you drive anywhere, when you’re present anywhere you just need to have a confidence and feel comfortable in your own skin. Feel comfortable with what you’re wearing. We all have

FALL 2014

POLKA DOTS

“Be confident in selecting inexpensive pieces that can add to your wardrobe, but take risks with different outfits. Own what you wear.”

Polka dots can be a tricky pattern to master, but with the right balance of color and size, anything is possible.

By Jillian Selzer

Surprisingly, I don’t follow fashion week or major designers. I try to create my own path and form my own opinion.

Photo by Meghan Tranauskas

“[To be a stylist] would be fabulous. But being more hands-on with the big decisions of larger fashion houses, like the advertising side of it, would be great. Although, I love Kim Kardashian, so to be her stylist would be the dream job.”

color), and then an oversized button-down. Then I add some warm, wool socks to stick out of the boots. It’s a tasteful, classy outfit. If you have a good amount of basics in your wardrobe, you can literally throw on anything, any combination and it will look good.”

Illustrations by Kelsey Linn

Name Ben Thompson

“Polka dots you have to take in little doses. It can feel kid-ish if you overdo it. Gold can make it sophisticated. It’s easier to incorporate smaller dots. You can mix them with other patterns like some thick bold stripes,” says senior public relations major Halie Greening. Something simplistic such as decorative stationary can make all the difference. Think pencil jars and mouse pads. The best things come in small packages. A little goes a long way when it comes to getting spotty.

FLORAL A classic go-to pattern, floral is fun, flirty and refreshing. Floral bedding is the home décor-equivalent to the cute summer dress you have in your closet. Your bed is the focal point of the bedroom – why not show it off a little bit? You can go big with a floral-printed comforter, or keep it simple and compliment solid-colored sheets with floral pillows or a throw. The possibilities are endless.

PAISLEY For the brave and the bold, paisley is a pattern known for its bohemian and quirky qualities. To take this Free People-esque print to the home, invest in some statement pillows to spice up your furniture. To the dreamers and the go-getters, investing in a paisley print tapestry can add definition to a room and make all the difference. When it comes to decorating your space, don’t be afraid to take risks and go big with what you love. Everyone’s taste is different, and now is your opportunity to make the place you live in yours.

Crossing into boho territory, strappy and lacey bralettes are emerging essentials for girls who are pros at layering their look. Paired with a loose tee or slouchy sweater, these specific wardrobe basics are worth the purchase.

FRAMES FOR YOUR FACE

“A lot of girls have been liking [the bralettes] a lot for underneath all their open back pieces,” says McDonnel.

What do dark wash jeans, white t-shirts and little black dresses all have in common? They’re well-known staples of the modern woman’s wardrobe – we’ve learned that we should all have these items fixed in our closet at all times.

But the truth is, not all of us are alike. An “essential” piece for one woman may be “meh” to another. Valley stopped by Connections Clothing on South Allen Street to chat with their stylists and break down the not-so-basics. Juniors Theresa Ritzman and Gabby McDonnel were working the day we stopped in. Although incredibly busy with new fall arrivals, both girls were able to give us the rundown on this year’s fall wardrobe basics for different styles. For girls with an edgier wardrobe, both Ritzman and McDonnel agree that a leather jacket and black skinny jeans are must-haves this season. But be warned – leather jackets come in different colors, styles and cuts. Look for one that best suits your wardrobe. Feeling super edgy? Try a jet-black jacket with sharp cuts and studding. More downto-earth? Find a jacket with an earthy, gentle coloring. Either way, the leather look is essential to a stylista’s closet. For an alternate look, “You could even do a boyfriend jean – I feel like a lot of girls like those now,” says McDonnel.

“Either a leotard or a bodysuit are really good for layering,” she says as she sorts through the different styles of bodysuits Connections has to offer.

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FALL 2014

Ritzman suggests adopting a grey or softcolored cardigan for girls with an easygoing, slouchy style. Junior marketing major Aubrey Roemer says her day-to-day style is effortless and comfortable. Roemer most likely can be spotted around campus in her oversized sweaters – pieces she describes as necessary to her personal wardrobe.

Trying to figure out what face shape you have can be a challenge in itself. Valley turned to LensCrafters, an international retailer for prescription eyewear for a rundown of face shapes and how to tell what category you fall under.

“When in doubt I always wear a plain cami and a flowy cardigan or kimono over it,” she says. “I like to be comfortable, so I have tons of these in my closet.”

OVAL: Defined by balanced features and a chin slightly narrower than the forehead.

Her favorite brand to choose from? Free People.

ROUND: Defined by a soft, circular shape where the width and length of the face are almost equal.

And, speaking of Free People, both McDonnel and Ritzman say they are in love with the brand’s knee-high socks, which pair beautifully with a skater skirt or combat boots.

HEART: Defined by a broader forehead and narrower jaw line and chin. SQUARE: Defined by strong, welldefined angles in the forehead, cheeks and jawline.

As for any last-minute universal basic pieces? “A flannel. I feel like a lot of girls like throwing a flannel on top of shirts now,” says McDonnel.

Once you have identified your face shape, you can easily figure out the right frames for your face. There are several things to take into consideration: the color, size and contrast of the frames.

Despite your style definition, the beauty of basics is that they transcend the trends. Go beyond basic and mix them into your weekly wardrobe – your little black dress will thank you. By Raychel Shipley

Illustration by Jordan Barnett

McDonnel says that girls who like both edgy and boho combine the styles with lots of layering.

If you wear glasses on a daily basis, you know that they are not easy to pick out. With so many different styles of glasses on the market, trying to match the best profile of frames for your face can seem nearly impossible. To make your lives a little easier, Valley found the perfect frames for all shapes of faces.

Photos by Natalie Runnerstrom

WHAT DO Dark WASH JEANS, WHITE T SHIRTS AnD LITTLE BLACK DRESSES ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

Another boho basic this year is the armygreen, lightweight overcoat – a jacket with both style and practicality. While this staple first showed popularity last year, it’s entering basic classification this fall. McDonnel, who says she’s owned one for a while, wears hers four days of the week.

When it comes to color, choose one that compliments the tone of your skin and hair to highlight your features. Do you have dark hair and love to stand out? Try rocking a pair of bright red frames for an eye-catching look. The size of the frames should be relative to the size of your face – not too big, not too small.

Keep in mind that you are shopping for glasses - not sunglasses. You do not want the frames to cover more than they need to. The last key component to keep in mind is the contrast of the frames. Whatever your face shape is, the frames should be just the opposite. For example, if your face is in the “round” category, you will want frames that are more sharply defined. Optician Peggy Andrasko says there are general rules for picking out glasses depending on your face shape. OVAL: Winged frames, top-heavy frames (frames that are thicker and darker on the top than the bottom) to draw the eye up and around. ROUND: Angular frames and rectangular frames, which help to draw eyes horizontally. HEART: Aviator frames - ability to wear a lot of different styles. SQUARE: Oval frames, round and rectangular frames. “It’s important that you get the frame front wide enough to fit your face. If you make an invisible cross in front of the pupil, the pupil should fall in the center of the cross – it is important the eyes are centered in the frame,” says Andrasko. If you are looking for frames that are on trend, “styles are starting to go back to thicker plastic and big frames”, says Andrasko. She also urges you to, “get over any fears you may have and try something with color.” Next time you go to buy glasses, we hope these tips will make your experience much less confusing so you can actually enjoy the process. By Katie Wall

But how exactly do these trends get from the runways and gradually trickle down to discount stores like T.J. Maxx that offer designer and brand name clothing for 20 to 60 percent off specialty store prices?

FROM THE

Runway

When designers and big department stores put in orders for shipments, sometimes they receive merchandise that wasn’t what they had originally intended and signed a contract for. If the merchandise gets sent back to the manufacturer, they will try to sell the merchandise to off-price retailers like TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory and Marshalls.

TO THE

Clearance Rack

Less clothing is more when it comes to fashion these days. The human body has become an accessory in today’s looks, rather than a thing to be hidden. But with the fabric shedding and the skin becoming more and more exposed, the question stands: Where is the line? And where is the movement taking us? It wasn’t long ago that anything cut above the ankles was considered scandalous. Now, it takes a nip-slip to get the public talking – and to sell the clothes.

Prominent figures in the industry often use nudity as a means to an end and as a form of artistic expression. But to the consumer, it can be difficult to look past the boobs and butt.

“You can’t lose focus. You should be able to look at an image and know that it’s fashion,” says Bykofsky. While everyday consumers take nudity in small doses, it’s important to keep in mind how nudity is viewed on the other end of the spectrum. Designers and photographers alike consider, more often than not, being naked as a form of art, rather than just a marketing ploy.

“We have a society, I believe, that’s more accepting of nudity in marketing and promotion far different than we had in decades prior. But fine art definitely has some input to what’s happening in fashion today. [For me] it’s a little interesting that there’s so much nudity in fashion. I don’t think the nudity is about the fashion, I think the fashion With the public becoming more accustomed to nudity, the constant debate is about the nudity,” says photography professor Frederic Weber.

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FALL 2014

The bottom line: it doesn’t matter if you’re viewing the physical exposure from behind-the-scenes or in the pages of a magazine. Nudity is reaching all corners and facets of fashion, from the producer to the consumer. While the industry itself is uses it as artistic expression and a showcase, the public is using nakedness as a means of acceptance.

“

“If people are willing to do it [nudity], they’ll take it [nudity]. Right now, a problem with the industry is we still want Twiggy,” says senior and nude model Nick*. “But that’s falling to the wayside as public consciousness is brought in and people are more comfortable with everyone.” Whether you’re hiking up the hemline to showcase the perfect mini dress, or understandably sticking with the more conservative maxi, no one can hide from showing a little skin. The beauty of baring it all is in the eye of the beholder. But whatever side your fashion preferences fall on, keep this in mind: the full monty is here to stay. * The last name was removed for privacy By Jillian Selzer

Photo provided by Travis Witmer

“It’s a jarring thing. I believe as a society, we’re getting more accustomed to seeing nudity and things like that. I think it’s much more grabbing than what you would consider a typical advertisement. It’s a good approach because it’s more of a minimalistic view,” says senior and College Fashionista style guru Logan Bykofsky.

of “How much is too much?” is starting to see some blurred lines, though the divide still exists.

When we say that these companies purway that people want to buy them. AccordTwice a year, the five largest fashion chase these goods at discounted prices, that capitals of the world — New York, Par- ing to Penn State graduate Polaris Qin (class doesn’t mean the goods are damaged or out of ‘13), who works for Korean designer Yuna is, London, Milan and Berlin — showof season — it simply means there was a case the trends for future seasons. But Yang in New York City, she likes to look at mix up between the designers or store that the big picture first when it comes to trend where exactly do these trends come ordered the merchandise and the manufacforecasting. from and how do they come about? turer who produced it, which is how trends Katie Wall is here to tell you how the trickle down from the runways to stores like “This year I think the big topics are material latest trends go from the runway to TJ Maxx. mixing, casual but dressed up — you can see your closet. a lot of people wear sneakers with dresses. Qin says that the trickle-down effect has Then I would break it down into different Have you ever heard of a trend-forecasting some psychology behind it. areas such as the color trend and material agency? These are firms in the fashion intrend. I would look specifically into each dustry that, believe it or not, forecast trends “People believe in brand names. Sometimes, category like outerwear, knits, pants, etc.” two years in advance. The job of these foreinstead of buying the clothes, people are Qin says. casting firms is to go to fabric tradeshows, actually buying the brand,” she says. pre-fall and pre-spring fashion shows and I think most of the trendsetters have a fashion week in the fall and spring at all of When people shop off-price retailers, they very good fashion sense, which means the fashion capitals and decide what trends look for those brand names, which are usuthat they can capture the trend from will be hot for upcoming seasons. ally leading the industry in top trends. the past seasons and the past runway shows and then predict ahead. Working for a forecasting agency may just be A piece of advice from our expert on keeping one of the most difficult jobs in the fashion up with trends? Qin believes that “fashion is When it comes to fashion, Qin says it’s very industry. Fashion trends are influenced like a cycle.” Instead of following the trends intuitive, there’s no right or wrong answer. through many different exposures such as and changing her closet every season, she travel, culture, music, art and film — that’s likes to keep her personal style. “Not all the trendsetters can successfully just to name a few. A forecaster must look forecast the upcoming season every time,” at all of these influences and also research “I like simple, classic and chic clothes, meanpast trends and patterns to predict upcoming she says. ing they can stay in my closet for at least two trends, as well as look at who is buying what. years,” Qin says. But not every designer out there uses a trend-forecasting agency to help them stay The spring and fall fashion shows also have If you’re a trendy type of gal (or guy), try a lot to do with trends. After the spring and “in the know.” Big name fashion powerhouses mixing trendy pieces of clothing with classic such as Givenchy, Gucci, Chanel and DVF, fall fashion weeks come to a close, the forepieces, and remember, trends will always among many others, actually set the tone for casting agencies report their trend results come and go and repeat themselves. what trends will appear in seasons to come. to magazine editors. From here, the senior After all, these high-end designers didn’t magazine editors will have roundtable go to fashion school and get where they are meetings to discuss what they believe the today by reproducing what other people are most standout trends were. It is the magadoing. They have their own creative visions. zine’s job to display these trends in such a

“

From Kendall Jenner’s New York Fashion Week nip-slip to nudecentric media platforms like Nudity in Fashion Magazine, the industry is going full-frontal now more than ever.

When these companies agree to buy the merchandise at an off-price — meaning they won’t be paying full price for the merchandise — it’s a win-win for everyone. The manufacturer isn’t left with all of the unsold merchandise and the off-price retailers just scored big on the discounted high-end merchandise.

photographed by jose ponte | styled by madeline fass, laura barbosa and nikki rose | design by kailyn moore

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