Currents Magazine Spring 2015
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SPRING 2014<br />
STUDENT<br />
VETERAN<br />
on life post-war<br />
p.51<br />
CAMPUS<br />
LOVE<br />
LIFE p.54<br />
FEATURING<br />
CORY<br />
BATZA<br />
inside her world of aerial dance<br />
p.33
STAFF LIST<br />
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR<br />
EDITOR IN CHIEF<br />
Danielle DiMeglio<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Alexander Hayes<br />
PHOTO EDITOR<br />
Monique Batac<br />
DANIELLE DIMEGLIO<br />
EDITOR IN CHIEF<br />
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR<br />
Jill Amos<br />
ASSISTANT EDITORS<br />
Danielle Accovelli<br />
Jacklyn Maza<br />
Janelle Merritt<br />
Ashley Rhame<br />
PHOTOGRAPHERS<br />
Sarah Attar<br />
David Hutchinson<br />
Shawn Jones<br />
Safeena Padder<br />
Marisa Padilla<br />
Brandon Scheirman<br />
Addysen Walchek<br />
SPECIAL THANKS<br />
Carina DiMeglio<br />
Rafael Padilla<br />
VM 326<br />
PRESIDENT OF PGM<br />
Andrew Kasselmann<br />
ADVISERS<br />
Elizabeth Smith<br />
Courtenay Stallings<br />
STAFF WRITERS<br />
Ricardo Avila<br />
Joan Daly<br />
Kara Danner<br />
Janelle Merritt<br />
Chirag Patel<br />
Mariella Rudi<br />
Gabrielle Tolentino<br />
Jenna Welsh<br />
As a little girl, I would write short stories on rainy days<br />
and profess my dreams of becoming a best-selling novelist<br />
to my parents. Though my aspirations have changed<br />
since then, my love for writing has never waned. Sharing<br />
someone’s story and causing readers to feel inspired or<br />
moved in some way are both powerful and beautiful.<br />
In this edition of <strong>Currents</strong>, my team and I hope you<br />
will feel this same effect as we illustrate people’s stories<br />
through writing, photography and design. Not only did<br />
we hope to share untold stories of fascinating students<br />
and professors right here on campus, but also to evoke<br />
the springtime theme of revival. As editor, I hoped to reinvent<br />
the magazine from past editions and pursue an entirely<br />
new direction, beginning with our last winter edition<br />
and continuing through this spring edition — one that exhibits<br />
fresh, clean design, innovative, thought-provoking<br />
photography and hidden stories of some of the amazing<br />
people who walk among us on campus daily, often unnoticed<br />
by the casual observer.<br />
Along my journey, I never expected to meet such incredible<br />
life-long friends, exceed what I thought was possible,<br />
and turn a creative vision into something tangible.<br />
Working with <strong>Currents</strong> has been one of the most challenging<br />
experiences in my collegiate career, but it’s been<br />
a challenge I will always cherish.<br />
I am deeply grateful for the hard work and dedication<br />
of my staff, who have spent countless hours helping bring<br />
this magazine to life and injecting excitement into the<br />
newsroom. It’s been an incredible feeling knowing I could<br />
depend on my team for anything and have their support<br />
through all our elaborate ideas. But I would especially like<br />
to thank Monique and Xander for bringing such strong,<br />
creative spirit to the magazine and keeping me sane<br />
through countless all-nighters.<br />
We could not have accomplished all of our goals without<br />
the constant support of our advisers, Elizabeth Smith<br />
and Courtenay Stallings. Thank you for having faith in us<br />
and pushing us to push ourselves.<br />
The passion and drive behind our team truly have been<br />
the heart of the magazine, and I hope that you readers can<br />
feel this pulse on every page.
ALEXANDER HAYES<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
I was about five when I realized one day I’d die and<br />
quite honestly, I was okay with it — death didn’t scare<br />
me. It was the idea of being forgotten that plagued me<br />
for so long. “How will anyone ever know I was here?”<br />
I always thought. Everyone has defined fear based on<br />
their own experiences. For me, fear meant the possibility<br />
that my legacy could fade away after all is said and<br />
done with my time on earth.<br />
It was this fear that brought me to Pepperdine<br />
Graphic Media and my position as Creative Director<br />
for <strong>Currents</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>. But it was only through this invaluable<br />
experience that my fear has dissipated and I<br />
learned how important it is to tell stories.<br />
Story telling is more than beginning, middle and<br />
end. It’s about creating meaning and worth in people’s<br />
experiences by sharing their story everywhere. It’s<br />
about learning from their mistakes. It’s about finishing<br />
the missions they started. It’s about learning how to<br />
love from their losses.<br />
Telling the many unique, diverse and beautiful stories<br />
through <strong>Currents</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> has taught me it’s not<br />
always about my story — it’s about something much<br />
more significant. It’s about our story.<br />
MONIQUE BATAC<br />
PHOTO EDITOR<br />
One lesson I continually learn is that the urge for creativity<br />
never leaves you. Growing up I really liked painting,<br />
but as I grew older, my interests in color and light transferred<br />
into photography. At the time, I thought it would<br />
be a fun, easy hobby. But through trial and error, I soon<br />
learned that photography was not as simple as point and<br />
click. It is capturing a moment of time. It was a way for me<br />
to accept that time does move quickly, but I could capture<br />
those memories through photos. Photography has<br />
allowed me to continue painting, but this time, with light.<br />
I hope the photos in this magazine not only help illustrate<br />
the unique stories of the people we featured, but also<br />
inspire you to capture the moments in your own stories.<br />
I’m very thankful for the opportunity to work with <strong>Currents</strong><br />
during my time at Pepperdine. It is an experience<br />
that I will never forget because of the way it has pushed<br />
me out of my creative comfort zone. I was able to take<br />
risks with some of the photos in this issue, and I could<br />
not have done it without the support of Danielle, Xander<br />
and the whole <strong>Currents</strong> team. I especially want to thank<br />
my wonderful photo assistant, Jill, for her hard work, long<br />
hours and Photoshop expertise which helped bring all of<br />
the ideas to life. I hope this issue inspires you to continue<br />
the pursuit of the things you love and to capture those<br />
moments in time, because time really does move fast.<br />
ONTENTS<br />
Who’s Behind the Wheel<br />
Beach Bag Tasty<br />
The New College App<br />
Surfin’ PCH<br />
MUSIC FEATURE:<br />
Soft Spoken, Loud Ambition<br />
Dangling Dreamer<br />
Botanist Brings Trails Alive<br />
TOP 10:<br />
Summer Spots<br />
Inside Women’s Sand Volleyball<br />
8<br />
14<br />
17<br />
22<br />
28<br />
33<br />
39<br />
42<br />
48
51<br />
54<br />
59<br />
62<br />
70<br />
72<br />
HOW TO:<br />
Blending Two Worlds<br />
REAL TALK:<br />
Relationships on Campus<br />
Beating the Clock<br />
[sixwordstory]<br />
Confront Post-grad Anxieties<br />
Let’s Get Crafty
TED ANAYA<br />
Shuttle drivers talk life off the clock<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
RICARDOAVILA<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
MARISAPADILLA<br />
To get to work, Transit Services Manager<br />
Ted Anaya travels 70 miles from Rancho<br />
Cucamonga. He uses trains, buses and<br />
shuttles to get to Pepperdine and provide a<br />
useful service to the community. After taking<br />
the Metrolink from Rancho Cucamonga<br />
to North Hollywood, he drives a vanpool,<br />
stopping to pick up a group of Pepperdine<br />
employees at Balboa Station in LA before<br />
driving the final 22 miles of his journey to<br />
reach the “Harvard of the West.” When his<br />
workday is over, he travels another 70 miles<br />
back home.<br />
Anaya is a rock music junkie whose<br />
favorite artist is Jimi Hendrix. Anaya enjoys<br />
playing acoustic and electric guitar, and<br />
even does so with one of the other shuttle<br />
drivers, Robin Russell.<br />
“She had a collection of lyrics she<br />
wanted to try out so she brought them to<br />
me, and I learned them. We played during<br />
the summertime; during her lunch we just<br />
started playing, and she started singing,” he<br />
said.<br />
Anaya has been in the transportation<br />
industry for 20 years, boasting a career<br />
that includes being a DMV examiner, a bus<br />
operator and being certified through the<br />
United States Department of Transportation<br />
Substance Abuse Management and Program<br />
Compliance. Now, Anaya is in charge<br />
of Pepperdine’s transportation needs,<br />
sometimes finding time to drive the shuttles<br />
himself.<br />
Anaya, who has worked at Pepperdine<br />
for five years, retired early April. He said the<br />
most memorable moment he’s experienced<br />
while driving the shuttles is the annual My<br />
Tie event. “That’s when you see the group<br />
of freshmen and sophomores dressed<br />
up looking their best. And there’s a huge<br />
crowd, and it’s all new faces, and they’re just<br />
wide-eyed,” he said. Anaya said he loves<br />
doing his job: “It’s amazing. Whether I’m<br />
driving the bus or helping out, I just really<br />
like working with the university as a whole.”<br />
PET PEEVE:<br />
“The deer. I know everybody loves the deer, but<br />
they’re always just out on the streets eating the<br />
flowers, causing a hazard out there all the time.<br />
They’re cute but they destroy the place.”<br />
CURRENTS 8 CURRENTS 9
ROBIN RUSSELL<br />
Robin Russell drove a school bus for 36<br />
years and has been a part of the Pepperdine<br />
community for the past four. She enjoys<br />
going to the movies, watching sports and<br />
being with her cat who “has personality.”<br />
When driving the shuttle, you can occasionally<br />
find her tuning into the local jazz station<br />
as well as listening to classic rock.<br />
“I like to listen to all kinds of music except<br />
rap. I can’t get into rap,” she said. Russell<br />
enjoys singing and once performed a duet<br />
with her boss, Ted Anaya. “He played the<br />
guitar and accompanied me on one of the<br />
songs,” she said. However, she refrains from<br />
singing in the shuttles because “people are<br />
doing their thing.”<br />
Russell said her most memorable<br />
moment driving the shuttle is watching<br />
students attempt to parallel park. “Some<br />
of them do get up on the curb. That’s my<br />
entertainment. It kind of cracks me up,” she<br />
said.<br />
Russell said the part she enjoys the most<br />
about driving the shuttle is driving the students<br />
around, who are “the most polite and<br />
nicest people I have ever driven.” Russell<br />
said she has never said, “You’re welcome”<br />
so many times. “I should record it; I say that<br />
so many times every day.”<br />
When Russell waits for students to get<br />
on her shuttle, there is something that irks<br />
her: People who run stop signs get under<br />
her skin. Russell said she hopes everyone<br />
would look both ways and that she would<br />
like to find a way to diminish that problem.<br />
“I take it personally. I don’t ever want to see<br />
anyone get hit, especially pedestrians.”<br />
WARREN<br />
TANIGUCHI<br />
Warren Taniguchi was born in Bridgeton,<br />
N.J., and studied business administration<br />
at Cal State Long Beach. He was the export<br />
analyst at American Honda Motor from<br />
1981 to 1986, the import/export manager<br />
at Mori Corporation from 1987 to 2000 and<br />
the factory supervisor at Shachihata Inc.<br />
from 2000-2009. Taniguchi, who used to<br />
play golf when he was in high school, is<br />
now a Pepperdine shuttle driver.<br />
Some students might recognize Taniguchi<br />
as the shuttle driver who gives out candy<br />
on Valentine’s Day. “I did it twice now. I<br />
enjoy doing that,” he said.<br />
Taniguchi said a highlight of driving the<br />
shuttle is talking to the students, seeing<br />
the same people all the time and getting to<br />
know them.<br />
When asked if there is one thing people<br />
should know about him, Taniguchi replied,<br />
“I like to eat peanuts. It’s something I do<br />
every day. The shell peanuts. I like that.” His<br />
upbeat response turned when Taniguchi<br />
said that speeding cars really get on his<br />
nerves. “We’re always on the road. Cars going<br />
too fast are not paying attention: driving,<br />
texting, talking on cell phones or talking in<br />
general. It’s hazardous,” he said.<br />
Taniguchi, who has been a shuttle driver<br />
at Pepperdine for a year after previously<br />
working as a contractor, mentioned that<br />
even though all of the shuttle drivers have<br />
different backgrounds there is “good camaraderie<br />
among them. A lot of drivers have<br />
been here a long time. They enjoy working<br />
here; I’m just glad to be a part of it.”<br />
PET PEEVE:<br />
“Injustices to people when things aren’t fair. I<br />
like to stand up for people being treated unfairly.”<br />
PET PEEVE:<br />
“Driving. Congestion. I drive 40 miles a day<br />
one way so I see a lot of traffic accidents.”<br />
CURRENTS 10<br />
CURRENTS 11
WHICH<br />
SHUTTLE<br />
DRIVER<br />
ARE YOU?<br />
1. What kind of music listener are you?<br />
A: Rock junkie B: Anything but rap C: What’s music?<br />
2. What is your favorite radio station<br />
A: Avant-garde college rock B: “You’re welcome.” C: NPR<br />
3. What is your favorite movie?<br />
A: “The Motorcycle Diaries” B: “Gladiator” C: “Fast & Furious”<br />
4. What is your favorite animal?<br />
A: Coyotes B: Cats C: Dogs<br />
5. What is your favorite TV show?<br />
A: “Zoey 101” B: Magic School Bus C: Doctor Who<br />
6. What is your favorite Pepperdine event?<br />
A: My Tie B: <strong>Spring</strong> Concert C: NSO<br />
7. How do you spend your free time?<br />
A: Jamming out B: Going to the movies C: Golfing<br />
8. What is your musical talent?<br />
A: Guitar B: Singing C: Not musically inclined<br />
9. What is your favorite thing on this earth?<br />
A: DMV examinations B: Kind words C: Giving away presents<br />
10.What word would people use to describe you?<br />
A: Diligent B: Free-spirited C: Cheerful<br />
KEY: Most A’s — Ted, Most B’s — Robin, Most C’s — Warren<br />
CURRENTS 12 CURRENTS 13
WRITTEN BY:<br />
JANELLE MERRITT<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
LADIES DAY<br />
Enjoy yogurt parfaits in Mason jars<br />
while tanning on the beach!<br />
BEACH<br />
BAG<br />
TASTY<br />
MONIQUEBATAC & JILLAMOS<br />
MINI PARFAIT<br />
THAT’S A WRAP<br />
ingredients:<br />
1 pack of whole-wheat tortillas<br />
1 bag of firm red or green grapes<br />
1/2 lb. of turkey (check out the<br />
selection from the Ralphs deli<br />
and they will give you fresh<br />
slices)<br />
1 ripe avocado<br />
1 ripe roma tomato<br />
1 bag of mixed greens (works<br />
double as filling and side salad)<br />
1 pre-sliced red onion (found by<br />
prepared veggies in produce<br />
section)<br />
directions:<br />
Don’t forget to grab utensils from the deli section! Start<br />
making your wrap by cutting the avocado and spreading<br />
it across the tortilla sort of like a protein mayonnaise. Then,<br />
layer turkey, mixed greens, tomato and red onion. Finally,<br />
cut the grapes and add generously to wrap for a juicy surprise.<br />
It’s simple and delicious!<br />
You can also bring a bag of crispy snap peas, veggie chips<br />
or pretzels for a little extra crunch with your wrap.<br />
GUYS DAY<br />
Make a fresh glass of lemonade to quench your thirst after<br />
catching some waves or playing sports on the sand!<br />
ingredients:<br />
directions:<br />
First, add lemon juice to water bottle and shake. Then add sugar<br />
and one to two slices of fresh lemon. Taste and adjust sugar or water<br />
content. Mix in blueberries and/or mint leaves for a twist. Enjoy!<br />
ingredients:<br />
1 Chobani Greek<br />
Yogurt<br />
1 bag/tub granola<br />
(purchase from the<br />
HAWC or a tub of honey<br />
almond granola at<br />
the Malibu Farmers’<br />
Market)<br />
1 cup berries (strawberries,<br />
raspberries,<br />
blackberries and/or<br />
blueberries)<br />
1 Mason jar (can find a<br />
set at Ralphs)<br />
directions:<br />
Once you accumulate all of<br />
the ingredients, start making<br />
your parfait by scooping<br />
the yogurt into your Mason<br />
jar. Next, sprinkle a thick<br />
layer of your granola on top<br />
of the yogurt and finish the<br />
process by adding another<br />
layer of berries. Continue<br />
this for as many layers as<br />
you desire. Add a mint leaf<br />
at the top for garnish!<br />
lemonade<br />
1 lemon (sliced)<br />
1/4 cup of lemon juice<br />
(available by fruit juices<br />
in Ralphs)<br />
1 water bottle filled half<br />
way with cold water<br />
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of<br />
white sugar<br />
wrap<br />
1 package of tortillas<br />
shredded chicken<br />
directions:<br />
wrap<br />
Begin fixing your wrap by<br />
spreading the barbecue<br />
sauce and ranch on the tortilla.<br />
Then, add the shredded<br />
chicken, lettuce, tomato, and<br />
onion. Voilà you’ve made a<br />
barbecue wrap!<br />
sweet potato fries<br />
Preheat and set oven to 400<br />
degrees. Cut sweet potatoes<br />
into thin slices and transfer<br />
onto a baking sheet. Drizzle<br />
olive oil over the sweet potatoes<br />
and let bake for 25-30<br />
minutes!<br />
CURRENTS 14 CURRENTS 15<br />
lettuce<br />
1 tomato<br />
1 onion<br />
3 Tbsps of barbecue<br />
sauce<br />
1 1/2 Tbsps of Ranch<br />
dressing<br />
sweet potato fries<br />
3 large sweet potatoes<br />
1/3 cup olive oil<br />
1 Tbsp. salt<br />
1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
DATE DAY<br />
Buy sparkling pink lemonade from Ralphs or Trader Joes and be sure<br />
to pack cups. Be sure to prep at home with this speciality basket.<br />
ingredients:<br />
2 cups of fresh berries<br />
(such as strawberries or<br />
blueberries)<br />
1 cup heavy whipping<br />
cream<br />
directions:<br />
1-2 tablespoons of<br />
white sugar or powdered<br />
sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla<br />
extract<br />
In a mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of heavy cream<br />
with a whisk or handheld beater until soft<br />
peaks form. Sprinkle in 1 to 2 tablespoons of<br />
white sugar over cream and gently mix. Do<br />
not overbeat. Wash berries and place them<br />
in a plastic container. Use personal sized tupperware,<br />
one for him and one for her. First,<br />
layer whipped cream then berries and finish<br />
off with more whipped cream. Finally, sprinkle<br />
with a pinch of sugar for extra sweetness.<br />
CURRENTS 16<br />
ITALIAN PANINI<br />
ingredients:<br />
1 loaf of Italian bread<br />
(or bread of your<br />
choice)<br />
2 oz. thinly sliced<br />
prosciutto or Genoa<br />
salami<br />
1 pack of fresh Mozzarella<br />
(slice thickly)<br />
1 bag of arugula<br />
1/4 cup pesto (located<br />
by tomato sauce) or<br />
olive oil with freshly<br />
chopped parsley<br />
1-to-2 tablespoons of<br />
butter<br />
directions:<br />
Begin by cutting the<br />
loaf in half. Spread<br />
pesto on one side of<br />
the loaf. Add prosciutto<br />
(or salami), sliced<br />
Mozzarella and arugula.<br />
Place 1 tablespoon<br />
of butter in pan<br />
and let melt. Then<br />
add panini to hot pan<br />
and press down with<br />
a spatula. Flip and<br />
press down again to<br />
get the panini effect!<br />
Wrap in wax paper<br />
and use toothpicks to<br />
create a sophisticated<br />
look with minimal<br />
effort.<br />
BERRIES & CREAM<br />
THE<br />
NEW<br />
COLLEGE<br />
APP<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
GABRIELLETOLENTINO<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
ADDYSENWALCHEK<br />
What do college students<br />
love more than good grades and<br />
sleep? Food, shopping and saving<br />
money. Living next to Los Angeles<br />
provides an incredible array<br />
of restaurants and shops for us to<br />
explore, but on a college budget,<br />
who can afford it? The answer, in<br />
fact, is simple — there’s an app<br />
for that!<br />
Senior Onur Sahin was just<br />
a freshman when he conjured<br />
up the idea for College Bounty,<br />
an app that could offer college<br />
students discounts at local businesses<br />
in exchange for sharing<br />
posts or reviews about the businesses<br />
via social media. Sahin<br />
began drawing sketches and even<br />
launching an early prototype as<br />
a website before bringing up the<br />
idea to current senior Du<br />
CURRENTS 17
jon Smith. After meeting Smith<br />
though their fraternity, Sigma<br />
Phi Epsilon, Sahin knew Smith<br />
would make an important asset<br />
to the team as College Bounty’s<br />
CEO — responsible for pitching<br />
to investors and making sure<br />
tasks are managed.<br />
“He’s the first choice that I<br />
had for a business partner,” Sahin<br />
said. Sahin knew that Dujon’s<br />
maturity would help push<br />
the project forward and cause<br />
people to take the app seriously.<br />
Since then, the two have become<br />
a strong pair. Sahin works<br />
as the creative innovator and<br />
Smith makes sure the ideas are<br />
executed.<br />
After working tirelessly to<br />
conceptualize every aspect of the<br />
app down to marketing, College<br />
Bounty has made rapid progress.<br />
The app is now serving Pepperdine,<br />
UCLA, USC and LMU<br />
students, tracking all businesses<br />
in the L.A. area that have joined<br />
the app and offering student discounts.<br />
Sahin and Smith eventually<br />
hope to expand the app<br />
to a national level, but for now,<br />
they are testing the app’s success<br />
locally.<br />
Once the app is downloaded,<br />
students enter their student I.D.<br />
and create a profile to access all<br />
of the latest discount offers. Using<br />
the maps feature, College<br />
Bounty can track users’ locations<br />
to locate nearby eateries and<br />
shops. The app facilitates sharing<br />
via social media, allowing users<br />
to read friends’ reviews and recommendations<br />
of local hot spots<br />
to try. The completion of “Challenges,”<br />
which entail either snapping<br />
a picture, checking in, posting<br />
reviews, or sharing via social<br />
media, can build points for each<br />
user. The accumulation of points<br />
at certain locations creates even<br />
greater discounts.<br />
But Sahin and Smith don’t<br />
manage the app alone. They’ve<br />
acquired a team by their side to<br />
take charge of their quickly blossoming<br />
company — a team made<br />
up entirely of Pepperdine Waves.<br />
Senior Thomas Johnson joined<br />
College Bounty as the COO to<br />
manage interns, oversee day-today<br />
operations, seek new recruits<br />
and develop strategic management<br />
initiatives.<br />
In charge of the company’s<br />
business plan and finances is junior<br />
and CFO Chris Page. Senior<br />
Maxime Van der Berg works<br />
as the CMO for the company,<br />
focusing on market strategy and<br />
ensuring their brand is consistent<br />
throughout all marketing channels.<br />
Rounding out the team is<br />
freshman Brady Paterson who<br />
joined the team as CTO, securing<br />
everything concerning the<br />
technology of the app, compiling<br />
everyone’s ideas, and bringing<br />
them to life.<br />
“It’s hard to be a student and<br />
do this,” Sahin admits after recounting<br />
the all-nighters he’s<br />
pulled to keep on top of the app<br />
and school work. Amidst the rigor<br />
of classwork and extracurriculars,<br />
these six students still find<br />
the drive and passion to carry out<br />
plans for College Bounty. Each<br />
member is committed and driven<br />
to expand what the app can offer<br />
students.<br />
From idea to fruition, College<br />
Bounty’s momentum has grown<br />
exponentially. This has been evident<br />
in the exposure and praise<br />
they have received upon sharing<br />
the app’s concept. In November<br />
of 2013, Smith and Sahin entered<br />
College Bounty in the Fast<br />
Pitch Competition at the SEER<br />
Symposium held at Pepperdine’s<br />
Drescher Graduate Campus and<br />
won first place over dozens of<br />
other pitches with their 90-second<br />
proposal. Their reward? A<br />
$3,000 check toward College<br />
Bounty, reinvigorating College<br />
Bounty’s purpose and spiking<br />
their potential.<br />
Since then, the accolades have<br />
kept on coming — Groupon’s<br />
own Vice President of Market<br />
Research, Eric Rasmussen,<br />
praised the app’s concept, while<br />
conversing with Dujon, who<br />
linked up with him through a<br />
fraternity connection. “He loved<br />
it. He thought it was a great idea.<br />
We just have to execute it correctly,”<br />
Smith said.<br />
Even Pepperdine alumni are<br />
reaching out to these young entrepreneurs.<br />
We’ve been able to<br />
get connected with Pepperdine<br />
alumni who have helped mentor<br />
us and get us headed in the<br />
right direction,” Paterson said.<br />
Dr. Zarik Boghossian of Pepperdine’s<br />
Business Division, a<br />
Pepperdine alum and an entrepreneur<br />
himself, also commends<br />
College Bounty’s premise and<br />
potential. He shared his experience<br />
as Onur’s mentor, and called<br />
College Bounty “a very legitimate<br />
concept … [that] serves [a]<br />
purpose and adds value and as we<br />
say, solves a problem … [College<br />
Bounty] could become a very<br />
popular app amongst students.”<br />
Local businesses have teamed<br />
up with the app as well. FedEx<br />
and Wokcano are just two that<br />
have recently partnered with<br />
College Bounty, along with several<br />
other popular businesses and<br />
restaurants that college students<br />
often frequent. Pepperdine students<br />
have everything to gain<br />
from College Bounty. Not only<br />
is the app geared toward getting<br />
us discounts, but the team behind<br />
the app is recruiting members of<br />
the Pepperdine community to<br />
join in this blooming business<br />
MEET THE TEAM<br />
BRADY PATERSON<br />
DUJON SMITH<br />
THOMAS JOHNSON<br />
MAXIME VAN DER BERG<br />
CHRIS PAGE<br />
ONUR SAHIN<br />
CURRENTS 18 CURRENTS 19
venture. As of now, College<br />
Bounty is kept afloat, not just by<br />
the six Waves holding chief positions,<br />
but by 21 other interns<br />
from the Malibu campus.<br />
College Bounty actively<br />
sought Pepperdine students<br />
through Career Space and other<br />
groups and platforms to include<br />
them in this new, rapidly growing<br />
app. The hope was to include<br />
students as a part of the process.<br />
“We want to give Pepperdine<br />
students the opportunity to gain<br />
experience and empower them,”<br />
Smith said. The force behind<br />
the app knows the demographic<br />
and how to appeal to college<br />
students.<br />
“College Bounty is a product<br />
for college students made by college<br />
students,” said Saul Lopez,<br />
an intern and Regional Operations<br />
Strategist in charge of the<br />
Loyola Marymount division of<br />
College Bounty.<br />
President Andrew K. Benton<br />
said “some of the school’s major<br />
donors have been entrepreneurs.”<br />
When asked about his thoughts<br />
on Waves’ entrepreneurial aspirations,<br />
he replied that entrepreneurialism<br />
“follows in the tradition<br />
and footsteps of George<br />
Pepperdine.” Benton went on to<br />
extol the importance of “taking<br />
risks and enjoying the rewards,”<br />
which is exactly what the College<br />
Bounty team has done and<br />
will continue to do.<br />
College Bounty is available<br />
in the App Store now for download.<br />
COO Thomas Johnson<br />
hopes to turn College Bounty<br />
into a “dorm-hold” name. “We<br />
have analyzed our competition<br />
and other apps, and have come<br />
up with a way to combine all<br />
the things college students find<br />
popular and place it into the app.<br />
[Our] goal for College Bounty is<br />
for [it] to be the Facebook, Twitter<br />
and Groupon of the college<br />
world,” Johnson said.<br />
We can see this app expanding<br />
very quickly to the rest of<br />
California and hopefully down<br />
the line to colleges around the<br />
world. We would love to see [it]<br />
used by college students all over<br />
the country for everyday purchases<br />
from food to clothes and<br />
everything in between,” Page<br />
said.<br />
The company continues to<br />
build its foundation and hopes<br />
to continue its momentum toward<br />
its aspirations. “In the last<br />
three months, we have accomplished<br />
unimaginable goals.<br />
Every day the company moves<br />
one step closer in the right direction,<br />
so nothing can hold us<br />
back.” Johnson said. It definitely<br />
has the potential to keep on expanding<br />
and truly work as the<br />
middle-man between business<br />
and college students. We are<br />
building a mutually beneficial<br />
relationship between the two,”<br />
Van der Berg said.<br />
CURRENTS 20
Surfin’<br />
pch<br />
‘60s<br />
FASHION<br />
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
JILLAMOS<br />
CURRENTS 22 CURRENTS 23
While cruising down Pacific Coast Highway on<br />
a typical, sunny, SoCal day, one can often spot<br />
figures riding atop big waves in the distance. Surf<br />
culture has revolutionized the coastline lifestyle<br />
— as people started to shred waves in the 1960s,<br />
in came a new surf vernacular, beachy tunes like<br />
“Surfin’ U.S.A.” and a complete transformation in<br />
swimwear.<br />
Up until the 1960s, men’s and women’s swimsuits<br />
were no less material than mini-skirts and everyday<br />
rompers. Modesty was key, and women<br />
made sure to cover up with one-pieces. Though<br />
risque bikinis had been introduced into the fashion<br />
world, it would’ve been quite the bold statement<br />
for beach goers to sport such a provocative<br />
piece. But with the influx of Beach Boys radio hits<br />
and rising beach culture, the traditional modest<br />
style began to evolve. Women became comfortable<br />
showing a little more skin and aimed to be<br />
the ultimate beach bunnies. Movies like “Beach<br />
Party” emphasized teenage freedom, summer<br />
love and a lack of rules at the beach. Following<br />
the example of Gidget, the original female surfer<br />
who started in Malibu, young women became<br />
more daring and flirtatious, using surf-jargon and<br />
flaunting their beauty in “itsy bitsy teeny weeny<br />
yellow polka dot bikini(s),” as it goes in the hit single<br />
by Brian Hyland. Skin was in, a complete transition<br />
from the more conservative 1950s.<br />
Men’s swim trunks were bright-colored with<br />
radical designs and higher waist lines than men’s<br />
suits of today. Stripes and bold prints were just as<br />
vibrant as the colorful surfboards of the era. When<br />
the swell was favorable, gangs of surfers would<br />
throw on wetsuits, strap their boards to the tops of<br />
their Cadillacs and head for the coastline.<br />
Fifty four years later, beachgoers have reverted<br />
back to the groovy, yet reinvented, looks of the<br />
late 1960s. Heavy-winged eyeliner, voluminous<br />
hair and plenty of polka dots. High-waisted bikinis<br />
and shorts are staples in the fashion of 2014 and<br />
are directly inspired by the iconic look of 1960.<br />
Everything has been recycled and reinvented —<br />
vintage looks are fresh again. As beachwear is<br />
adapted to fit lifestyles of today and incorporate<br />
looks from other time periods, beachgoers are<br />
creating their own styles by using different trends<br />
from each era as inspiration. In the future, when<br />
2014 beach fashion is considered “vintage,”<br />
there is no doubt that that we can credit the fresh<br />
ideas and boldness of ‘60s beach bums. What a<br />
great nod to Malibu and it’s influence over fashion<br />
today!<br />
CURRENTS 24 CURRENTS 25
PCH<br />
Playlist<br />
Windows down, speakers<br />
up — get ready for a day<br />
in the sun while blasting<br />
these tunes down PCH<br />
Wouldn’t it be Nice<br />
BEACH BOYS<br />
Who Are You<br />
IVAN & ALOYSHA<br />
Chocolate<br />
1975<br />
Girls Like You<br />
NAKED & FAMOUS<br />
Pyro<br />
KINGS OF LEON<br />
Rill Rill<br />
SLEIGH BELLS<br />
Golden Thread<br />
PASSENGER<br />
Go Do<br />
JÓNSI<br />
White Walls<br />
MACKLEMORE<br />
CURRENTS 26
MUSIC FEATURE<br />
When did you start playing<br />
and what made you pick up<br />
music?<br />
Soft Spoken,<br />
Loud Ambition<br />
I started playing bass when I was 8 or<br />
9. My dad plays about four-to-five different<br />
instruments along with my mother,<br />
who plays guitar and leads worship for<br />
a community group. This is something<br />
I am quite thankful for, as I grew up in a<br />
house supported by live music. My dad<br />
taught me the foundations of guitar<br />
and since then, I have learned through<br />
experimentation and observation. I<br />
haven’t had any formal lessons, a circumstance<br />
I believe has both pros and<br />
cons.<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
DANIELLEDIMEGLIO<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
DAVIDHUTCHINSON<br />
Don’t let his shy exterior fool you.<br />
With a guitar in hand, sophomore<br />
John Anderson breaks away from<br />
his timid nature and brings forth the<br />
musician within him. He unveils his<br />
hidden talent and instantly grabs the<br />
attention of eager listeners, moving<br />
them with his soothing voice and instrumental<br />
expertise. Who would’ve<br />
thought that the man sitting behind<br />
you in class had such a powerful<br />
stage presence and creative spirit?<br />
Anderson composes his own lyrics<br />
and melodies, pulling inspiration<br />
from his faith and events of everyday<br />
life.<br />
In one of his most recent songs titled<br />
“Wings,” he sings about how we<br />
are always yearning for something<br />
more, causing us to overlook the<br />
beauty and value of what we already<br />
have. Anderson collaborated with<br />
fellow sophomores Connor Wheeler<br />
and David Hutchinson to create a<br />
music video for “Wings,” while studying<br />
abroad in Heidelberg, Germany.<br />
The music video is filmed against the<br />
backdrop of the famous Heidelberg<br />
Castle and shows Anderson singing<br />
in the open air while playing his guitar.<br />
The song is relatable and uplifting,<br />
much like his other compositions<br />
that have gained hundreds of views<br />
on Youtube. If you haven’t seen Anderson<br />
perform at Coffeehouses or<br />
other events on campus, you can<br />
check out his YouTube channel and<br />
fall for his music yourself!<br />
jlandersonmusic<br />
What sparked your interest<br />
in music?<br />
It filled in the gaps for me. Growing<br />
up, I was not much of a talker. I kept<br />
to myself quite a bit. I loved the idea of<br />
hearing guitar in a song and then replicating<br />
such a sound on my own. Soon,<br />
this got repetitive. The desire to create<br />
manifested itself, and I began writing<br />
my own songs.<br />
How would you describe<br />
your music?<br />
This is a difficult question. The first<br />
thought that comes to mind is that I see<br />
my music as a gift. It is God’s gift to me.<br />
He has given me a method by which<br />
to communicate. My music is a sort of<br />
personal language. It means so much<br />
to me, and my hope is that it can mean<br />
as much or more to others. In the general<br />
or technical sense, I would say my<br />
music is a mix of singer/songwriter, folk,<br />
and rock.<br />
CURRENTS 28 CURRENTS 29
Where do you gain inspiration?<br />
Usually, the songs I enjoy most have<br />
directly resulted from prayer. It continually<br />
reminds me that everything I have<br />
is a gift. All in all, most of my inspiration<br />
comes from God. He helps me both organize<br />
thoughts concerning day-to-day<br />
life, as well as process dynamic experiences.<br />
Any sort of change is usually<br />
cause for me to write or at least attempt<br />
to.<br />
Has being abroad inspired you<br />
as a musician? If so, how?<br />
Absolutely. Being away from such familiarity<br />
for such a long time is a big change.<br />
Change is a major thing that inspires<br />
me. I think that noticing changes and<br />
attempting to understand them helps<br />
me adapt to them more easily. Writing<br />
songs is one of the most effective ways<br />
for me to process change.<br />
What are some of your most<br />
memorable moments of<br />
performing?<br />
My most memorable moments of performing<br />
are made up of my shows at<br />
Witzend in Venice Beach. I’ve played<br />
there three times and each time has<br />
been better than the last. The last show I<br />
did was in August, about a week before<br />
I boarded the plane for Heidelberg. This<br />
is probably my favorite memory. Instead<br />
of performing solo, I had the privilege<br />
of playing with two fellow students and<br />
fantastic musicians, Adam Ingleheart<br />
and Alexa Shafer. Imagine creating<br />
something and at first, you think you<br />
have achieved completion. But then<br />
kindred artists use their gifts to intensify<br />
and expand what you have done. I think<br />
most people feel the same way when<br />
they are doing what they love.<br />
Do you have any musical<br />
aspirations for after college? If<br />
so, what are they?<br />
I want to be scheduling performances at<br />
venues more and more often. I also hope<br />
to record a new album. Recording is one<br />
thing that is tough to do while in school<br />
and living in a dorm room. It would be a<br />
dream to somehow end up in a studio<br />
with ample time. It’s tough having so<br />
many ideas for songs and lacking the<br />
means to put them down.<br />
How often do you practice?<br />
How often do you perform in<br />
front of other people?<br />
I try to practice as often as I can. The<br />
word “practice” does not really suit my<br />
attitude though. It is more of a privilege<br />
than a practice. Anytime I can get away<br />
and play or write, I find great happiness.<br />
One way I do this, being in Europe, is<br />
busking on the streets. I can share with<br />
the public, while still in an informal state<br />
of mind and maybe even make some<br />
change while I’m at it. Alongside the<br />
three performances at Witzend, I perform<br />
at Coffeehouses and events here<br />
and there on the Malibu campus. Over<br />
last summer, I had the opportunity to<br />
open for some friends at a place in Santa<br />
Ana. This summer will hopefully involve<br />
a wedding and a handful of restaurants<br />
or small venues. I’m praying to turn it into<br />
a summer job.<br />
How do you balance music<br />
with school?<br />
The balance is difficult, but not too difficult.<br />
Sometimes sleep must be sacrificed,<br />
but hey, that’s college in general.<br />
I had to practice with balance during<br />
high school between sports and music,<br />
so that has helped a ton.<br />
Do you ever feel nervous<br />
playing music in front of<br />
others? If so, how do you deal<br />
with the nerves?<br />
I almost always feel nervous. If I have a<br />
gig at night, I usually can’t eat lunch or<br />
dinner because my stomach is knotted<br />
with excitement. I think being nervous<br />
just shows that I really care about doing<br />
my best. It usually takes me an opening<br />
song to calm down and warm my hands<br />
up. Prayer helps me a great deal. Also, I<br />
just try not to think about it.<br />
What story are you trying to tell<br />
through your music?<br />
I’ve never thought on it before. In a general<br />
manner, I want people to know me.<br />
I’ve always tried to make each song very<br />
personal. I feel as if I am letting a stranger<br />
into my mind and heart each time I<br />
share. I think my story is also one of understanding.<br />
I want to tell of humanity’s<br />
flaws and shortcomings to hopefully<br />
lead toward love. I’m not saying I have<br />
the answers. I often use myself as an example<br />
of such flaws. But maybe others<br />
can sympathize with me and they will<br />
have answers.<br />
CURRENTS 30 CURRENTS 31
DANGLING<br />
DREAMER<br />
CHIRAGPATEL<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
MONIQUEBATAC<br />
FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRESENTS<br />
A Conference with N. T. WRIGHT<br />
FORMER BISHOP OF DURHAM<br />
Interpreting Paul<br />
for the Future of the World<br />
MAY 1–3, 2014<br />
FIRST CHURCH OF THE<br />
NAZARENE OF PASADENA<br />
for details and registration:<br />
FULLER.EDU/NTWRIGHT<br />
Colored silk<br />
hangs from high<br />
above the stage,<br />
dangling as the assembled<br />
crowd peers up at<br />
the young woman flitting<br />
effortlessly between the<br />
strands, at once in comfort<br />
and again mocking the fall.<br />
They hold as her lifeline,<br />
the colored silks, inverted<br />
tethers that she is able to<br />
traverse as graceful as any<br />
dancer upon trained toes.<br />
And suddenly she tumbles,<br />
falling down in a swirl of hues<br />
and gasps ...<br />
FULLER’S SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY PRESENTS PAYTON LECTURES 2014<br />
DR. MIROSLAV VOLF | APRIL 30 & MAY 1 | FULLER.EDU/PAYTONLECTURES<br />
CURRENTS 33
CURRENTS 34<br />
Time passes, and it’s another sunny day<br />
in February, typical weather for a typical<br />
Southern California winter. I am meeting<br />
Cory Batza at a Malibu Starbucks, and at first<br />
glance, she seems every bit the dancer I was<br />
told about: tall and slender, yet surprisingly<br />
tucked away behind a computer screen. I was<br />
told she is an aerial dancer, a style I’ve only<br />
heard of from the theatrical performances of<br />
Cirque du Soleil.<br />
We commence with the small talk, and I<br />
ask her about her journey to Pepperdine. Batza<br />
is from Valencia, Calif., where she grew<br />
up being very active. She practiced Kuk Sool<br />
Wan, a form of Korean martial arts, for 12<br />
years. She practiced ice skating for a number<br />
of years as well and started dancing at the age<br />
of 10.<br />
“My parents have always supported me<br />
in anything that I’ve been interested in. They<br />
know that I am very driven and that I’m only<br />
going to do things that I’m passionate about.<br />
If I’m involved in it, I’m going to give it everything,<br />
and they’ve never said no to something<br />
that I’ve wanted to do. Thank goodness they<br />
gave me good judgment, too!” Batza says with<br />
a laugh.<br />
She admits that her initial entry into the<br />
world of dance came with a slow start, but she<br />
began to fall more and more in love with the<br />
craft the more she became exposed to it. She<br />
practiced ballet, joined her high school dance<br />
team (although she felt the competition and<br />
sport involved wasn’t exactly her thing) and<br />
became a part of numerous arts programs,<br />
including the California State School of the<br />
Arts and the San Francisco Conservatory of<br />
Dance, while finding mentors at a dance studio<br />
in West Hollywood known as Edge Performing<br />
Arts.<br />
She speaks at length about the different<br />
styles of dance that she has been fortunate<br />
enough to be exposed to and practice. Her<br />
training is extensive to say the least, and there<br />
is a yearning of times long passed in her voice<br />
as she fondly reminisces about her teachers<br />
and her experiences.<br />
Batza talks about one of her mentors introducing<br />
her to aerial dance for the first time,<br />
and how she didn’t hesitate at the opportunity<br />
to try something new, something bold, something<br />
daring with the same gusto she seems<br />
to approach in all of her life endeavors.<br />
“I jumped right on into it,” Batza says. “I<br />
was never scared and that’s a huge part of aerial.<br />
You’re in the air, and you’re wrapping this<br />
thing around your body and letting go and<br />
hoping you did it right and that you’re not<br />
going to fall. I think the fear of falling and<br />
hurting yourself is what stops people from<br />
progressing. But for me, that’s the fun and exhilarating<br />
part of dancing.”<br />
We speak at length about her progression<br />
as an aerial dancer, and how she joined the<br />
professional dance company based out of the<br />
Westlake studio, Talent Lab, where she practices<br />
the unique style. Batza mentions how her<br />
passion for dance led her to consider pursuing<br />
it as a career, and she talks about a crossroads<br />
she inevitably meets, one in which the road<br />
chosen led her briefly away from dancing and<br />
into the world of a college student, a world<br />
full of new and unique challenges for the<br />
young woman accustomed to embracing her<br />
creative side.<br />
The fear of falling<br />
and hurting<br />
yourself is what<br />
stops people<br />
from progressing.<br />
But for me, that's<br />
the fun and<br />
exhilarating<br />
part of dancing.<br />
“It took me a long time to realize that<br />
dance wasn’t going to be a passion that would<br />
be a profession. I saw so many of my friends<br />
struggling to make it their life, and that can<br />
be very tolling on you as a person, physically<br />
and emotionally,” says Batza, who doesn’t<br />
seem like she is quitting on her dream, but<br />
rather realizing the cost of pursuing it. She is<br />
very close with her family, and was unsure if<br />
the constant traveling associated with the life<br />
of a dancer was right for her at the time. She<br />
CURRENTS 35
wanted a career in artistic dance as part of<br />
a traveling company, shying away from the<br />
Hollywood industry gigs available in nearby<br />
Los Angeles, and realized that it would be a<br />
struggle to try to force a passion for money<br />
when she could still do it on the side and be<br />
happy.<br />
Batza transferred to Pepperdine in the fall<br />
of 2011 with the hope of pursuing a bachelor’s<br />
degree in Business Administration and<br />
still being close enough to continue dancing<br />
with Talent Lab. She talks about her struggle<br />
to fit in as a transfer student, wanting to become<br />
a part of the community and trying to<br />
find her place within the university.<br />
“Pepperdine has a very intense community.<br />
You are either all in or you’re not,” she<br />
says, as she describes her initial disconnect<br />
as a transfer student without a niche. “It was<br />
hard. I was in sophomore and junior level<br />
classes with people who already knew each<br />
other and didn’t know who I was. I really<br />
wanted to get involved so I ended up doing<br />
Greek Recruitment, which was totally out of<br />
my comfort level!”<br />
Batza joined Delta Gamma, and although<br />
she felt hesitant and unsure about it at first,<br />
she describes her involvement as a huge part<br />
of her Pepperdine experience that has allowed<br />
her to branch out. Batza would also<br />
go on to become a part of the Pepperdine<br />
Ambassadors Council as well.<br />
“I heard it was a way to be a student leader<br />
on campus and give back to Pepperdine, and<br />
those were two things I wanted,” says Batza,<br />
who describes her experience with PAC as<br />
one that has allowed her to connect with students<br />
and faculty on campus and help represent<br />
the university at the highest level possible.<br />
“PAC is definitely way up there among<br />
things that I have thoroughly enjoyed being<br />
a part of at Pepperdine. It is definitely part<br />
of the more professional side of who I am.”<br />
She attributes her time with PAC as allowing<br />
her to better network and grow socially,<br />
while becoming a part of the community<br />
that initially seemed foreign to her.<br />
As our conversation veers further into her<br />
academic and social endeavors at the university,<br />
I was surprised to learn that Batza, currently<br />
a senior, will be attending law school<br />
here at Pepperdine, a far cry from her original<br />
dream to pursue professional dance. Batza<br />
embraces her decision whole heartedly,<br />
and she says it shows how her time in college<br />
has shaped her for her future.<br />
We talk about her future as a dancer as<br />
well, and Batza shows surprising maturity<br />
in understanding the role her passion has<br />
played in shaping who she is today.<br />
“A huge part of who I am has been me as<br />
a dancer ... I’m never going to stop dancing.<br />
I don’t see myself ever giving it up. I have<br />
decided to go to law school and pursue that,<br />
but dancing will always be my passion. It will<br />
always be what I love the most,” Batza says.<br />
“I am so thankful for the ability to dance, and<br />
have choices in life that have allowed me to<br />
say ‘hey, this isn’t going to be everything.’ I’m<br />
very thankful to also have school and have<br />
that other avenue.”<br />
As we wrap up the interview and say our<br />
goodbyes, I can’t help but admire Batza in a<br />
way I’ve never really admired someone before.<br />
She is gifted and talented with both her<br />
left and right brain — a 3.97 GPA and an<br />
incredible dancer to boot, with a clear understanding<br />
of who she is and what she is<br />
passionate about. It’s a rare mind set for a<br />
recent college graduate to have, and although<br />
she may have her doubts about her future,<br />
it seems as if the sky is the limit for Cory<br />
Batza.<br />
{0}<br />
... The crowd holds its breathe in a collective<br />
moment of shock, as the dancer<br />
falls amongst the tangled silks. But just as<br />
effortlessly as she swayed and moved a<br />
moment ago, she catches herself gracefully<br />
to the roar of all in attendance.<br />
CURRENTS 36<br />
CURRENTS 37
BOTANIST<br />
BRINGS<br />
TRAILS TO LIFE<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
DANIELLEACCOVELLI<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
SHAWNJONES<br />
With its breathtaking<br />
views, spectacular floral life<br />
and undisturbed natural<br />
habitats, Malibu is the ideal<br />
hiking destination. It becomes<br />
easy to gain a true<br />
appreciation for the beautiful<br />
Santa Monica Mountains.<br />
For Dr. Stephen Davis<br />
and his biology students,<br />
hiking these local trails<br />
also provides them with<br />
invaluable field experience<br />
to study diverse species,<br />
plants and other wildlife in<br />
their original habitats.<br />
CURRENTS39
"We are fortunate that we are in a natural landscape<br />
with so many varieties of plants, so we walk places and<br />
go hiking while learning things about the plants as we go<br />
along" says Biology professor Stephen Davis.<br />
A true lover of nature, Davis grew up on an apple ranch<br />
in Graton, Calif., a small town in West Sonoma County,<br />
and developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors at a<br />
young age. When Davis became a professor at Pepperdine,<br />
he was surprised by how little students knew about<br />
the landscapes surrounding Pepperdine and decided to<br />
incorporate the ecology of Malibu into his biology class<br />
curriculum. Along the way, Davis took students on many<br />
local hikes and has developed some favorite spots he goes<br />
back to year after year.<br />
A short distance from Pepperdine is Solstice Canyon<br />
National Park — a two-mile hike that promises spectacular<br />
views of a hidden waterfall at the trails end. According<br />
to Davis, the canyon has survived devastating fires twice,<br />
in 1982 and 2007, which allowed new plants to grow<br />
around the ancient rock formations, making it an ideal<br />
spot for a destination hike.<br />
Not only does Solstice Canyon provide spectacular<br />
views of wildlife, but it is also a great location for Davis'<br />
students to look at a diverse range of vegetation types.<br />
Some of the plants were used by ancient Native Americans<br />
for medicinal purposes and are even still used today.<br />
On March 7, one of Davis' classes participated in a new<br />
program called Plant Ecology of Solstice Canyon with<br />
home-schooled students. In this program, Pepperdine<br />
students had the opportunity to share their knowledge<br />
of these plants by taking the home-schooled students out<br />
into Solstice Canyon for an interactive lesson.<br />
"My students are now going to share their knowledge,<br />
understanding and enthusiasm not only with homeschooled<br />
students, but with their parents as well" comments<br />
Davis, "so it's a really rich overall experience."<br />
A little more removed from the Pepperdine and Malibu<br />
area is Sycamore Canyon, the sight of the devastating<br />
<strong>Spring</strong>s Fire in April 2013. Sycamore Canyon has proven<br />
to be an ideal spot for Davis' students to measure and GPS<br />
track different species of trees and observe their recovery<br />
after last year's fire. This experience has also given his students<br />
the opportunity to learn hands-on about the plants,<br />
while keeping up with the most important environmental<br />
issues such as forest decline and climate change.<br />
"It's real science with real issues that can scale to global<br />
questions," Davis said.<br />
Some of Davis' other favorite hiking destinations are<br />
Castro Crest at the end of Corral Canyon, which offers an<br />
awe-inspiring 360-degree panoramic view of the Malibu<br />
area and Point Dume, which houses a variety of rare marine-adapted<br />
plants.<br />
Davis also enjoys taking his students to the more remote<br />
hiking destination along Mishe Mokwa Trail. There<br />
are views of huge boulder formations and tiny creeks filled<br />
with rare and unusual native plant species such as adenostoma<br />
sparsifolium. Also known as redshank chaparral, this<br />
rare tree-like plant with reddish-brown bark and white<br />
flowers only blooms in July and August.<br />
Although all of these hiking sites provide breathtaking<br />
views of the landscape and plant species, they have all<br />
burned down at some point as well. Ironically, these fires<br />
actually allow for magnificent floral displays that greatly<br />
enhance the beauty of the trails. The fire acts as a cleanser,<br />
allowing brand-new growth.<br />
"These plants are adapted to fire, rejuvenated by fire<br />
and can recover from fire and return to their natural form<br />
after fire," Davis says. "They are really quite spectacular."<br />
Every spring, these resilient plants rise out of the barren<br />
soil giving the hiking sites new life and exhibiting the<br />
remarkable biodiversity of Malibu. Whether a biology<br />
student or simply just taking a hike, these sights are sure<br />
to make any Pepperdine student stop and appreciate the<br />
beauty of the natural world in our own backyard.<br />
CURRENTS40<br />
CURRENTS41
TOP 10<br />
SUMMER<br />
SPOTS<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
JOANDALY<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
SARAHATTAR<br />
MONIQUEBATAC<br />
ALEXANDERHAYES<br />
MARISAPADILLA<br />
BRANDONSCHEIRMAN<br />
1<br />
Horseback riding<br />
You don’t need to travel to the Midwest to feel<br />
like a real cowboy or cowgirl. Malibu has its own<br />
equestrian trails and training sessions throughout<br />
the summer. In between the country music on<br />
the beach and line dancing at Borderline (yes, a<br />
Pepperdine favorite), you might as well fully assimilate<br />
yourself into the country lifestyle. Malibu<br />
Riders has one trail in Malibu, the Zuma Canyon<br />
trail, and two in Agoura Hills. Splurge a little —<br />
it’s $50 per person, and you can start to learn the<br />
ropes of horseback riding etiquette, while enjoying<br />
the beautiful trail scenery and the company of<br />
friends. You couldn’t pick a more stunning place<br />
to ride.<br />
INFO<br />
http://www.maliburiders.com<br />
CURRENTS 43
2<br />
ZIPLINING<br />
There are two kinds of Pepperdine students. Those<br />
who are adventurous, and those who achieve the adventure<br />
solely through a semester of hiking to class. In other<br />
words, those who walk and those who shuttle. Whether<br />
the thrill of adventure runs through your veins or you’re<br />
just trying to step out of your comfort zone, ziplining is<br />
a must do trip this summer. Navitat Canopy Adventures,<br />
located northeast of Los Angeles, is worth the two-hour<br />
drive for an escape outdoors. You can choose from various<br />
zipline tour packages, all of which include exploring the<br />
beautiful tree habitats that California has to offer. Zipline<br />
tours and packages run upward of $100, but for the adventurous<br />
soul, the price is well worth it. How often will<br />
you get the opportunity to zip 300 feet above the forest<br />
floor? Besides, Navitat and its ziplining adventures prove<br />
that there’s so much more nature to explore than just the<br />
beaches — although we’re not complaining about those.<br />
Who knows, maybe the trees in the forest are good for<br />
hammocking too.<br />
INFO<br />
www.navitat.com/wrightwood-ca/<br />
4<br />
Movies @ The<br />
Hollywood Cemetery<br />
The famous Hollywood Cemetery may not seem like<br />
the typical venue for a Saturday night under the stars,<br />
but anything goes in Hollywood, right? All summer<br />
long, Fairbanks Lawn, located in the Hollywood Forever<br />
Cemetery, hosts a variety of classic movies on a giant<br />
projector for the public from May 19 to the end of the<br />
August. Not only is it a fun and affordable adventure to<br />
have with your friends, but it could also be a unique date<br />
night idea for that special someone. Before the movie<br />
plays, DJs spin some music to keep the scene vibin’. The<br />
entrance donation is $10 and parking is $5. Be sure to get<br />
there early to find a spot on the grass, lay out your blankets<br />
and bring out the picnic basket. Whether you’re out<br />
with friends or a date, movies at the Hollywood Cemetery<br />
are an experience you can’t pass up!<br />
INFO<br />
www.cinespia.org/how-to/<br />
3<br />
CURRENTS44<br />
Stand-Up<br />
Paddleboarding<br />
We’ve all driven on PCH and glanced out at the<br />
ocean, only to see people standing up on paddleboards,<br />
rowing their paddles and serenely drifting on the glistening<br />
water. And in that moment, we wished that were us.<br />
Stand-up paddleboarding is a growing trend in Malibu<br />
and other beach communities. Renting board and paddle<br />
equipment is easy at beach shacks like Malibu Surf Shack<br />
or Zuma Jay’s. People drive from all over Los Angeles to<br />
experience the Malibu waters and stunning views, so why<br />
not take advantage of it while we’re here? To be a true<br />
local, you gotta explore the Pacific. What a perfect way to<br />
check this off your bucket list.<br />
INFO<br />
www.malibusurfshack.com/rentals<br />
BEVERLY HILLS<br />
Weezer put it perfectly when they crooned, “Beverly Hills, that’s where<br />
I wanna be!” Because if Malibu weren’t already good enough for us, Beverly<br />
Hills is just a short drive away for a taste of celebrity life and upscale<br />
living. Get your friends together, dress in your Sunday best and spend the<br />
day exploring the city! Grab breakfast burritos and sit on the steps of the<br />
Rodeo collection in the heart of the city. You’ll be eating breakfast right<br />
across from the lavish Beverly Wilshire Hotel with a prime view of the famous<br />
Rodeo Drive. Spend the day (window) shopping-till-you-drop and<br />
cool off on a hot summer’s day with a sweet treat from The Ice Cream Lab<br />
off Santa Monica Boulevard. Choose from all the delicious flavors made<br />
right in front of you with liquid nitrogen. Can you say posh?<br />
INFO<br />
http://www.beverlyhills.org<br />
5<br />
6<br />
Bay Cities<br />
If there ever were a life-changing sandwich,<br />
Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery<br />
makes it. You may be wondering how<br />
something so simple can actually be so<br />
transformative for your tastebuds. After<br />
all, it’s just a sandwich right? Wrong. This<br />
hole-in-the-wall Italian deli offers fresh<br />
Italian ingredients and perfectly crispy<br />
bread to create the ultimate satiating bite.<br />
The local favorite is the “Godmother”<br />
sandwich, which is appropriately referred<br />
to as the godmother of all sandwiches. In<br />
between warm Italian bread, the sandwich<br />
consists of Genoa salami, Mortadella cappacola,<br />
ham, prosciutto, and provolone<br />
cheese. Add in “The Works” with mayo,<br />
mustard, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato,<br />
pickled hot or mild peppers and homemade<br />
Italian dressing. All of the flavors<br />
in one perfect sandwich is enough to keep<br />
you coming back all summer!<br />
INFO<br />
www.baycitiesitaliandeli.com<br />
CURRENTS45
Hike to Hollywood sign<br />
Get up close and personal with one of the<br />
world's most recognized landmarks. It's more than<br />
just a sign. It's what makes Los Angeles home to<br />
the entertainment industry. The city of Hollywood<br />
may be filled with celebrity impersonators, high<br />
congestion and crowds of people, but hiking up to<br />
the sign offers an entirely different experience. View<br />
the city of angels from a more tranquil setting as<br />
you hike along the Hollyridge Trail and take in the<br />
beautiful skyline. It's the perfect summer activity<br />
with friends, and it's completely free –– music to<br />
the ears of college students everywhere.<br />
7<br />
8<br />
Venice<br />
beach<br />
Mix up your summer routine with a short<br />
drive down to one of the most eclectic beach<br />
cities in Southern California. Rent a pair of<br />
rollerblades or tandem bicycles for as little<br />
as $5 per hour and ride along the beach path<br />
with ice cream in hand. After you’ve worked<br />
up an appetite in the sun, walk down to<br />
Washington Boulevard for a delicious bite<br />
(C&O’s Italian restaurant gives you garlic<br />
knots for days!) and boutique shopping. But<br />
for the best Venice experience, visit on the<br />
first Friday of every month for a night filled<br />
with food trucks, art galleries and live music.<br />
Washington Boulevard street is closed off to<br />
vehicles until 2 a.m. and open for the public<br />
to enjoy a warm summer night dancing in<br />
the streets!<br />
10<br />
CURRENTS46<br />
9<br />
LACMA<br />
Concerts<br />
Art galleries, free outdoor concerts and picnics on the<br />
grass? Nothing screams summer more than live performances<br />
at the LACMA — or any other museum for that<br />
matter. Some of the best museums in LA participate in<br />
free concerts during the summer months on Sundays<br />
with performances ranging anywhere from jazz, contemporary<br />
hip-hop, classical and Latin music. Spend the day<br />
walking through art galleries, taking photos by the infamous<br />
lamp post exhibit “Urban Lights,” exploring the<br />
La Brea Tar Pits and indulging in some of the tastiest<br />
food trucks parked right outside. Take your food onto the<br />
grass and enjoy the sounds of live bands in the heart of<br />
the city with the LACMA as your backdrop.<br />
Griffith<br />
Observatory<br />
When you think of Los Angeles, stargazing isn’t exactly the first thing that comes<br />
to mind. Sitting on top of the Hollywood hills, the Griffith Observatory is an escape<br />
from the chaos of urban life and offers panoramic views of the city. You haven’t experienced<br />
the beauty of Los Angeles until you’ve visited the Observatory at night!<br />
Giant telescopes align the site, allowing you to see vivid constellations and stars. Take<br />
a look inside to see the planetarium and astronomy displays. Admission and parking<br />
are free, and tickets for special events and shows can be found online. Viewing the<br />
stars and city at 1,134 feet above sea level is an unforgettable experience well worth<br />
the drive!<br />
INFO<br />
www.griffithobs.org<br />
INFO<br />
www.lacma.org/programs/music/sundays-live
NSIDE<br />
WOMEN’S SAND VOLLEYBALL<br />
WITH<br />
EMILY COOK<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
CHIRAGPATEL<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
MARISAPADILLA<br />
Sand volleyball can still be considered a sport<br />
in its infancy here at Pepperdine, but the university’s<br />
team has shown that it’s a sport that’s here<br />
to stay. The outcome for the 2011-2012 season<br />
— the first for the team — was an AVCA National<br />
Championship win. Their second season<br />
saw them finish as the AVCA National Championship<br />
runner-up. The Waves entered their<br />
current season as the AVCA No—1 ranked<br />
team in the nation, and they look toward securing<br />
nothing short of another championship win<br />
come May.<br />
Senior Emily Cook grew up playing volleyball<br />
most of her life, and her skills allowed<br />
her to play an important role for Pepperdine’s<br />
indoor volleyball team. An unfortunate injury<br />
derailed her ability to play, and her future on<br />
the hardwood court of Firestone Fieldhouse<br />
seemed uncertain. So she decided to head to<br />
the beach.<br />
How were you first<br />
introduced to volleyball?<br />
I’m from Murrieta Valley and started playing<br />
when I was 9 years old. My parents got me<br />
into it because I was tall and didn’t really like<br />
any other outdoor sports. I started playing for<br />
club and started playing beach when I was<br />
12. I did both and never really had an offseason<br />
because I would always go from club to<br />
beach. Then high school came around. I had<br />
high school tryouts and made it to varsity my<br />
freshman year. I played all four years there,<br />
and switched to an Orange County club team<br />
that was a little better and still continued to<br />
play beach since I was 12 till now.<br />
What made you decide to pursue collegiate<br />
volleyball here at Pepperdine?<br />
I got to Pepperdine through indoor volleyball. I got<br />
recruited ... by [then Head Coach] Nina Matthies.<br />
She didn’t really approach me ... she told me that<br />
if I wanted to come here, I had to make the effort.<br />
It was between [Pepperdine] and ASU, and I was<br />
like, “Why would I want to go to the desert when I<br />
can come here?” So I called [Nina] and said “I’m in,<br />
let’s do this.”<br />
CURRENTS 48 CURRENTS 49
How were your first few<br />
seasons as an athlete here?<br />
I started my freshman year. It went really<br />
well. I made All Freshman Team. Sophomore<br />
year I hurt my back. I worked all<br />
summer to play again and of course the<br />
first game, we were in Dayton and [the<br />
score] was 6-7. A girl came up on the net<br />
and I landed on her foot. It was a pretty<br />
bad sprain. I didn’t think it was that bad,<br />
I thought I could come back and play. I<br />
tried. I came back a couple weeks later<br />
and couldn’t land on the hard surface<br />
anymore. It hurt so bad.<br />
What was the rehab like<br />
for the injury?<br />
Blending<br />
Two<br />
Worlds<br />
Student veterans talk life after Afghanistan<br />
My trainer said we were going to take a<br />
break. Over the summer I started playing<br />
beach and it just didn’t feel right. I<br />
had my first MRI and it didn’t show anything<br />
and I said, “I need to go in again.<br />
Something’s not right.” So my second<br />
MRI, the doctor did find something.... I<br />
had surgery and was on crutches for six<br />
weeks, which was awful. It was my right<br />
ankle so I couldn’t drive anywhere and<br />
I live off campus! I did so much rehab<br />
... crutches for six weeks and a boot for<br />
four weeks after that ... then range of motion<br />
exercises, walking, light biking and<br />
jogging ... then finally once winter break<br />
came I was able to play full on. My rehab<br />
was three times a week, an hour and a<br />
half each time, with trainer Kevin Wright.<br />
I wanted to get better. I was going fullmode.<br />
I took it slow, but wanted to get<br />
the process going.<br />
What was the plan,<br />
volleyball-wise, after surgery?<br />
How has the sand volleyball<br />
team been gearing up<br />
for this season?<br />
Pretty well. Intense. We have been conditioning<br />
since January, conditioning<br />
and lifting. Three days a week, 6:30 in<br />
the morning till 10. We won our first year<br />
in the national championship and last<br />
season, due to academic ineligibility, we<br />
had to forfeit our first team. We found out<br />
the week before that one of our players<br />
couldn’t come...We only played four of<br />
our teams out of five. We lost to Long<br />
Beach in the last game. We want to<br />
come back from that this year.<br />
Why do you feel this year’s<br />
team has been ranked No. 1?<br />
What are your goals after<br />
Pepperdine?<br />
I’m applying to grad school, and I still<br />
have another year to play sand. I’m applying<br />
to Pepperdine and other schools<br />
for film, and hopefully will play a little<br />
more for sand after grad school.<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
MARIELLARUDI<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
SHAWNJONES<br />
I talked to Nina and said, “I’m getting<br />
surgery. I won’t be able to play<br />
[indoor] the whole season. How do<br />
you feel about me playing beach?”<br />
She thought it would work perfectly.<br />
I came back [to indoor] after my injury<br />
in early November but I couldn’t. It<br />
was too hard. If I didn’t have surgery, I<br />
wouldn’t be able to play full out on indoor<br />
or beach. I decided to have surgery<br />
to be able to go all in for beach. I<br />
made the decision to be able to give<br />
all my time and effort to just sand.<br />
I feel like we are ranked No. 1 this year because<br />
we do have a really strong team.<br />
We have a lot of players coming back,<br />
and we have a strong core group of girls.<br />
We know we have a target on our back<br />
because we are ranked No. 1. Since it<br />
is a growing sport, there are a lot more<br />
teams this year. USC, Long Beach, they<br />
have been training the same amount of<br />
time we have, and I think they are going<br />
to be our biggest competition ... this<br />
year everyone is going to be really good,<br />
ranks one through five.<br />
The current sand volleyball season<br />
ends with the AVCA National Championships<br />
in Alabama from May 1<br />
through 5. The team has been playing<br />
some spectacular volleyball thus<br />
far in the season, holding onto their<br />
No.—1 spot as they continue to push<br />
toward the playoffs. Cook has been<br />
able to move past her injury and has<br />
been an integral part of the team in<br />
their push for another championship<br />
title.<br />
CURRENTS 50<br />
CURRENTS 51
Joel Denning, 24, chose to meet at Heroes<br />
Garden, the summit of Pepperdine’s<br />
Malibu campus. When the 9/11 tribute<br />
site doesn’t function as a background<br />
for Instagram and sorority formal photo<br />
shoots, it serves as a quiet respite from the<br />
buzz of down below. Heroes Garden commands<br />
reflection and solicitude from its<br />
guests. It’s an almost monastic experience.<br />
Which is why Denning, a five-year Marine<br />
Corps veteran and Seaver sophomore,<br />
came here to talk about his transition into<br />
collegiate life as an incoming freshman.<br />
His aviator sunglasses loyally reflect the<br />
ocean view, the waving flag and the Magritte<br />
clouds.<br />
Sunglasses still on, Denning recounted<br />
his aviation unit’s mortar attacks, angel<br />
flights, airborne assault, aerial refueling,<br />
planes catching on fire, and an engine exploding<br />
on the aircraft.<br />
After surviving seven months in Afghanistan,<br />
Denning was admitted to Pepperdine<br />
for fall 2012. Now, he had to survive<br />
New Student Orientation.<br />
“I wore a collared shirt the first day, was<br />
going to all the events and transfer things.<br />
And people didn’t sit near me,” Denning<br />
said. Admittedly not the typical first year<br />
student, he sensed that his new classmates<br />
sensed that he was different.<br />
One NSO leader sat down with Denning,<br />
who was eating alone, and Denning<br />
informed him that he was a veteran.<br />
“Oh, a veteran, like you transferred to a<br />
lot of schools?” Not quite.<br />
The transition was rough at first. And<br />
for many student veterans going to college<br />
for the first time or going back after<br />
serving in war, college has become the new<br />
front. Some experience a disconnect from<br />
their classmates or from the world itself.<br />
“It’s a transition and its one that’s hard<br />
to describe,” said veteran and junior Jessica<br />
Egan. Which is why Egan, who served as<br />
a Marine in Afghanistan for 11 months,<br />
wanted to form an organization, support<br />
group, networking aid, whatever it could<br />
be, to bridge what she called an experience<br />
and generation gap between student veterans<br />
and everyone else.<br />
Thanks in part to Denning’s suggestion<br />
that his erstwhile crew chief and plane<br />
captain “check out” Pepperdine, Egan at<br />
25 enrolled as a psychology major, on a<br />
pre-med track, in spring 2013. That same<br />
semester she founded the Student Veterans<br />
Organization.<br />
That semester was a “big culture shock<br />
for lack of a better term. Marine mentality<br />
tends to be very distinct. And I think I<br />
came here very wound tight. You’re coming<br />
from a place where being on time and<br />
structure is everything,” Egan said. “I just<br />
wanted to have a group for that transition,<br />
but also to make people aware.”<br />
Like Denning, she described her days<br />
introducing herself as a Marine to mixed<br />
reactions. She sometimes even felt like a<br />
spectacle.<br />
“This is obviously a generalization, but<br />
people who I encountered didn’t really<br />
know a lot about the military and they<br />
didn’t know a whole lot about the war,<br />
which is most of America. It’s been going<br />
on for so long it’s that classic case of, ‘well,<br />
it’s always been there,’” Egan said.<br />
The SVA is geared toward supporting<br />
student veterans, but the young student<br />
organization also hopes to work the volunteer<br />
piece, get more information and<br />
resources to and from its members, and to<br />
identify itself as a presence to students less<br />
informed about the veteran population.<br />
There are 17 members.<br />
Denning, Egan and 138 students are<br />
able to go to Pepperdine because of the<br />
Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the<br />
Post-9/11 GI Bill.<br />
“I was not going to go into debt for college,”<br />
Denning said. “It was never an option<br />
until the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which was<br />
such a blessing to so many veterans. It’s<br />
kind of a logistical nightmare to explain,<br />
but in other words, I go here for free.”<br />
The Post-9/11 GI Bill was passed in<br />
2009 and that same year, Pepperdine adopted<br />
it, according to Lesbiz Tovar, an<br />
adviser for student veterans and their<br />
families at Pepperdine. The new GI bill<br />
is unique from ones in the past because it<br />
now transfers benefits to a spouse or child,<br />
or dependents. Tovar said the majority of<br />
Yellow Ribbon recipients at Seaver are dependents.<br />
Pepperdine was one of the first private<br />
schools in California to offer the Yellow<br />
Ribbon program, which expanded the<br />
scope of universities to veterans and their<br />
families. Whatever the GI Bill gives depending<br />
on service and eligibility, Pepperdine<br />
awards half the difference between<br />
the annual cap set by the Department of<br />
Veteran Affairs (VA) and the cost of tuition<br />
and fees. All colleges and universities<br />
are different, but under the program,<br />
Pepperdine offers an unlimited number of<br />
students an unlimited maximum school<br />
contribution amount to all schools and degree<br />
levels.<br />
At the beginning of the 2009 academic<br />
year, 36 students came to Pepperdine under<br />
the Yellow Ribbon program. In spring<br />
2013, that number has grown to 140 students.<br />
“I think it’s important to realize that<br />
there are veterans who are going back<br />
to school or going to school for the first<br />
time,” Egan said. “Now with the wars<br />
winding down, you’re going to see more of<br />
that. And I think veterans are a pretty sizable<br />
percentage of the population and a lot<br />
of them are young kids who did enlistment<br />
and that’s kind of all they’ve known since<br />
high school.”<br />
Focusing on that transition and a solid<br />
support system for veterans, Egan said, is<br />
the goal.<br />
Two years after the awkwardness that<br />
was NSO, Dennings, an accounting major,<br />
has meshed well with his new peers. Aside<br />
from some jeering from his fellow Marines,<br />
Dennings joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon<br />
fraternity, is Inter-Fraternity Council<br />
president and vice-president of the Rugby<br />
team.<br />
His do-or-die mentality has adjusted to<br />
a new life, busied with work, school and<br />
marriage.<br />
“After the marine corps, I like safe, I<br />
like not getting shot at. Unless you’re an<br />
accountant in Kabul, you’ll probably be<br />
OK,” Denning said behind his sunglasses.<br />
CURRENTS 52 CURRENTS 53
REAL TALK<br />
Relationships<br />
CURRENTS 54<br />
on Campus<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
KARADANNER<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
SAFEENAPADDER<br />
CURRENTS 55
On my first day of class at Pepperdine, my<br />
professor joked that no one at Pepperdine<br />
ever dates. Six months later, I overheard<br />
several upperclassmen talking about getting a “ring<br />
by spring.” Utterly confused, I thought to myself, “I<br />
thought no one dated? Come spring of senior year,<br />
am I going to be single one day and married the<br />
next? Where’s the in-between?” It’s two years later<br />
and I still don’t have the answer, so I asked two single<br />
Pepperdine students, two engaged students and<br />
two married students what they thought.<br />
JUSTIN & TAYLER BECK<br />
[NEWLYWEDS]<br />
When did you start dating and how<br />
did you meet?<br />
Mrs.: We started dating December 2011 and got married<br />
July 27th, 2013.<br />
Mr.: We met in high school. She was a freshman when<br />
I was a junior and she started dating one of my friends.<br />
They broke up, but it had nothing to do with me. Then<br />
we started dating a few months later.<br />
What expectations do you have and what<br />
do you look for in a potential relationship?<br />
Mrs.: Faith is a big one. Someone who has the same<br />
values as you and is a believer so the two of you can<br />
work on that together.<br />
Mr.: Somebody who is forgiving, willing to support you<br />
and someone who you are attracted to.<br />
What is the presence of relationships like<br />
at Pepperdine?<br />
Mrs.: What I’ve gotten from everyone is that there’s no<br />
presence of relationships and no dating life. That’s the<br />
biggest complaint I hear in my small groups is that it’s<br />
either nothing or it’s really serious. There’s no in-between<br />
dating. I never hear any of my friends say “Oh,<br />
I’m going on a date.”<br />
Do Pepperdine students have different<br />
relationship expectations?<br />
Mrs.: I think for a Christian couple, it’s expected that<br />
they’re going to stay pure.<br />
Mr.: It depends on whom you talk to. I think we have<br />
a wide variety of perspectives because not everyone<br />
goes to Pepperdine for the religious aspects.<br />
Have your relationship views changed<br />
since coming to Pepperdine?<br />
Mrs.: I think they just reaffirm them more than they<br />
change them. Pepperdine kind of keeps you accountable.<br />
When I went to California Polytechnic State University<br />
at San Luis Obispo, it was crazy, everyone was<br />
doing whatever he or she wanted with anyone.<br />
Mr.: I don’t think mine really have. One of the reasons I<br />
chose Pepperdine is because it aligns with my views.<br />
I grew up in the Church of Christ, so Pepperdine just<br />
reinforced my relationship views.<br />
EDWIN HERRERA DURAN<br />
[SINGLE]<br />
What is the presence of relationships like<br />
at Pepperdine?<br />
At Pepperdine there are only two types of relationships.<br />
Either people meet, start dating, and spend every minute<br />
with each other and eventually get engaged or the<br />
couple only hooks up and they aren’t necessarily exclusive<br />
with each other.<br />
Have your relationship views changed<br />
since coming to Pepperdine?<br />
My views have changed a little. There was a time freshman<br />
year I wanted a relationship bad because I wanted<br />
to spend all my time with one special person. Then<br />
I realized I’m young, in college, and can’t be tied down<br />
by another person.<br />
Do Pepperdine students have different<br />
relationship expectations?<br />
Pepperdine students have totally different expectations<br />
of a relationship than most college students. Over<br />
time, being exposed to such polar opposite styles of<br />
relationships, forces one to choose a side, so people<br />
either become that couple that does everything together<br />
and posts annoying love photos or the person<br />
that just hooks up and doesn’t want anything serious.<br />
What expectations do you have and what<br />
do you look for in a potential relationship?<br />
Currently I would say I have no expectations in a relationship<br />
because I am not seeking a relationship.<br />
I like someone who spends time with me, but not all<br />
their time. Someone who is spontaneous and makes<br />
me try new things but also has some sort of stability.<br />
Someone who can confront me and not be passive<br />
aggressive.<br />
JAZMINE OROZCO<br />
[SINGLE]<br />
What expectations do you have and what<br />
do you look for in a potential<br />
relationship?<br />
I have to be friends with the person for quite some<br />
time just to get a gauge of what they are like in different<br />
types of situations when they’re not trying to<br />
impress me. Every girl says they want someone who<br />
can make them laugh and who’s their best friend, but<br />
at the end of the day I think that trust and loyalty are<br />
underrated and not emphasized enough.<br />
Have your relationship views changed<br />
since coming to Pepperdine?<br />
Absolutely. I transferred to Pepperdine as a junior,<br />
and the relationship culture at my other university is<br />
entirely different than what I thought it to be here. I<br />
was in a relationship the entire time there, so coming<br />
here I wanted to focus on myself and my goals. I<br />
don’t have room in my life for any sort of committed<br />
relationship. I don’t know if that reflects on how busy<br />
everyone at Pepperdine is or just me personally.<br />
What is the presence of relationships like<br />
at Pepperdine?<br />
There are very few relationships at Pepperdine that<br />
are private. Everyone knows who’s in a relationship,<br />
who’s single and how their relationship or lack thereof<br />
is going. Everyone is very involved in things that I<br />
feel should be kept between two individuals.<br />
Do Pepperdine students have different<br />
relationship expectations?<br />
It depends on what community you are most heavily<br />
involved in. Some people feel pressured to join<br />
a couples Bible study or to move things faster than<br />
they’re ready to so that people know they’re dating.<br />
It really just depends who they surround themselves<br />
with, but I think its pretty typically with people our<br />
age in general there are always these kinds of pressures<br />
on relationships.<br />
CURRENTS 56 CURRENTS 57
CHRISTINA HARPER & DANIEL MATTOX<br />
[ENGAGED]<br />
When did you start dating and how<br />
did you meet?<br />
Christina: We started dating last March, but we’ve<br />
known each other all four years of Pepperdine, since<br />
freshman year. We laugh about it now because we’ve<br />
done everything together. We went abroad to Buenos<br />
Aires together, we were NSO leaders together, but we<br />
were always in different groups. So until we talked<br />
one-on-one, there wasn’t anything there.<br />
What expectations do you have, and what<br />
do you look for in a potential relationship?<br />
Christina: My biggest expectation was that I just wanted<br />
to meet someone and find someone who loved<br />
God and who was a loving person, not only to me, but<br />
also to others. But, God was first.<br />
Daniel: I had the same expectation, that’s why I think<br />
it worked out so well. I think that when you love God,<br />
then you’re going to love other people and have very<br />
similar goals.<br />
What is the presence of relationships<br />
like at Pepperdine?<br />
Daniel: I’ve noticed this year, there’s a lot more people<br />
dating. For the most part there’s a lot of pressure on<br />
it. If you date someone then people are really nervous<br />
about it. I came from a high school where no one made<br />
a big deal about it, but if you date here, it’s a huge deal.<br />
Christina: I think it’s hard too because it’s such a small<br />
school and everyone knows everyone’s business.<br />
Before we were even dating people were saying, “Oh<br />
Christina and Daniel are dating.” And I was like, “what,<br />
no we’re not!” In my mind, I was thinking he hasn’t<br />
asked me to be his girlfriend. Pepperdine’s such a<br />
small school compared to a public school where people<br />
date and break up and it’s fine and you move on.<br />
Do Pepperdine students have different<br />
relationship expectations?<br />
Christina: Absolutely. Here, it’s really high pressure.<br />
Even a couple months in people ask, “Are you in love?<br />
Is he the one? Are you guys going to get married?” At<br />
other schools, it’s different. My friends at public, secular<br />
schools say the hookup comes first and then you<br />
decide if you want to date and it’s not serious and you<br />
can date for three years and it still may not be serious.<br />
Daniel: People here date for marriage. They don’t date<br />
just to get to know people or get to know themselves<br />
and what they like.<br />
Have your relationship views changed<br />
since coming to Pepperdine?<br />
Christina: I don’t think they’ve really changed. I’ve been<br />
surprised because I think that you can date someone<br />
and if it doesn’t work out, you break up and it’s fine. But<br />
at Pepperdine, that doesn’t happen. Everything is on a<br />
huge scale and everything is a big deal. But my views<br />
of dating someone who I can see myself with haven’t<br />
changed.<br />
Daniel: I come from a background that says you can<br />
date someone and not marry them, which is totally<br />
opposite of Pepperdine. I think people should date for<br />
marriage, but not make a big deal if it doesn’t work out<br />
because it’s still a learning experience and you both<br />
grow from it. The pressure shouldn’t be there. Dating<br />
isn’t as big of a deal as people make it out to be.<br />
BEATING<br />
THE<br />
CLOCK<br />
DANIELLEDIMEGLIO<br />
It was a warm day in Worcester,<br />
Mass. — warm enough<br />
for a picnic and some good<br />
old-fashioned flag football. Nineyear-old<br />
John Cormier watched<br />
as his father sprinted left, then<br />
faked right, clutching the ball<br />
to his chest and moved swiftly<br />
toward yet another touchdown.<br />
In his genes, John shares his<br />
father’s height, athleticism and a<br />
rare (and deadly) disorder.<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
MONIQUEBATAC<br />
CURRENTS 58<br />
CURRENTS 59
Another spin to the right on another<br />
play, his father couldn’t help but laugh<br />
as he chased down the opposition and<br />
lunged forward to pull off the flag. He<br />
landed on his chest, yet again, a valiant<br />
competitor worthy of another point<br />
just for his effort. Only this time, John’s<br />
father had trouble getting up. Time<br />
seemed to stop. His father ached of severe<br />
pain in his stomach and was too<br />
weak to continue.<br />
Panicked, family members rushed<br />
him to the hospital. Everyone would<br />
soon learn that he was experiencing an<br />
abdominal aortic rupture, one he didn’t<br />
know he had. But by the time doctors<br />
made the diagnosis, it was too late.<br />
Unbeknownst to John, that rare disorder<br />
would claim the life of his father<br />
that day and change John’s life forever.<br />
Doctors regretfully informed his family<br />
that John’s father had passed away<br />
from Marfan Syndrome, a connective<br />
tissue disorder that can lead to severe<br />
damage in the cardiovascular system.<br />
Marfan is passed down genetically. After<br />
a series of tests, John would learn<br />
within weeks of his father’s death that<br />
he, too, had the same disorder.<br />
From that point forward, John lived<br />
his life thinking he would die at the age<br />
of 37, the same age his father fell victim<br />
to<br />
{0}<br />
the condition.<br />
Tick, tick. John Cormier made it past<br />
37, and counting, but it hasn’t been<br />
easy. Now 43 years old and an academic<br />
adviser at Pepperdine University for<br />
the past two years, he leads me into the<br />
conference room of OneStop for our<br />
scheduled interview. He’s a tall man in<br />
a nice suit, instantly warm and genuine.<br />
We take our seats at the table and he<br />
immediately hands me a grocery bag.<br />
Perplexed, I asked what was inside.<br />
“Home-made pesto sauce with gnocchi<br />
pasta to take back to the dorm. Cooking<br />
is my hobby and I often cook for fellow<br />
employees,” he said. The way the pasta<br />
looked and smelled, I was more than<br />
happy to accept the kind gesture.<br />
John grew up 30 minutes outside<br />
of Boston in Worcester, a rural, steel<br />
mill town. “The film ‘American Hustle’<br />
filmed there because the buildings and<br />
surroundings still haven’t changed,” he<br />
said laughingly as he reminisced over<br />
his childhood town.<br />
As employees at the University of<br />
Massachusetts, John’s father worked<br />
as a medical librarian for the Memorial<br />
Hospital in Worcester and his mother<br />
worked at the university as a secretary<br />
for a psychiatrist. He grew up in a blue<br />
collar, Catholic home with his younger<br />
brother and sister.<br />
John tells me he was an active kid.<br />
He’d often play in the woods and ride<br />
his bicycle around town. His favorite<br />
pastime was riding bicycles. On weekends,<br />
he would fix up muscle cars and<br />
soup up the engines. There wasn’t<br />
much nightlife in his rural town so he<br />
passed the time doing repairs and stay-<br />
ing outdoors.<br />
“After my dad died, I didn’t really<br />
think about my condition until high<br />
school. I was only aware of it because<br />
other people treated me differently. I<br />
was the kid whose dad had died. It emphasized<br />
the mortality issue even more<br />
because I thought I was only going to<br />
live as long as my dad did.”<br />
Without any published research<br />
readily available, medical organizations<br />
or proper technology at the time, John<br />
suspected his timeline to be that of his<br />
father’s. Doctors never told him otherwise.<br />
The lack of information available<br />
led to several rounds of testing. “I was<br />
poked and prodded by specialists who<br />
were trying to understand my condition.<br />
I was kind of treated like a lab animal.”<br />
Through all the testing, which was<br />
both mentally and physically exhausting,<br />
John remained stoic. He had faith<br />
in his doctors. He tells me that acting<br />
angry or defying his doctors would only<br />
harm himself. He did exactly as they<br />
told him, without any defiance or hesitation.<br />
He still does. Tough for a young adolescent<br />
at the time, but he knew there<br />
wasn’t a choice.<br />
When John graduated high school<br />
and enrolled at UMass, he was ready to<br />
start a new phase in his life. “It wasn’t<br />
until I went to college and started studying<br />
philosophy that I wasn’t afraid of living<br />
anymore.”<br />
His college years completely altered<br />
his views on life as he studied different<br />
philosophies of mortality. He studied<br />
psychology in depth and began<br />
self-conscious reflection of his own<br />
existence. Though his studies were<br />
transformative in many ways, nothing<br />
changed the fact that death felt so near.<br />
“There wasn’t a physical reality that I<br />
was going to live through anything until<br />
I actually lived through it.”<br />
Tick, tick. There it was again. The<br />
ever so soft ticking sound of what<br />
seemed to be a clock in the conference<br />
room. But there was no clock. I ignore it.<br />
He continues on.<br />
He pours me a cup of coffee and<br />
is rather calm as he continues to talk<br />
about the severity of his condition. He<br />
never once sheds a tear or becomes<br />
overwhelmed with emotion. For someone<br />
who has felt the presence of death<br />
his whole life, he remains technical<br />
in his descriptions — informative, yet<br />
somewhat distant in his detailed recollections.<br />
He tells me about the high-risk surgeries<br />
he’s had over the years and the<br />
aortic valve replacement surgery he<br />
had in college. “There was going to<br />
be a 70 percent chance of paralysis. I<br />
knew the potential risks, but I had to go<br />
through with it, and thankfully, I did not<br />
fall victim to that 70 percent.”<br />
Since then, he’s had two more major<br />
open-heart surgeries, one to replace the<br />
descending aortic valve and another to<br />
fix unexpected failures from his previous<br />
surgeries. "That’s the thing about<br />
Marfan," he says, "just because you<br />
go through with the surgeries doesn’t<br />
mean everything will miraculously be<br />
resolved." He has a 21-inch scar on his<br />
back to prove it.<br />
“When you’re under [anesthesia] for<br />
14 hours, you don’t come out the same<br />
person. Mentally, I used to be very analytical<br />
and I’m not anymore. I also try<br />
to go on walks as much as possible and<br />
remain very active. I don’t know what I’d<br />
do without walking.”<br />
The months in recovery were extremely<br />
trying, but John found ways to<br />
help his ailments subside.<br />
“After my dad died, I spent a lot of<br />
time alone and I would buy a lot of comedy<br />
records. Coming out of surgeries,<br />
Jimmey Kimmel’s humor and Rufus<br />
Wainwright’s music helped me through<br />
to recovery and distracted me from the<br />
pain.”<br />
As John reflects on the songs and<br />
comedy skits that helped him stay<br />
strong, he tells me he never thought<br />
that a future reality was possible or that<br />
he would still be alive today. He never<br />
spent time preparing for the future,<br />
such as thinking about raising a family<br />
or planning retirement. Instead, he<br />
chose to enjoy life and embrace each<br />
moment while he still could, so much so<br />
that he created a bucket list with a trip<br />
to Australia at the very top.<br />
“I’ve always wanted to see a Cassowary<br />
bird. To be something that big and<br />
complex and the fact that humans are<br />
entering their environment and they’re<br />
becoming extinct, I just had to see the<br />
thing. I had my passport in hand and<br />
just booked a flight to Australia.”<br />
For those students who visit John in<br />
OneStop, you can see pictures from his<br />
trip hanging in his office.<br />
“It was one of the best trips of my life.<br />
There are so many other things I hope<br />
to check off my list one day.”<br />
We continue to talk about different<br />
places in the world that he would love<br />
to visit like Aruba or Barcelona, and I finally<br />
ask him what brought him to the<br />
West Coast from Worcester.<br />
He tells me how he traveled back<br />
and forth between California and Massachusetts<br />
for about 14 years. He has<br />
family here, but he especially enjoys<br />
the warmer weather. “Coming out here<br />
was just for me. I wanted a place to live<br />
where I could go for a walk year round<br />
and not deal with the hampering of New<br />
England cold weather. I’m on blood<br />
thinners, which would make the cold<br />
more difficult to deal with over there.”<br />
Once he moved to Southern California,<br />
he applied for a position at<br />
OneStop, which he found online and<br />
was later asked to become an academic<br />
adviser. “I was looking for a job where I<br />
wouldn’t have to commute very far and<br />
I would be around like-minded people<br />
who share the same sense of ethics and<br />
Christian values.”<br />
“I really care about the students who<br />
come in here and that’s what I take<br />
pride in. If people need me to come in<br />
early or stay late, I will do so.”<br />
As I stare down at his prepared dish<br />
and my soon-to-be dinner, I know he<br />
means it.<br />
Tick. Tick. “Do you hear that sound?”<br />
he asks. The room goes silent, except<br />
I can faintly hear the soft ticking noise<br />
once again. I nod yes.<br />
“If I’m in a quiet room with other people,<br />
they can hear the ticking. It’s the<br />
cusps opening and closing from the<br />
carbon aortic valve in my heart. I live<br />
with that sound in my head every moment<br />
of my life ... It took me about a year<br />
to block out the sound.”<br />
I listen closely again in awe. I had<br />
never met anyone who had gone<br />
through so much and remained so<br />
mentally strong. Every audible beat of<br />
his heart reminds John not only of his<br />
condition, but also of his strength and<br />
all he has overcome.<br />
CURRENTS 60<br />
CURRENTS 61
Let the awakening be the renewal.<br />
[sixwordstory]<br />
PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
MONIQUEBATAC<br />
Everyone responds to<br />
change in a unique way.<br />
Some struggle with the<br />
darkness that tries to<br />
consume them, while<br />
others embrace the<br />
awakening. In the end,<br />
all we are left with are<br />
learned experiences, a<br />
fresh start and a feeling<br />
of hope.<br />
CURRENTS 63
HOW TO<br />
CONFRONT<br />
POST-GRAD<br />
ANXIETIES<br />
WRITTEN BY:<br />
JENNAWELSH<br />
What's your major? We've all been asked<br />
this question at least once (OK, probably a<br />
hundred times) throughout college. Then the<br />
dreaded following question: What are you<br />
going to do with that? It's a question that<br />
tends to send a shiver of fear down your spine<br />
... or maybe that's just me. For some, the idea<br />
of graduating is exciting — the world is your<br />
canvas on which to paint your unique future.<br />
But let's be real. For most of us, it's just plain<br />
scary. Top fears include securing a job, paying<br />
off student debt, finding a place to live,<br />
coping with living completely independently<br />
and leaving the predictability of college and<br />
classes. For Pepperdine in particular, the 712<br />
seniors who currently comprise this academic<br />
year's graduating class are charged with the<br />
impending task of confronting these fears<br />
head-on. Yet their post-graduation anxieties<br />
are fears they may have been confronting<br />
since their first year of college. Although the<br />
emotional whirlwind accompanying these seniors'<br />
upcoming graduation is likely bringing<br />
such anxieties to the forefront, confronting<br />
them actually doesn't have to be too scary.<br />
Below are some of the common anxieties<br />
echoed by Pepperdine students along with<br />
some tips on how to handle them.<br />
"Oh crap, where am I gonna go<br />
from here?"<br />
- Freshman Michelle Sastraatmadja<br />
Freshman Michelle Sastraatmadja expressed<br />
a broad fear with her first thought on<br />
post-graduation. So if you're like Michelle<br />
and still have no clue what you want to<br />
do when you graduate, just breathe and<br />
remember the world is vast. You have<br />
time to explore different internships<br />
and opportunities — this will help build<br />
your resume while also exploring what<br />
you're genuinely passionate about.<br />
"The thought of actually<br />
managing my own money and<br />
finances really freaks me out."<br />
- Freshman Rachel Hews<br />
Calling yourself a "broke college student"<br />
is a common joke throughout college,<br />
but once you graduate, that laughter<br />
quickly escalates to tears. Managing<br />
your money and other responsibilities,<br />
however, isn't as scary as it seems. The<br />
biggest tip for alleviating the stress of<br />
money management is to start now.<br />
Excel has some very straightforward<br />
templates specifically for college students<br />
to use when creating their first<br />
budget. By learning such budgeting<br />
skills now, you'll be in the habit of creating<br />
a manageable budget, and by the<br />
time you graduate you'll be in the habit<br />
of balancing your finances. See: http://<br />
office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/<br />
college-student-budget-TC102264317.<br />
aspx<br />
"I watch my friends internships<br />
turn into their dream jobs, but I'm<br />
worried that my internship won't<br />
do the same."<br />
- Michelle Sastraatmadja<br />
Sometimes it can be hard to look at<br />
people who seem like they have it all together,<br />
while you feel utterly lost and a<br />
complete mess. Just remember, even if<br />
your internship doesn't turn into your<br />
dream job, it's the experience that matters.<br />
It's something on your resume that<br />
wasn't there before. Experience is experience,<br />
which always adds value to you<br />
as a future employee. Also, enjoy each<br />
step of your life, breathe, and realize<br />
what you're doing right now isn't necessarily<br />
what you'll be doing a year or<br />
even a month from now.<br />
"I'm most nervous about<br />
starting all over again."<br />
- Freshman Max States.<br />
The idea of starting over is a really<br />
scary one. But just think back to when<br />
you were in high school coming to Pepperdine.<br />
Even if you knew some people<br />
here, the whole idea of finding classes,<br />
making friends and fitting in were all<br />
things that probably ran through your<br />
mind. With each new step in life, there<br />
are new challenges and lessons to be<br />
learned. But you made it this far, so you<br />
are clearly adapting to your life as you<br />
grow. Again, breathe — probably the<br />
easiest and most useful tool for getting<br />
through anything — and allow yourself<br />
to learn and fully experience everything.<br />
"The struggle to be actually<br />
successful and respected in my<br />
job is what's really<br />
nerve-wracking."<br />
- Junior Kevin Daniel<br />
Competition and success are two<br />
things that drive our society (I know, I<br />
know, I'm playing the let's blame society<br />
card). This can either be helpful or<br />
utterly terrifying. Just keep in mind the<br />
reason why you're going after the job<br />
you are, and focus on setting short-term<br />
goals to help you achieve your longterm<br />
dream of success. Think about<br />
what you struggle with the most. Do<br />
you have trouble staying motivated with<br />
your schoolwork? Start out by setting a<br />
weekly goal of how many pages you're<br />
going to study for your political science<br />
quiz or how much work you're going to<br />
tackle on that English paper each day<br />
until the deadline. Take small steps at<br />
first, and soon these goals will just become<br />
part of your second-nature.<br />
Be cautious though and try not to<br />
think too far ahead. Take time to enjoy<br />
life. Go to the beach, dip your toes<br />
in the warm sand, take a deep breath of<br />
fresh air and find a reason to smile —<br />
because life is scary, but it can also be<br />
a blessing. It all depends on your perspective.<br />
CURRENTS 70 CURRENTS 71
LET’S<br />
GET<br />
CRAFTY<br />
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY:<br />
ALEXANDERHAYES<br />
CURRENTS 72 CURRENTS 73
CRAFT<br />
Hot glue the twigs tightly<br />
side-by-side to your jar or<br />
tin can. Try painting the<br />
jar or can for extra color to<br />
show through.<br />
Secure the twigs with twine<br />
or any other fabric you may<br />
find lying around. This step<br />
is optional as the glue will<br />
fully secure the twigs, but<br />
you may want to add your<br />
own touch.<br />
WHAT YOU<br />
NEED<br />
• used jar or tin can<br />
• bundle of twigs<br />
• hot glue or twine<br />
• flowers<br />
Accent with the flowers to<br />
your liking. Mix it up by adding<br />
unique flowers, plants<br />
or foliage you find. Keep an<br />
open eye — beauty is all<br />
around you.<br />
CURRENTS 74<br />
CURRENTS 75