Abelina Nunez

My Recent Work

Campus Times •

Fair serves fried, frozen, fun food

The Los Angeles County Fair is back in full swing, which means so are the deep fried foods and other mouth-watering treats. Some are worth it, while some can be skipped over. Before guests break their wallets at the fair, here is an honest review of the foods we tried.

The Australian Battered Potatoes have been a fan-favorite at local county fairs across the U.S. for 29 years, and it was no different at the L.A. County Fair. The specialities at this booth featured a variety of battered and deep
Campus Times •

Meditation benefits the body and mental health

Many people benefit from the use of meditation not just to calm themselves but to be able to help their mental health. Various apps guide and ease into a specific mental space to relax the body and mind.

According to DisturbMeNot!, the risk of being hospitalized for a coronary disease can be reduced by 87% by just meditating. It can improve anxiety and reduce waking time by 50% for people who have insomnia. In a survey of 20 people, 10 said they meditate, six are thinking about meditating, and
Campus Times •

Crocs trending due to comfort and style

When Crocs first came out in 2002, they were considered ugly and people would typically get bullied or made fun of for wearing them. Now, Crocs are trending like never before, and everyone is wearing them to run errands, hang out with friends, go to work or class.

Crocs started coming up the market during the pandemic while other businesses suffered.

Crocs were all over the internet and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which gained notice during the pandemic lockdown. Accordin
La Verne Magazine •

Special Flowers for Special Occasions – La Verne Magazine

Her flowers explode with color and vitality. The innovative arrangements reflect the creative talent of the owner. Linh Dang, florist and owner of Blooming View, has been open for 23 years and runs a La Verne Chamber of Commerce-winning floral business. Her arrangements grace everything—weddings, birthdays, funerals, retirements, anniversaries—whatever the occasion calls for and for whatever the customer needs.

When you walk into the store, you are welcomed with the smell of fresh flowers and c
La Verne Magazine •

Flying to Recovery – La Verne Magazine

The Barn Owl stares back at you without blinking. There is something about an owl. They are wise and symbolize knowledge. This one is all that and is straight from the Harry Potter movie series. He has a white face that almost looks painted on. His tan feathers shine resplendently, even in the shadows of his cage. The Barn Owl is one of many animals being rehabilitated at the San Dimas Canyon Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. At the moment, the Center has five owls, two falcons, one turkey v
Campus Times •

Performers sing out at Open Mic Night

The Songwriting Club hosted a Friday Night Open Mic at the Morgan Auditorium on March 24 that featured a variety of performances by students and staff.

The Songwriting Club is a new student organization that started this spring to bring students together to create music. They meet every Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Music Library in Founders Hall 16.

“I thought it would be great to attach (Friday Night Open Mic) to the club so that it now has turned into a club event and not just something that I’m
Campus Times •

Faculty and administrators mingle at mentorship mixer

University of La Verne faculty and administrators attended the Faculty Mentorship Launch Mixer that was hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusivity on March 16 in the Ludwick Center courtyard.

The purpose of the Faculty Mentorship Launch Mixer is to provide an opportunity for faculty to come together and be able to get to know one another. Faculty were able to share what their needs are and how they would like to support one another.

“My office, along with the faculty diversity committee
Campus Times •

ULV Film Society up and running like never before

The University of La Verne Film Society hosted its first event of this year on Tuesday night in La Fetra Auditorium. Their first event theme was focused on romance with a screening of “Chungking Express.”

“Chungking Express” is a 1994 Hong Kong romantic crime comedy-drama, written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai, that focuses on the need to make a connection with someone and be able to hold on to them.

The executive board of the club includes President Amanda Torres, junior digital media major; V
Campus Times •

Sketch Comedy Club discover ways to create humor

With the help of the University of La Verne’s Involvement Fair this year, the Sketch Comedy Club made its debut as a new club on campus.

At the Involvement Fair, the club was able to get about 20 sign ups.

The purpose of the new comedy club is to allow students to come together to brainstorm, create and produce comedy content, whether it is live performances or digital media.

The executive board of the Sketch Comedy Club includes President Amnaa Taha, sophomore political science major; Vice P
Campus Times •

Pal-entine Pitstop draws students for Valentine’s event

The University of La Verne Campus Activities Board hosted an early Valentine’s Day event, Pal-entine Pitstop, where students came together with their friends and met new people. More than 150 students attended the event located at the University Quad on Monday.

Pal-entine Pitstop had arts and crafts where students could create their own vases by adding artificial flowers and painting them with their own choice of colors.

“Kennadie, who is the (CAB) publicity chair, decided to do an event to ge
Campus Times •

Student Involvement Fair encourages students to branch out

The University of La Verne hosted the Student Involvement Fair at Sneaky Park on Wednesday where hundreds of ULV students socialized with the different clubs and organizations on campus.

There were over 20 clubs and organizations varying from housing to sports to Greek life to health to psychology. Students could get a free lunch provided by The Habit food truck while listening to the DJ play music ranging from pop to Spanish music.

“I love this new Involvement Fair. I do feel like people do c
Campus Times •

Commentary: Top 10 Christmas movies to watch over the break

The most wonderful time of the year is here. And now that there is a nip in the air, it is time to get cozy under a blanket with hot cocoa and a great Christmas movie.

Here are our top 10 movies that capture that spirit of Christmas to keep you holly and jolly, or a little on edge.

For this list, we chose movies that could be watched with the entire family, or alone away from home – homesick for that Christmas feeling. Some are perfect for cuddling, while others offer some good old nostalgia.
Campus Times •

Students dispel the myth of college life

Social media, movies and TV shows create high expectations of what college is like, highlighting the social aspects of partying or hanging out with friends but ignoring the stressful parts like exams and assignments.

In a recent informal survey of 21 University of La Verne students, 19 said they were nervous before entering college, 12 said they were excited, while one reported hating the whole idea of college before coming here.

“I’m an international student, so I had to move here from Taiwan
Campus Times •

Thanksgiving evokes mixed feelings among students

Now that the excitement of Halloween season is over, it’s time to prepare for Thanksgiving – an arguably politically incorrect holiday that gets a mixed reception, at least among students at the University of La Verne.

In an informal survey of 26 University of La Verne students, while 20 said they enjoy Thanksgiving and six said they don’t, 14 students said they do not go “all out”for turkey day, as they might for other holidays.

“I enjoy Thanksgiving,” said Jonathan Saldivar, sophomore kinesi
Campus Times •

Graduate students take second chance at playing water polo

The La Verne men’s water polo team has two graduate students on the roster this year. After graduating with their bachelor’s degrees at the University of La Verne, they returned to get their master’s degrees and play water polo again.

Goalkeeper Joe Lamson graduated in 2019 with a degree in kinesiology and is now studying as a physical education teacher. Lamson will finish his master’s in 2025.

Center James Cano graduated in 2014 with his bachelor’s degree in business administration and is now
Campus Times •

Music department manager is part-time monster

Nikolai Galvan, the University of La Verne’s new manager of the music department and Morgan Auditorium, is moonlighting as a monster.

Specifically, he is the temple guard for The Depths maze at Knott’s Scary Farm. Last year during the Halloween season he was the mayor of Calico for The Origins maze.

The Temple Guard is an ancient, tribal warrior, similar to an Aztec, or ancient Maori warrior, Galvan said. His mask is essentially a skull of a rhino with warpaint and stripes running along the si
Campus Times •

Movie theaters slow to rebound from pandemic

Going to the movies, at the movie theater, has for generations been an easy and relatively inexpensive way to escape and be entertained.

But the ease and affordability of streaming, and of course the pandemic, has changed our collective movie-going habits across the nation – and among University of La Verne students.

A recent informal survey on campus found that 12 out of 22 ULV students prefer going to the movie theaters over streaming on their small screens at home, with seven out of 22 sayi
Campus Times •

Banned books event highlights freedom to read

The University’s Wilson Library honored Banned Books Week this week with a display where students could pick up great works that have been banned by some schools and libraries across the country.

Among those on display were “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas, “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie.

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” has been on the American Libr
Campus Times •

Film professor wins international award

Morgan Sandler, associate professor of digital film and department chair of communications at the University of La Verne, won the Best Cinematography in a Documentary award at the Madrid International Film Festival this summer.

Sandler worked as a cinematographer for the documentary “Bella.”

The film also won the Exceptional Showcase of the Arts award at the Madrid Festival.

The film is about Bella Lewitzky, a dancer and choreographer who devoted her creative life to protecting the rights of
Campus Times •

New year brings campus dining new normal

The food outlets on the University campus, The Spot and Barbara’s Place, have undergone changes since last semester.

Barbara’s Place has a new menu of burgers every day – along with a new look and set-up.

The Spot is encouraging more post-pandemic indoor dining and is now charging for the to-go boxes, apparently due to a shortage.

Barbara’s Place changed its menu in response t student feedback and now has more vegetarian options.

It also has a vegetarian burger.

“It’s like a combination of
Campus Times •

Theater department prepares for in-person fall production

The University of La Verne theater department will debut its fall production “Language of Angels,” which tells the story of a young girl’s disappearance, with performances Nov. 18 through Nov. 21 in the Jane Dibbell Cabaret Theatre.

The play by Naomi Iizuka is three acts with different stories. The first story centers around the theme of the past coming back to haunt you, the second story is letting go of your past, and the last story is the dangers of holding on to your past.

“I think the mes
Campus Times •

Racial trauma similar to PTSD

Courtney Boston, a trainee at the University of La Verne counseling and psychological services, discussed racial trauma at the Mental Health Monday series via Zoom with seven online participants.

Boston’s dissertation focused on race-related stress on Black romantic relationships with goals of spreading awareness about racial injustices and providing better services to clients who have experienced racial Trauma.

Racial trauma or race-based traumatic stress refers to mental and emotional injury
Campus Times •

Life and death celebrated on Dia de los Muertos

Elena Cardeña, senior learning and development specialist and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, spoke about the origins and meaning of Dia De Los Muertos on Wednesday via Zoom with 18 online participants.

“For some people, the celebration of Day of the Dead may seem really strange to them, like why are you celebrating death, but we really are not celebrating death so much as celebrating life,” Cardeña said. “Life that we believe continues on in a different form beyond the door of death.”

Car
Campus Times •

Chicana artist dedicates her art to Latinx culture

Barbara Carrasco, a Los Angeles-based Chicana artist and activist, spoke about her art with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta Wednesday at the Virtual Latinx Heritage Month series with 16 participants via Zoom.

Carrasco’s work critiques dominant cultural stereotypes involving socioeconomics, race, gender and sexuality. She has painted murals in the United States, the European Union and Latin America.

“I didn’t realize at the time that I was going to work so hard for 15 years doing all their huge
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