By Erika Yasuo It’s been nearly five years since Gerardo Garay’s world was turned upside down after a major car accident that permanently affected his view of the world. On Dec. 9, 2006, Garay, a 24-year-old kinesiology major at CSUN, was coming back from Las Vegas with his friends when his best friend, driving 90 miles per hour, fell asleep behind the wheel. Garay was not wearing a seatbelt. He was ejected from the car more than 70 feet and… Read more

By Nancy Pride While all of her friends were getting ready to graduate high school Jasmine Hart, 19 was in an induced coma struggling to survive a massive stroke. May 21, 2010, just five days away from her high school graduation and a few weeks shy of her 18th birthday, Hart felt a strange sensation in her face while at home in her bathroom getting ready for school. She did not realize that she was experiencing the beginning stages of… Read more

By Erin Herle For most people, college is a time to figure out their options and where life takes them. Although encouraged, most do not find passion in what they choose for a career, but Matthew Landesman is an exception. Landesman, 21, is a biology major and pre-med student set to graduate within three and a half years. One could say he is lucky for having carved his path at a young age but it was not by choice that… Read more

  Daniel Santana-Hernandez, 22, grew up with the cards stacked against him, although he probably wouldn’t tell you that. Santana-Hernandez grew up in Lynwood, Calif., near Los Angeles. At the time, Lynwood was an area that fell prey to multiple rival gangs and an ever-increasing epidemic of violent crimes. While his older brother and sister got caught up in the gang life, Santana-Hernandez did his best to steer clear of that path, though he admits it was hard as his… Read more

With over 33,000 students, CSUN is no stranger to colorful personalities, and a new freshman has danced his way onto campus. “Right now, I’m planning on going out for the dance team or the cheer squad,” Christian Vidaure said. A dancer for six years, Vidaure has performed tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, musical theater, lyrical and Latin ballroom dancing. He has competed in multiple hip-hop and jazz competitions, taught classes in those genres and performed in a dance workshop called The… Read more

Claudia Julien starts each day 5,628 miles away from her home in Namur, Belgium. Julien, a student in the Semester at CSUN program, was attracted to the Northridge campus because she felt her passion for language could thrive in southern California. “I want to study Spanish,” she said.  “I tried to go to Spain, but it was too expensive. So I figured (I’d)  come to California because Spanish is the second language here.” As a first semester freshman, Julien has… Read more