Students can credit one teacher in their lifetime for being a great influence on life, but CSUN student Scott Goldbaum says that his journey is based on one of his CSUN professor’s quotes. “My life’s goal is essentially to leave people better than when I found them,” said Goldbaum. “It’s a quote from Dr. Peter Marston, one of my communications professors.” Goldbaum has found his outlet to affect others through his passions of music and the art communication. “After I… Read more

In every person’s life, there are distinct moments that define and shape the person they become.  These moments can be big or small, comical or heart-breaking, and are often overlooked until years down the road, when in retrospect, they stand out among the rest as events that laid the groundwork for one’s life.  As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Nearly six years ago, when Jafet Sauceda picked up a thick yellow book in the corner of his high school’s library,… Read more

With the new semester approaching, transfer student Lizbeth Gutierrez, 23, is reflecting on why she to chose CSUN as her final step in accomplishing her educational goals. As a full-time student working towards a business management degree, she said the switch from Ventura College to CSUN was a wise choice bringing her closer to her dream job of becoming a CEO in a major company. “Business intrigues me because I’m a people person,” Gutierrez said.  “I necessarily don’t like sitting… Read more

Where many may see a dualism, one student sees a deep connectivity between body and spirit. Mike Bunch, a 23-year-old senior anthropology major, runs, rock climbs, shoots, practices martial arts and does body art to enhance and express his inner spirituality. “I’ve had some of my best ideas about life and existence as a whole while running,” Bunch said. “The endorphins and the adrenaline and all those types of biological factors, in a way unlock certain parts of your mind… Read more

Most people have something they are passionate about. Some  tend to let their passions vanish as they grow older, and begin to face the world at hand. Dominick Aznavour, Dom to his friends, is not one of those people. He has had a hold of his life’s passion for some time, and has no plans on letting it fall to the wayside. Aznavour, 23, has had a strong affection for visual arts since a very young age, and his passion… Read more

Suspended from a rope, anthropologists descend into a remote underwater Romanian cave to excavate 35,000 year-old bones of Neandertal. What they find results in a significant contribution to early modern human discoveries in Europe. CSUN paleoanthropologist Dr. Hélène Rougier was one of the select participants of this well-known project in 2004 and 2005 in Pe?tera cu Oase, (“Cave with Bones”). Before coming to CSUN in January of 2008 she spent one year in St. Louis at Washington University where renowned… Read more

After visiting many countries and always having a passion for geography, CSUN Professor Gregory Schwartz, at California State University, Northridge said he feels strongly that we need to be benevolent individuals in order to save our planet. Three years ago, Schwartz started teaching geography to CSUN students with the goal of not just taking information out of the course textbook and lecturing on it, but rather giving students another opportunity to comprehend geography through a different perspective, he said. Among… Read more

As a public access television host, radio DJ and world-traveling magician’s assistant, Tyler Wiest has spent his fair share of time in the limelight, but the 22-year-old cinema and television arts major really wants to be the man behind the curtain. “I’ve basically tried everything in entertainment,” Wiest said. “But my ideal job would be working as a producer for a major network. I’d like to work on a television drama or sitcom.” Wiest grew up near San Francisco in… Read more

California State University, Northridge has been recognized as a “commuter school” for years. Most of us drag ourselves into our vehicles, onto the bus or, if we are lucky, onto a bike just to pedal down the street. However, 23-year-old Brandy Dodd drives to and from San Diego to Northridge three times a week, rain or shine. Imagine leaving at 11 a.m. to make a 3:30 p.m. class, attending the lecture, and then spending hours on the road for the… Read more