‘Against the peace:’ Former Penn State student impacted by Trump’s travel ban
Zoha Savadkouhi was a Penn State Law student who came to the United States for the opportunity to take the New York Bar Exam.
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But due to her nationality, she did not even get the chance.
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Savadkouhi is an Iranian citizen who currently lives in Pakistan where she is working and continuing her education with her husband and daughter. She graduated from Penn State Law with her LL.M. — an international equivalent to a master’s degree in law — in 2017.
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Photo courtesy of Zoha Savadkouhi
Step Afrika! premieres new step performance 'Drumfolk' at Penn State
All that could be heard throughout Eisenhower Auditorium Friday night was the beat of the drums.
The Penn State and State College communities gathered to witness the world premiere of Step Afrika!’s newest piece, “Drumfolk.” The piece is a combination of step numbers telling the history of the Stono Rebellion of 1739.
Step Afrika! is the world’s first professional step dance company, performing around the world for the past 25 years. After the showcase at Penn State, the company will tour “Drumfolk” across the country.
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Photo by Caitlin Lee
Watching Notre Dame burn, nearly 4,000 miles away from Penn State
I have been dreaming of studying in Paris for as long as I can remember. Paris is a beautiful city full of more stories and history than I could have ever imagined.
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But I was not expecting to witness history as well.
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I was at the dinner table with my host mother Monday night when the phone rang. We never hear the phone ring during dinner, so I knew it was urgent. She responded to the caller with shock and distress, and brought me up to speed after she hung up.
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“The Notre Dame is on fire,” she told me in French.
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‘It wasn’t a life sentence’: Penn State students live in recovery from alcohol addiction
Often referred to as one of the nation’s largest party schools, drugs and alcohol are not hard to find at Penn State. But, for Josh Frakes and Melissa Bradley, avoiding it is imperative to their survival on campus.
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“I think there’s a lot of stigma surrounding the diseases of addiction...that a person who suffers from some kind of substance use disorder has a moral failing or it's a character defect,” Frakes (senior-international politics) said.
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Frakes had no encounters with addiction, drugs or alcohol in high school. He said he touched his first drink when he started college in Virginia.
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Photo by John Stinely
Photo by Lindsey Toomer
The Band Junkies brings State College music community together
Luke Cimbala has been a committed member of the State College music scene for years, but in the past year he has expanded the local music community even more through his created network, The Band Junkies.
The homepage of the The Band Junkies website describes the organization as a “local networking for a thriving musician community.” Cimbala tasks himself with connecting musicians with venues for shows, as well as photographers and graphic designers to help artists promote their brands.
Cimbala started the website just under a year ago and has increased his outreach immensely since. There are currently around 100 artists promoted on The Band Junkies website.
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Photo by Ken Minamoto
'Chase it away with light': Community gathers to mourn lives of Squirrel Hill victims
Old Main Lawn was brightened with hope Monday night as hundreds of students, community members and families gathered to mourn the 11 people killed at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Rabbi Hershy Gourarie led the group in prayer and song to remind the crowd that in the face of terror, Jewish people respond by “becoming stronger, louder and prouder.”
“When someone passes on it, is in our hands to keep singing their song — to keep their sound going so it never, ever stops,” Gourarie said. “We don’t sweep away darkness with a broom, we chase it away with light.”
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Photo by Caitlin Lee