Q&A: Professor discusses artistic success, induction into hall of fame

Rebeca Méndez first fell in love with design while creating rubbings of ancient Mayan archaeology sites with her father.   It was during her childhood archaeology trips to the Mayan ruins that she became fascinated with the people’s ancient symbolic systems as well as their storytelling power. The visits helped inspire the UCLA design media […]

TFT students, faculty discuss unique, progressive nature of Polish theater

Poles like to joke that they are not very good at soccer, so their national sport is theater, said professor J.Ed Araiza. And the Polish are excellent at their national sport, added Araiza, who spent some time in their country this fall. Araiza, the head of the MFA acting program at UCLA’s School of Theater, […]

Restaurant Review: Nong Lá Cafe

Nong Lá Cafe’s Instagram is filled with images of tender rice noodles, savory broths and vibrant greens. But looks can be deceiving. While Nong Lá certainly offers some tasty meals, the food does not live up to its aesthetically pleasing social media. The restaurant serves plenty of beautiful meals, like its crisp and brightly colored […]

Second Take: James Cameron’s criticisms of women in film are harmful

Thank goodness James Cameron told us what to think about “Wonder Woman,” said no one ever. In interviews with The Guardian on Aug. 24 and The Hollywood Reporter on Sept. 27, Cameron criticized the summer’s No. 1 film at the box office, dismissing it as “a step backwards” and deeming the film’s hype as misguided […]

Alumna uses experience of growing up in LA to portray lead in coming-of-age play

Estela Garcia first read Sandra Cisneros’ coming-of-age novel, “The House on Mango Street,” in the ninth grade. She said it was the first time she had encountered anything that reflected her life growing up in South Los Angeles. Now, the alumna plays the story’s main character, Esperanza Cordero, in the Greenway Court Theatre’s production of […]

Alumnus uses drones to make personal and professional videography soar

Jason Spielman has flown through mountain passes and over rooftops without ever leaving the ground. The UCLA alumnus uses drones and other video equipment to record remote landscapes, city skylines and college campuses. He then edits and shares the footage with companies and his social media followers. “I’ve always loved being creative and capturing moments,” […]

Alumna cooks up videos of healthy, tasty recipes for Buzzfeed

Crystal Hatch created one of her first cooking tutorials during her senior year at UCLA. The alumna filmed herself turning fresh-picked lemons into raspberry lemonade. The video landed her a job as a video producer for BuzzFeed’s Goodful page. She now makes cooking tutorials almost every week. As a producer, the UCLA alumna films and […]