College is a stressful time for any student. It can be incredibly difficult at times to balance school and work, but for Raquel Leviss, there is the added stress of balancing her pageant career.

Now a junior at Sonoma State University, Leviss has the distinct honor of representing Sonoma County as Miss Sonoma County USA. She will continue to compete in preliminary pageants until she accomplishes her dream of becoming Miss California USA.

Can you think of a professor who loves skateboarding? Professors at Sonoma State University have some incredible hobbies.

Backflips on benches, 50 years of marriage and guest performances were just a few of the aspects packed into this year’s Pacific Cultural Night. 

Free food, free music and good times. What else could a college student ask for? Nomachella, a live one-night music festival, was held last Friday in the Sauvignon Green. Students were invited to share their musical talents by performing for their peers.

Around sundown after an hour-long barbecue, students spread out on blankets to watch their friends and fellow performers. 

One in 50 adults traded in their vehicle for a more fuel-efficient hybrid, electric or alternative fuel vehicle in the past six months according to Reader’s Digest. 

With Earth Week beginning this week, it’s important for Sonoma State University students to learn about the different ways to better treat the Earth. This week there will be plenty of opportunities for students to get involved and learn how adopt more envrionemntally friendly practices in their daily life.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month and Sonoma State University is participating by hosting several events all month long. 

The most recent event, “May I…” allowed students to learn about sexual assault in a light-hearted environment. “May I…” took place at The HUB, the center for diversity and leadership events on campus.

Think about the last time you saw a movie in the theater where the audience clapped and cheered for the main character- That is the kind of experience you’ll have watching “Eddie the Eagle.” The film is based on the true story of Michael “Eddie” Edwards and his struggle to become Great Britain’s first Olympic ski-jumper in nearly 50 years.

Alpha Xi Delta hosted its fourth annual “Step It Up” philanthropy event on Sunday. The event was similar to “The Color Run” and participants were urged to wear white because of the chalk-like paint would be thrown at them as they ran.

The event was held at the Sonoma State University track with different color stations set up at three locations. Participants began by running through the blue station then yellow and finally pink. As people ran under the color coordinated balloon arches, members of Alpha Xi Delta threw powdered chalk on them while others cheered from the sidelines and ran the face painting station.

The sociology club brought awareness to Social Justice Week with many different seminars and opportunities to get students involved. 

One of the seminars they put on focuses onPalestine and Israel.

The seminar began with a man in a green “Save Palestine” shirt named Rebel Fagin, asking the audience to imagine what Palestine looks like. 

One-third of employers will pass on a candidate because of poor grammar skills used online.
Krista Neher came to Sonoma State University to give a seminar on social media use. A native Canadian, Krista starts the seminar off with an apology for the words she will surely mispronounce. She informs students that a great way to avoid a ticket is to claim you’re Canadian and don’t understand American laws.

The tribute to director James Burrows aired on NBC Sunday night. The two hour special opened in a comedic fashion with Jim Parsons telephoning Sean Hayes to ask for his help putting together a last minute tribute for Burrows.

Katelyn Medlin, a sophomore at Sonoma State University, turned tragedy into triumph this year with the release of her book “Rusty to the Rescue.”