“Too short,” “too skinny” and “too Latina” were words Viviana Lira heard from photographers that sought the stock characteristics of beautiful women for their shoots. Lira, a second-year art history student, found that few photographers wanted a look that wasn’t mainstream when she began her modeling career in high school. Read more...

Photo: Viviana Lira breaks from traditional model behavior by adopting stoic, unsmiling poses. When photographing models, Lira also strays from typical photoshoots by collaborating with models on the outfits that they wear and the shoot location. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin senior staff)

More than 100 students stood locked outside of Bunche 1209B waiting for class to start, when a silver balloon suddenly shot out over the crowd. The students’ eyes traced the balloon’s trajectory, and David Perkins quickly reached into the large fanny pack hanging just above his waist and pulled out another silver balloon. Read more...

Photo: David Perkins (right) is a participant in the UCLA Senior Scholars program. Along with playing instruments like the clarinet and the shofar, Perkins taught himself the art of balloon tying and can make teddy bears, swords and hats like the one he made Gary Vartanian, a fifth-year economics student (left). (Jennifer Hu/Daily Bruin)