As Snoop Dogg puts it, the West Coast is home to the girls he adores the most – sun-kissed, fit and full of energy. The lyrics from the West Coast’s national anthem, “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, played on repeat in my head as I prepared to move to Los Angeles for college. Read more...

Photo: Nadine Ismail and second-year business economics student Reem Alashban pose for a portrait and present their medals near the start of a long-distance race course in Santa Monica.(Courtesy of Nadine Ismail)

This post was updated Feb. 17 at 8:35 p.m. “A Point of Order” is a column series created by Kayla Williams that highlights issues within our political climate and how they relate to the UCLA and greater LA communities. Read more...

Photo: (Monserrat Rodriguez/Daily Bruin)

This post was updated Feb. 11 at 8:17 p.m. The wreckage and tragedy left behind in the wake of the Palisades, Eaton and surrounding fires in no way felt natural, even given California’s long-wrought past with these destructive forces of nature. Read more...

Photo: The sun shines above flowers and grass on a hiking trail at Will Rogers State Historic Park. (Courtesy of Kirsten Brehmer)

On Wednesday, Jan. 8, I watched as an orange glow miles away grew, smoke clouding the midnight sky outside my dorm window. The wildfires felt distant – a familiar scene growing up in California. Read more...

Photo: Derek Russell Jr. stands in front of the rubble of his family home after it burned down in the Eaton fire. (Courtesy of Derek Russell Jr.)