Nicole Melanie Freerks

Nicole is a communications & journalism major as well as a business consultant/ small-business owner with a passion for marketing and corporate comms. Orange County, CA

Worked on 64 assignments, created 7, named on 16 bylines for Fullerton College Hornet.

By (Nicole Melanie as photographer) + 5 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 2 min read

4 killed, 2 wounded in Orange shooting

Photo credit: Nicole Melanie Freerks

Four people, including one child, died and two others were injured during a shooting at an Orange commercial building around 5:30 p.m., Orange Police confirmed. A gunman entered the building at 202 West Lincoln Ave and opened fire on the second floor. Police responded, and when they arrived, shots were still being fired. Officers returned fire and wounded the suspect....

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By (Nicole Melanie as collaborator) + 3 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 10 min read

Fullerton College president search troubled by allegations raised at board meetings

Photo credit: Fullerton College

The search has been ongoing for a president of Fullerton College since former President Greg Schulz accepted a position as superintendent at Citrus College on June 15, 2021. Conflicting concerns from the campus community about the search for president have drawn many attendees and speakers at Board of Trustees meetings in April, May and June. At the June 28 meeting,...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 3 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 14 min read

Data shows Fullerton College students earned more A’s during the pandemic

Photo credit: Pixabay, Canva

In the semesters following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a clear shift in students’ grades at Fullerton College. Classes had moved to nearly fully remote, radically changing teaching and learning styles. But that didn’t translate to grades plummeting across the board. According to data analyzed by The Hornet, Fullerton College actually saw a 7.27% increase in A’s...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 4 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 4 min read

Composting at Fullerton College Q&A

Photo credit: Isaac Figueroa

Everything from eggshells to coffee grounds should now be placed in brown and green bins to accommodate a new law regarding composting in California. Most cities have trash, recycling, and green waste bins; now food waste is included in the green waste bins. Senate Bill No. 1383 also requires 20% of edible food that would have been disposed of to...

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By (Nicole Melanie as photographer) + 2 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 2 min read

Breaking News: Mask mandate to be lifted soon

Photo credit: Nicole Melanie Freerks

As the spring semester comes to a close, the North Orange County Community College District is planning to lift the indoor mask mandate for Fullerton College on June 1. This is due to vaccination rates increasing and COVID-19 numbers decreasing. The mask mandate took effect on campus as soon as in-person classes returned and COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders ended. Once California...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 2 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 3 min read

Cinco de Mayo events around Fullerton

Photo credit: Dylan Faircloth

Cinco de Mayo is upon us, a day that brims with festivity and good times. Consider checking out these spots in and around the Downtown Fullerton area to celebrate the holiday. Revolucion 1910 CantinaLocated on North Harbor Boulevard, about half a mile away from Fullerton College, patrons can visit Revolucion 1910 Cantina. A restaurant that prides itself on serving great...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 2 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 3 min read

Parting pitch for Fullerton College baseball

Photo credit: Valerie Strummer

Fullerton College baseball took to the diamond to play the last game of the regular season against Saddleback College. With the final score of the Friday home game 12-3 Saddleback, the Bobcats ultimately outscored the Hornets 46-4 across the three games series. In the first couple of innings, Jon Sarmiento (1-5) a freshman from Fullerton, and Connor Wilford (9-2) a...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 3 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 3 min read

Hornets continue Angel Stadium tradition post-pandemic

Photo credit: Gerardo Chagolla

Fullerton College hosted its fifth annual FC night at Angel Stadium last Saturday. Hundreds of students, alumni, and faculty came out to support the Los Angeles Angels.724 tickets were pre-sold for $25 each which included an Angels and FC co-branded baseball hat as a part of the ticket purchase. Some of the ticket proceeds from the event went towards supporting...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 2 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 3 min read

Art displays amplify the voices of victims

Photo credit: Valerie Strummer

Fullerton College held multiple events last week to raise awareness for victims of sexual assault and for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women from across the country. Displays such as the Clothesline Project and Nicole Merton's Pop Up Art Installation gave victims the opportunity to raise awareness and share their stories. The Clothesline Project brought T-shirts from Waymakers to the quad...

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By (Nicole Melanie as publishing editor) + 2 others for Fullerton College Hornet - 4 min read

Breaking News: Two recent Chapman graduates killed in Anaheim

ANAHEIM – Griffin Robert Cuomo and Jonathan Andrew Bahm, both 23-years-old, were stabbed and killed in their residence around 6:30 a.m. April 19. The apartment, located in the heart of the Platinum Triangle is adjacent to Angel Stadium of Anaheim. After the Anaheim Police Department received reports of a possible assault in progress officers responded to the scene where they...

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