Bookmark this page if you'd like to keep track of what I'm working on.
Worked on 309 assignments, created 85, named on 69 bylines for Daily Bruin.
By Lex Wang (Sanjana as managing editor) + 6 others for Daily Bruin - 7 min read
UCLA men’s volleyball players grow in 2023-2024, share goals of representing US
Ethan Champlin held his knees to his chest as tears streaked down. Cementing his second and final NCAA trophy, the senior outside hitter's Bruin tenure officially ended. But Champlin and several members of UCLA men's volleyball are miles from done with the sport. The 2024 NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player rested for less than three weeks before departing Los Angeles...
By Ava Abrishamchian (Sanjana as managing editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 6 min read
Lilly and Sophie Reale provide support to each other as sisters, teammates
Lilly and Sophie Reale grew up in the same house, attended the same school and played the same sport. But it wasn't until they were both adults that they could finally share the field. "We want to support them as much as we can," said Melissa Reale – mother of Lilly and Sophie. "It's as convenient as it can be...
By Nick Levie (Sanjana as copy editor) + 4 others for Daily Bruin - 8 min read
Need for political engagement, protest amplifies amid administration's suppression
Flash bangs, rubber bullets and patrolling security forces have made it clear that political engagement in current affairs is no longer a novelty, it’s a necessity. Historically, UCLA has been a place for political activism across many national and international movements. In 1965 during the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Wilson Plaza to hundreds of...
UCLA researchers are setting a golden standard for the humanities. Fourth-year history student Beatriz Rivas and fourth-year English student Layla Knowles, are eager to share their creative theses with the world. Spanning diverse interests in the rights to reserve a novella and the reemergence of Mexican folk music, corridos, the duo earned a place in their respective fields. Set to...
By Desiree Becker (Sanjana as managing editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 4 min read
Senior signoff: Desiree Becker reflects on her year as a Bruin
As a Bruin, many of us had the privilege of embarking on the college search journey. Whether student or student-athlete, we toured colleges, asked questions, sought insights into student life across universities and tirelessly compared schools, imagining what life at each one might look like. Our individual journeys were unique, each of us having different values and visions for our...
By Gavin Carlson (Sanjana as managing editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 6 min read
Keegan Jones credits DeShaun Foster, carries optimism in return to UCLA football
A player’s decision to enter the college football transfer portal is almost always met with intense speculation. Fans, members of the media and coaches quickly hypothesize the rationale behind the decision. Is he leaving to join a more successful program? Was there bad blood between the departing player and his former program? Were name, image and likeness interests at play?But...
By Benjamin Royer (Sanjana as managing editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 7 min read
Ari Libenson: Precision on football field translates to dentistry
Preparation can be meticulous. From week zero to bowl season, the "who" is at the center of any team’s game plan. Becoming the "who," however, is a reverse study. Ari Libenson is no stranger to transforming into another. He watches game films and studies the opposing wide receiver – searching for slight hesitations, little ticks and tells – it's gridiron...
By Maya Vibhakar (Sanjana as assistant editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 5 min read
Short film ‘Maple Bacon Bar’ offers lyrical insight into Cambodian immigrant story
Roan Pearl is mixing together music, donuts and Cambodian culture in her thesis film. The fourth-year film and television studentis the writer and director of her short film “Maple Bacon Bar,” which she said tells the story of Sovanna – the daughter of a Cambodian American refugee family that owns a donut shop in Long Beach, California – who struggles...
By Lauryn Wang (Sanjana as managing editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 6 min read
Behind the talent, leadership of men's basketball star Lazar Stefanovic
The Bruins filed in for a drill on the baseline: three minutes, 20 touches across the court. The whistle blew. Newcomer – Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic – wouldn’t be caught slacking. The junior guard went coast-to-coast for 25 touches.“I could just tell, man, he’s in shape,” recalled sophomore guard Dylan Andrews. “I want to be like him.”Andrews – whom UCLA...
By Reid Sperisen (Sanjana as assistant editor) + 5 others for Daily Bruin - 5 min read
Nadieme Villar's film 'Pobre Diabla' details life after living with domestic violence
Nadieme Villar is redefining the past to find strength in the future in her film “Pobre Diabla.” The sixth-year film student said her upcoming thesis film tells the story of Valeria, a young woman whose relationship has been affected by her upbringing in an abusive home with exposure to domestic violence. To portray the idea that a parent’s actions can...