Ten Weeks to Learn Japanese in Kyoto, Japan
By Beatrice Tolan   |   November 19, 2024

My brother Benjamin Tolan – and you can ask anyone who went to MUS, Crane or Laguna Blanca High School – is best known for his uncanny excellence in whatever he pursues. He can pick up any tune on the flute, saxophone, or piano in just a few listens and dominate in any video game […]

The Front Lines of Hurricane Helene: A Healthcare Worker’s Story
By Beatrice Tolan   |   November 5, 2024

“They’re still recovering bodies. It’s the third deadliest hurricane behind Katrina and Camille,” said Yvette Vega, a Carpinteria-native and healthcare professional living in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It’s a small community here, so if you don’t know someone directly, you know someone who does.” Vega was fortunate enough to miss Hurricane Helene’s full force. “We didn’t […]

 

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Sophie Morgan: Paralympics 1st Disabled Correspondent Will Lead Your Next Highway Adventure
By Beatrice Tolan   |   October 29, 2024

After being paralyzed from the waist down at just 18 years old, British TV presenter, writer, and artist Sophie Morgan has become a beacon for disability advocacy. A jack of all trades, she has reported for the Paralympics for three years, released her debut book Driving Forwards, and most recently co-founded W.E. Rides, a movement […]

The Nuances of Environmentalism from Marine Scientist Francesca Nash
By Beatrice Tolan   |   October 15, 2024

Get up and out of your bunk at 4 am. Make coffee and a bagel… it’s burnt. Equip your waders, boots, headlamp, backpack, and lots of surveying equipment. Wade in the river and hike the woods for 12 hours, being cautious not to run into the man who lives in the shack made of bones. […]

Penny Bianchi At Large – and in The Riv
By Jeff Wing   |   October 1, 2024

Legendary Decorator, beloved villager, and Charlie Munger muse Penny Bianchi is herself a striking figure – a living, breathing design element in her own right. The indescribable Bianchi casually radiates charm, wit, joy – and the fauvist Je ne sais quoi one experiences when falling into a painting by Chagall. To madly understate it, there […]

Women in Communication: Turning Passion into Career
By Jamie Knee   |   October 1, 2024

As a Santa Barbara wine expert, I’ve learned that the finest vintages are best enjoyed with inspiring company—and that’s exactly what I found with the Association for Women in Communications, Santa Barbara. Serving on the board has been an absolute delight, immersing me in a vibrant community of brilliant women who are as passionate about […]

The Versatility of Ariel Leira
By Beatrice Tolan   |   October 1, 2024

Ariel Leira is a multidisciplinary visual artist and writer who grew up amongst the trees of Montecito, documenting her TRAVELS through glowing, abstract photography and heartfelt poetry. She was a lifer at Crane Country Day School – where we met in fifth grade – and graduated from Santa Barbara High School.  Leira’s artistic proclivities began […]

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  • Beebe To Join Global Church in Korea
    By Scott Craig   |   October 1, 2024

    Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe has been serving as a delegate at the Fourth Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization on Sept. 22-28 in Incheon, South Korea. He has served as a college president for more than 25 years (18 at Westmont) and received his invitation through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Beebe joins […]

    She’s Up to Snow Good…
    By Beatrice Tolan   |   August 20, 2024

    I met Kiara Lin in the place many Santa Barbara natives eventually meet–Los Angeles.  She grew up in Santa Barbara, attending Montessori Center School and Santa Barbara Junior High. Even in her youth, Kiara’s dedication to film was unmistakable. After three years enrolled at Santa Barbara High School, she moved to Michigan to complete her […]

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    ProSurfer Lakey Peterson, 805 Beer, and the U.S. Open Surfing 2024
    By Joanne A Calitri   |   August 13, 2024

    Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s 805 Beer is the official craft beer partner of the World Surf League North America. At the U.S. Open Surfing Competition in Huntington Beach, look for the Cold Beer Surf Club podcast by legendary pro surfer and 805 Beer Authentico Conner Coffin. Coffin takes the deep dive with his interviews of […]

    The Love You Take: Michael and Gabriella Salsbury’s Implausible Parental Nightmare
    By Jeff Wing   |   August 6, 2024

    On a lark, Michael and Gabriella Salsbury walked into Madame Rosinka’s fortune-telling shopfront on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. Rudderless and adrift on the open ocean of unspeakable parental sorrow, the couple were emphatically not looking to Madame Rosinka for the answers that had otherwise so eluded them. The Salsburys were not seekers after the […]

    Santa Barbara’s Newest Art Collective: double dutch
    By Beatrice Tolan   |   August 6, 2024

    Look at your shelves. It’s not the framed photos or unread books that make those shelves uniquely yours. It’s those knick-knacks, collectibles, and tchotchkes you’ve kept, moved, and refused to throw away over the years.  What do these trinkets mean about us? Sam Fitz and Bella Vasquez, the co-founders of Santa Barbara’s newest art collective […]

    Feral, Verdant, Romantic and Ethereal: Mikey Putnam’s Walk through the Cosmos has been a Gift to Us All
    By Jeff Wing   |   July 30, 2024

    The facts are strange. Our Earth is a largish dirt-covered rock, adrift in an endless, freezing vacuum and handily located next to an enormous lamp which ceaselessly dumps life-enabling energy onto our hills, valleys, and fleabag motels. For about 430 million years our dirt-covered rock has been busily sprouting a kingdom of living flora whose […]

    Local Company Stops Hacking, Tracking
    By Scott Craig   |   July 30, 2024

    The growing concern about personal information and privacy in the digital age has led a company based in Santa Barbara to develop products protecting consumers. MOS Equipment, founded by Westmont alumnus Ryan Judy (’08), manufactures Mission Darkness™ faraday bags, tents, and lockers that block radio waves, including cell phone signals.  “A lot of people don’t […]

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