Latest news with #VanguardUniversity
Los Angeles Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Around Town: Pinwheel Project fundraiser for foster kids comes to Fashion Island
Visitors to Newport Beach's Fashion Island on May 31 will have the chance to sponsor a child in Orange County's foster care system during the annual 'Pinwheel Project' at the Neiman Marcus/Bloomingdale's Lawn, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hosted by Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County (CASA OC) for the ninth year in a row, 2,915 colorful pinwheels will be 'planted' across the lawn, each one representing a child in the foster care system. Guests can donate $10 to sponsor a pinwheel, funding advocacy and support efforts on behalf of foster children. Those who purchase a pinwheel will receive a voucher for a discounted $40 family meal from ZOOD. For details and to sponsor a pinwheel, visit or visit Fashion Island, 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, during the event. The Costa Mesa Historical Society invites local history buffs to attend the nonprofit's 3rd annual Spring Social Luncheon at the Costa Mesa Women's Club on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year, members will be 'Celebrating Dates,' — significant milestone commemorations coming up in Costa Mesa and beyond in the year ahead, including the Society's own 60th anniversary. Participants can feast on Greek cuisine provided by Costa Mesa restaurant My Greek Kitchen while they learn more about key dates in the city's past. A $25 donation includes one catered meal and helps the Historical Society upgrade its museum with a new 65-inch SMART TV and sound bar. The Costa Mesa Women's Club is located at 610 W. 18th St. RSVP by May 19 at Now that school's out, the professional American Coast Theater Company will take the stage at Vanguard University's Lyceum Theater in Costa Mesa with two upcoming productions. 'The Importance of Being Earnest — a Wilde New Musical!' is adapted from the classic mistaken-identity comedy by Oscar Wilde and features a five-piece band/orchestra. Performances run through June 8 with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and weekend matinees at 2 p.m. Later in June, ACTC presents Arthur Miller's classic award-winning drama, 'Death of a Salesman,' directed by Chance Theater's Executive Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen. The play introduces Willy Loman, an unsuccessful salesman whose pursuit of the American Dream leads to tragedy for himself and his family. 'Death of a Salesman' previews June 19 at 7:30 p.m. and continues through June 29 with 7:30 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday, plus 2 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday with a special two-for-one ticket offer Wednesday, June 25. Lyceum Theater at Vanguard University is located at 55 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Admission costs $20-$30. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit Customers served by Costa Mesa Sanitary District are invited to attend a free drive-thru compost giveaway and shredding event on May 31, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Orange Coast College's Lot K, 2701 Fairview Road, in Costa Mesa. In addition to receiving up to two backs of compost while supplies last, participants can also drop off up to five standard file boxes of paper per household. Kitchen pails will also be available while supplies last. Services and giveaways are available only to customers with proof of residence, such as a driver's license, ID or utility bill. For more, visit or call (949) 645-8400 during regular business hours. The Laguna Beach Chamber Singers announced this week it is accepting audition submissions for its upcoming 2025-2026 season. The group rehearses on Tuesday evenings in Laguna Beach. Those with an interest in joining the Chamber Singers are asked to submit a short video recording by May 31. This can be of a recent solo performance or a simple melody. Videos must be uploaded and the audition form completed at by the deadline. Selected applicants will be invited to an in-person audition day in Laguna Beach, which includes a group rehearsal and quartet singing. Results of the audition will be announced approximately three weeks later. For more information, contact ryan@
Los Angeles Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Vanguard University kicks off graduation season, celebrates Class of 2025
With the calendar flipping over to May, graduation season has officially arrived. Vanguard University was the first local school to hold a commencement ceremony, on Thursday, at Mariners Church in Irvine. Vanguard had 361 members of the Class of 2025 walk across the stage in a morning ceremony, undergraduates no more after university President Michael Beals handed them their diplomas. An additional 53 professional education undergraduates joined 100 graduate students in an afternoon ceremony, for a total of 514 graduates from the private Christian university. hxt ehzfVdcx. vxxczfedxxa Amberly Gourlay, the student speaker at the morning ceremony, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science, minoring in theology and public policy. Gourlay, the student body president, made Vanguard and Southern California her home the last four years after being born in Alaska and raised in Durban, South Africa. She served as a College Corps resident and fellow and was a resident assistant in Newport Hall on campus. 'It's very bittersweet and hard to be leaving something that's become so familiar,' Gourlay said in an interview. She plans to attend graduate school on the East Coast at Northeastern University. 'With that, I'm so excited for what's upcoming ... I think Vanguard has been a safe space for me to land in the U.S. I feel like I've been very protected and given opportunities to really practice my gifts, in the sense of my spirituality but then also what I feel God is calling me into in terms of profession and study. Moving to a new place and learning a new culture, it's a very vulnerable process, but I feel like Vanguard walked me slowly through that.' Howard Booker, who earned his master's in business administration at Vanguard in 2008, delivered the commencement address. Booker is the executive director of the In-N-Out Burger Foundation. He said he frequently works with youth in foster care, often adopted or dealing with homelessness. 'If you're graduating here today and your journey included heartache, loss, trauma ... this moment is even sweeter for you if that's your story,' Booker told the graduates. 'Remember that those moments are part of your story, but they do not define you.'
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Vanguard students present campy multimedia twist on Jules Verne's classic ‘Journey'
Famed 19th-century author Jules Verne — who penned futuristic tales about science-minded explorers navigating the furthest reaches of the planet, beyond the limits of human understanding — might well have been proud of a theatrical effort being undertaken at Vanguard University's Lyceum Theater. That's where students of the Costa Mesa campus' Theatre Arts program on Thursday debuted in a preview an original adaptation of 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' a French science fiction novel by Verne published 1864 that has been translated numerous times and retold for both stage and screen. Running through April 13, the multimedia production takes viewers on a subterranean quest through worlds populated by mythical beasts, reminiscent of early Hollywood movie creatures like King Kong. The production employs layered projections with live action video sequences, miniature models and actors set against a green screen to create an over-the-top 1930s movie vibe, says Sue Berkompas, head of the university's theater department and artistic producing director for the campus productions. ''Journey' is so different from anything we've ever done, because of all the cool technical elements we're implementing,' Berkompas said in an interview Tuesday. 'All of those things are melded into one fun, adventurous, campy show, and we're really leaning into the campiness.' Since last summer, Berkompas has been collaborating with Vanguard junior (and assistant director) Amanda Fagan to create an original script from the Verne classic, and the pair have been making additions and edits all the way into rehearsals week. The show follows German scientist Professor Hardwigg and his nephew, Harry, as they follow a trail of clues left by a 16th century alchemist whom they believe traveled to the Earth's core through a series of volcanic tunnels. They are joined by Harry's fiancée Gretchen, who stows herself away for the voyage, unaware of the perils and amazements that await. 'They go on this dangerous, lost world adventure to the center of the Earth and encounter all these anomalies,' Berkompas said, describing an active volcano, giant snakes and sea monsters battling in an underground grotto. 'Some of the effects are really amazing and cool, and some of them are uber cheesy — that's the way I envisioned it, with the two always working together.' While students comprise the eight-member cast and roughly 20-member crew, additional expertise was brought in to pull off some of the more technical elements, including the use of gigantic onstage puppets. All of those elements working together presented a unique challenge for Alyssa Kammerer, a 2023 graduate of the Theatre Arts program who now serves as an adjunct professor pulling double duty as the production and stage manager for 'Journey.' 'We're trying to mesh live theater and film into the same thing. Figuring out the timing and how everything works together is quite difficult,' Kammerer said Wednesday. 'I've used projections before, but when you're integrating a projection with a live video feed it's a whole different beast.' The end result, however, is an intriguing and impressive spectacle that is not to be missed, she added. Berkompas said if all goes well, she'd like to take the adaptation to the American Coast Theater Company, a professional theater group that stages shows at the Lyceum when not in use by the university, and where she also acts and directs. 'This is the most ambitious technical show I've ever done in my entire life,' she said. 'It's just really fun stuff. You're not going to get Tennessee Williams with this, but you're going to have a lot of fun — I guarantee it.' Vanguard University's Lyceum Theater presents 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday this week and next, along with additional 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets cost $17, or $15 for seniors 60+, children under 12, college students and groups and can be purchased at or by calling the box office at (714) 668-6145.
Los Angeles Times
02-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Vanguard peer educators teach H.B. high school students about dangers of human trafficking
In 2002, the first human trafficking victim identified in Orange County was an Egyptian girl enslaved by a couple in Irvine for two years after they smuggled her from Egypt. Irvine, a master-planned city, is often listed among the safest in the country for its size. Shyima Hall, the victim rescued more than two decades ago, started speaking out publicly against human trafficking. Now Vanguard University peer educators in the 'Live2Free' human trafficking awareness club are striving to give local high school students the reality of the situation regarding human trafficking in the county. 'I think people need to be more aware, especially in the O.C., where it's somewhere that's perceived to be so safe,' said Vanguard senior communications major Jasmine Allen. 'Children in general need to be educated on this stuff, so that's why I joined Live2Free, just so I can be part of spreading the awareness of human trafficking and making a change.' Vanguard's Global Center for Women and Justice launched 'Safe Communities, Safe Kids,' a three-year pilot program designed to increase human trafficking awareness and prevention education in county public schools, last fall. The program was made possible by a $825,000 grant from the Samueli Foundation. Several Vanguard Live2Free peer educators present the curriculum as a group to local students. The college students are also paid for their efforts, through the grant money. Huntington Beach Union High School District has been a key supporter as the program has launched, said Jamie Macintosh, Vanguard program coordinator of 'Safe Communities, Safe Kids,' adding that the university is seeking to expand the program to other county school districts. On Friday morning, freshman students in Leonard Ibarra's third-period health class at Westminster High School received a presentation from four of the peer educators, who went over the two types of human trafficking — labor and sex trafficking — while touching on topics like 'sextortion,' when children can be threatened or blackmailed, and grooming. They also acted out a scenario where a male coach called a female student-athlete who was home alone, offering to bring her food. The Westminster students were asked to identify the numerous red flags in the coach's dialogue, ultimately labeling him as an untrusted adult. 'That is one of the most impactful things that the students catch onto,' Macintosh said. 'It's like, 'Oh wait. That was kind of weird.' 'A lot of times, it's like, oh, I didn't realize that's what it was, because it's so normalized. We've had so many students be like, 'That boy asked me for nudes.' When we're like, 'No, they shouldn't ask you,' they're like, 'What? I just thought that was normal.' Like that's just part of being a teenager.' According to the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force 2023 Victim Report, two out of five sex trafficking victims are minors. Female minor victims make up 32% of all human trafficking victims identified in Orange County, with male minor victims at 4%. The Vanguard peer educators underwent 40 hours of training as 'Safe Communities, Safe Kids' was launched, Macintosh said. They'll return to Westminster High on Friday for the second part of their presentation, which will deal more with relationships and who, exactly, can be considered a trusted adult. The students are given Jolly Rancher candies for their participation in the presentation. 'I think it's very beneficial that we are college students,' said Live2Free member Coco McLeroy, a junior at Vanguard. 'We've been in their shoes. We were just in high school three years ago, so I feel like they listen to us more, because they can relate to us and we can relate to them.' Ibarra said his students have a wellness center on campus, featuring four mental health specialists, where they can go if they're uncomfortable with a conversation. 'For me, just making them aware is the biggest thing,' he said. 'My biggest goal is to make them aware of what actually can happen if they run away from home, or if they just have a situation where they have a controlling boyfriend, or if they get pulled in by the helpers of the pimps to do these things.' Many of the freshmen did appear to grasp the lessons imparted. 'I'll probably be more cautious, more careful who I talk to,' said Jade, a student in the health class whose last name is withheld for privacy reasons, in an interview following the class. 'I talk to almost everyone. I'm really social, but you have to be careful.' Students are given a sticky note on the back of their resource guides where they can give feedback about the presentation, or ask questions. Those questions are given to the teacher, especially if it's something alarming, so he or she can follow up. 'What we really want is those questions where students disclose a little bit more,' Macintosh said. 'They don't feel comfortable raising their hands and saying, 'This is what is going on,' but they might feel comfortable writing it.'
