Campus Celebrities: Vagabond Youth

Photo courtesy of Amy Lee

Amy Lee is a third-year communications studies major at UCLA, with all the normal student concerns about midterms, relationships and the rest. But to her more than 150,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel Vagabond Youth, she is a fashion inspiration, a new media icon who infuses her video with cutting-edge style, empowering messages for young women and her own brand of kooky charm. On The Hill sat down with her to discuss what led to her move both to UCLA and online.

Your Guide to BruinView

So, you want an internship or a job. You’ve heard about Bruinview, but you don’t know exactly how it works. We’re here to update you. Here are the main points:

Life Hack : All’s Good That Smells Good

Fed up with the cramped, stuffy smells of your bedroom but you can’t use candles flame incense? Here’s one smart way to freshen it up.

Taxes 101: Your On the Hill Guide to Filing Your Taxes

Tax season might be confusing for most students. We’ve collaborated with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA at UCLA) to create this guide to answer commonly asked questions. The following guide is non-exhaustive and only addresses basic issues which commonly affect college students. If you feel that you need further assistance, feel free to visit VITA at UCLA at Ackerman Viewpoint on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11AM-4PM until Week 9 of Winter Quarter and Mondays through Fridays from 11AM-4PM during Spring Quarter until April 15^th. Check out their website for more information and tax site reservations (they also accept walk-ins!).

Before you may determine what you are to do this tax season, let’s define essential tax lingo that is unfamiliar to the ordinary college student.

Sushi For Days

You can’t deny that UCLA has amazing dining services. Not only do we have a ton of options, but our food is hands down one of the best in the country. And just when you thought nothing could be better than lunch-to-go on those hectic days, De Neve has brought us our very own sushi-to-go! Weekdays from 11-3 you can grab an 8-piece sushi lunch to go with a choice of water, milk, or juice.

And the best things about the new sushi program?

(1) It’s just a swipe away
De Neve sushi offers you sushi and a drink for just one swipe. Way better deal than you could get in a restaurant.

(2) It’s conveniently placed on the hill
No need to trek to Westwood or Tsunami just for sushi. With De Neve’s sushi to go, you can have sushi for lunch during the week whenever your heart desires.

(3) Cucumber avocado roll every day
The vegetarian option of a cucumber avocado roll is available every day, so if you’re on a diet or have dietary restrictions, you don’t have to wait for a specific day to get your sushi fix.

Life Hack : Clean Shoes Are Happy Shoes

Wanna get rid of that gym show smell in your cramped closet?

Put fabric softeners in your shoes.

Stick a fabric softener sheet in each of your shoes to get them smelling fresh and new again. If you want it to smell really nice, add a couple to the pockets of your jackets or coats to keep everything else feeling fresh too.

Black History Month

Black History Month is a national, annual celebration and recognition of the achievements of African Americans in US history. 

Fame Right Under Our Noses

Ever tried to figure out if the scenes in our favorite movies are real places or just a set? Here’s 5 famous film locations in or near LA that you just might recognize if you look closely enough.

Life Hack : Fresh Fridge

Is your refrigerator giving off the scent of leftovers and old food? Here’s an easy fix.

Stick some coffee grounds in your refrigerator.

Get a small bowl or container, fill it with ground up coffee and stick it on a shelf in the fridge. Next time you open the refrigerator door, you’ll be wafted with the inviting aroma of coffee instead.

Life Hacks: Learn your Lectures 2x Faster (Literally)

So you’ve got to watch 15 podcasts but you have a midterm tomorrow. You’ve calculated it, and it’s going to take you 15 hours, even if you don’t procrastinate or fall asleep. And let’s be honest, you’re going to procrastinate. Here’s the secret: Play your lectures at 2x the speed. You’ll be able to hear it all; your brain will adjust, and you can slow down at the important parts. But, next time, go to class. That being said, you do need a video player other than iTunes to use this particular feature though. We recommend using a video player called VLC Media. It’s one of the most downloaded video players on cnet.com (a highly popular tech site used by tech geeks) and consistently gets great ratings. Click on the links provided below to download.

If you’re a Windows

If you’re a Mac

1. After you have downloaded the file, open up VLC Media Player.

2. Download and then play your podcast using the player

3. Look to the top left of your screen. There should be a menu with a number of options (File, Edit, View, Playback, Etc).

4. Click playback and adjust the speed of the video there.

If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a screenshot:

 

So there you go, here’s your pre-finals hack. Now get to studying.