Orange and Blue magazine - Spring 2021 - The Origins Issue

ORANGE & BLUE

The

ORIGINS Issue

We Need to Talk About Your Mom's Closet

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Spring 2021

Decades of Local Feminism

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Wellness Trends With a Rich History

Beauty in the Eye of the Artist Two Sorority Sisters and a Crazy Coincidence

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

6PEOPL E 8

L oca l Diet icia n Ditches Diet ing Forever

T he Fest: A n A nnua l Homecom ing

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Find ing L ove in Unex pected Places

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19 6 0 -2020: Si x Decades of L oca l Fem in ism

32 Park s a nd Rec: T he Or ig ins of T hree Ga inesv i l le Park s

A nt i-A g ing P roduct s A re a Double-E dged Sword

Diversit y T hrough t he Decades: How t he Un iversit y of F lor ida Has Cha nged

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I nside t he Ga inesv i l le Rest aura nt s T hat Fel l Vict i m to 2020

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Going Green: T he R ise of "Clea n" Foods

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DNA Test ing: Blood Is T h icker T ha n Water

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Ga me, Set, Watch

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T he Tr ue "Best Fr iends Forever"

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L ove in t he Ti me of Coronav ir us

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It's A l l Greek to Me: How I L ear ned to Embrace My Cu lt ure

44 THI NGS

F ly ing Under Ora nge a nd Blue Sk ies

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A Sma l l Business w it h A L arge I mpact: Lu ke's Bagels Ga inesv i l le: A Cit y Frozen I n Ti me

Ga inesv i l le A rch itect ure: Our Past Is Our P resent

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A Cit y's Jour ney to Sust a inabi l it y

63 I DE AS

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Neighbors a nd I nnovators

64 Recover ing From 2020

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You A re W hat You Wear

65 A Tr ip to t he Psyche

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F lor ida's M inor it y Commun it ies a nd t he COV I D Vaccine

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Ti me to Get T hr i ft y: Ta l k ing w it h T hr i ft Club at U F a nd t he HOW BA Z A R Co.

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M is Qu inces A ños: Remember ing Trad it ions New a nd Old

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TA BLE OF

CONTENTS

28 PL ACES

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67 T he I nner Work ings of Hea l ing 70 L ook ing Back for For ward Fash ion 72 T he A mer ican Dream: Was It Ever Wit h in Our Grasp?

Women Ta k ing Cont rol: Bir t h Cont rol O pt ions a nd T heir H istor y

74 Gators for Change

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76 T he A ge- Old Ma keup I ndust r y and t he Trends of Today

Br ush St rokes T hrough Ti me

56 Novel Nost a lg ia: Five Book s T hat Wi l l Rem ind You of Your Root s 57

78 Awa ken Your Tr ue Self T hrough Zen

4 0 Years of M T V: W here A re We Now

58 From Sa lt to Cr yst a l: Underst a nd ing W here Hol ist ic Trends Come From 61 Gatorade: Ga inesv i l le Gem, I nter nat iona l Treasure

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LETTERS FROM

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Molly Chepenik

Taylor Locket t

A lexis Vega

Cassandra Dergins

Kaliope Dr is

Santiago Chac in

Sarah C or rea - Dibar

Br yanna Basilio

M elissa Her nandez De La Cr uz

MEET THE STA FF

O livia deM ontc orency

THE

EDITORS Zahra Khan

Every single one of us are, in part, a product of where we came from. We each have a background story that we carry with us to each new place we go and new experience we live through. You can know someone on the surface but to know them truly is to know their origins.

Our staff chose “Origins” for the theme of this magazine's issue because we agreed knowing the foundation our community is built on and where its people come from is the key to understanding one another a little bit better.

The magazine is divided into four sections – People, Places, Things and Thoughts. As we created this issue, we learned about the history of Gainesville and the land we live on. We spoke with the people who are making a positive change in the community and others who could recount the legacies that have been left behind. We discussed our own origins and how planting our roots here has changed our lives and touched others.

I hope this magazine helps each reader think about their origins and how they have shaped them into the person they are today. I hope every reader comes away from the magazine with a deeper appreciation and understanding of other people’s backgrounds. We will grow and evolve our whole lives, so we must take care to remember that every person, every place, every thing and every idea starts out somewhere.

Molly Chepenik Disclaimer: All cover models had been tested for COVID-19 prior to being a participant in the photoshoot as well as being cleared for campus. The photo was taken at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens.

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V iviana M oreno

Car issa C ostello

While deciding the theme for this issue, there was a consistent pattern of overlapping ideas: history, traditions, identity, growth, heritage, culture. They all raised questions we had about ourselves: Who am I? Where does my story start? How does my past influence my future?

Our team wanted to answer these questions by investigating how these themes of legacy, history and culture are linked to how we identify ourselves. All of these aspects contribute to who we are today, how we contribute to our own legacies and, ultimately, connect with others.

Throughout our reporting, we realized the history of our Gainesville community and its people uncovered the four main sections of the issue: People, Places, Things and Thoughts. We discovered undiscussed aspects of Gainesville’s history, the people who currently and previously lived here and how their legacies have had an impact on our city. In each of these sections, we hope you discover something new about your community, yourself and, above all, the path to your own origins – to who you are at your roots.

Zahra Khan Thank you to our advisers Nicole Irving, Ted Spiker, Spiro Kiousis, Hal Herman and Cally House. Orange and Blue is published semiannually by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications students enrolled in Applied Magazines. This issue was printed by Publications Printers. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any means without written permission. Orange and Blue is protected through trademark registration in the United States. Send letters to Box 118400 College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

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PEOPLE 6 The Origins Is sue

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“It just ended up giving me so many more issues on top of that, with anxiety, fear of gaining weight and fear of if I lost enough weight.”

Local Dietician Ditches Dieting Forever Stor y and Photos by Car issa Costello

Newly divorced, Jenna Talleda believed that dieting was going to be the key to finding love again.

However, dieting had only worsened her selfimage. That’s when she stumbled across a non-diet approach called intuitive eating, which freed her from diets forever.

Just after Jenna’s divorce in 2016, she began a restrictive, low-carb diet.

“I put myself on a crazy, crazy restriction,” said Talleda, 39.

After six months of dieting, Jenna reached her goal of losing around 80 pounds but soon discovered that it didn’t help how she felt about herself. Instead, it only worsened her issues. Even though her BMI was healthy, she never felt like it was enough.

Not only did she not find love, but “it just ended up giving me so many more issues on top of that, with anxiety, fear of gaining weight and fear of if I lost enough weight,” said Talleda. “It really didn't make the difference that I was thinking it would.”

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Talleda is a registered dietician whose practice is located in Gainesville. She became a registered dietician in 2007 and a certified intuitive eating counselor in 2017.

At first, she internalized the ideal thin body of what a dietician “should” look like.

“I thought that otherwise, nobody wanted to work with me,” she said.

In 2017, she began working in a drug rehab hospital.

In an effort to learn more about her patients with eating disorders, she discovered the concept of intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is a philosophy that was first coined by dieticians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch during the mid-'90s. Their book, “Intuitive Eating,” focuses on a few key factors: 1. Trust your body’s wisdom: The body gives you cues regarding hunger and fullness. Learning to honor it and stay attuned frees you from regimented

diets. It’s about bringing a flexible curiosity to According to that same study, a brief intervention on what your body needs. It’s being a nonjudgmental non-dieting, intuitive eating left women with overall observer without shaming yourself. improvements in their diets, body satisfaction and eating concerns one month on.

2. There are no diet restrictions: It’s about trusting your body’s wisdom to choose what and how much to If diets don’t promote long-term weight loss, then eat, without a diet mentality. what’s the point? Some believe that dieting helps improve long-term health rather than sustained 3. Nothing’s off-limits: Foods are neither bad nor weight loss. In a randomized controlled trial good or healthy and unhealthy. Eat what you want, published in the National Center for Biotechnology when you want it. As long as you tune into your body. Information, there was little to no data on achieving this goal.

Now, this doesn’t mean eat all the Ben & Jerry’s you can. Paying attention to how your body feels using The restrictive nature of dieting demonstrates the hunger and fullness cues can improve the way you danger for physical and mental health, according eat. Sometimes you’re going to need more calories. to research published in the National Library of It’s about being curious and flexible.

Medicine. They outweigh any benefits to weight loss.

Talleda found that intuitive eating allowed her to honor her body. It neutralized food and removed The best thing we can do for our health is to change the dichotomy of foods being good or bad. Food our relationship with food and our bodies. stopped hanging above her head and stopped making her feel like she couldn’t be trusted around Jenna Talleda is a registered dietician in Gainesville. it, she said.

You can find her at eatingmindfullyllc.com Weight usually returns within two to five years. In fact, 80%-95% of people who lose weight will regain it back in two years, according to a 2020 study in the National Library of Medicine.

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The day after my 14th birthday in 2012, my mother and I immediately dove into planning for my quinceañera. As the youngest sibling, this was my mother’s third go-around planning the festive event.

For months, we spent lunch dates pouring over guest lists, music selections and decor decisions. This was a time in my life we couldn’t believe had finally arrived. For years, I dreamed of my quinceañera — everything from the process of planning (much akin to a wedding) to dress shopping to finally having all of my loved ones in a single space, relatives around the country and world often made this difficult. My madrina (godmother) was also there for each phase of the process. Together, this trio set out to throw a beautiful fiesta de quince años, folding tradition with fresh, personal touches.

Mis Quinces Años: Remembering Story and Photos by Viviana Moreno Traditions New and Old “Ahora les presento a Viviana Isabella Moreno, la quinceañera,” boomed my dad’s friend. The curtains parted, and there I sat in a wingback chair in the center of the stage.

Seven years ago, I stood in a large, blush pink gown surrounded by a sea of smiling faces and glittering decor. The ballroom in the middle of South Miami pulsed with colored lights, yards of tulle curtains, perfectly arranged flower bouquets and the warmth of my loved ones. I remember the pressure of the tiara nestled on my head, my curled hair tickling my shoulders, the flush of having so many eyes tracking my steps along the edge of the dance floor. Most of all, I remember the rush of emotion. An overwhelming crash of waves cresting from head to toe at the sight of all of my loved ones in one space — just as I had imagined all my childhood.

This special evening was my quinceañera, a traditional Latinx occasion celebrating a girl’s fifteenth birthday and subsequent transition from girlhood to womanhood.

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From time to time, I go into a corner of my mother’s closet and retrieve a tucked-away black box. I sift through its contents: a thick photo album embossed with the words, Mis Quinces Años, an elegantly scripted invitation, a rumpled table number. And each time I do, it gets me thinking about the meaning behind the event, the sentimental aspects of my celebration and the origins behind it all.

The origins of this particular celebration are a bit muddled. According to Ilan Stavans’ book "Quinceañeara," there are several theories. Some say the occasion was an Aztec rite later taken over by the Catholic Church or a ceremony created in the model of European court debuts. While the tradition’s past may never be entirely clear, it’s interesting to note how different regions approach and practice it.

For example, Cuban and Puerto Rican celebrations typically forgo the religious aspect, which is true in my case as I am Cubana and Chilena. The event can be emphasized in one area and not celebrated in another; it’s been molded and adapted, which is also fascinating. In what is considered a traditional quince, there are several components, which, of course, may vary: a mass, the changing of flat shoes to heeled ones, a court of damas and chambelanes and

more. For my celebration, we scratched off certain traditional aspects and replaced them with others we found more significant.

In the specific context of Latinidad in the United States, quinceañearas are especially prone to adjustments or adaptations, as discussed in Julia Alvarez’s book "Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA." As a first-generation Latinx individual born and raised in Miami, my identity is a reflection of the diverse backdrop I call home. Alvarez touched on the idea that the celebration becomes “exquisite performances of our ethnicities within the larger host culture while at the same time reaffirming that we are not ‘them’ by connecting us if only in spirit to our root culture.” This sentiment speaks to those in areas of the country where they do not find their cultures widely represented, but for me, I was always entrenched in my culture: from the local Cuban bakery to the cooking of my mother, madrina, and abuela to switching from English to Spanish until it became a blurred Spanglish dialect. In other words, my quinceañeara origin story is one that fluidly grapples with age-old tradition, my love for my roots and family and modern notions of what it all means.

The most special parts of my fiesta de quince años were the moments and sentimental choices my family and I incorporated. And there are quite a few.

During the tedious planning months, certain things were immediately made clear — I would not have a court, a choreographed dance number or a mass.

Instead, a tender candle ceremony was included, where I asked fifteen important women in my life to accept a candle as my sign of love and gratitude.

The silver and crystal tiara gleaming in my pictures was also worn by my two older sisters, Valeria and Kayla. The beautifully painted porcelain cake topper gracing my three-tiered cake came from the quince of my madrina’s daughter. The dress, one of the most fun parts, evokes soft emotions as I can clearly recall the moment my mom, madrina and I knew it was the one. The dress, a gorgeous blush pink Vera Wang number gifted to me by my madrina, became a symbol of the shared experience. Even the nude lipstick I wore represented a token of love — during my photoshoot at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, my madrina gave me her go-to Giorgio Armani color to keep and it has become my signature lipstick and a nostalgic memory.

The origins of a quinceañera may not be entirely clear, but the roots stretch across regions and time. As a young girl, I envisioned a night filled with love and celebration, but I had never thought of the small bits that would paint the experience as entirely my own.

When I peek through those photos and memorabilia in that black box, I am overwhelmed with the love of my family and friends and the wonders of creating my own traditions.

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Finding Love in Unexpected Places Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Story by Kaliope Dris

Cozumel for spring break just five days prior. Right after arriving, Ulatowski’s mother rented a boat for a snorkel tour. The boat captain that was supposed to run the boat called in sick, so Gutierrez had to take over the boat on his day off. Engaged and in a committed relationship, Ulatowski did not think anything would happen with the boat captain. She thought he was attractive, but he was the polar opposite of her fiance at the time, she said.

That July, she went on another trip to Cozumel where she saw Gutierrez for a second time. They exchanged contact information. Ulatowski returned home from that trip to find out that her fiance had been unfaithful to her. To cheer her up, her mom booked a trip for her to go to Cozumel again.

Ulatowski reached out to Gutierrez to tell him that she was coming again. He picked her up from the airport, and on July 4, 2013, they began dating. Now almost eight years later, she is fluent in Spanish, he is fluent in English, and he is working on getting his permanent residency to live in the United States.

In 2018, Jaimie Hoover, a student and softball player at the University of Florida, ordered one of her favorite foods, sushi, from Volcanic Sushi through Bite Squad.

She expected to have her typical encounter with the Bite Squad employee. She would open the door, get her food, say thank you and move on. Little did she know, Taylor Griffith, the deliverer of her sushi, would become her long-term girlfriend.

softball her whole life, so when Hoover’s last name popped up on her next delivery, she immediately recognized it.

Every relationship has to start somewhere. Whether it is meeting a significant other through mutual friends, out at a bar or through a dating app, it varies by couple. While dating apps are a popular way to meet someone right now, other couples have different origin stories that stray far from Hinge and OkCupid.

After the encounter, Hoover picked up her phone to a notification that Griffith followed her. She decided to send her a direct message thanking her for the food.

Ever since Oct. 26, 2018, they have been a couple.

When Hoover and Griffith met outside of Hoover’s door in Gainesville, Florida, neither of them were looking for a relationship. Griffith, 21, has played

"When I delivered her food and she opened the door I was kind of starstuck."

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“When I delivered her food and she opened the door I was kind of starstruck,” Griffith said. “When I left, I found her on Instagram, followed her and just waited.”

Griffith and Hoover conveniently met in the city where they were both living, but this is not always the case.

Chanteil Ulatowski is originally from Chicago, Illinois, but lives in Gainesville as an emergency medicine resident for UF Health Shands Hospital. Her fiance, Pancho Gutierrez, was born and raised in Cozumel, Mexico, and did not visit the United States until the two started dating.

In March 2013 when they met, Ulatowski was engaged to be married the following year — but not to Gutierrez. She was engaged to a man that she had been with since she was 15.

During her junior year of college at Olivet Nazarene University, Ulatowski and her family booked a trip to

“I don’t believe in destiny and I don’t believe in fate, but I definitely think something happened in this scenario,” Ulatowski said. “He pushes me out of my comfort zone. He taught me how to free dive. I’ve been to more places with him than I’ve been in my entire life.”

Throughout the past eight years, Ulatowski said that they have leaned on each other through all times of difficulty. She went through medical school, and he decided to start his own rum company. They have been important support systems for one another.

Without her spontaneous trip to Mexico and his co-worker calling off work, she may have never met him. In September 2022, they plan to get married in Cozumel where they first met by chance.

When longtime Gainesville resident Jill Nash bid on a bachelor during a charity auction in the '80s, she did not expect to buy her husband for $150. While working for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, she was in charge of interviewing men for a bachelor auction. During the process, she decided that it could be fun to put in a bid on a man during the event she helped plan.

"I think what's fun is when you're just falling in love.

Ever y thing's fun."

Pete Nash was 24 when he was put on stage as an eligible bachelor. Whoever won him would accompany him on a one-day cruise called Sea Escape. After Jill Nash won, instead of waiting until the cruise, they went on a first date to Chili’s and began their relationship.

The night of the auction, the couple spent time at what was called “The Cupid Lounge” at the University Center Hotel in Gainesville. The purpose was to go up, talk to someone for about five minutes and have a glass of champagne. Instead, Jill and Pete Nash spent an hour and a half talking and shared a whole bottle of champagne. Five years later, their wedding reception was held at the same hotel.

Taking a chance with $150 led to new opportunities and memories. Although Jill Nash attended the University of Florida, she said that she was never a big football fan. As a new couple though, they attended every Gator game. They also travel whenever they can.

“I think what’s fun is when you’re just falling in love, everything’s fun,” Nash said.

The Nashs now have three children ages 25, 22 and 20.

“I didn’t look at the bachelor auction as this,” Jill Nash said. “I really did think this would just be another date.”

The way one meets their significant other can be a story that is told for generations. Many people will never forget the first time they saw their partner. It can be something as simple as delivering food for work or wanting to get over a heartbreak. An origin exists for every love story — and it may be in an unexpected place.

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1960-2020: Six Decades of Local Feminism Photos courtesy of the UF Archives

Story by Olivia deMontmorency

1970s 1972 - The Equal Rights Amendment is passed in the United States. However, it's not until Jan. 27, 2020 that Virginia becomes the 38th state to ratify it, more than three decades after the original 1982 deadline.

The Women’s Movement is commonly acknowledged as a national organization, but every community and city around the country plays an extensive role in reinforcing these ideas of equality and change.

Gainesville is no exception. Many residents may be unaware that Gainesville has a rich history of feminism. Here’s a look at the local history of the feminist movement, the impactful organizations and the strong women who led them.

1960s 1963 - Gainesville Women for Equal Rights (GWER) was co-founded by Beverly Jones. According to the University of Florida Digital Collections, the community began to recognize the coalition after its members protested against segregation at the College Inn in October 1963. These women normally consisted of local students, wives, teachers and others who played a significant role in the desegregation of the library, Alachua General Hospital, the Boys Club and more.

1974 - The Rape Information and Counseling Service (RICS) is created and provides a 24-hour hotline for those experiencing any form of sexual abuse.

Documentation from the UF Smathers Library states the RICS was started in a broom closet of a local Gainesville church, monitored at all times of the day.

According to WomaNews, volunteers accompanied rape victims to the hospital, the police station, court and even provided getaways for women to escape town for the day or weekend.

1974 continued - The Gainesville Women’s Health Center is created by longtime advocate for women’s health, Byllye Avery. The Gainesville center, alongside four other centers, was for minority and low-income women facing unplanned/unwanted pregnancies. Documentation from the UF archives states Avery later established the Black Women's Health Imperative in Atlanta in 1984, which addresses reproductive rights of African American women.

1975 - Womanstore opens, Gainesville’s first feminist bookstore. Womanstore provided feminist literature as well as a space where women could leave their abusive homes and work on creating new policy and change for equality.

1977 - The University of Florida approves the Women’s Studies program as a new field of study.

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2000s

1980 - The Gainesville Commission on the Status of Women is founded to promote “gender equality and the empowerment of women." The local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People elects their first woman president, Dr. Joyce Cosby.

2002 - The Pride Community Center of North Florida opens in Gainesville, serving 13 counties around Alachua County. The center is devoted to serving the LGBTQ+ community through activities, resources and public education.

1982 - The local National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter is established. NOW addresses issues of activism such as reproductive rights, stopping violence against women, ending racism, stopping sex discrimination and economic inequality.

2002 continued - Cynthia M. Chestnut is the first African American woman elected to the Alachua County Commission.

1984 - Jean Chalmers is the first woman elected Mayor of Gainesville. Today, Chalmers works as a real estate agent and continues to advocate for gender equality.

1986 - Gainesville’s progressive newsletter and events calendar, the Gainesville Iguana is created.

Founded by activists Jenny Brown and Joe Courter, the Gainesville Iguana, served as a resource for activists to rally around an event and share national information. The newsletter continues to distribute hard copies today (printed on recycled paper) around Gainesville and publish online.

Byllye Avery (1974)

2005 - The Latina Women's League is founded to provide a space for discussion of Latina women’s experiences as well as community service projects, activities and resources.

2017 - The iconic Women’s March on Washington takes place and Gainesville feminists participate.

Many Gainesville locals attended the march in D.C., and others march in the local community, along with hundreds of other cities across the world.

2020 - The Gainesville Women’s March takes place where hundreds safely gather and march from Depot Park to Bo Diddley Plaza. The event was organized by University of Florida academic adviser Larah Doyle.

1987 - Cynthia M. Chestnut becomes the first African American woman elected to the Gainesville City Commission.

1990s 1990 - Cynthia M. Chestnut is the first woman elected to Florida House of Rep. from District 2 and the first African American elected from Alachua County.

1994 - Writer and radical feminist Kathie Sarachild begins teaching a “Feminist Activism” course at the University of Florida. Back in the 1960s, Sarachild coined the famous term “Sisterhood Is Powerful” and wrote the “Program for Feminist Consciousness-Raising.”

1968 - Beverly Jones and Judith Brown co-authored the feminist manifesto, “Toward a Female Liberation Movement,” which is later printed as a pamphlet and named the “Florida Paper.” Stetson University professor and historian Peggy Macdonald calls it “one of the most prominent local activities of its time.” The Florida Paper is considered to be one of the most popular publications on radical feminism, following iconic author Simone de Beauvoir.

1968 continued - The Gainesville Women's Liberation is founded by Judith Brown and Carol Giardina. It’s the first women's liberation group in the South. Brown and Giardina would later revive the organization in the mid-'80s.

1980s

1997 - The Gainesville Women's Health Center closes after 25 years of serving women in the community. The health center created a longlasting impact by putting medicine practices like the gentle female pelvic exam at the forefront of basic medical practices. Through its almost three decades of operation, Gainesville Women’s Health Center endured attacks from anti-choice protestors and legislative limitations on abortion rights, small business failures and more, according to the UF Digital Collections.

In 2020, Larah Doyle, an academic adviser from the Universit y of Florida, organized a Women's March from Depot Park to Bo Diddley Plaza.

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Anti-Aging Products Are a Double-Edged Sword Story and Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

There is no clear timeline dictating when you should begin to use prevention products. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), lifestyle largely influences how soon skin thins and creates the fine lines scorned upon by beauty standards. Sun exposure, smoking and tanning should be avoided for all ages.

Retinol is a miraculous derivative of vitamin A that is used in products aimed at preventing and smoothing out the natural aging process. Undesirable wrinkles, fine lines and crow's-feet magically shy away from the power of anti-aging ingredients such as retinol.

Social media plagues consumers' minds with a compulsive obsession for physical perfection, fueling the skin care industry. Even during the middle of a pandemic, the skin care industry raked in $17.3 billion in 2020, according to Statistica. It raises the questions: How dangerous is this obsession? Could it be counterintuitive?

There’s no doubt that quality skin care products are costly, as the industry thrives on people's insecurities.

It promises to deliver on clear, glossy skin you see on magazine covers. No wrinkle, line or crow’s-feet in sight. Thanks to the increasingly popular video app, TikTok, in addition to celebrity testimonials, skin care and anti-aging products have become a viral trend.

Skin care connoisseurs like SkinCarebyHyram and Vi Lai found fame on TikTok by reviewing skin care brands such as CeraVe. The company subsequently saw itself at the top of the sales chart for cleansers and lotions, selling out in drugstores. CeraVe's U.S. sales skyrocketed to nearly $467 million, according to data from market research company Information Resources Inc. The Ordinary’s red peel, an exfoliant made up of beta hydroxy acid (BHA) and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) chemical compounds, was popularized by TikTok in February 2020. The red peel promises to remove dullness from the skin, resulting in a youthful glow.

The Ordinary saw a 427% increase in units sold from their website, as reported by Vogue Business.

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Daily gentle cleansing and moisturizing also boosts a youthful appearance. Often, people believe in the common misconception that because a product is stinging or tingling, that must mean it's working.

Dermatologists disagree with this logic, unless it is a medically prescribed anti-aging product, according to the AAD. The needless burning and stinging irritates the skin, which creates an older appearance.

Raychel Cawley, an aesthetician at Piel Aesthetics in Gainesville, endorses using skin care products carefully.

The 39-year-old has been practicing dermatology for three years and highly recommends people see an aesthetician and do research before applying products. Cawley said she doesn't like that chemical exfoliants are trendy because of how irritating they can be on certain skin types.

"So long as you have a professional telling you exactly what you might benefit from, I wouldn't do a chemical acid at home," Cawley said.

She believes using anti-aging products while you’re young is pointless because your skin is still growing.

She generally recommends people start using these products at around 25, but it's all dependent upon your lifestyle.

Anti-aging products like retinol-based creams or chemical exfoliants are double-edged swords because they could lead to accelerated aging, according to dermatologists from AAD. The fine print on skin care products, like The Ordinary's niacinamide acid, often warns consumers about the increased sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Without sun protection factor (SPF), anti-aging products are counterintuitive.

Using too much retinol early on could deplete the skin’s healthy cell divisions later on in life. Balanced usage is critical to maintaining smooth skin, according to a Business Insider report on retinol.

Skin care is a science that takes plenty of trial and error to get right. However, before reaching for antiaging products, remember to protect your skin with some SPF first.

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Going Green: The R ise of "Clean" Foods Story by Cassandra Dergins

Long gone are the days of Twinkies and Big Macs. that the meat industry generates 18% of all global Preservatives and trans-fats are making way for greenhouse gas emissions, while the dairy industry cleaner and greener foods. generates 4%. These harsh global impacts have pushed the market demand for more environmentally Over the last decade, people's diets have changed friendly foods. drastically. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairyfree foods have become widely accessible throughout According to the Plant Based Food Association, plantgrocery stores and restaurants. based meats now account for 2% of retail packaged meat sales. Refrigerated plant-based meat has seen According to a study done by Good Food Institute, sales increase 37%, while sales in the conventional the sales of plant-based foods have grown 29% since meat category grew just 2% during the same period.

2017. Plant-based meat, egg and dairy products have outpaced overall food growth by more than “I wasn’t even a vegan until all of these documentaries five times. In a joint effort toward healthier bodies came out and all of these famous people came out and a healthy planet, the demand for these foods and they were like this is what we’re doing for the has risen considerably. environment and our health,” said Maggie Clow, owner of Joyfully Baked, a vegan and gluten-free “We have learned a lot about nutrition, even in the past friendly bakery in Gainesville. decade,” said Katelyn Greenleaf, a registered dietician at NuLeaf Nutrition in Gainesville. The growth of "It's not just vegans and vegetarians that come to social media sites has led to the oversaturation of the bakery,” Clow said. Joyfully Baked’s array of trendy diets. Keto, juice cleanses and detoxes have cheesecakes, doughnuts and artfully baked goods become the newest crazes. However, when it comes attract customers of all diets. Just a few years ago, the to nutrition, not everything is as healthy as it seems. word vegan caused farmers market attendees to turn noses to Clow’s goods. This past January, Joyfully “Clean eating is a phrase that people throw out Baked attracted a line of customers that trailed down because they think they’re eating healthy,” Greenleaf the block for their official store opening. said. “But nutrition is different for everybody; there’s not a magic food or eating plan that is going to get From small-town bakeries to big chain grocery stores, everyone to see results.” Because there is such a clean foods have become plentiful. Vegan-friendly large variety of diets, nutritionists and dieticians are meals that used to be few and far between are essential for those looking to clean up their plates available at every corner. Even fast-food restaurants while still getting their essential nutrients. are adding more plant-based varieties to their menus. Whether consumers are changing their diets Internal health isn’t the only benefit of greener foods. for themselves or the planet, the popularity of clean Cutting down on meat consumption means cutting eating is taking over our plates. down your carbon footprint. The U.N. has estimated The Origins Is sue 17

DNA Testing: Blood Is Thicker Than Water Story by Molly Chepenik

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

a wealthy Jewish family. Wolff said her mother was never really interested in knowing who her birth parents were until she decided to take a DNA test.

“We found out my mom was 50% Italian and 50% Eastern European Jewish,” Wolff said. “We got the biggest kick out of that because my mom always loved cooking and Italian culture.”

Wolff said her mother was matched with a first cousin through AncestryDNA, and through the cousin she connected with a woman named Sharon, who turned out to be Beth’s biological half-sister.

Sibl i ng s receive ha l f of t hei r DNA from t hei r mot her's egg a nd t he ot her ha l f from t hei r fat her's sper m.

Alyssa Wolff was shocked to find out she had any cousins at all on her mother’s side, so she was floored the moment she found out she had a cousin at the same university and in the same sorority as her.

“I was at a meeting, and my mom said to call her immediately,” Wolff said. “I ran to the car, and she asked if I was ready for the news. When she told me, I started crying.”

In 2018, Wolff was a senior and her cousin, Jenna Reich, was a freshman at the University of Florida.

It was through a long process of DNA testing and cross-referencing ancestry websites that their families discovered that Wolff’s mother was halfsiblings with Reich’s father, Frank.

Marley and Delila Penson are identical twins at the University of Florida. Identical 18 The Origins Is sue

twins share 100% of their DNA.

Reich is from Long Island, New York, and Wolff is from Naples, Florida. Blood connected the cousins, but pure coincidence brought them to Gainesville. A 2020 Pew Research study found that 16% of Americans have used mail-in DNA testing services. Some seek DNA testing to know their medical histories and others are curious about their family heritage. Wolff’s mother, Beth, mailed in a sample to AncestryDNA when she began to question her identity in her 50s. Beth was adopted and did not know her biological parents.

In the early 1960s, Wolff and Reich’s grandmother left her family for some time, had an affair and gave birth to Beth and gave her up for adoption to

G enes ma ke up about 3% of your DNA .

“[Sharon and I] speak at least weekly and keep up on other members of our family,” Beth Wolff said.

“We have been integrated into each other’s lives.”

Reich knew about her familial connection to Wolff a couple of days earlier and was waiting for them to connect. She saw her on campus and was dying to tell her that they were related. After Wolff found out, she picked up Reich and the two of them went to get frozen yogurt.

“I pulled up pictures of our family and tried to describe everyone,” Reich said. “It’s a lot to take in at once.”

Reich said it was great that DNA testing helped their family, but it can be scary to learn about things from the past.

According to Wolff, she is just happy for her mom, who never felt like she truly belonged anywhere before finding her family.

“Ultimately, it ended up being the best thing ever,” Wolff said. “She feels like she has her own family and knows her origins and where she came from.”

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Game, Set, Watch Stor y and Photos by Sant iago Chacin

Although Twitch and YouTube were platforms developed in the 2000s, their growth and presence on the internet wouldn’t dominate the culture until the next decade.

Andrew Selepak, a University of Florida instructor in mass media, attributes this to the accessibility advancements of these applications.

For an ordinary person, 8 p.m. may be dinnertime after a long day at work or perhaps the time to unwind with a favorite TV show.

But for Shae Millheim, it’s game time.

Having her computer, camera and lights turned on, she is ready to start hunting down enemies on the board all while conversing with her friends. While some may view video games as a mere pastime, for Shae, it’s not just a hobby.

It’s an avenue for her to earn income on the side while simultaneously showing her brand online.

For over half a decade, Millheim — who goes by Kiteera — has streamed for multiple hours on a frequent basis on Twitch, a streaming platform remarkably known for video game content. With over 3,000 followers and an average viewer stream of 30, albeit not her main job, it’s one she takes a lot of pride in.

For Millheim, her role as a video game streamer can be traced back as early as her childhood.

Having grown up with video game consoles like the Sega Genesis, she always had an affinity for exciting video games such as the Sonic games.

Although she was already a gamer before dedicating herself as a part-time streamer, she wouldn’t dip her toes into the world of video game streaming until 2014. That year, she signed up for a Twitch account initially to support her friend, Danica Rockwood, who is also a streamer. It was soon thereafter that Rockwood convinced Millheim to stream on her own account. “[Danica] started talking about a lot of things that I do, and some people started following my account,” said Millheim. “I went ‘OK, I guess I might as well start streaming too.’”

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“Essentially what you have there is that individuals can be content creators,” said Selepak. “We can all create our own YouTube and Twitch channels, and we are not limited by just being passive consumers of content. We are actual active creators of content.”

Video games changed as well and would start relying on online multiplayer modes so that players could play with anyone around the world as opposed to having to physically play with others in the same room. As the player-to-player interaction became more digitized, the social interaction of playing with people incited players to broadcast themselves to do so for others as well.

“Livestreaming allows the individual to interact with another person in real time through a mediated channel,” said Selepak. “It is a real-time interaction, with one person looking into a webcam and another person watching on a screen.”

It was only natural that a dedicated gamer like Millheim would begin streaming herself while playing her favorite games to an audience. However, deciding to become a streamer is one thing and enduring the process is another. For Millheim, it took a bit of trial and error finding her exact niche and audience that fit her preferences best.

“For me, establishing an audience from the very beginning was a bit difficult if you’re just bouncing around playing different games,” said Millheim.

“Things became more solidified for me once I found my own road to follow along.”

Developed by Crytek, "Hunt: Showdown" is a first person action game where the player battles other players as well as in-game enemies in match-based lobbies with up to 12 players at a time. Millheim is an avid fan of the game. And turns out, the game is an avid fan of her as well.

Being offered a sponsorship as a Hunt partner, she receives exclusive privileges such as free codes to new downloadable content to the game. This way, no matter if she wins the game, she is still winning in real life. As she gains traction in her channel through "Hunt: Showdown," she can earn revenue from the platform as a Twitch affiliate.

Introduced in 2017, the Twitch Affiliate Program allows streamers who meet the required number of consistent viewers and followers to offer a subscription plan to the public. Affiliate streamers can have their viewers pay a monthly fee to watch their streams adfree and directly support the streamer. Viewers can also use customized emojis — called emotes in Twitch — exclusive to each channel.

Most people who try to stream on Twitch often have to decide what their channel will be about. Some people may only stick with the most-viewed popular games, while others will try to bounce back-and-forth between all different kinds of games.

Millheim became an affiliate streamer immediately after the program rolled out in April of that year. It has been a small, but consistent way for her channel to earn revenue on a monthly basis.

“It’s going to be different for everyone,” she said.

“I guess some people do just fine with nothing but variety, and that’s totally fine.”

While her revenue in streaming isn’t enough to pay the bills, her dedication to her channel and the community she has cultivated through it keep her motivated to continue streaming.

For Millheim, her niche was in "Hunt: Showdown."

“We’ve established a friendly, welcoming type of atmosphere in my stream,” she said. “I’ve seen streams where the chatrooms are toxic, and I don’t like that.”

As she has grown fond of her community, that feeling of camaraderie is one she wishes to share with fellow local Twitch users in Gainesville.

“My friend, Danica, and I have been to different Twitch meetups throughout the state and that’s pretty much what we’ve wanted to do,” she said. “We were like, ‘hey, why not get a group together here?’”

As managers of the Gainesville Streaming Group, Millheim and Rockwood have hosted local meetups for anyone interested in starting their own channel or wanting to interact with other members as casual stream viewers.

“It’s not just a meetup for streamers, but also for people who like watching streams,” Millheim said.

No matter the different types of Twitch users in Gainesville, they are all linked together by their mutual love of video games.

“I know we have a good gaming community in Gainesville,” she said. “It’s just a matter of finding them.”

Although the local meetups have been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has only heightened streamers’ desire to connect with their followers through their streams.

In the meantime, for Millheim, this means more chances to play "Hunt: Showdown" for her viewers.

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The True ‘Best Friends Forever’ Story and Photos by Sarah Correa-Dibar

is too,” said McZeal. “Being a teenager is a very volatile time. Everyone’s figuring out what they like or not, what they want to be.”

Friendship bracelets, friendship charms, best friend clubs, after-school play dates, having an anthem for your friend group and always dressing the same on Twin Day during spirit week at school.

The majority of people always have had a support group to lean on, ever since they were toddlers and moms forced their kids to be friends with each other.

Because friendships have always been coming in and out of everyone's lives, not many people realize that we need friendships and with that, a sense of social life to lead a healthy lifestyle.

As society developed, so did social classes. Family names were deemed more important than others; royalty, aristocracy and bureaucracy were a test of how important you are, and above all, it was socially unacceptable to be seen with people of another social standing.

You might not be arrested for it, but you would definitely be shunned by your family, said Corey McZeal, a sociology professor at the University of Florida.

All of the classic movies and books demonstrate this divide — “Little Women,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Titanic,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Notebook” and “Marie Antoinette.”

It’s important to know the two aspects of friendships throughout the years: how people perceive friendships during their lifetime and how friendships have changed throughout humankind’s history.

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Friendships as People Age In elementary school, friendships developed between the ones who were always going to the same after-school activities, or the kids who were in the same class every single year. Maybe even the kids who were always seated together because their last names started with the same letter. There were also the kids who became friends because they were the only ones who were the same age and forced to sit at the kiddy table at dinner parties.

Children find themselves in the same stage of life, said McZeal. They’re all doing the same thing at the same time.

Teammates in soccer who carpooled, the best friends from summer camp that engraved their initials inside a heart on a tree next to their cabin, the neighbors who played ding-dong-ditch together.

Middle school is all about the strive for popularity — the more friends, the better. Some friends were brought in from elementary school and, from there, friends kept getting added to the group. Drama occurs before kids are more in control of their friendships and start learning about independence.

Rollerblading after school to the frozen yogurt shop with their allowance, hosting pool parties with all 20 of their so-called “best friends” and having a group hang with their crushes at the park when it got dark.

“Your childhood is pretty clearly defined and adulthood

High school is a time where teenagers start learning about trust. In other words, it’s when the real drama starts. Their best friend list is cut in half and they distinguish their friends from their classmates. Fallingouts and tense arguments become more common.

As senior year nears, everyone’s true colors show and teens realize who is worth keeping around after graduation.

Of course, there are positives to this. When friend groups get smaller, they become more vulnerable with each other. Friends get to know each other on a different level, building a sibling-like bond because there’s more freedom to spend time together.

Best friends who ask two other best friends to prom, groups of girls get ready to go to a party together, the first one in the group gets a car and picks everyone up for school, they all apply to work at the same community pool.

Finally, college. Some join sororities or fraternities and make friends there. For those who don’t join Greek-affiliated social organizations, friendships are on their terms, especially if they didn’t bring any friends from back home to college. If that is the case, students have to find roommates on their own. The best-case scenario is they become best friends or join a friend group with other students.

College is generally more inclusive because there are university-affiliated clubs available for almost every interest. For example, at the University of Florida, the Hispanic Student Association (HSA) is a club where Hispanic students created a home for themselves.

This is also a time when students become seniors, they realize what friends from home they have grown out of and which ones will always be in their lives.

Spring breaks are planned without parents, road trips to the neighboring state are made, groups of friends sign a lease on an apartment together and students start feeling like their friend group is their family away from family.

When you go into adulthood, relationships change at a slower pace because, as McZeal mentioned, you change more from 12 to 13 years old than from 40 to 41 years old “because you’re much more sure of yourself as an adult.”

Friendships as Centuries Pass During prehistoric times, the only thing that distinguished animals from Homo sapiens was their ability to form social groups, writes Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari in “Sapiens,” a book on the history of humankind. Animals had a pack with an alpha male, but the human race communicated with each other and thus were more organized.

The homo sapiens were the social animals. Sure, they were concerned about where the water sources or the hunting grounds were, but they were more interested in who hated who in the band or who is a cheater or a liar. This is called the gossip theory — how gossip keeps humankind social.

“Reliable information about who could be trusted meant that small bands could expand into larger bands, and Sapiens could develop tighter and more sophisticated types of cooperation,” said Harari in “Sapiens.”

Friendship bonds advanced so much over time that social classes, tribes and last names do not dictate whether people become friends anymore.

Society still has work to do to fix its prejudice and discrimination. Openness to friendships will push for change as humankind progresses.

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Love in t he Time of Coronav irus Stor y and Photos by A lex is Vega

“I downloaded Hinge,” Herrero continued. “I was kind of under the impression that it was more for dating versus Tinder, which I had heard is mostly like a hookup sort of vibe. I met a lot of nice guys. I did have Tinder early on in college, and there was a big difference. With Tinder, I got a lot of thirsty messages, and with Hinge, it was more conversational flirting and asking about me to get to know me more.”

The dating apps all have certain reputations based on word-of-mouth and shared experiences between its users. While some people may think looking for love, especially during a public health crisis, is futile, some have accomplished this feat.

A common misconception of dating apps is that there is a preconceived notion that all users are solely looking for hookups.

“I downloaded Tinder after I was newly single, and I matched with a guy who is now my boyfriend,” said Sofi-Nicole Barreiro, 22, a recent UF graduate. “For me personally, it was more so for fun. I never used it to hook up, but you can definitely find a relationship partner from Tinder — that’s for sure.”

with random people?’ Genuinely it’s a really great resource for people who just feel lonely or who are ready for love. I think it’s a great alternative, especially in the times of the coronavirus.”

Though dating apps have been a source of confidence boosts and interesting conversations, some people find they pale in comparison to the experience of meeting someone organically.

However, as society slowly assimilates “back to normal,” the popularity of dating apps may not decrease as quickly as it increased. After all, social distancing guidelines only boosted the usage of the already wildly popular apps.

But, according to InsideHook, “dating app fatigue” is no different from standard dating fatigue; so that might be a reality, at least temporarily, for some users. The term “dating app fatigue” serves as “a veil for more generalized dating frustration, the same kind that has plagued daters for generations.”

In other words, if you’re sick of swiping, you might just be over the concept of dating in general. It’s important to assess what exactly you’re looking for, and maybe a break from flirting with strangers is all that’s needed to gain some clarity.

“It was a lot of messaging, and I couldn’t really keep up with trying to make meaningful conversations with that many people,” said Herrero. “I think I was trying to sort of make a connection on a screen where you can’t really feel that spark, you know?”

Herrero did eventually find someone through Hinge, whom she described as a fantastic person that upped her standards for what it means to have someone really care about you.

Dating is already hard enough. Throw in a raging virus, remote learning and social distancing guidelines, and you’ll find that the dating scene has only become more difficult to navigate. While safety is a top priority for many people during the pandemic, some have struggled with loneliness. Prolonged isolation is not something people are accustomed to, especially when it comes to “young love.”

So, who came to the rescue when all the bars and clubs closed down? Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — popular dating apps for singles — have all been fulfilling roles as virtual wingmen. Though these apps aren’t new to the dating scene, they definitely became more popular when in-person dating was no longer an option. The pandemic seemed to eradicate any remaining feelings about the platforms being taboo.

In fact, according to Fortune, Tinder documented its highest number of swipes in a day in March 2020: 24 The Origins Is sue

a whopping 3 billion. Additionally, Bumble had a 70% use increase of the video call feature.

So how exactly have the apps helped singles find love (or maybe something more casual) remotely?

“Prior to the pandemic, I mostly dated people I knew through my daily life activities, such as tennis or through my friends,” said Caroline Herrero, 22, a graduate student at the University of Florida. “About mid-pandemic when things were sort of opening up, I wanted to meet someone, but still felt nervous about going out to bars and stuff, so I gave online dating a try.”

While bars and clubs in Gainesville are now practically operating normally as they did before the pandemic, many people like Herrero still felt uneasy about meeting people this way given the circumstances.

According to Mashable, a 2018 survey reported that 85% of Bumble users are seeking “marriage or a boyfriend/girlfriend.”

While social distancing guidelines have increased activity on these apps, the platforms were never dependent on the pandemic for downloads.

The popularity of dating apps was already growing, according to the Pew Research Center. A study from 2013 reported 11% of adults in the U.S. had used a dating app, whereas a similar study from 2019 reported 30%. The “boom” due to the pandemic seems to have only convinced remaining skeptics they are worth a shot at finding all varieties of relationships.

“Online dating was successful for me because I got to meet him and it was a great experience,” she said.

Though the relationship ultimately didn’t work out, the two cultivated a great friendship.

In a time when dating feels like an ongoing episode of “How I Met Your Mother,” it can be challenging to stimulate conversations from a distance and to decide if it’s worth the health risk to meet in person. Dating apps aren’t for everyone and that’s OK, but they sure aren’t going away anytime soon.

Whether you pursue an online or offline approach, your match will still be out there.

“Since the pandemic began, I mean … it’s really hard to meet people,” said Barreiro. “There’s always kind of a red flag, like, ‘should I be hanging out The Origins Is sue 25

This is one of my favor ite Greek foods: a chicken souvlak i. It is chicken, feta cheese, tomatoes, and tzatzik i sauce all wrapped in a warm pita.

It’s All Greek to Me: How I Learned to Embrace My Culture Story and Photos by Kaliope Dris

Legend has it that my first word was “OPA!” I also like to think that the first movie I ever watched as a child was “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” OK — I am exaggerating. But growing up with a name that was mispronounced by every teacher, doctor, peer, friend and stranger sure made me feel like these things were true.

Having two parents who are 100% Greek exposed me to a plethora of experiences and opportunities that I have not truly appreciated until now. When I was younger, I often dreaded having to explain my name or sit through a Greek wedding ceremony that I could barely understand. Now as a 22-yearold, I understand how important it is to embrace one’s culture and to be curious about the origins of one’s heritage.

When I was in first grade, my mother put me in Greek school to learn the language, as most Greek mothers did. While all of the other children showed up weekly with a smile on their faces, I dreaded the moment I had to walk through the door. I had no desire to learn how to speak Greek and thought that I never would. I now have the esteemed title of “Greek School Drop Out.”

"I am evidence that

accepting one’s origins, especially when you are young, can open up a whole world of memories and opportunities."

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This same pattern occurred with Greek dance.

My Greek Orthodox Church set up lessons for the children to learn dances and eventually compete.

Dancing is a big part of my culture. If you attend a Greek party or gathering, you will most likely witness a Greek band and dancing. It may not sound so bad, but I rolled my eyes standing in that dance circle, waiting for the practice to be over.

In middle school, I joined a youth orthodox Greek choir at my church called the Orthodox Youth Choir of Tampa Bay and began to slowly appreciate the small opportunities I had as a Greek American. This was the first time I started to actually enjoy doing something “Greek,” even though I did not exactly know what the lyrics meant. We attended a competition each year called the Hellenic Dance Festival. Being surrounded by hundreds of Greek children, I realized that there was this whole community of children my age trying to connect to their culture and origins the same way that I was. That was only the beginning, and a small piece of what being Greek means to me today.

As I grew up, I saw a shift in myself. When I started high school, I had to make a whole new group of friends, which meant they would ask me about my name. I resorted to introducing myself as my Americanized nickname, Kaylee. Although I tried to avoid a lengthy explanation, my school friends began to ask me about my name and my culture. When I would explain my parents’ background and the various traditions we had, they actually wanted to know more. I began

to feel special — like I had this interesting part of me that no one else had.

My mother’s family is from a small island called Ikaria. Some have heard of it because it is famously known as being a “blue zone” where it's common to live well into your late 90s and early 100s. Each year, a group of people with roots from the island host an Ikarian Convention. My mother would rave about her memories at these conventions, saying that she made some of her best friends there, even if they only saw each other once a year. In my sophomore year of high school, the convention was held in my hometown, Clearwater, Florida. Not knowing what to expect, my sister and I attended.

Tears filled my mother’s eyes as she saw friends she had not seen in 10 years. There was a special connection there. People who had not seen each other in years connected as if they were next door neighbors who saw each other every day. The whole weekend we Greek danced until 3 a.m., listened to Greek music and ate amazing Greek food. This became a tradition, and I attended for multiple years consecutively.

Years later, “Kaylee has another Greek convention to go to this weekend” became a running joke between my friends and I. What I have learned as a young adult now is that the bond that Greeks have to one another is something that I need to embrace.

In the summer of 2018, I visited Greece for the second time. I look back at pictures all the time, waiting for when I can visit again. As a senior in college, I willingly enrolled in Beginning Modern Greek. When I am home for holidays, I help my mother cook my favorite Greek dish, spanakopita, in hopes that I will learn the recipe to make it myself. Looking back, I wish that I would not have given up in the beginning, but my Greek roots are not going anywhere.

I am evidence that accepting one’s origins, especially when you are young, can open up a whole world of memories and opportunities. According to ChingYu Huang, a lecturer in Psychology at Bournemouth University, “This early exposure affects the way children attend to themselves or to their relationships with others—forming their self image and identity.”

My Greek culture now makes up a huge part of who I am.

I am no longer embarrassed that there is probably a giant lamb being cooked in my backyard on Easter.

In fact, I might even introduce myself as Kaliope to a stranger. I hope to teach my children at a young age what it means to be Greek and why it is so important. Although I do have about 15 family members named Nick, it is something that I would never want to change.

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PLACES The Fest: An Annual Homecoming Story and Photos by Santiago Chacin

Punk music has origins all over the country dating back to the ‘70s, but there is no particular area it can call its home. Or is there?

Interestingly, The Fest has managed to persuade punks all over the globe to travel to Gainesville every year for a massive concert series featuring the hottest bands of the genre.

How did this happen? Tony Weinbender, founder of The Fest, says it was at the request of his friends.

“When I first moved to Gainesville, touring bands whom I was friends with were asking me if there were shows happening and if I could put them on,” he said.

Born in Virginia, Weinbender grew up listening to all kinds of music — from '80s synth pop to hip-hop — and became invested in punk when he attended college.

“I went to James Madison University where I learned the level of booking bands and doing volunteer work,” he said. “I booked bands like The Get Up Kids and befriended them.”

Weinbender made the move to Gainesville in 2000 when his friend Vinnie Fiorello, the drummer of the Gainesville band Less Than Jake, invited him to work under the record label Fueled by Ramen along with John Janick.

Weinbender’s tenure at Fueled by Ramen, however, only lasted about a year due to frequent creative conflicts with Janick.

“John had this idea about where he wanted to take the record label, and I just did not agree,” he said.

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“He wanted to go with more pop bands whereas I wanted to keep the punk ethos.”

After both quitting and getting fired from FBR simultaneously, Weinbender worked multiple jobs before starting The Fest. These gigs ranged from moving dorm furniture and waiting tables to donating plasma.

By 2002, Weinbender got a number of bands that he befriended to play at some of the bars in downtown Gainesville in spring break of that year. This would become the first edition of The Fest that had bands such as Against Me! and Hot Water Music, whom are still active today, perform.

“Everyone had a lot of fun that day,” he said. “When the show was over, everyone was telling me ‘hey man, can’t wait for the next one.’”

Although the first Fest felt more like a local concert rather than a full-blown festival, touring bands spread the word and attracted more people across the country to the event and, thus, people traveled to Gainesville to attend.

Over the years, Fest grew in size and scope to the point where it now includes most of the bars in downtown Gainesville as well as the Bo Diddley Plaza stage.

“The growth of Fest was an obstacle, so we talked to city commissioners to use Bo Diddley Plaza to let more people in and get bigger bands,” Weinbender said.

Currently, The Fest has attendants from all over the country and even from overseas who rush all the way to the Sunshine State to see punk acts like Jawbreaker, Cursive and The Menzingers.

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Diversity Through the Decades: How the University of Florida Has Changed Story by Taylor Lockett

Photos courtesy of the UF Archives

Photos by Lauren Boyett

As Florida’s population began to change, so did the student body of the university. Population changes resulting from World War II and generations of movement from the Cuban migration brought diversity to Gainesville, according to Van Ness.

Seventy students sat outside Stephen O’Connell’s office. The Black Student Union organized the sit-in on April 15, 1971. When the students marched into Tigert Hall, they wanted the University of Florida to address the low numbers of Black faculty and students. Instead, 66 Black students faced arrests and suspension.

The sit-in occurred about 65 years after the school opened its Gainesville campus in 1906. Officially, the school began allowing Black students into graduate programs in 1958. Black undergraduate students followed in 1962. Seven men made up the Black student population that same year.

“It was very difficult for those early students. They suffered a lot of abuse from some members of the student body. The general climate here was still very much a southern institution,” said Carl Van Ness, the University of Florida’s official historian.

Over time, the University of Florida grew to be a pillar of the Gainesville community. Today, it ranks in the top public universities of the country as it continues to strive for excellence. However, along with the institution’s deep historical roots come connections to racism and prejudice.

The school traces its origins back to the Buckman Act of 1905, which established the University of Florida, and Florida State University, as the leading public colleges in the state. The state respectively designated each school for men and women separately. The two schools became coeducational 52 years later.

When the two universities were established, they did not allow Black students to enroll. The state established the State Normal College for Colored Students to meet the federal guidelines in providing institutions for Black students. That college later became Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU).

“It wasn’t until the 1970s that the University of Florida began an affirmative action program,” said Van Ness.

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Today, the University of Florida boasts a diverse student population, according to the university’s enrollment and demographic statistics from 2020.

Hispanic students make up 15.36% of the population, Asian students 7.38% and Black students make up 6.9%. However, the majority of the student population is white at 56.62%.

"While the symbolic

changes may seem unimportant, it makes minority students feel as though they are being heard. It serves as a small gesture in which the university can acknowledge its racist past."

While the university has grown in diversity, it continues to work toward making the school a place for all students and faculty, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. The University of Florida responded when the government forced its university decreased, according to Van Ness and hand in the past, but Van Ness believes the university Steven Noll, a history professor at the University of Florida. is making a change.

“President Fuch’s response to Black Lives Matter, and “Action versus posturing matters,” said Noll. the responses he has had since then, reflect that we don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past,” said Symbolic moves matter, too, according to Noll.

While the symbolic changes may seem unimportant, Van Ness. “We’re learning.” it makes minority students feel as though they are In response to the racial tensions of the summer, the being heard. It serves as a small gesture in which University of Florida sent out a statement outlining the university can acknowledge its racist past. plans to become a positive force of change in the community. This included establishing task forces to “Maybe it is a telling sign that, yes, we are somewhat look into the racial injustices within the university by concerned about your needs and wants. But does removing monuments and building names associated that make it any better for Black students? Probably with the confederacy and putting an end to the not,” he said.

“Gator Bait” cheer, among other things.

The university continues to make plans to address While these steps seem to be moving in the right deep racial divides established in the foundation direction, time will tell if the student and faculty of the school. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education population continue to grow in diversity. In the is the most powerful weapon which you can use to past few years, the number of Black students at the change the world.”

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Parks and Rec: The Origins of Three Gainesville Parks Stor y and Photos by Zahra K han

Standing on a path trimmed with wiry grass, you stare out across the dark water and watch as it ripples in the subtle breeze. The wind caresses your back as it passes you, determined to show you more of the preserve’s beauty before the day’s light fades away. The blades of cattail grass sway in its cool touch and whisper against each other, secrets that are unfathomably old, back to when these wetlands were first created. It’s a wonder, you think, how natural gems like this came to exist, how they came to be protected.

The sun dips below the horizon as it bleeds its farewell colors into the sky and you smile. It’s a good way to spend the day.

Gainesville’s natural treasures aren’t secrets at all – they are divided into 30 public nature parks. Whether you’ve visited some or all, the history of how they came to exist in the community may surprise you.

Morningside Nature Center There are histories embedded in the foundation in each of Gainesville’s parks, and Morningside Nature Center is the city’s first municipal nature park, according to Sally Wazny, Nature Center Education Supervisor for Gainesville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.

It’s also the only park that incorporates its past in its present. The Living History Farm on the property immortalizes the everyday life of 1870. Set in a specific year rather than a decade, the center offers a unique seasonal experience to witness costumed volunteers operate the farm as they would’ve between the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, according to Wazny.

In the late 1800s, the land was used for turpentining and hosting naval stores. Government ownership of pieces of the land exchanged hands until 1964 when the city bought 278 acres intended for its current 32 The Origins Is sue

recreational purpose. In the '70s, the farm expanded to include an 1840s single-family cabin with a kitchen, a schoolhouse and an heirloom garden and barn with crops and animals native to the area and the period, according to Wazny.

Other structures were built to match the preexisting dwellings that originated from North Central Florida.

An example would be the Half Moon Schoolhouse from Half Moon, Florida, keeping in line with the original architecture and locality of the buildings.

If not for the acquisition of these structures for the farm, Wazny said, they would have likely disintegrated to hovels where they originally stood, unrestored and uncared for.

Sweetwater Wetlands Preserve Water connects everything we do, from being the source of life to connecting lands and enabling travel and recreation. Sweetwater Wetlands Preserve is no exception. Its wetlands are home to alligators, deer and about 250 bird species, according to the Sweetwater Wetlands Park website. But preserving vital ecosystems wasn’t always the city’s priority.

According to the website, in the 1930s, ranchers dug a ditch to drain part of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to expand dry land for cattle grazing.

This caused the dehydration of over 1,300 acres of wetlands. The ditch merged Sweetwater Branch Creek to a lake that is connected to the Floridian Aquifer that provides the city with water. Eventually, it was infiltrated with an excess of nitrogen from urban runoff, effectively making it unusable. In response to new state regulations, city entities engineered a way to fix multiple problems with a single solution: Sweetwater Wetlands Preserve.

The preserve serves as a natural water filtration system and an economically friendly way to restore water to the lost wetlands in Paynes Prairie and it’s

all available to the public. Ironically, Sweetwater gets its name from the Sweetwater creek, serendipitously named before the subsequent natural water purifying system, according to Geoff Parks, Nature Operations Supervisor of Gainesville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department. This is unlike San Felasco Park, which is traced back to American Indians of the area mispronouncing “San Francisco,” according to the Florida State Parks website.

San Felasco Park When a landowner was federally charged with drug trafficking and attempted murder in the early 1980s, he fled the area and abandoned his land, which is now known as San Felasco Park. Sometime before the fugitive landowner, the preserve was utilized by American Indians for thousands of years. Artifacts discovered at the site indicate that people occupied the land since at least 8,000 B.C., according to the Florida State Parks website.

The land was transferred a few times among federal departments until it was put up for auction when Gainesville community members feared for its future, according to Parks.

“A lot of these things were acquired from ordinary people thinking it was a good idea,” Parks said. “So people advocating for a piece of land being protected like San Felasco... it is a park because people went to the senator and said, ‘look this is going to be on the market, we’d love to protect it.’”

Now a 7,360-acre preserve, San Felasco is home to rare mature forests and serves as an exquisite example of one of the few closed-canopy woodlands remaining in the state. The nature park serves the public with a picnic and education pavilion, playground, restrooms and boardwalk trail, according to the Florida State Parks website.

“Ordinary people,” Parks said, “if they set their minds to it and work together, can do things like that, to protect our water quality and to provide recreational opportunities for our children and our families and ourselves.”

Gainesville’s Nature Parks The parks are located as far east as Gum Root Park at 7300 NE 27th Ave., and as far west as Split Rock Conservation Area two area codes over at Southwest 20th Avenue, according to the City of Gainesville Nature Parks map.

Here is a list of municipal parks you can go visit at your leisure: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

29th Road Nature Park Alfred A. Ring Park Bivens Arm Nature Park Boulware Springs Nature Park Broken Arrow Bluff Nature Park Clear Lake Nature Park Cofrin Nature Park Colclough Pond Nature Park Cone Park Southwest Duval Park Flatwoods Conservation Area Forest Park Four Creeks Preserve Green Acres Park Greentree Gum Root Park Hogtown Creek Floodplain Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park John Mahon Nature Park Loblolly Woods Nature Park NW 34th Street Palm Point Nature Park Possum Creek Park Split Rock Conservation Area Springtree Park Sugarfoot Prairie Conservation Area Terwilliger Pond Conservation Area The Origins Is sue 33

Inside the Gainesv ille Restaurants That Fell Victim to 2020 Story by Molly Chepenik

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Newman moved to Gainesville in 1976 and met Steve Solomon, the original owner of Leonardo’s.

He approached Solomon with a gourmet magazine and asked if he was interested in making California pizzas, but Solomon turned him down at first.

Solomon invited Newman to be a “rent-a-chef” for parties at the restaurant and eventually offered Newman a partnership. Newman was 38 when he started at Leonardo’s.

“The best part is the beginning. That’s when all the magic and ideas come together,” Newman said. “We were making ricotta tortes and olive appetizers – things people never saw before.”

Mark Newman remembers throwing his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary party, his son’s engagement party, jazz shows, birthdays and countless winetasting nights at Leonardo’s 706.

When Leonardo’s 706 closed in late 2020 after 47 years of business, Newman, one of the restaurant’s owners, was left with memories and gratitude.

“There’s no reason to dwell on things that didn’t happen or should have happened,” Newman, 71, said. “I am very fortunate.”

Although Newman is lucky he was able to close his restaurant’s doors and remain financially secure, a lot was lost by having to shut down a place that was special to so many.

2020 saw many Gainesville restaurants close for good due to the coronavirus and other businessrelated reasons. Some local favorites that closed in 2020 include Leonardo’s 706, Larry’s Giant Subs, Daybreak Pleasant Street, The Swamp Restaurant, Civilization and Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria.

According to Bloomberg, one in six restaurants had closed permanently or for sustained periods of time by the beginning of December 2020. Many will never forget the good food and good times had at these Gainesville eateries, including their past owners.

Newman said the Gainesville food scene is changing with the corporate world taking over the restaurant business. More chains are dotting the city’s streets.

“We cared about employees and customers. It was a real place,” Newman said. “Thank God there are still some independent places left.”

34 The Origins Is sue

He reminisced on the days when Gainesville High School students would line up out the door at lunchtime, and pizza went for 95 cents a slice.

“The best thing about it was that it became a part of the community. We knew the people so well that we had memorial services there,” Newman said.

In 2019, a property group purchased the land in Gainesville neighborhood called Pleasant Street.

Midtown where the last Larry’s in Gainesville stood, Daybreak was one of the only commercial buildings surrounded by homes. and the shop had to close by May 2020.

He remembers working 16-hour days and going to play tennis for an hour or two after work with the restaurant staff. Newman still hasn’t lost any of that energy. Retired now, he wakes up early to bake and do yoga.

“Maybe we let it be the end of an era,” Whitfield said. “We just wanted to have a neighborhood breakfast “But I hope people don’t forget and have moments restaurant where we could pour coffee and say hello,” Sneed said. where they wish they could have Larry’s.”

Sarah Whitfield, the last owner of Larry’s Giant Subs on University Avenue, jokes that she is also retired.

She is now spending her days as a gym trainer and a baker. Whitfield, now 34, started working at Larry’s when she was a freshman at UF and instantly fell in love with the sandwich shop.

In 2004, Whitfield would visit her friend working there twice a week. She would try to memorize the huge menu. When it came time for her to get a job the next semester, she knew Larry’s was the only place she wanted to work.

“By my junior year I was working 60 hours a week,” Whitfield said. “My life was school and Larry’s, and I’d run between them.”

When she went to put in her notice so she could work full time at a camp in Ocala, she broke down crying to her manager. He told her she could still come in on weekends. She decided to work at her full-time job and commute to Gainesville to work at Larry’s.

Eventually, her boss asked her to buy Larry’s in 2016, and she agreed.

Sneed decided to permanently close after months She sees Gainesville’s restaurant business changing, of being shut down, but he still wanted to serve but she thinks change is good, and she’ll never forget food safely. Daybreak Pleasant Street has been the people she worked with and served. transformed into Pleasant Street Pizza, where food is available for takeout only.

“I loved that there were people who loved it as much as I did. I could still tell you some people's orders “Panic and depression settles in when you lose right now,” Whitfield said. “I miss seeing everyone’s something you’ve been working on for so long,” faces every day. The beautiful thing is that people do Sneed said. “I just wanted to do happy food, so we adapt and move on.” landed on pizza.”

On the other hand, Michael Sneed decided to close Sneed plans to open Daybreak in a new, larger his breakfast restaurant, Daybreak Pleasant Street, location when it is safe. Like many, the Sneeds are because he didn’t want to come in contact with excited to go back to normal dining one day. people during the pandemic.

“It’s all about people being happy,” Sneed said. “You “I’m not doing anything so important that it’s worth see people relieve any frustration they’re having the risk,” Sneed, 44, said. “People are getting sick. when they’re eating a good meal.”

What’s it worth to have someone get sick and die?

Fourteen dollars for a plate of breakfast?”

Sneed is confident the finances will work out later. For now, he wants the community to prioritize safety.

When Sneed decided to open Daybreak, he was unhappy working in consulting and sales for U.S. Foods – he knew his passion was cooking. His wife, Patricia, said they should start a restaurant, and they found a building that would seat 24 people in a quiet The Origins Is sue 35

Flying Under Orange & Blue Skies Story and Photos by Santiago Chacin

For anyone native to the Sunshine State, traveling to Gainesville means taking your car and driving either northbound or southbound on the Interstate 75. But what if you don’t have a car? What if you are out of state? Or both?

For the past half century, a solution to this has been the Gainesville Regional Airport, located at the northeastern section of the city by Waldo Road and 39th Avenue.

“I remember landing here and thinking, ‘oh my God, what a cute little airport,’” recalled Erin Porter of her first time arriving to Gainesville around 30 years ago as a student.

Now, after spending years working in aviation across the country and returning to Gainesville, Porter is the manager of marketing and public relations for Gainesville Regional Airport (GRA).

GRA is now an indispensable part of the city’s economy as it offers commercial flights to the public, in addition to carrying out military operations, medical missions and transporting air cargo.

“Today, most of our travelers are business-oriented, as we are not really a leisure or resort destination.”

This was not always the case.

At the time of its construction by the U.S. Engineer Department, the field was referred to as the Alachua Army Airfield. The facility was used by the Army Air Corp and the Army Air Force from 1941 to 1948 during World War II. Initially, the airport was named John R. Allison Airport, which was dedicated to him, a local and University of Florida graduate who served vigorously during the war.

According to Porter, the War Assets Administration deeded the facility to the city in 1948 as a civil airport.

It functioned under both its original name and as Gainesville Municipal Airport until it was officially renamed to Gainesville Regional Airport in October 1977.

In its first decade as a public airport, Eastern Airlines served Gainesville with flights to Tallahassee,

“The airport is a lifeline to and from our community,” Porter said. “Not only by providing an easy gateway to and from the world via our commercial flights, but we also fly 1,500 medical missions annually.”

One of these includes the “blood plane,” which delivers blood, tissue and tubules to a four-state area nearly every day except Christmas and Easter.

Porter notes that the airport is a vital part for the university as it is the university's biggest beneficiary. “[The airport benefits] the Gator Nation, including faculty, staff, students and their families and the entities with whom UF does business,” she said.

“In 2019, GRA saw record-breaking passenger movement, with over 550,000 travelers flying in and out of Gainesville."

36 The Origins Is sue

Jacksonville and Ocala then began offering nonstop flights to Atlanta and Miami by the 1970s. In addition, Air Florida began serving Gainesville in the late 1970s with flights to Miami, Tampa and Ocala.

Alachua County Tourism Manager Jessica Hurov has noted that the airport’s traffic was growing exponentially pre-pandemic.

“In 2019, GRA saw record-breaking passenger movement, with over 550,000 travelers flying in and out of Gainesville,” Hurov said. “This represents a 17% increase in airport utilization over the prior year.”

Even amid a pandemic, the airport continues to grow, with the latest milestone including a 15,200-square-foot expansion that will add two gates and convenient passenger amenities in late spring 2021.

A Small Business w ith a Large Impact: Luke’s Bagels Story and Photos by Zahra Khan

Bagels can be traced back to 14th century Poland but are most notable in the current century in New York City, according to The Atlantic. Yet, driving past 620 S Main St. in Gainesville, you will notice a tiny gray building with a line leading from it that is anything but tiny. You’ll wonder what is drawing so many people out at 7 a.m. on a Saturday as you pass its street-facing window and, in a blur, read the graffiti, “Luke’s Bagels.”

Luke Vescovi was only 21 when the first pitch to his family for “Luke’s New York Bagel Shop” came to fruition in early 2020. While still an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, he went to his parents in New Jersey with the idea.

He is now 22 and currently finishing his last semester of graduate school while managing Luke’s Bagels.

Leading up to the Luke’s Bagels debut, the Vescovi family tweaked their recipe over two years. Building off the No. 2 bagel recipe in the world, Vescovi’s mother also had 30 years of baking experience from previous employment at a bagel shop. To make their bagels even more authentic, the shop uses a New York WaterMaker, which ensures the mineral concentration, pH and other elements are the same as NYC’s water, according to Vescovi.

Relocating from New Jersey to Gainesville with Luke’s Bagels is still a dream that may seem out of the ordinary, but Vescovi explained that he chose the city while still in school at UF because he wanted a place he was familiar with. He added that there wasn’t anything like his bagel shop nearby and the customer base already existed.

The shop made its premiere in the city on March 25, 2020, just after the start of COVID-19’s impact on Florida. Yet, Vescovi revealed their experience opening a business in the middle of the pandemic was an advantage, considering that coronavirus safety measures were the shop’s standard from the beginning. With the shop taking orders from a walk-up window, its style of service never changed.

Vescovi said there was a challenge in hiring during a pandemic, but opening a new business wasn’t as difficult as some may think.

“We didn’t have anything to lose. There were still people who needed to eat food. We were still a brand-new breakfast scene. We saw that our impact would be as big if not a little bigger.”

Starting with only three other family members as employees, his parents and his sibling, Vescovi said they made 300 to 400 bagels a day. Now, with about 50 employees, the shop requires roughly 15 people a day to operate and make around 1,000 bagels daily.

“Small businesses are important everywhere,” Vescovi said. “At the end of the day we are people, my family is a family. There is a real Luke behind this, there is a real family behind this who basically moved from New Jersey to start this. This is our life."

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Gainesville: A City Frozen in Time Story and Photos by Bryanna Basillio

Once upon a time, a Timucuan village thrived on what is present-day Gainesville, according to Historic Gainesville Inc. In 1824, after Florida was annexed to the United States, Alachua County was created with Newsnansville. It wasn’t until 1853 Alachua County residents voted to create a new town on the railroad line and thus, Gainesville was born, bearing its name from Seminole War General Edmund P. Gaines.

of writing on the walls; altogether over 12,500 words and artwork is etched in every room, including the closets.

“The oldest writing dates back to the 1850s,” said Karen Kirkman, president and historian at the Historic Haile Homestead. “The tour lets you explore the thousands of living histories throughout the house. We also have a number of exhibits in our Allen and Graham Visitors Center.”

Only a month into new cityhood, a cotton plantation owner and former county treasurer, Maj. James B. Bailey, sold over Kirkman said the guests are shown two videos while they 60 acres of his land to be used for the new city. wait for their tour to begin. Both focus on how the Haile Plantation slaves came to be and their enslavement to The book “Historic Gainesville: A Tour Guide to the Past” by freedom.

John B. Pickard explains that Bailey’s home was built through slave labor and constructed from the lumber cut from his land, “It’s a brutally honest narrative about enslaved people, according to Historic Gainesville Inc. not just on the Haile Plantation but in Alachua County in general,” she said. “We talk about the lynchings throughout Pickard regards the Bailey house as “one of the oldest Alachua County and the contribution of enslaved people. remaining houses in Gainesville,” and adds “the frame It’s the truth and it may make people uncomfortable, but we vernacular residence reflects the characteristics typical of need to understand the past to go forward and heal from mid-19th century plantation buildings.” It would serve as an that.” example of Gainesville’s early plantation architecture known as antebellum.

Most compelling is how the museum historians have connected with African American descendants of the slaves The James B. Bailey house is only one of several historical that worked on the property. Kirkman says they reach out buildings in Gainesville with national historical landmark status wanting to know about their ancestors and the historians and an interesting past. provide as much information as they can.

If Walls Could Talk

“There are quite a few families now that we’ve worked with,” she said.

In 1856, the Haile family from Camden, South Carolina established a 1,500-acre Sea Island cotton plantation, which Guests can visit the Historic Haile Homestead for $5 on they named “Kanapaha,” meaning “small thatched houses.” weekends and learn about the economic, cultural and social According to the Historic Haile Homestead at Kanapaha issues in this setting.

Plantation website, the Haile Homestead was the home of Thomas Evans Haile, his wife Esther Serena Chesnut Haile and A Home Frozen in Time 14 of their children.

The Visit Gainesville Alachua County Visitors & Convention The Hailes brought along 56 slaves from South Carolina to work Bureau lists the Matheson House as a historic site for on the plantation. The same year, enslaved black craftsmen tourists to learn about Gainesville and Alachua County. completed the 6,200-square-foot manse. The number of The Matheson House was built in 1867 by the Mathesons, slaves increased in 1966 to at least 66. They lived in 18 small another family from South Carolina. Not only is the home one-room frame houses on the property. old, but it is unique for its time.

According to the Alachua Conservation Trust, the surviving Haile family partnered with the trust in the 1980s to restore the family house on the property. The Historic Haile Homestead at Kanapaha Plantation was turned into a museum thereafter.

The descendants of the Haile family still retain ownership, and at least 40 acres of land was donated to the Alachua Conservation Trust.

American Heritage magazine describes the home as a “blend of South Carolina plantation and classic revivalraised cottage architecture with gothic elements in its roof and stairway. The period furniture and personal possessions are a testament to the Mathesons’ family history and Gainesville itself.”

Opening as a museum in 1994, renovating and maintaining On the website, it notes the biggest attraction is “the talking the property has been a challenge. walls.” The website further explains that the Hailes had a habit 38 The Origins Is sue

The Origins Is sue 39

“We’re an independent nonprofit, so funding is always a challenge for us,” said Kaitlyn Hof-Mahoney, curator of collections at Matheson History Museum. “We rely on our membership and donations and grant funding to help us maintain and repair the four historic buildings that are part of the museum complex.”

Hof-Mahoney said there are four historic buildings on the Matheson site.

“There’s the original 1867 Matheson house, the main museum building which housed the former American Legion Hall, the library and archives building — which used to be the Gainesville Gospel Tabernacle — and the Tyson Tool Barn.”

All four properties make up the Matheson History Museum Complex, and visitors can book a tour to visit the house and the other exhibits and learn about Alachua County’s history.

The UF Footprint Of course, Gainesville’s historical landmarks can’t be discussed without mentioning the University of Florida.

UF has at least 20 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and even has a historical district on campus that encompasses approximately 650 acres and contains 11 listed buildings, plus contributing properties.

The UF Architecture Archives states that the historic buildings were designed by architects William A. Edwards from 1905 to 1924 and Rudolph Weaver from 1925 to 1939 in the Collegiate Gothic style. The landscape plan was developed in 1926 by Olmsted Brothers, the firm that designed New York City's Central Park.

The One-Room School Eight miles northwest of downtown Gainesville sits a decrepit, wooden house with a hidden history. According to the National Register of Historical Places, the Liberty Hill Schoolhouse is a one-room school measuring 24.5 feet by 30.5 feet, built by the Alachua County School Board in 1892.

The present schoolhouse replaced the original Liberty Hill School, which was in operation as early as 1869 as a rural elementary school for African American children. Although vacant, the school retains its historic appearance and character. The only one-room schoolhouse in the county is still on its original site and served generations of African American pupils from primary to sixth or seventh grade until it was closed by the school board in the early 1950s.

The school contributes to the sense of time, place and historical development through its location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.

Murray D. Laurie, a historic preservation planner, has called the schoolhouse, “historically significant for its 129-year association with education and its importance to the cultural heritage of the African American community in Gainesville.”

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The Victorian Home Turned Bed-and-Breakfast If you have ever driven down University Avenue past the Alachua County Library, you’ve probably seen the historic big, blue three-story home. It stands out among all other homes with its magnificent Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture.

Once known as the “Mary Phifer McKenzie House,” guests can now spend the night at this national historic landmark. Now the Sweetwater Branch Inn Bed & Breakfast, the mansion was built in 1895 and was sold to William Turner Pound, the first husband of Mary Phifer. Phifer would then go on to marry Reid Hill McKenzie in the 1920s, hence the namesake. She lived in the home until she was 83 years old, according to Cornelia Holbrook, now the owner of the Sweetwater Branch Inn. “Since it was built, the home has been celebrated,” she said.

The home has architectural beauty, adds author Pickard, “It has intricate Eastlake details and a fanciful restored massing.

There three-story octagonal turrets on the west face, and the wrap-around veranda which culminate in an octagonal gazebo.”

“The Sweetwater Inn property is two restored Victorian-era mansions,” Holbrook said. It consists of the McKenzie House and the Cushman-Colson House.

“The house is named after the Cushman family who lived in the house until 1905 and the family of Dr. James Colson, who lived there for 20 years,” she said. “My parents bought the home in 1978 and restored it. I opened it as an inn 28 years ago.”

On the website, guests can book a room in one of the two mansions or a cottage. The McKenzie House has five guest rooms while the Cushman-Colson House has seven. There are 12 guest cottages, a reception hall and sculptured gardens.

Holbrook also points out guests don’t need be overnight patrons to visit.

“We have Easter and Mother’s Day brunches by reservation, ‘Mary’s High Tea,’ romantic dinners,” she said. “We do family meals and personal events like retreats of all kinds. We try to do a lot of community things.”

The inn will hold “Yoga in the Garden” every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the McKenzie Gardens, which will also be open to the public.

The timeless buildings speak for old Gainesville. They proclaim, “We’re more than just a university town. We’re more than just college life and football. We’ve always been here and aren’t going anywhere.”

Gainesv ille A rchitecture: Our Past Is Our Present Story and Photos by Bryanna Basillio

There is something unique about Gainesville; maybe it’s the small-town feel, or the big-city amenities or maybe it’s the college town liveliness intertwined with an abundance of nature. It’s a charming place that is home to Florida’s flagship university.

Gainesville and the University of Florida are partners in their joint, rich history. You can see this history present itself in the architecture on campus and throughout Gainesville. While many new, student-living apartments tower over streets and typically look modern, there are plenty of buildings and structures throughout the city that remain loyal to history.

Collegiate Gothic The University of Florida is undeniably distinct with its Collegiate Gothic style. Schenkelshultz Architecture characterized the design as “red brick, clay roofing tile, limestone and white-painted wood.” This red-brick style has spread to some homes off campus, such as Lyons Corner Apartments near UF.

Cracker Style The wood-framed, cracker-style homes are the oldest in Gainesville, dating back to the 1840s.

“They typically feature wide porches and steep roofs that work as passive cooling systems,” said Charles W. Arnade of The Florida Historical Quarterly. “The most distinguishing feature is the long extending roof. These types of homes were very affordable to build. The respectable wood frame houses on Florida's plantations could be erected for pounds sterling 100 or less. They were more practical and popular at the time.”

Craftsman Craftsman-style homes date back to about 1900 to 1930.

Antique Homes Magazines describes them as, “small, usually 1 ½ stories under a broad sweeping roof resting on squat porch posts. The roof overhung on all sides and the eaves were often supported by undecorated brackets or showed exposed rafter ends. The roof was usually fronted with a large gable or shed dormer.”

Craftsman homes are both old and new throughout Gainesville. There are several new Craftsman-style communities for students such as The Craftsman Luxury Townhomes by Circa Properties, Ashton Lane Luxury Apartments Phase II by Trimark Properties and Carver’s Corner and Rosemary Square by Eastwood Homes LLC. It never seems to go out of style.

Victorian-Style Homes Turned Bed-andBreakfast The McKenzie house, built in 1895, is one of Gainesville's most elaborate Queen Anne residences — a 2 ½ story structure with shingles and horizontal siding, a polygonal tower, projecting gable at entry and a one-story gazebo attached. It now operates as the Sweetwater Branch Inn Bed & Breakfast.

There is also the Swearingen House, built in 1903, which is another beautiful Queen Anne-style house that operates as a bed-and-breakfast known as Camellia Rose Inn. Last but not least is the Baird Mansion. Built in 1885, its architecture style is Victorian — more specifically, French Second Empire. This style is characterized by the mansard roof and the tall frontal tower.

The house retains its original red and green slate roof, which is another characteristic of the style. It, of course, also operates as a bed-and-breakfast known as The Magnolia Plantation.

It seems Gainesville is more than happy to share its Victorian mansions.

Whether a building is styled in Victorian, Craftsman, Mediterranean, Colonial, plantation, modern, cottage or farmhouse, Gainesville’s architectural diversity allows each home to tell a unique story.

The Origins Is sue 41

met, then reductions in builder’s permit fees and other monetary incentives are awarded.

“It's toxic, persistent and it's truly crept into all facets of our lives.” and accessories. In the battle against fast fashion, shoppers have flocked to thrift stores and resale shops for their attire.

According to a report done by GlobalData and thredUP, an online clothing resale site, the resale market has grown 21 times faster than the new apparel market in the last three years.

These trends are good news for Gainesville’s vintage shops. In the past few decades, thrift shops and vintage markets have popped up all around town in another effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle.

P hotos by Za h ra K ha n

The Cit y’s Journey to Sustainabilit y Stor y by Cassandra Derg ins

Going green is no easy task, but it is more important than ever before. The fight for sustainability has been in full force over the past couple of years as the climate change crisis has become a priority.

Aside from cleaning up major toxic sites, Gainesville has made plenty of efforts toward becoming eco-friendly.

Sustainability hasn’t just become the newest craze; these green practices have been around for half a century.

From zero-waste grocery stores to the citywide ban of plastic straws, Gainesville has made incredible efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. It has come far from its not so environmentally friendly history.

Established in 1951, Ward’s Supermarket opened up as a small stand before relocating to its current permanent store in 1991. The family-owned business promotes a zero-waste shopping experience to promote a more sustainable way of living. By using reusable bags, glass jars, pillowcases and more, this environmentally conscious store takes every measure to ensure that shoppers’ negative impacts on the environment will be at a minimum.

Despite being home to dozens of natural parks and preserves, the city doesn’t have the cleanest record when it comes to the environment. Since the early 1900s, Gainesville has been home to the Cabott/Koppers Superfund Site. This 140-acre plot of polluted soil and water contains hazardous toxins that have been linked to severe health problems like cancer and birth defects. The land is so hazardous that it has been marked by the Environmental Protection Agency as a national priority, as it requires a long-term response plan to make the site safe for the people and the planet.

According to the official Environmental Protection Agency website, “All remedial construction activities are scheduled to be completed at the Koppers side of the site by the end of 2021.” The cleanup has been a long, drawn-out process for the local community, but the city and the Environmental Protection Agency have been working to mitigate their effects on the environment.

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Grocery stores aren’t the only ones going green. Life Unplastic, located in the Thornebrook Village Shopping Center, is a retail store that promotes a low-waste lifestyle.

It offers everything from recycled toilet paper to dog and cat treats for your furry friends.

With plastic-free shopping rising in popularity, Joy Hughes, Life Unplastic owner hopes to see stores like hers operate in every city. “I think people are really waking up to the facts about plastic and plastic production, especially singleuse disposables and packaging,” Hughes said. “It's toxic, persistent and it's truly crept into all facets of our lives.”

Other local retailers such as Redefined Goods, Lion’s Den Creative and Naturesdye specialize in repurposed fashion

The popular vintage clothing store, Flashbacks, has been around since 1986. The store started gaining much more traction on the 20th anniversary of Earth Day and has seen an increase in demand since.

This program encouraged Gainesville builders and residents to adopt energy-efficient practices into their homes like installing insulated windows and energyefficient appliances.

In a study done by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, homes that utilized this program used about 8% more than comparable Gainesville residences. “If the 38,709 new single-family homes constructed in Florida in 2008 had been built under green building standards adopted by ordinances like the Gainesville Green Building Program and achieved the same percentage savings as these case study homes, then 84,617,874 lbs. of CO2e per year could have been avoided,” the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated.

The University of Florida has also taken strides in becoming more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Just three years ago the university made the addition of its 75th Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building, Weil Hall. UF requires all new buildings to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications, making it a frontrunner in the nation’s top LEED certified universities.

When the store first opened, so little waste was produced that they didn’t even need a trash service.

Steve Nichtberger, the store owner, said he stood by the phrase: “We create nothing, we destroy nothing, we give away a few bags along the way.”

Secondhand s hopping has become increasingly destigmatized as shoppers have put more effort into partaking in sustainable shopping. “Thrifting has gone from being a sideshow to being a standard accepted form of commerce,” said Nichtberger.

Not all of the city’s steps toward reducing its carbon footprint have been retail-based. Aside from the mass influx of sustainable shopping, the city of Gainesville has taken its own stand to support the environment.

If you’ve ordered a drink in Gainesville in the last year, you’re probably well aware of the plastic straw ban, implemented in 2020. Now your drinks are enjoyed with paper, cardboard, reusable and even bamboo straws.

But the infamous straw ban wasn’t the only ordinance put into place.

In 2002, the Green Building Program was established, promoting more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly residential construction processes and buildings.

If the Florida Green Home Certification Standards are

The school has also implemented plenty of other green practices for students and staff. The Office of Sustainability has provided incoming students with resources such as a sustainable move-in guide and both undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on sustainability. Refillable water bottle stations are located throughout campus as well as compost and recycling bins.

UF’s dining halls have even become more sustainable with locally grown food, vegan and vegetarian options and foam-free packaging.

With efforts made by the university, local boutiques and grocery stores, Gainesville has become much greener over the years. With so much natural beauty throughout the city, it’s hard not to care about the environment.

Gainesville has come a long way from its plastic straws and inefficient buildings, but the real question is: What will the city do next?

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Story by Molly Chepenik

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

THINGS

Neighbors and Innovators When someone thinks of Gainesville, a few common images come to mind: Spanish moss, football, alligators, swamps and, of course, Gatorade. Not many people immediately think of Gainesville as a place for innovation, but over the years, the city’s thinkers and creators have made developments that have left their marks globally.

Gatorade is the sports drink so many know and love.

The global popularity of Gatorade makes it one of Gainesville’s most impactful innovations.

Gatorade was invented by Dr. James Robert Cade in 1965 to keep the Florida Gators hydrated during football games. It became a roaring success. Now, PepsiCo Inc. owns the sports beverage and sells about $5 billion worth each year, according to the Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention. The museum, located in downtown Gainesville, was opened to the public in 2018 to tell the story of Gatorade, encourage creativity and highlight other revolutionary ideas in the community.

But beyond the thirst-quenching beverage, Gainesville is home to many inventors, thinkers and trailblazers who are working to leave their mark and better the community, the country and the world with new products.

A few places in Gainesville where one can find technological developments are UF Innovate, Exactech, Infotech and North Florida Regional Medical Center.

UF Innovate UF Innovate is the umbrella organization for many budding businesses in Gainesville. This organization helps innovators by providing them with university resources like grants and connecting them to entrepreneurs and investors.

“Companies come to UF Innovate because it is the gateway to UF resources, student talent and faculty superstars,” said Mark Long, UF Innovate’s director of incubation services.

According to the UF Innovate website, over 7,900 jobs have been created through startups within the organization.

There is a physical space that houses UF Innovate companies called The Hub, located at 747 SW Second Ave. SATLANTIS is a company there that focuses on space technology. In May 2020, the company successfully built a camera that is now attached to the International Space Station. There are plans in motion with NASA to send another camera there in the near future.

The Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) is one of UF Innovate’s anchor clients. The LPRC has done groundbreaking work combating theft and loss in retail. Through over 300 research projects, LPRC has developed technologies to secure goods and alert employees of crime.

Another noteworthy company that is now an alum of UF Innovate is RTI Surgical. This company is

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a leading surgical implant provider. RTI Surgical has made great strides in creating artificial bone substitutes to be used in spinal surgery.

Long said the organization is looking for companies with a promising idea that could be launched into a tangible market when deciding who gets space in The Hub. “Over 70 companies are under the roof of our incubator, and they’re made of people who like being around other entrepreneurs and exchanging ideas,” Long said.

Long said there are over 1,600 incubators in the United States, but the success of UF Innovate has led other institutions to model their innovation centers after the University of Florida’s.

Infotech Infotech is located in Celebration Pointe and is made up of two businesses: Infotech Consulting and Infotech Systems. The latter develops software to assist in problem-solving for the infrastructure construction industry.

One of Infotech’s most notable innovations is the software Appia, which helps firms streamline construction management into one centralized location. The software features daily reporting on the progress of the site, a fund tracking feature and other tools to boost efficiency.

In Meriden, Connecticut, Howard Weissberg, the city’s director of public works, and his team conducted a case study in 2020. Construction inspectors using Appia found that inspectors in Meriden were spending 75% more time in the field, whereas before they were spending that time filling out manual logs and reporting back at their office.

Infotech Systems’ products are paving the way of the future in infrastructure construction management by moving processes to a mobile and easily accessible platform.

In 2020, Infotech was ranked No. 21 in the large company category in Florida Trend’s Best Companies to Work For list.

North Florida Regional Medical Center One of the core values of the North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) is innovation, according to the center’s website. Research and development teams at the center are committed to discovering and developing the best technologies to treat their patients.

Every year, NFRMC utilizes the highest-level research for patient care. In June 2020, the medical center was recognized by the American College ofCardiology for excellence in performing transcatheter valve replacement procedures. In the past year, NFRMC embarked on several clinical trials for structural heart disease.

NFRMC was recognized as a leader in environmental sustainability practices with a Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award. The center was awarded for promoting conservation and making environmentally conscious resource purchases.

Exactech Exactech, which produces orthopedic implants and other technologies to assist in joint replacement for various diseases and injuries, was founded in Gainesville in 1985. Its mission is to improve outcomes for patients who need help with mobility. The company has made its most noteworthy impacts with its knee and shoulder products.

Exactech’s knee implant has evolved over the years, beginning with the original Optetrak knee and moving forward to the Optetrak Logic. The most recent variation is the Truliant knee line. Since the first introduction of the Optetrak in 1997, more than 430,000 Exactech knee implants have been sold worldwide on five different continents.

Exactech also has over 10% of the market share for shoulder implants. Since 2005, when the company introduced the Equinoxe Shoulder System, it has supplied over 180,000 shoulder implants for patients. The shoulder implant was the first stemless shoulder implant to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for 3D printing.

Dr. Gary Miller, Exactech’s co-founder and executive vice president, started the company before Gainesville became a flourishing center for biotech and manufacturing companies. However, the company saw the community’s potential to serve as its home base.

“We felt that Gainesville could and would support us in our efforts to build a company here,” Miller said.

“The tech community has grown around us and with us.”

Gainesville creations have spanned the tech, medical, retail and business sectors. As a growing city that constantly attracts people with fresh ideas and strong-willed motivation, there are sure to be more notable innovations to come.

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Florida's Minority Communities and the COVID Vaccine Stor y and Photos by Br yanna Basilio

As the COVID-19 vaccine slowly rolls out in Florida, a possible problem persists throughout the state and the country: Marginalized communities may have difficulty getting vaccinated.

You Are What You Wear

Stor y and Photos by Oliv ia deMontmorency Audrey Hepburn’s pearls, Elton John’s sunglasses, Lady Gaga’s meat dress, The Spice Girls; all iconic fashion moments that each form an immediate image in the minds of many.

Style is an aspect that has surrounded our lives and continues to influence the public, but for some reason its influence is discounted. For many, life currently consists of living in sweats for Zoom University and business meetings, changing into workout gear to hit the gym, throwing on a nice blouse to go out to dinner and so on. But does any of that really tell us about the people we are? Can clothes really be that important?

Amber Waters, a personal stylist based in Gainesville, identifies style as a means of bringing our inner selves to the outside.

“I like to help people who feel trapped inside their bodies,” Waters said.

Waters has 30 years of experience as a stylist. She now works at her hair and sewing salon, The Tease, located in Gainesville. She provides services for many different types of people, including those going through the process of transitioning, people uncomfortable with shopping around others or clients operating on a budget. To understand each client’s personal style, Waters inquiries about their life and uses her intuition based on the kinds of conversations they are having.

“The ‘aha’ moment for me is when my client looks in the mirror and genuinely feels confident in the clothing I dressed them in,” Waters said.

How you dress yourself speaks to how you feel about yourself.

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While clothing itself can say a thousand words about the person wearing it, companies and social justice movements often use clothes to create a statement. A message on a shirt can spread almost as quickly as a message on Instagram — think Black Lives Matter masks or the large array of “Girl Power'' merchandise.

Companies like CHNGE use their brands specifically to advocate for social change. CHNGE is a clothing brand that uses their social media platform to advocate for movements like BLM, Feeding America, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change and women’s rights.

Their clothing reflects their brand with catchy or impactful sayings, and their proceeds are donated back to these movements.

CHNGE’s clothing provides the ability for customers to share their opinions, shock someone in the grocery line, provide awareness and still maintain a fashionable look.

For UF student Lizzy Odumb, it’s clear that because fashion is a reflection of the world around us, expressing personal beliefs can influence style as well.

“In high fashion, the most recent Louis Vuitton exhibit made so many points to highlight Black culture through hiring a majority of both Black models and Black trans models, paying tribute to African textiles and highlighting African American style and influence,” she said.

Bold statements aren’t saved only for the runway. It is better to be true to your personal style and feel proud and powerful than to put on pieces that you expect others to enjoy. And at the end of the day, your personal style is, well, personal.

Local governments released data that reveals the reach of COVID-19, with communities of color and immigrant communities hit hardest. Data collected by the American Medical Association (AMA) shows the effects of race and ethnicity on the lives and wellbeing of individuals, including how said individuals experience health care. This discrimination and lack of resources make minority groups most vulnerable to the virus, and Florida is no stranger to diversity.

In fact, Florida ranks as the third-most diverse state in the country behind Hawaii and California, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanics make up the largest minority group, making Spanish the secondmost spoken language in the state.

Chaired by the Rev. R.B. Holmes, the group consists of community and religious leaders. The majority of the proposed vaccine sites are at community centers and churches for good reasons. Not only do communities tend to trust their local churches and centers, but they are also more widely accessible to them. Many of the sites listed are right in the heart of poor, minority communities.

Publix has helped administer the vaccine to the elderly, but Rev. Holmes says Publix shouldn’t be the only hub for vaccinations.

"Many poor folks don't go to Publix in their neighborhoods,” Rev. Holmes said in a Jacksonville news conference. “They can't find a Publix. For farmers in South Florida, the nearest Publix is 25 miles away."

Florida has large disparities across the state. The U.S. Census Bureau also broke down the stark difference between Florida and the rest of the nation. Compared to the U.S., a greater share of Florida’s population is Black (17% in Florida versus 13% nationwide) and Hispanic (26% versus 18% nationwide). It’s worth noting that Florida has higher rates of uninsured residents (16%) than the nation overall (10%). This can be due to foreign-born residents without citizenship who are unable be insured.

Florida’s marginalized communities seemed to face negligence when the vaccine became more readily avilable.

The Florida Department of Health collected testing data through Apr. 1, 2020, which showed that seven of the 10 counties with the lowest COVID-19 test rates per capita are poor with median incomes less than $40,000. Low income and remoteness are a dilemma for these marginalized communities.

On Feb. 3, 2021, a Florida COVID-19 task force proposed a plan to help these communities. The Coronavirus Vaccination Community Education and Engagement Task Force announced 86 proposed vaccine sites throughout the state. From Pensacola to Miami, these vaccine sites will target marginalized communities throughout all regions of Florida: Northwest, West Central, Northeast, Southern and the Big Bend region.

Holmes expects 60%-70% of minorities to be vaccinated through these proposed sites. The group plans to ask the federal government for direct assistance with vaccine distribution.

Everyone is navigating the health crisis together; it’s hard to forget the problem marginalized communities face, let alone in such a culturally diverse state as Florida.

"When the vaccine becomes available to everyone, it must actually become available and accessible to all."

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entertainment. Through these stores and markets, a sense of community is embedded in the local secondhand shopping experience, which is yet another perk of choosing to thrift something old and giving it new life.

An organization in Gainesville tapping into the world of thrifting and offering educational resources in the process is Thrift Club at the University of Florida. Founded on the premise of providing “a community for students who share a passion for thrifting, upcycling, repurposing and learning about/advocating for slow fashion” in a casual and approachable setting, this organization encourages community building through sustainability, President Gabrielle Ray said.

“Thrift Club came to life because we noticed a lack of a community for UF students who were passionate about promoting sustainability through secondhand shopping, borrowing, swapping and upcycling,” Laura Long, internal vice president, said.

Time to Get Thrifty: Talking with Thrift Club at UF and The HOW BAZAR Co. Stor y and Photos by Viv iana Moreno

Imagine this: It’s a day out on the town, and you’re stopping at all of the local secondhand shops hoping to claim that perfect, staple black T-shirt that is missing from your wardrobe. After scouring through rack after rack, your fingers land on a hanger holding just what you were looking for — and it is in pristine condition. After a quick inspection of the material, the shirt is safely tucked under your arm as you head to the checkout area. What is that little pep in your step? That’s the glow of a mission accomplished, but it’s also more than that. For most of us, a thrifted T-shirt can be just a simple tee on the surface, but the beauty of thrifting clothing is repurposing garments and breathing new life into its threads. Thrifting a piece of clothing or an item of housewares can prove interesting because the item has a story, an origin of sorts, and the new keeper is part of that history.

For the past few years, there has been a noticeable uptick in the popularity of thrifting and shopping secondhand. Shoppers are increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of fast fashion and also find secondhand shopping to be at a more accessible price point, especially for notable brands that can often be out of reach. In fact, the secondhand market is expected to reach $64 billion in the next five years, 50 The Origins Is sue

according to thredUp’s 2020 Resale Report, which includes third-party data from Global Data. A variety of factors are driving these numbers — increased environmental awareness, Gen Z setting thrifting trends, less stigma around buying secondhand, increased ability to find unique purchases and more. Resale sites like thredUp, Poshmark and The RealReal are offering thrifting to everyone from the comfort of their device, which is also contributing to increased sales in the resale area. All in all, shoppers, especially younger shoppers, are contributing to a movement set to radically change the fashion industry, even more so than they already have.

Locally, organizations, markets and secondhand shops are feeding the thrifting cravings of locals.

In the Gainesville area, there are plenty of places to choose from to shop locally and secondhand.

Locations include national establishments like Goodwill and Plato’s Closet and local stores like Sandy's Savvy Chic Resale Boutique and Flashbacks Recycled Fashions. There are even market experiences such as The HOW BAZAR Co., a vintage store offering resale and reworked items. The store hosts monthly markets coined Bazar À La Carte involving local vendors, food and

“Thrift Club came to life because we noticed a lack of a community for UF students who were passionate about promoting sustainability through secondhand shopping, borrowing, swapping and upcycling.”

Aside from advocating for ethically conscious consumer choices, Thrift Club embeds an intersectional lens in its programming. Abby Forsyth, the club treasurer, posits that “environmental justice has often been ignored in past environmental movements,” thus making one of the organization’s goals to “help change the narrative to include all perspectives and begin to understand the relationships between environmental issues and social justice issues.” This blending of issues creates a rich space ripe for learning and growing as individuals and as a community through thrifting.

Originally a series of pop-up shops, The HOW BAZAR Co. now consists of a storefront in the area and is a worker-owned organization with five coowners. Founder Jose Peruyero, Business Operations

Specialist Holly McCoy, Handyperson Ryan Akeridge, Creative Director Khary Khalfani and Marketing & Community Outreach Director Laila Fakhoury make up this dynamic team, which developed through a model of sustainability and empowerment of local businesses and creatives. The shop also lends itself to being a community resource in that a goal is to share the worker-owned business model with the community and world “where all of the co-owners have equal ownership of the business and making decisions for the business… because we think that it's very effective and ethical,” Fakhoury said.

Working against the detrimental environmental impacts of the fashion industry, The HOW BAZAR Co. remodels and reworks clothing that is considered undesirable in an effort to upcycle them for resale, thus closing the cycle to landfill. “For us, we still see the beauty in all of those things, and especially through the fact that reusing and repurposing and recycling is something that makes things even more beautiful because of sustainability and the ethics behind repurposing,” Fakhoury said. The monthly market also works to uplift community artists and vendors. It is held on the side of the storefront and is meant to “create an ecosystem of shoppers and sellers who can support each other in a very nurturing space.”

Whether someone chooses to shop secondhand because it’s trendy or because of a goal to live more sustainably, it is a powerful force providing new opportunities for communities, the fashion industry and individuals alike. The interconnected fabric of secondhand shopping, whether online or locally in person, weaves a story of ethical consciousness, a changing industry and the wonderful nature of adding a new chapter to something — transforming it from old to new once again.

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The pill works by preventing ovulation and keeping fertilization from occurring during sex. According to Planned Parenthood, two kinds of birth control pills exist. There are progestin pills and there are combination pills that include both estrogen and progestin. Planned Parenthood reports that the pill has proven to be 91% effective when taking into account user error. If a woman forgets to take the pills, loses the pack or forgets to refill a prescription, she could become pregnant.

It’s also important to remember that certain medications, vomiting or diarrhea could interfere with the pill’s effectiveness. Planned Parenthood provides a list of medications that may prevent the pill from doing its job, but asking a doctor could also be beneficial. The pill, along with the other hormonal birth controls listed, does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Only condoms do that.

The Ring The NuvaRing operates in a way similar to a birth control pill, but instead it is a flexible ring that is placed inside the vagina. The body then absorbs the hormones through the vaginal lining.

“It’s a once-a-month birth control which is really great for my busy, college-aged women,” Carroccio said.

Photos by Lindsey Boyett

Women Taking Control: Birth Control Options and Their Histories Story by Taylor Lockett

Margaret Sanger saw many unplanned families as a nurse during the early 1900s. The Comstock laws, which went into effect in the late 1800s, made it illegal to distribute information about birth control in the United States.

According to “Margaret Sanger, Taking a Stand for Birth Control” by Ingrid Mundt, Sanger spoke out against the laws when she published a monthly magazine, The Woman Rebel, and a pamphlet, Family Limitation. Her work signified the beginning of the birth control movement in the United States.

In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled that it was against a person’s constitutional right to privacy to restrict access to birth control. Some attributed the United States’ sexual revolution to the decision of the Griswold v. Connecticut case as “the pill” became a new option for women, according to Beth Bailey in “Prescribing the Pill.”

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Birth control has evolved since the 1900s, and women today have numerous options when it comes to taking control of their sexual health.

While the pill continues to be used by a majority of women, other options include, but are not limited to, the ring, shot, implant or intrauterine device (IUD).

The Pill The pill is the most accessible and common form of birth control, according to Dr. Sheyna Carroccio of Comprehensive Women’s Health, Gainesville, who began her career over 17 years ago.

“Probably 50% to 60% of the young women I see are on oral birth control pills,” Carroccio said.

The ring remains in the body for three weeks, and then the week that it is removed is the week the user will begin to menstruate. Planned Parenthood reports the ring to be 91% effective, again due to user error. Users must remember to replace the ring on time to keep it working most efficiently. Planned Parenthood suggests adding replacement days to calendars, getting a partner or friend to help remind you and storing the ring at room temperature away from sunlight for up to four months. If the ring isn’t going to be used before four months, then it’s good to keep it in the refrigerator.

The Shot The Depo-Provera shot contains progestin that is administered into the arm every three months.

According to Dr. Carroccio, the shot may cause some weight gain or breakthrough bleeding.

“I have a lot of women who love it, and they come in every three months and get their shot,” Carroccio said.

The Depo-Provera shot ranks as 94% effective, according to Planned Parenthood. The progestin in the shot keeps the body from ovulating, and without an egg, pregnancy is improbable. If the shot is administered within the first seven days after the

start of a period, then the user is protected from pregnancy right away. If the shot is not given within that time frame, then users should wait a week after getting their first shot and use another form of birth control, like condoms, in the meantime.

Like the ring and the pill, keeping up with scheduling a shot every 12 to 13 weeks is crucial to maintain the efficacy.

Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (the IUD and the Implant) The IUD and the implant are among the most effective forms of birth control, with Planned Parenthood reporting each to be 99% effective. IUD stands for intrauterine device, a flexible piece of plastic shaped like a “T” that is inserted into the vagina.

The copper IUD, Paragard, protects from pregnancy for up to 12 years and is a nonhormonal form of birth control. Mirena, Kyleena, Liletta and Skyla use the hormone progestin to stop ovulation. Mirena and Liletta work for up to seven years, Kyleena works for up to five, and Skyla for up to three.

The implant, Nexplanon, is a thin, matchstick rod that is flexible. The rod is placed under the skin of the arm and releases hormones into the body to prevent pregnancy. According to Nexplanon, the implant lasts for up to three years.

“These are all under the category of what’s called LARCs – long-acting reversible contraception,” said Carroccio. “Those are things that we place in the office, and the patient has to come back to get it out.”

Once these items have been placed in the body, they offer long-term protection without the daily upkeep of other options.

According to Dr. Carroccio, birth control is safe and effective. Certain underlying conditions like cancers or blood clotting disease may affect what options doctors suggest. Some women react poorly to birth control pills with breast tenderness or nausea. In those cases, nonhormonal options may be best.

“There’s always something new coming out,” Carroccio said.

Birth control has evolved over the last several decades, and women now have numerous options that help them control their fertility, sexuality and lives.

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Brushstrokes Through Time Story and Photos by Sarah Correa-Dibar

It’s come to the point where an artist can duct tape a banana to a wall in Art Basel, Miami, sell it for $120,000, and go viral on every social media platform. One thing is for sure — this yellow fruit made people wonder what art is and who makes the rules.

Art doesn’t have the Ten Commandments for what an artist needs to abide by or an “Art Fame for Dummies” book. There are no wrongs or rights in art, and if there were, more than half of the eras would have never existed.

“Classical art to me is the era that is no longer our era.”

The drawings scribbled on the walls of the caves in the 20th Century Fox film “Ice Age” are classified as prehistoric art, which lasted from 40,000 to 4,000 b.c. This art form was the first to be documented, but it was the only way to document history then, according to independent scholar Laura Anne Tedesco’s “Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000–8000 B.C.” essay published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first step out of day-to-day communication into a more creative form of expression was thanks to the Greeks and Romans. This comes as no surprise, as the culture is still prevalent in various aspects of today’s society — languages, democracy, architecture, theater and art. The art produced during this era is referred to as classical art. Most known for their idealized version of man, — the Greek gods and goddesses — temples for the deities were constructed.

Flash forward to modern times when important monuments and buildings like the Obelisk of Buenos Aires or the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., were made in the classical style, which is the pointed top and the pillars, according to art historian Marilyn Stokstad and art history professor and curator Michael Cothren in the fourth edition of "Art History."

Classical art is a phrase tossed around very lightly, usually thought of as any centuries-old art. Ashley Townsend, artist and founder of Artists Don’t School, believes that classical art will always be valued because the older it is, the more respected it is — just like an expensive bottle of red wine.

“Classical art to me is the era that is no longer our era,” said Townsend.

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There is a fine line between “classical” and “classic,” but they are used interchangeably, which is completely OK in conversation, yet can be misleading in a historical context.

The Romans were more realistic in their style of sculptures and paintings, but idealization remained. The faces remained expressionless, and even children and infants had toned bodies and older faces, like those of a middleaged person. This period’s art is also referred to as GrecoRoman, according to Stokstad and Cothren.

Daniel Stepp, a fine arts professor at the University of Florida, has been professionally painting for 20 years and teaching for about 16. When he hears someone focuses on classical art, he presumes they are talking about Greco-Roman art or the Renaissance period.

“But there will always be artists referencing classical arts,” said Stepp, when speaking of how the teachings of the French Academy of Art in the 19th century were based on classical art.

The Renaissance era was a turning point in art because it showed different priorities. Paintings and sculptures were becoming more realistic but were also focusing on science and intellect, not just muscles and glory like in the GrecoRoman period, according to Stokstad and Cothren.

This is evident by looking at Leonardo da Vinci’s work.

During the 14th century, da Vinci was more than a painter.

He was an inventor and a man of physics. For example, he conceptualized the parachute and helicopter. In his paintings, he connected science to art.

The “Big Three” during this time were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo — who painted the Sistine Chapel and was

considered godly due to his creations and teachings — and Raphael — who was known for his representations of Mary, or “Madonnas,” and holy family paintings — made large-scale works in the Vatican alongside Michelangelo’s works.

Stepp said classical art will always revolve around Christianity and how Jesus’ depiction will always change according to the times. Every era’s version of Jesus is a representation of the style of any decade, which is a great example of how art imitates culture.

“In the Greco-Roman period, Jesus was portrayed as Apollo,” said Stepp. “But if you look at paintings from the 1970s, he has a very hippie look.”

Art has always imitated life. The Renaissance was about expanding everyone’s minds and its artists represented that in their paintings or sculptures by giving an importance to the new discoveries of the sciences and philosophy.

On the other hand, Stepp also believes that art has overlooked many things. Women, for example, have been cut out of the narrative for so long because there weren’t many female artists.

“The evolution of art is fascinating,” said Townsend. “To me, the transition of eras is just old styles being remade in new ways.”

Artists have gotten inspiration from their predecessors and interpreted old ideas into their own so their generation will understand. But there are exceptions to that transition, like the French impressionist era.

Edgard Degas, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse. This period rejected the studio model and focused more on landscapes and natural lighting. It was rejected by many because it was not understood at first, to the point where people became enraged that they called themselves artists without following any rules. This allowed people to self-identify as artists and teach themselves.

Townsend named her brand Artists Don’t School, despite it being a clothing line, because its meaning related to periods like the French impressionist period where artists made their own rules instead of following society’s idea of creative success.

“I want to remove the stigma of the comparison of a painter versus a doctor,” said Townsend. “I believe if you find your purpose, you must chase it even if it’s not the status quo.”

Stepp also believes that being an artist is something of a self-proclamation. Some people have an MFA or a bachelor’s degree, and some are self-taught, but if they have the drive to create, they are artists.

“It’s weird because it’s not like saying you’re an engineer — you can’t just say that,” said Stepp. “It’s like saying, ‘I’m a writer’ because you are writing. You can be writing a book or you could be pursuing a college degree in journalism.”

Although art is not a perfect depiction of the names and dates and speeches listed in high school textbooks, it does give meaning to our ancestry and our origins. If there’s one thing generations have learned about art, it is that a still life of bananas is as significant as a banana duct taped to a wall.

Claude Monet was responsible for opening up a floodgate that inspired Pierre-August Renoir, Édouard Manet, The Origins Is sue 55

Novel Nostalgia: Five Books That Will Remind You of Your Roots

40 Years of MT V: W here We A re Now Story by Taylor Lockett

It’s novels like "Nancy Drew," "Harry Potter" and "Where the Red Fern Grows" that bring reminders of home. That nostalgia makes readers warm and longing to be back in memories from years past. Each book here has connections to family, lost love and childhood.

"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Detailing the life of a Nigerian woman immigrating to the United States, "Americanah" follows Ifemelu. While moving to the U.S. to pursue a university degree, she experiences her Blackness and the weight it holds for the first time. The sense of comfort and familiarity she has each time she visits Nigeria contrasts with the alienation she experiences in the United States to give a small insight into the perspective of a Black woman immigrating into this country. This book connects social justice topics with the meaning of family, first loves and connection to one’s roots.

"Normal People" by Sally Rooney "Normal People" is a novel that encapsulates the famous phrase, “If you love something, let it go.” Connell and Marianne grew up in very different households and social circles, yet for years their love and friendship remain a constant. While life-altering factors attempt to separate them, they seem to find their way back to each other every time.

One can feel the shivers and butterflies a first love ignites through this book’s themes of love, mental health and realness.

"L itt le Women" by L ouisa May A lcott "Little Women" is a tale of the March sisters and their lives in New England during the Civil War. It is a classic that could bring any reader back to their childhood. The March sisters remain bonded throughout the novel, even in times of strife, conflict in love or distance. "Little Women" reminds readers of the importance of family and brings them into the bustling March house immediately and presents themes of love, death, family and ambition.

"Ca l l Me By Your Na me" by A ndre Aciman The setting of this book alone — a small Italian city in the summer — brings nostalgic dreams to travel, fall in love and drink homemade, freshly squeezed juice. Elio is spending the summer with his parents at their home in Italy. Oliver, an American graduate student, spends six weeks with Elio’s family. The book follows Elio’s perspective of their blossoming relationship throughout the summer. This book explores the intimacy of first love, sexuality and heartbreak, with the sentimentality of a parent’s reassurance.

"The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros Lastly, "The House on Mango Street" brings a sense of familial expectations and personal longing through pain and growth. Cisneros writes from the perspective of the main character, young adult Esperanza, covering a year of her life. In this year, Esperanza experiences puberty, newfound sexuality, assault, understanding of her Mexican-American identity and loss, while attempting to leave Mango Street for a presumed better life. Cisneros writes to connect the reader with Esperanza’s experience and reminds us of the pain and excitement growing up can bring.

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Photos provided by Sarah Burke

Stor y and Photos by Oliv ia deMontmorency

Sarah Burke, then 23, worked as a clerk at a law firm in Atlanta when she saw a flyer advertising an open-call audition for “The Real World” on MTV. Burke had watched the first season of the show when it premiered. She was 11 then, but she remained a fan for years. Her roommate accompanied her to the 2004 audition for moral support. When the staff asked her to fill out an application at the end, she knew she was on her way to fulfilling her childhood dream. After her initial audition, Burke was vetted by a series of interviews leading up to the semifinals in Los Angeles.

“I had this feeling that I was meant to be on that show,” Burke said.

MTV, which stands for Music Television, first went on air in 1981. At that time, only households in parts of New Jersey could enjoy the channel. In its early years, MTV primarily focused on showing music videos provided by record companies. Video jockeys like Julie Brown, Daisy Fuentes, Bill Bellamy and Carson Daly helped curate hit videos, conduct interviews and offer commentary. By the late 1980s and into the 2000s, shows such as “The Real World,” “The Osbournes,” “My Super Sweet 16” and “The Hills” captured the attention of teenagers and young adults across the country.

Burke filmed her season of “The Real Life: Philadelphia” in 2004. Filming took four months. The show provided the cast members with jobs where they could earn money to pay for everyday expenses.

Burke and her fellow cast members worked for the Philadelphia Soul, which is an arena football league team. As part of the job, they built a playground for struggling children.

“Everyone thinks that they’re paying for everything for us, but they’re not,” Burke said.

Besides working, the group often went out to restaurants, bars and clubs. They were careful not to go anywhere where a camera crew would cause a distraction. Burke informed the producers anytime she wanted to leave the house so that they could decide if the camera crew would tag along. The filming died down once the cast visited Fiji.

According to Burke, all of the footage from her season of “The Real World” happened. Nothing was staged.

However, things weren’t as dramatic in real life.

“The worst part of the show is when the show airs,” Burke said.

After finishing up her season of “The Real World,” Burke toured different venues and spoke at colleges.

She lived in New York for a while after the show and then earned her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Today, she works as a property insurance lawyer in Tampa.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of MTV. The video jockeys who used to rock the channel moved on to careers in radio, modeling and hosting.

Paramount Plus released a reboot with the cast of the original season of "The Real Life" this year. While MTV continues to be a household name, it is no longer known for the shows and video jockeys of the past. Shows like “Catfish” and “Teen Mom” kept the channel moving into a new era. Yet, fans continue to remember the days when music videos and reality TV were first introduced into their homes.

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From Salt to Crystal: Understanding Where Holistic Trends Come From Story and Photos by Viviana Moreno

Society is no stranger to trends. From fashion to social media to food, trends define periods of life, whether for a week or a decade. Wellness trends are one sector of the trends cycle that reimagine ageold traditions. The origins of these trends are often obscure or forgotten along the way as they ebb and flow. However, many of the more recent wellness trends often have a deeply rooted history and have just been reclaimed in the name of self-care or been dug out of their caves and reintroduced to society.

It is commonplace to spot items like salt lamps, crystals and oil diffusers in stores. As trends tend to do, the history of certain items and practices may become blurred in the commercial craze that often accompanies what is considered the “new thing,” but whether someone is purchasing a salt lamp for aesthetic reasons, there is still an origin story attached to it. With the emphasis on self-care practices, which often entail some form of holistic practice, it’s interesting to uncover just how deep the stories of some of these popular items and practices run.

Crystals These precious, and usually mesmerizingly beautiful, rocks are used as an alternative medical practice where the healing properties are believed to be encased in the crystal. These properties are harnessed to relieve someone of an ailment, ward off potential issues or tap into positive energy.

According to Elizabeth Palermo’s reporting for Live Science, a science news outlet, the technicality of the practice involves “allowing positive, healing energy to flow into the body as negative, diseasecausing energy flows out.” The specific placement of certain crystals along the body may induce feelings of relaxation, concentration and overall well-being.

While researchers have not concluded this to be fact and often attribute a placebo effect to be in play, individuals seek out crystal healing or use crystals because “their value may be in fulfilling the spirit” and some proponents can even be skeptics of the promised wellness benefits, as discussed in Caroline Tell’s report for The New York Times.

The history of crystal healing is interesting, especially when considering the modern application of the practice. According to Kristine D. Carlos’ research titled “Crystal Healing Practices in the Western World and Beyond,” the origin of using crystals may trace back to “the mythical ancient continent of Atlantis whose people allegedly used crystals for telepathic communication.” Today’s modern application of 58 The Origins Is sue

crystal healing can be attributed to “Asian cultures, most notably the Chinese concept of life-energy (chi or qi) and the Hindu or Buddhist concept of chakras, which are vortices of this life-energy, said to connect the physical and supernatural elements of the body,” according to Palermo.

Whether or not wearing crystal-laden jewelry or participating in crystal healing sessions truly reaps benefits, the history is just as intriguing as the crystals themselves.

Salt Lamps and Halotherapy (salt therapy) Although salt lamps are inviting just by design, they are also said to provide wellness benefits. According to Helen West’s reporting for Healthline, proponents claim the three main bennefits are improved air quality, boosted mood and better sleep. Described as “natural ionizers,” salt lamps may “produce ions by attracting water particles that evaporate off as a salt solution when heated by the lamp, forming mostly negative ions,” which are said to have health benefits.

Megan Forcey, the president of Relax Salt Rooms in Gainesville, described the process of halotherapy (or salt therapy) as a “halogenerator grinds pharmaceutical salt to a fine dust that is dispersed into the room for you to inhale; the salt rooms are designed for relaxation so you will want to sit back in our zero-gravity chair and breathe deeply.” To add to the soothing ambiance, meditative music streams through the room along with the drip sounds of a small fountain. Salt therapy patients often seek to remedy respiratory and skin concerns — everything from asthma and allergies to psoriasis and eczema.

In Gainesville, these conditions can be aggravated by the very nature of the area. As Ashley Upham Rothseiden, owner of The Healing House of Alachua explained, Alachua is a Native American word that translates to “big sink,” which means “pollen and

"The specific placement of certain crystals along the body may induce feelings of relaxation, concentration and overall well-being."

other allergens in the area tend to hang around and get stuck in our swampy lands here in the Gainesville area.”

The history of practices involving salt in general dates back to ancient civilizations. However, salt therapy can be traced to Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, who opened the first salt treatment facility at the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland in 1839. As Upham noted, it’s important to understand that “over time other physicians had noticed similar responses to time in salt mines.”

Aromatherapy At-home oil diffusers can be used to invoke anything from energized spirits to calmness and relaxation, depending on the specific oils used. Whether someone uses an oil diffuser in their home or seeks aromatherapy sessions in a facility, this practice is also one dating back to civilizations throughout history.

The International Federation of Aromatherapists asserts historical texts from Asia to Ancient Egypt “describe the various procedures and rituals involved

in the making of healing ointments, medicated oils, poultices and healing perfumes.” Regions around the globe practice some form of aromatherapy in various ways to positively affect one’s spirit, cure ailments or upholding religious traditions.

What could be considered modern aromatherapy was coined by French chemist Dr. René-Maurice Gattefossé in 1937, according to "Complete Aromatherapy Handbook: Essential Oils for Radiant Health" by Susanne Fischer-Rizzi. Inspired by Dr. Gattefossé’s work, French physician Dr. Jean Valnet used essential oils to treat the injuries of World War II soldiers. The ripple effect among physicians and those fascinated by the research and application further refined the practice. This has all led to today’s resurgence in using aromatherapy to treat various ailments and improve quality of life.

In holistic and alternative wellness spheres, trends may morph and fade, but the practices are often rooted in deep history. Just like with most things that come around again and again, there is always an origin story waiting to be uncovered.

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Gatorade: Gainesville Gem, International Treasure Story by Zahra Khan Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Cracking open the orange cap on a fresh bottle of Gatorade, you take a sip and an obligatory, audible “ahhh” escapes your throat. Starbucks trademarked the saying “that first sip feeling” on their coffee cups, but that exhilaration isn’t exclusive to beverages in cups with the double-tailed green siren.

The popular sports drink was created in 1965 by Dr. James Robert Cade. According to the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Gatorade was the answer to a flippant question posed by former Florida linebacker Dwayne Douglas: “Why don't football players ever urinate during a game?”

Cade and his research team responded to the linebacker’s inquiry by creating the drink that replaced the electrolytes they lost to sweat during games. They first tested the drink on the freshman portion of the team, who then overcame their upperclassmen peers in a practice game. In October 1965, the Gators unexpectedly defeated the LSU Tigers. Their performance gained attention and piqued the interests of opposing teams about their drinks. In 1967, the Gators overcame the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the last half of a game after failing miserably in the first. Their performance resulted in Florida’s first Orange Bowl victory with

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a score of 27-12. Afterward, the head football coach of Georgia Tech approached Florida’s Bobby Dodd, and admitted, "We didn't have Gatorade. That made the difference,” according to the Cade Museum.

Dehydration in sports isn’t the only realm where it presents itself as an issue. In fact, dehydration is a major cause of mortality in the developing world among infants and children. Each year approximately 760,000 children die of diarrheal disease worldwide and Gatorade is now used to combat it, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the Cade Museum.

Today Gatorade is offered in over 80 countries and in 50 varieties, according to Bartleby Research. It also dominates nearly 80% of the sports beverage industry with almost $5 billion a year in sales internationally, according to Cade Museum.

Mark Long, Director of Incubator Services at the University of Florida recalls his days as a high school athlete in the late '60s.

“I’m old enough that I remember playing football, running track and having to take salt tablets with a lot of water to avoid dehydration, so this was a big step.”

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of thanks for the family’s generous donations from UF club sports teams to local organizations like Gainesville Young Life and others.

Bailes reflected on how she meets people at least once a week who have stories about how the Gatorade founder impacted their lives. She remembers being at her son’s baseball game conversing with one of the other moms when she told Bailes, “‘My dad was an air conditioning repairman, went to his house and was repairing his air conditioning. They ended up talking about me going to college, but he didn’t have the funding, and Dr. Cade paid for two years of my school.’ There are stories like that throughout this community.”

Long remembers when athletes used to drink large amounts of water to combat dehydration, but their muscles still cramped up from a lack of potassium and salt, hence why they turned to salt tablets.

“If you just constantly hydrated yourself with Gatorade, you didn’t have to worry about trying to time ‘OK when I supposed to take (salt tablets) because I’m out there playing tennis in August in Florida and I’m sweating like crazy.'”

IDEAS

The electrolyte beverage has also opened up an avenue for an entire industry. Before the drink’s inception, the sports performance industry wasn’t nearly as developed as it is now. After its success, it established a need and want for other performanceenhancing products. This comes as no surprise

Stephanie Bailes, president and executive director of the Cade Museum said the sports drink has had significant impacts in many ways. The success of the product influenced not only the town it was invented in, but also set a precedent for inventions that came after it, opening up a new industry and proving itself to serve medicinal purposes.

The local effect of the beverage on Gainesville and the University of Florida’s community was significant. Its success created a system and established “a pathway to commercialization” for future local inventions, according to Bailes.

Gatorade isn’t the only invention to impact lives beyond the county lines. Dr. Thomas Maren’s Trusopt, an eye drop glaucoma drug, has delivered more than $250 million in royalties to the University of Florida. Taking after the precedent set by the Cades, Maren also charitably donated much of his portion of the earnings to support additional research at the university, according to the University of Florida News website.

The prosperity of the sports drink increased the personal wealth of the altruistic Cade family who has been known to constantly give back to their community. According to Bailes, who said she personally witnesses their local impact just by peeking into her office’s hallway, the Cades are also known to say they are “blessed to be a blessing” to the community. There, Bailes sees all the plaques

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considering the stark difference it made in Florida football players' performances on the field during the product’s testing period.

Gainesville was founded as a result of the Florida Railroad linking Fernandina and Cedar Key. The railway was used to carry goods to and from each coast, according to the City of Gainesville. Bailes recalled that Phoebe Cade Miles, the founder of the Cade Museum, always said, “They used it to export produce and Gainesville has moved from an exporter of produce to an exporter of ideas.”

Though the Gators may lose a game now and again, the opposing teams still celebrate their win by dumping what on their coaches? Gatorade.

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Recovering from 2020

Stor y and Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz No one could've predicted the way things turned out in 2020. I'm not even sure the tarot cards could've warned us of the inexplicable pain and societal destruction that was coming our way. If you never paid attention to the news, 2020 surely caught your eye after the racial injustice protests, heavily politicized elections and, of course, COVID-19.

But if 2020 was the year that broke us, 2021 must be the year that reinvents our story — a new beginning.

It's safe to say that the year 2020 broke me.

The culminating year of the 2010s was like the final boss — our very own Bowser from Mario Kart. It was supposed to be everyone's Great Gatsby year, the resurgence of the roaring '20s. But instead of glasses full of champagne and flapper dresses, a pandemic halted the world.

If you told me in the prime of my life I would have dealt with the emotional baggage of a global pandemic, all while weaving my way through distance learning and hyflex courses, I would've suggested laying off the theatrics.

Yet, every two weeks, my saliva pools at the center of my mouth as I drive, so I can quickly fill up the COVID-19 test tube given to me. I make sure my saliva meets the second line — without bubbles, of course — and I am slightly disgusted that I'm forced to examine my spit. The results from the tube full of my DNA are the only thing keeping me from a twoweek quarantine.

Following the events of 2020, my relationship with my family remains broken after a COVID-19 scare led to pointing fingers after someone got sick. I haven’t seen my cousins in over a year because of the severed ties in my family. I overheard the horrors of family members who were intubated because they contracted COVID-19. I lost a year of my college experience. I watched as countless student apartments denied any rent relief for college students despite the scale of the severity of the lockdown. I feel guilty whenever I leave my house for unnecessary things. And yet, I am better off compared to the mass loss of life experienced in the past year.

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"Along with the rest of the world, I must cope with the fact that the normal we knew and were so comfortable with may never come back."

In 2021, I am letting go of restricting myself. It's OK to feel like I've lost something, even if it wasn't physical. It's OK to grieve over the emotional pain felt after reading the COVID-19-related headlines that eventually desensitized me of the rising death toll of at least half a million in the United States.

I must learn to accept that it's OK if I didn't become a fitness guru during this time. It's OK if I didn't score an extraordinary internship. I shouldn't guilt myself for endlessly scrolling through TikTok because I am not alone in these feelings. Along with the rest of the world, I must cope with the fact that the normal we knew and were so comfortable with may never come back.

In this spare time of loneliness, reflection and forgiveness are vital in recovering from the aftermath. So take mental health days. Cry whenever you feel overwhelmed. Grieve over the time you lost. Reminisce on that 2020 spring break trip with your friends. Most importantly, learn the power of resilience.

A Trip To the Psyche Stor y by A lex is Vega Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

There are numerous strange occurrences that stretch across the human experience and beyond the confines of reasonable explanation. For example, deja vu, literally meaning “already seen” in French, is a remarkable wonder that one cannot succinctly sum up with science. On that same note, there is the phenomenon that has perplexed minds for years: the Mandela Effect.

envision a cornucopia of spilled fruits. If you didn’t, then congrats! Your memory is solid. In truth, the emblem is simply a pile of fruits. No cornucopias were involved in the making of this logo.

Not convinced? Most occasions when someone experiences a Mandela Effect moment, it may happen visually. For instance, close your eyes and imagine the Fruit of the Loom’s company logo. You probably

“Well, the alternate universe idea is … an unprovable thing,” said Shepperd. “So, you can never prove or disprove it. But, it’s actually an idea that has some traction in theoretical physics.”

Is there a science behind the Mandela Effect?

“A lot of the examples I saw online when I looked it up are illustrations of incomplete memory,” said Dr. Also referred to as “false memory,” the Mandela James Shepperd, a social psychology professor at Effect got its name from a bizarre instance that the University of Florida. took place in 2010. According to Healthline, a selfproclaimed “paranormal researcher,” Fiona Broome “There are lots of details that we don’t encode falsely recalled that Nelson Mandela, former because it’s not important to us. And therefore, president of South Africa, had died in prison in the when required to recall them, we fill in the details in 1980s. In actuality, he had been released from prison a way that makes sense to us. And sometimes those in 1990 and died in 2013. Despite the facts, Broome details are incorrect. It’s not that we misremember and a large group of people “remembered” viewing them — we don’t have a memory for them. We’re TV coverage of Mandela’s funeral years prior. Thus, creating one to fill in those details.” the Mandela Effect was born.

Another fun concept proposed by conspiracy Since then, the internet has been teeming with new theorists is that this collective misremembrance occurrences of the bizarre psychological phenomenon. hints at the possibility of alternate realities. After For example, the famous twist from “Star Wars: The all, how can such a large group of people swear up Empire Strikes Back,” the truth about Luke Skywalker’s and down that an event happened one way when in father, is different from what some remember. The reality it didn’t? While it’s entertaining conjecture, iconic line, “Luke, I am your father,” is actually, “No, I there isn’t exactly a basis for it. But then again, can am your father.” Though the difference is slight, many there be tangible evidence of alternate realities? Or is it something you just feel is out there? gravitate toward the former as being correct.

In essence, the Mandela Effect falls under pseudoscience.

According to Shepperd, your mind reconstructs a memory based on other information that surrounds or follows the memory in question, creating one that is different from the truth.

“An alternative explanation is that all of these explanations can be true because it could be a phenomenon that has multiple causes … we have some sort of interference going on,” he said. “So, we learn something afterward which is inconsistent and that we remember the past of it in a way that… rectifies that inconsistency.”

This wouldn’t be the only time something like this happens. Often, your brain gaslights you into remembering things not quite how they occurred.

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The Inner Workings of Healing Story and Photos by Sarah Correa-Dibar

You exploded on your mom for picking you up five minutes later than she promised. You create false narratives that your best friends hate you. You cry yourself to sleep because you turned in an assignment a minute past the deadline. Stress is negatively impacting your mind and your body.

You’ve heard the phrase “looking back through rose-tinted glasses,” right? Chances are, your brain probably blocked out the temper tantrum you had at your sixth birthday party when your dad promised you a pony, and he failed to deliver. Instead, you remember the taste of the delicious chocolate cake and the smell of the freshly cut grass in your backyard when you went outside to play with your friends.

“We all make the same mistakes because we all have very similar brains,” said Shepperd. “Therefore, we all have retroactive and proactive interference … we’re all engaged in the confirmation bias … we all do these things because that’s the way the brain takes shortcuts and makes judgments in the face of uncertainty and incomplete information. Or not paying attention enough.”

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The Mandela Effect, while evidently not real, at least not in the way you’d think, offers some comfort in that people as a collective seem to interpret things in the same way. An individual experience of processing information and forming a memory is made into a completely united and different one that can be discussed with others.

According to Shepperd, the fact that many people have shared false memories simply means that a lot of people’s minds work in the same way. Who knew solace could be found in a glitch of the human consciousness?

Just as stress eats at you from your core, you heal from your core.

“Diving into your past and healing your wounds will help your future,” said Lorilee Binstock, a trauma survivor and founder of "A Trauma Survivor Thriver’s Podcast." “When I did MDMA therapy, it helped me go back to not only my own childhood but to my dad’s childhood as well.”

Binstock concluded that by figuring out the origins of your own feelings, you can go back generations and find out why they had the negative thoughts and inner demons they did.

The only way to reach the center of your soul is by digging with professional help. With therapy, also referred to as psychotherapy, you sit with a certified

counselor to talk about new behaviors you have discovered about yourself, relationships you don’t feel comfortable with, traumatic experiences, fears, realizations and everything in between.

Including methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA) psychotherapy, a drug-assisted psychotherapy that aids post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Binstock has experienced many forms of therapy and now interviews different kinds of therapists and trauma survivors on her podcast. She referenced the 2015 Pixar film “Inside Out” to explain any general therapeutic process and how it’s like healing your inner child.

“We usually talk to ourselves pretty negatively, but you would never say those bad things to a child,” said Binstock.

You sit down on a chair or a couch in front of your therapist. They ask you to introduce yourself and to tell them why you decided to come in.

But there are different levels of therapy. It works like this: You go to therapy, and you talk about any The Origins Is sue 67

stressful situation you encounter during your day.

If your therapist notices a deeply rooted issue that keeps emerging with your stressors, you are sent to a psychologist.

Your psychologist is responsible for finding out if you have a mental health issue such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia or a personality disorder such as narcissism/narcissistic personality disorder. If none of these can be helped with intense conversational therapy, you are put in contact with a psychiatrist, who prescribes you with medication.

Here comes the hard truth: Therapy is unfortunately portrayed in a negative light. This stigma can be traced back to Generation X. Many suffering with mental health must deal with parents that were never taught that depression or anxiety are real issues. They think depression is “just a phase,” or tell you “you’re just really sad, you’ll get over it,” and that anxiety is "solved" with a squishy stress ball.

That is why they are wary of sending their children to any form of therapy. In turn, this affects those grappling with their mental health issues: people in college and post-college who can’t afford therapy and then deny it because they were tailored to avoid it.

The term “mental illness” gives the impression that the person suffering from it is dysfunctional or unfixable. There needs to be a transition from this assumption into discussing mental wellness or mental health freely in order to promote well-being and therapy.

You may have heard the phrase, “Treat yoself,” but that is usually associated with external treatment such as retail therapy (shopping to feel at ease), eating junk food, going on a solo date, taking a long bubble bath or watching an entire Netflix show in one sitting.

But all these things will not cure the demons that haunt your mind. It’s like taking a vacation when you’re trying to avoid your responsibilities back at home — your responsibilities persist in the back of your mind.

This is not to say that a warm bath with a charcoal mask is bad for you, but it’s the same as putting a Band-Aid over a wound that’s profusely bleeding.

Finding a therapist in Gainesville is easy, and there are many ways to find one. The first step is to research your own health insurance and see what kind of therapy it provides. If it only offers therapy, take it.

That is your first step to being heard and, even better, you will be given more sources you can reach out to.

A redeeming factor about this lockdown situation is that even if your health insurance isn’t based in Florida, you can always hop on a Zoom call.

In addition, if you still have your old pediatrician’s number, you can always contact them and ask them to refer you to a therapist. No matter how old you get, your pediatrician will want you to be healthy.

If all else fails, there is always the American Psychological Association, a reliable online database that can find a therapist of any kind near you. All you have to do is put in your ZIP code and search for what you need in the results.

Your soul deserves to know itself. Go get your therapist.

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Looking Back for Forward Fashion Story by Cassandra Dergins and Kaliope Dris Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Fashion is an inescapable art. It is the clothes we wear, the magazines we read and the pictures we post. Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by the styles that help us decide who we are. But how do these styles and trends come to be?

Trends never truly go out of style. Give it enough time, and the natural cycle of fashion will start over again.

You may notice the jeans your mom used to wear are popping up in storefront windows and on every ad on your phone. This is not some weird coincidence: It is the fashion cycle.

You heard that right: It will be back. Give it about 20 years.

At the 20-year mark, we start to look back at these long-forgotten fashions with a feeling of nostalgia.

Longing for what we used to be, designers tend to pull these trends back into the front line — with a little bit of a revamp of course.

“Nostalgia for past decades always makes its way into upcoming trends. It’s indicative of how we tend to revisit and cling onto the familiar despite how each season brings iterations of trends,” said Hannah Oh, bridal stylist and fashion blogger with over 85 thousand followers on Instagram and TikTok.

According to “Fashion Marketing & Merchandising”

by Mary Wolfe, there are five different stages to the fashion cycle. But don’t be fooled, it’s called a cycle for a reason. Once a trend makes it to the final stage, it will find its way back into our closets once again.

You are not alone if you think today’s newest trends are giving you flashbacks. As we fully dive into the '20s, prepare yourselves for early 2000s styles to make their way back into the cycle.

It starts in the introduction stage when a trend makes its first appearance. In September and February, models for New York Fashion Week strut the runway and introduce the new trends. Through shows and exclusive events, you get a peek at what is to come this season.

“Fashion and clothing aren’t always meant to be comfortable, but there’s a sense of comfort to be found in the fresh and new,” Oh said. “It’s why we love vintage and old movies and costumes and dressing up for different decades — it's why fashion will never die.”

Once the grand entrance has been made, the trend will slowly popularize through the rise stage.

Instagram influencers, celebrities and models are suddenly seen sporting the newest style everywhere they go, and people begin to pick up on the trend.

For example, after Meghan Markle was seen with a new bag in 2017, the Strathberry purse sold out in 11 seconds. Yes — 11 seconds!

Millennials and Gen Zers love to stay on top of the trends, so you’re bound to see these looks soon.

When a new fad emerges, social media fills up with inspiration on how to style it.

By the time the trend reaches the general public, it has completely saturated the market in its peak stage. It can be found at just about every retail store, allowing all ranges of buyers to sport the most popular new vogue, as long as it does not sell out.

Trends don’t stick around forever. Some are around for a few months, while others can last years, but once a trend has successfully taken over, people get bored. It reaches the official decline stage and hits the clearance racks as fashion fiends keep an eye out for the next big thing.

Finally, the trend becomes “so last season” and reaches the obsolescence stage. If you're caught wearing it at this point, you either live under a rock or you’re incredibly fashion-forward and preparing for its next run in the cycle.

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Older looks have also come full circle. High-rise jeans, scrunchies and bright colors are all from ‘80s inspiration. Chunky shoes, small shoulder bags and animal print started in the ‘90s. We have the 2000s to thank for butterfly clips, shiny lip gloss and other iconic makeup looks.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why trends come back years after going out of style.

University of Florida student Nadia Schmaler first noticed this when she purchased a pair of Doc Marten boots in 2014. Her mom had the same pair in the ‘80s. As a fashion lover, she often searches for cool fashion finds in her spare time and notices when they are a blast from the past. Recently, Schmaler was ecstatic to find a great deal on a pair of vintage Jones New York houndstooth dress pants.

“My mom swears she had the exact same pair from Macy’s and that she donated them years ago,” she said.

“Fashion and clothing aren’t always meant to be comfortable, but there’s a sense of comfort to be found in the fresh and new.”

Trends come back in a cycle, but they’re not worn the same way they were decades ago. Wide leg pants may be back in closets but won’t be paired with the same top that they would have been paired with in 2000. Those same pants may have been a low-rise fit.

In 2021, high-waisted pants are much more popular.

While Levi’s were the original baggy jeans decades ago, Hailey Bieber was seen on the streets in baggy jeans made by Natasha Zinko. She paired them with a cropped Urban Outfitters cardigan and Nike sneakers, as seen on Who What Wear.

the 1920s. In the ‘50s, actress Ava Gardner was photographed in a leopard print bodysuit while posed on a leopard staircase. According to Vogue, in 2020, celebrities were taking to the streets during New York Fashion Week in cow print, snakeskin and tortoise shell patterns. While animal print as a whole has made a comeback, the exact types and looks have shifted.

Biker shorts are another apparent comeback piece.

Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted on the streets in the '80s wearing black biker shorts, paired with a chic black blazer for a more formal look. Emily Ratajkowski was seen more recently on Harper’s Bazaar wearing black Khaite biker shorts that sell for $760 paired with a tan blazer designed by The Row. You might not realize that your new favorite mom jeans, biker shorts or leopard print tee are pieces that used to be popular. Believe it or not, Kendall Jenner didn’t come up with your new favorite trend. Your mom probably wore it first. It just found its way back to the beginning of the fashion cycle.

Animal prints have circled through decades. According to Harper’s Bazaar, leopard fur coats were popular in The Origins Is sue 71

The A merican Dream: Was It Ever Within Our Grasp?

Photos and Story by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Steven Lara, owner of Caffe Sabroso on Second Street, has yet to accomplish his American dream.

From Dominican paintings hanging from the walls in his cafe to the way he brews his coffee, Lara prides himself on his store's authenticity.

The 25-year-old has managed three businesses and has plans to open a second cafe in The Oaks Mall later this year. But to him, the true American dream is leaving behind a legacy through his coffee.

The American dream has been instilled into the veins of the United States, starting with the promises of the Declaration of Independence, according to Steven Noll, 68, University of Florida history professor. The guaranteed freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness drove the notion of social mobility. Like Andrew Carnegie's rags-toriches story, early success stories were used almost exclusively as a marketing tool for immigrants, inviting them to be a part of the formula. The term was officially coined in the 1930s by James Truslow Adams but has long circled in America before that, Noll said.

"It's just kind of formalized in the 1930s, which is interesting because the 1930s is the time in which the American dream, at some level, was dying because of the Great Depression," he added.

For Noll, the American dream means striving to have a better life, which isn't necessarily tied to material success. With so many interpretations of the American dream, it raises the questions of what the American dream means, the truth behind it and how it's changing.

He said he believes the American dream's foundation is changing because people are realizing for the first time that their kids might not be better off in the future. Questions of affordable housing, education and even the looming threat of climate change challenge the notion that working hard will guarantee an easier passage for the next generation.

"For particular groups in American history, the American dream is something to aspire to but not necessarily something that you can achieve," he said.

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Corey McZeal, a sociology lecturer at UF, 31, agrees with Noll's idea and adds that it might be less attainable than before. The costs and wages 60 years ago were enough to climb the social ladder, laying the foundation for the next generation. However, McZeal explained that the purchasing power and disposable income have decreased in the last few decades, causing the chances of achieving the American dream to grow dimmer and dimmer.

"If you look at the cost of things like housing, like health care, for instance, the United States is maybe a great place to come for some things, but it's not a great place to come if you have had a medical emergency," he said.

American literature has done a great deal of criticizing the rampant materialism driven by the American dream, such as in F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby.” McZeal said he agrees with the notion that material things often measure success. The definition of the American dream depends on where someone is from as well, he added. For a war-torn refugee, the American dream can manifest itself as freedom from fear.

Most of the time, however, it is rooted in materialism.

"We prop up individual success, so your neighbors can be evicted, but if you're doing well, then you've been successful," McZeal said.

To Lara, the material things tied with achieving the American dream are like momentary highs that wash away. He said it might look good to the public, but like Cinderella's slipper, the feeling will always slip away eventually.

"If I can help people who don't have the money to help themselves, that to me is the American dream.

Some people are selfish, more about 'I'm going to please myself before I please others,' but having family values, I feel like I need to help those who disciplined me and helped me," he said.

Lara, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and moved to Gainesville when he was 18, said he

believes in the American dream, but that failure doesn't always fall back on one's shoulders. Barriers prevent people from achieving their dreams, no matter how hard they try. He came across issues when he first opened the cafe because of neighboring competition and attitudes toward him. He said as a newcomer to Gainesville's business scene, he never felt welcomed.

tween the wealthy and the poorest is growing, that mythology is still there. Whether that's a good thing or not is another matter," he said.

"When it comes to minorities starting businesses, you need to do something really marvelous for people to even go there," he said.

McZeal said rags-to-riches stories are not very common in the U.S. and that social mobility, in general, is low, even for people who were born here. He explained it may seem common when the L.A. Times publicizes an individual experience of how one person went from being homeless to winning the Super Bowl. People don’t get to see the countless others who never even got close to that situation.

For many minorities and immigrants, the barriers on the path to success never truly disappear. However, the American dream continues to thrive and attract immigrants on a hollow promise of achievement. Noll said even in the context of the border wall and the Muslim ban issued by the Trump administration, immigrants still wanted in, showing the longevity of the American dream myth.

He also said what really sells the dream is the success of those who surpassed those failures. The few who manage to work hard enough to break the seams of success transform into sound bite stories.

"The American dream is not one to bank on. The likelihood of that happening to you is unfortunately not all that great," he said.

"In spite of the fact that America is the differentiation between rich and poor, and the disparity be-

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Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Gators for Change Stor y by A lex is Vega

The University of Florida is home to over 57,000 students as of fall 2020, according to the Gainesville Sun. That’s 57,000 people with their own unique thoughts and beliefs about the events happening around them. On occasion, these beliefs are expressed through protest. But students using their voices to champion change is not a new occurrence in line with the times. UF has a long history of students acting upon their First Amendment right to protest.

The Vietnam War According to an online selection from the Smathers Library Exhibit Gallery, on Oct. 15, 1969, the University of Florida Student Mobilization Committee (SMC) organized a nonviolent protest against the Vietnam War called “Gentle Wednesday.” There were around 1,800 students and faculty in attendance, assembled at the Plaza of the Americas while the SMC distributed armbands. The number ‘644,000’ was written on them as a tribute to the number of American casualties in the war.

By 1972, the rage over The Vietnam War had bubbled over and students felt compelled to make their stance heard.

On May 2, 1972, Gainesville residents organized its largest anti-war rally yet, according to the Gainesville Sun. It was nowhere near peaceful. About 2,000 protesters fought against Gainesville police and other law enforcement officers on West University Avenue. The brawl escalated when law enforcement used weapons such as tear gas and water cannons against protesters.

Kent State After the tragic 1970 mass shooting that resulted in the death of four Kent State University students during an oncampus, anti-war protest, the University of Florida held its own rally in response. The protesters demanded that classes be suspended, but UF President Stephen O’Connell did not oblige. Instead, he proclaimed a day of mourning for May 6, 1970. About 3,000 students rebelled against this decision and, as a result, campus was closed from May 6 to May 8.

So how does UF’s legacy of combating injustices uphold today?

Controversial Guest Speakers The University of Florida has hosted several guest speakers; however, as a public institution, it cannot choose which speakers are allowed to visit. This would be an infringement on the First Amendment. Needless to say, there have been instances in which a guest speaker has evoked strong feelings of anger and fear in the university’s student body due to said speaker’s platform.

The president of the National Policy Institute, Richard Spencer, requested to make an appearance at the university on Sept. 12, 2017. A prominent white nationalist, Spencer’s rhetoric was bound to incite violence on campus, especially in the wake of Charlottesville fights between white nationalists and counterprotesters, according to an announcement from UF News. This risk of physical violence is what allowed UF President Kent Fuchs to decline Spencer’s request.

However, after the threat of a lawsuit from a local First Amendment lawyer, Gary Edinger, the university acquiesced to Spencer’s demands, according to The New York Times. It decided on a later date to have time to plan for the event’s security.

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“When the university creates an auditorium … which is really designed for speech-based events… one of the First Amendment rules is that the government, in this case, the University of Florida, cannot discriminate against potential speakers in that venue based upon their viewpoint,” said Clay Calvert, a law professor, the Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication and Director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at UF. “So, a major First Amendment principle is what we call ‘viewpoint neutrality,’ that the government cannot discriminate against people based upon the offensive nature of their viewpoint.”

When Richard Spencer finally spoke at the university on Oct. 19, 2017, he was greeted by 2,500 impassioned hecklers, whom he called “shrieking and grunting morons,” according to The Washington Post. About $600,000 had been spent by UF for the event’s security.

“In the ‘marketplace of ideas’ in the United States, we tolerate a lot of hateful speech, and the remedy to it is counterspeech, which by that I mean that people who oppose the viewpoints that they find offensive or hateful should engage in their own expression against it and have a counterprotest,” said Calvert. “And that’s what we saw with Richard Spencer coming to campus, so that’s a great example of counterspeech.”

Considering the level of law enforcement personnel, the protest was nonviolent. Demonstrators shouted out different chants to drown out Spencer’s speech. Some shouted, “Black Lives Matter!” Others opted for, “Not my town, not my state, we don’t want your Nazi hate!” The message was clear: Intolerance is not tolerated at UF.

Campus Safety Even something as seemingly mundane as campus safety has led to fervent calls by the student body for better treatment.

On Sept. 17, 2019, students organized a protest to advocate for the installment of “blue lights” on Fraternity Row. “Blue lights” are the blue emergency poles scattered across campus that give students access to police when they are in danger or need assistance. Notably, out of the 357 that existed at the time, none were installed on Fraternity Drive, according to The Independent Alligator. The fact that the blue lights were intended to be visible from each other further magnified the issue of their absence on Fraternity Row. “In spring [2019], the SG Senate failed to pass a resolution that would expand blue light coverage on fraternity row. A primary reason it didn’t pass was the failure to contact the Interfraternity Council presidents,” said the article.

As a result, students took the matter into their own hands. About 200 students, along with the Gainesville chapter of National Women’s Liberation, marched down Fraternity Row holding signs and chanting in unison for the installment of blue lights.

By Sept. 27, 10 days later, the university announced that it would be installing four new blue light emergency posts to the Fraternity Row area, according to UF News.

Florida Gators have continually proven not to shy away from conflict when it comes to standing up to intolerance. The rich history of students finding their voices and using them to enact change for the greater good has brought about many questions as to how they can continue to uphold this legacy. Though there has been conflict with law enforcement, institution presidents and even the First Amendment itself, UF’s students have been shown not to give up so easily on what is worth fighting for.

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The Age-Old Makeup Industry and the Trends of Today Stor y by Car issa Costello

Photos cour tesy of K a ra W i nslow

The cosmetic industry has seen dramatic changes since its explosion in the early 20th century. In 1929, a pound of face powder was sold annually for every woman in the United States. The 1980s brought bold and bright colors not long after the popular, natural skin look of the 1970s.

According to makeup artist Kara Winslow, trendy makeup has its place on Instagram, but natural, feature-enhancing makeup will stay timeless.

Behind every flawless face on screen is a makeup artist. Winslow has done makeup for television, film, magazine and runway. She began doing makeup full time in 2012, and before that, she was a spokesmodel for YBF Beauty on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). In addition, she was the official USA makeup artist for YBF Beauty from 2013 to 2018. However, this only scratches the surface for Winslow, who left the brand to create her own company and is now trying breakthrough products and trends.

Based in Gainesville, her specialty is getting clients camera-ready. Since she began doing makeup full time, she has been across the country from Nashville to New York City working with models, celebrities, politicians and athletes.

When you do makeup for a living, you know what looks good on camera and in the real world.

With over two decades in the industry, Winslow has seen beauty revolutionize. She shares her advice for an ever-evolving industry.

Use matte highlight and blend Highlighting and contouring are techniques that makeup artists have been utilizing for years.

Contouring can enhance your bone structure by using appropriate shades of light and dark to achieve dimension. The truth is, contouring on social media has made a timeless technique far more intense.

“Highlighter is one of the worst things out there,” she said. “It reads as oil, it reads as dirt and gives a blowback effect.”

So, unless you want to look like a shiny disco ball, ditch the Anastasia highlight and try Laura Mercier Matte Radiance for a natural glow.

Aim for brows that balance your face The Instagram craze of “baking,” highlighting and contouring eventually morphed into what Winslow now calls the 2019 brow. It’s the brow trend that only needs the year attached for one to understand.

The makeup artist grew up in the '90s where brows were razor-thin and plucked into overarched oblivion, “which made us all look like aliens,” she said. Now, brows have returned with a vengeance.

In other words, brows have gotten big and freespirited, sometimes being brushed completely upright using soap (yes, actual bar soap.) These brows are arched and defined until they fade toward the front, inner corner.

“We don’t do it the way it’s done now,” said Winslow.

“Now it’s like stage makeup, and I’m like ‘honey, please blend.’”

“I’m really, really, really over this squared, ombre eyebrow,” said Winslow. “Like I’m not really sure what that’s about, because, like, no one’s eyebrows are naturally squared and ombre.”

Makeup artists have been doing it forever — they just blend it, she said.

She also said to make sure brows are filled but balanced on your face.

She recommends using matte highlighter as long as it’s blended properly, but shimmer doesn’t read the way you want it to in photos.

“I have people come to me and say, ‘you're not going to give me a 2019 eyebrow, correct?’ And I'm like ‘no, I will not give you a 2019 eyebrow,’” she said.

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Be wary of lashes Social media is also currently emphasizing the “false” in false lashes. However, according to Winslow, it’s all about finding balance with makeup.

“I love a good pair of false eyelashes, I'm all about them,” she said. “But we're seeing absolutely insane ones where, like, it literally looks like your entire eyeball is being eaten by an eyelash.”

Winslow is also wary of magnetic lashes because of the reaction people can have with eye products.

She worries about the long-term effects because they’re so new. Most lashes are trimmed to fit an eye properly, but magnetic lashes can contain magnets on both ends.

“I've also been told by clients who have ordered them that it was way harder to put on magnetic lashes than it was to put on regular lashes,” she said.

“I haven't tried them and I'm not really planning to.”

According to Winslow, her clients aren’t asking for trendy makeup. If anything, they ask for the opposite.

“I enjoy a lot of the over-the-top makeup,” she said.

“It's great for Instagram, but it's not an everyday thing. And so, I would like, you know, to have some of the everyday stuff come back a little bit just so that people aren't intimidated by it in the same way they are right now.”

Trends on social media are using techniques makeup artists love and taking them a bit too far.

Like chocolate brown lipstick, the sexy, futuristic alien look is the makeup of the past.

Knowing what not to do is great, but how should you spend your money?

Spend on a few good brushes “Good brushes are really important,” said Winslow.

“Brushes can make or break your eye makeup.”

She uses MAC Cosmetics brushes on her clients, and for herself, she uses the brushes that come in the Urban Decay Naked palettes — more specifically, the Naked Cherry and Naked Honey ones are great.

The origins of makeup can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. In ancient Egypt, liquid eyeliner (called kohl) and a green paste were used to adorn the eyes. While trends come and go, some products and techniques never fade away, even after thousands of years.

For Winslow, using trends is about balance, “but just have fun with it. It's makeup. It's not serious. It's fun.”

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Awaken Your True Self Through Zen Stor y by Car issa Costello

During the pandemic, many have had to change how they live. Financial and emotional instability has emerged as people may be overwhelmed, busy, fearful and coping with altered lives. Yet, despite the despair, fear and anxiety, there is a local meditation community providing increased happiness and support to those willing to sit and be silent.

Photos cour tesy of Sha na Wood

Zin, Yin and chair yoga during the week. The facility is typically open for private use and retreat time. The weekly schedule can be found online at gainesvilleretreatcenter.com.

“We so rarely allow ourselves to be sitting and silent in this daily life,” said Smith. “The opportunity to stop and see what happens when you allow yourself to Meditation has been practiced for a millennium under settle into a quiet space —that’s where the power is different guises. Zen began 2,600 years ago in India really getting to know yourself.” during the fifth century B.C. with Shakyamuni Buddha, who discovered awakening through Zen meditation, In addition to founding and owning the center, Smith is a yoga instructor. It was through Shavasana, according to the International Zen Association. also known as the corpse pose and often used as In the 20th century, the West grew interested in the relaxation at the end of yoga class, where she first practice. Meditation has a wide range of benefits from explored the silence and stillness similar to that of reducing stress to improving concentration. Research Zen, which brought her to meditation. on the brain has confirmed what practitioners have reported for centuries. According to the U.S. National Zen is the Japanese name for the Buddhist tradition.

Library of Medicine, meditating can even alter the According to Smith, Zen is inclusive of all traditions. structure of your brain. It promotes a heightened You can be a part of any other tradition and still sense of well-being and joy while addressing anxiety, practice Zen. improving memory and heightening concentration.

To Smith, Zen means “awakening to the dynamic Founded and owned by a senior spiritual student reality of this present moment. By cultivating Shana Smith, the Gainesville Retreat Center (GRC) is awareness through silent sitting mediation, you a spiritual meditation center located just down the begin to perceive reality more clearly.” road from the University of Florida on over 100 acres of secluded conservation land.

The goal of Zen is freedom from the “monkey mind” — the endlessly chattering and judging inner critic.

According to its website, the center boasts an Meditation refers to a broad range of practices. expansive complex with a 1,200-square-foot Dharma Zen meditation, also known as Zazen, focuses on room, a full vegetarian kitchen and miles of hiking trails. It hosts weekly online and socially distanced

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full awareness and a broad scope of attention, free from a specific fixated point. This is attained through a disciplined regulation of attention and bodily posture.

“It helps you shake off the mud of what your busy mind gets you involved with so that you can just experience life as fully and authentically as possible,” said Smith. “It doesn’t involve a lot of work. The power is in the sitting and exploration that comes with that. People are feeling a sense of relief when you practice. When you really sit and look at what’s going on, you want to kind of laugh because it invites what life is really about, which is joy, happiness and compassion.”

During the weekly online Zendo on Tuesday nights, participants sit for 25 minutes, walk for five and sit for another 25 minutes. Beginners to meditation are encouraged to join and can go at their own pace.

According to Tricycle.org, like other schools of Buddhism, Zen begins with the understanding that all humans suffer, and it offers a solution to this suffering by shifting from a perspective of separateness and recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings. Compared to other Buddhist traditions like mindfulness, this is even simpler. It emphasizes sitting in silence and the insights garnered from that.

Teachers play an important role in the Zen tradition.

Fourteen years ago, Smith attended her first Zen group. One year later, Smith met her teacher, Valerie Forstman Roshi, 65, an associate Zen master of the Sanbo lineage. Forstman dove into meditation in 1994 and never stopped. It was 2014 when Smith became a formal student of Zen, although she said that one does not need to be a formal student to utilize the practice.

Zazen is the key ingredient to awakening one’s inner wisdom and compassion. She finds that people come to the practice to address deeper, more important questions. Zen offers meditators a way to investigate questions like, “Who am I? What is it to be human?

How do I address my own suffering and through that also, the suffering of the world?”

“I teach one thing and one thing only… suffering, the causes of suffering,” said Forstman. “How we can live in freedom and compassion.”

Meditation can help remove old, conditioned patterns of the mind that keep one stuck.

“I like this description of it as a solvent,” said Forstman. “Just that sort of crust around our hearts or the assumptions we have about ourselves and others — those judgments that are really so arbitrary they start to melt away or they get so transparent you can see through them.”

Forstman goes to the GRC three or four times a year to lead retreats. She answers questions and leads meditations at least twice a month through Zoom online at the center.

Zen offers practitioners a way to investigate the great matter of life and death. It’s related to increased compassion, peace, attentiveness and joy. It is a universal solvent that can help in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The way of Zen is very simple: Sit down and be silent.

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