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EST. 1921
VOLUME 93 I ISSUE 35
BloomBecker named 2015 valedictorian
Caroline Burt | Loyolan
Senior dance and environmental studies double major Genna BloomBecker has been named the 2015 valedictorian. BloomBecker was chosen to be
valedictorian from five other finalists after filling out an applcation and delivering a four-minute speech to the selection committee. During her time at
LMU. BloomBecker has been involved in a variety of organizations including Ignatians service organization, the ECO students club, the Oxfam club.
Genna BloomBecker, who has
been highly involved in campus
life, is the class valedictorian.
Amanda Lopez
Asst. News Editor
@AmandaLo_
Genna BloomBecker, a senior dance
and environmental studies double major,
has been named the 2015 valedictorian.
BloomBecker’stimeat LMU has ultimately
played a vital role in shaping who she is,
which she will share in her speech at the
commencement ceremony on May 9.
BloomBecker shared her reaction upon
hearing that she had been selected as this
year’s valedictorian.
“It was really exciting, there were two
friends of mine in the office with me...
They started crying right away, and I was
stunned and couldn’t react that strongly,
but it was so beautiful that they were
feeling all of the emotions for me,” she
said.
BloomBecker may have been shocked,
but her mother was far from surprised at
the news.
“When Genna came home to Santa
Cruz to share this thrilling news with our
family, 1 felt overcome with joy,” shared
her mother Linda BloomBecker. “But I
wasn’t surprised at all, because she has
always set her sights on reaching the stars,
and she excels in so many ways throughout
her life. She is a shining example of LMU 's
self-actualizing, humanistic education of
the whole person: intellectual, service
work, creative, spiritual and artistic
expressions of her total self.”
BloomBecker underwent an extensive
selection process before being chosen as
valedictorian. All graduating seniors with
a GPA of 3.7 or higher were invited to apply
for the position. Eligible students who
were interested prepared a four- minute
speech and completed an application
See Valedictorian | Page 2
CASA program
suspended for fall
Financial instability in
Argentina has led to suspension
of the study abroad program.
Julia Sacco
News Editor
@_JuliaSacco_
The Casa de laMateada (CASA) study abroad
program in Argentina has been suspended for
the fall semester.
According to Patrick Furlong, the Director
of Global Ignatian Academic Initiatives, the
suspension is not due to success or the impact
the program has on the students, but rather
issues regarding the economic stability in
Argentina.
“The political and economic reality in
Argentina in the past couple years hasn’t
created the easiest environment in which
to conduct business. It became harder and
harder to reliably transfer money into the
country for our operations,” said Furlong. “It
was decided it would be best to take a pause
for the fall and work within the University as
well as with our partners and the banks we
conduct business with to address this issue
and find a reliable solution.”
Those in charge of the program are working
to find solutions and take steps to reinstate the
program as soon as possible.
“Right now, there’s a lot going on. First
things first is working with our students
and partners to make sure they know we’re
committed to CASA. The hope is to have
everything resolved so that we’re recruiting
students to return in the spring ,” said Furlong.
“I, along with many of the staff, faculty,
students and alumni who have been impacted
by this program understand how important
it is to have a mission-inspired study abroad
opportunity like this available to our students.
And so we’re doing everything we can to
resolve this so that hopefully come early Ml,
we’re recruiting a new group of students for
CASA.”
The news of the suspension also impacted
the students who have been on the study
abroad program, prompting them to come
together as a community and work for a
solution to the current issue.
“I was sad when I first heard about the
temporary suspension of the program and
absolutely believe it should - and wall be
See CASA | Page 3
