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The Columbia Chronicle
We've got you covered

The Columbia Chronicle
We've got you covered

The Columbia Chronicle
Amina Sergazina

Amina Sergazina, Former Senior Reporter

asergazina@columbiachronicle.com

All content by Amina Sergazina
RaJah Varnado, assistant director of New Student Programs assists senior Columbia students in picking up their graduation tickets on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the Student Center on the 3rd floor at 754 S. Wabash Ave.

Graduating students share how COVID impacted them during their time in college

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
An Inkfest attendee visits a student’s booth on Friday, April 7, 2023. The event, held at the Student Center on 754 S. Wabash, offered students an opportunity to purchase art and network.

Fifth annual INK Fest gives student, alumni artists a chance to share their creations

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
Llexxi Youngs, a senior film and television major, speaks about being one of the only Black students in her classes during the panel discussion led by the Antiracism Transformation Task Force on the fifth floor of the Student Center at 754 S. Wabash Ave. on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The panel was held for the Columbia community to address discrimination and racism on campus.

Antiracism Transformation Team announces effort to survey campus community about racial climate

By Amaris Edwards, Amina Sergazina, and Abra Richardson
Alpha Kappa Alpha and Soul Sisters address reproductive health rights for Black women

Alpha Kappa Alpha and Soul Sisters address reproductive health rights for Black women

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
Columbia alum Kirby Callan poses on his photoshopped billboard that helped land him a job. On social media, Callan said the billboard was on I-90.

Fake billboard lands Columbia graduate a real job

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
Paul Vallas

Paul Vallas

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
Brittany King, The Empowered Fee Fes member, an advocacy group for women with disabilities, located at 115 W. Chicago Ave., speaks with members via Zoom meeting on Feb. 6 about scheduling and enhancing their meeting repertoire.

Women with disabilities ‘Take Charge!’ of sex education conversations after exclusions

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
Simmons recommends cleaning sex toys before and after use. Simmons said “it’s important to use lint free fabric” for drying. (K'Von Jackson)

Sex shop owner’s advises how to choose, clean, store toys

By Amina Sergazina, Senior Reporter
This year’s Lunar New Year Celebration, The Year of the Rabbit, is part of Uptown’s annual tradition of celebration that goes back more than 40 years.

Chicagoans come together to celebrate Lunar New Year amid racial targeting

By Abra Richardson and Amina Sergazina
President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim gives a warm welcome to scholarship donors, conversing throughout the exhibits.

Unleashed 2022 raises more than $750,000 in scholarship money

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Pepper spray is one self-defense item that is a necessity for many living in a big city.

Authorities urge vigilance, offer safety tips to prevent assault

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Column: Living past religious trauma and reconnecting with my past

Column: Living past religious trauma and reconnecting with my past

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
A couple of paintings created by McLuckie line the walls at Press Here Studio.

Columbia alum and adjunct team up for colorful exhibition exploring ‘madness’ for queer people

By Amina Sergazina and Abra Richardson
Through her participation in Columbia Votes, international and civic media graduate student Francia Garcia Hernandez shares information and advocates for students to get out and vote.

International students experience living in the US without the ability to vote

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
A preview showing of “Smile” brings forth a full theater at AMC River East 21.

Review: Horror movie ‘Smile’ is a bad portrayal of mental illness

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Unpleasantry is a common theme throughout the museum, as torture contraptions such as torture shoes are found around every corner at the Medieval Torture Museum.

Medieval Torture Museum mixes fun and fear

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, dressed in a coat and a headwrap, performs energetically on stage as the crowd screams in excitement.

YUNGBLUD, Jake Hill, carolesdaughter and more talk mental health, art and college degrees at Riot Fest

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
From the library to laundry rooms: A guide to accessibility on campus

From the library to laundry rooms: A guide to accessibility on campus

By Amina Sergazina, Zoë Takaki, and Addison Annis
Columbia takes action to improve student retention

Columbia takes action to improve student retention

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Douglass Park is fenced off in order to begin preparations for Riot Fest. Photo courtesy of Denise Ferguson.

After years of damage and disruption, Douglass Park residents want Riot Fest to relocate

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Photo generated via Dream by Wombo.

When dating IRL wears you down, an AI sweetheart is just one app away

By Amina Sergazina, Echo magazine
Illustration by Hannah Tonn.

Want a cuddly hedgehog or slithery snake? Read the instructions first

By Amina Sergazina, Echo magazine
Pictured: Yelizaveta Yuvkhimenko. Photo by K'Von Jackson.

‘Our hearts beat to the rhythm of worry’: A letter to a beloved grandmother in Ukraine

By Amina Sergazina, Echo magazine
Newly tenured faculty celebrate achievements and share plans for the future

Newly tenured faculty celebrate achievements and share plans for the future

By Abra Richardson and Amina Sergazina
Fine arts majors Ariaunnna McCloud and Amber Houghton install Wheeler's exhibit, “Catnap,” a sculpture and lithograph print diptych at the Hokin Gallery, located at 623 S. Wabash Ave.

Columbia student hospitalized by falling debris does not let injury define her

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Moccia’s hometown of Detroit inspires her to highlight artists from Motor City, as well as Chicago, under her company Appealing Orange Records.

Music business student manages upcoming artists from Chicago and Detroit

By Amina Sergazina
Yesterday's students are today's successful business owners

Yesterday’s students are today’s successful business owners

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
University Center to host Earth Day e-waste drive for the Columbia community to donate old tech

University Center to host Earth Day e-waste drive for the Columbia community to donate old tech

By Amina Sergazina and Robin Sluzas
Columbia alumni share their experience as women in the gaming industry

Columbia alumni share their experience as women in the gaming industry

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Ukrainian, Russian and Polish students share worries for home

Ukrainian, Russian and Polish students share worries for home

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
A volunteer helps sort and organize different fabrics and materials that arrive at the WasteShed.

From brushes to human teeth to go, WasteShed has everything eco-friendly creatives need for cheap

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Review: 'Gem of the Ocean' is a complex story about complicated issues of life after slavery

Review: ‘Gem of the Ocean’ is a complex story about complicated issues of life after slavery

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Making ethics sexy: Three businesses that bring pleasure to body and peace to mind

Making ethics sexy: Three businesses that bring pleasure to body and peace to mind

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Too Good To Go app transforms Chicago's food waste into cheap takeout

Too Good To Go app transforms Chicago’s food waste into cheap takeout

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Nan Warshaw, along with other volunteers, organize donations for the free store.

Columbia alum helps refugees with living necessities

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Column: Being diagnosed with depression in my twenties

Column: Being diagnosed with depression in my twenties

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
First-year Columbia student performs on 'The Voice'

First-year Columbia student performs on ‘The Voice’

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Frequency TV's door in the 33 E. Ida B. Wells Drive building remains closed as the program has been put on an "indefinite hiatus."

Frequency TV put on ‘indefinite hiatus’

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
With the gardens' fate in jeopardy, patrons visit the indoor garden for what may be their last time.

Columbia students join the fight against the replacement of Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
The young stars of the upcoming film 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' share how it all started

The young stars of the upcoming film ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ share how it all started

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Student activist raises over $1,000 for suicide awareness walk and shares her story of suicide attempt

Student activist raises over $1,000 for suicide awareness walk and shares her story of suicide attempt

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter

Columbia student Finger Beats and alum from Marina City play at Wicker Park Fest

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Opinion: I wanted to be a 'manic pixie dream girl': The effect of the male gaze in literature and film

Opinion: I wanted to be a ‘manic pixie dream girl’: The effect of the male gaze in literature and film

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Similar to midlife crises, experts say those in their mid-20s may experience a quarter-life crisis as they reach a transitional point in their life.

Uncertainty in a career path and personal life could be a sign of quarter-life crisis, experts say

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Neon colors and butterfly tops: Chicago designers share the latest festival fashion trends ahead of Lollapalooza

Neon colors and butterfly tops: Chicago designers share the latest festival fashion trends ahead of Lollapalooza

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
This year, more than 15,000 visitors participated in the Anime Midwest convention.

Anime Midwest returns as cosplayers and vendors reconnect with the anime community in-person

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Community members and organizers gathered at Beverly Park, 2460 W. 102nd St., with signs related to the Treatment Not Trauma campaign.

Chicago youth protest police involvement in mental health crisis calls

By Amina Sergazina and Valentina Pucarelli
Columbia staff who have worked remotely are set to begin a phased return toward full in-person work beginning July 19. File photo

Staff leadership wants more flexibility in return to work process

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Some students voice annoyance with new cybersecurity app; experts disagree

Some students voice annoyance with new cybersecurity app; experts disagree

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Columbia professor returns to Southern Illinois University for honorary degree

Columbia professor returns to Southern Illinois University for honorary degree

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Bodies of COVID-19 victims are cremated in pyres as the country sees its death total near 300,000 following an extreme outbreak over the past two months.

COVID-19 crisis in India leaves lasting impact on international Columbia students

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
To cap off the reopening of Navy Pier, a fireworks display was held on May 1 for returning patrons.

Navy Pier reopens after eight-month pandemic shutdown

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Justin Christensen, a junior music theatre major, and Ellie Prendes, a senior music theatre major, perform in "Tales of Berlin," an interactive experience produced by the Theatre Department. Courtesy/ Carin Silkaitis

Theatre Department’s first in-person performance since the pandemic tells the ‘Tales of Berlin’

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Tyra Guan, an arts management senior from China, works as a tour guide and at the front desk at the college library. She has experienced racism and peculiar looks from strangers.

Asian students speak out after recent uptick in crimes against AAPI community

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Cary Skelton is a nutritionist and host of "Cary's Kitchen," a segment of "Let Me Be Your Helper" that focuses on healthy recipes. Courtesy/Tim Bearden

Columbia alumnus follows Mr. Rogers’ footsteps, creates children’s show about mental health

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
What to know about IRAs and financial planning as a college student

What to know about IRAs and financial planning as a college student

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Lasers and board games: The most interesting classes to take this fall

Lasers and board games: The most interesting classes to take this fall

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Anna Langford and Marilou Hedlund made history as Chicago's first female alderpersons

Anna Langford and Marilou Hedlund made history as Chicago’s first female alderpersons

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Ilhan Meged utilizes a headset and microphone setup to communicate with other band members in class and via Zoom.

Music Department finds new ways to stay in tune and play in sync

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Federal Security Service (FSB) members control the protests near Leningradsky Railway Station in Moscow, Russia. Courtesy of Mary Smith.

Russian protests have ties to Chicago, Columbia

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Part-time sex worker, full-time student: Juggling OnlyFans while pursuing a degree

Part-time sex worker, full-time student: Juggling OnlyFans while pursuing a degree

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
The pettiest gifts for your ex this Valentine's Day

The pettiest gifts for your ex this Valentine’s Day

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
College faces pandemic-related decline in enrollment, expects to bounce back this fall

College faces pandemic-related decline in enrollment, expects to bounce back this fall

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
In 2012, McDowell’s family put together “The Gerke Family Cookbook” with recipes from his great grandmother, Ida Gerke, and her descendants. McDowell said Gerke passed away when he was six and baking with her recipes is a way to honor her.

Columbia student makes some ‘dough’ with homemade baked goods

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
During the Faculty Senate's last meeting of the semester, members discussed plans for the Spring 2021 semester.

Faculty Senate says COVID-19 vaccine will not be mandatory for Spring 2021 semester

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Safe and jolly holiday activities for Chicagoans this winter

Safe and jolly holiday activities for Chicagoans this winter

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
No fridge, stained towels and pleas for toilet paper: Quarantined students displeased by dorm experience

No fridge, stained towels and pleas for toilet paper: Quarantined students displeased by dorm experience

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Columbia's Student Center has been recognized in three separate awards this year.

Student Center wins two awards from American Institute of Architects Chicago

By Amina Sergazina, Staff Reporter
Opinion: From my home in Kazakhstan to the US, protesters share similar fight for justice

Opinion: From my home in Kazakhstan to the US, protesters share similar fight for justice

By Amina Sergazina, Contributing Writer
Chicago tenant unions fight for those struggling to pay rent

Chicago tenant unions fight for those struggling to pay rent

By Amina Sergazina, Contributing Writer
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