Abby Grills
Abby is a sophomore at Santa Clara University majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Her roots in Denver, Colorado have led her to love hiking, running, and other outdoor activities. Abby is also passionate about reading, science, and certain comedy T.V. shows, including Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. She is actively involved in the SCU Solar Decathlon team, Young LIfe, and intramural sports.
More by Abby Grills
 Ryan Gosling vs. Puppies2/12/2013 |
Ryan Gosling is debatably the biggest heartthrob of our generation. This Canadian actor is undeniably gorgeous and no girl can resist his portrayal of hopeless romantic, Noah, in The Notebook. Gosling first made it to blog fame via Tumblr, F*** Yeah! Ryan Gosling, run by Douglas Reinhardt. This blog features photos of Gosling accompanied by captions beginning with the phrase “Hey girl.” Just when we thought that it couldn’t get better than that, a new kind of Gosling Tumblr surfaced – and this one may just be better than the last. One genius blogger decided to put photos of Ryan Gosling and adorable puppies side by side and pose the question, "Is Ryan Gosling Cuter Than A Puppy?" The question remains unanswered. In the meantime, we’ve compiled some of our favorites here:
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 Mission City Creamery: Chris Leahy1/31/2013 |
Mission City Creamery encompasses the feel of an old fashion ice cream shop. The photo lined wall, window seating, and bar by the counter give the place an old timey feel that makes you feel at home. When a customer comes through the door, Chris Leahy is there to greet them from behind the counter with a big, friendly grin.
Chris is a general contractor, originally from Cape Cod, whose passion for ice cream led him to create Santa Clara’s newest ice cream shop. After recently turning fifty, Chris found that he had lost his passion for building and needed to do something different. Twenty years of experience making ice cream and his friendship with Kelly, the owner of Blondie’s, led Chris to take over the location when Kelly got engaged and decided to leave the business. Like Blondie’s, Mission City Creamery sells both ice cream and frozen yogurt, but Mission City has one large factor setting it aside from the rest: Chris makes all of the ice cream himself in-house. A high school friend introduced Chris to ice cream making in 1990 using a basic Rival ice cream machine. His wife bought him a matching machine shortly thereafter and it developed into a hobby. Chris and his wife began hosting ice cream socials from their home 16 years ago and the events increased in popularity as time went on. Chris explains, “This last summer we had about 200-220 people show up at my house for an ice cream social.” |
 26 Acts of Kindness: Remembering the Victims of Newtown12/19/2012 |
In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, people have been searching for a way to give back and honor the victims of the shooting. On Friday morning a gunman entered the elementary school by force and killed 26 innocent people: 20 children and 6 adults. Without the bravery of teachers at the school, many more children could have been killed. The gunman later killed himself as police closed in. President Obama spoke on the events the evening of the shooting with tears in his eyes stating, “In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans, and I will do everything in my power as president to help, because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need, to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories, but also in ours.” NBC’s Ann Curry started a movement with a tweet challenging people to commit 20 random acts of kindness, one for each child killed in Newtown, CT. Curry’s tweet read, “Imagine if all of us committed to 20 mitvahs/acts of kindness to honor each child lost in Newtown. I'm in. If you are RT #20Acts.” The challenge was so well received that people accepting the challenge increased the number of acts to 26 in order to represent the adult victims as well. The reaction has been enormous as thousands of people have been going out and doing random acts of kindness in their area. Some participants have also left notes explaining the movement and asking the recipients to join in and perform acts of kindness as well. |
 Fashion Blogger: Samir Khanna11/8/2012 |
You may have seen Samir Khanna around campus snapping photos on his Canon. This sophomore from Palm Springs, California, has taken the style of SCU students and shared it with the digital world. Samir started a fashion blog specific to the SCU campus, as well as had his photos chosen to be displayed on other sites. Samir describes his personal style as “prep through and through.” His style is preppy with his own personal twists. He loves the style at Santa Clara, especially the “preppiness,” and how girls aren’t afraid to wear cute and fun dresses. Samir is inspired by Bill Cunningham, a fashion photographer, and Scott Schuman, otherwise known as The Sartorialist. As Samir says, The Sartorialist “took what Bill Cunningham was already doing, and put it online.” Samir has further elaborated on Scott Schuman’s work with his fashion blog SCU Sartorial. SCU Sartorial features men and women around campus whose style stands out. Samir will shoot people around campus, whether he knows them or not, in order to capture their unique style and look. He explains, “There are individuals who will go out and do something different and I wanted to showcase those individuals.” Samir’s shots encompass both individuals’ personalities and our beautiful campus. His favorite place to shoot is the St. Ignatius Lawn behind Kenna, but he has been switching over to the Benson Fountain to get a little more variety. |
 Solar Decathlon: Jake Gallau10/17/2012 |
Jake Gallau is the Project Manager of the SCU Solar Decathlon Team. As a senior in mechanical engineering, Jake has spent the last four years working on the competition and will be bringing the house down to Irvine, California for the competition next September. If you were wondering what that modern house is in between the gym and the parking garage, it’s the house from the 2009 competition. The Solar Decathlon is a competition run by the U.S. Department of Energy urging teams to build completely solar powered homes. The decathlon consists of ten contests, ranging from affordability to home entertainment, which ultimately determine the overall winner. Jake’s role as Project Manager makes him the first point of contact for anything relating to the competition. He is also in charge of directing all team leads and finalizing important competition documents, like deliverables required by the Department of Energy, listing every product to be used on the house. Arriving at SCU was not as simple for Jake as it was for most of us. Jake’s local public high school is known for violence. With stabbings occurring regularly, his parents didn’t feel comfortable sending him there. This left the choice between attending an expensive private high school or going to classes at a community college. Jake chose the latter and never attended high school. Jake didn’t plan on attending SCU, but financial aid made it possible. He was immediately attracted to Santa Clara’s great professors and scholastics, but the school’s dedication to the decathlon is what ultimately sold him on SCU. Furthermore, Jake said that one of his favorite things about the school is that “it’s gotta be the most idyllic campus in the world.” |
 Connor Lester '1510/9/2012 |
Campus Cutie: Connor Lester What activities are you involved in on campus? What is your idea of a perfect first date? What are your favorite T.V. shows? The first thing you notice in a girl: Personality. And their laugh. What are your pet peeves? Favorite quote: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” -Dr. Seuss Favorite SCU memory: Bay to Breakers. |
 Shoreline Amphitheatre: Bridge School Benefit Concert10/9/2012 |
Around October we’re all getting a little tired of the “Santa Clara Bubble” and looking for ways to venture off campus. Lucky for us, the Bay Area is chock-full of activities and beautiful escapes. The Bridge School Benefit Concert offers the perfect excuse to get off campus and relieve your stress after midterms, as well as serve a worthy cause this fall. The Bridge School strives to educate children with severe physical and speech impairments. Its practices allow students to receive a specialized education and furthermore prepare them for their transition back into regular schools. Through its extensive research and community involvement, the school has become a global leader in establishing these children as fully participating citizens in their community. However, it would be difficult for the school to reach its great achievements without the annual Benefit Concert. Founded in part by Pegi Young, rock legend Neil Young’s wife, the school was given an immediate advantage in fundraising. In October of 1986, Neil Young and his friends arranged the first Benefit Concert. This show raised enough money to open the school’s doors. Since then, the concerts have played a large part in developing the Bridge School’s infrastructure and helping its kids. Held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, the show has become an annual tradition, continuing to bring in funds for the school. Last year’s show featured favorites such as Neil Young himself, Dave Matthews, Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, Tony Bennett. |
