Melissa Manzi

A collection of writing work for university publication as well as my personal blog

FAU Therapy Dog, K-9 Nala, helps students hit reset and relax

Certified therapy dog “Nala” is an almost two-year-old Golden Doodle whose job at Florida Atlantic University is to provide students, faculty, and staff with emotional support counseling. She walked into the common area of the fifth floor of the Wimberly Library on FAU’s Boca Raton campus on Wednesday afternoon as she excitedly pulled away from her handler, Officer Marissa Buchanan, to greet attending students for pets and belly rubs.
To Nala’s right was a table full of paper dog houses and plus...

Developers turn student housing plan into luxury townhomes

Housing development plans originally proposed as an off-campus apartment complex were voted down by Boca Raton’s City Council. Executed by Boca Villa Owners LLC and Integra Investments, plans are set to proceed as a 120-unit Townhome community near Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus.
Located on 2600 N.W. Fifth Ave, just under three miles away and on route to FAU, eight acres of land sit ready to be developed into a villa-style residential unit after nearly five years of sales, propo...

‘It would be devastating for students’: How a Tri-Rail budget cut could impact commuter students

Tri-Rail, a commuter train linking students from Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties to the FAU Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale campuses, faces a potential service shutdown due to recent funding deficits, posing a threat to commuting students’ day-to-day routines.
With its around-the-clock service and connecting station-to-campus shuttle, Palm Tran, which runs every 20 minutes with cost-free 10-minute rides directly from the Boca Raton station to the FAU campus, the Tri-Rail train has se...

Cojo’s Travelin’ “let’s get this over with” Soldier

After a long wait, 3 years, 8 months, and 4 days to be exact, Cody Johnson finally released his official studio recorded cover of the Dixie Chick’s “Travelin’ Soldier.” To know the exact time this release was anticipated is to probably know just how much fans truly wanted this, or how long you could refresh the comments on his acoustic version and see a new account saying, “Put this on Spotify Cojo.” And, after he finally got around to it, the fan consensus of the record’s sound and general like...

Jason Aldean Live at West Palm

While I have my own personal reasons as to why I loved this show, the performance itself stretches way beyond my own happy memories associated with it. Aldean opened with his debut single “Hicktown,” which is off his 2005 self-titled album. This upbeat, in your bones, small-town American song in my opinion, set the tone for his entire show as he brought himself and fans of his back to the very roots of his musical journey. He then went into 2010’s hits such as “Lights Come on,” “Burnin’ it Down,...

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