Nicholas Polenz is a journalism major who was born in  Fresno, California and is in his 2nd year at Fresno City College. This is his first semester with the rampage and after college, wants to use his journalism degree to travel and tell important stories around the world. Nicholas is also a musician and lyricist who plays in a local band and considers music his first love. As a kid, Nicholas would write lyrics and create songs in his head, acting out the roles of a band. His family introduced him to many different kinds of music, ranging from The Beatles, to Marvin Gaye, to OutKast, to Vincente Fernandez, etc. All of these were inspirations, as well as playing games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, which introduced him to bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, etc. At 15, he started playing guitar and played solo, creating many songs until meeting the members of his current band in 2024. They have played multiple shows around the valley and currently have an album set to release this spring. Nicholas is also an avid traveler and loves to explore new places, having had the opportunity to go to many beautiful places in his lifetime so far. These places have served as inspirations to continue traveling to far and unknown places, and to also write stories about the places and the people inhabiting them. Some of his favorite places that he’s been include the deserts of Arizona, Wyoming, Hawai’i, and southern Mexico. In the future, he plans to travel to Europe, South America, and wherever else a story might take him. Nicholas is also an activist who likes to take part in community events.