36 Hours in Santa Cruz: Things to Do and See
As a Bay Area kid, I grew up going on frequent trips to Santa Cruz, from Boardwalk outings with my parents to annual trips with my high school’s marching band to compete in the Santa Cruz Band Review. The city became imbued with wonder and...
The Californian Privilege in Abortion Access and Proposition 1
Every woman in my life, including myself, has had a pregnancy scare. What felt like cramping, never-ending nausea, and dread in the pit of my stomach are all symptoms of a period and of pregnancy. Their uncanny similarity only added to my stress, causing me...
The Magical Mysticism of the Warriors Mini-Ball
To the Golden State Warriors, size doesn’t matter. They don’t have staggering size, with only one active player standing above 6’9” and they run less pick and roll than almost any other team in the NBA. Spearheaded by the all-time great Steph Curry on offense...
New Learning Environments Should Mean New Learning Accommodations
I noticed the problem during my very first college final. Despite the hours of time I had to take the multi-part exam, I found myself sweating and panicking as I neared the last twenty minutes and still had an entire essay question to finish. I...
An Ode to my Girlhood
This past week I celebrated my birthday, and, like anyone confronted with the idea of aging, have spent the past few days restlessly excited for the person I’m going to become. As I find myself crawling toward womanhood, this feeling has intensified. All of my...
Beginning in the Middle: Making up for lost time as a Second Year
For everyone who graduated from high school before me, moving away for college and making new friends was the starting point of a new chapter in their lives and bookends the old chapter at home. I’ve been going to school there for a year now....
The Case for Romance Novels
I have a literary confession to make: I’m addicted to romance novels. It began in sixth grade when I first picked up “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer, then “New Moon,” then “Eclipse,” and finally the exhilarating conclusion “Breaking Dawn.” I read the series three more times...
Inequities in Global Vaccine Distribution are Leaving Vulnerable Countries Behind
As I received my second vaccination against COVID-19 at the UC Santa Cruz Health Center on Feb. 12, I couldn’t help but think of the millions of medical professionals and vulnerable populations worldwide who had yet to receive a single dose. It did not feel...
How To Be A Better Journalist, According to David Hoffman
I was pretty nervous when I phoned David Hoffman last Thursday afternoon — to the point where I forgot to do all the things you’re supposed to when starting an interview: make small talk with the source, say a little on what your story’s about,...
Recent Anti-Asian Attacks Continue Centuries of Discrimination
As a Chinese international student walked into a CVS to place a money order, she was told to show her ID. Upon showing her Chinese passport, the cashier told her that CVS does not sell money orders to foreigners. This happened to my friend at...