The Affordable housing event again showed the true power of Poly's GIP Program. Maybe the biggest crowd to date, this event brought people together from across L.A. Young, old, English speaking, and Spanish speaking, all together in one auditorium. This event started off similar to an extension of an earlier event hosting Hive Be Good. It had a few of the same speakers, however, the content began to shift the further into the night the event went. There was a constant switch between Spanish and English which was almost seamless and still allowed for everyone to be on the same page. This coupled with the large range of experiences represented on the panel was incredibly insightful. As an audience, we were informed from the perspective of tenants who were often thrown in impossible situations, as well as government officials who enact and directly affect policies regarding this issue, as well as lawyers, and architects both playing pivotal roles in this issue. Overall I left this event with a more nuanced understanding of the issue, a connection to those going through the process, and a broad idea of how to help. Thanks to this event I feel adequately prepared to help raise awareness to the gravity of this situation and see myself doing so in the near future.
Poly has had the privilege of having Mr. Pond speak on its campus twice in the last four years. While I, unfortunately, was not present for the first, I was enthralled at being able to attend the most recent one. Pond is someone who can be presented as a role model for just about anything. He started off the night by sharing some details from his past and revealing many of his experiences to the audience. As someone who has survived a horrible atrocity, the fact that Pond is able and willing to share his experiences is inspiring in it of itself. He focused on his survival of the Cambodian genocide and the bullying that ensued after he arrived in America. His own experiences were a true testimony to how powerful stories are, an idea that he has been trying to teach for some time. However, what particularly struck me, was what Pond was doing in his communities. This side of him which takes what he knows and puts into action concrete solution is even more inspiring. He mentioned some work...
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