Delving Deeper Into the Surface of the World

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 eve...

Throughout the year the Global Scholars Cohort has discussed a variety of global issues and topics. We meet on a consistent basis and share information, along with debriefing and dissecting events which we have attended and gained insight from. However, all of this is done with the same group of people. While this surely has benefits one area which had been missing from this program is significant avenues to discuss with other members of the community. Flintridge Prep's Border's class provided an opportunity to do just that. This semester-long class held a panel discussion which I attended and received a great range of information from. Whether this was discussing cultural clashes or economic comparisons this class's presentation of the information they have been studying was outstanding.  Even more amazing however was the fact that this event took place, and from talking to people who were there seems like only the beginning. Albeit short, following the presentation, I had...

Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka 253 people were killed and over 400 injured as a result of a targeted attack primarily against Christians and tourists. These bombings occurred in several Churches and hotels throughout the island. On a day when people were praising and praying others sought to create violence and chaos. Hearing this was incredibly troubling to me. As I sat in an Easter Service of my own I thought about those who were doing the same thing but at the wrong time and place. It caused sadness within me but also caused me to be grateful for where I am. I realized how often things like this happen across the world and even in this nation, albeit not on the same scale, yet I am fortunate enough to live in a place where I don't worry about such things. This, however, does not give me an excuse not to care. It is because of this that I originally sought out the GIP program. To prevent myself from falling in a cycle of apathy or an emotional catharsis for special news stories. Duri...

Late last week I had the privilege of taking over Mr. Feldmeth's World Cultures class and teaching a lesson centered around education in Latin America. This topic came as a result of careful consideration of what I was truly interested in regarding a global context. To find this topic I started out by simply thinking of domestic issues that I can relate to. Being at Poly access to quality education or lack thereof does not necessarily apply to me, however, through previous experiences, as well as relatives and close friends who do have experience regarding this issue, it remains one close to my heart. The second criteria I used when determining the topic was "what is something that connects to everything?" this is a category I think education fits perfectly in. During the class itself, I was incredibly proud and surprised by the participation and engagement from the students. The activities and recommendation from Mr. Caragher to use leading questions rather than simply d...

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...

Just a few weeks ago Miry, the founder of Miry's list, led a class discussion during my International Relations class. The timing of this was perfect as one of the topics we were covering in class was the current influx of immigrants across the world. Miry's list is a non-profit devoted to helping refugees gain citizenship, acclimate, and overall just feel welcome during a confusing and impossible time in their lives. One of the main focuses during the class, however, was doing our best to recognize, or rather get a sliver of what these refugees might be going through. Seeing these refugees as people, with names and families, rather than a number found on a news source. We discussed a few of the overwhelming feelings these refugees may be facing and focused on some that seem like basic human rights.  For example safety and security. Without these two feelings, almost everything else one could be expected to do is significantly harder. We also talked about the impact a situation...

Just last week I was honored to co-host Vanessa Hua's appearance on campus. Ms. Hua known for her many accomplishments focused on one of her short stories as well as the esteemed novel "A River of Stars". However, her presentation provided much more than an in-depth analysis of her works, but rather a deeper insight into her own goals and writing processes. She started off the evening by introducing one of her short stories based on a Student who falsely claimed acceptance to Stanford and attended the university for a short period of time. With this, she brought up an important question I'm sure all artists and writers struggle with: Wheather or not they can depict or tell a story outside of their own experiences. Ms. Hua described her focus on ensuring a story is as accurate as possible, especially when it's not created from her own experiences. This led directly into a major focus in her writing which is being mindful of how much her writing appears to speak for...

This post, while maybe not completely apparent from the title, is a reflection on Ms. Reyna Grande's presentation. Her presentation was centered around her book "The Distance Between Us". Through her willingness to share about her book she also opened up to the audience and shared her own life's story: her trials, tribulations, and successes. Her success story was incredible and inspiring I'm sure to the whole audience. However, what I found most impactful was the crowd whom she brought together and the fellowship that ensued afterward. Something Poly's GIP program has strived to do is open up its programs and reach out to the greater Pasadena community, which I believe has reached a tipping point after Ms. Grande's presentation. Her story was one that people from an array of Pasadena schools both public and private, collegiate and high school level came to hear. This I see as the most important piece of her presentation. Not what she said but what she sto...

With the current coverage of the recent atrocity committed by a man enabled by racist and nationalistic redirect, a few things have begun to appear. The first is the way in which media platforms have enabled the spread of terrifying ideals and information. Media, more specifically social media, allows information and false information to bear the same weight. It allows for the empowerment of people with the same supremacist ideals as that of the New Zealand terrorist. Due to this unfiltered nature, an inherent part of social media platforms, certain ideas, misinformation, and content can be spread with little to no consequence at all. One expert believes that streaming acts like the one committed just days ago, can act as a way of actively recruiting more members to a said cause. This is incredibly scary in what it presents for the future. Something often seen as a tool can falsely glorify a very brutal and real thing. However beyond this shortcoming of media lies the way in which acts...

Over the past couple of weeks in many of my classes, the events unfolding in Venezuela have been a hot topic of discussion. This led me to dig a little deeper into the situation at hand, after which I was shocked beyond words. Essentially President Maduro who has served one full term was re-elected to a second term. After being elected to a second term many Venezuala citizens and members of the National Assembly deemed the election to be illegitimate, which enables the President of the Assembly to take charge as interim president until fair elections are held. In this case, the president of the Assembly happens to be Juan Guaido. This has created a split in Venezuela in which the majority of citizens believe the election to be un-democratic and are in favor of a Guaido presidency, however, Maduro holds the support of the military creating a very tense environment. Protests have strewn the streets for weeks on end. This issue is one however that involves the international community ...

Ian's event which hosted Professor English was one of the most informative GIP events I have attended. Through his expertise, Professor English articulated many of the nuances which often go unnoticed when discussing foreign policy regarding Russia. He started off the night by helping the crowd gain a better understanding of Russia's recent history, and how that can affect the average Russian's outlook on life, but more concretely how President Putin may have been affected by Russia's tough history. After giving a brief synopsis of that history, he touched upon the domestic politics of Russia and Putin's rule. After which he analyzed many of Russia's foreign policy decisions from an American and Russian perspective, providing a better understanding of the reasons behind each decision. However what was amazing about this event was not the knowledge professor English brought with him, but rather the way he presented it. Throughout the night he was re-affirming a...

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending Aaron Fyke's presentation on Global Warming and Sustainability. This presentation was just as educating as it was enjoyable. He was an incredibly animated speaker that kept the audience engaged. He was also able to transform the heavy environment into a lighthearted one with clever jokes throughout the night. However, the most important aspect of that night was the content. As someone who knew a fair amount about the issues and mechanics of Global Warming already, I was happy to have learned more about the issue at hand. I was also received more clarity on how the issue worked and can now explain the importance of this issue using sheer logic. Although this presentation allowed me to become better informed it also opened my eyes to what nations and companies across the globe were already doing to combat it, all of which was new information. It was exciting to see the stats about the reduction of coal use, incr...

Today I happened to be walking down Lake St. and saw a young man who appeared to be homeless. After having a brief interaction with him, on the car ride home, I began to think. Imagine waking up every day knowing the society you live in and the system which it has been built upon, actively works against you. The world you live in, whether purposeful or implicitly, attempts to diminish your chances of success at every turn. Now I don't know the situation this person was in, or what he may have been thinking, but this very real scenario could make it incredibly hard to stay motivated and make your vision a reality. This is something I feel can tie easily into the modern climate with immigration. Families or individuals attempting to escape persecution or even a corrupt system in which they are much less likely to succeed. These are many of the people trying to get across the border to America where things are far from perfect, yet better in many regards. They simply want to...

November 11, 2018 was the 100th year anniversary to the end of WWI, also known as Armistice Day. During this day an array of Global Leaders, Citizens, and Presidents gathered to honor those who had fallen during this war, as well as celebrate its end. The leaders stood shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, and walked together in order to show a sense of unity between these nations. Yet, our President was nowhere to be seen. He along with the President of Russia both missed this show of unity. Something which is concerning especially with the President's recent comments about nationalism. This leads to the meetings second agenda which was to remind the Nations of the importance of working together to prevent such a devastating tragedy from re-occurring. The President of France specifically addressed this by making remarks, some of which were directed at President Trump's comments regarding his favoritism towards Nationalism. Nationalism is too often seen ...

After being fortunate enough to hear Ms. Jackley speak to us, I began to consider the purpose of NGOs. New NGOs have been forming rapidly over the past decade. More than likely as a result of the need to engage in issues typically not discussed in depth in the political realm. Instead of talking, NGOs do. They do the things that governments often hesitate to do because of its political repercussions. However is this right? Most NGOs are focused on a tangible goal which benefits people.  The role of the government is to help the people. So with that in mind should NGOs diminish overtime as Governments take on the role of helping the people? It's an interesting question, and undoubtedly one that we will find out the answer to soon.

Over the past few weeks, I had been wrestling with a potential decision to discontinue my studies in Chinese at least, for the time being, Allowing me to focus and devote more time to my other classes as well as college apps. However, while completing a summer assignment in which I was required to travel to a restaurant I found myself in the midst of a place that clearly had much Chinese and Taiwanese influence. Whether it was the signs, people, or language all of it was not like anything I was used to. Yet, at the same time, it was something I could begin to become familiar with. I started being able to read some of the signs as I passed by, or pick up snippets of conversation.  Now granted I am nowhere near fluent in Mandarin, as became quite clear when I had thought I had ordered dry beef noodles but was served a beef and noodle soup; however, I knew enough to keep up. As I began to speak with mispronounced tones, and long pauses, I still gained a sense of respect by those ...

As I have had the opportunity this summer to meet new people from a variety of backgrounds I have recently been reminded of the time I spent with the students who visited from Bejing. Despite political views from the left and right, and the perceptions each carry about an array of nations and those that reside in them, it is important to remember that people are people. A relatively recent experience with some exchange students from China has taught me this. While unfortunately, I was unable to host myself one of my friends, Brennan, was. One Thursday night he texted both me, as well as my friend Yale asking if we were able to hang out with them the following night. After school that Friday we all met up and I was introduced to Leo and Daniel-the two students who were staying with Brennan. This was something I had been looking forward to the entire day. Having a chance to meet and converse with someone from a seemingly "completely different nation" was something...

Earlier this year I was able to take out time from my normal after school routine and attend  Sophie  Schleifer's  capstone project, "Global Lenses.". Granted this happened a few months ago it has been in the back of my mind recently because it reminds me of what this program is all about. In a nutshell, what she had done was connected with students from around the world and received pictures from them which to some degree "depicted" aspects of their life. She then mapped them out and posted a short biography under each picture. While I personally enjoyed the cheese and crackers, that was nowhere near the best part of this event. The best part of this event was the fact that this presentation embodied nearly all of the values of the GIP and demonstrated some of the main reasons I was interested in this program to begin with. She was able to establish multiple relationships with people around the globe and learn more about what they face day to day and how they s...

Earlier this year I had a wonderful opportunity to hear from the renowned and award-winning Professor Dr. Anthony Arend. He came out to Poly in order to touch on a few of the ideas and materials both taught in his classes at Georgetown, as well as in one of the books he has published. In his condensed lecture about the Future of the International System, Dr. Arend provided insight and knowledge that opened up many of the attendee's minds for what the future might bring. The most interesting part about his lecture, however, was that while it was supported by evidence it was all theoretical. Dr. Arend proposed it as an idea, an option, something that wasn't set but very possible, which gave the students room to come up with subsequent theories of their own. For example, he drew parallels with the potential future being somewhat similar to the medieval period, or the probable uprise of NGOs. This lecture was different from a lot of the GIP event...

From a young age I have been interested in hearing different perspectives. I would always try to find the different angles each problem has. My parents taught me that every situation has more than one side and that I should always seek out those different sides before coming to a conclusion. Growing up it was this kind of thinking that led me to seeing the different perspectives in America, and ultimately abroad. I began to watch the news more often and pay particular attention to things happening in the area closer to me. Eventually that shifted to looking for news stories about places around the U.S. and finally the globe. I started to see the differences in culture and the way people lived. I also started to see the things that other people had to deal with. Whether that was hearing about issues relating to water supply in Africa, or rainforest concerns in Brazil, I began to empathize with people I had never met. One of the turning points in realizing my interest for understanding...