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Reflection on Global Scholars Program

The Global Scholars Program has offered me immense opportunities and greatly influenced my academic career at Poly. From applying to and being accepted into the program last year, to starting to formulate ideas for this academic year nine months ago, to finalizing and presenting my grant proposal, the program has been not only a constant reminder of my responsibility to the world but also a channel through which I can fulfill that responsibility. The weekly Seminar, the Global Scholars events, my peers’ projects insights, and my own work on the grant proposal project have all been crucial for my development as a global thinker, student, and doer. Most of all, perhaps, has been the program’s ability to push me to reframe my own ideals and analyze them within their Western contexts. Both within the program and outside of it, I have taken it upon myself to read and engage with more writers from places outside of the United States, particularly writers from places that have historically no
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Coronavirus Protests: An Analysis

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In response to stay-at-home orders and other social distancing and business regulations put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, protests have sprung up across the United States, particularly in places with tighter restrictions on travel and business. Conspiracy theories regarding the legitimacy of the virus and the benefit of these measures have also taken hold. Although civil disobedience has a long history in the United States and the world, these protests diverge from them in a couple key ways. Most of the protests surround perceived attacks on personal liberties like running a business, gathering in large groups, or traveling. Simply put, the protests are fundamentally libertarian. One of the guiding ideas of classical libertarian thought is the non-aggression principle, often shortened to NAP, which says that an individual’s rights extend to the point that they do not harm others; violence in self-defense or response to an earlier aggression, however, is allowed. This fram
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Coronavirus Restrictions on a Federal, State, and Local Level

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As the coronavirus continues to ravage the world, regions of the United States have begun the process of reopening to varying degrees. Roughly along political lines, some states like Georgia, Arkansas, and Indiana have significantly loosened restrictions on movement and abandoned requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE); meanwhile, other states like California, New York, and New Jersey, places that were hit the hardest, remain in lockdown. Protesters have taken to the streets in many of the latter states, often referencing the president’s rhetoric surrounding the legitimacy of the virus and the information “mainstream media” has dispensed about it. State and local officials face the quagmire of balancing the mitigation efforts already in place with the reality that many citizens have not and will continue to not comply. Although current data suggests containment and eradication was a more viable strategy than initially perceived in the States, many decision makers have
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Reflection on Final Grant Proposal Presentation to '21 Global Scholars Cohort and Others

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A little over a week ago, I had the amazing opportunity to reflect on my experience completing a grant proposal through the Global Scholars program. I invited various members of the Poly community, including my fellow Global Scholars in the class of 2020, the rising Global Scholars cohort, and folks from the Poly administration who supported me in my grant proposal work. I was ecstatic to have over forty people tune in to the video call, over which I made my presentation and hosted a brief question-and-answer session. As the last formal part of the grant proposal process, the event was a time for me to reflect on what I had achieved and to share with others what I had learned. I began the presentation by explaining what led me to participate in the Global Scholars program and, specifically, the grant proposal project. I then walked the audience through the presentation that I gave to the grant proposal panelists, who were responsible for making the decision regarding who would
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Xenophobia and International Travel in 2020

COVID-19 has fundamentally altered the way people move between countries, states, cities, and even from the house to the grocery store. Freedom of movement is a pillar of life; recent restrictions on travel between countries have made international headlines. Italy, Spain, and China have imposed lockdowns of varying degrees of severity in different regions. The United States recently blocked most flights from Europe, except for travel from the UK and travel by US citizens. Other countries have floated the idea of blocking travel from other regions as well. Recently, speculation that Mexico might shutter its borders to its neighbor to the north has caused a stir, considering the current rhetoric in the United States surrounding immigration from Mexico.  However, the most immediately visible and tragic impact of the outbreak has been the hatred and violence against East Asians in response to the association people now have between the virus and people that hail from its country of ori
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Coronavirus Update

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Since the last post on this blog, much has changed in the world. COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, has swept the globe, resulting in the infection of hundreds of thousands and deaths of thousands. Italy, China, and Spain have imposed strong lockdown measures. Today, the Los Angeles city government issued a mandate to close all bars and clubs and restricted the business of restaurants in the county. The virus has also caused a steep, preemptive decline in the stock market, which may fall further once supply chains and demand begin to more fully drop off. The virus has certainly altered the economic, political, and cultural landscape and will continue to do so in the coming weeks, months, and possibly even years. It will be informative to see how it affects the 2020 elections. I would encourage us to keep in mind the most vulnerable populations during this time of economic and medical stress: the elderly, the immuno-compromised, and those living in poverty or experiencing homeles
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GIP-GIA Event: AFS Student Panel

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Yesterday, the Jiang-Zhou household welcomed three American Field Service (AFS) international exchange students (including one currently attending Poly) and many members of the Poly and Los Angeles communities. The event centered on a panel on which the exchange students shared their experiences in the States. Moderated by Global Scholars Aaron and Jacqueline, the students discussed the similarities and differences between their respective home countries—Bulgaria, Germany, and Chile—and the United States. The afternoon began, however, with mingling over assorted snacks and dishes, some of which were from the aforementioned countries. Naturally, conversation about the subject matter of the event ensued; perhaps following only deliberate opportunities to discuss these issues, I think breaking bread is the best way to engage with others from different backgrounds. During the panel, the students answered questions about cultural stereotypes, academic differences, and adjustment to lif
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