Global Scholars Year Reflection

Reflecting on my experience in the Global Scholars program, I have to say it began my sophomore year, when, while reading The Sympathizer in English class, I was recruited interview the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Viet Thanh Nguyen, when he came to speak at Poly. Getting the chance to speak with a literary idol of mine and a renowned global writer was truly unforgettable, especially at a time when I was beginning to discover my own passion for memoir writing. On that day, I decided that when I became a senior, I would join Poly's Global Scholars program.

It has truly been one of the most unforgettable, life-changing experiences of my Poly career. Though I thoroughly enjoyed our speakers, from Reza Azlan and Jessica Jackley to Robert English and Kalyanee Mam, the most transformative part of my Global Scholars experience was without a doubt my grant proposal project. Having worked at Inquilinos Unidos over the summer, seeing both the profound good they do for their community and the extreme lengths to which they go to make ends meet, I was really moved merely by the opportunity to financially support them in a significant way. The work the Tenant Leadership Academy is doing to empower the community cannot be overestimated.

Without a doubt, though, bringing the Leadership Academy to Poly for my bilingual panel discussion, "The Housing Crisis: Affordable Cities Start in Your Backyard," was my favorite moment. Though they came late (trouble with the bus we chartered), when I saw the 40-or-so of them, who I'd only ever seen in Pico Union, march in with their shirts and signs, I knew I had done something significant.

Every step of the way, from that first summer meeting to our regular weekly seminars and the time I spent working on my proposal with all of my fellow Global Scholars and friends, was valuable. Not to mention the doors the program has opened for me in recent weeks, from talking housing in Spanish  with Ruben Tapia on Enfoque Latino at KPFK headquarters to talking political upheaval with Werner Herzog at his screening of Meeting Gorbachev at the Nuart. I'm so happy I had the opportunity to be a Global Scholar, and I want to do everything I can to support the program in the future.

Reflecting on "The Housing Crisis: Affordable Cities Start in Your Backyard"

On Tuesday, April 30th,  from 6 to 7:15, Ian Macleod and I hosted "The Housing Crisis: Affordable Cities Start in Your Backyard," the culmination of over 6 months of work inside and outside of our Global Scholars Seminar. The panel discussion that was the main focus of our event featured four guest speakers representing various groups and entities working to combat the housing crisis and promote affordable housing in Los Angeles: Bill Huang, the Director of Housing for Pasadena, spoke about the need for dignified, livable affordable housing; Alice Kimm, a partner in the JFAK architecture firm, which works to design affordable housing, discussed combating the the disturbing rise of homelessness; Clemente Franco, a housing rights attorney and President of the Board of Inquilinos Unidos, compared the relative effectiveness of different legal policies in place to protect tenants; and Jose Felix Cabrera, a Mexican immigrant and community organizer who has fought tenants' rights in the Westlake-Macarthur Park area for over 20 years—even while fighting—brought the human side of the issue into focus with his powerful words.

For all of our promotion in person, on Facebook, and even on the airwaves of KPFK, we got a solid turnout from Poly student and a pretty respectable number of audience members from the Pasadena area and the housing advocacy community. Though I felt truly honored to bring awareness and my passion for housing justice to the Poly and greater Pasadena communities, the most valuable part of the event for me was the members of the Inquilinos Unidos Tenant Leadership Academy who were able to attend (almost 40 of them!). Though they arrived around 25 minutes late due to difficulties with the bus they chartered from Pico Union (causing me a not insignificant amount of stress), inviting them to my school, having them in the audience, and sharing taquitos with them on the senior patio afterwards. During dinner (catered expertly by community member Evi Hurtado), I even got the chance to introduce my friend Noemi, the daughter of one of the women in the Leadership Academy, to all of my friends from Poly.

The attendance of the Leadership Academy tenants compelled us make our event fully bilingual, and with the help of IU Executive Director/my boss Luis Cabrales (who served as a translator on the panel), this ended up being to me one of the most memorable and powerful aspects of the event.

It was a truly unforgettable experience planning, organizing, and leading my event, and I'm extremely grateful to the Global Scholars program for allowing me to make it a reality. In the future, I hope Poly students continue to be aware of housing issues, and that Poly and Inquilinos Unidos can grow their newly-created partnership.