On a casual midnight in San Luis Obispo, sophomore Andy Do and his friends spontaneously decide to make the trek to Boba Stop for a night of laughs, boba and popcorn chicken.
A sweet honey smell, creamy milk tea and fond memories are just a peek into boba culture.
The pandemic has exposed the “outsider” mentality and the pulling of two worlds in the Asian community, he said.
During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden identified climate change as one of his top four priorities. Since his election, the Biden administration rejoined the Paris agreement, established a National Climate Task Force and introduced a variety of executive orders to tackle climate change at home and abroad.
As architecture sophomore Zoe Paris walks around campus she is met with thousands of faces, but at a predominantly white institution she stands out. With her thicker eyebrows, curved eye shape and multiracial upbringing, she said she wonders where she fits in.
As May 2020 rolled around and Cal Poly students Eddie Railsback and Juan Vergara began playing around with senior project ideas, one discussion led them to the importance of sharing intersectional experiences and the “unwritten barriers” in publishing for people of color. Thein their idea was born: a creative writing journal created by and for Black and Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).
Approximately 7 thousand miles away in the Philippines, sophomore Audrey Mallari jolts awake to the sound of her 4:30 a.m. alarm. After splashing water on her face and preparing for the long day ahead, she opens Zoom, starting with a 5 a.m. architecture studio class.
This is a typical morning for many international students at Cal Poly. International students taking classes abroad have navigated a host of issues during the pandemic, such as travel restrictions, time difference and uncertainty.