Climate Change
Environmental economics |
"We have an overwhelming amount of evidence that climate change matters for the United States. The science is very clear: climate change exists and we are causing it. The economic evidence is very clear: climate change is imposing substantial costs on the US... But there are many policies that the United States can implement to start dealing with the problem, such as a system of carbon pricing and increasing research and development into renewable energy."
— Dr. Patrick Behrer | Post Doctoral Fellow, Stanford Center for Food Security and Environment |
SOCIAL Justice
'stop asian hate' movement |
"People don’t know about [Asian-American] history, people don’t talk about the history... This is not something new. I think what's new is that we are finally like, 'Hey I felt like this before,' and what we are doing now is we are finally talking about it.”
— Kelly Wong | former Senior Preservation Planner at Angel Island Immigration Station |
Mass incarceration |
"Mass incarceration can be traced back to the very founding of America. Jailing Black people was the way that people in power kept their power, who used the facade that Black people ‘did something illegal’ or ‘broke the societal contract.’ This evolved through the Jim Crow era where Black people were prevented from gaining political power and disproportionately incarcerated… Today, many aspects of mass incarceration are eerily similar to our history."
— Sarina Deb | Co-Founder, Jailed for Melanin | Stanford ‘23 "America has a for-profit prison system. This means that people and companies are able to make money by filling prison beds. When you think about the concept of criminal justice at its core, we are meant to believe that it allows people to learn from their past and reenter society to contribute in a more positive way. But when we look at private prisons, it’s really clear that [rehabilitation] is not the intention." — Kaili Liang | Co-Founder, Jailed for Melanin | Tufts ‘23 |
GEN Z on 'BLack lives Matter'
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"I grew up being taught in school that racism was officially 'over' in 1965, which obviously isn’t the case. Racism is still going on... It’s shocking to think that my brother could be one of the people or I could be one of the people [affected by police brutality]. I’ve always wanted to fight for other people, but it wasn’t until the Black Lives Matter movement was created that I realized that we still have so much to progress on."
— Riley Phoenix | American '24 "With this current generation, everybody has grown up with social media… Now with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram—all of these places where you are getting just a cursory view of these issues—you can already begin to understand a broader perspective of all of the social justice issues that, before, you wouldn’t even get exposure to."
— David Gomez Siu | UC Berkeley '22 |
COVID-19
Virtual Education Inequities |
"There’s always been a lot of inequity in our education system, in the United States and globally. The pandemic has only made things worse, because now that everyone’s at home, a lot of the support programs for less privileged students are not able to be there in the same capacity, whether it’s free lunch or academic support. A lot of more financially-able families are still able to purchase online experiences for their students, but many families are not able to afford these resources… Unequal access will make a big difference for these students, especially early on in their academic careers."
— Karly Hou | Chair, Wave Learning Festival | Harvard '23 |
Frontline heroes |
"Initially, [the mask shortage] was very serious. My friend’s mom works at a hospital in San Jose. She would conduct COVID-19 tests without a mask, because there were no more masks. There were nurses who had to reuse the same N95 for multiple weeks. That’s when I realized how dire the situation was."
— Angelina Lue | Founder, Fighting for Heroes | Los Altos HS '21 |
Impact on indigenous nations |
"Educate yourself. I would encourage everyone to read books by Indigenous authors and hear from Indigenous speakers as well… Share what’s happening in your immediate circles, whether it’s through social media or conversations with your friends. It’s important to combat the invisibility that Indigenous communities experience so that more people can understand what they are going through, take action, and speak out. "
— Thomas Li | Organizer, "We Stand with the Navajo Nation" Fundraiser | Gunn HS '21 |
relief Efforts |
"Right now, we’re in quarantine, so we all have a lot of time to take action and do whatever we can to help the world. Our generation will be living with the consequences of our actions now—in 20 years, I don’t want to be living in a world where global warming and police brutality are still major problems. It’s important for us to make a positive impact now, so we can live in a better world in the future."
— Jennifer Song | Co-Founder, Hearts4COVID | Crystal Springs Uplands '21 "[COVID-19] is opening up opportunities to raise awareness for ways we can help out our community… It is important for us, the young generation, to know what’s going on around the world and to reach out to each other for support."
— Noel Seo | Founder, Let's Rally Together | Campolindo HS '21 |
quarantine & Mental Health |
"We will get through [the coronavirus crisis] together, and you are not alone… There are people out there that are willing to support you and uplift you; even if it’s at a distance, there’s someone out there that wants to help you."
— Kate Williams | President, Gunn ROCK Club | Gunn HS '21 |
the class of 2020 reflects |
"High school is a really unique time where you can explore any of your passions, and as you get older, it gets harder and harder to do that. Put yourself out there and try new things!"
— Andy Yang | Gunn HS '20 "Throughout high school, I learned to do addition and subtraction—with life. Focus your energy on things that really matter. As my econ teacher, Mr. Lyons, has said, keeping all your doors open can sometimes shuts some of your other doors." — Claire Cheng | Gunn HS '20 "When I was a freshman, I got some advice from a senior that has really stuck with me: Think of your efficiency in a subject or activity as a fraction. The numerator is the amount of effort that you put in, and the denominator is the number of different things you are doing. It’s great to work on increasing the numerator and time management, but decreasing the denominator is equally important in order for you to really gain from the experience." — Mallika Parulekar | Gunn HS '20 "Meeting and engaging with people who are completely different from you really enriches and broadens your perspective. Don’t be afraid to get out there and meet people that are not necessarily like you." — Raj Shetty | Gunn HS '20 |