Conservation Impacts on the Global Scale

What did you learn from GIP and the Global Scholars Program this year? Being a Global Scholar was a very enriching experience. I would say that I most directly learned how to conduct myself in large groups of people more effectively through moderating the panel with Joe Wong and Clement Cid, as well as how to set up an interview. The unexpected transition to the online interview format also pushed me to learn how to edit video. Through the class, I was able to hear the perspectives of other Global Scholars and attend numerous presentations given by experts on development economics, sustainability, and human rights issues. What is the legacy you and your fellow cohort members will be leaving when you graduate? Something I'm happy about is that the video recording of my interview with Dr. Cid will be accessible online. This means it will have continued impact long after the event's actual occurrence and hopefully reach more people outside the Poly community than if I w

As of April 13th, I've finished my Capstone Project. The final form that the project was in was an online panel, but it went through a lot of changes in the process. I'll detail my process here. I started thinking about my Capstone Project in the second half of my junior year. At that point, I had no connections to organizations or concrete ideas about what the project would look like, and I was worried. I decided to focus on something related to my scientific interests, but the labs that I had worked with in the past were related to evolutionary and developmental biology and thus not well suited for a discussion of global health issues, a topic that I was interested in. I thought since Polytechnic is so close to Caltech, I might as well look into labs that tackle issues in global health and sustainability. After asking around, I was able to hone in on the Resnick Sustainability Institute, which supports labs doing research towards environmental sustainability. Talkin

During spring break, I was able to read Jean Hatzfeld's Machete Season, translated from the original French. I was waiting to read this book for a long time beforehand because I was interested in hearing perspectives on the Rwandan genocide, one of the bloodiest events in recent years. The Rwandan genocide and Machete Season struck me for how disturbing it was. Examining the other book I had recently read, The Rape of Nanking, which discussed another genocide, led me to see how the Rwandan genocide and Machete Season are distinct. Machete Season is a book written from the perspective of those that were involved in the killings, which is quite unusual for this kind of book. (I believe this to be so due to the incentives that killers who are now imprisoned see for their stories to be published and how recent the tragedy was.) The Rape of Nanking mostly highlights survivor accounts of the tragedy, while Machete Season explores the experiences of killers, their motives, and their goa

In light of the recent shutdown of Polytechnic School as a result of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I have started "Zhou Enlai, the Last Perfect Revolutionary." The content of the book is quite interesting, as it talks about Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Premier famous for his de-escalation of China/US tensions during the "Ping Pong Diplomacy" of the 70s and part in the orchestration of Richard Nixon's historic visit to China. While I will have much more to talk about down the line, I'm particularly struck by how Zhou Enlai deliberately stayed out of the spotlight and supported Mao Zedong years in advance on topics he would address. He shrewdly stayed clear of purges that happened to the upper echelons of China's communist party and ultimately went down as a figure with mixed impact. On one hand, he was able to consistently support Mao and tone down his policies so that they would not have as much harmful impact to China, but without him, Mao'

I really enjoyed hearing the AFS students' perspectives on America and willingness to share their stories. We had three panelists come from Bulgaria, Germany, and Chile, who discussed varied aspects of their lives in America and their home countries. Jacqueline and Aaron, both members of the Global Scholars cohort, asked questions concerning food, customs, culture, and education. I was surprised at how much the schooling system varied and by the experiences with host families that each panelist faced. Carlos, the student from Chile, described how he had to move host families 6 or 7 times, and move schools multiple times in a year, which must have been extremely difficult in a new country. Maya, the Bulgarian student, also had to make some adjustments in her living, as she was an only child thrust into a large host family. Not only did they have to adjust to the living areas, they would also have to shift how they handle education and culture, as evidenced by questions concerning cu

I was able to finish Welcome to the NHK, a show adapted from Tatsuhiko Takimoto's original manga. This is a famously depressing show, one that touches on the hikikomori phenomenon in Japan. Hikikomori are people who isolate themselves from social contact and generally seek confinement within their homes or apartments for extended periods of time, ranging from months to years. The protagonist of the show, Tatsuhiro Sato, is a hikikomori whose depiction is from the start negative. He's first presented in his room, which is strewn with clothes, empty bottles, alcohol, and magazines. We find out that his condition is a result of his crippling fear of being perceived as lesser by others and that he goes to comical lengths to show others that he is either not a hikikomori or that he does not need help. The story ultimately surrounds Sato and how that mentality shifts over time. Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the story is how it addresses being an otaku so unappealingly.