Yusra was an English major and Education Studies minor at UCLA for the class of 2022. In addition to being a copy editor for UCLA's Pacific Ties Newsmagazine, Yusra was the Executive Editor of Creative Nonfiction for UCLA's Journal of the Arts: Westwind. When she is not working or studying, she enjoys binging shows with her friends and running her popular meme pages.
** Author’s Note on Community Terminology: there is an academic and cultural dispute over whether Filipino or Pilipino is best to describe the diaspora from the Philippines. In recognition of the indecision, F/Pilipino is used in this piece.** Arguably, the biggest plague of Asian America’s history is the image of being the model minority. This…
Questions rain heavily upon us. Who am I? What are my beliefs? What are my values? Which customs do I follow? What norms of social behavior do I adhere to? Which section of society do I belong to? To shield yourself from this rain, whose droplets feel like leather balls falling onto your head, you…
You have kept me in this cage for so long, That I have not been able to fly. When I ask to open it, You just plainly deny. When I want to know the reason behind my imprisonment, You do not reply. After repeated pleas, I finally realize That my race is what made you…