Mental health is a topic that can be controversial, taboo and contentious within APIDA (Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American) families, especially as the next generation faces college in a world entrenched in the impacts of COVID-19 and unfamiliar to parents. A 2013 article in the Pacific Ties newsmagazine talks about how the transition to college…
Every morning when I wake up, my routine is the same: get out of bed, brush teeth, eat breakfast, open laptop, open CCLE, open Zoom, and sit in front of my computer screen until it’s time to go to sleep and start everything over again. Most days, I feel like a cartoon character with a…
I sometimes come across scenes in movies or TV shows that make fun of Asian students’ obsession of getting As. The characters (usually white) would ecstatically celebrate getting a B, while their Asian peers look gloomy, if not depressed. Although years passed since I watched this sitcom, I still remembered the scene in which the…
1. Back when I was in elementary school, Mother used to pin up my hair with chopsticks—soft pink with cherry blossoms creeping along its narrow circumference. The silky threadlike strands of hair that hung from the top of my head never stayed up for longer than a few hours, or half a day at school.…
It seems that people are gradually adapting to life under the pandemic, and I’ve seen fewer people panicking on social media over toilet paper shortage and more sharing their daily activities such as taking online classes or cooking. With society’s attention diverted toward the election and the approaching holiday season, it is easy to neglect…
Kim, the main character, is a first year pre-med college student who unknowingly struggles with depression. Her own realization does not occur until she meets Will, a character who exudes a cheerful personality yet also faces his own internal struggles.