Twenty-year-old Eileen Huang is an English major at Yale University. Growing up in a Chinese immigrant family in a small town in New Jersey, racism in the United States was a topic she rarely discussed with her parents. But earlier this month, her open letter, Wally Ng, a member of the Guardian Angels, patrols with…
Identity Theft Offers Path to College for Well-Connected Chinese Students
Chunxiu Chen, the daughter of poor farmers, had set her heart on a college education that could lift her into the higher ranks of Chinese society. She studied hard and thought she had performed well on the all-important entrance examination but failed to earn a slot in a college or even the ability to see her…
Dreamers Happy But Wary About SCOTUS Ruling
Young undocumented immigrants, higher education groups and college officials praised the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects those young people from deportation. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed young immigrants — who have been in the U.S. since childhood but lack legal status — to work and study without the threat of deportation since…
BLM Turns Inward to Ask About LGBTQ Bias
New hashtags are circulating in the #Black Lives Matter movement to include Black lives that have been historically marginalized within the community: #Black LGBTQ Lives Matter.“I hope when y’all are out here screaming ‘Black Lives Matter’ that you are talking about ALL black lives, and by all black lives, I mean black women, black men,…
Chinese Exchange-Student Valedictorian Becomes Backyard Prom King
China sends more students to study in the U.S. than any other country – over 300,000 a year. Some young Chinese attend U.S. high schools to be more prepared for a U.S. college or university. VOA’s Bronwyn Benito has the story of one student’s journey living and learning in America. …
Toughest Workout During COVID? Staying Motivated
Hannah Gjerde starts her day at her hot-mat yoga class on the front lawn of her parent’s home, right before settling onto the couch for the rest of the day. “Being home makes it hard because my dad will be in the kitchen working, or it’s too crowded in my room to do it,” says Gjerde. Because of…
During COVID, High School Students Find Other Ways to Celebrate End of Senior Year
They are an unorthodox generation. The class of 2020 was born while the United States was still reeling from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Their world has been filled with unpredictability since day one.Members of the class of 2020 finish their senior year of high school after being confined to their…
Kamala Harris Says Democrats Need to Listen to Young Voters
Sen. Kamala Harris of California says that Democrats need to listen to young voters seeking change and that she won’t “be played” by Republicans when it comes to police reform legislation.She’s a top contender to be presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s running mate. But she won’t directly address whether she thinks Biden should choose a…
Students Against Gun Violence Rallying for Racial Justice
Among the thousands of activists who have marched in the nation’s capital recently to protest racial injustice are survivors of a Florida high school massacre who stood in the very same place two years ago to fight gun violence. It was 2018 and the world was transfixed as the survivors of the Valentine’s Day mass shooting…