Ela G's Blog

  There’s a tall palm tree right outside my apartment building that I’ve come to really love. It stands almost at the same height as my balcony on the seventh floor, so every morning when I open my curtains, it's the first thing I see. The tree is a Mexican fan palm, known scientifically as Washingtonia robusta . It’s tall, slim, and strong despite looking so thin. It’s not native to Los Angeles originally, but seeing palm trees everywhere has become such a big part of the city’s identity that it almost feels like it belongs here more than anywhere else. What I love most about this palm tree is how calming it is. The way its long fronds move with the wind makes a soft sound that I can hear even from my room when my window is open. It feels very peaceful in the morning and at night. I also love it as a view from my living room and my room. Palm trees don’t really have a scent or anything, but I still associate them with a sense of freshness, like the start of a warm, bright day. My ...

Typical Day in My Life A typical day in my life right now starts with me dragging myself out of bed around 8:30 AM. I’m definitely not a morning person, so there’s always that internal debate of “Do I really need to get up yet?” Eventually, guilt wins, and I reach for my phone. The first step of my morning is making coffee because I honestly can’t function without it. If I have a few extra minutes, I try to put together a balanced breakfast so I don’t end up starving mid-class. Since all my classes are in Marshall this semester, I usually spend most of my day there. Sometimes I grab coffee on the patio with my friends before class, and other days I’m rushing straight in. I usually have 2–3 classes a day, except Tuesdays when I only have one. I really like studying in the Marshall library because I’m usually with my friends, and the environment is so much nicer than Leavey. I try to finish most of my homework during the day so I don’t end up dealing with it stressed and half-asleep at h...

The Lost Mariner Reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Lost Mariner altered the way I understood Columbus’s voyages. I grew up hearing a very simplified version of his story, like most people: the “explorer who discovered the New World.” I grew up hearing the “heroic explorer” version, but this article shows a totally different person. It made me realize how much of the history we learn in school is a better version of the story that leaves out the strange and uncomfortable parts. What surprised me most was how much of Columbus’s life story was reinvented later. The idea that he proved the world was round was actually made up by Washington Irving. I also didn’t know how many groups, Irish and Italian immigrants, used Columbus as a symbol for themselves. Kolbert makes it clear that so much of what we “celebrate” about Columbus didn’t really exist, and the real version of him was actually pretty dishonest and often cruel. The article also goes into the impact Columbus had on the Taino, the In...

  Banned, Bold, Beautiful: Stories from The House on Mango Street The novel The House on Mango Street, published in 1984 by Sandra Cisneros, follows Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in a Hispanic neighborhood of Chicago. I recall the first time I read it in 10th grade, and I was impressed by how it explored themes of identity, belonging, class, and gender. Because it addresses such themes, including sexual awakening, domestic abuse, race, and poverty, the book has been challenged and banned in some school districts. I think it is heartbreaking how powerful stories of underrepresented voices can be silenced or not taken seriously.  Sandra Cisneros and her Writing Sandra Cisneros herself has been an important voice in Chicana literature. Her work stems from her own experiences as a Mexican-American woman navigating multiple identities. From the beginning of the novel, Esperanza realizes that men and women live in “separate worlds,” and that women are nearly powe...

The World We Imagine Part 1       When I think about Jacqueline Novogratz’s quote, the part that stays with me is the idea that we each have a responsibility, not in some huge, abstract way, but in the everyday choices we make about how we want to show up in the world. If I imagine what my “first step” might be, the truth is that it would be building something of my own. I’ve always felt drawn to entrepreneurship, not because of the idea of starting a company for its own sake, but because creating something from scratch feels like the best and most direct way to shape the kind of world I want to live in.      For me, that world would include better and more accessible healthcare solutions. So things that don’t feel out of reach for families and things that don’t depend on what neighborhood you live in or how much money you make. I keep thinking about what it would be like to take an idea and actually bring it to people, whether that’s a medical device,...

Since I came to LA, hiking has been one of my favorite activities. Whenever school or life gets overwhelming, going outside and just walking up a trail somehow fixes everything. I love that in LA you can be stressed in your apartment one minute and then suddenly be standing on a hill with a crazy view of the whole city. I also really like how many options there are.  I know everyone talks about the Hollywood Sign hike, but it’s honestly a little overrated. It’s crowded, it’s loud, and half the time you’re basically waiting behind people taking photos. I think that it’s one of those hikes you do once just to say you did it, and then you never really feel the need to go back. The Malibu hikes are a completely different story. Solstice Canyon, Escondido Falls, and Point Dume trails feel peaceful and way more worth the effort. It is a long drive to Malibu, but honestly, it's a perfect way to start your Sunday morning and then have a brunch afterwards. You get ocean breeze, real shade, ...