LASA 2021-2022 gathered via Zoom for our summer sessions over three days to meet each other and jump right into exploring LA together via mapping, considering water, and learning more about global plastics.  Spending time in break-out rooms, LASA students introduced themselves and took in the vast geography of our county by mapping routes connecting everyone in each group. Sam …

Congratulations, LASA Class of 2021! We are so grateful for your participation this past year and are excited to be in touch with you as you apply what you have learned in LASA to your next steps. In May, we welcomed Teneice Stegall and Celso Cardenas from Harvard Westlake to share tips and strategies for brainstorming next steps and moving …

LASA students Zoomed with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to ask him their questions about the role of local media in an informed electorate and community; infrastructure; justice; housing and homelessness; and environmental considerations for today and LA’s tomorrows.  Then, they spoke with Los Angeles Chief Design Officer Christopher Hawthorne about his work with civic memory as well as design and the future …

In March, LASA gathered to learn more about public health – with a focus on mental health. We welcomed Kristen Choi, PhD, MS, RN from UCLA, a child/adolescent psychiatric nurse and health services researcher. She combines patient care with training of student nurses and public health related research. After sharing her journey to her present job, she generously answered so many …

LASA gathered in February to think about food insecurity – its history in LA and the most recent surges in food needs during this past COVID-19 year. We recognize access to food is a critical concern for many Angelenos, LASA families included. First, Bill Deverell shared a brief history of food assistance programs in LA and then LASA Graduate Patrick Hudnut led a …

LASA kicked off 2021 with a Zoom meeting on water. Before we met, LASA students conducted research on the sources of their water as well as analyses of the taste. Reporting in, we heard the full range of answers from the Colorado River to a local provider and creative descriptions of the taste. We then welcomed Metropolitan Water District General …

What is civic memory? And how might LASA contribute to on-going conversations about civic memory in LA or create new ones? On November 14, we gathered via Zoom to think about these questions and to hear from LASA students. Bill started the day helping us better understand the concept and with a conversation about the city’s Civic Memory Working Group. …

LASA explored the San Pedro Port Complex via Zoom, a little expert help, and rapid research by the students. Given the breadth of issues at the core of the relationship between LA and the port(s), we launched a student research challenge. In Zoom breakout rooms, five groups tackled the history of Terminal Island, environmentalism, automation and labor, global trade in …

We gathered for September LASA with heavy and unsettled hearts after the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a small earthquake. Many of us have been engaged this past summer in conversations and activism towards racial justice and the role of policing in Los Angeles. For Saturday, we invited Eileen Decker, the President of the LA Police Commission, and …

LASA 2020-2021 kicked off the summer Zoom sessions with spirit, curiosity, and gratitude for the chance to explore LA together. Using break out rooms, we met each other and mapped routes amongst homes and schools. This largest class of LASA reaches across the county and the maps revealed their creativity and that IKEA Burbank is a point of common knowledge …