A Day at the Fire House!

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Station 1 of Beverly Hills Fire hosted LASA this month. LASA student Ilena summed up the day; “Well, I toured a fire station when I was in preschool, and I can only say that this experience was far more comprehensive and interesting! I was struck by the interdisciplinary and multifacetedness of the department. One usually thinks of firefighting as, well, …

As We End 2022…

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LASA gathered at the Port of Los Angeles to think about the history, present, and future of the port, supply chains, labor, and the environment. We split our time between two spaces: a working terminal and a public-private ocean institute committed to innovation in science, business, and education.  First, we traveled over the Vincent Thomas Bridge onto Terminal Island. Thanks …

LASA Takes a Look at Civic Memory

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Thinking through civic memory and the geographies around La Plaza, we met at Union Station and Bill led us on a tour of that space – at least through the spaces we could find that were open. We thought through some of the early history of Chinatown and the construction of the station in the 1930s. From there, we walked …

LASA Dives Into Public Health

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Addison, Beyonce, Trevor, Zoe, and Violet share their reflections on LASA’s Public Health meeting in September: Today at LASA, after reflecting about our summers outside the downtown branch of the LA Public Library, we listened to a presentation about the extensive resources the library has to offer [from Young Adult Librarian Amanda Charles]. Then, trying our best not to get …

Welcoming the Class of 2023!

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Welcome to reflections about LASA from the Class of 2023! This year, LASA students will write themonthly updates. We hope you enjoy learning more about our time together. Let’s start with August…Thursday, August 4 by Brendan, Emily, Maeve, and Nyla: “On the first day, we mapped Los Angeles by memory, explored the Huntington Library, and heard from two water experts. Mapping …

And That’s a Wrap!

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LASA gathered in May at The Huntington to celebrate our graduates and think about the transition to senior year. Deans Sharon Cuseo and Sara Miranda from Harvard Westlake joined us to share helpful tips for considering next steps. From research strategies to learn more about colleges to tips about letters and timing, we’re grateful for their wisdom and practical help. …

LASA Takes a Deep Look Into Justice

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LASA gathered out front of LAPD headquarters downtown to consider policing and justice in Los Angeles. Executive Director of the LAPD Board of Police Commissioners Richard Tefank welcomed us into the Commission’s boardroom for a discussion of the history and role of the Board of Police Commissioners as well as his own journey to this work. His words provided a …

Civic Memory

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How does the past resonate in the present? LASA spent March considering civic memory in the city in the spaces around Union Station and La Plaza. We gathered at Union Station and Bill led us on a tour of that space. He shared some of the history of Chinatown and the construction of the station in the 1930s. Sam noted, …

The Orange Grove at the Huntington

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Excited to be gathering in person for the first time in 2022, LASA met at The Huntington to learn more about food insecurity from LASA Graduate Patrick Hudnut. Patrick currently works at the Hollywood Food Coalition.  LASA asked Patrick questions ranging from his experiences in LASA, the underlying causes of food insecurity to current attempts to address access to quality food. Patrick shared news …

Public Health

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In the midst of returning to school during omicron, LASA began 2022 focusing on public health and gathering via Zoom. We welcomed Kristen Choi, PhD, MS, RN from UCLA, a child/adolescent psychiatric nurse and health services researcher. Combining patient care with training of student nurses and public health related research, Kristen generously shared her thoughts about a range of public health …