Poems for Los Angeles

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In October, LASA considered storytelling in Los Angeles from temporary historical exhibitions to museums to their own poetic takes on LA. We started at Union Station to visit ICW’s “Where You Stand: Chinatown 1880 to 1939.” Catching it days before it came down, the students learned about Old Chinatown, family stories, and using augmented reality to connect the past and …

Let’s Talk About Homelessness

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LASA gathered in September at The Huntington to learn more about homelessness in LA. The complexity of this issue and the desire of all of us to remain focused on the humanity of all Angelenos made for a weighty day. We began, though, by welcoming those who were unable to join us in the summer. LASA students explored The Huntington …

It’s the Start of the New LASA Year!

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Welcome to the Class of 2025! To begin our time together, LASA tackled thinking about water – history, infrastructure, the range of careers associated with, treatment, testing, desalinization, and more! On Thursday, we gathered at The Huntington to meet each other and for Bill to “introduce” us to Henry and Arabella Huntington. We drew maps of Los Angeles County and …

Let’s Talk About Food

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LASA gathered in March to consider food insecurity in LA and the practices spaces like the Hollywood Food Coalition use to connect food with guests. And, despite a bit of rain, LASA picked 700 pounds of oranges from The Huntington grove for the Coalition. Patrick Hudnut – LASA alum and member of the Hollywood Food Coalition’s administrative team – answered …

LASA en La Plaza

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LASA met at LA Plaza in February. From the general collection of LA Plaza to their current sports-related exhibition, “18 th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” – to city planning for the 2028 Olympics, we considered sports and culture in LA’s past, present, and future. LA Plaza curator Esperanza Sanchez welcomed LASA to LA Plaza and shared the history of the museum …

The Fire House

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Amidst the January rain, LASA gathered at Beverly Hills Fire Station 1 to learn about working in a fire station, their nurse practitioner program, and the data-drive research of Professor Monalisa Chatterjee and Graduate Student Aurora Massari. From responding to health calls to contemplating the role of climate in wildfires, the students rotated through stations within the house to hear …

LASA Visits Metro LA

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In October, LASA gathered at Union Station to consider Technology and the Future of LA. From visiting ICW’s “Where You Stand: Chinatown 1880 to 1939” that uses augmented reality to hearing about Metro’s future transportation plans to learning more about using AI to understand police bodycam footage, LASA posed terrific questions that reflected student concerns and hopes for the future …