Opinion Writing
The most important job an opinion writer has is shining a light on issues that haven't seen much of it, and explaining how to fix issues that afflict the most disadvantaged in society. I've tried my best to ensure the work I do both amplifies the voices of those who are downtrodden in society, and also works to better our audience's understandings of the policy issues of our day.
With Trump's surprising strength among Hispanic voters, many people, left and right, were hunting for an explanation. The purpose of this piece was to empirically explain this strength, using polling data, reports and historical precedent.
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What made most proud of this piece wasn't just the research, but how I connected Trump's strength among Hispanic voters with Woodrow Wilson's success among Black Americans over a century ago. I like using my knowledge of political history to explain current trends, and understanding candidates' unique strengths with some demographics. Read more here.
This is my second article on race and education, this one centering on the new "anti-racist policy" that CCSD has implemented. The focus here was on ensuring the policy didn't prioritize anti-racist trainings which have been proven not to work. I also talked about the wide gulf between Black Americans' political opinions and that of many institutional progressives. Read more here.
I tried doing more experimenting with my photo illustrations here, using a specific color palette and two main subjects. The piece covers how the GOP is helping the Democrats on vaccines and abortion, as their shift right repels more independents. The piece covers wide polling data on reproductive rights and vaccine mandates. Read more here.
This article has my latest and best example of my photo illustration skills. The changing of colors, the manipulation of the background and the use of icons all played into it. the article is about why Democrats shouldn't shy away from attacking the soft-on-crime left, and I used Kamala Harris' record as DA to explain why. Read more here.
In a time of increasing censoriousness, this story's purpose was to denounce the new rise of cancel culture. The story was caused by the University of Tennessee rescinding the acceptance of a teenage girl for a private video where she used a racial epithet. The piece looks at most polling data and historical evidence to strengthen the case for prioritizing forgiveness over vindictiveness. Read more here.
I put an enormous amount of effort in the photo illustration for this article. The sharp contrast between the red and the blue is something I learned from other photo illustrators. The content of the article centers around a new study that found that ideological conservatism was a predictor for antisemitism. The piece provides a comprehensive analysis on years of political science and psychological research that finds that those who oppose diversity tend to be more bigoted. If any of this interests you, read more here.
This was my first of two columns on the race and education wars, largely focused on "critical race theory." The basic idea of the article was that neither side is being entirely honest. The left broadly underplayed how significant curriculum overhauls were following the racial justice protests in 2020. The right, while recognizing the problem, largely offered solutions that were counterproductive at best and Orwellian at worst. Read more here.
During the discussions in the beginning of 2022 about whether to reopen schools, I wanted to write an article about the tension between the Biden Administration, which opposed shutting schools down, and typical Democratic allies who were pushing for school shutdowns. The result was an article that argued progressives and teachers' unions were sabotaging themselves by pushing to re-impose unpopular shutdowns, and that the efficacy of the vaccine made such shutdowns irrational.
This editorial covered the Supreme Court's likely incoming decision to strike down affirmative action in colleges and universities nationwide. Striking a balance between support for the policy and opposition, the purpose of the article was to aim for a path forward if the Court does indeed strike affirmative action down. Read more here.
One of my most personal articles, this piece discussed why high school debate meant so much to me throughout the past four years. It also touched on how enjoyable the hyper-competitive nature of debate was, recounting some of my memories in the activity. I noted in it how I felt debate was a uniquely healthy form of escapism, in comparison to hobbies like intense gaming, which for many of its participants, can serve as a substitute for the real world instead of a supplement.
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With policy reporting often taking a backseat to culture war issues from many news sites, I feel it's important to do deep dives into different economic policies and the empirical analyses behind them. For example, the purpose of my piece here was to do a breakdown on then-candidate Biden's plans regarding poverty.
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The piece talked about a study analyzing the significant reduction in poverty that the plans would cause, along with notable reductions in racial disparities. Read more here
After Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris as running mate, I combined my loving of numbers with my personal history to explain the relevance of her story. ​
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Senator Harris represents a tide of immigrants that have come into the US in the past half century. Much like John Kennedy in 1960, Harris' elevation to one of the most powerful offices in the land is a cultural landmark for millions of Americans. There truly is something special in writing a piece that you know connects with so many of your classmates. Read more here
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