Calafia

Suburban Lullabies: My Confusion On the Edge of Middle Class

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yli is My Story

In Glendora, we do not grow up thinking deeply about economic inequality because the lullabies of financial comfort have put many of us to sleep. You assume your friends will be able to pay for their ticket when you go to the movies. You walk into homeroom and assume no one slept in their family’s car the night before.

Freaking Algorithms!

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yli is My Story

“You need to learn how to code,” my father would tell me, after “Technology is the future. Make sure you’re a part of it.” “What about me?,” I would fume internally. What about my ability to create as a human, without the assistance of AI or technology?

With Food to Spare: Volunteering at an Affluent Town’s Food Bank

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yli is My Story

A driver pulls into the Three Rivers Art Center parking lot, holding out two fingers representing the number of families they are picking up for. A line of volunteers drop full-sized boxes of produce into the driver’s open side door. “You sure you don’t want another box? It all needs to be gone, or it’ll go bad.”

AI: The Threat to the Flame Within

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yli is My Story

But now with AI technology, my flame is being taken away from me again. AI programs have made things so much worse for artists as these programs can generate “art” pieces. AI is harming artists in the worst way possible. By stealing their art.

The Cost of Dreams in Silicon Valley

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Campaign Victories

Throughout my childhood, I often wondered why my mom made us eat recalentados for days, insisted on thrifting my birthday dress, or bought off-brand cereal. “Es lo mismo,” she’d say.

El rĂ­o de mi comunidad

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Campaign Victories

A algunas personas las cosas simples pueden traer felicidad, como el sonido de la lluvia, un dĂ­a soleado o un rĂ­o. Un rĂ­o puede ser un lugar hermoso para relajarse … Continued