Dear Reader,

A wise animated rat by the name of Remy once said, “[Humans] don’t just survive; they discover; they create.” Well, this column is my attempt to create something (emphasis on “attempt”) that will allow you to hopefully discover something new while incorporating my personal, light-hearted touch, hence my opening quote from Disney Pixar’s “Ratatouille.”

Without further ado, let’s kick off this conversation!

Entering our sixth month into quarantine, I, like many of you, have spent more time looking at infographics on social media and keeping up with the news. As this information flooded our feeds, they came in phases. The first two months mainly focused on the health impacts and increasing global death toll of COVID-19, the next two on BLM protests, and now the 2020 election and California wildfires.

Not to say that these issues don’t deserve all of the media’s attention right now (they definitely do), but as a result, plenty of other relevant stories fade out and people start to forget. A sense of urgency is lost.

My goal with this column is to bring back that sense of urgency; to continue the conversation. I’ll discuss certain issues that have been recently obscured in the media such as discussions about mental health, but also bring light to topics that you probably haven’t considered including what it’s like to be biracial. After all, one way to continue a conversation is by starting it (don’t think too much into my reasoning here, thanks).

In other words, this column is a place for me to write about current topics that I’m passionate about while being able to educate you about them. I want to leave you thinking, “Hm, that’s cool. I’ve never thought about that before.”

Candidly speaking, this column will be pretty miscellaneous. Some stories will be about my personal experiences, others more fact-based like your standard opinions piece. But it’s ok, because they all connect by being part of the conversation.

With that said, this column will also be me struggling to string these miscellaneous topics together. Hopefully, you find it to be entertaining.

Until next time, your friend,
Caroline Lobel