Aug. 28, 2019
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News A5
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF CAITLIN CHUNG
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF HALEY LEVIN
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF SCARLETT STRASBERG
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF OTIS GORDON
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF AMELIA KOBLENTZ
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ABE KAYE
HWGO! OFF: (Clockwise, from top left): Haley Levin ’20 travels to the American Frontier and feeds fish in a nearby pond. Scarlett Strasberg ’20 researches the history of Chinese filmmaking. Caitlin Chung ’20 speaks to a victim of the “Comfort Woman Crisis” in South Korea. Abe Kaye ’20 talks to a survivor of the Holocaust during his trip to the Netherlands. A man that Amelia Koblentz ’20 observed as part of her HWGO! fellowship sits near his herd of sheep. Otis Gordon ’20 meets a monk who practices Japanese meditation.
Adventure Time! phy and connecting it to her CaliAbe Kaye ’20: fornian and Texan roots, she said. Abe Kaye ’20 visited the Nether“Personally, the project hit lands for his HWGO! Junior Sumhome because I grew up with one mer Fellowship to learn more about foot in California and one in Texas, the Holocaust. because my mom’s side of the famiOver three weeks, Kaye spoke ly is from Texas,” Levin said. with Dutch individuals and their Her inspiration for the project relatives, who hid Jewish families was to blend photography with her during World War II, while workfamily values, Levin said. ing on his project, “Capturing the “[My project] stemmed from a Dutch Heroes of the Holocaust.” book I got for Christmas about road Kaye explained that he has trip photography,” Levin said. “I always been fascinated with the grew fascinated with this subject, Netherlands and learning about the which [takes] photo history and history of the Holocaust. [compares] it to U.S. history.” “I lived in the Netherlands for Levin said she is fascinated three years when I was little, so it with the relationship between the has always been a special place,” frontier and photography. Kaye said. “I also, of “In history class, we course, know about were learning about FredAnne Frank like many erick Jackson Turner’s others, but I wanted frontier thesis that he to know more stories published in 1893,” Levin like this and find out said. “It says that the more about this country frontiersman is the Amerduring a vital time periican man because [he is od in history.” all about] individualism, Kaye also discussed white’s self-sufficiency and courhow these stories served Haley age. Sixty years before, it as a learning experience Levin ’20 was the same time that for him. photography was being “I realized that much invented, and together, they grew of the conversation about World in tandem.” War II and the Holocaust is focused —Sandra Koretz on the death [and] the lack of life,” Kaye said. “While this is very imCaitlin Chung ’20: portant, and the time period was Photography Editor Caitlin tragic for the Jews, we sometimes Chung ’20 traveled to South Korea forget to honor the people themto shed light on the stories of Koreselves who were killed. They were an victims of the “Comfort Women not just numbers; each one had Crisis” in the Western World. their own story.” The controversy refers to the —Caroline Jacoby events that took place during World War II, in which the Japanese miliHaley Levin ’20: tary forced thousands of women to With funds received from an become ‘sex slaves’ for their troops. HWGO! Junior Summer Fellow“To see human rights taken as ship, Haley Levin ’20 traveled a means to a certain end first hand, across the western United States to that was hard for me to digest,” take pictures of the American fronChung said. “But [the survivors I tier. The theme of her project, titled met with], Ms. Kang and Ms. Lee, “Artifacts of the American Road,” showed me how to turn that devaswas photographing relics found in tation into power and hope.” in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Chung said the most memoLevin’s fellowship consisted of rable part of her project was parstudying the art of travel photogra-
Seven juniors received HWGO! Summer Fellowships to travel to Asia as well as North and South America to study arts, history and other topics not typically covered in the school curriculum. The presentation date is not yet determined.
ticipating in weekly Wednesday protests to raise awareness for the topic, where she met Japanese students researching the issue. “They asked me whether the movement was anti-Japanese, and the answer is no,” Chung said. “It’s a movement for peace, human rights and women’s rights.” —Elise Chen Otis Gordon ’20: Otis Gordon ’20, a recipient of the Asia Initiative Fellowship, traveled to Japan for three weeks to study of the art and culture of Japanese Bonsai. During his trip, Gordon visited Osaka, Takamatsu and Tokyo, where he visited a temple and meditated with a monk. “He taught me this type of meditation called Zazen meditation, where you keep your eyes open the entire time and allow thoughts to wander your mind,” Gordon said. “He gave me insight into how Japanese people perceive nature and their surroundings.” In Takamatsu, Gordon said he worked at a nursery, where he pruned a tree, a task that can take up to 15 hours to complete. “When I was finally [finished], I was like ‘Thank God’, but also felt a huge sense of accomplishment,” Gordon said. —Mia Feizbakhsh Scarlett Strasberg ’20: Scarlett Strasberg ’20 traveled to Shanghai, China to research the development of China’s film industry after receiving the HWGo! Asia Initiative Fellowship. Strasberg attended a filmmaking camp run by the Shanghai University Film Academy, where she interviewed members of the entertainment industry. She also took a short trip to Hangzhou and watched several plays. “Despite the language barrier, the power of the performance shined through, and I was captivated by the universal language of hu-
man emotion,” Strasberg said. would be interesting to learn more After living in a hostel with peoabout the present state of affairs.” ple from different parts of the world, After visiting Spain, Daum creStrasberg said she learned the ated a documentary about his remeaning of being a global citizen. search and experience. She said she also gained con“It is a unique opportunity to fidence in her language skills and actually see places you learn about her ability to live independently. in class and take a closer look at “I made many new friends and subject matter that genuinely interlearned so much from the people ests you,” Daum said. who were around me,” Strasberg —Lauren Cho said. “That part of the experience could never be replicated.” Amelia Koblentz ’20: The program allowed her to To combine her interests in relearn about the development of ligious anthropology and archaeChinese entertainment from tradiology, Latin American and Iberian tional to modern film, she said. Studies fellowship recipient Amelia “China is faced with the quesKoblentz ’20 traveled to Lake Titition of holding on to its roots while caca, which is located on the borentering into the world after a long der between Peru and Bolivia, to period of isolaexplore the relition,” Strasberg gious beliefs of said. “This is seen the indigenous “It is a unique in its arts as the people living opportunity to actually great traditions there. see places you learn of Chinese opKoblentz era become less visited Cusco, about in class and take mainstream.” Puno, Copacaa closer look at a subject —Marissa bana and La Lee and Sophia Paz to learn matter that genuinely Musante more about the interests you.” Aymara, IntiAlex Daum ’20: raymi and oth—Alex Daum ’20 Latin Amerer indigenous ican and Iberian tribes through Studies Fellowship recipient Alex festivals and religious ceremonies Daum ’20 researched the history that occurred during her trip. and present-day societal status of “Along the way I saw amazing the Jewish community in Spain by sites and discovered how gracious traveling to six different cities: Maand friendly the local people are, drid, Toledo, Granada, Córdoba, especially in Peru,” Koblentz said. Girona and Barcelona. Although the indigenous culDaum said he initially contacttures in the region have existed for ed those in the Spanish-Jewish thousands of years, many are trycommunity with connections to his ing to rediscover the identities they Synagogue in Los Angeles. He then lost during the Spanish occupation, interviewed various rabbis and Koblentz said. She also noted that leaders located in Spain about Jewshe decided to explore the region ish history in the country. because of its largely underappre“I mostly researched correlaciated archeology. tions between the situation of the “On the winter solstice, the Jewish people in the past and in Aymara celebrate the ending of the the present,” Daum said. “Spain year by witnessing the sun rise,” has had a history of tolerance and Koblentz said. It was truly a magintolerance toward the Jewish ical experience.” people, and as a Jew, I thought it -Austin Lee
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