The kNOw Youth Media: Shift

Editor’s Note

2022 marks two years of living in what we never imagined to be our new normal. Two years of lingering uncertainty for what's to come next with COVID cases hitting the highest highs and lowest lows. 730 days spent attempting to convince our communities the efficacy and importance of vaccines to ease hospitalization rates. It took us two years to finally come to where we are today – some sort of purgatory stuck between what used to be normal and our newest form of normal. If the last two years taught us anything, it was the art of adaptability.

As of late, there has been a shift in our day to day. California eased mask mandates for most public places. A fourth COVID booster was approved to further keep us safe from recent coronavirus strains. In this time, we are learning how to rebuild from the ashes of what was the last two years. Beyond the masks and vaccines, COVID exacerbated pre-existing social issues and introduced new ones. Remote office work attracted employees from the Bay and SoCal to relocate to Fresno, which shrunk housing availability in our quaint town in a time where rent is skyrocketing. Minimum wages are increasing in our state, but minimum wage still does not ensure a livable wage with the aforementioned rent prices. Youth and adults alike are still reeling from mental health crises that social isolation and new social reemergence has caused.

The scattered building blocks from the last two years are starting to look like structures again. As we find our footing through the chaos, we shift away from what we've been doing these last two years and start looking forward to a new future. There were even shifts at The kNOw as stepped in as the newest Program Coordinator and Johnsen Del Rosario became our Program Manager. I'm excited to carry on traditions within this program and publication while giving my own flare to editorial meetings. By the way. Can you tell our theme for this year's publication is shift?

*Janis Ian voice* Say "shift" again. Shift.

- Daniel Gonzalez

Index

04. Environmental Racism & Its Impact On Our Society

05. After 5 Years, I Went Back To Where I Was Born

06. Conservatorships: Who Gets One & Who Doesn’t

07. Peace For Distant Countries

08. New District Lines, New Problems

09. Minimum Wage Is Not A Livable Wage

10. How Stress And Exhaustion Tie Into Mental Health

11. Vaccinate, It’s Not Too Late

12. No Teachers, No Subs: Addressing The Teacher Shortage In California

13. We’ve All Experienced It — The Trauma

14. The Effects of the Pandemic On Children

15. A Youth Perspective On Fresno’s Rising Rent Costs

16. The Ugly Truth: Zero Social Skills Afer COVID-19

18. Nationwide Truck Driver COVID-19 Vaccine Protest

19. Education Gap: The Effects of Online Learning

PROGRAM MANAGER Johnsen Del Rosario (he/him/his)

jdelrosario@yli.org

PROGRAM COORDINATOR Daniel Gonzalez (they/them/theirs)

dgonzalez@yli.org

A special thank you to our Fresno State Service Learning Volunteers from Dr. Jenny Krichevsky's English Class: Jackie Casillas, Ashley Dean, Sarahi Garcia, Aimee Locke, Esmeralda Luna, Nakee Mayes, Karen Olivares, Ashley Parker, Alexis Rios, Teresa Rosas, Ivan Villanueva | Cover Art: Nancy Aguilar-Aquino | Translations: Julia Prieto, Ivan Villanueva | Layout & Design: Kody Stoebig

Nancy Aguilar-Aquino Jazmin Alvarado Kimiya Attar Lorena Bernal Sela Bloodgood Gloria Flores

Michelle Gonzalez Jordan Jackson Kiera Kaiser Ashens Limon Ivan Manriquez Pamela Martinez

Anirudh Srikrishna Maria Torres Rocky Walker Michael Yamamura Alexis Zuniga Rami Zwebti

Environmental Racism & Its Impact On Our Society After 5 Years, I Went Back To Where I Was Born

Environmental racism refers to how minority-based neighborhoods, which are populated primarily by people of color and members of low-socioeconomic backgrounds, are burdened with disproportionate numbers of hazards, which include effects of toxic waste facilities, garbage dumps, and other sources of environmental pollutants that lower the quality of life. Subsequently, as the fight with climate change worsens, minority communities will be disproportionately affected on a political, economic, social, and health level.

Many of these discrepancies are entirely due to power dynamics entrenched on an institutional level that is set up to harm minorities and low-income folk. Millionaires make up only 3% of the public, yet they control all three branches of the federal government. While more than 50% of U.S. citizens hold working-class jobs, less than 2% of Congress has held a blue-collar job before their Congressional career. In addition, no member from the working class has gone on to become a United States President or Supreme Court Justice.

Most were millionaires before getting elected or appointed to the position. With a government inept to the working class' woes, high housing costs, and historical discrimination, low-income and minority neighborhoods are clustered around industrial sites, truck routes, ports and other air pollution hotspots. Many are left to live near highways where trucks spew diesel, and other hazards may occur.

Environmental racism is then exacerbated by a litany of sources like redlining, racial steering, and zoning laws. While the best known examples of redlining have involved denial of financial services such as banking or insurance, other services such as healthcare or even department store shopping have been denied to residents based upon their race. Racial steering refers to the practice in which real estate brokers guide prospective home buyers away from certain neighborhoods based on their race.

Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zoning regulations for areas with higher value on homes are not as strict as ones for homes in lower income neighborhoods.

For instance, fracking, enabled to occur near lowincome neighborhoods, is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks and boreholes, so as to force open existing fissures

and extract oil or gas. If the oil or gas wells are not built well enough, they can leak and contaminate groundwater. Seeing as fracking uses huge amounts of water, it can be transported to the site at significant environmental cost. There are potentially carcinogenic chemicals that may escape during drilling and contaminate groundwater around the fracking site.

a legislative standpoint, part of the problem is that proposed climate policies often don t account for deeply rooted social inequities.

The last time went to my birthplace, Asunción Ocotlán, Oaxaca, it was for my niece's quinceañera, and was 13 years old.

ILLUSTRATION BY LORENA BERNAL

Several political and economic systems are set up to keep minorities in their low income neighborhoods, thus suffering from pollutants. The lack of affordable housing has led to high rent burdens (rents which absorb a high proportion of income), overcrowding, and substandard housing. These phenomena, in turn, have not only forced many people to become unhoused, but have put a large and growing number of people at risk of becoming unhoused.

Subsequently, there are health complications suffered from not only this displacement but the inability to leave such neighborhoods. Children from low-income and minority families are more likely to be at risk of exposure because they spend more time playing on contaminated soil than children from higher-income families; spend more time in houses that have lead paint or high dust levels; may be exposed to higher levels of contaminants in utero and in breast milk because their mothers are also disproportionately exposed; and have inadequate diets that may increase the absorption of toxic chemicals from their digestive system. From

Many people are going to be locked out of participating in a green economy if their homes are going to be destabilized. Confronting climate change requires a massive social shift. Several health effects are spewed from environmental racism. PM 2.5 is a known carcinogen connected to premature death in people with heart or lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, and increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing.

Racial disparities in this exposure hold not only at a national level, but also within most states and counties. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which can exist in both toxic waste and air pollution, have been linked to higher rates of diabetes for Black Americans. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), an air pollutant and greenhouse gas, affects Black Americans by a margin of 37% more than white Americans.

There are federal and local policies and policy proposals that address environmental racism and seek to reduce the harm. The Green New Deal, a congressional bill introduced by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Ed Markey, starts with a WWII-type mobilization to address the grave threat posed by climate change, transitioning our country to 100% clean energy by 2030.

Clean energy includes all renewable energy, such as wind, solar, thermal, and water. This policy will also redirect research funds from fossil fuels into renewable energy and conservation, will build a nationwide smart electricity grid that can pool and store power from a diversity of renewable sources, end destructive energy extraction and associated infrastructure, and will provide a jobs guarantee.

The Economic Bill of Rights, which is derived from the Green New Deal, will provide the right to singlepayer healthcare, a guaranteed job at a living wage, affordable housing and free college education.

Environmental racism is a concept that has been deeply ingrained into every system present not just in this country, but across the world. While mild policy changes only address surface level impacts of the issue, it must be noted that climate justice goes hand in hand with several social issues in our society.

returned again this year, five years later at 18 years old, but this time for the first death anniversary of my grandparents. The reason for returning wasn't the best circumstance, but it was needed because I'm not sure when would've gone back, if ever. I was happy and excited to go back because wanted to see my family who lives in my small town and be able to experience living there for a bit.

My dad had a house in the town which is where my grandparents lived. After they passed away, he remodeled the house so our family would be more comfortable and safe when we stayed over.

did feel more comfortable in the house, but did miss my grandparent's presence, especially my grandmother who always made hot chocolate for breakfast and traveled with us, as well as their plants and animals which were sold off. My dad left some family photos, furniture in the house untouched, and three trees as a memory of my grandparents.

Being older now, I've grown to be grateful for the experiences and things have. know all the hard work and struggles my parents went through were to be able to give me and my siblings a better life.

During my time in Oaxaca, I acknowledged and appreciated the hard work everyone was doing to provide for themselves and their families. Especially when it came to the handmade and creative works people had to sell and offer, like wooden art sculptures, embroidered clothes, beaded bracelets, and other jewelry. was really happy to see such beautiful art in many forms.

am a creative person, and there are not any of my family members who are in creative fields or work. I'm the only one who seems to be heading down that path. It helped me feel very connected to see the creative and artistic aspects that are part of my birthplace and culture.

In my hometown, many of the residents speak Zapoteco, especially the elders. The majority of the adults in my family can speak it. My niece can understand and speak it, though my cousins can't speak it well, but can mostly understand. My siblings and know a few words, but don't

my grandparent's one-year death anniversary. I'd spend most of my time helping clean the house as there was a big mess after it was remodeled. My aunt, uncle, and cousins would come to help us clean and set up for the gathering. We ate dinner with them often and enjoyed spending time with them as they told stories of their childhood.

When not cleaning, we'd go to my aunt and uncle's house to visit or walk around town to buy snacks or food. Since Christmas and New Year's were close, my cousins would buy small fireworks and light them up in the streets. After they left our house, or my family would leave their house, we would go to sleep late at night and wake up for a new day.

understand it fully or speak it well. I've been wanting to learn Zapoteco, but my parents wanted me to be able to know Spanish fluently before teaching me. My Spanish isn't as good as I'd want it to be, but I'm able to communicate with other Spanish speakers.

managed to find a Zapoteco dictionary that is somewhat accurate, so can learn a bit on my own when have the time. hope that one day I'll be able to speak it well and keep the dialect alive.

During my stay, had a new routine. would wake up early to go with my family to buy needed items in town, Ocotlan de Morelos, or San Antonino Castillo Velasco. We would eat at home or find somewhere to eat at the place we were headed. After shopping, we'd come back home, eat again, and clean up the house. Many days were spent shopping to prepare for the family gathering happening at our house for

spent a lot of time with my cousins. wanted to make the most of my time with them since I'm not able to see them as frequently as the rest of my family. enjoyed learning about their lives, as well as knowing what their interests were. was happy to find out that we had some in common. appreciated our time together and how they helped me and my family navigate life in Asunción Ocotlán. gave each of them a small weaved gift basket with things thought they'd like as well as a bit of money to buy something else they'd like. wanted to show that I care and listen to them.

Overall, my experience at Asunción Ocotlán was absolutely wonderful. really loved all that Oaxaca had to offer. During the day and night, the sky was always beautiful. loved looking at the sky and trying to take good pictures but my phone couldn't do it justice. loved connecting with my family there and being able to celebrate many things with them. My family only visits family members a few times a year. Spending twenty days with family was amazing and something wished happened more often.

get to go back again later this year, and I'm really happy I'll be able to see my family again. hope visiting them can become a yearly thing.

Conservatorships: Who Gets One & Who Doesn’t

It's easy to forget that celebrities are human beings, even though they might seem flawless on stage when singing or on the big screen starring in their latest movie.

Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, and Britney Spears, for example, were all at one point in time America's sweethearts. All three were child stars who grew up to become successful actresses and in Britney's case, one of the most successful pop stars of all time.

But another thing they all sadly have in common is that the media made them all look out to be "crazy" when they had meltdowns in front of the world to see, when in reality, they were having mental health issues.

Having a mental illness is already difficult to deal with. Imagine going through something like bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder and having to go through it in the public eye. And on top of that, your worst days are caught by the paparazzi and blasted over news outlets and on covers of magazines.

It's sad to say, but it's not even the worst part. The last thing they all have in common is the fact that they were all affected by conservatorships.

A conservatorship is when a judge grants another person to be responsible for someone who they deem can't make their own decisions. For example, if someone fell into a coma, a judge would grant conservatorship to someone else to care for their estates and finances because they would no longer be able to make those decisions themselves.

All three women, at one point in their lives, were deemed unable to responsibly make their own decisions by their loved ones.

While Lindsay was never in a conservatorship, her father attempted to secure one for her after several stints in rehabilitation centers for drug and alcohol abuse in 2012. Her father failed to secure one.

Amanda, on the other hand, was in a conservatorship for nine years. It started in 2013 after a few erratic incidents. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After years of working on herself, Amanda was freed from her conservatorship in March 2022.

Britney, though, had one of the most unfair, cruel, and dragged on conservatorships we've ever seen.

It started in 2008 when Britney was hospitalized for mental health concerns after a couple of incidents with her family. Her father was granted a "temporary" conservatorship.

Temporary turned into 13 years.

Kanye West is an American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He is one of the most talked about and controversial people of our generation.

He also suffers from the same mental illness as Britney Spears - bipolar depression. He was diagnosed in 2016, and has since spoken out about it openly saying that it has caused him paranoia and manic episodes. He is also very open about the fact that he chooses to not take any medication for it. Unlike Britney, at least he had the choice to make that decision for himself.

It really makes you wonder: why isn't Kanye West in a conservatorship?

He is showing very concerning signs, just like Britney once did. Lindsay and Amanda, too. But why is his situation being treated differently?

The media and other industries turned Lindsay, Amanda, and Britney's public outbursts and mental illnesses into memes and entertainment going as far as making t-shirts with Britney's face when she had a public mental breakdown and shaved her head.

and bipolar depression is tricky and complicated - but why wasn't it tricky and complicated for Britney Spears?

he shouldn't be banned because of his mental health, and that he was being stigmatized.

The truth is, although the Britney-Kanye situation is very similar, they are being treated very differently - by both the media and fans.

In a time when the media should've been compassionate and concerned for the women's well-being, they made them all out to be a joke.

Everything from her money, estates, assets, and business affairs were controlled by her father. As disastrous as that sounds, it gets worse. She was put on birth control and wasn't allowed to have children.

She was also forced against her will to take lithium; she claimed that there were six nurses that monitored her for a month and made sure that she took it everyday. The lithium made her feel so delirious and "drunk" to the point where she couldn't even hold a conversation.

It's a horrible thing to not have control over your financial assets, but to have someone else making decisions over your own body is terrifying. No one should ever have to live like that, especially since Britney was perfectly capable of living without the conservatorship after she was treated for her bipolar depression.

But in November 2021, after a long, tiresome, and very public and very messy process, a judge finally terminated her conservatorship.

All this talk about conservatorship and mental health brings me to my next point: Kanye West.

Kanye shared some of the same similarities as Britney in the public eye. He had public outbursts, but has done more outrageous things that are really terrifying for the people around him. Since the announcement of his divorce with Kim Kardashian, it seemed as though he went on a downward spiral.

He posted the school that his daughter North attends, which could be a disaster waiting to happen considering what happened to Kim back in 2016 when she was held at gunpoint in Paris. The family's privacy should be top priority.

He went as far as attacking Kim and her family online, messaging everyone in her close circle for the address to where she was; he even bought the house across the street from her.

These are all abusive tendencies. This is far from celebrity drama - it is actual domestic violence.

It is sad to see Kanye's behavior be dismissed by his followers. It's also really scary to see people saying that there is nothing wrong when in actuality, there is. He is putting his family in danger and showing signs of abuse towards his ex-wife.

Not to mention the scary cryptic music video where he is shown abducting a Kim look-alike and burying her new boyfriend Pete Davidson in the ground.

Outlets are saying that talking about Kanye West

When Kanye was banned from performing at the 2022 Grammys despite being nominated, a panelist on The View defended him saying

Peace For Distant Countries

In the sunset, write poems

Today I imagine writing in a river

The water is warm as it wraps my legs up like a blanket am at peace

Though In the distance the world is in turmoil

There's burning bridges and falling skies

However am here at peace

The chaos is so far yet so loud

But what can do when am still ordinary

How can stop the unnecessary bloodshed

I fall into despair

Because now hear screaming

Sounds so painful hear missiles

Sounds so powerful hear planes

Sounds so fast

How can help when am so far

As the day turns night rise to my feet and pray for peace once more wade in the water

Hoping the chaos will cease

It is so easy for the media to villainize a woman for being "crazy," but they will never villainize a man in power for it.

New District Lines, New Problems

Every 10 years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts, so that the districts correctly reflect the state's population.

In November 2008, California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act, authorizing the creation of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw new district lines, taking the job out of the hands of the California Legislature and transferring it to the citizens. In 2010, the Voters FIRST Act for Congress added the responsibility of drawing Congressional districts to the Commission.

The 14-member Commission is made up of five Republicans, five Democrats, and four members not affiliated with either of those two parties. The Commission must draw the district lines in conformity with strict, nonpartisan rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population that will provide fair representation for all Californians. The individuals responsible for the redistricting of the state are public people who work for the people of the state, and their brief biographies can be found here.

The sole purpose of redistricting every 10 years is so that the voters are able to vote for their respective communities as the population gets larger and it becomes more deserving to represent themselves in a new manner. After the federal government conducts and completes their national census, this commission is given a year to redistrict the state in a fair and equitable manner.

California as a whole is represented by 52 people – previously 53 – in the House of Representatives, 40 state senate districts, 80 assembly members, and 4 board of equalization members. This group will draw new district lines where official leaders are granted constituents that place them in office for the next decade.

This commission is not given total responsibility when drawing the new district lines. They are called to hold public meetings throughout the state in order to obtain the participation and opinions of Californians throughout. The commission is also responsible for analyzing important data and input from the census, from public opinion, and more in order to ensure reliable and fair new district lines are drawn. This is a huge

responsibility that calls for the people to both always participate in the census and in the public hearings for redistricting consideration.

But what changes did the state conclude on and how will it impact voting?

With the primary elections taking place on June 7, 2022, the new redistricting lines will create changes that may possibly leave people voting in a whole new district.

First, anyone can find their respective districts and their new voting district here. Cal Matters allows people to find their new potential representatives and lays out a lot of crucial information to better inform their decision.

The new redistricting changes have impelled a lot of public opinion and some significant changes that totally split cities, like our respective Fresno, and even forced hopeful candidates to represent districts that they are not even familiar with, especially districts within the Valley that will be haphazardly redistricted together, bound to create a myriad of problems within the coming years.

The redistricting policies also prove themselves as challenging for incumbents, forcing them into new areas of the state they are called to run for and represent. Aforementioned, many hopeful congressional candidates will be running in districts they are not completely familiar with.

For example, Congressional District 5 used to be a small district just northeast of San Francisco, but is now the district of Mariposa, Tuolumne, and parts of Madera County - counties that were once represented by District 4, represented by long-time Republican incumbent Tom McClintock.

He is to run for the newly drawn District 5 that includes North Fresno and many of his former constituents, both ensuring a continued Republican district, another awkward split in Fresno representative lines, and a brand new representative for many Fresno citizens. This is just to elaborate the drastic district number changes throughout the state.

Minimum Wage Is Not A Livable Wage

The federal minimum wage was first introduced by Congress under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 starting at just 25 cents per hour. Over the years, the minimum wage has increased periodically, although almost 85 years later, it remains inadequate.

Currently in California, the minimum wage is set at $14 an hour for employers with 25 or less employees and $15 an hour for employers with 26 or more employees. Despite the dramatic difference between the 1938 and 2022 wage, people continue to endure the effects of an insufficient wage as they try to make ends meet.

Nonetheless, many issues and uncertainty will arise based on these new district lines and former district issues will become issues for brand new districts, since this is the first time many cities will be paired together and split up completely.

For example, Fresno will be split up in three congressional districts: North Fresno being a part of District 5 that will have a constituency as far as east Sacramento; Northwest and most of South Fresno being a part of District 21 with constituency reaching to Sanger and North Visalia; and parts of North Fresno and all of Clovis being a part of District 20 that will go as far as curling south around Bakersfield.

Looking at District 21, the residents of this area is considerably non-white, Hispanic populated with District 20 being predominantly white, conservative, agriculturally-based voters. This is to show how meticulous such a redistricting process can be. Binding voting trends, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds are often used to facilitate district lines.

This is solely looking at the redistricting of Congress, which proved itself as more critical as tensions rise in Washington. Congressional seats are far more contested and a priority to be filled by a representative that will truly advocate for the issues of the Valley.

Redistricting seriously impacts each voter in California, not just congressionally, but also considering assembly members and who will stand up for your newly shaped district. The primaries are just around the corner and many races are contested and highly sought over. Although new voting borders have been made, every voice is still incredibly crucial.

cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego, the cost of rent can be upwards of $2,000. Fresno is also amongst the nation's highest when it comes to rent prices as they surged throughout the years according to The Fresno Bee.

For the first time in recent moments, someone working a full time job on a minimum wage is unable to afford rent anywhere in the country, especially if we consider other monthly expenses. An electricity bill would average to about $100 to $200 a month, while in many cases, the numbers are significantly higher.

The minimum wage should go hand-in-hand with the living wage and balance one another in a plausible manner. The living wage measures the minimum amount of income an individual or family can produce in order to meet their basic needs. The costs under the umbrella of a living wage include food, housing, healthcare, childcare, transportation, and personal and household necessities.

Although the minimum wage has increased throughout the years, inflation, along with the increased cost of living, do not average in the slightest in order to accommodate. By definition, inflation is "the rate at which the value of a currency is falling and, consequently, the general level of prices for goods and services is rising.

On the surface, an individual and/or family may be given the impression that their labor is being valued as the minimum wage is increased but instead, it is actually decreasing. As the minimum wage increases, inflation and cost of living also increases which would mean that the monetary income is holding less and less value. Currently in the United States, the inflation rate is 8.54% which is significantly higher compared to the 1980 inflation at 3.5%.

Let's focus on California specifically. An individual working full-time (40 hours a week) within the service industry would likely be on a $15 per hour salary. This would amount to $600 weekly, $2,400 monthly, and $28,800 yearly with the exception that unpaid sick leave and family leave are not being taken into consideration. According to World Population Review, the average cost of rent in California is about $1,500, although in many

As far as transportation, an average car payment would be about $575 for new vehicles and $430 for used vehicles with car insurance averaging to about $180 a month while gas prices average to about $5.68 per gallon, not considering the recent surge in gas prices. The average cost of food per person would amount to just a little over $300, and health insurance would average to over $400 a month, not including the cost of insurance if you have a child.

With just a few calculations, you would realize that it would be impossible to survive within the state of California without some form of assistance whether it be from the government or from your own parents.

The calculations do not take into consideration the cost of plenty of other everyday expenses for many such as the cost of having a child, personal and household necessities, college tuition, savings for an emergency fund, as well as the financial freedom to travel or take time off from work. Now more than ever, individuals are unable to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The idea of the American Dream is based on home ownership which is the way that Americans measure success, but that dream has slowly been destroyed due to the consistent rise in the costs of living and stagnant wages. We have relied heavily on the notion that one can make it if they try hard enough but that is proving to no longer be a realistic approach especially for the younger generations.

Purchasing power has significantly decreased,

which is "the value of a currency expressed in terms of the numbers of goods or services that one unit of money can buy." In comparison to today, the cost of goods and services for generations before us were much cheaper and one could essentially buy more with less money.

Purchasing power between the generations has shifted greatly. According to Business Insider, boomers once owned about 21% of America's wealth. Now, millennials hold only 5% while also dealing with the impact of extreme inflation and decrease in purchasing power.

Well, what can be done about this ongoing issue?

Raising minimum wages is not enough. Although it may be a part of the solution, it should not be the focus point. It is a systemic problem, something that needs to be challenged from within - a new approach. What we need is a more sustainable and radical approach to policy making that combats the last few decades of the status quo.

Apart from meaningless policies, we do not have leaders with a strong vision forward. Unfortunately, we have leaders who no longer propose strategies and solutions to our perennial problems but instead focus on highlighting the fact that it could be worse or the other side is worse.

Leaders who have been the driving force of economic policies are essentially all older, predominantly white men. It's time to introduce new, younger people into politics who have the foresight to implement real change.

LEFT: CA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS BEFORE 2020, RIGHT: AFTER 2020 (VIA BALLOTPEDIA.ORG)

ILLUSTRATION BY LORENA BERNAL

How Stress And Exhaustion Tie Into Mental Health

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus was officially a pandemic. Fast forward two years later and people around the world still face the dangers of the virus everyday, but now they're doing that while managing life as well.

High school students, like myself, are adjusting back to in-person learning after a year of online instruction. It was no surprise that students were excited to return, but the shift from online to in-person learning had sparked certain stress that was long forgotten.

Things like excessive schoolwork, demanding jobs, sudden illness, and extracurricular activities are all factors that have contributed to many people's physical and mental exhaustion. It is important that we learn how to manage the mental stability of our minds, so we aren't overloaded.

To better understand how stress ties into our mental health, researched many ways to manage stress and various reasons why taking care of yourself when mentally exhausted is essential.

Writer, activist, and public speaker Sarah Browne said, "Taking care of our mental health aids in our resilience and recovery from anything that happens."

When your mind is overwhelmed, it tends to take a toll on the rest of your body. The harmful effects of stress and exhaustion can fan out and have a more serious effect on one's physical and mental health. Our minds are forces that encompass our wellbeing and tell us what to do in everyday life, so when that is affected, so is everything else around us.

Research shows that 43.8 million people experience mental illness, which is 18.5% of our total population. Due to the emotional nature of a global pandemic and other factors, mental stress has played a hand in many different lives.

you during periods of extreme tension, especially when it is weighing on you. It may even reach the point where you feel as if you're in a hole with no way out.

In addition to this, some emotional signs of stress and exhaustion include depression, anxiety, detachment, anger, feeling of dread, hopelessness, and decline of productivity.

Some physical signs include fatigue, loss of appetite or interest, upset stomach, and weight loss.

Poor performance at work or school, social withdrawal, and the inability to keep certain commitments are behavioral signs.

If left untreated, mental stress can create widespread disabilities, stifling an individual's ability to function properly and slow their pace.

For example, longitudinal studies have shown that sleeplessness, migraines, weight gain, irritation, and lack of concentration are just a few of the potential side effects of long-term stress. It is completely normal to feel the side effects of stress.

Usually, when engulfed in things that are too much, a human's ability to cope, adapt, and solve problems are impacted heavily.

But our stress is not something to be ashamed of. The wiring of our brains is not our fault.

Many people think that being stressed is not a big deal or it is something that will pass over with time, but the truth is, stress has a sneaky way of building up and it can manifest into different things if you let it become a threat to yourself. Signs of mental exhaustion can creep up on

Psychology Today says that stress can lead to changes in many different parts of the body. It can cause a faster heartbeat, muscle tension, and gastrointestinal issues. All of these symptoms are reasons why people should take stress seriously. Do not wait it out because ongoing stress attacks the immune system and makes it more vulnerable. It decreases white blood cell production which contributes to illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and others.

It is clear that if not treated, stress can literally exhaust the body and affect every part of it leaving individuals almost nonfunctional. To add, Psychology Today also said that "marinating in high levels of stress hormones that are produced naturally every day can prompt the brain to function differently."

If this doesn't make you want to participate in more self-care, don't know what will.

That said, how do we deal with our stress?

Many people deal with their stress in different ways, but let's start with a few easy things one can do to cope with mental strain.

One who doesn't utilize a tool

Is what we may define as a fool

When faced with a challenge so great

Vaccinate, It’s Not Too Late

Why does humanity choose to take the bait

Set out by those who seek to spread lies

When will it be too late, when somebody dies?

Decades of research, ignored

While spreading false rumors is adored

Hours of work poured by scientists who seek to aid

To eliminate the virus in which mankind has been paid

It seems as though COVID-19 is finally gone

However, you can't beat a virus with just brawn

It lurks in the shadows waiting to strike

So keep that in mind the next time you see a spike

I'm sick of hearing newsmen talking about a surge

Soon our neighbors will be missing like it's the purge

Some people have lost all whom they love

But we keep acting like we are above

The simple act of taking a shot

We must take our chance to show that this battle can be fought

And so beg, plea

Don't let this virus force humanity on a knee

Together, we are stronger than ever before

We no longer need to remain in this war

Vaccinate yourself and you'll understand

Herd immunity and prosperity go hand in hand

Stay safe, take care

We'll get through this, swear

ILLUSTRATION BY KIERA KAISER

How Stress And Exhaustion Tie Into Mental Health Continued...

Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or massages are great methods. would also recommend exploring your hobbies like reading a good book, creative writing, or listening to music.

According to a Verywell Mind article by Dr. Elizabeth Scott called "What Coping Strategies Can Help Manage Stress, using coping techniques does not necessarily change your particular situation, but it does change your perception of it.

Things like journaling down your feelings or practicing loving acts of kindness will increase that positive feeling inside of you, clouding the depressive part planted by stress and exhaustion. As mentioned, there are many ways to deal with stress. asked a couple peers and teachers what stressed them out and how they dealt with it.

Destiny Cooks, an Edison High School student involved in extracurricular activities and sports, said school stresses her out.

"I deal with it by going home and watching my favorite shows and movies which stimulates my mind," Cooks said. "I also take long warm showers and drink my favorite tea, then drift off to sleep.

Katherine Cozad, photography teacher at Edison High, said deadlines are where most of her stress comes from.

"Deadlines stress me out mostly, Cozad said. "I've had to learn to manage stress many different times in my life. One thing do is write down the things that are stressing me out and cross off the things that are out of my control, allowing me to focus on what actually can do to move out of it.

"I also remind myself that above all, learning from my mistakes is the human experience," she continued. "I definitely show self-compassion meaning acknowledge what I did or didn't do, but try to look at it as what can learn from this, and that way, actually deal with it and move on.

Cozad further explained, "I used to just beat myself up and almost ignore the thing because didn't want to acknowledge it because felt the need to be perfect in order to be liked. Meditation, music, or jazz helps by reminding me that everything is going to be okay. This is life, and it is what it is, and it's not supposed to be anything else."

Managing stress and anxiety is crucial to your wellbeing. If you are ever overwhelmed by the things in everyday life, you should make time for yourself. Practicing self-care can be very stimulating and help you perform better.

Whenever am emotionally overwhelmed, like to do things that will distress my mind and body like reading a good book, writing a poem, or talking to a loved one about what I'm going through at the moment.

Mental health is significant, and you should take care of it at all stages of life.

ILLUSTRATION BY ASHENS LIMON

No Teachers, No Subs: Addressing The Teacher Shortage In California

A major experience in children's lives is being stripped away from them; a place that they are used to attending five days a week is being impacted due to teacher shortages. Because of this, children are not receiving the adequate education they deserve. In California, classes are being canceled and the reasons behind this are worrisome for the future of teaching.

Throughout the Great Recession, school districts had a difficult time retaining their staff. Reasons for this included underqualified teachers, salary cuts, layoffs, and changing working conditions. Underqualified teachers were those who were long or short term substitutes and emergency credentialed teachers.

During this time, the criteria for layoffs included seniority, therefore experienced teachers were let go. With budget cuts looming, districts kept new teachers since they were paid less. Not only that, but enrollment in education programs in universities and colleges decreased by about 35 percent. Due to this, we saw less teachers be produced over time, leading to consequences we are seeing now in 2022.

Since COVID-19 hit, many people have been feeling burned out. Feelings of anxiety and stress have increased due to the demands being asked of educators. For most, it had been difficult to continue on a career that requires so much from a person with little reward or help in return.

To combat the shortages worsened by the pandemic, superintendents, teachers, substitutes, and other school staff have been covering classes for absent teachers. With the lack of planning time and the shifts between covering classes, teachers are exhausted. Finding time to lesson plan, read emails, and grade assignments left little time for faculty to unwind and collect themselves emotionally. A 7-8 hour school day quickly turned into increased hours for teachers, as some must put in overtime to prepare for the added work they received.

With an increase in work and no increase in pay, many are reconsidering whether to stay in their profession. Teaching requirements are another reason why turnover has been so high. The

rules of this profession are constantly changing.

According to Los Angeles high school teacher Martin Blythe, he has no plans of clearing his credential. He stated that this will require him to undergo a twoyear training course called Induction, which he called "unhelpful busy work.

On top of his day-to-day work, this process would add to his workload. He mentioned that many of his colleagues were dropping out of Induction because they needed that time to lesson plan and be with family. Exams that teachers must take, like RICA and CSET, also take their time away.

Unfortunately, piled work and stress have led to new teachers leaving the profession within the first 5 years.

Not only are educators suffering, but so are the students and parents. To be successful, students need consistency, but COVID had stripped them of this. When classes are canceled, parents have to scramble to find childcare so that they can go to work and provide for their household.

Inconsistent staffing can also alter the way students learn.

Schools experiencing shortages in fully qualified teachers have increased class sizes and have been hiring substitutes and teachers missing adequate qualifications to cover classes. The underqualified educators and increased class sizes minimize interaction between individual students and the instructor. Without proper learning environments, students have scored lower on assessments.

Ultimately, low-income communities of color have been the ones greatly affected by the teacher shortage. Low budgets have led to an increase in class sizes and a decrease in teachers of color,

We’ve All Experienced It — The Trauma

There have been studies upon studies about the effects of trauma on people; what happens to the human body and specifically the brain when it experiences loss, death and violence.

Most people have deep empathy for others going through an ordeal, in many of its forms - like the death of a loved one, a life-changing accident or when veterans are diagnosed with PTSD.

But our society doesn't have a history of acknowledging all forms of trauma, and we haven't done well dealing with the collective upheaval the entire world is facing right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ready to return to life as normal?

An April 2022 report found that 48% of young adults struggled with mental health during the height of the pandemic. In addition, leading

We should be seeing a big change in how our society accommodated and supported this new surge of mental instability. Unfortunately, the working class is being failed yet again.

With push after push to get life back to normal, people are overwhelmed and exhausted. We need better work conditions and culture, more rest and support and less exploitation.

These are the things people have been fighting for decades to get, and we need them now more than ever.

whom the students can identify with and look up to.

Some short-term and long-term solutions have been introduced to combat the shortages. To address the burnout, many districts have been providing their educators with mental health services and mental health days. They have the opportunity to be connected to counselors and substance abuse resources.

To avoid closing down classrooms, substitutes and emergency credentialed teachers have been hired to cover classes and have been offered a pay increase.

To draw in new teachers, loan forgiveness programs have been offered to pay for expensive schooling. In California, $45 million has been set aside to support staff so that they can become credentialed teachers, $10 million has been used for undergraduate programs for teaching, and $9 million has gone to districts so that they can recruit and retain educators.

Overall, the teacher shortage has been a problem stemming from several issues in education. In order to overcome this, teachers must be supported during all levels of their career and their concerns must be taken care of instead of brushed over. For the future of education and student success, more must be done to make teaching a profession that educators enjoy and want to stay in.

For a while, things started to look up. With vaccines, boosters and increasing normalcy about virus safety (masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing), people started to return to a new version of normal life. We were able to enjoy coffee shops and libraries again, participate in holiday celebrations with family and share meals with close friends.

But in the winter, with a surge of cases due to the omicron variant, our country had plunged back into different degrees of isolation.

We have been living through the COVID-19 pandemic for two years now (and counting), and it might be easy to overlook or forget about the mass trauma we are all still experiencing because it becomes normal.

A whole year of isolation, the near-collapse of our government, distrust in science and the medical industry, the millions of deaths, all at once.

These occurrences persist, and even still, can be easy to forget, or more accurately, ignore. With everything that has happened, are people really

psychiatrists and reports said that collective trauma will probably be a global issue postpandemic, and we are already seeing signs of that.

Lack of motivation, exhaustion from social situations and increased anxiety are what many people have been dealing with recently, and they are all symptoms of experiencing the COVID pandemic.

Or more accurately, the symptoms of trauma.

The past year has proven that for many, working at home was a much better solution to a lot of problems. It allows for just as much, if not more, productivity with the added bonus of more rest and flexibility.

We saw people explore hobbies and spend more time with their children, in addition to less pollution from all the travel time.

This past year was proof that there are other ways to operate an economy without the exploitation of people.

In the meantime, while everyone struggles, it's important to help each other. Stay connected to loved ones, check in on friends. Be generous, wherever possible, because everyone in the world is struggling right now. Offer kindness when and where you wouldn't usually.

Most importantly, do the best you can in taking care of yourself - mental and physical health included.

These things won't magically make everything wrong in the world right now go away, but hopefully, they can make life more bearable (and hopefully a little joyful, too) while we are in such tumultuous times.

ILLUSTRATION BY ASHENS LIMON

The Effects of the Pandemic On Children

As we ease away from the virtual world we have all had to call home, we can only hope to move forward with the lives we knew before. For those whose lives are barely starting though, this can throw a wrench in the paths to adulthood that they are trying to traverse.

Childhood and adolescence are the most formative years, with children learning socialization, communication and healthy relationship skills; the pause from all the lessons taught during socialization leaves many disadvantaged, and some can even fall in the cracks.

At a forum for Harvard School of Public Health, child psychiatric epidemiologist Tamsin Ford discussed studies revolving around the pandemics isolation and its effects on children's mental health. Many of such studies organized their data by age range.

One of these studies began pre-pandemic, then acquired data monthly through 2020. In this study, adolescents aged 16-24 were experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety "particularly badly through this time, and the symptoms were only exacerbated for those going through socioeconomic deprivation.

Ford gave other studies such as one that showed that kids' mental health ages 4-10 had been greatly affected by the isolation of the pandemic, with the symptoms from hyperactivity to depression being worsened by lockdowns.

One study Ford highlighted was following teens' mental health during the pandemic. In this study, anxiety spiked for teens during lockdowns, but once school came back, fighting and bullying saw a spike itself. She inferred that this is due to friendships and group dynamics that would have had a subtle and natural shift, but due to the pandemic, reached an abrupt turn of dynamic causing clashes.

Fresno has recently had its own fight against bullying as mom Holly Hayes and other parents affected by bullying staged a protest on February 10 at Kastner Intermediate School. This protest was held after she noticed her son being bullied for months after making the return to in-person learning.

A Youth Perspective On Fresno’s Rising Rent Costs

At the start of the pandemic, rent in Fresno was already at an all-time high. However, with the addition of the world facing another economic downturn, rent has continued skyrocketing, pushing many out of their homes.

Regardless of the COVID eviction moratorium that lasted from the start of the pandemic through last September, many have still been forced onto the streets.

Although it's true that many individuals have been let go due to the pandemic, there is still a large number of people in Fresno who have been struggling even before COVID emerged. As a result, laws such as rent relief and the COVID moratorium have done nothing to assist the poverty-stricken residents of Fresno County.

From 2015 to 2019, Fresno County has been in the bottom 25% of California cities to have the worst levels of poverty. We still continue to float at the bottom 25% regardless of the little housing help we have.

ILLUSTRATION BY ASHENS LIMON

In an interview with ABC30, Hayes said, "There's dozens and dozens and dozens of parents in the same situation as am and we just want the school district to be accountable for themselves."

For reasons such as this, many parents have actually opted to keep their children in online school, to avoid not only illness, but bullies as well.

Janice Schreier, a clinical therapist from Mayo Clinic Health Systems says, "Just in 2021, we saw greater than 30% increase in mental health presentations to emergency rooms.

"And those kids that are coming in are sicker than they used to be before the pandemic. Schreier continued. "They are having higher levels of suicidal ideation, showing more aggression with self-harm, higher rates of substance abuse and more instances of eating disorders.

Isolation can cause a hindrance on anybody's growth, but for those building a foundation in life, a hindrance can hurt them as they try to move into adulthood, making the leap be one they aren't ready for.

Without the necessary skills learned in socialization, many can fall behind, especially at the ages in which socialization teaches you invaluable social and emotional skills.

While we have no control over this pandemic, there is a level of control over how we respond to its effects.

What is important for a child to succeed no matter the diversity they face, is that they must build resilience.

According to a research story from Harvard, what can build resilience in a child is at least "one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult."

So while the trauma of the pandemic can negatively affect a child's growth, they can build resilience with the support of a caring and responsible adult, and this resilience can help them overcome the trauma that we are all still learning to process, at any age.

part-time worker making minimum wage income, it's nearly impossible to afford rent, utilities, and food. Even if the minimum wage increases to $15 an hour, it is still not enough to live off of.

In the last 40 years, fewer young adults have been moving out of their parent's households. This isn't because young people are lazy, but because there's no other choice financially.

books or paying for a couple of trips to the grocery store, but what happens when it runs out halfway through the semester?

It's not uncommon to see residents flee Fresno due to the increase in rent and threat of eviction.

The rise of rent has done more than kick a few people out of their homes or put stress on students; it has ruined lives, families, and schools. Fresno policymakers have allowed families to be forced onto the streets or into their cars with We are living in a housing crisis. The economy leaves many students in despair about what the future has to come. College students aren't just battling student debt; now it's the uncertainty of housing. Young people today aren't confident in being renters or homeowners, and if rent continues to rise, young people will have no choice but to live in their parent's house, if they're lucky.

As of the beginning of 2022, prices have increased up to 22% compared to the previous year according to the real-estate site Redfin. If this trend continues, we will begin to see rent in Fresno being comparable to Los Angeles or San Francisco.

As a young person, seeing rent getting higher and minimum wage staying the same, I'm fearful for what the future of housing will bring. It's hard to imagine being able to one day buy a house in Fresno without making over $100K a year.

Starting my life, buying a home, and having a family seems impossible.

As a college student, I'm already struggling to pay for the bus every day. recognize that one day I'll have to move out of my mom's house, but looking at this climate, I'm afraid won't be able to survive it.

One-bedroom apartments in Fresno have increased to a median price of $1,400. Being a

You either live with your parents or paycheck to paycheck.

As a college student, moving out and starting life on my own is supposed to be exciting. But seeing the state of rent here in Fresno, I'm not so optimistic.

Looking back, the whole dynamic of being a young adult has changed. Students' priorities aren't just their grades or if we'll get into our top college; now our stress relates to how we will afford our future.

The problem is, with financial aid being available to students, it might take some weight off their shoulders, but not by a lot. It may aid in buying

To combat Fresno from topping the list of the nation's highest increasing rent, local policymakers need to implement some sort of stability for Fresno renters.

Implementing policies such as rent stabilization in the City of Fresno would keep occupants secure and young people hopeful. Rent stabilization would dodge rent increasing extreme amounts and would ensure the protection of Fresno tenants.

Fresno needs to step up and implement policies to help fight the rise of evictions and houseless people. Renters deserve security; even allowing a right to counsel (the right to a lawyer if evicted) is a push in the right direction.

There's so many things that Fresno residents are pushing for yet we are seeing only silence from people like Mayor Jerry Dyer and the rest of the city council.

ask that we follow behind so many other California cities and push policies to stabilize rent and secure tenants.

The Ugly Truth: Zero Social Skills After COVID-19 My Dear Friend

March 13, 2020: that was the day the world stopped. It was the first time COVID-19 felt real. Everything was so sudden; it was jarring, it was scary. But at the start when it was all still so new, it didn't feel permanent.

What started as a couple weeks turned into a couple months, and now, two years later, we're still trying to get through COVID-19 and things are more uncertain than ever.

The lockdown was long and exhausting for all. Many struggled to stay afloat and continue to struggle with no end in sight. But at this stage in the pandemic, many have struggled in new ways.

As people returned to school, work and whatever else normal life may look like, many found it difficult to socialize and be around other people again. To be frank, people's social skills were obliterated over lockdown, and it doesn't end there.

A lot of people experienced intense declines in their mental health during quarantine and felt more anxious, depressed and exhausted after being around others. Now that the world is trying to return to "normal, don't feel ready.

Before the lockdown was lifted, most knew it would be hard being around others again. Doing things in-person again was extremely difficult; people were anxious around others, and didn't know how to interact with each other anymore.

Fresno City College freshman Stephanie Gonzalez, 18, felt as though she had zero social skills left after lockdown.

"Now that we're going back to doing things in person, it's extremely nerve-wracking," Gonzalez said. "I feel uneasy about any social settings now."

Gonzalez struggled to get through her first semester of college because of the anxiety she felt being around her fellow students.

"To be honest, don't know how to act or what to

say to people anymore," she admitted. "It's been difficult going into college like that expecting much success; I've let myself fail assignments because it's so hard to speak to people in my classes.

was responsible for them. Limon made their food, helped with their schoolwork and just made sure they felt okay through it all.

"I spent so long just worrying about my family, looking after my siblings and trying to get through the pandemic, don't really know how to be normal around other people again," Limon continued. "Being around [people] is super draining, especially in school. felt drained just being around my friends for a couple hours," prompting him to make the move to switch back to online learning.

Gonzalez and Limon are only a couple examples on how the pandemic impacted society. Countless people have felt their mental health decline dramatically across the country.

According to the COVID-19 and Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing study (CLIMB), 8.5% of the participants surveyed had depressive symptoms before COVID-19 and 27.8% had depressive symptoms during the pandemic in April 2020.

BY ASHENS LIMON

Gonzalez was not alone. Many students who started going to school in person again found out how much more exhausting it can be.

Ashens Limon, 17, went back to in-person classes when schools reopened in August 2021. One month later, Limon transitioned back to online classes to finish his senior year. Since the lockdown, Limon had taken on a lot of responsibility by helping out with his younger siblings.

"They've relied on me a lot since the lockdown began, more than our mom even," Limon said. "It's super hard keeping up with it all."

With schools and daycares closed down, Limon

In the most recent CLIMB study, it revealed that the number has grown to 32.8% in April 2021. The study also showed that lower-income communities, where COVIDrelated stressors such as job loss and housing instability were more common, experienced higher rates of mental health issues. But despite the survey showing that people experienced less stressors in 2021, mental health issues grew.

Youth mental health in the country especially took a hit. For a long time, young people have struggled with their mental health, and the pandemic only exacerbated this.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reported that since the start of the pandemic, there was a dramatic rise in visits to emergency departments for all sorts of mental health emergencies, including suspected suicide attempts.

The decline in youth mental health was so

You are a marvel, my dear friend.

Made of the most precious ingredients, yet there is nothing you will not lend. You exist in all who have known you regardless of circumstance.

Even though some did not deserve the chance.

You carry countless stories in the pockmarked skin of your ruddy cheeks to the slow healing scars on the backs of your thighs you consistently disguise.

Do you know how beautiful you are?

A beauty society deems unconventional yet cannot be anything but intentional. Your laugh fills the air with joy as you pay no mind to those who tell you silence suits you best.

Frightfully forgetful, you have had more bad days than good as all of your actions are consistently misunderstood.

Yet here you remain. Standing on your own two feet humming to a tune you've clung to since you were a child all your aches and pains piled on a fraying mind while the world couldn't be the least bit kind.

You are a marvel, my dear friend.

I know I often neglect you and I am so sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

The five letter definition of who I am. It pains me to love you, my dear friend.

So I will love, love, and love. An atonement long overdue and prayer answered.

The Ugly Truth: Zero Social Skills After COVID-19 Continued...

intense, AAP, along with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology (AACAP), and the Children's Hospital Association (CHA), declared a national state of emergency in children's mental health. In their combined press release, AAP President Lee Savio Beers attested, "Young people have endured so much throughout the pandemic, and while much of the attention is often placed on the physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating mental health crisis."

If one thing rings true in Beers' words, it's that young people, like much of the world, have endured a lot, and they are all still enduring a lot.

"When my parents lost their jobs, we all felt uneasy, Gonzalez recalled as she looked back on the more stressful moments of the pandemic.

"Our main source of income had stopped, and nothing was open so couldn't get a job. Everything just sort of flatlined... We had to live off of what we had saved. It was scary; it felt endless," she continued. "I was in a really dark place mentally that I'm still struggling to come back from."

Like Gonzalez, the vast majority of people went through a lot during the pandemic and found it hard to return to business as usual. Quarantine ended as soon as it began, and for people like Stephanie, that was a lot more jarring.

"All of a sudden we were shoved back to normal and everything opened up again, she said. "I don't think had enough time to process everything that happened, everything that's still happening."

The pandemic has been an excruciatingly long, stressful experience. As we hit the two-year mark, it's a hard process to recover our mental health or regain our social skills. People are tired, and finding it harder and harder to find hope that this will end. Many find themselves battling to stay on top of things, or even to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Moving forward, it is important that we acknowledge the emotional impacts of COVID-19.

People have survived so much since March 2020, and it started to take a toll on them. As our communities work to remedy the effects of the pandemic, they need to make mental health a priority as well. People will not be able to start healing until they do.

Nationwide Truck Driver COVID-19 Vaccine Protest

Though it might seem like the world has moved on from COVID-19, it still remains a hot topic of discussion. People continue to talk about their fears and concerns about the virus, while others are sharing their experiences and opinions about it. But the most controversial and sensitive talking point right now may be about vaccinations and vaccination status.

From conversations have had with friends, family and peers, vaccination status is taken very seriously and can cause conflict between people. Some people have strong opinions and beliefs that can lead to a heated argument, especially if someone believes otherwise. Some people want to prove their opinion is superior leading to this confrontation.

When it comes to the workforce, businesses and companies differ on their COVID-19 requirements on wearing face masks, social distancing or the status of vaccinations for employees. This brings an uprising of opinions about the requirement of vaccinations and political ideologies within the working class. In some instances, the requirement of vaccinations brought the workflow and production to a halt.

In 2022, protests grew beyond the United States as more people began to go back to work in person; we even saw protests start to happen in countries like Canada and Australia.

On Jan. 28, 2022, truck drivers in Canada blocked the nation's capital of Ottawa in response to the federal mandate of vaccinated cross-border truck drivers. This protest inspired other non-truck drivers to join the protest on behalf of vaccination requirements within society and schools. Over time, it had become an intense protest as grenades and fireworks were being set off, folks had possession of weapons, people started wearing body armor, and police officers were being assaulted.

Canadian police officers arrested 191 protestors and charged 107 others during this event. These charges included obstructing police, disobeying a court order, assault, mischief, possessing a weapon and assaulting a police officer.

This protest had not been a peaceful message;

there was a chance military troops could have gotten involved if necessary, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose to let it die down with Canada's police involvement.

Due Canada's strict cross border COVID vaccine restrictions, America's economy suffered greatly. The transportation of goods such as snacks, red meat, vegetable oil and a mix of processed fruit and vegetables brought in $360 million in trade per day.

With these losses, supply chain distributions increased their prices for goods sold in America.

people. It was a five day event that was fairly peaceful as protestors did not damage city infrastructures, harm others, or vandalize local properties.

Within states in Australia, face masks and vaccination requirements vary as do ours in America. These protests were not exactly proactive in creating change within the vaccination mandates, but it showed that there are individuals who are strongly against the vaccine and have the right to disagree with society's standard viewpoint.

Due to these vaccination disagreements, many

Education Gap: The Effects of Online Learning

The 2019-2020 school year was like every other school year. School campuses were full of life and smiling faces; there was never a dull moment. There were always activities happening, games to attend and school events to look forward to.

Then the most unprecedented thing happened.

On March 13, 2020, the lives of many were drastically altered forever. COVID-19 hit like a hurricane no one was expecting, and with it being the largest pandemic since the Spanish Flu, the world wasn't exactly prepared for what was coming. What started as an extra week of Spring Break became more than two years of an unrecognizable society.

Fresno Unified School District made the tough decision to shut down schools for the rest of the school year beginning March 16 due to safety concerns. Since the government prohibited all social gatherings and implemented 6-feet distancing rules in all public spaces, there was no way anyone would be able to safely attend school every day.

The closing of FUSD schools meant that students would be missing an entire quarter of school. Including the summer, this was five months without receiving any type of education. Although this became a future problem for students, it was the only option for Fresno Unified at the time.

Another focal issue with distance learning was not having an adequate studying area. Most students lived with many individuals making it difficult to find a quiet space to themselves where they could properly focus.

Doing school online wasn't exactly ideal for most students, especially with all the distractions and comforts of home being inches away.

Throughout the first semester, FUSD saw a significant drop in grades and test scores for students all over the district. It wasn't questioned that the plunge in grades was because of the virtual configuration. The system was flawed because it was difficult to find things that worked for everyone.

but they were also deprived of socialization skills.

This affected all students from elementary to middle and high school. It also became difficult for the younger children who were still trying to thrive and learn basic skills like reading and writing.

For example, Toyota experienced inflation for new cars due to the delay in manufacturing parts from Canada. These blockades and COVID vaccine restrictions were one of the reasons for the occurrence of delayed shipments in products and goods.

Inspired by the protests in Canada, American truck drivers protested against COVID restrictions by camping outside of Washington D.C. called The People's Convoy. Attending this protest were a group of 100 truck drivers with others following in their vehicles of sorts. What began as a stand against COVID restrictions led to a more political protest about social, racial, and economic issues within America.

Australia experienced similar protests that involved vehicles blocking streets near the Parliament. This protest caught the attention of over 10,000

people have struggled to find jobs that allow them to remain unvaccinated. Some people have been fired from a job they've worked ten plus years with due to the COVID vaccine mandate. A variety of companies have allowed for religious or medical exemptions, but a reasoning of skepticism of the vaccine does not exempt individuals from the mandate. From these beliefs, many people have had to sacrifice their job, all their dedication and hard work committed to a company in order to feel physically safe from remaining unvaccinated.

Finding employment in the world we live in today is already hard as it is, but enforcing mandatory vaccination requirements is making it more difficult for people to find a job. While understand where both sides are coming from, the choice should not come down to whether or not you'll be able to keep your job, or find a job in the first place.

When August 2020 came around, it was still a health risk for students to resume in-person learning, so FUSD decided that classes would be held virtually for the beginning part of the year. Although school was in session, the online formatting made it seem as if school was optional. Without there being constant supervision, students were able to turn off their microphones and cameras while still appearing "in-class.

Along with lack of supervision, there was also a lack of resources. In a lot of households, there was more than one student at home doing online school. With younger siblings not knowing how to properly use technology, older siblings were required to help and monitor the little ones.

Instead of focusing on their own school work, they were obliged to care for other members of their family.

In March 2021, the government offered a monetary incentive from the state of California for schools to resume in-person. By spring, students were able to return to campus on a hybrid schedule: half virtual, half in-person.

The hybrid schedule was difficult because it was ever-changing, but it was the first step to attempting to return everyone entirely to campus. COVID-19 and living in a pandemic became the new normal and students were forced to endure a full year of online distance learning.

But in August 2021, students were finally able to fully resume in-person learning. When students returned, it was obvious that no one had been to school in a very long time. A lot of students struggled getting back into things, especially considering they hadn't completed an actual assignment in quite a while.

Students were not only lacking proper education,

High school students especially struggled during the pandemic to meet graduation requirements. Assembly Bill 104 stated, "The state of California recently enacted a new law that will expand learning and credit recovery options for students who may have struggled academically during the pandemic-impacted 2020-2021 school year."

AB 104 basically said that parents, guardians and students had the option of changing a letter grade to Pass/No Pass, which is quite telling of how difficult it was to maintain grades during the pandemic.

As for the 2021-2022 school year, the data and effects on student learning have yet to be analyzed. While the district has seen improvement, like always, there is still room for growth.

ILLUSTRATION BY KIERA KAISER