Self Study

An Ode to the Out-of-State Struggle

February 27, 2025 by

When I flew back to school from my home in Colorado to start my sophomore year, my sister began to cry in the plane seat next to me. As we gazed over the Pacific, preparing to land in sunny Santa Barb...
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Grief makes me a time traveler

January 30, 2025 by

I am 9 years old. I am sitting on my grandfather’s magenta-turned-lavender rocking chair with him, and we are watching Sunday Night Football.  My mind jumps to a 14-year-old version of myself, inco...
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The rearview mirror: Things I’d say to my former self

January 28, 2025 by

I often think about my high-school self: avid lover of Holly Warburton paintings and musical theater, writer of prose and poetry and a girl with a rebellious streak convinced, in true teenager fashion...
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I just met my seven sisters

October 24, 2024 by

Kira Logan reminisces on her friendships, and how she lives life on the edge (of a cliff).
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I can’t let go of anything, ever

September 30, 2024 by

Kira Logan reflects on all the love she holds onto.
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Subject: Redoing small talk (or, what’s your favorite color?)

July 29, 2024 by

Elizabeth Lee answers small talk questions, without all the small talk.
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Asian American baby girl: On being late to the party – and partying anyway

July 23, 2024 by

Emily Yoon reflects on growing up in California and discovering culture then, now, and in the future.
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My mom lives in Isla Vista with me

May 9, 2024 by and

Ella Conolley and Kira Logan discuss their unusual living situations to celebrate Mother’s Day.
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My mind is not a problem: How noise-canceling headphones helped my adult ADHD

February 22, 2024 by

Lizzy Rager reflects on how discovering a pair of headphones changed her relationship with ADHD.
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“I want to tell you a Sacramento story”

November 16, 2023 by

Riley Burke reflects on growing up in Sacramento and her layered connection with Joan Didion.
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Nostalgia: Who are we and where do we go?

November 9, 2023 by

Michelle Shteynberg reflects on nostalgia and how it makes us who we are.
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The Throne Zone: We tried every bathroom so you don’t have to — top 10 edition

November 2, 2023 by and

Sam Healey and Seamus O’Meara are petitioning Chancellor Henry T. Yang so they can teach an “Intro to Bathroom Studies” course at UCSB.
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Letter to the editor: Hispanic Heritage Month Write-in

October 20, 2023 by and

José Suarez and Luis Ledezma reflect on what being Hispanic means to them.
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An ode to my freshman year dorm

July 13, 2023 by

Kira Logan reminisces on her freshman year dorm experience.
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Love and attention: on my unremarkable hometown and remarkable mom

May 11, 2023 by

Emily Yoon reflects on her hometown and the intricacies of mother-daughter relationships.
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