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Say our names right: Respecting the humanity of marginalized groups

Say our names right: Respecting the humanity of marginalized groups

Even in news media, the names of AAPI's are often abridged or mispronounced
Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist April 21, 2021

To hear your name repeated back to you, in its correct pronunciation, is one of the simplest yet most powerful forms of acknowledgment. It is an indication of effort on the speaker’s part to respect...

The story of Vietnamese people and nail salons runs deeper than a comedy skit

The story of Vietnamese people and nail salons runs deeper than a comedy skit

The beginning of the Vietnamese entrepreneurial spirit can be traced back to the 1970s
Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist April 9, 2021

Most Americans recognize Tippi Hedren for her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s horror film “The Birds” — but among the Vietnamese American community, her reputation is for something a little...

Memes: Meaningless jokes or something more?

Memes: Meaningless jokes or something more?

The seemingly unimportant joke format allows us to process current events
Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist March 20, 2021

How often do you look at memes? Do you seek them out? Do you share them? Do you ever create your own? I’m sure you know the answer more than anyone else, but have you ever wondered who created the memes...

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Life is a bowl of noodles

Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist January 28, 2021

Are you really a college student if you haven’t sat, staring at your dinner consisting of a bowl of ramen noodles while you contemplate the meaning of life? Before even making ramen noodles there are...

You are what you eat: Looking at Vietnamese food as preservation of culture

You are what you eat: Looking at Vietnamese food as preservation of culture

Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist January 25, 2021

When I was six, I would walk across the street every Saturday morning towards metal carts with pots of steaming broth, fresh noodles, warm baguettes and fragrant herbs. Greeting the vendor with a familiar...

Dreams Talk: Should We Share Them?

Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist January 9, 2021

I had a friend who tried hard to remember more of his dreams. He would write them down and then tell people about them. He stopped, though, because it started interfering with his social life. Because...

Learning a new language as a reflection of yourself

Mai Vo, Opinion Columnist December 30, 2020

Pianos. Bikes. Mattresses. Cameras. Glasses. These are all inventions that were created with the benefit of language. Language seems so intimate to us and visceral to our life experiences. Indeed, it is...

Photo credit: Gracen Hoyle

The New American Expat Generation: At the Bottom of My Suitcase

Mai Vo November 12, 2020
“How would you like your privilege served today?” I remember vividly the flight attendant approaching me with a tray of steaming beverages immediately after crossing into American territory on that fateful flight to L.A. two years ago.
Photo credit: Ren Rader

Don’t let the camera eat first, or second

Mai Vo October 27, 2020

illustrations by Ren RaderI find myself asking the same question when going out with friends: Is Instagram influencing how we eat?There are few relationships that have become as inexorably intertwined...

Photo credit: Gracen Hoyle

Coping with Comedy: Eh-eh-everybody gets that way

Mai Vo October 14, 2020
“Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days. Everybody knows what I’m talking about. Everybody gets that way.” Hannah Montana was not lying when she penned these lyrics in 2007 in “Nobody’s Perfect,” and her words ring truer than ever as we fend off this collective depressive social isolation.
Photo credit: Gracen Hoyle

Finding A Sense Of Normalcy Through Dressing Up

Mai Vo September 23, 2020
In quarantine, the self-expression of clothing has been somewhat lost to the monotony of sweatpants and T-shirts. Without being able to go out, with no one to impress and no reason to get dressed up, I struggled with the reality of quarantine.
Photo credit: Ren Rader

Scoring Romance

Mai Vo August 27, 2020
A beautiful score can shape a love story in a way that words can’t.
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Mai Vo