How to Learn Computer Science at Home

By: Alex Lu

TLDR: Take the plunge. Find out what it is you want to do and just do it without looking back. If you want to learn to code just pick any language out there. What you learn in one language is transferable to another. I’ve linked a couple of sources that might help you just as a pointer. As you learn I definitely suggest starting your own small projects. There’s going to be things you learn on the way that will bore you but you kind of just have to push through the boredom. 

As someone who would like to pursue computer science as my career in the future, I’ve always wanted to learn the subject on my own but never really found the courage to start until this summer. Finding the “right way” to start was by far my biggest concern starting out. I didn’t really have any idea what language I wanted to use, where I would learn, and what I wanted to do. Usually, when it comes to things like learning a new skill planning things out is kind of important but when it comes to something like computer science it’s probably better to just find something that interests you and just go for it without looking back. To be honest, I don’t think there’s necessarily a “right” way to learn computer science, and spending the time to find it will undoubtedly bring you into an unproductive loop of watching videos or reading articles on how to get started which is where I was towards the beginning of summer when I decided that I wanted to try my hand at web development.  

If you were to Google right now the technologies that exist in web development you would get a bunch of different articles that say different things about what’s the latest and greatest in web development whether it be some new programming language, library, framework, etc. and when I was first learning the basics of web development I had nothing to go off of and I was completely lost. Eventually, I learned to just tune out all the pointless Google searches and just started with the most basic thing in web development, HTML which isn’t actually a programming language and looks kind of like this which was sort of discouraging at first. Eventually, I got the basics of HTML and moved on to CSS which is also not a programming language (it controls the actual aesthetics of the page. I’ll show an example later from one of my projects). While the basics of HTML and CSS aren’t the most satisfying thing to learn, it was something I had to overcome. If you do choose to dive into computer science or specifically web development, it’s important to note that there are going to be many things that are boring to learn but you kind of have to just push through it because it’ll be important later on. I eventually made my way to learning Javascript (the actual programming language) which allowed me to create my fully-functional sites. 

When learning the basics of web development I found it really helpful to practice concepts by making my own small projects. Although I all wanted to be able to create the next Twitter right off the bat, I kind of had to reel in my ego and realize that I wasn’t there yet. Instead, I built smaller sites that I had fun making like this website I made on my birthday which plays “Happy Birthday.” The site uses HTML for all the text, CSS for all the images and styling on the web, and Javascript for all its functionalities. While making the site I also had to learn how to use things like the Command Prompt, Heroku, and Git, and therein lies the beauty of taking on smaller projects as you’ll learn random things and improve upon your skills. After looking around on the site for about 5 seconds you’ll notice how buggy it is and I think it summarizes my journey quite well. When making projects you’re always going to encounter some small bug and that’s completely okay. For this particular site, I’m not really interested in going back and fixing all its bugs because there are other things I’m trying to do. 

As of now, I’ve moved on past vanilla HTML, CSS, and Javascript and I’m more focused on learning other frameworks such as React and eventually I hope to become a full-stack developer. But, although I’ve learned everything I know pretty much on my own, I do have limits to what I can learn solo and I have enrolled in a community college to continue learning full-stack development. Although there are many things that you can self-learn, some things might just be easier to learn from an actual teacher.  

The reason I decided to join the YUNiversity is that I wanted to be able to create a platform where the audience could relate to its contributors. When learning a skill, it’s easy to be discouraged after seeing some prodigy and giving up simply because you don’t think you’ll ever be able to improve to the point of mastery. However, I believe that if you saw someone who was your age and were able to see all their trials and tribulations towards mastering a certain skill you might be motivated to actually pursue something yourself. Likewise, I hope my story was in some way helpful for anybody who wanted to learn Computer Science or web development on their own. In the future, I definitely hope to continue talking about my experiences learning more about web development and I really hope that the audience is able to join me on that journey 

Here are some resources if you want to learn something: 

1.Game development (I played around with Unity and their tutorials a bit. I’d say they’re pretty good. There’s a lot of reading for their tutorials). I’d also suggest checking out Brackeys (A Youtube channel that goes over the basics of game development in Unity. If you don’t like reading this might be for you)

2..C++ (There’s a lot of reading involved here so if you don’t like reading I don’t really recommend it. It goes over the fundamentals of programming. Just be warned that C++ is harder to learn than some other languages) 

3. Web Development

Freecodecamp (It goes through the basics of web development. There’s some reading but it also allows you to practice within their own environment. I used this to go over some of the basics of HTML, CSS, and JS) 

 Traversy Media (Youtube channel that goes over web development. I used this when I was learning and actually lifted some of the stuff in his videos for my own projects)

If you have anything you want to ask me or if you just want to talk to me I suggest just DMing me through my Instagram (@alex_yingnan_lu)

I took this spontaneous picture of one of the cute lil babies at my church one sunny day before quarantine. All our church kids playing together and enjoying our time on the small scrawny playground, filled with laughter and joy, and the baby just randomly sitting down for a perfect model shot that I knew I couldn’t miss. I took many pictures that day and all of them exude radiation and delight from each one of their faces as we shared fond times together that day and even though it was only a simple random Sunday afternoon at church like any other, I knew that these times could never be replaced for the world.

These days full of life and cheer, while I do dearly miss them, have truly helped me to realize how precious even these seemingly minuscule memories are in our lives and have allowed me to truly comprehend how important even the little things in life are. These recent times, while difficult and worrisome, have ultimately taught me to now cherish all the moments in my life, even the little ones, which I try to hold deep in my heart because I’m now aware that these same memories will never come across in my life again. I hope that moving forward, I can always be grateful for everything in my life and not always yearn for “more and more” but just learn to be content and satisfied with what I have in the now. While quarantine and all these current situations throughout the world right now have most definitely been one stressful unprecedented ride for all of us, I do believe that, if anything, I have at least been able to take this meaningful lesson to heart out of this tough crazy experience in my life and I am truly grateful and appreciative for that.

Also, just a reminder again to stay safe and strong everyone! And that we can get through this together! 

The YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Writing Dept. | YUNiversity Photo Dept.

“How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions” by Sarah Brown

It’s that time of year again: New Year’s, the time to start make resolutions and lie to ourselves. “I’m going to do better at school.” “I’m going to learn Spanish.” “I’m going to start working out.” Yeah, none of that is going to happen.

Every year we say, “New year, new me.” We make our goals and think this is the year. We promise to stick to our resolutions, but they inevitably fade out. Before January ends, we’ve broken and forgotten about them. Then the next December comes around, and we realize that we haven’t really changed anything. Then the cycle begins again.

Most people’s resolution lists are longer than their grocery lists, but only 8% of people actually stick to their New Year’s resolutions. The problem with making resolutions is that you go 0–100, causing you to burn out. Most people give up because they do too much too fast and give up when they encounter a small setback. It’s hard going from sitting on the couch stuffing yourself with potato chips on Sunday, to running ten miles on Monday. This is why people end up giving up on their goals.

However, there’s a simple solution to this problem. Take baby steps. You can’t make a sudden massive change to your life and expect to stick with it. You have to make small changes slowly over time that will end up making a difference.

There are two keys to achieving anything in life: hard work and commitment. Nothing happens if you don’t put in the work. If you don’t study, you don’t get that 100. If you don’t work out, you won’t get healthier. Simple as that. But there’s one other ingredient to achieving positive change: time. Change takes time. Even with hard work, sometimes stuff doesn’t work out. Be patient.

Website | Twitter |  Instagram | Medium | Pinterest

All the music asks! -guan-yuniverse

I’M POSTING THIS REALLY LATE I AM SO SORRY I JUST SUCK AT THESE REALLY LONG LISTS AHHHHHHH THERE ARE 5 MISSING

1. A song you like with a color in the title: Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones

2. A song you like with a number in the title: 4:39 by Carina and the Six String Preacher

4. A song that reminds you of someone you’d rather forget about: Punchin’ Bag by Cage The Elephant

5. A song that needs to played LOUD: Smash It Up by The (International) Noise Conspiracy

6. A song that makes you want to dance: I don’t dance because I’m boring

7. A song to drive to: Help Is On The Way by Rise Against

8. A song about drugs or alcohol: Drugs or Me by Jimmy Eat World

10. A song that makes you sad: Adam’s Song by Blink-182

11. A song that you never get tired of: Mr. Brightside by The Killers

12. A song from your preteen years: The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

13. One of your favorite 80’s songs: Mad World by Tears For Fears

14. A song that you would love played at your wedding: Honeybee by Steam Powered Giraffe

17. A song that you would sing a duet with on karaoke: This would never happen, but Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) by The Offspring would be fucking hilarious.

18. A song from the year you were born: All Star by Smash Mouth

19. A song that makes you think about life: What About You by KONGOS

20. A song that has many meanings to you: Northern Downpour by Panic! At The Disco

22. A song that makes you move forward: Johnny Boy by Twenty Øne Pilots

23. A song that you think everybody should listen to: Play Your Ukelele by Amanda Palmer

24. A song by a band you wish were still together: Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

25. A song by an artist that’s no longer living: In Bloom by Nirvana

26. A song that makes you want to fall in love: A Message by Coldplay

27. A song that breaks your heart: House of Gold by Twenty Øne Pilots

28. A song by an artist with a voice that you love: Knee Socks by the Arctic Monkeys

29. A song you remember form your childhood: American Idiot by Green Day30.

A song that reminds you of yourself: True Trans Soul Rebel by Against Me!

Cassper Nyovest - Gushesh Feat Okmalumkoolkat [Lyrics]

New Post has been published on https://zulusound.co.za/cassper-nyovest-gushesh-feat-okmalumkoolkat-lyrics/

Cassper Nyovest - Gushesh Feat Okmalumkoolkat [Lyrics]

Cassper Nyovest  Gushesh Feat Okmalumkoolkat Lyrics

Inline Related Posts

Cassper Nyovest – Gushesh Feat Okmalumkoolkat [Lyrics]

Dj Questo – Ngiyekeleni Feat Leon Lee [Song]

Yunit Yuniverse – Dream [Song]

Man Shot Dead After Withdrawing Money For His Wife’s Burial

Check out full Lyrics of Cassper Nyovest  Gushesh Featuring  Okmalumkoolkat. You can also get the mp3 on zulusound.

  Ne ke ithotse ke reditse mahipi, be ke dibala go re entlek… A re shapise mahipi a ndiya daar ko kasi…. (Gushaaa!)

[Hook:] I’m riding round in my… Gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe [x3] Catch me riding round in my… Gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe [x1] I’m riding round in my… Gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe gusheshe [x3]

Let’s dumb it down so they understand Cassper Semenya, yeah I’m the man My money grows ‘cause reya phanda man Y’all stuck in the same figure jenge under pan Ra kinda, damn I been down damn I been down Cassper Nyovest or I standing it out You see the broads that I’m handling now You will come short, divandal is out Ganela ko tlase, soap ya maphatshe I’m prolly gonna kick you mara leka Ntwana ya ko kasi ko phaphakadi then she call me “PAPPI” But I’m not a father figure Oh yea, I stack till ceiling then blow it through the weekend Then I make it back. Man, basically Modimo O refile How you feeling ba ba katsa skeemi? Le mahipi ra ba tlatsa skeemi It’s an oxymoron I become a big deal even though I got a crush on Minnie Ke phela soo but my raps is hard, you should check out my repertoire I’m about mad 16 like fan base a ma Repertoire (Ai, Nyovest… ha-ha) What you laughing at, man I ain’t say SHIT! My bitches bad bad no kinda complex, your bitches basic It’s me and Kool Kat on that 325 and we high like spaceships We rocking Pieces, bitches puzzled they say “Hi” like spaceship Cheated on my fears, broke up with my doubts Married to my dreams, carrying the couch Middle fingers to my exes (Nyovest, Nyovest, Nyovest, Nyovest, Nyovest) Ring finger to my next chick Ngwanao ke mo lahli, ke mo gidlelo wa bafayo Ooh, that boy bad (like what?) like Dineo Ranaka so

[Hook]

[Okmalumkoolkat:] Yithi Maria, uqhwale iprasiya MalumKoolKat is a problem, inkinga If you think you fresh to death, I’ ma stirred a seizer BoyznBucks, we always getting mixed up Wherever that this chicks are, we always gonna feature Sipping in that mixture, tipping on the tick-up I’m laying with your sister; she’s pretty as a picture I call her Mona Lisa; she’s chilling in my t-shirt (Nka mo dira) My lips are where her lips are And her tits are Pyramids of Giza And I licks her and I sex her I’ ma fix her, so I fixed her Then I kissed her, released her Told her I’ma text her, only when I need her Now I’m leaning like the Tower of Pisa Kats wanna catch up, kodwa ndiya bashiya FYI, I got Air Max in my sneakers Plus I’m international, ndume njenge pizza Pac man, Pac man bonke ndiya ba gwinya My only competition is that man in the mirror Days of your lives, uStefano Dimera… Stefano Dimera (IGusheshe) I play Stefano Dimera Si’ncelile, there’s nothing like 325!

[Hook]

Just a Few Time Management Tips

Alex Lu 

For me, time management and organizing my workload is something that I still struggle with a lot especially now during summer break when I’m pretty much locked in and I don’t have the pressure of school weighing down on me. While I don’t have to deal with a lot of schoolwork, there are a bunch of other things outside of my academics that require my attention whether it be some personal project or something related to my extracurriculars and I’m sure the reader can relate with the struggle of trying to find the time to do finish all their tasks at hand. In an effort to assist the reader with their time management skills while also trying to improve upon my own, I’ve gathered a couple tips from the internet that I believe might help us in becoming much more efficient at planning our workloads accordingly. 

Create a to-do list - Sometimes when you’re just up to your eyeballs in the amount of work you need to do it's hard to even remember all the things you’re supposed to be doing. Therefore, creating a to-do list allows you to visualize all the tasks that need to be completed which can be used for further planning. Plus, nothing compares to the satisfaction of being able to cross off tasks from the list once you’ve completed them. Personally while I usually only use this when I’m in a pinch, I actually recommend making it a habit of documenting your tasks as soon as they appear just so you don’t forget anything while in the moment of actually creating the list. 

Eliminate distractions - While this one is actually a “no duh” kind of tip it’s one of those things that are easier said than done. To prove my point, think of all the times when you’re doing something and you decide to check your phone because “you’re bored.” Learning to identify and remove distractions is important so you can actually put more focus into doing your work and tasks that might take merely half an hour aren’t extended to two hours or more. Personally, to remove distractions from my work I usually do my work in an isolated area and keep my phone in some other room across the house. I’m sure many people do their work while listening to music and while I do the same a lot of the time, I’ve noticed that for things like writing or some activity that requires me to think or have “conversations in my head” total silence is actually preferred.  

Learning to say “no” - I’m not too sure how many people will relate to this one but personally as someone who works in a youth group I would sometimes find myself accepting projects that I knew I didn’t have the time for simply because I couldn’t say “no” as I thought it would hurt somebody’s feelings. Learning to put my schedule before others was one of the harder things to do as I would sometimes feel guilty about doing so. However, overloading your schedule for the sake of others isn’t very efficient and you may end up falling behind or fail to complete certain tasks. Rather, learning to trust the rest of your team and being able to delegate the work among others is a much more efficient approach.

Take breaks - It’s really easy to call ourselves out for being lazy and consider resting as spending time unwisely. However, we should also recognize the importance of resting in between our work periods to ensure that we don’t get burned out. After all, I’m sure we all know how our work quality drops once we’re really tired. Prioritize those breaks but try to put a limit on how much you’re resting so you don’t end up spending too much time resting and not doing work.  

You don’t have to be perfect - Sometimes we want to make sure that our work is exactly the way that we want it and while it’s good to put your best foot forward to make sure things go as planned it's not necessarily realistic to have such high expectations. In some cases, it’s much more important to actually finish the work rather than focusing on every small detail of it.  

There are so many different things you can do to improve your time management skills and my small list here doesn’t even scratch the surface. Personally, there are some things here that I would love to work on such as my consistency in creating to-do lists and my ability to eliminate distractions. I’m sure you’ve heard some if not all of these tips but there’s a difference between hearing and actually doing. I might make a follow-up to this post in the future with more tips or I might just create a whole series of posts dedicated to tips for work habits but at this point, I’m not really sure. I hope you found this post useful and hopefully we can all improve our time management skills. Bye! :)

5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Quarantine Summer

Diego P.

In recent weeks, the covid19 virus has begun to spike again (likely due to the reopening of social spaces), causing a second wave of new cases throughout the United States. Due to this recent news, it's likely that many states will have to begin closing again, meaning students all over the country will be stuck at home once again. This is in fact bad news, but it doesn’t mean that our time at home has to be monotonous. Finding the motivation to try or even look for new things to do can be challenging, but well worth the effort. Below is a list of potential hobbies or productive actions that may not only make your day more interesting, but can also improve mental health and productivity during these trying times.

1. This one might be cheating, but try reading a new book!

Reading is a pastime that everyone enjoys, but when indulged in, can bring many benefits to the mind. Reading a book immerses you into a brand new world, which can be very valuable considering that many people right now are limited to the confines of their own homes. The University of California Santa Barbara states that reading can reduce levels of stress because it pulls your focus from stressful events to the book you are reading (Source 1). This makes reading even more valuable during this pandemic, as the coronavirus has proven to create stressful situations. 

2. Gardening

Gardening can be hard to get used to at first, but speaking from experience, I think it can be one of the most rewarding hobbies. Gardening allows a person to grow their own produce, including veggies such as lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. Considering the dense population that can be found at grocery stores, growing produce at home is much safer than exposing yourself to a large group of people (which can result in contact with the covid19 virus). In addition to this, gardening can also have many mental health benefits. According to the Royal College of Physicians, increasing evidence is pointing to the idea that gardening can improve mental health by acting as a coping mechanism for moods such as anger, fear, sadness, etc (Source 2). Because of this, it's worth noting that for many stressed and frightful students, gardening can not only act as a hobby, but also help ease the pressures that online school and this pandemic bring. 

3. Exercising

This should be no surprise to anyone, but exercising can dramatically increase a person’s quality of life. Even though gyms may be closing up again, many YouTube channels such as FitnessBlender have free workout routines that don’t require any equipment, allowing anybody with internet access to reap the benefits of fitness. MedlinePlus recommends exercise as a means to control weight gains/loss, but there are also secondary benefits such as overall improvements in mood, increasing strength, and improving the natural sleep cycle (Source 3). So in addition to improved mental health, exercise will also keep you physically healthy, which gives you a better fighting chance against the covid19 virus. 

4.  Start Tutoring Online

Distance learning has proven to be particularly difficult for many students throughout the United States. This leaves a great opportunity for students who lack extracurricular activities to step in as role models for their community. Due to the closures of tutoring offices and schools alike, now is the perfect time to work or volunteer as an online tutor, given that you have the right requirements and experience to do so. In addition to this, tutoring can also help with building important skills, such as communication, work experience, and leadership (Source 4). Having tutoring experience can also be extremely valuable on your academic record, especially during the pandemic, because it shows colleges that:

1. You are strong enough academically to help others with their schooling work.

2. You took a position of leadership by choosing to help others.

3. The current pandemic has not stopped you from reaching out to your community, improving yourself, and helping others improve. 

5. Prepare Yourself for the Upcoming School Year

Now that the 2019-2020 school year is over, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to prepare for the upcoming school year, which could be more difficult than a normal school year due to the challenges that covid19 puts on the education system. There are plenty of free online resources available that can help you review past material for the next year. According to annual NWEA testing results/surveys, summer learning loss “is fairly stable in terms of RIT points across grade levels” (Source 5), which means that every summer students consistently lose a similar percentage of knowledge as their peers in the same grade. Thus, it’s important to review your skills over summer break to avoid this learning loss. Here are some great resources that you can use to retain and improve your knowledge over the summer. 

1. Khan Academy- Khan Academy is completely free and includes many different subjects by name for students to choose from (for example, if you are moving on to algebra II, you can choose to review earlier courses like algebra I and geometry), including the SAT. 

2. Quizlet- Quizlet is another free website that is composed of flashcard sets for many different topics that can help students strengthen their knowledge of concepts by memorization (it’s really great for tests and reviewing). 

3. YouTube- In addition to humorous and entertaining content, YouTube surprisingly has tons of great videos made by teachers and other professionals on subjects like history/government, math, sciences, and more. 

For upcoming seniors, it’s also a relatively good idea to begin preparing for college application, as the process can be long and stressful. For more information about applying to colleges, it’s best to contact a college counselor from your school ahead of time, as they can provide advice and assistance on the best courses of action. 

While the coronavirus pandemic may have cancelled a lot of summer plans, there are still a wide variety of hobbies and school preparation that can be done from home. We at the YUNiversity hope that we managed to inspire you to make your summer less monotonous during this pandemic, and maybe even a little more productive. Please stay safe and follow all of the safety practices and guidelines set by your local authorities.

The YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Writing Dept. | YUNiversity Art Dept.

SOURCES:

1. “10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day.” UC Geography

2. Thompson, Richard. “Gardening for Health: a Regular Dose of Gardening.” Clinical Medicine (London, England), Royal College of Physicians, June 2018

3.“Benefits of Exercise.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Apr. 2020

4.Educationcorpsucsd. Benefits of Being a Tutor/Mentor, 4 Sept. 2013

5.“Summer Learning Loss: What We Know and What We're Learning.” Teach. Learn. Grow., 22 June 2020

How Covid19 Has Impacted Mental Health in the US, and Potential Ways to Cope With It

Diego Padilla

It’s interesting to see that lately, thanks to the Covid19 pandemic, mental health as a topic of society has gotten more and more attention. This is actually not as surprising as one might think though, considering that the conditions people are subject to during these times are very different from our normal daily lives (in that they are more stressful and put people in less financially and emotionally stable positions. The massive amounts of death (brought on by the pandemic) may also have an effect on any person's mindset, as experiencing the death of a friend or family member can be a very stressful event in a person’s life. Let’s take a look at how this pandemic has affected the emotions of the general public.

At the start of the covid19 pandemic, the general consensus was that the quarantine and isolation would not stay a societal norm for long, and that soon after 2-3 weeks, life would return to its relative normalcy. However, it has now been almost 6 months since the stay at home orders were implemented and we are all still stuck at home, with very few states having their citizens return to school or work. According to the CDC, social distancing and other types of disease prevention methods that limit social contact can lead to a person feeling isolated, as if they have no one to talk to or vent out their frustrations with (source 1). The sensation of constant isolation and loneliness can have a considerably taxing effect on the human mind, especially to those who use social contact as a coping mechanism for stress. In addition to this, the pandemic, being an experience unlike any other to most people, has also brought on unique forms of paranoia and fear. An example of such a fear would be the idea of contracting covid19 (or a loved one contracting it). I personally have experienced this one a few times, as I have grandparents that are at high risk for covid19, and I know that many students can relate to this. 

On top of the feeling of Isolation and fear of loved ones contracting the virus, the covid19 pandemic has also brought on new stresses to students of all different ages. Speaking from experience, many AP students this year were extremely stressed over their scores thanks to the changes to the exam. On top of this, preparation for these tests was made much more difficult now that teachers could not meet in person with their students, so we had the added stress of having to put in more time than usual. Furthermore, the uncertainty of where our schools would take our learning next made many of my friends and I very anxious about the coming year. It almost felt like during this ordeal we were lacking the feeling of complete relaxation and lack of worry, which is detrimental for anyone’s mental health. Luckily, this year our school has given us a clear cut schedule and provided us with much more resources than last year, but I can’t say the same for other students throughout the states. This uncertainty has unfortunately also reached the college admissions process, as thanks to the updated requirements, it feels like much more of a gamble then it ever has been. As for the students in these universities, there is an increasing frustration brought on by the fact that most top level schools will still be charging full tuition for online school (which provides a significantly lower quality of education). In general, students across the nation are filled with great concern over their academic future. 

These added stressors, coupled with the lack of coping mechanisms such as physical exercise (closed gyms) and social interactions, have also made people turn to substance abuse and increased their symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression/anxiety (according to the CDC). From surveys taken on June 24-30, the CDC found that at least 26.3% of adults aged 18+ have admitted to suffering from mental trauma or stress caused by factors related to covid19 (Source 2). In addition to this, around 13.3% have also admitted to substance use as a way of coping with their declining mental health. This is pretty alarming, considering that alcohol can actually negatively affect/suppress the immune system, making you more vulnerable to infections diseases like the coronavirus (Source 3). 

So how can we combat this overall decline in mental health? One thing that the CDC does recommend is to reduce the time we spend listening to the news, as hearing too many negative stories can increase the stress levels in a person drastically (Source 1). Other good mental health practices (that generally work to lower stress even when there isn’t a pandemic affecting the world) include meditation, getting adequate sleep, and to actually avoid substance use. As far as stress caused by lack of social contact, technological means of communication such as phone calls, video calls, and even messengers can help to ease the feeling of loneliness in a time social distancing is the norm. For extremely dire situations, we also have hotlines such as the Suicide Prevention Hotline that work to help people in mental crises, and prevent the worst from happening. The mental health of many Americans may be poor right now, but with our resources and current understanding of the human mind, we can definitely combat the stress in ways that seek to promote our well being.

For more information on this topic, check out these three great resources on mental health during covid19:

1.https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html

2.https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm

3.https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-and-covid-19#myths-vs-facts

The YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Writing Dept. | YUNiversity Art Dept.

Photos by Yvette Lee

These are some pictures that I took on a trip to Downtown Los Angeles last year as a part of my photography class. This experience was truly fascinating as I got to see the beautiful and complex structures that were located in this bustling city of life and people that I had never previously noticed before. While taking pictures with my camera throughout this trip, I was encouraged by the abstract details of these objects and was truly inspired by how beautiful everything was from their colors to the patterns to the structure. These seemingly ordinary buildings that I would never have even taken a second glimpse at before and just ignore when I would previously visit LA, now seemed to hold so much life, personality, and each portray an aura of unique beauty in their own individual ways. 

Overall, this trip taught me a lot in terms of my photography perspective and experience and was what really set off my personal passion and love for photography even more than before as I learned to focus on even the little details and assets of all my subjects and not to just solely pay attention to the big picture every time. I think everything you see in day to day life all has their own separate personalities and aspects that are unique to them, which is essentially the beauty of photography as this art allows you to truly dive deeper and uncover these hidden points and charms by looking closer than the surface level to see what they truly hold. 

I encourage you to perhaps try to look at things from a deeper perspective and see the beauty in all things of life because even seemingly ordinary and boring objects in day to day life can all hold their own personal, unique stories hidden deep inside, but we just need to uncover these secrets by really seeing what lays underneath the surface. Perhaps pick up a camera or your phone or even use your eyes to take some pictures and really start to see the different perspectives and purposes behind even ordinary life, and you might be surprised and fascinated at what you can discover.

Before covid19 had become a huge issue, and before the latest tragedies involving police brutality, my family and I had taken a trip to El Matador State Beach, one of the most beautiful and scenic beaches that I had ever been to. I was able to capture many different views from the shore, and even bits of wildlife (such as the birds perched peacefully on the cliff side). In a modernized society, such hidden gems are hard to come by.

Despite the beauty that nature can offer, there are those who will always try to exploit our ecosystems for monetary gain. Case in point: in the first week of June, President Trump signed an executive order to waive regulations on new infrastructure from some of our most important pieces of environmental legislation, including the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. This means that large scale farmers and industrial organizations can avoid waste reduction and damage minimization rules for production. It could be a large problem for ecosystems like El Matador State Beach, as now pollution will be more and more prevalent without these integral pieces of legislation.

My hope is to show the beauty of these delicate ecosystems through photography, and by doing so, emphasize the importance of preserving nature, not just for practical, but also aesthetic reasons.

The Yuniversity Interns | The Yuniversity Writing Tumblr | The Yuniversity Art Tumblr

These are some pictures that I took while fostering puppies a while back during this time of quarantine. Fostering was truly an amazing experience that I will never forget and I’m so glad that I decided to take the initiative to try something new and take care of these beautiful sweet angels during this time of crisis. The pup siblings that I fostered were miniature pinscher terrier mixes and their names were Adeline and Kinsley. These puppies truly provided me with joy and comfort throughout the days with their never-ending excitement and playful energy as well as their love for cuddles especially during naps. While separation was the hardest part of the journey which was filled with overflowing tears of sadness, I do believe that this was overall a great experience and learning opportunity for me and my family. While we were fortunately able to have the opportunity to adopt Adeline as our own, Kinsley, on the other hand, was adopted by another family which was one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life but I do believe her new loving family will take great care of her in their home and I hope she’s having a great time right now :) I’m so grateful that during this time I was finally able to have the opportunity to take care of dogs like I had always wished for and I’m glad that I was able to perhaps help these little animals by providing a safe home for them even if it was only for a short while <3

Even during quarantine, while it may be hard to stay home all the time, I believe that there are many different unique activities and options according to our own personal interests that we can rely on and utilize to help us all get through these unprecedented times together (such as fostering puppies in my case). Instead of looking at this in a negative sense, I think trying to open my mind and creativity during this time to different new activities and passions that I had been wanting to pursue and try before but never really had the time to until now has personally really helped me to look more towards the positive aspect of the situation and even discover new interests that I had perhaps previously never known about or realized before. Now, more than ever, I believe we must persevere and get through this together, doing all that we can to take the proper precautions to stay safe and healthy while also making sure to remain mentally stable and happy as well :) Let’s all stay strong and overcome this together!

BLM.

Here at The YUNiversity, we are listening and supporting the Black community. We stand in support and solidarity in means of achieving justice. We are committed to standing against racism, inequality, and hatred. We understand that we have been given a platform, and we choose to utilize it to voice our opinions and educate others. Our voices about this movement will not be silenced but rather amplified as we seek to increase support and awareness for the current situation. Even though we are only teenagers, we have many interesting perspectives that we’d like to share with our viewers. Through this challenging time, we must unite to battle the issues involving systemic racism. Together, we can create change by supporting our fellow brothers/sisters, educating ourselves, and empathizing with the African American community. Although we will never be able to understand what our fellow brothers/sisters are going through, we mourn for them. We are appalled and angry at what we have witnessed involving police brutality. While we realize that we don’t completely understand the context of the whole situation from the perspective of the black community, we plan to fully support them as best as we can from the side and continue to educate ourselves on the matter to advocate and fight for their cause.

George Floyd’s death was not a normal passing. We must remind ourselves that a man was murdered by a policeman for the color of his skin. This was, is, and will never be right. What one decides to do with that fact varies amongst oneself. We must learn to love one another during this time. Similar situations to George Floyd’s death have occurred countless times in the past, as demonstrated by the death of Freddie Gray, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tamir Rice (to name a few). Change needs to be made now. However, once again, many people may have different methods or ideas on how to create change, and we have to respect that. Speaking of change, there are many ways to create change in the comfort of your own homes. You can begin by educating yourself and your loved ones. This can be through films, news, books, podcasts, articles, and more. By reading and stepping into their shoes, it can help you further understand the context of the situation, and it can also help you sympathize with the black community (if you were to lack empathy). The next thing that you can do to pursue change includes reaching out to loved ones and checking on them. Tell them that you are aware, you care, you hear, and you see them. The final step includes advocating and donating. This can look different in many ways. It can be through donating money towards organizations that, for example, provide legal assistance whenever civil liberties are at risk. You can also sign many petitions, which, for example, can help remove racist mayors and political figures from office. Supporting black-owned businesses and calling/texting numbers that help demand justice are also great alternatives. As you can see, change can be created, but we just need to act. Do the best you can to help. Use your platforms to spread the word and inform others on what they can do. Remember, anything helps (we have linked below many resources so that you can start helping)!

Finally, we hope that everybody is staying safe as they protest outside. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we encourage all protesters to wear masks and distance themselves. Protesters contribute greatly to the movement, and we must not risk losing allies to the Coronavirus.

Keep an eye out for our future posts regarding the BLM movement.

👉 Check out a great, informationative video produced by one of the YUNiversity interns. 

The YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Art Dept. | YUNiversity Photo Dept.

These photos were taken from my backyard in late May, when the flowers bloom with extremely vibrant colors. If I’ve learned anything through this time in quarantine, it's that there’s a lot of things that I used to take for granted, particularly with the beauty of nature in my own backyard. Even the most simplest looking of plants can have its flowers blossom. It seems as though this has been the one consistent thing throughout our time in social distancing orders. Nature still hasn’t failed to shine brightly.

Even though I have spent a lot of time in our family’s garden, I usually never looked twice at all of the plants we were cultivating, but the reality is that they are all unique and special in their own different way. During Covid19, I’ve realized now that each of the plants in our yard serve a purpose outside of existing. The flowers attract the bees which help pollinate our greenhouse. The produce such as lettuce and tomatoes not only feed us, but also the diverse amount of insects and animal life within the mini ecosystem. Whether it's out of boredom or curiosity, the purpose of these plants is something that I will never look at the same way ever again, especially after all the time I have spent caring for them and enjoying what they have brought to me during this quarantine. It feels silly to think about something so trivial, something so simple, or even bland. But the truth is, sometimes it’s normal to entertain random thoughts within your head, it can even help relieve the stress that pandemics and humanitarian crises bring on. It’s perfectly fine to want to indulge in the simplicities of life, and to want to clear your head.

Hopefully I was able to inspire you to sometimes just take a deep breath and live within the moment, maybe even think about the simpler things that make up your life. It can really help bring on a sense of calmness, relaxation, and clarity. Stay safe everyone.

YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Writing Dept. | YUNiversity Art Dept.

👉 Read the YUNiversity’s interns collective opinion on BLM through this link. 

👉 Check out this amazing artwork drawn by one of the YUNiversity interns. 

The YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Writing Dept. | YUNiversity Art Dept.

Social Media and its Influence on the Black Lives Matter Movement

By Morgan W.

In today’s society, social media consumes our life, leading to a faster spread of news and information globally. The ubiquity of social media has helped stimulate a new rise in the Black Lives Matter movement through changing perspectives of the police and African Americans. Social media has become a huge factor in helping society see the truth about the injustices that have been occurring for centuries in the past and now in the present. 

The Black Lives Matter phrase and its prominence on social media were not created after George Floyd’s death. Rather, the phrase/hashtag was rekindled. Those three very important words initially appeared in 2013 as a hashtag and were used by a black community organizer in a Facebook post after the death of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager (17 years old) shot by a neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman. As the years carried on, the hashtag continued to gain popularity. 

Social media has helped achieve wonders in all aspects of the world. It has helped rapidly advance our society and has brought the world closer together. The idea that we as human beings can contact another person across the world with a touch of a finger through a device is an astounding innovation. In regards to the BLM movement, however, it has been such a vital piece in helping the movement reach all populations in America. 

In the past, right after the Civil War when racism was more prominent than ever and segregation was occurring, the only means of informing others about the injustices of the death/beating of an activist or person of color was through a phone call. If a civil rights worker in the Deep South needed to get the news out about an occurrence mentioned previously, they would call another line. The other line would be picked up by another civil rights worker who would take down the report (WATS report) and mail it out to lawyers or the Justice Department. Even then, most of the call receivers who answered the phone were white and would, in most cases, redirect or end the calls. It is relieving to know that this generation has formed a better, direct means of communication.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, the most popular forms of social media, have acknowledged the situation that is occurring and has notified their users that they are aware and hurting for the black community. However, the people/users who are using social media are making a bigger change by spreading information through stories, posts, comments, and more. Many are using their own platforms to repost informational posts on how to help and contribute to the movement. For example, resources like places to donate, petitions to sign, movies to watch for education, and black-owned businesses to support are shared. During this time, people have also created trends that have helped others acknowledge the presence of the situation. One of the most famous ones included users infiltrating feeds with black squares and adding the caption #blackouttuesday. While some have had complaints on it, arguing that BLM should not be used as a trend, it has helped rally the community together. Social media also allows us to find out about people who are being oppressed and keeps us accountable for being updated on news. Without social media, we would have never been able to know about the unjustifiable killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, along with other victims of police brutality (the George Floyd video was uploaded by a teenager). Even protests and rallies that are hosted around the country in different communities are gathered through different social media platforms. Many young people prefer social media over the news when it comes to being updated about the situation regarding looting and protesting, particularly because many videos and posts on social media are concise and contain short, informational videos or short captions that appeal to the short attention spans of many teenagers.

Even though social media can be a good thing to help support BLM, there are still, of course, trolls and other users that use social media to advocate against the movement. Many have even blamed social media companies like Facebook and Twitter for allowing some of “the most established voices on these social media platforms belong to conservative commentators whose aim is mocking and subverting social justice movements, rather than supporting them.”(Source 2) A few examples include conservative commentators Terrence K. Williams, Ben Shapiro, and the Hodgetwins, all of whom have had their anti-Black Lives Matter posts go viral. A couple of weeks ago, the most viewed Youtube video of the week belonged to the Republican congressional candidate, Joey Saladino, who held up an “All Lives Matter” sign in a predominantly black neighborhood as a social experiment. Twitter troll accounts have posed as left-wing radicals and have used this identity to create inflammatory hashtag likes #whitelivesmatter and #whiteoutwednesday. With Facebook, “64 percent of the people who joined extremist groups on the platform did so because Facebook’s recommendations algorithms steered them there.” (Source 2)

According to source 2, Rashad Robinson, an American civil rights leader, believes that actions of these social media platforms contradict what they have been displaying to the public. He believes that in order for the platforms to genuinely support the movement, they need to first remove recommendation systems and algorithms that could empower racist and white, conservative nationalists. Another step that Robinson encourages for social media platforms is to create a civil rights experts team that can help root out racism, which could help accurately distinguish what seems racist and remove it from the media.

The YUNiversity Interns | YUNiversity Writing Dept. | YUNiversity Art Dept.

Sources:

1) Anderson, Monica. “History of the Hashtag #BlackLivesMatter: Social Activism on Twitter.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 31 Dec. 2019.

2) Roose, Kevin. “Social Media Giants Support Racial Justice. Their Products Undermine It.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 June 2020.

3) Stephen, Bijan. “How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight the Power.” Wired, Conde Nast, 1 May 2017.