Articles

About Me

I am a rising sophomore majoring in journalism and minoring in political science. I am interested in pursuing a second minor in statistics. 

I am currently the Data and Investigations Editor at Mustang News, with an interest in reporting on university policy and uncovering issues surrounding sexual assault. The intersection of both topics is especially important to me.

In my writing, I hope to blend informative news storytelling with creative and narrative elements to contextualize different experiences. Past experience has involved writing for The Stanford Daily, various writing projects with 826 Valencia and poetry readings.

My Work

Mustang News •

Mask mandate, COVID-19 testing and more: A guide to Cal Poly's rules for summer, fall quarters

Cal Poly lifted its indoor mask mandate Monday, as masks won’t be required for summer and fall quarters as of now, according to a university email that outlined COVID-19 guidelines for the upcoming quarters.

For Summer Institute, Quarter Plus and fall quarter, students not fully vaccinated will be required to upload a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to arrival and complete weekly testing.

The university says all students, regardless of vaccination status, still need to complete their dai
Mustang News •

Cal Poly reinstates mask mandate for remainder of spring quarter

Cal Poly is reinstating its mask mandate for all on-campus facilities starting Tuesday and lasting at least until the end of Spring Commencement on Sunday, June 12. A campus-wide email sent Monday evening cited the rising rate of COVID-19 cases as reason for the mask mandate.

Current San Luis Obispo County orders masking to be “strongly recommended.” The same sentiment is shared for the larger state of California. Other California universities, including UCSB and UCLA, reinstated their mask man
Mustang News •

Leaked Supreme Court draft opinion would overturn Roe v. Wade

The majority of the Supreme Court supports overturning Roe v. Wade legislation, according to a leaked initial draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, which was released by POLITICO on May 2.

The Supreme Court confirmed Tuesday morning that the released draft is an official court document, but is not the final decision.

The 98-page draft opinion outlined the court’s belief of why Roe v. Wade should be overruled, with the main premise being that the Roe and Casey decisions were not aligne
Mustang News •

"He was super smiley and friendly and cared about everybody”: Remembering musician and Cal Poly student Zachary Blanchard

When Zachary “Zach” Blanchard and his brother Josh Blanchard were driving back to their apartment complex in April 2020, Zach continued driving instead of stopping. Josh gave him a call, to which Zach responded, “Oh, I just wanted to sing a bit more. So I just took a detour.”

This memory was two years ago, though singing was not outside the norm for Zach, who sang since he was a kid.

“He just had a very rich, deep, rich sound that everybody really liked,” Susan Blanchard, Zach’s mom, said. “He
Mustang News •

Man stabbed in Downtown SLO, suspect arrested

Editor’s note: This article was updated at 1:45 p.m. on April 24 to include that Samuel Greene was arrested for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

A man was stabbed non-fatally at the intersection of Monterey and Chorro Street Thursday evening.

The suspect, Samuel Greene, 63, was arrested for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

At 5:15 p.m., many calls were made to the San Luis Obispo Police Department regarding a man who had been stabbed at Mission Plaza, according to a city n
Mustang News •

Meet the Sierra Madre dorm dog

Sierra Madre Residence Hall not only hosts students, but also a dorm dog –– Arlo.

Arlo is a Chihuahua, German Shepherd and Corgi mix and his effect on others is described as “phenomenal” by his owner, L Del Rio.

Animal science freshman Del Rio adopted Arlo in December and registered him as an emotional support animal. After getting the required shots for him, Arlo began living with her. Having a dog on campus with her has made the college transition easier, she said.

Del Rio used to live in t
Mustang News •

San Luis Obispo County will no longer hold trial of Flores' for murder of Kristin Smart

Paul and Ruben Flores’ murder trial will not take place in San Luis Obispo County, presiding judge Craig van Rooyen ruled earlier Wednesday morning.

The reasoning for van Rooyen’s decision was mostly attributed to the notoriety of the case in the county. He said that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Flores’ will not receive a fair and impartial trial in San Luis Obispo County.

“I just don’t think this case is discussed around the dinner tables in other places the way it is in this cou
Mustang News •

A judge will decide tomorrow if Kristin Smart murder trial will be held outside of San Luis Obispo. Here's what to expect

The hearing for a change of location in San Luis Obispo’s Kristin Smart murder trial will be held tomorrow morning.

Paul Flores is charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, a Cal Poly freshman who was reported missing in 1996. Ruben Flores, Paul Flores’ father, is charged with accessory to the murder.

The Flores trial is scheduled to begin April 25 — about a year after their arrest.

Defense attorney Robert Sanger filed a motion to move the location of Paul Flores’ trial outside of San Luis Ob
Mustang News •

Cal Poly postpones semester conversion to fall 2026

Cal Poly extended its deadline to switch to semesters amid a change to Cal State’s General Education (GE) system, Academic Affairs announced Wednesday.

Cal poly’s semester system will now start fall 2026 after originally being scheduled to start fall 2025.

Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, the university’s provost and the Academic Affairs executive vice president, said that a CSU executive order implementing a new single GE pattern is expected to come Summer 2024. The CSU’s GE pattern provides a series
Mustang News •

“Disability rights are civil rights”: ADA advocate stresses educational accessibility protections

Civil rights attorney and ADA educator Paul Grossman presented the importance of disability rights and protections in academia. Grossman spoke to Cal Poly and Cuesta College faculty on Feb. 14 which was organized by the disability departments at each college.

Grossman has been involved in civil rights work for 50 years and has spoken to different college campuses, according to Cuesta’s Disabled Student Programs & Services Specialist Lisa Curtis, who introduced Grossman.

Grossman’s presentation
The Stanford Daily •

Recognizing Stanford’s Native communities: International Day of World’s Indigenous People

Aug. 9 marked the 38th celebration of International Day of World’s Indigenous People (IDWIP). According to the United Nations, this international holiday “marks the date of the inaugural session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations at the United Nations in 1982.”

This group was established “with the mandate to develop a set of minimum standards that would protect indigenous peoples.”

According to the World Bank, “Over the last 20 years, Indigenous Peoples’ rights have been increasing
The Stanford Daily •

The summer I revisited my first home country

Summer has always been special to me. Not only does it signify a break from the stress of school, time to sleep in and warm weather — above all, it gives my family a chance to travel.

Ever since I was young, I grew up more familiar with moving trucks than the homes to where they shipped our stuff. Before moving to San Francisco, my family moved from three other locations — the first of them Khon Kaen, Thailand, where my siblings and I were born. Usually, this fact raises eyebrows, as my white s
The Stanford Daily •

A look at the history of racism in mascots at Stanford and schools across the country

On Monday, July 13, the National Football League (NFL) announced that the Washington Redskins will be changing its name due to its racist implications.

The professional football team has been rocked by backlash for its controversial name since 1971, yet team officials only decided to alter the name and mascot a few weeks ago, in the wake of racial injustice protests across the country, after facing pushback from its investors. For now, the team will go by the “Washington Football Team,” and the
The Stanford Daily •

Students host civic organizing virtual conference to innovate the public sector

Hannah Zimmerman ’22 co-founded The Institute of Civic Organizing (TICO), a nonprofit think tank, earlier this year. Now, the group is gearing up for its Scholarship Now and Activism Post-Pandemic Conference (SNAPCON) on Aug. 29, a virtual conference aimed at helping people learn more about civic organizing.

The idea for TICO was inspired by a class Zimmerman took with comparative literature professor David Palumbo-Liu, her experiences as a teaching assistant for various Comparative Studies in
The Stanford Daily •

Eat local at Ettan and Blend Eatery

During this time of social isolation and quarantine, distancing oneself from others has become an epitome of change that we all face. And while we must follow public health guidelines and adapt to safety measures, there is still one thing that can return a sense of normalcy to our lives: food. Whether food has been your favorite pastime or not, we can all agree that all businesses alike — especially local restaurants — are taking a hard hit from the pandemic, as businesses had to close shop for
The Stanford Daily •

Researchers study sleep patterns, determine fireworks boost melatonin levels

For the past few weeks, fireworks have steadily been detonating every night, seemingly out of nowhere.

Although these new bursts of fireworks appear to be detrimental, studies have actually shown that they are not disruptive to sleep patterns, but rather induce higher levels of melatonin in individuals.

Maia Earshurt, a scientist who is known for her study, “If You Have Ears, You Can Hear,” published in the journal “Anyone Is A Scientist If They Have A Lab Coat and Glasses” conducted research
The Stanford Daily •

Eat local at Cuco’s Burritos, Taro San Japanese Noodle Bar, Kirk’s Steakburgers

During this time of social isolation and quarantine, distancing oneself from others has become an epitome of change that we all face. And while we must follow public health guidelines and adapt to safety measures, there is still one thing that can bring a sense of normalcy to our lives: food. Whether or not food has been your favorite pastime, we can all agree that all businesses alike — especially local restaurants — are taking a hard hit from the pandemic, as businesses had to close shop for a
The Stanford Daily •

Stanford professor reflects upon the importance of current protests in BLM webinar

Allyson Hobbs began her July 1 webinar on systemic racism and the historical importance of Black Lives Matter by presenting a portrait of George Floyd wrapped in the colors of the American flag with the words “I Can’t Breathe” painted in place of white stripes. The painting, entitled “In(di)visible,” was created by her friend and Los Angeles-based artist, Constance Brantley. Hobbs noted that she wanted to use art, rather than just circulating images of trauma, to prevent the normalization of abu

Collaborative Articles

Mustang News •

Day 1: Prosecution, defense make their case to the jury in Kristin Smart trial

Editor’s note: The Kristin Smart trial will be covered daily by Mustang News. To stay updated, follow @CPMustangNews on Twitter and Instagram.

The trial of Paul and Ruben Flores began Monday by introducing the jury to the history of Kristin Smart’s disappearance 26 years ago — and what investigations have uncovered since.

Arrested in April 2021, Paul Flores, 45, is being charged with the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart. His father, 81-year-old Ruben Flores is charged with accessory to the murder
Mustang News •

How San Luis Obispo communities are impacted by the California drought

San Luis Obispo County has had its driest year in 128 years with having dropped over nine inches of average precipitation, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.

For local communities, the drought has challenged agricultural industries and has inspired some individuals to adapt to the drier conditions.

Jeremy Rose, a local commercial beekeeper, relies on his beekeeping business, the California Beekeeping Company, to support his family. Rose said that the impact of the
Mustang News •

COVID-19 cases spike, dorm residents told to isolate in place

Cal Poly officials have begun telling students with COVID-19 who live in on-campus dorms to isolate in place, even if they live with roommates in the same room and live on residence halls with over 20 people on the same floor, President Jeffrey Armstrong told Mustang News.

Until now, the isolate-in-place policy was limited to student residents living in on-campus apartments, who live in single rooms and have lower resident occupancies compared to dorms. Armstrong said he is expanding the policy
Mustang News •

Cal Poly postpones semester conversion to fall 2026

Cal Poly extended its deadline to switch to semesters amid a change to Cal State’s General Education (GE) system, Academic Affairs announced Wednesday.

Cal poly’s semester system will now start fall 2026 after originally being scheduled to start fall 2025.

Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, the university’s provost and the Academic Affairs executive vice president, said that a CSU executive order implementing a new single GE pattern is expected to come Summer 2024. The CSU’s GE pattern provides a series
Mustang News •

Masks no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals in Rec Center, PAC, other facilities

Cal Poly students who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear a mask in specific facilities including the Recreation Center and Performing Arts Center. The university will not check the vaccination status of students to determine whether they should be wearing a mask or not.

“For students, it will be self-attestation — by not wearing a mask, they are attesting that they are vaccinated,” university spokesperson Matt Lazier wrote to Mustang News over email. “They will not be requi
The Stanford Daily •

‘Slack Never Slacking’: Parting thoughts on the Summer Journalism Workshop

At the start of this program, an undeniable sense of uncertainty shrouded us. We were concerned that the virtual nature of The Stanford Daily’s Summer Journalism Workshop would make us feel disconnected, and we had doubts about learning journalism over Zoom.

However, 32 articles and one podcast later, our fears have been assuaged. Through Kahoot games and Skribbl.io matches, goofy ice breakers and a Slack channel flooded with party blob emojis, we formed a community whose support was tangible e