Erika Siao

In 2015, the World Bank projected that based on the updated poverty line of $1.90 per day, 700 million people, or 9.6 percent of the global population, may be living in poverty.

Friends back home roll their eyes when I say that after a semester here, I became vegetarian, joined Amnesty International and picked up an Ethics concentration in my major. But contrary to popular belief, I have not become a violent anti-fascist, a member of the socialist party or a dissenter of free speech.

In response to this partisan fury, a student group called BridgeCal took on the courageous task of easing tensions by creating a space where all voices are welcomed.