Author: Lisa Zhou

Do you have an interest in food and sustainability? Well, look no further. Food, Culture, and the Environment AC is the class for you. Yes, I realize I sound like an attempt to sell something. But, honestly, it was one of the most eye-opening classes that I have taken since coming to Berkeley. 

During the last school year, I had made so many plans for the summer. One of those things was taking summer courses while working as a UC Ambassador. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I was unable to work on campus anymore, but I could still take summer courses online. By the middle of Spring 2020, I had decided that I wanted to get rid of the American Cultures (AC) course requirement by the university. The name “American Cultures” never really came across as something that was going to be interesting. Rather, it seemed more of a chore to take. So, I had no idea how much I would enjoy Food, Culture, and the Environment AC. read more

Before Covid-19 decided to run rampant throughout my life, I had made one of the best choices taking Landscape Architecture 12. Now I understand that the title of this class may not seem like “BEST FIRST CLASS EVER”, but trust me when I tell you that it absolutely was. 

Imagine an introductory to environmental science class except you get to meet real people (as guest lecturers) from a variety of backgrounds who are or were working on research or projects that were to make the world a more sustainable place. The passion that these guest lecturers gave off talking about their life’s work was inspirational. It felt like I could actually solve climate change, which I can’t. At least not without help anyway. The point is, I had an amazing experience listening to people trying to save the world. That was a bit of a stretch, I admit. But, when you start hearing about all the possibilities that are out there, nothing seems impossible. read more