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Yusra Farzan
What I cover
I report on issues affecting students (prospective and current), their families and communities. Some big questions I am pondering on this beat: who are higher education institutions set up to serve? Who determines who has access to these institutions? How is changing technology affecting higher education? Is access to higher education a ticket to a different trajectory in life?
My background
I didn’t think about university up until I graduated high school. Neither of my grandparents nor parents had completed college. We were residents in the UAE and that residency was dependent on my dad holding down his job. A college degree was a nice to have, not a need to have in my family. And it was only thanks to a combination of luck (Sri Lanka’s civil war ended), grit (I balanced 3 freelance jobs and a paid internship) and sheer determination (I dodged countless marriage proposals) that I graduated with a degree.
And it’s these forces that led me to complete my master’s in race and social justice reporting from USC almost a decade later. (Add a 2-year-old to the mix and grieving the sudden death of my mother.)
I previously covered Orange County for LAist.
My goals
I want to find what works and expose what doesn't, and help students and their families find solutions to their problems.
Best way to reach me
Covering Southern California’s universities and community colleges can be a lot, so I need your help in being my eyes and ears on the ground. If you have a tip, you can email me at yfarzan@laist.com or on Signal at username: @yusramf.25
Stories by Yusra Farzan
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Couple accused of impersonating firefighters in Palisades Fire — complete with their own fire engineThe couple, prosecutors say, bought the fire engine at an auction and now face 180 days in jail.
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Amy Phan West allegedly tried to stop her husband’s Jeep from getting towed.
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The City Council this week approved taking money from other infrastructure projects to help pay for dewatering wells.
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Firefighters had to battle multiple fire that cropped up heading into what forecasters say could be a rainy weekend.
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Around 38,000 people are under evacuation warnings after the fire quickly grew to more than 10,300 acres.
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Should you sell? Do you pay the mortgage if everything was lost? LAist has answers.
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“It just has to make us stronger. We can't let it go someplace else.”
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What happens to security deposits? Who pays for repairs? LAist answers these and other questions from tenants affected by the L.A. fires.
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The debris could contain harmful substances, which can have short- and long-term health consequences.
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Beaches are closed from Laguna Beach to Aliso Viejo.
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Let us help you separate fact from fiction.
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The vote comes after the county decided not to open additional winter shelters this year.
