-
Listen Listen
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
-
There could be similar buyout programs in the future if federal funding is available.
-
The Orange County city was poised to become the first city in California to allow non-US citizens to vote if Measure DD passed.
-
Valerie Amezcua, the incumbent, and Benjamin Vazquez face off to be the next mayor of Orange County's second most populated city.
-
Three of the council’s progressive voices were up for reelection.
-
If the measure passes, Santa Ana will become the first city in California to allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in its municipal elections.
-
The majority have favored mail in voting, elections officials report.
-
Home prices will be determined by pre-disaster appraisals.
-
Do entered a not guilty plea, which he is expected to change on Thursday.
-
Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do was one of the state’s highest elected Vietnamese American politicians. He resigned on Tuesday.
-
La medida enmendaría los estatutos de la ciudad de Santa Ana para permitir que los residentes no ciudadanos voten en las elecciones municipales.
-
La alcaldesa actual, Valerie Amezcua, se postula para la reelección. Ella está siendo desafiada por el concejal Benjamín Vázquez.
-
Over 200 homes have been without power for weeks now because of accelerated land movement.
