By Jaesun Yang ’27 Every June, a peculiar silence falls over the bustling cities of China. The deafening roar of construction sites vanishes, and even the flight paths of major airlines are rerouted to ensure quiet skies. This nationwide stillness is for the "Gaokao," China’s grueling National College Entrance Examination. For more than 13 million candidates, this single test is not just an evaluation; it is a lifeline—a definitive moment that can illuminate their future or l

Emily Cho '27 Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 biographical crime film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr. and Tom Hanks as FBI agent Carl Hanratty. The film is based on the real-life exploits of Abagnale, a teenage fraudster who impersonates a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer while forging millions of dollars in checks - all prior to his twenty-first birthday. As the FBI relentlessly pursues him throughout the entire narrative, it

By Seoyeon (Claudia) Kim ‘28 Olivia Rodrigo is an artist who distills teenage emotions into their most condensed, unvarnished form. Her music is marked by emotional honesty and blunt lyricism. Rather than illustrating an embellished teenage dream, Olivia exposes the underlying truth. Across her discography, the idea of a ‘teenage dream’ evolves alongside her own coming of age. The growth is most evident in brutal and teenage dream — two songs that mirror one another reveal

By Jaesun Yang ’27 Fig. 1: Pre-1979 Iran: women’s everyday fashion before the revolution Today, the most prominent image of Iranian women is often tied to the mandatory hijab and strict dress codes. However, just a few decades ago, the landscape of Iran was remarkably different. Women once chose their own attire and held influential roles in society as independent agents. What historical turning point caused such a drastic shift in such a short time? Let’s explore how the nat

By Seoyeon Claudia Kim ‘28 A runway emerges in the midst of the city. In the most quotidian of places, lies a compilation of the most exquisite brands conceivable. Celebrities adorned in couture step out of their vans only to descend into the most ordinary of places: the subway. Matthieu Blazy presents his second collection since being appointed Creative Director of Chanel. The show articulates the very tenor of what Blazy envisions: a bridge between fantasy and reality, hi

By Jaesun Yang ’27 Campus Tragedy Leaves Two Students Dead, Nine Injured, and a Community in Shock. PROVIDENCE, RI — The normally tranquil campus of Brown University, one of the nation’s most prestigious Ivy League institutions, was shattered by an act of horrific violence on Saturday afternoon, December 13, 2025. An unknown gunman opened fire inside the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building, killing two students and wounding nine others in an attack that has sent r