Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal is running for a spot on the School Committee for the first time. Villarreal believes he’s qualified because he’s lived ...

Quentin Tarantino. The name holds some weight. Tarantino is a critically acclaimed director, writer, and producer who has written and directed ten major films, arguably all of which became cult classics. His third film, which made him a household name and precipitated his rise into A-list levels of fame, was Pulp Fiction.

My CIEE trip was focused on language and culture and based in Rabat, Morocco. I heard about the program from Mr. Dagher, the Arabic teacher at CRLS, and was immediately intrigued by the possibility of learning more Arabic as well as exploring another culture I knew nothing about.  The exposure and immersion I had while abroad gave me a much better understanding of not only Moroccan culture, but my own American culture. Not until after I left Morocco did I really feel any sort of culture shock. Back in the US, I am constantly thinking about the important characteristics  of American culture that we don’t always realize. The stereotypes that surround Muslims and Arabs in America, the difficulty of immigrating here, the desire to search for opportunity in America, language, and class-associated barriers were all things that were immediately more noticeable when I returned. Additionally, the assumed privileges of American life, such as money, opportunity, and the idea that all products are better in America stood out to me in a way it hadn’t before.

Even before declaring his presidential campaign, former Vice President Joe Biden was the 2020 Democratic frontrunner. Sound familiar? In 2015, once Hillary Clinton announced her campaign, she quickly moved above the pack and joined a crowd of well-known establishment Democrats in the running for the nomination.