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# Caelen McQuilkin

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/blog/)
- [Mono County Service Industry Employees Call out Workplace Exploitation](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/mono-county-service-industry-employees-call-out-workplace-exploitation/) - Some residents pay a very high price Published in The Mammoth Times in a two-part series on September 29 and October 6, 2022 Ed. note and content warning: This article contains mention of racial and sexual abuse, as well as descriptions of injury. While the people quoted in this article are anonymous to protect their
- [Blog Post Title](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/blog-post-title/) - What goes into a blog post? Helpful, industry-specific content that: 1) gives readers a useful takeaway, and 2) shows you’re an industry expert. Use your company’s blog posts to opine on current industry topics, humanize your company, and show how your products and services can help people.

## Pages

- [](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/)
- [About Me](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/join-us/) - My name is Caelen McQuilkin I am passionate about writing and sharing stories that build community and solidarity between people. I recently graduated from Amherst College, where I majored in English and American Studies. I've worked as a managing features editor at The Amherst Student, a staff reporter for The Mammoth Times, and a summer
- [Writing for the Mono Lake Committee](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/writing-for-the-mono-lake-committee/) - The Mono Lake Committee is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to the protection and restoration of Mono Lake, an ancient saline lake in Eastern California.
- [Mono Lake Still Needs Saving](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/mono-lake-still-needs-saving/) - A Second Hearing with the California State Water Board Approaches Published in The Desert Report on September 28, 2024 Standing at the shore of Mono Lake and looking out across the rippling water, you are looking at one unique and specific ecosystem, but also a thread that weaves together many landscapes, causes, and bodies of
- [Reporting for The Mammoth Times](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/reporting-for-the-mammoth-times/) - The Mammoth Times is a local newspaper that covers the Eastern Sierra region of California. It's the main newspaper that covers my home town of Lee Vining, and one of two newspapers for the broader region.
- [Senior Thesis Project](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/senior-thesis-project/) - The Middle of Somewhere: Stories from Lee Vining, California In Chapter 1, I write using scholarship on the liberatory potential of oral history and archive work, and how it has informed my thinking about stories. In Chapter 2, I use archival and historical sources to write about history in the Lee Vining area, taking a
- [Reporting for The Amherst Student](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/reporting-for-the-amherst-student/) - Founded in 1868, The Amherst Student is the student-run newspaper of Amherst College.
- [Reporting for The Current Georgia](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/reporting-for-the-current-georgia/) - The Current is a local news outlet in Savannah. It produces thoughtful, in-depth journalism for coastal Georgia, including investigative and features-style pieces.
- [Organism New to Science Found in Mono Lake's Water](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/organism-new-to-science-found-in-mono-lakes-water/) - Published on the Mono Lake Committee Blog on September 19, 2024 Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley discovered a new organism living in Mono Lake’s water—a species of choanoflagellate they named Barroeca monosierra. Choanoflagellates are single-celled, microscopic organisms that primarily feed on bacteria. Scientists have found that B. monosierra is unique because instead of only consuming bacteria,
- [Summer Staff Reflect on Their Paths to Mono Lake](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/summer-staff-reflect-on-their-paths-to-mono-lake/) - Published on the Mono Lake Committee's blog on August 19, 2024 Every summer, the Mono Lake Committee hires interns who work in interpretation, education, science, information, and more, while living in Lee Vining for the months they work here. Many permanent staff at the Committee today will tell you how they started their time here as interns,
- [Opinion Pieces](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/opinion-pieces/)
- [Creative Writing](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/creative-writing/)
- [Senior Thesis Q&A](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/senior-thesis-qa/) - In this interview, I answered questions about my senior thesis project and what it means to me. The transcript was published in The Amherst Student on September 20, 2023. Caelen McQuilkin ’24E is majoring in American Studies and English. In her thesis, she takes a deep dive into her home town of Lee Vining, California.
- [You Won't Bell-ieve It: Inquiries on the Johnson Chapel Bell](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/you-wont-bell-ieve-it-inquiries-on-the-johnson-chapel-bell/) - Published in The Amherst Student on December 13, 2023 We hear it every day, on the hour — or at least close to the hour. The Johnson Chapel bell: How does it ring? Who oversees this process? And what are some stories connected to this noise, which sometimes fades into the subconscious, yet remains a
- [After Protest Arrests, UMass Pro-Palestine Coalition Reaffirms Demands](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/after-protest-arrests-umass-pro-palestine-coalition-reaffirms-demands/) - Published in The Amherst Student on November 1, 2023 After the last of the 57 UMass Amherst students arrested last week during a pro-Palestine sit-in was arraigned on Tuesday, a new coalition of student groups behind the protest reiterated their commitment to ending the university’s ties to companies funding the Israeli military. Standing outside East
- [Two Years After Policy Change, an Update on Casual Employment](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/two-years-after-policy-change-an-update-on-casual-employment/) - Published in The Amherst Student on October 25, 2023 Students know Valentine Dining Hall as a space for dining, but it is also a place of work with its own stories relating to labor, pay, and staff experiences. As of this fall, the college employs 143 people in the dining hall. In any given week,
- [Imagining Infinity (maybe)](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/imagining-infinity-maybe/) - 1. This past January, I spent a lot of time reading children’s books — Pete the Cat, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Goosebumps, Blueberries for Sal. Turning through their brightly illustrated pages of blueberry bushes, ghosts and monsters, and the hungry caterpillar’s array of food, I remembered doing the same thing as a child, entranced by
- [Camden County Looks to Move Voting Precinct Boundaries](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/camden-county-looks-to-move-voting-precinct-boundaries/) - Published in The Current Georgia on July 28, 2023 The Camden County Board of Elections and Registration (BoER) is considering changes to voting precinct boundaries. They have appointed a New Precinct Opportunities Committee to address concerns from the public and elections officials. The NPOC had its first meeting in June, when it began discussions about improving
- [Coastal Georgia Celebrates Juneteenth](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/coastal-georgia-celebrates-juneteenth/) - Published in The Current GA on June 19, 2023 Juneteenth celebrations filled the weekend as Coastal Georgia communities commemorated the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The holiday name is a combination of “June” and “nineteenth,” marking the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger issued an order proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas —
- [Dog Days of Summer](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/dog-days-of-summer/) - Published in The Current GA on July 20, 2023 I believe there’s a story in everything, and that’s part of the reason I love hot dogs. And if you happened to walk past Waters Cafe between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. yesterday, you’d have found many stories there. Over the course of five and a
- [School bus driver shortage worsens as growing economy drivers workers elsewhere](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/school-bus-driver-shortage-worsens-as-growing-economy-drivers-workers-elsewhere/) - Published in The Current GA on July 17, 2023 Alejandro Del Razo is a Chatham County parent who strives to give his daughter the best education possible. He had to give up his job to do it. That’s because the 2022 regional commercial driver shortage meant the county school system had to ration school bus
- [Update: Commission Denies Demolitions Near Forsyth Park](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/update-commission-denies-demolitions-near-forsyth-park/) - Published in The Current GA on June 27, 2023 Editor’s note: This article was updated June 28 to include updates from the Historic Preservation Commission debate and vote. Some people call them “legitimate and distinguished components” of Savannah’s architectural history. Others see them as an “urban planning blunder, a missing tooth on the face of
- ["I'm in my seventh decade of waiting for recognition:" Listening to the voices behind the Mono Lake Kutzadika'a Tribe's fight for federal recognition](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/listening-to-the-voices-behind-the-mono-lake-kutzadikaa-tribes-fight-for-federal-recognition/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on July 22, 2021 “Consider this whole area,” says Tribal Chairwoman Charlotte Lange. “Before time immemorial, there were over 10,000 of our relatives that lived here, and moved around this whole lake for gathering, eating, getting ready for winter and summer. This is quite unique, this whole area here.” She
- [Staff Spotlight: Michael Riley](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/staff-spotlight-michael-riley/) - Published in The Amherst Student on April 26, 2023 Mike Riley is a custodian at the college who most often works in the Science Center. In this interview, Riley shared stories from his life before Amherst and reflected on how he has learned and used the kindness that so many know him for. Except where
- [Campus Corners: Amherst Queer History Timeline](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/campus-corners-amherst-queer-history-timeline/) - Published in The Amherst Student on March 8, 2023 Enter the Queer Resource Center (QRC) on the second floor of Keefe Campus Center and, hanging by the window, you can find several large purple posters lined up together — a timeline documenting important figures, groundbreaking groups, and pivotal moments in the history of queer people
- [Digging Into the Process of Snow Removal on Campus](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/digging-into-the-process-of-snow-removal-on-campus/) - Published in The Amherst Student on March 29, 2023 “Auxiliary Services has worked through the night to clear the campus walkways and roads.” When students open their inboxes during the winter, we’re often greeted by this phrase — a snowstorm hits, and we await the announcement about whether campus is clear enough to continue operations
- [What Happens After Dorm Damage?](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/what-happens-after-dorm-damage/) - Published in The Amherst Student on December 7, 2022 At the end of a weekend at Amherst, it’s common for dorm residents to see exit signs removed from their ceilings, vending machines tipped over and smashed, bathroom stall doors ripped off their hinges, and more — different types of dorm damage from weekend parties. We
- [Returning Home: Shaping Education in the Navajo Nation — Alumni Profile, Shayla Yellowhair ’07](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/returning-home-shaping-education-in-the-navajo-nation-alumni-profile-shayla-yellowhair-07/) - Published in The Amherst Student on November 13, 2021 If you ask Shayla Yellowhair ’07 what the purpose of her job is, she’ll tell you, “I work to disrupt systems.” At Amherst or at home, in Window Rock, Arizona, capital of the Navajo Nation — of which she is a citizen — Yellowhair has done
- [Overworked and Underpaid: College Employees Report Mistreatment](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/overworked-and-underpaid-college-employees-report-mistreatment/) - Published in The Amherst Student on September 8, 2021 Amid a nationwide hiring slump, the college is struggling to fill positions in a number of departments, including dining, custodial services and Covid safety. As a result, staff members and department directors report worsening workplace conditions, including frequent department transfers and an increase in typical workload
- [Los Empleados de la Industria de Servicios Denuncian la Explotación en el Lugar de Trabajo](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/los-empleados-de-la-industria-de-servicios-denuncian-la-explotacion-en-el-lugar-de-trabajo/) - Algunos residentes pagan un precio muy alto Publicada el Mammoth Times en un series de dos partes en September 28 and October 5, 2022 En tres años escribiendo para The Mammoth Times, y una vida en el condado de Mono, he sentido que la cobertura sobre las experiencias de los empleados de la industria de
- [Indigenous Students Reflect on Community, Identity and Need for Change](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/indigenous-students-reflect-on-community-identity-and-need-for-change/) - Published in The Amherst Student on October 20, 2021 In light of Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 11, The Student spoke with members of the Native and Indigeous Students Association (NISA) to gather perspectives on the experience of being Indigenous at Amherst. Interviewees discussed the role that community plays in their lives, as well as
- [Geologists Build Community, Empowerment in GUAC](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/geologists-build-community-empowerment-in-guac/) - Published in The Amherst Student on November 16, 2022 “When people think of geology, they’re like, ‘Oh my god, rocks.’ Period. That’s it. Nothing about the people who study them,” said Isabelle Caban ’23. “But we [as geologists] are shaping the field we are in, which means our identities are important, and they should be
- [Fresh Faculty: Jungeun Kim](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/fresh-faculty-jungeun-kim/) - Published in the Amherst Student on February 22, 2023. "Fresh Faculty" is a tri-weekly column where The Student features new faculty at the college. Caelen McQuilkin: The first question I wanted to ask you is, how did you first become interested in dance? J.e. Kim: I don’t remember, but my mom said I always liked to dance.
- [Fresh Faculty: Victor Wei Ke Yang](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/fresh-faculty-victor-wei-ke-yang/) - Published in The Amherst Student on September 7, 2022. "Fresh faculty" is a tri-weekly spotlight where The Student features new faculty at the college. Q: What do you think first brought you to love writing? A: When I was in college, I was pre-med. I majored in something called history in science. I studied the history
- [Employees Speak up on College's Casual Employment System](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/employees-speak-up-on-colleges-casual-employment-system/) - Published in The Amherst Student on September 22, 2021 Walk into Valentine Dining Hall on a crowded night for dinner, and some see panini presses, waffle makers and green containers waiting to box up their next meal. Others see an elaborate system of moving parts, where one misstep could set off a ricochet of related
- [Employees Reflect on New Benefited Positions](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/employees-reflect-on-new-benefited-positions/) - Published in The Amherst Student on February 23, 2022 Following President Biddy Martin’s Nov. 17 announcement of the college’s new plan to convert a significant number of its casual employees to benefited positions, 23 Dining Services employees have had their positions converted from casual to benefited. These employees have since received a wage increase, as
- [Commencement Profile Arzoo Rajpar: Crafting Art, Empowerment, and Agency](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/commencement-profile-arzoo-rajpar-crafting-art-empowerment-and-agency/) - Published in The Amherst Student on May 27, 2022 “I think that art can be whatever it is,” said Arzoo Rajpar ’22, “but I was interested in making it meaningful in the ways I wanted to.” Even just an hour-and-a-half-long conversation with Rajpar provides a strong sense of how she brings this idea to fruition
- [College Raises Wages, Employees Reflect](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/college-raises-wages-employees-reflect/) - Published in The Amherst Student on May 4, 2022 On April 1, a compensation increase took effect for all college employees whose annual compensation had been below $85,000. The compensation changes, which were communicated to all staff and faculty in a March 26 email from President Biddy Martin, are separate from the college’s annual salary pool increase
- [College Librarians Rethink and Reframe Research](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/college-librarians-rethink-and-reframe-research/) - Published in The Amherst Student on November 2, 2022 The experience is one almost every Amherst student knows: You’ve been assigned a paper to write, but have no idea where to begin. So what do you do? The college’s research librarians are here to help. According to the website for Amherst’s research and instruction department,
- [College Ends Legacy Admissions, Expands Financial Aid; Community Reacts](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/college-ends-legacy-admissions-expands-financial-aid-community-reacts/) - Published in The Amherst Student on October 27, 2021 In an email sent to the college community on Oct. 20, President Biddy Martin announced that starting in the 2022-2023 academic year, the college will end its legacy admission preference — which confers an admissions advantage to children of alumni — as well as implement an
- [As 2020 Election Comes to a Close, Amherst Community Processes Biden Victory, Looks to the Work Ahead](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/thoughts-and-reflections-as-amherst-students-process-the-2020-election-results/) - Published in The Amherst Student on November 11, 2020 Just before noon on Saturday, Nov. 7, multiple accredited news stations reported that former Vice President Joe Biden had won the vote in Pennsylvania, clinching him enough electoral college seats to secure the presidency. If nothing else, Biden’s victory signified the conclusion of a prolonged and
- [ACPD Unmarks Vehicles, Prompting Student Concern](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/acpd-unmarks-vehicles-prompting-student-concern/) - Published in The Amherst Student on March 30, 2022 Content warning: this article contains mention of police violence. Over winter break, the Amherst College Police Department (ACPD) removed the labeling from three of its vehicles, making its five-vehicle fleet now entirely unmarked. While Chief of Police John Carter stated that unlabeling the vehicles was an
- [ACPD Responds About Vehicle Unmarking, Community Reacts](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/acpd-responds-about-vehicle-unmarking-community-reacts/) - Published in The Amherst Student on April 6, 2022 In an email sent to faculty, students, and staff on Friday, April 1, Chief of Police John Carter issued a response to criticism over his recent decision to unmark all Amherst College Police Department (ACPD) vehicles. He expressed regret for not consulting with the community prior
- [Accessing Amherst: Tracing Historical Admissions Changes](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/accessing-amherst-tracing-historical-admissions-changes/) - Published in The Amherst Student on May 4, 2022 In 1821, Amherst College was founded with the mission to educate “indigent [poor] young men of piety and talents for the Christian ministry.” In the past 200 years, how has this mission been delivered and how has it evolved? Today, Amherst is the second most diverse
- [Accessing Amherst: Stories of Current Admissions Pathways](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/accessing-amherst-stories-of-current-admissions-pathways/) - Published in The Amherst Student on May 11, 2022 How do students make their way to Amherst College? Last week, The Student explored some of the history of Amherst’s initiatives to reach more students, communities, and high schools, particularly ones with less historic access to higher education. This week, we take a look at how those
- ["Time Stopped": Amherst Reflects on Two Years of Covid](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/time-stopped-amherst-reflects-on-two-years-of-covid/) - Published in The Amherst Student on March 9, 2022 On this day, March 9, of 2020, the President’s Office sent out an email with the subject line “COVID-19: Major Changes.” The email announced that, due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus across the nation, the college would be switching to remote learning, with all
- ['Nuestras Voces' Event Uplifts Bilingual Voices](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/nuestras-voces-event-uplifts-bilingual-voices/) - Published in The Amherst Student on April 20, 2022 On Wednesday, April 13, 16 students presented poetry, videos, and art for the inaugural “Nuestras Voces” (“Our Voices”) event, organized by Senior Lecturer in Spanish Carmen Granda and her students in LLAS/SPAN-205: “Finding Your Bilingual Voice.” Taking place in the Ford Event Space with an audience
- [Quick Questions: How Much Does Dorm Damage Cost?](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/quick-questions-how-much-does-dorm-damage-cost/) - Published in The Amherst Student on February 8, 2023 Last December, The Student reported on the impact of repeated instances of dorm damage on custodial staff and the facilities department. After the article was published, we obtained additional information on the total monetary cost of these damages. Over the course of the Fall 2022 semester, where the
- [On Concrete and Basketball](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/on-concrete-and-basketball/) - Published in the Spring 2022 issue of The Indicator, Amherst College's student-run literary magazine. The theme for this issue was "break."
- [About a Place Between Places](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/about-a-place-between-places/) - Published in the Fall 2022 issue of The Indicator, Amherst College's literary magazine. The theme for this issue was "bridges."
- [Beyond John Muir: How Chinese Immigrants Helped Build Yosemite](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/beyond-john-muir-how-chinese-immigrants-helped-build-yosemite/) - 10th Annual Yosemite-Sing Peak Pilgrimage Celebrates an Oft-Hidden Park History Published in two installments in The Mammoth Times on August 25, 2022 and September 1, 2022 Highway 120, or the Tioga Road, shapes many human lives today as it connects the Eastern Sierra to Yosemite National Park, a point of passage that provides economic livelihood
- [Local students learn science, nutrition, cooperation in community garden](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/local-students-learn-science-nutrition-cooperation-in-community-garden/) - Win-win for kids, community Published in The Mammoth Times on August 4, 2022 Over summer break, teachers, students, and community members installed four new garden beds at Lee Vining Elementary and Middle School. The idea of an elementary school garden has been brainstormed and dreamed of for some time now, and the bed installation was
- [Bishop Hosts First Ever Water Justice Summit](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/bishop-hosts-first-ever-water-justice-summit/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on August 18, 2022 Earlier this month, a group of local residents and other citizens from all across the Great Basin whose focus is on water issues gathered for the first ever Great Basin Water Justice Summit, held in the city of Bishop. Their focus was on equitable access to
- [High Gas Prices Hit Locals Hardest](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/high-gas-prices-hit-locals-hardest-2/) - First drop in months still leaves Mono with some of highest prices in nation Published in The Mammoth Times on July 14, 2022 For the past few months, gas prices across the nation have been steadily rising until last week when prices dropped slightly for the first time all season, right before July 4, to
- [Mammoth, Mono Struggle to Find Employees](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/mammoth-mono-struggle-to-find-employees/) - Summer Demands Outstrip Hiring Published in The Mammoth Times on July 28, 2022 Local businesses in Mono County have seen a wide range of changing economic conditions over the past three years, including alterations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and changing prices across the nation and world. The tourism that runs so much
- [](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/wherever-my-classmates-go-they-will-not-forget-where-they-came-from/) - "Wherever my classmates go, they will not forget where they came from" Lee Vining High School’s 2022 grads reflect on the past; lean forward to the future Published in The Mammoth Times on 6-9-22 On Friday, June 10, the twelve seniors who make up Lee Vining High School’s graduating class of 2022 will walk across
- [Safety Committee Members Reflect on Report's Impact](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/safety-committee-members-reflect-on-reports-impact/) - Published in The Amherst Student on April 27, 2022 Last week, on April 18, President Biddy Martin announced that the board of trustees had voted to keep the Amherst College Police Department (ACPD) armed, despite repeated calls for disarmament from students over the last two years. The announcement came after the release of the final report that the Campus
- [Roxane Gay Brings Humor and Wisdom to Amherst](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/roxane-gay-brings-humor-and-wisdom-to-amherst/) - Published in The Amherst Student on March 30, 2022 Author and cultural critic Roxane Gay brought reactions ranging from roars of laughter to somber and thoughtful snaps of agreement this past Friday, March 25, when the Women’s and Gender Center (WGC) hosted her for a keynote conversation in Johnson Chapel. In her talk, Gay spoke about a
- [Local Tribes Point the Way to Living with a New Climate](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/local-tribes-point-the-way-to-living-with-a-new-climate/) - Published in a 2-part series in The Mammoth Times on February 17th and March 3rd, 2022 As the year 2022 begins and we find ourselves no longer just anticipating, but experiencing the impacts of climate change, many are left wondering what, exactly, has changed in our way of life and how we might envision the
- [As College Announces Anti-Racism Plan Updates, Some Students Lament Slowed Progress](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/as-college-announces-anti-racism-plan-updates-some-students-lament-slowed-progress/) - Published in The Amherst Student on October 14, 2021 Last week, on Oct. 4, President Biddy Martin emailed the college community with an update on the college’s Anti-Racism Action Plan. The email outlined progress and developments within the sectors of the plan, which generally center around changing the makeup of Amherst College staff and faculty,
- [Bound by Water: Environmental Justice from Los Angeles to Mono Lake](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/bound-by-water-environmental-justice-from-los-angeles-to-mono-lake/) - Los Angeles-based activists share their thoughts on racial justice in the context of the Mono Basin-Los Angeles watershed Published in the Opinion section of The Mammoth Times on September 2, 2021, in addition to the websites of the community-based organizations interviewed for this article Carried by the Los Angeles Aqueduct, water diverted from snowmelt in
- [Protecting Peehee Muh'huh, or Thacker Pass, Means Protecting the Eastern Sierra, too](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/protecting-peehee-muhhuh-or-thacker-pass-means-protecting-the-eastern-sierra-too/) - Published in the Opinion section of The Mammoth Times on August 19, 2021 Drive slightly east and then five hours north out of Lee Vining, and you’ll find yourself in Thacker Pass, a wide-open landscape of sagebrush and sloping hills, achingly beautiful in that special high desert way. Drive slightly east and then five hours
- [College PPE Donations Bolster Local Hospitals, Emergency Services](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/college-ppe-donations-bolster-local-hospitals-emergency-services/) - Published in The Amherst Student on April 17, 2020 As the coronavirus pandemic continues to deplete hospitals and emergency services of the resources required to treat patients of the virus, the college has begun donating masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to local essential services, such as the Baystate Medical Center, the Amherst
- [Black Visions Collective Activist Discusses the Need for Intersectional Environmental Justice in Campus Virtual Visit](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/kyra-brown-on-black-lives-matter-policing-and-environmental-justice/) - Published in The Amherst Student on October 6, 2020 Kyra Brown, an environmental justice activist and social media strategist at Black Visions Collective, gave a virtual talk on the Black Lives Matter movement, policing and environmental justice for the college community this past Thursday; the talk covered the inextricable links between racism and climate change
- [With Abundance of Cartons, Campus Questions ‘Is Boxed Water Really Better?’](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/is-boxed-water-really-better/) - Published in The Amherst Student on September 23, 2020 To keep students hydrated and Covid-free in the fall semester, the college has turned to an out-of-the-box alternative: Boxed Water. The switch to packaged water was made concurrently with the college’s shift to a grab-and-go dining model last spring. However, the proliferation of Boxed Water has
- [Uncertainty and Hope as Staff Adapt to Remote Working Conditions](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/amherst-faculty-staff-reflect-on-transition-to-remote-learning-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/) - Published in The Amherst Student on April 3, 2021 A wide variety of changes to the duties of essential staff members have moved swiftly across campus in the wake of the college’s decision to move to a remote work model on March 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes to the jobs remaining on
- [Student Political Groups Race to Organize and Get Out the Vote With Election on the Horizon](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/student-organizing-in-anticipation-of-the-2020-election/) - Published in The Amherst Student on November 3, 2020 As the 2020 presidential election draws to its close, student organizations have ramped up their efforts to shape the election’s outcome and the Amherst community’s response to it. Motivated by differing and overlapping feelings of anxiety, hope and concern for the nation’s future, the groups have
- [Mono Lake Level Not Rising on Schedule](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/mono-lake-is-not-rising-on-schedule/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on June 24, 2021 Twenty seven years after the California State Water Board’s decision to protect Mono Lake by limiting Los Angeles’ water diversions, a combination of environmental changes and water diversion changes have left the lake eleven feet below the Water Board’s established management level, less than halfway to
- [Mammoth Middle School’s Emilie Wisner is in a class of her own, receives prestigious "educator of the year" award](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/mammoth-middle-schools-emilie-wisner-is-in-a-class-of-her-own-receives-prestigious-educator-of-the-year-award/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on February 18, 2021 Mammoth Middle School math and science teacher Emilie Wisner is in a class by herself, after receiving the prestigious California League of Middle Schools ‘Educator of the Year’ award for her teaching during the 2019-2020 school year. Of the 150 nominees in the region that MUSD
- [First local to get Covid-19 pleads for individual responsibility](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/first-local-to-get-covid-19-pleads-for-individual-responsibility/) - In hospital for 64 days, key to overall recovery is now in our own hands, Gregg Garfield says Published in The Mammoth Times on December 23, 2020 Mono County continued to hold an unenviable spot in the state’s Covid-19 statistics this week, coming in as one of the counties with the highest test positivity rates
- [Back to School Week has Never Looked Like This: Online learning only for Mono students as Covid-19 cases increase](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/a-back-to-school-day-like-no-other/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on August 19, 2020 Mammoth Unified School District and Eastern Sierra Unified School District are prohibited from resuming in-seat instruction in the fall, following Mono County’s recent placement on the California Department of Public Health Monitoring List. The end result is every student in the county started school this week
- [Young Bridgeport Residents Share a New Take on July 4 Holiday](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/young-bridgeport-residents-share-a-new-take-on-july-4-holiday/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on July 8th, 2021 If you’ve spent more than a year of your life in Mono County, you’ve probably heard of it: Bridgeport’s Fourth of July celebrations. Three days of the year spent on funnel cake, fireworks, picnics, grease pole climbing competitions and family fun. Three days of the year
- [Andrea Santillán, estudiante de último año de la escuela secundaria Lee Vining, obtiene la prestigiosa beca QuestBridge, con el Claremont McKenna College](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/andrea-santillan-estudiante-de-ultimo-ano-de-la-escuela-secundaria-lee-vining-obtiene-la-prestigiosa-beca-questbridge-con-el-claremont-mckenna-college/) - Publicado en The Mammoth Times en 17 de deciembre, 2020 Crédito de traducción: Santiago M. Escruceria En la tarde del 1 de diciembre, Andrea Santillán, estudiante de último año de la escuela secundaria Lee Vining, no podía dejar de revisar su teléfono, por una buena razón. Estaba esperando la tan esperada noticia sobre su decisión
- [Hope Emerges from Ashes of Mountain View Fire](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/hope-emerges-from-ashes-of-mountain-view-fire/) - Need a shovel? A can of soup? In Walker, Jennifer and Neva Baker turn donation center into a place of refuge Published in The Mammoth Times on January 28, 2021 It’s an icy cold, gray winter day in Walker but the Mountain View Donation Center is warm and filled with light. Jennifer and Neva Baker
- [A better way to burn: Local Indigenous leaders say fire can be a force for good](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/a-better-way-to-burn-local-indigenous-leaders-say-fire-can-be-a-force-for-good/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on July 29, 2021 Under a smoky sky last week, backdropped by a landscape visibly scarred by wildfire, leaders and activists of tribes from Eastern California and Western Nevada, including the Mono Lake Kutzadika’a tribe, hosted a field visit in the Mono Basin to educate locals about the benefits of
- [Lee Vining High School Senior Andrea Santillán Obtains Prestigious QuestBridge Scholarship, Matches with Claremont McKenna College](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/lee-vining-high-school-senior-andrea-santillan-obtains-prestigious-questbridge-scholarship-matches-with-claremont-mckenna-college/) - Published in The Mammoth Times on December 17, 2020 On the afternoon of December 1st, Lee Vining High School senior Andrea Santillán couldn’t stop checking her phone--for good reason. She was waiting for the much-anticipated news about her college admissions decision. “I was just looking at my phone, waiting for the email. I knew it
- [Latino Community Hit Hardest by Rise in Covid-19 Cases](https://caelenmcquilkin.org/latino-community-hit-hardest-by-rise-in-covid-19-cases/) - Essential workers are keeping our county running through a global pandemic. Service workers are making it possible for the economy to reopen. In Mono County, Latinos make up a large percentage of both these groups. They have been hardest-hit by the county’s recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases, a disproportionate effect that has laid bare