KQED's Perspectives

Paul Staley says there's a whole lot of mutating going on.

Paul C. Kelley Campos is the first in his family to be born in the U.S. and to decide to move here permanently.

Michael Ellis looks at a graceful, migrating bird long identified with a historic Orange County mission.

Kym Johnson says child care providers are essential workers, but lack the pay, support and respect they deserve.

Richard Swerdlow is among those whose mother is no longer here to receive a call on Mother's Day.

Jessica O'Dwyer's journey as a writer started with personal journals, a practice she still keeps.

At age 70, Jolie Kanat says life is more answers than questions. 

Youth Takeover week concludes with Emerald Yu literally finding her voice and changing her life.

YR Media's Tiya Birru uses the principles of intersectional feminism to deal with issues of racism and sexism.

Youth Takeover week continues, Gijeong Gerdes shares what family means to him.

For Youth Takeover week, Kailyn Holty says a world of possibility open up when she abandoned the need to be perfect.

Its Youth Takeover week at KQED and Kaitlyn Huang is practicing the art of girl boss energy to improve her self-confidence. A few weeks ago, I was walking with my friend when he pointed down to his shoes.  “Oh!” I exclaimed. “Nice new shoes!” He was devastated, because he had actually been wearing them for weeks and I hadn’t noticed. It was weird that I hadn’t noticed. Then it hit me that I don’t look at people’s shoes anymore. I was dumbfounded.  Back in middle school, I felt like there was an object constantly weighing my head down, making sneakers the lucky recipients of my gaze. It was my Gilded Age of Insecurity, when I looked my best, but felt the worst. I suffered the typical bouts of tween insecurities: You know, the ‘how does one survive among these geniuses’ or, ‘my face… ‘what a horror’. Being insecure felt exhausting.  So, when I stepped onto high school as a freshman, I was determined not to repeat my middle school years. I envisioned a glorious mental revolution to regain my confidence, but I didn’t know how to start. Yet I did know that I should at least look confident.  So, with nothing to lose, I faked my confidence. Despite struggling with my insecurities, I still decided to channel what our generation calls girl boss energy. I had a simple agenda: Keep my head up, walk with purpose, raise my hand, and speak with actual periods at the end of sentences. It was quite the ordeal. But those consistent actions eventually became habits, making me look more confident by the day.  Soon, I became convinced that I was confident, and this feeling accumulated to the point when, a few days ago, without much thinking, I winked at myself in the mirror and said, “Kaitlyn, you rock.” I was in disbelief.  From my experiences, it’s hard to find inner confidence, but it’s easier to look like you found it. Keep that head up. Speak assertively. Dress the way that makes you feel good. Those are behaviors that naturally tell you that you can –– and will –– have confidence in yourself one day.  With a Perspective, I’m Kaitlyn Huang. Kaitlyn Huang attends Los Altos High School. Her piece was produced with free curriculum from KQED’s Perspectives Youth Media Challenge.

Dr. Baldeep Singh says that many patients are waving off non-COVID tests and screens during the pandemic.

Mac Clayton explores the nature of loneliness. 

Evan Ho's dinner at an upscale restaurant disappoints but the bigger picture is much more satisfying.