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Articles by Clara Spars
Starting my own clothing brand
I’ve been drawing in my free time since grade school, and I had sold a few stickers in the past in order to raise money for the victims of the fires in my home, Sonoma County. This time, I decided I would design stickers just for the sake of selling them. I opened up a store on Etsy and uploaded a few of my design ideas on Instagram to see if anyone would be interested.
What I learned through high school speech and debate
Two weeks ago, for three days in a row, the Stanford campus was invaded by little men and women in black suits. The sight of them scurrying across White Plaza and checking the campus maps, only to stand in front of a wall and begin rehearsing their speeches for the 200th time stopped me dead in my tracks. Memories began to flood me. I remember slamming my alarm clock with my palm so hard that I knocked it off the bedside table.
My speech from this year’s Stanford Womxn’s March
Last weekend, Stanford Womxn in Law hosted the annual Stanford Womxn’s March.
On treasuring our teachers
We should all take a moment to appreciate those who have taught us all we know. (Photo: LINDA A. CICERO / Stanford News Service) by Clara Spars — November 13, 2019November 13, 2019 The other day, I sat for hours in a café with a friend that I’ve known since I was five years old.
8 types of study abroad students
(Photo: Unsplash.com) by Clara Spars — October 28, 2019October 28, 2019 I’ve been on a number of study abroad programs throughout my life and something that I’ve always been interested in is the consistent structure of group dynamics.
Scrapbooks of Sound
How I make playlists for the people I care about. (Photo: Pexels) by Clara Spars — October 25, 2019October 24, 2019 I’ve always loved making playlists on Spotify for different moods or situations: party playlists, sleeping playlists, middle-school-reminiscent guilty pleasure playlists; playlists for sad days, happy days; for cloudy, sunny, or stormy weather … the list goes on. It wasn’t until recently that I started making them with specific people in mind.
My parents as empty nesters
Courtesy of Unsplash.com by Clara Spars — October 14, 2019October 14, 2019 My parents were in their early twenties when they got married and have now spent more than half of their lives with one another. They had me a couple of years into their marriage, and since then, their children became the centers of their orbits, so much so that they seem to forget themselves.
A couple thousand miles of clarity
(Photo: CLARA SPARS/The Stanford Daily) by Clara Spars — October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 We joke a lot about the “sophomore slump” here at Stanford, as I’m sure they do at any other university.
I am a baby - The Stanford Daily
Courtesy of Pexels.com by Clara Spars — May 28, 2019May 27, 2019 Over this past week, amid project due dates and grant applications, I was suddenly hit with the unsurprising but harsh realization that I am, in fact, a child. A baby, really. The worst part about this revelation is that it has arrived precisely during the time when I am expected to start settling into the prospect of living as an independent adult.
On the end of an era
Courtesy of Unsplash.com by Clara Spars — May 22, 2019May 21, 2019 Before I get a barrage of angry emails: There are absolutely no spoilers included in this article. It was only during this last year that I hopped onto the “Game of Thrones” bandwagon, and it only took this last year for me to obsessively consume all 67 episodes of the first through seventh seasons.
Death by allergies
Courtesy of Pexels.com by Clara Spars — May 8, 2019May 7, 2019 Last spring, I thought the most menacing bodily crisis that I would encounter as a result of the Stanford ecosystem was the rash I got from the caterpillars that swung from low-hanging branches and assaulted passersby like “Mission Impossible” operatives dangling from grappling hooks. This year, my worst enemy takes the form of a thick, mist-like haze of yellow, straight out of a TS Eliot poem.
Here comes the sun
Courtesy of Pexels.com by Clara Spars — May 2, 2019May 1, 2019 It doesn’t become apparent exactly how much the weather can affect one’s mindset, especially those of students at a rigorous university, until the sun comes out after a long stretch of cloudy, rainy skies. Cold wind and rain kept people locked inside studying and moping for most of winter quarter.
[When no one does the reading
Courtesy of Pexels.com by Clara Spars — April 22, 2019April 21, 2019 At Stanford, the homework never stops coming. There is always a problem set, a reading or an essay that has yet to be completed, and very often the overlap of numerous due dates forces students to prioritize more pressing assignments over others.
Oh, it's you again
Courtesy of Pexels.com by Clara Spars — April 12, 2019April 11, 2019 In the day-to-day scheme of life at Stanford, I find myself running into the same people in the same spaces like clockwork. The consistency upholds to the extent that I even feel vaguely familiar with people I’ve never actually met after perpetually encountering them in classes and study spots that I frequent around campus.
Seeing Stanford from an alum's eyes
“That’s where I used to throw cake on the heads of innocent passersby.” My eyes followed my father’s pointed finger up to one of the second story windows of Branner Hall. “Why would you do that?” I asked, picturing the scene playing out and wincing with sympathy for the poor victims of the flying pastries. A crazed look came over my father.
Campus critters
Have you ever found yourself witness to odd semblances of movement in corner of your eye, especially on walks back to the dorm at night? Or bushes that stir aggressively even on windless evenings? What about flashes of color flitting across the concrete in broad daylight, while you sip a coffee in Meyer Green and shake off the sight, thinking it must be the third cup of coffee kicking in? It’s neither the caffeine nor a simple trick of the eyes.
Hate to be late, always am
I hate being late — to anything, really, but for now, I’m talking about class in particular. I hate seeing heads turn towards me as I sheepishly tip-toe into the room, as if my steps would even be heard on the carpeted floors of Stanford’s classrooms anyways. Yes, I know that not all of the heads turn. And I know that the heads that do turn aren’t really seeing me, they’re just seeing who’s there, or casually glancing out of the reflex that accompanies hearing a door open and close.
Tech addiction and its victims
If you’re under the age of 30, you’ve probably heard that you’re addicted to your phone. People love to accuse millennials of being selfish and narcissistic, and more often than not, they place the blame on technology. Millennials have been said to check their phones 150 times per day and 39 percent admit they interact more frequently with their smartphone than they do with people.
Eyes wide open
When people go around the room sharing fun facts about themselves during a first day of class or a club meet-up, they tend to opt for their favorite ice cream flavors, exciting experiences from past travels or obscure hidden talents. I, on the other hand, consistently offer up the intimate, mystifying fact that my eyelids are simply too small for my enormous eyeballs. Shutting my eyes all the way closed is an arduous task.
Stanford alum brings therapy llamas to campus to promote mental health app
Deep breathing, exercise and eating nutritious foods are likely some of the first activities to come to mind when thinking of relieving stress. Petting llamas usually doesn’t make the cut. On Tuesday, however, Paul Watkins ’17 brought four “therapy llamas” to campus to decrease stress and promote wellness on campus.
‘Less’-ons: An interview with Andrew Sean Greer, Part 1
Staff writer Gracie Newman interviewed Andrew Sean Greer, who is the author of “Less” (the 2018 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) and numerous other novels and short stories. “Less” is a comedic romance that follows a middle-aged writer as he travels the world in an attempt to avoid attending the wedding of the young man with whom he is in love.
The aftereffects of the ‘Freshman 15’
As a fairly underweight 13-year-old, I had an epiphany. Food was amazing. More specifically, the food that had for many miserable years been hidden from me by my overly cautious parents was amazing. For 13 years of my life, I went to school everyday, believing the unbearably healthy fruit in my lunchbox was exactly what every one of my classmates ate, too. That is, until I accidentally caught a glimpse of my friend’s lunch once. Cookies?
I scream, you scream, we all scream
Having recently finished the descent from a joyous winter break, I pop the question: “Remember when a break was a good thing? Spring break, coffee break. Now it’s break up, break down” (Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and The City”). As we rest here in the troughs of the first weeks of winter quarter, the chill of California air permeates our super edgy jean jackets. We are going through the summer internship prowl, drinking Keurig coffee and not-so-gracefully biking down Lasuen Mall.
New Year’s Resolution
Courtesy of Julia Gong. Contact Julia Gong at jxgong ‘at’ stanford.edu. While you're here... We're a student-run organization committed to providing hands-on experience in journalism, digital media and business for the next generation of reporters. Your support makes a difference in helping give staff members from all backgrounds the opportunity to develop important professional skills and conduct meaningful reporting. All contributions are tax-deductible.
The self on paper
Stanford’s regular decision applications were just due last week, and the flurries of eager high schoolers visiting campus are beginning to slow as they hunker down for the excruciating wait for admissions decisions, coming out around April 1. Like most college students, a big part of me assumed that upon being admitted to my dream school, I would never have to suffer through the painstaking process of a college application ever again.
Conversations overheard at Stanford: Big Game edition
’Twas the week before Big Game And all over the Farm Each student was in a frenzy In apparent alarm. Would the Big Game be canceled From all the smoke in the sky? Would we lose our one chance To see Cal’s Theta Delta Chi? The postponement was abysmal Even for a nerd. There were complaints across campus – These were things overheard: In a sorority house A: Oh look, we got an invite to Cal’s TDX [Theta Delta Chi] event at the Big Game! B: That’s so exciting! Wow, it’s even in Lucida Blackletter font.
Bomb scare causes Caltrain delays
Around 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, the NB429 Caltrain northbound to San Francisco was stopped at the San Mateo station following reports of a suspicious package on the train car. The train and station were evacuated for over 45 minutes while police investigated the reports. Within a half hour, Caltrain’s twitter announced that Transit Police were on the scene and its bomb squad was en route. Caltrain shut down service passing through San Mateo, stopping SB430 Caltrain southbound to San Jose at Millbrae.
Students rally in opposition to HHS memo
On Thursday, members of the Stanford community gathered in a rally to support the rights of intersex, transgender and gender-expansive people in opposition to a recently leaked Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) memo. According to The New York Times, which obtained the leaked document, the memo outlined proposed efforts to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX.
Q&A: Stanford Medicine Professor Yvonne Maldonado on receiving the 2018 RISE Award for mentoring and leadership
Pediatrics, health research and policy professor Yvonne Maldonado M.D. ’81 received the 2018 Reach, Inspire, Serve and Engage (RISE) Award in May for her research in global health and for her mentoring of undergraduates and medical students. Awarded by the Stanford Medicine Alumni Association, RISE recognizes excellence in leadership, volunteerism, mentoring or teaching. Maldonado, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, works to promote educational equality and health equity.
Escape from the bubble
It began in the Uber ride: The sickeningly sweet scent of an Air Wick car freshener assaulted my nostrils and, like a dog in one of Pavlov’s conditioning experiments, I knew then that it was really time to go. This year’s previous Uber experiences had only led me as far as the University Avenue construction detour and no further, but this time was different. This time, I was on to bigger, better things. “CALTRAIN” the sign in front of me screamed in bold red letters.
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ combines scares with compelling characters
As a person who loathes the horror-genre, I approached “The Haunting of Hill House” with caution. However, I was thoroughly impressed by the first half of the show. The Netflix series, based on the 1959 Shirley Jackson novel of the same name, is a psychological horror show that revolves around a group of siblings, the Crains, who grew up in Hill House, an old mansion that would later become known as the most famous haunted house in America.
Nine types of bikers on campus
When my grandma presented me with her 55-year-old, green, Peugeot bicycle to take to school, I knew immediately that it would come with its quirks. After only a week on campus, I realized just how noticeable these quirks were, and how they grouped me together with a broader collective of individuals that became more and more apparent over the course of my freshman year.
When horror movies aren’t scary enough
In the milliseconds it takes for the camera shot to pan a half-inch to the left, three things have already happened. One: Popcorn crumbs have left the comfort of their greasy bowl and entered the asteroidal mess of floating dust specks. I dread cleaning them up later. Two: Both my arms flex against the incoming tightness of my friends’ gripping fingers. They sit on either side of me, reaching over out of sheer instinct.
30 thoughts I had while shopping at Ikea
In the hustle and bustle of the everyday experience, many seek comfort and space for recharge in the “tranquil” solace of their bedrooms. Unfortunately, university life and its ever-busy atmosphere can infiltrate this aspect of our existence, too.
Q&A: M Woods Museum Co-Founder Lauds Cultivation of China’s Art Community
Located in the vibrant streets of Beijing’s popular 798 Art District amid sculptures dramatically posted at sidewalk corners and splatters of intricate murals, the M Woods Museum has become a special attraction for many art lovers. The private museum, founded in 2014, has flourished in its array of exhibits, featuring both international and Chinese artists, such as the world-renowned Andy Warhol and Lu Yang.
Microsoft Seeks Spot on China’s Cloud
Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith says his company’s strategy for artficial intelligence is “to popularize it, to make it accessible to everyone, to make it easy for people to use, to make it affordable.” Photo: Microsoft It may best be known for its operating systems and office software, but Microsoft Corp. is placing its future bets in the loftier realm of cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI) that will power a future generation of smart and portable products.
Starbucks CEO Reflects on 20 Years of Chinese Coffee Culture
Then Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz speaks at an annual Starbucks shareholders' meeting on March 22, 2017 in Seattle, U.S. Photo: VCG China was still a land of tea drinkers when Starbucks Coffee Co. made the bold decision to dip its toe into the market by opening its first shop in Beijing in January 1999.
The thing about ‘routine’
At 6:00 a.m., both my cell phone alarm and my roommate’s alarm clock would go off simultaneously. The idea was that if one didn’t wake us up, then the other surely would. Both of us always hit the snooze button and ended up over-sleeping anyway. At 6:20 a.m., the dorm mother would stomp down the halls, screaming in Chinese for us to head to class. My roommate and I would both groggily emerge from our comfy sheets with puffy eyes and frightening messes of hair.
To the stranger I feel like I know
When you’re the girl that I see every single Tuesday and Thursday around 1:30 because we both get out of classes then and are presumably not up for biking all the way over to Arrillaga because it’s the only dining hall that’s open, so instead we just pop by Olive’s for a good ol’ Campus Drive sandwich … Do I say hi to you?
On keeping in touch
My best friend from home sends a Snapchat that flashes across the screen for three seconds: “We should FaceTime soon!” I tap the screen with my thumb a few times and quickly shoot back, “Yes! Definitely!” with the image of my excited face blown up behind the floating letters.
The nappuccino
Over my time here at Stanford, I have frequently found myself caught in the middle of an uncomfortable tug-of-war between two of my fears: the fear of missing out and the fear of being unproductive. Until a few weeks ago, in my head, the obvious point of intersection between these two fears was located at the very epitome of “missing-out”-ness: nap-time. I used to think that to nap was to waste the world away.
Kiwi Bot: an introduction to the robot-angel of food delivery
Have you noticed large clusters of people crowding around what look to be high-tech versions of portable mini coolers? Have you stared in confusion at clips of people fist-bumping robots in exchange for food on Snapchat stories (that are now too difficult to find)? Have you wondered about the curious uptick in Soylent consumption around campus? If any of these situations apply to you, then you are one of the individuals lucky enough to have witnessed the groundbreaking advent of the Kiwi Bot.
The undeniable benefit of the Happy List
In the day-to-day scheme of things, we are surrounded by lists of all kinds, whether they are in the form of last-minute shopping lists scribbled onto Post-It notes or the day-by-day delineation of an ambitious four-year plan. However, I find too often that the emotions that these lists speak to are those of stress, frustration or occasionally even excruciating pain: To scribble out a to-do list is to create a visual representation of all that I have yet to accomplish.
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