Author: Kate Rippel

Kate Rippel

Growing up in LA, you soon take for granted the warm, sunny days, swaying palm trees, and steady pace of living. Itching for a change of scenery, I relocated to New York City in 2010 to pursue graduate work in the interdisciplinary field of American Studies at Columbia University with the intention of setting down roots in the Big Apple. After a few years of the city's freneticism and lengthy winters, I was ready to make my way back to the West Coast for the milder climate and more affordable cost of living (and delicious Mexican food, who am I kidding.) I recently completed my Master's thesis project on the topic of neighborhood gentrification, focusing my analysis on four commercial and public spaces in the neighborhood of Highland Park in Los Angeles. Through my experiences, I am committed to the platforms of social justice, human equality, and environmental sustainability. I continue to be impassioned by the issues and subjects that sparked my attention in the classroom, and believe that it is of the utmost importance to generate discourse around current social and political issues. In my free time, I enjoy picking up heavy things and putting them down. I train in the sport of olympic weightlifting and have been a competitive CrossFitter at local competitions in Southern California for the past two years. I also love eating. That's a hobby too, right?