Leila Wickliffe

Leila is a Chinese-American adoptee, writer, and book enthusiast. She is passionate about reporting on meaningful topics for DAY and her school newspaper. Through DAY, Leila can openly advocate for issues close to her heart and make some friends along the way. If she's not napping, she reads, writes, watches Netflix, and unironically plays guitar.

Omicron Subvariant

Summer 2022. The most contagious variant of COVID-19 has triggered a new wave of infections across the United States. As the pandemic continues to ebb and flow, new variants and subvariants, continue to emerge. Yale Medicine reports that as of July 2022, BA.5, a subvariant of Omicron has become the predominant strain in the US. BA.5 is reported to be the most contagious subvariant of Omicron to date, responsible for over 50% of documented COVID-19 cases.

(Picture credit: Carsten Koall | Getty Images)

Evolution of Asian Representation in Western Media

Representation can come in many forms. Whether it is "good" or "bad" is up to the audience. The history of accurate and nuanced stories of Asian people has had its ups and downs, and progress is beginning to show. Mainstream media has reached a point where simply having an Asian person on screen is not enough.

Examining the Violation of Human Rights in Xinjiang

Since 2017, the Chinese government has run a campaign under the pretense of anti-terrorism efforts to carry out mass-systematic abuse against the Uyghur minority and other Muslim groups living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China. This campaign reveals an intent to target Uyghurs based on ethnicity and religion to halt their Islamic and cultural practices. The government aims to indoctrinate Uyghurs to accept state-sanctioned views and behaviors to guarantee unwavering loyalty.

Yuzuru Hanyu Announces Retirement

Yuzuru Hanyu, (羽生結弦) two-time Olympic men’s figure skating champion, announced his retirement on July 19, 2022. Hanyu broke the news of the end of his 12-year competitive skating career during his first press conference since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics expressing great gratitude for continued support throughout his career. He thanked his fans and looked to the future, “Now instead of only at competitions, I hope there will be more opportunities to show off my skating, and I’m looking forward to creating those opportunities.”

Adoption as an Alternative

People sometimes ask me, "Aren't you happy that you were adopted?" or they tell me I should be grateful that my birth mother in China decided to carry out her pregnancy. In all reality, abortion and adoption aren’t black-and-white issues, and either choice isn't an easy one for a woman to make.