Editor's Letter

Dear Reader,

IDEAS is celebrating its 20th issue and we are eager to bring you student perspectives on current affairs as well as eye-opening discussions on controversial topics. With this issue, I am also excited to take on the editorial lead of IDEAS and – together with the entire IDEAS team – I am committed to raising topics that matter to you and providing a platform to make us critically question what we are taught. I’ve long searched for a place to discuss ideas and controversies. I am therefore grateful to lead the editorial part of IDEAS to provide a space for others to explore and express their opinions.

This year, I want to highlight the importance of critically thinking in a time of biased news and have more students engage with IDEAS, which means a larger editorial team and more writers. I would also like to bring back thematic journals as they provide an in-depth analysis. Otherwise, I want to change the layout of the journal.

In our 20th issue, I invite you to read about the contested status of abortion in the United States, which is related to an opinion piece about sex education at JFK. Abortion raises the central question of which decisions we can make about our bodies. That is also at the center of our article on cosmetic surgery, which explores whether the decision to change one’s appearance is done by choice, and whether it can be empowering or not. While changing one's body for beauty is one thing, another very different reason for having medical procedures comes from feeling one is born in the incorrect body. The repercussions of that, specifically in the sports scene, will be covered in the piece about transgender athletes. Finally, we shift the discussions on the decisions we make about our bodies and identities to another level: IDEAS wanted to honor Dyslexia Awareness Month by sharing interviews on dyslexia and dyscalculia.  

While reading the different pieces, I invite you to read critically and ask yourself what choices we have about who we are and what restrictions we run up against and how that can impact us. Also, how can we empower and empathize with individuals who go through these changes? 

Thank you for picking up our 20th issue. I hope it challenges you and makes you want to argue with our take on these matters. If any of these topics spike your interest or if you have topics you’re interested to talk about, we would love for you to write for IDEAS. We’re always looking to expand and diversify our team.

Sincerely,

Aurica Mosse, Editor-in-Chief