Grandma was like a mystery to me, like the moonlight reflected on a tranquil lake –– so familiar yet so distant. I knew she loved me, but many times I wondered if seeing me brought her pain. Behind her determined eyes and the deep furrows between her brows, I saw a woman who strived to break away from the traditional expectations of a Chinese woman, yet was still trapped in old values.

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The Aug. 3 “Arts Alumni: Live from their Living Room” webinar presented by Stanford Arts and moderated by Lauren Clark ’20 showcased the honest –– and oftentimes downright hilarious –– voices of the female screenwriters behind “Hidden Figures” (2016) and the live-action “Mulan” (2020), Allison Schroeder ’01, Elizabeth Martin ’00 and Lauren Hynek.

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A little girl stares at me with her watery eyes. Dirt covers her malnourished face. Behind her, fragile tarp tents stand one by one with breathless distance, creating endless chains that seem to reach to the horizon.

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Many international undergraduate students felt like they were sailing in the fog; concerns — over whether they should fly across the world back home or find a way to stay, when or if they’d be able to return any time soon, how they’d deal with remote classes in different time zones — were all clouded with feelings of unease and uncertainty.

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