SOFIA RADA

Northwestern University | Evanston, IL

+1 (847) 868 6714 | sofiarada@u.northwestern.edu

WRITING SAMPLES
CLIP 1
The Shortcomings in U.S. Immigration Policy
BY SOFIA RADA ON DECEMBER 18, 2014
More immigrants live in the United States today than ever before. It was estimated that a total of
41 million immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2012, accounting for 20 percent of all international
migrants. Immigration has been integral to U.S. history and culture since the countrys founding.
International Migrants Day is on December 18th and given President Obamas recent address on
the issue, immigration policy is under especially close evaluation.
Obamas planned action is intended to protect 4.3 million unauthorized immigrants and facilitate
legal migration. Analysts are unsure about the economic effects of these policies, some saying it
will depress wages in some sectors others that it could increase entrepreneurship and spending.
United We Dream Managing Director Cristina Jimenez called the new plans incomplete, while
House Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline said Obamas actions represent a
brazen disregard for the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.
Through a human rights perspective, however, Obamas announcement and the general discourse
on immigration policy in the U.S. stray away from many key issues. A central issue lacking
attention is the rights of unaccompanied migrant children.
The U.S. policy of detaining unaccompanied migrant children, some for long periods, and
providing inadequate processing puts them in harms way, according to the Human Rights
Watch.
The June 2014 Human Rights Watch report cited U.S. government data that estimated that
90,000 unaccompanied migrant children will cross the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2014.
The report criticizes the U.S. government for child immigration policy that falls short of
international standards and calls on Congress to evaluate their policies, limiting detention to
extreme cases and provide proper legal assistance to unaccompanied children.
Amnesty International issued a press release July 25 2014 calling on President Obama and the
presidents of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to protect the human rights of migrant
children after a meeting between these parties concerning the mass influx of unaccompanied
migrant children.
Amnesty International has documented cases of human rights abuses in all of the countries at the
meeting, the U.S. included.

Steven W. Hawkins, Amnesty International USA executive director, called the situation a
humanitarian crisis and stated that the U.S. government has an obligation to ensure the human
rights of migrant children are protected.
Jacqueline Bhabha, a Human Rights Professor at Harvard University, wrote an article criticizing
the lack of U.S. action in dealing with the surge of migrants from Central America. In the article,
titled We Can Do Better, Bhabha makes four key suggestions about changes that should be
made to policy.
While Obamas recent immigration announcement only addresses the issue of detention only
minimally, it protects long-settled U.S. immigrants without criminal histories. This measure is a
step towards Bhabhas suggestion for an acknowledgement that long-term crime-free residence
should eventually translate into a right of residence.
However, the rest of Bhabhas suggestions are not addressed in the new policy. She
urges investment in rights-respecting shelters along the border, high-quality legal resources to
support unaccompanied minors and providing more vigorous investment in economic
development and enhancement of social and economic rights in Central America.
Congress is key in solving the issues of migrant rights, but has also shown little progress on the
matter. Despite becoming a prominent issue for some time this summer, migrant rights
quickly became forgotten as no key action was taken.
The new presidential address brought hope of a brighter future to many immigrants, however
data from rights organizations and a lack of firmer action from the U.S. government suggest that
much more can be done.

CLIP 2
Mexican president Pea Nieto Proves Increasingly Unpopular
BY SOFIA RADA ON DECEMBER 8, 2014
President Enrique Pea Nieto of Mexico announced a 10-point action plan on November 27th
designed to address the countrys security issues.
The announcement was made in response to the growing outrage that began in September after
students from the rural teachers college of Ayotzinapa were abducted by corrupt police and
handed over to a local drug gang.
Demonstrations have been held across Mexico and worldwide in solidarity with the missing
students and protesting the Mexican governments inability to solve the case, its lack of
accountability, its corruption and collusion with organized crime.
Pea Nietos plans, which focus on strengthening law enforcement by centralizing police forces
and security apparatuses, leave those who are interested in a larger renovation of the Mexican
government dissatisfied. Many believe that his administration is unable to fix the deeply
entrenched issues of corruption and impunity and continue to call for the presidents
impeachment.
Laura Paz, a Mexican-American that has been involved in Chicago demonstrations addressing
the Ayotzinapa crisis, does not believe the President and his administration will be able to solve
the issue.
He runs the government that has been causing all these problems, Paz said. Now theyre the
ones who are going to clean up the problems? Its not possible. It doesnt work like that.
Pea Nieto ran his presidential campaign by promising to shift Mexicos focus away from the
drug war and towards economic growth. He has made economic reforms the focal point of his
term. However, many believe Mexicos economic growth is dependent on improvement to its
rule of law.
Juliet Sorensen, a Clinical Associate Professor of Law at Northwestern Laws Center for
International Human Rights, believes that only when Pea Nieto implements meaningful reform
to improve rule of law will he see the economic development he is trying to achieve for Mexico.
Foreign investors dont want to go into Mexico faced with the prospect of violence, thievery
and corruption, Sorensen said. Mexicos growth and development and its rule of law are
joined at hip.
Adding to the presidents unpopularity is a scandal involving his wifes purchase of a home held
by a company whose owner has won multiple government projects during the presidents
administration and his term as governor of the State of Mexico. This owner was also involved in

the $3.7 billion high-speed train deal that officials said the government had abruptly cancelled
days earlier to ensure there were no doubts about the project.
Pea Nietos decreasing popularity raises questions about Mexicos future. The reforms he
announced aim to address the countrys security issues through intervention into local
authorities, disbanding police forces, forming a nationwide emergency service, creating a single
identification register, allowing congress to issue laws against torture and disappearances and
naming an anti-corruption attorney. However, he failed to provide specific actions related to the
case of the 43 missing students.
Diego Zavala, a Mexico expert for Amnesty International USA, worries about big government
pronouncements.
[Pea Nietos party] is very amenable to corruption and I dont think theyll give that up easily,
Zavala said. I think its all up to the Mexican people. There has to be a new [party] that will
provide a real alternative for governing.

CLIP 3
Larger context of insecurity pervades the student disappearances in Mexico
BY SOFIA RADA ON DECEMBER 8, 2014
Mexicos drug war began in 2006 during the administration of former President Felipe Caldern.
His term ended in 2012 and by then 60,000 had been killed in drug-related violence, according to
Human Rights Watch. When President Pea Nieta assumed power he was inheriting a country
plagued with problems of disappearances, violence, corruption, collusion of security forces and
drug cartels and human rights violations.
The abduction of 43 students from the rural teachers college of Ayotzinapa by police forces who
handed them over to a local drug gang has sparked demonstrations worldwide. However, the
events in Ayotzinapa did not occur in a vacuum.
Diego Zavala, a Mexico expert for Amnesty International, has been watching these issues since
the 1990s. He argues that the governments decision to fight drug cartels in 2006 led to a rise in
human rights violations.
By confronting the cartels [the government has] created a more violent environment, Zavala
said.
He explained that because the case of Ayotzinapa exposed an example of how criminal
organizations have either taken over or corrupted local governments, people became aware of the
extent of the issue.
Basically we were saying, the emperor has no clothes, Zavala said. Mexico is almost a failed
state. People dont have the security, the safety, to live a normal life. Thats why I think people
had enough because they realized it could happen to anybody.
Ana Fierro, a Mexican student at Northwestern Laws Center for International Human Rights,
said she is frustrated that something as tragic as the disappearance of the 43 students had to
happen in order to lead the general population to mobilize.
She has been motivated to work towards change since she watched Mexicos democratic
transition fail to end corruption and injustice more than a decade ago.
I think the weakening of the rule of law is an issue that developed slowly, but steadily in the
presence of a passive state that didnt do anything in spite of having a lot of palpable and clear
evidence of the complicity among the authorities and the narc groups, Fierro said.
Juliet Sorensen, a Clinical Associate Professor of Law at Northwestern Laws Center for
International Human Rights, believes that the Ayotzinapa events have demonstrated to Mexican
citizens how little their country has changed in recent years, despite its emergence from oneparty rule.

An expert in criminal law and corruption, she believes that lasting change can follow these
events if people remain mobilized, which she is optimistic about.
[This began with] a group of families and parents who are now confronted with the unexplained
disappearance of their children, she said. Thats just about the most compelling personal
circumstance there is for somebody to become a motivated political activist.
However, while there has been increasing protesting about the issue, reaching a solution will
likely be complicated.
Unfortunately, the dimensions of this issue are now of enormous proportions, Fierro said.
Theres no easy way out.

CLIP 4
Global Action for Ayotzinapa is strong in Chicago
BY SOFIA RADA ON DECEMBER 8, 2014
Laura Paz has been reliving her days as an activist of the 1960s and 1970s Chicano movement by
participating in Chicago demonstrations regarding the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico.
The Mexican-American real estate agent is drawn to participate in the ongoing protests due to
her Mexican heritage, love for the country and outrage at the current situation.
[Me and other protestors] came from [the Chicano movement era] era, she said. We have a
strong sense of fairness, and I dont think its fair whats happening to Mexico.
The abduction of 43 students from the rural teachers college of Ayotzinapa by police forces who
handed them over to a local drug gang has sparked demonstrations worldwide. Events have been
held from Germany to Australia as people stand in solidarity with the students and demand their
return and accountability from the government.
These worldwide protests spread to Chicago, which many refer to as the northernmost city in
Mexico due to its large population of Mexican descendants, shortly after news of the
disappearances first surfaced in September.
A group of about 40 teachersmembers of the Chicago Teachers Union and CTU Latino Caucus
gathered outside of the Mexican consulate Oct. 9 to demand that more be done to find the
missing students and punish those responsible.
Those involved have formed a Chicago committee, Justicia en Ayotzinapa, which organizes
demonstrations and events that aim to educate the public on the issue and support the movement
in Mexico.
The committee organized a Dec. 1 protest in front of the Mexican consulate of Chicago where
they protested against Mexico President Pea Nieto and handed the consul a letter demanding
justice for the events in Ayotzinapa.
David Zavala, Mexico expert for Amnesty International USA, said that international
demonstrations help put pressure on Pea Nietos administration.
The Mexican government is realizing that the world is watching and they have to respond in a
way that is satisfactory, he said.
Ana Fierro, a Mexican student at Northwestern Laws Center for International Human Rights,
believes that the internationalization of protests helps drive pressure from international
governments and agencies.

[International protests] help expose the situation onto the international arena and thus muster
international pressure which in turn should make the government to react in some way or
another.
Paz said that she feels it is her duty to participate in these protests and show solidarity with those
affected in Mexico.
Its my desire and obligation to use my privilege living in the United Statesto support the
people there, she said.

CLIP 5
The United States has been implicated in Mexicos security crisis
BY SOFIA RADA ON DECEMBER 8, 2014
Protests regarding the recent disappearance of 43 students abducted by police in Mexico
demonstrate peoples anger at the Mexican government, but also increasingly the government of
its northern neighbor.
The abduction of 43 students from the rural teachers college of Ayotzinapa by police forces who
handed them over to a local drug gang have drawn global attention to the rampant insecurity,
impunity and corruption in Mexico. This has also meant analyzing the role of the United States
in this situation.
The Merida Initiative, a partnership between the United States and Mexican governments aimed
at fighting organized crime implemented in 2007, directly implicates the United States in the
issue. Despite this initiative, which claims to work to further respect for human rights and the
rule of law, more than 60,000 people have been killed in Mexico from 2006 to 2012 according to
the Human Rights Watch.
The U.S. Congress has appropriated more than $3 billion since the Merida Initiative began in
fiscal year 2008. Under the partnership, the U.S. has helped train law enforcement officials. This
includes training police forces and funding militarization.
Therefore, US funding is supporting security forces that have on various occasions been
implicated with illegal detentions. The police involvement in the Ayotzinapa disappearances is
the most recent of these cases and has sparked the biggest controversy.
Laura Carlsen, director of the Mexico City-based Americas Policy Program of the Center for
International Policy, told Democracy Now that it is very possible that the police involved in the
Ayotzinapa were benefitting from U.S. funds.
However, she said that whether or not they can find a direct link in this case is not important
because the U.S. is already at fault by supporting criminal forces that are in collusion with the
cartels.
Even if you dont find the smoking gun or the exact ties between this dollar went to this
government agency, we know its there, Carlsen said. The Merida Initiative lately has
explicitly gone more toward municipal funding, which is even more problematic in Mexico,
because thats where you find the highest levels of direct collusion.
John M. Ackerman, a professor at the Institute for Legal Research of the National Autonomous
University of Mexico, has written extensively on the ongoing Mexican security crisis and
attributes much of the blame to the U.S.

President Barack Obama and the United States Congress are directly responsible for thetragedy
of the 43 missing, and likely massacred, student activists, Ackerman wrote in an opinion
article for Foreign Policy.
Diego Zavala, Mexico expert from Amensty International USA, said that the U.S. has more
responsibility to react to the recent events in Mexico than any other country.
I think it will be important for the U.S. government to seriously reconsider this Merida Initiative
and to determine whether this type of military support is really useful to resolve a human rights
situation in Mexico as we have today, Zavala said.
As Mexicos largest trading partner and a benefactor of the NAFTA agreement, the U.S.
approved of President Pea Nietos policy of switching the discourse about and in Mexico away
from violence in favor of economic growth and foreign investment.
However, the U.S. continues to discourage its citizens from aiding the industry responsible
for approximately 7 percent of Mexican GDP. Mexican tourism is critical to its economy, yet the
U.S. travel warning for the country, most recently updated in October, warns that crime and
violence are serious problems and can occur anywhere in Mexico.
Although the Merida Initiative is a partnership between the U.S. and Mexico, its actions focus on
Mexico and do not address the role of the U.S. market for drugs in fueling the power of drug
cartels.
The U.S. is the worlds largest consumer of Mexican heroin and marijuana and a major consumer
of Mexican methamphetamine, according to the CIA. A 2012 RAND Corporation study carried
out for the U.S. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy found that U.S. drug users
spend approximately $100 billion annually in cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine
purchases. However, the role of the American drug market is left out of the Merida Initiative
measures.
Esmeralda Lopez, a Mexico expert for Amnesty International, said that she was hesitant to say
how the U.S. should intervene, because ultimately Mexico is a sovereign state.
Im always hesitant in saying how much other governments should intervene, because that can
always end up being an intervention that isnt well done, Lopez said. You never know how
interventions can work sometimes.
Some argue that the U.S. is already intervening, through its relations with Mexico and
participation in the drug war, but criticize the nature of this intervention.
Laura Paz, a Mexican-American that has been involved in Chicago demonstrations addressing
the Ayotzinapa crisis, believes it is her duty to use her privilege as a U.S. citizen to support
people in Mexico.
I feel like, hey, I should have a say-so in its relations with Mexico, she said.

CLIP 6
Mexican Students and Youth Play An Important Part in Recent Protests
BY SOFIA RADA ON DECEMBER 8, 2014
Insecurity, corruption and violence in Mexico have been reported on for years, but the September
disappearance of 43 students have ignited the largest protests the country has seen in decades.
Many of the protestors are university students.
The abduction of 43 students from the rural teachers college of Ayotzinapa by police forces who
handed them over to a local drug gang have drawn global attention to insecurity and impunity in
Mexico.
Juliet Sorensen, a Clinical Associate Professor of Law at Northwestern Laws Center for
International Human Rights, believes the Ayotzinapa event has drawn more attention than
previous cases because the victims were students.
The fact that they were students and they were engaged in higher education and a higher calling
to become teachers, to serve other people, makes this all the more tragic and demands the
worlds attention, Sorensen said.
Feeling sympathetic towards the victims, students in Mexico and around the world have been
key in the protests.
Laura Carlsen, director of the Mexico City-based Americas Policy Program of the Center for
International Policy, told Democracy Now that she has been to many marches and assemblies.
Theres assemblies in [the National Autonomous University of Mexico], she said. Students
[there] already planning what to do to force the resignation of Pea Nieto.
Mexican university students are not new to protesting against their government.
When current Mexican President Pea Nieto, visited Mexico Citys Ibero University as a
presidential candidate, he was received by protesting students. The students were angry about a
2006 confrontation between armed government troops and unarmed peasants, in the municipal
seat of San Salvador Atenco in Mexico State. Pea Nieto was the states governor at the time.
The conflict resulted in two deaths, 200 arrests and 26 women reported being sexually assaulted,
according to El Economista.
When Pea Nieto addressed the students, he said that his actions were determined and were
taken to restore peace and order. This statement led crowds to break out into frenzy. Newspapers
reported that the protestors involved were not students, but hired thugs. Students reacted by
submitting videos showing their university IDs and giving their names to prove that they were in
fact students. A video on YouTube with 131 clips went viral and the YoSoy132 movement was
born. YoSoy132 roughly translates to I am the one-hundred and thirty-second.

The movement has responded to the Ayotzinapa events through actions that included sending a
letter to the European Parliament, which demanded the suspension of the partnership between the
European Union and the Mexican government until it responds to the demands of the movement
regarding the Ayotzinapa crisis.
Student activism has been present throughout Mexicos history, however it has often faced by
crackdown by the government.
The 1968 Tlatelolco massacre is one example and a sore spot in the memory of many Mexicans.
On October 2nd, 1968, 10 days before the opening of the Mexico City Summer Olympics in
Mexico City, Mexican security forces shot into a crowd of unarmed students that had formed in
the Tlatelolco Plaza. After this incident, students continued to protest in hope that the
government would give in to their demands, but were met by more resistance.
The disappearance of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa, which the BBC reported were protesting
against what they say are discriminatory hiring practices for teachers which favor urban students
over rural ones, was reminiscent of the 1968 massacre for many Mexicans.
Ana Fierro, a Mexican student at Northwestern Laws Center for International Human Rights,
said she is frustrated at the lack of progress in the country despite clear evidence of human rights
violations.
Fierro, 24, said that the Ayotzinapa events have helped the younger generation become aware of
the gravity of the situation and become more active in the political arena.
[My generation] grew up with the hope that the democratic transition would actually bring
change, she said. We thought that the things that we saw in our history books would stay in
the history books. We wouldnt see the things that our parents saw, like for example the 68
student killingsNow that we are living to see that, I think that its totally disappointing.
Diego Zavala, a Mexico expert for Amnesty International USA, said that people in Mexico have
had enough with the situation, have realized that their government is incapable of solving it and
are therefore mobilizing. Although he is unsure whether it will occur as a result of the current
protests, he believes it is necessary for Mexicans to organize and form an alternative party by the
time of elections.
I hope they will find alternatives to what they have as the political status quo, Zavala said.
What they have so far has not provided them with the security and the kind of quality of life
that Mexicans deserve.
Despite being continuously disheartened by the events in her country, Fierro is hopeful that her
generation can help move Mexico forward.
Theres a very politically active generation of young people in Mexico that want to see
change that are not tolerating [the situation] and I think were fed up, Fierro said. Maybe our
generation will be able to do something meaningful and see a better country emerge.

CLIP 7
Where Are We Going Wrong? The Failure of Ebola Response
BY SOFIA RADA ON OCTOBER 20, 2014
Although he survived Ebola in August, friends and people in his community still to refuse to see
Lewis Tokpa.
The 28-year-old student, husband and father was tested positive after visiting the doctor with
symptoms. He credits his survival to getting treatment on time, taking it properly, eating on time
and his faith in his survival.
Today he is one of 1,791 survivors in Liberia. However, another 2,458 have died.
[My friends] still feel unsafe around me, Topka told Ebola Deeply. This makes me feel bad
I need their support and care.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first announced an Ebola outbreak in Guinea on
March 25, 2014, with 86 cases and 59 deaths reported. Last month, it estimated that cases in
Liberia were doubling every 15-20 days, and those in Sierra Leone and Guinea are doubling
every 30-40 days. The total death toll is estimated to be 4,484.
As the number of cases and countries affected increases, the international community, NGOs and
global governments are showing more disapproval towards current policies and strategies to
combat the issue.
The U.N. security council released a statement last week stating that the international community
has so far failed to adequately address the growing Ebola crisis.
This statement came after Anthony Banbury, the head of the U.N. mission for Ebola response
warned the council that the world must meet critical goals by December or "face an entirely
unprecedented situation for which we don't have a plan."
The same week, Associate Press obtained a document from the World Health Organization in
which it acknowledged that it botched attempts to stop the outbreak in West Africa, blaming
factors including incompetent staff and a lack of information.
Other reasons cited include problems with the organizations bureaucracy, administrative
hurdles, not acknowledging that usual measures taken with epidemics would not be enough in
West African countries and an overall hesitation to take a more extreme stance after having
reacted too quickly with the 2009 swine flu epidemic.
The WHO told the AP that the document, a timeline on the Ebola outbreak, would probably not
be released publicly. The WHO stated that it cannot divert its limited resources from the response
and will analyze the response once the outbreak is over.

However, the failed response to Ebola has made many lose trust in the organization. The
criticism comes from a wide range of sources.
African blogger, Sisonke Msimang, draws attention to the fact that although Liberia has one of
the largest concentrations of aid organizations in the world, a virus is deadly but can be contained
with good planning and logistics has reached critical levels.
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer award
winner, blames shortsightedness and mismanagement of resources for the failure of the Ebola
response.
Most would agree that it is important to take action quickly and to stop the virus from spreading
and increase the number of survivors.
For now, those who have survived face stigma.
I realized the worst was over when the doctor called me in the room, after days of treatment,
and told me I was Ebola-free, said Topka. But since I came home, some people are still afraid
of me.

CLIP 8
The One Acre Fund Helps Farmers Feed Themselves
BY SOFIA RADA ON OCTOBER 3, 2014
Zipporah Biketi had to feed her family with two 90-kilogram bags of maize. This was only
enough for a couple of months, but with little money and no access to credit she was soon
rationing food. Some days the only meal was a cup of tea.
Biketi is from Kenya, one of many sub-Saharan countries where the majority of people depend
on agriculture for their livelihood, but struggle to feed themselves. The West has been sending
aid to this region for years. Stories like Biketis suggest that Western money is not enough.
The Food and Agriculture Organization calculates that around half of the worlds hungry live in
smallholder farming communities.
Interacting with this demographic during a visit to Kenya led Andrew Youn to co-found the One
Acre Fund in 2006. Youn saw an opportunity to help smallholder farmers through micro
financing. By 2013, the Fund had helped 130,400 families and expanded beyond Kenya to
Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.
By providing farmers that own an acre of land with a loan of seeds and fertilizer, education on
how to effectively use them and access to the market, the Fund has been successful in reducing
hunger.
One key feature of the organization is its proximity to the farmers. Leaders live near them and
are able to constantly receive their feedback, monitor products and services and analyze
development.
The effects of the Fund are described in the book The Last Hunger Season - A Year in an
African Farm Community on the Brink of Change. Written by Roger Thurow, a senior fellow at
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, it tells the story of four farmers who took loans in 2011.
Biketi was one of these four farmers. By the end of the book, she had grown a successful crop
and paid off her loan.
In a January 2014 article, Thurow wrote that in a recent visit he found that Biketi had met her
familys basic needs and was now finishing off a new house, saving for their childs school fees
and planning to open a business.
Similarly, a 2010 op-ed co-written by Stephanie Hanson, the Director of Policy and Research at
the One Acre Fund, described how couple Edith and Gilbert were able to increase their bean
harvest by 80 percent in two years.
o

According to the Fund, its farmers increased their crop yields by an average of 52 percent in
2013.
Not all cases have been as successful. Another one of the farmers featured in Thurows book,
Leonida Wanyama, tripled her yield in one season, but at the time maize prices had fallen. This
eventually forced her sell all her maize to be able to pay the first installment of her sons high
school tuition.
This example does not necessarily discredit the One Acre Fund, but rather highlights room for
improvement.
Farmers live in remote areas and need more support, Youn said in an interview with Rahim
Kanani. a cash loan alone will not magically solve all of their problems.

CLIP 9
Evanston residents struggle to find jobs despite falling unemployment rates
BY SOFIA RADA ON FEBRUARY 15, 2014
Last year, James Ryan said hello to his newborn triplets and goodbye to his fruitless job search.
The 48-year-old Evanston resident had been looking for a job for over a year when he decided it
would be more cost effective to become a fulltime homemaker. His wife is now the breadwinner.
The jobs I was being offered just werent worth it, Ryan said.
The national unemployment rate decreased from 7.9 percent in January 2013 to 6.6 percent in
January 2014, according the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In this job market, employers get to pick and choose from a vast number of applicants, he said.
Unemployment is going down, but that doesnt suddenly mean everyone is employed.
Unemployment rates vary depending on education. For those holding only a high school
diploma, the rate fell from 12.0 to 9.6. The rates are lowest for those holding a Bachelors degree
and higher, falling from 3.8 to 3.2.
Despite these drops, Ryan, a college graduate, was unable to find a job that paid enough.
I just feel bad for kids getting out of college now, Ryan said. It takes more than just a
bachelors degree to find a good job.
Lev Dashchko, a PhD student at Northwestern, said that before he entered his program it was
difficult finding even a short-term job.
The market was tough and the jobs available did not interest me, he said. Nothing spoke to
me more than researching and writing so I wanted to keep going with that, but it would not be
possible without university funding.
Dashchko said that after he finishes his degree he hopes to continue to pursue an academic
career, but is worried about the competition.
Johanna Nyden, the City of Evanstons economic development division manager, said the
decrease in unemployment rates can be deceiving because part-time and discouraged workers are
not counted as unemployed.
In January there were over 26 million people working part-time nationwide. Of those, almost 8
million worked part-time out of financial necessity.

I recommend that those with jobs dont quit, Evanston resident Francis Anderson said. I was
only able to find my part-time job through friends and networking.
Despite having a law degree, Anderson was only able to find a part-time job after 11 years as a
homemaker.
I would have rather taken another job, she said. But nobody else would hire me.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

CLIP 10
Hip and Healthy: Bello Tea offers wholesome flavors
Natural, fresh ingredients, varied options and unique recipes are some of the distinguishing
features of the drinks sold at Bello Tea. This store, founded 5 years ago by Tammy Reddy,
has become well known for its matcha tea and smoothies.
BY SOFIA RADA ON APRIL 7, 2014
No gluten, no dairy, no chemicals, no artificial flavors? No problem. With Bello Tea, you can
still get your caffeine fix and like it.
Julie Rhodes started going to the Downers Grove location a year ago. She had just become
vegan and was looking for food options. Bello Tea was a 30-minute drive away, but what she
found has kept her coming back every weekend.
Usually you cant find smoothies that dont have animal products, Rhodes, 25, said. But Bello
Tea makes them and they are amazing.
The success of Bello Teas smoothies is serendipitous to Tammy Reddy, who took a big risk in
opening the store. Despite having a masters degree and 25 years of experience in industrial
engineering, she was struggling to find a job during the aftermath of the Great Recession. Her
love of tea drove her to open the store in Downers Grove in 2009. By 2012, shed opened a
second location at the Chicago French Market.
Reddy has also expanded her drink menu -- from just hot tea to iced tea, milk tea, lattes, limeade,
South American mate, bubble tea and, the drink Bello Tea is famous for, Japanese matcha.
When we first opened, people didnt know what matcha was, said Reddy. Now were known
as the place to come and get it.
Matcha is a fine powder made up of ground green tea leaves. It is served pure, flavored, or added
into other drinks like the smoothies. Its flavor and caffeine are only two of its many draws.
The tea contains vitamins A, C and E as well as protein, Reddy, 55, said. It helps you become
alert and calm because of the amino acid, theanine. It also contains 170 times more antioxidants
than regular green tea.
For Rhodes, who has celiac disease, Bello Tea was a dream come true.
Im allergic to almost everything, she said. At places like Starbucks there arent many options
for me, especially because I dont want to drink soy milk.
Bello Tea offers a wide-range of dairy-free and gluten-free options. By including ingredients

ranging from coconut and almond milk, to apricots and taro root in her recipes, Reddy ensures
nothing is flavor-free.
Another of Reddys priorities is keeping her store hip. She said one of the ways she does this is
by hiring a staff that is mostly in their mid-twenties.
Nicole Young, a sophomore at Loyola University, has worked for Bello Tea since last May. She
said the products have been helpful at college.
Coffee really shakes me up, but tea is much more relaxing, she said. Also, with coffee theres
only so much you can do with flavor, but Bello Tea has endless options.
She said that the tea trend is popular in college, but not all of Bello Teas customers are young.
At the French Market location, were right next to the train so we get a lot of business people
that pick up drinks, she said. At the Downers Grove location, we get a lot of suburban moms.
Bello Tea products are available from the stores, from the store website, Grubhub and
Amazon.com. Teas are imported from as far as Japan, South Africa and Argentina. Bello Tea also
offers tea accessories and lessons in tea making.
Now that its spring, it may be time to try Bello Teas avocado coconut matcha smoothie. Reddy,
Young and Rhodes all included it in their list of favorite drinks. Do it before your friends beat
you to it.
Bello Tea is a hip place, said Rhodes. Im telling everyone about it.