One day, it’s duck eggs as a popular street food — the next, it’s immigrant votes, nail salons, tofu, war orphans, refugee gay rights, English learners, the Post Office as cultural connector, and so on. I dig my beat covering multicultural communities and breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. I love and am grateful for its tempting menu of new faces, shy chatter, fascinating lives. What matters to me is balance, a sense of history, whimsy and being an alert listener — the crafting of that art. I immerse myself in the work expecting surprises and trying to find symmetry. Plenty of times, I stumble on folks who don’t want to talk, not having dealt with reporters or ever witnessing a free press. I try to honor their experiences, hoping to turn their dramas into something compelling. Their voices reflect the poetry of our collective voices. Every day, I celebrate the written word and the hope that storytelling can illuminate our soul.

—Anh Do (B.A. Print Journalism ’89)