Author: Nola Jones

The demographic reality quickly becomes apparent when you stroll through any mid-sized Japanese city these days. schools where the hallways are only partially occupied. Employees long past retirement age work in municipal offices. a nation that, according to statistics, is running out of citizens to govern itself. It’s Tuesday morning in Osaka, so it’s no longer a prediction. That’s precisely where businesses like Agent can help. Koji Shinomiya founded Agent, which has spent years positioning itself at the nexus of AI adoption, educational technology, and something less common in the business sector: a sincere attempt at social problem-solving. Currently, the…

In the past, state budget tables and nonprofit grant cycles would have been the beginning and end of discussions about early childhood education in a building in Portland. No one anticipated the arrival of the Oregon Business Council. And yet, here we are. Over the course of the last year or so, something changed—quietly at first, then with enough force that people in both sectors began to take notice. The business community in Oregon has begun to look much further back after previously concentrating on workforce pipelines that start somewhere around community college. Their concern for workforce development is not…

A college campus that remains motionless has a subtly eerie quality. The brick structures don’t fall apart overnight. The shelves in libraries don’t go empty overnight. The quad simply waits there. After operating continuously for 185 years, the former Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont, closed its doors in 2019. The Griswold Library’s arched windows, the riverfrontage that cuts through the campus, and the open quad that used to be crowded with students debating John Dewey and environmental policy are all still visible if you were to walk through that campus today, or at least imagine it. It’s still lovely.…

This is the kind of week that transforms Omaha from a flyover city to the epicenter of something truly exciting. A bar is counting Jell-O shots by school affiliation somewhere along the river, hotel rates are negotiated weeks in advance, and downtown fills with team colors. The College World Series is that. It’s messy, boisterous, sentimental, and surprisingly difficult to forget if you’ve ever been there in June. Eight teams from across the nation arrived at Charles Schwab Field this week to begin the 2026 Men’s College World Series, each with the burden of a full season behind them. The…

Teenagers who are passionate about fashion have a certain kind of ambition. Not the laid-back type, not the one who appreciates a nice outfit, but the one who, at sixteen, reads trade reports about the industry and studies magazine layouts in the same way that other children study game strategies. It appears that Vogue Summer School has managed to locate those students and place them in the same room for two weeks in New York City. The brochure doesn’t adequately describe what happens after that. Supported by Condé Nast and administered by Vogue College of Fashion, the program bills itself…

In June, there’s always something special in the air in Omaha. It’s difficult to describe precisely—a blend of concession smoke, chopped grass, and the subdued buzz of excitement that builds for weeks before a single pitch is thrown. There’s really nowhere else in college sports quite like Charles Schwab Field, which fills up gradually at first, then all at once, and by the time the lights come on and the lineups are announced. It’s time to start watching the 2026 Men’s College World Series if you haven’t already. The first round matches took place at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha,…

The audience falls silent during a portion of Noah Eckstein’s Harvard commencement speech. Not courteously silent, but truly motionless. He recently told 30,000 people that the beginning of his life is like a joke: a Jew, a Muslim, and a Christian enter a bar. Then he says, “Those three are his family,” without blinking. At that point, you realize this isn’t going to be your usual graduation speech about believing in yourself and pursuing your dreams. On May 28, 2026, Eckstein, 22, gave the Senior English Address at Harvard’s 375th Commencement. According to the College, this is one of the…

At a website that most people have never typed, something subtly amazing is taking place. On any given afternoon, you can find something that would have seemed nearly ridiculous twenty years ago: Harvard University courses, some of which are entirely free, waiting for anyone with an internet connection and a few free hours. There is no need for a campus tour. No essay for admission. There is no waiting list. In many respects, it began with CS50. Long before Harvard formally established its online learning division, its renowned introductory computer science course became somewhat of an internet phenomenon. Students in…

Matt Freese once described a moment that sticks in your memory. Ten years old, he was by himself in his bedroom, carefully lifting his feet to avoid the wooden bed frame as he repeatedly threw himself onto a mattress and caught invisible balls. He was attempting to learn how to dive. Eventually, the bed broke. Most likely, his mother had inquiries. However, there was a seed in that peculiar, self-made training session that has led to him playing goal for the United States at a home World Cup. It’s difficult not to think that detail is more illuminating than any…

Every June, there is a moment at Frost Amphitheater that falls short of the highlight reel. Just before the ceremony starts, families are waiting in line at the general admission area, graduates are filing through the Grove Gate, and Lasuen Street’s oak trees are illuminated by the morning California light. No one is taking pictures of it. However, those who have been there will tell you that it lasts longer than the diploma. This year’s Baccalaureate celebration at Stanford, which takes place on June 13, is one of those occasions that, while ceremonial on paper, feels different in person. The…