JZ

Jake Zeng

Senior Vice President of Recruitment and Program Director of SPRING Law

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All Publications

Published on February 28, 2024SPRING SPRING

An alarming number of households have unreliable access or none at all to an Internet connection and the technology needed to attain digital education. Over 9 million students14—around 12% of the total student population15—lack access to the Internet entirely. 1 in 4 students have unreliable Internet networks. This also extends to teachers, as around 400,000 lack access to digital education.16 ...

Published on September 21, 2023

The American healthcare system has for decades been exclusionary and inaccessible, as private plans charge exorbitant premiums that risk the lives of those unable to pay them. Millions of Americans remain uninsured, either unable to cover medical expenses or forced to pay burdensome fees out of their own pockets. Hospitals are forced to provide care for those unable to pay them back, resulting in devastating financial losses. At the same time, the lack of competition among private health insurers have allowed them to continue charging excessive prices wi...

Published on August 22, 2023SPRING juvenile detention

As the implementation of Juvenile Detention as a mechanism to hold youth accountable has been growing, so has the profound negative impacts it has on these teenagers. Studies have found that teens often experience severe mental health conditions during and after their sentence in Juvenile Detention including anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The isolation in Juvenile Detention often causes psychological and behavioral issues, including aggressive and disruptive behaviors within kids. Despite several attempts at reform on a federal and state lev...

Published on April 4, 2023SPRING high-speed rail

High-speed rail has the potential to revitalize the decaying American passenger rail system and public transit infrastructure at large. However, while other countries have far surpassed America's HSR network, ongoing projects in America face delayed construction, rising costs, legal challenges, and poor support infrastructure. Despite these challenges, HSR still has the potential to revolutionize American transit and revitalize the American economy, offering an alternative to car and air travel, reducing carbon emissions, and connecting vast cities and regions. Support for improved infrastructure enjoys bipartisan support, and the growing political sway of the younger generation is increasingly advocating for improved rail transit. However, actions are needed by the Federal government and state legislatures to allow for these HSR projects to succeed. We analyze the involvement of stakeholders through the development of HSR, their incentive structures and influence, and propose actions that can be taken by governments on the state and federal levels to encourage the growth and development of a national HSR project.