According to a census conducted last year, there are an estimated 44,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. In an ongoing video series for the Los Angeles Times, Lisa Biagiotti sets out to put the faces to the statistics, meeting people on the streets and learning about their experiences and the issues they face.
In her most recent video, she meets 26-year-old Louis Tse, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at UCLA. He also happens to be homeless. (According to 2013-14 Federal Student Aid Form data, more than 56,000 college students identified themselves as homeless.) Tse reveals that he's been earning his PhD while secretly living out of his car for over a year. This is the first time he's going public with his situation.
In the video, Tse walks Lisa through his morning routine, talks about "rational homelessness" and his post-doctorate goals. He also shares that he's working to create a shelter for homeless youth.
Watch it here: He is getting his PhD - and is homeless
