San Diegans are paying more for food, housing, medical care, and daycare while unemployment ticks up. They’re also witnessing immigration raids at workplaces and schools, the deployment of troops to U.S. streets, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence that threaten job stability.

Amid these realities, KPBS asked residents a simple question: Do you still have hope?

For Mayeli Ho, a 22-year-old college student studying fashion merchandising, the world feels both uncertain and chaotic.

“On a broader scale, like society level, I think I do not have hope because we are so divided,” she said.

Ho’s career ambitions in photography, styling and fashion feel increasingly fragile. Recently, Vogue featured AI-generated models, which she fears could displace her chosen path.

“This does not

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