October 31

Made in the C.S.U.

Amidst the stress of grad school, here is a little reflection and a note to self to keep going through it all.

Dear Manny,

After a full year of grad school at CSU Stanislaus, you can truly say that your future objectives, goals, and prospects have been made in the CSU <3

What do I mean by made in the CSU? A former Disney channel artist has a song about building her relationships with others strongly through her place of origin or location. Although she’s referring to relationships and social interactions, I believe you definitely resonate with the idea of being influenced by your environment and the places you choose to become involved with.

You’re grateful for your undergrad experience, especially because it has given you the foundation for your goals, but it has truly been the CSU system, and Stan State in particular, that has sharpened and defined those objectives It has also been the Stan State that has allowed you to recognize that yes, you can reach higher!

Who you are now and who you want to become,  you credit to what you have learned during your time at the CSU located in the heart of the northern Central Valley; everything from your interactions with your professors; your experiences applying to pre-doctoral programs; your time in the MSW program; have all guided you and provided you with a perspective and belief in your abilities that you did not have during undergrad.

Best of luck Manny and all students navigating college during this pandemic. None of this easy, none of this is what we asked for, but it is the world we are currently living in and if you made it this far, you can continue.

To students considering applying to the CSU, especially Stan State, know that if you choose to become a part of the Warrior community, you will enter a university driven by student support initiatives and increasing student success the ultimate and constant objective! 🙂

October 31

Applying to the CSU

It’s that time of year: college application season!

To this day, I still remember being 17 years old and applying to universities across California. Although my path would end up taking me to college, it wasn’t until my senior of high school that I began to truly recognize attending college as a viable option for me.

As a first generation student, I struggled conceptualizing that yes, I can and could gain admission into a four year university. Growing up my parents never spoke to me about college because they were so pre-occupied with managing our day to day lives. That’s one of the many struggles of students from low-income backgrounds; we come from families that don’t necessarily have the privilege to think about life beyond the realms of what we presently know and understand.

Once I made up my mind of what my future path would hold, I began to research universities and in particular, university admission requirements. I knew I probably was not going to make it to Harvard just yet, so I looked into four year public universities across California. I have always loved the golden state, so this was a blessing in disguise—I did not want to leave the west coast if I didn’t need to.

During my senior year of high school, I applied to the CSU system and including CSU Stanislaus. I knew I needed to apply to schools that could afford me a great education and Stan State and other CSUs were definitely a part of my considerations.

I was grateful to know that the CSU system recognized the diversity of students and their learning experiences which was reflective in their admission requirements. I applied to the CSU knowing that no matter what my final verdict would be, I would end up with amazing college options.

Aside from having to do all the paper work which I did not want to do (now online), what I really enjoyed about my time applying to the CSU had to be learning of how diverse each university is. All a part of the CSU system at large, each campus is so unique and offers students various opportunities. It is difficult having to decide which campus to choose from, so below are some things to consider when applying to the CSU:

  • Academic majors and program
    • Does the campus offer what I want to study? Or think I want to study?
  • Location
    • Where do I see myself? Or where would I like to place myself in these next few years?
  • Cost of Attendance
    • How expensive is it to attend that campus, or to live in the surrounding area? Will I be able to afford it?
  • Student Demographics and Organizations
    • Who attends this university, and what cultural and social programs do they offer the study body? Can I see myself in via the campus demographic information and if not, am I willing to help change that? How involved can I become with my university?

Best of luck everyone applying! I know it is not always easy, but it is worth it! J

October 22

The Power of Storytelling

According to Snapchat memories, this time a year ago I was spending the daytime walking with friends through campus, admiring the scenery and weather which was perfect with just the right amount of sunlight and warmth. In the evenings, I was hanging out with other friends, socializing, and practicing one of my favorite hobbies: storytelling and story sharing.

I personally believe there is reverence and validation in owning who you are and sharing that with others. I enjoy talking to people and getting to know them. This social trait of mine has followed me throughout my undergraduate career, especially during my time as an international student. When I was studying abroad in Mexico City, I could not help but want to learn about the capital city of Mexico as much as I could. I was experiencing Mexico City for myself, but I wanted to understand it through the lens and lived-experiences of folks from the area. As a U.S. citizen, I was completely living a different life in Mexico City. It was great, really, but I knew it was only so authentic because I had the support of my undergrad institution. I wanted my time in Mexico to be so much more meaningful. I wanted to develop a deeper relationship with Mexico City, a place I yearned to be as a child and then young adult, and knew I could materialize this by getting to know people through storytelling and story sharing. During my time abroad, I went so far as to try to host a sustainability club to help create the space for this to happen. This was supposed to take form as a gardening and composting club, and as a space where fellow U.S. students and either local community members or students would regularly tend to different plants and compost. I had the idea that this space would also allow us to practice both our English and Spanish in a natural way. Sadly, that did not fully happen but I did end up finding a community space in other artistic and lively areas of Mexico City where I was able to engage in storytelling and story sharing.

I share all of this because as distance learning continues, I want to find ways to create more storytelling and story sharing spaces while we navigate life during a pandemic. Being able to leave your personal living space, whether that be a university housing unit, off-campus apartment, or your family’s home, grants us opportunities to meet so many people and not necessarily by choice. We simply just have to interact with so many others as students. Now that we’re at home for most if not all of the day, we can’t really engage with so many other people. This may not be such a critical time for university students (assuming most are at least or near 18 and older), but for younger children, these are very important development years.

Does anyone have any ideas of what I could possibly try to do? I know zoom fatigue is a thing so I am open to any and all considerations. This is also not any rushed effort. I just want to try to engage with others, especially students, in a way that is both creative, soothing, and encouraging. 🙂

 

 

October 1

September in Review

Hello everyone :]

I hope September treated everyone well. I personally can’t  believe it’s already over. Is it just me, or does it (at times) feel almost impossible to differentiate the weeks from one another given all the events that have transpired these last few months?

September really feels like it flew by. I go through my camera roll to remind myself of things that took place because it really has been all over the place. Some things I have done this month alone include:

  • Starting my social work internship with the Basic Needs Program
  • Taking on a Graduate Assistantship with the Student Engagement in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (SERSCA) Program
  • Applying and interviewing for new graduate research assistant positions
  • Continuing with my current research assistant and Blogger position
  • Investing time researching post-MSW fellowships and programs (I have my eyes set on a few already and share updates about them through the semester)

It feels as though I’ve taken on a lot this semester, and I have, but with everything being from home, it all feels much more manageable and realistic. For instance, I no longer have to think so much about getting to class. I live near Turlock and would commute around 20-25 minutes each way (school and back). The drive was always a great time to collect myself and kind of therapeutic. Since that is no longer a part of my routine, I’ve been able to take my mornings/days a bit more slowly and calmly.

This month has felt [all over the place] but at the same time, I have also felt very in control. I do have to credit Stan State, though. The university has been a huge anchor in my life especially this last month. Pre-Fall 2020, I was just taking each day one at a time. I now have a routine that’s centered on my academic responsibilities and future prospects. September has been a ride, but not one fully out of my grasp.

It is finally October and Libra season! This month I will be starting my fitness journey so I’m excited to add that to my list of accomplishments. I also want to read more books on my Kindle so if anyone has any recommendations, feel free to comment them below.

Well, here’s to a great new month and new prospects! I can’t wait to update everyone on the progress of my commitments in the next few weeks 🙂

September 28

Distance learning? I know her!

Hi friends! As I navigate life during this pandemic, I think I’ve learned how to become more creative in my responses to unanticipated circumstances, especially as it relates to my time as a graduate student at Stan State.

I originally was no fan of distance learning. I did not want to continue with school until in-person instruction resumed. I didn’t think I had the ability to be patient and flexible enough to endure online instruction for a semester, and now a full school year. However, now that it has been almost 2 months, I have to admit that I, for myself, am enjoying distance learning!

What do I enjoy about distance learning? Well, starting class within a few minutes of waking up is pretty nice I do have to admit! Before I would wake up hours before class started just to get myself ready in every way. Now, I am able to sleep in longer and wake up less stressed about getting to school on-time.

Another aspect of my experience with distance learning has been helping my relatives make the transition to online learning as well. I am the only person in my family to have a BA, and soon a master’s. By virtue of being the first, I’ve become the go-to support figure for many of relatives (aunts and uncles), who don’t speak English, are unfamiliar with technology, and have young children who depend on them to guide them through the process of distance learning.

I take this responsibility with much pride and fulfillment. For the last few weeks, I’ve been helping my relatives get their young children set up for the day. This includes setting up their laptops and making sure the space they’re in is suitable for distance learning, which can be difficult but we make it work. I observe my younger cousins “in class” to make sure they are understanding what is being said and what to do. I also engage with my relatives’ teachers in this new learning process and translate whenever needed. I do all this while making sure I am on top of my own distance learning responsibilities. This is definitely not what I expected my own time with distance learning to be like, but it is simply how it’s manifested and I am grateful I can use my privileges to help my family not tread behind during these times.

For many first-generation students, this is our reality. We’re dealing with online/distance learning on our own, while making sure those around us are also keeping up with their learning. Once this is “over” I am sure we’ll come out of it feeling like whole new people because in many ways, we will be. Well, time to make it to my next zoom class! 🙂

September 28

My internship at Stan State

Hi everyone! I hope everyone’s doing well! 🙂

I want to share a bit about my internship at Stan State. As a social work graduate student, I am expected to complete certain hours in a social work service/agency for a total of 16 hours a week throughout the entire school year. Last year I was interning at an agency off-campus doing housing security work, this year I’ll be interning at Stan State’s Basic Needs Program!

The Basic Needs Program is a service at Stan that assists students through financially struggling times. Universities across the U.S. have basic needs programs. Some are extremely established, with years of guaranteed funding and permanent staff, and others run on a volunteer basis. There is no universal way to administer a basic needs program since every school, region, and truly academic year is so different and with a population of students with various needs.

I’ve worked in basic needs efforts throughout my undergrad and am always a tad shocked when I remind myself Stan State’s basic needs program is only two years old! It has existed in other capacities in the past, spread throughout campus, but has only recently been institutionalized into one department. It is still growing, yet already doing great work that I would expect to take years to materialize elsewhere. I’ve only been interning for a few weeks, and from home due to COVID safety guidelines, but from what I have learned, the Basic Needs Program is such a resourceful service for students!

This pandemic has shown us how quickly our lives and more specifically, our sense of security can change in only a matter of days. I’m glad to be a part of one of the structures at Stan State that work to help students through stressful times. The Basic Needs Program offers students an array of services and knowing the Master of Social Work program is involved directly with the program makes me really optimistic of its growth and delivery of student support.

I’ll leave a link below for reference and hope you check it out and share with your friends/peers. Becoming knowledgable of student services that exist to help you during your time as a student is a great practice to equip yourself with :)!

https://www.csustan.edu/basic-needs

September 8

SUMMER 2020 REVIEW AND FALL EXPECTATIONS

Hi everyone :)! 

Welcome back to my life as a Stan State student! I am excited for this school year and I am taking it one semester at a time (because who knows where we’ll be these next few months). There is quite a lot going on and I feel blessed to have Stan State as my anchor through it all. 

While summer 2020 was eventful, Stan State’s presence in my life and in the Central Valley helped bring a refreshing sense of stability and safety. This summer it felt like everything around me was constantly changing. I tried my best to keep up with all the events that transpired this summer. I was left speechless numerous times as I read about everything as it became available, such as the elections, protests, wildfires, ongoing pandemic, and school closures. Needless to say, but my summer plans completely fell through and I didn’t do a lot of what I expected to. I didn’t expect to experience one of the biggest civil rights demonstrations ever this summer and I also wasn’t anticipating California declaring additional states of emergency. These are very intense times, but as I stated earlier, Stan State has been able to ground me through it all. I regularly looked for University emails and updates on all the latest events. This helped filter through a lot of the misleading media as Stan State was providing us with factual information and resources. This really made me rethink the role of universities in state and local communities; but that is a whole other conversation. 

My only expectations for fall 2020 are to stay on top of all my commitments (which I will be sharing soon) and academics. So far school has been going well, and once I make more sense of online/distance learning, I will elaborate :)! At this point though, it is going well and my professors are very supportive and eager to help us all and this has made me pretty optimistic.

Thank you all for checking in and joining me on this interesting ride we are calling Fall 2020!

May 26

What Comes Next

Hi everyone,

To simply state it, summer is here and I will be logging off until August and until the next semester comes back around. It seems so long from now, but I’m sure in time this will seem like “just yesterday” in three months and as exciting as that is, it’s also kind of nerve wrecking.

I have so many plans for this summer!! A lot of them will include simply making contact with a lot of professors from PhD programs of interest to me. This isn’t a requirement for all PhD programs, but many do encourage PhD applicants to reach out to professors from that program and find a research commonality. I have my heart set on one program in particular (****) but I am going to give myself the option to explore so many other programs. I don’t want to let my own feelings cloud my prospects. I would let the bear out of the bag but once process gets nearer :)! I also don’t know if my goal is to start a PhD program in fall 2021 either. I have so much figuring out to do, but I think I will be applying nonetheless. I also am going to be looking into fellowship/internships/volunteerships. I want to put my education to work but not necessarily by joining the 9-5 life just yet! I want to travel, learn, give back, and if there are any opportunities out there, please do not hesitate to let me know :)!

That said, this summer is also going to be a summer of SELF-CARE. I am going to make it my mission to change so many things about me. From my diet to my social media habits, things are going to change for the better. I want to dedicate x amount of time doing things (consistently) that will help me in the future. This not only includes physical activities, but also mental ones such as practicing or reciting a new word in German or French or Portuguese. With all the time spent at home, I want to pick up a new skill and why not try to learn a new language while getting back to running a few miles a week? I also want to better my Spanish so I will be taking advantage of Amazon Prime and setting up a Kindle account AND the online data base CSU Stan offers students to read articles, journals, book chapters, and whatever else I can access! I am going to focus so much time reading and I am so excited!! I feel that through reading for leisure, my writing will improve and that is another objective of mine for this summer. This is also something I want to improve in general and in particular for PhD applications! I want to learn how to write about myself in a way that tells a story, not in a way that is so academic and so “stiff”.

There are so many things I want to do summer 2020 I don’t even know where to begin. I am definitely eager for this summer, though, because unless I start a PhD program fall 2021, this will be my last official summer as a student for a while and I’m scared!! Every summer, the months of May-August represent time to rejuvenate my spirits and mind. I am not reading for my summer to be just another few months in the year… that is something I’m looking forward to just yet.

Well, thank you all for joining me this semester!! I can’t wait to be back and give everyone updates on things I’ve worked on :)!!

May 26

To the Class of 2020

To the Class of 2020:

Congratulations!! You all MADE IT :)!

 

Even if we are in the middle of a pandemic, you should still be proud of yourself and take some time to celebrate your accomplishments! If you are in high school and will soon be matriculating to CSU Stan, a city college student who just completed their Associates, or a college senior who just completed all requirements for their major, this is your moment and no pandemic can dull your success!

This, in so many ways, is just the beginning of a new and exciting chapter that awaits you all! I know when I graduated high school, I thought things would just continue as normal. When I graduated from undergrad, same thing. Each time, I was proven wrong. Nothing continued as normal. My life had taken on a whole new course of its own. I saw this in a change of daily routine, a complete change in friends, and goals no longer being so hypothetical and out of reach. With each accomplishment, everything made much more sense and my objectives much more tangible. I am confident that pandemic or not, you are much closer to reaching your goals than you were months ago. So hello!! Let’s celebrate that!

I hope these next few weeks are time of reflection and acceptance of having succeeded! Every finish line we cross is never too small to be proud of. You did it and I’m proud of you :)! I can’t wait to see future Warriors at CSU Stan! 🙂

May 19

A Note to Incoming First-Gen, CSU Stan Students

As I sit here today, now having finished my first year of grad school, I am look back at the years and months leading up to my freshman year of college, and I find that I cannot be more proud of myself for this huge accomplishment in my life.

Growing up as a first-generation (everything), I was exposed to so many struggles, including school deficiencies. As I reflect, I accept that I thought I’d never enroll in college, and while I want to be upset at myself for those thoughts, a much more youthful, less aware, and lost me refused to give in and pushed through. Therefore, I cannot be upset, as the tenacity within me jumped out and prevailed.

For those of you who are still working towards your degree, or are in high-school and dreaming about achieving a higher education, don’t relinquish that. It all starts with an idea or a dream. Education is a door, kick it open. The struggles, the one too many school deficiencies, and many other aspects of my upbringing are all experiences that should make us eager and ambitious to pursue a higher education.

All I’ve endured has taught me about resilience, humility, dedication, and discipline. This pandemic has only pronounced that. I thought there was no way I would be able to commit to my education any longer now that everything is online, but I refuse to give up. I still have the privilege to pursue my masters, and I am not going to allow that opportunity go in vain. I am going to take it and run with it.

To all the incoming CSU Stan students, welcome to a new beginning and era in your life. What you’ll find at Stan State is that unlike many other schools where your time as a student can easily be buried in silence, is a university built with the student experience anchored in every possible way. At Stan, your voice will be elevated, your needs will be met, and your goals will be accomplished. To all the incoming CSU Stan students, especially those who’ve been faced with one too many obstacles leading up to where you are now, the student experience is yours and mold it the way you see fit! These next few years will be all yours. You got this!