I just got home from a beautiful bike ride along the beach at sunset. What I love the most is the 2-minute bike ride to Kaystin’s house. My best friend Kaystin lives “right around the corner” from us, and we took a nice ride down to the lighthouse yesterday afternoon. At night I fall asleep to the ocean waves and I sleep “neath starry skies”. This is Santa Cruz!
UC Pride!
Earlier today I had a photography gig! My friend Moses commissioned me to take photos for the day at an event he helped organize called the Smith Renaissance Fall Kick Off. It reminded me of that one lame Bruce Willis or Dennis Quaid movie where the main character says how, “there’s nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer”. That definitely was true of the work that students put in to make this Kick Off happen.
The event was for all the badass students at UCSC who from foster care and/or who were homeless at points in their lives. I’m talking about people my age! The event was to bring this wonderful group together to create a new agenda for the year, including cooking, dancing, photography (which will be led by yours truly) workshops, financial aid, and other school related workshops. It introduced new students to the mentors; counselors and donors who are here for them and devote their lives to helping them succeed. The combination of their speeches with the students’ was powerful.
The students of the Smith Renaissance Program
Being a photographer is ridiculously awesome. I get to see into and be a part of people’s lives that I normally wouldn’t. I get to learn from them, even if it’s only for a short period of time.
Being my own Advocate…is hard!!
Running around all over campus, introducing myself to anyone that will listen, and making sure I fight to the death for my classes…and the results of these efforts has amounted to:
International Law: a class focusing on public policy (especially within the UN, hehe), and law’s role within social movements and human rights, how perfect is that?
Ecological Forecasts of Global Warming: A science class (which means some math and whatnot eeeek!) geared towards understanding the current state of climate change worldwide, and the past, present and future policies within the UN aimed at tackling it (again, how perfect is that?)
SIDENOTE! When the internship guy from the environmental studies office came into our class advertising internship credit for projects around environmental policy/field work/etc., you can bet I stalked him and my professor down and guess what? I turned my delegate position and trip to Copenhagen into a full class credit internship! YEEEUHHH!
Feminism and Social Justice: I’m gonna just bust myself out and say that I need this class to teach me to take feminism seriously. That’s exactly why I’m in it right now. I love the professor, she’s super passionate, knowledgeable, and empowered. She reminds me of my mom, who empowered me with the same zest for social justice and the power of human beings with a passion for the greater good. Being in this class makes me miss her.
I guess in the end it is passion that is the spirit behind existence and nothing will ever change that!
The Lovely Lady TWANistas!
Pictures to come of us too! Our first meetings of this quarter have resulted in a full-fledged agenda for our next issue, and oooo it’s gonna be hot!
"Keep UC Affordable"
We got you covered on all the news surrounding the strike that occurred the first day of classes, the student occupation at the Grad Student Commons, news from Oaxaca, the Bay Area Indian Community and more!
Remember, I’m still pushing the “Help a Sista Get to Copenhagen” pitch, so if you’re interested, hit me up at gemmagivens@gmail.com
That’s the scoop from these Indigenous Eyes, oh yea, I went there.
