Hello to all, my name is Evelyn Auroza. I am a leo, I recently turned 21 years old. I grew up in South Central, Los Angeles.  I am currently a senior at CSUDH, my major is Chicana/o Studies, and I will be doing my minor in Women Studies. I am an only child which is often times surprising because coming from a Mexican culture people are expected to have more than one child, however, my parents only had me. I was not spoiled as a child, my parents have always taught me that nothing will be handed to me easily, and that I have to work hard to earn what I want. I am also the first in my family to make it this far and go to CSUDH. Aside from studying I also have a job, I am Front End Supervisor at Ross Dress For Less. It has not been easy managing work and school at the same time, but a women has to do the impossible to succeed. I grew up watching my family play baseball it is a sport that is in our blood. Therefore I enjoy going to baseball game and rooting for the Boys in Blue, The Los Angeles Dodgers. I try to go many games as possible during the season. I am a Dodgers fan whether they lose or win.

My sisters and I

Hello class! My name is Kelsey Guadalupe Castellanos and I’m twenty years old. I was raised in Huntington Park, California and still remain to live there. I am Chicana/o Studies major with a concentration in Education, Social, and Community Development and a Women Studies Minor as well. I am currently in my fourth year and final year at Cal State Dominguez and hope to attend grad school in the near future to pursue Higher Education Administration in Student Affairs. However, sometimes I feel I want to pursue social work instead. I also work on campus as a tour guide, so I spend a lot of time at school and some of you may see me around giving tours to perspective students. On the contrast, I love watching baseball especially my favorite team the Los Angeles Dodgers. I am the youngest of my family and have two older sisters. We grew up in bicultural home since my mother is Mexican and my father is Salvadorian. As a result, I have the best of both worlds, I certainly love to eat the different foods from both culture. I also have small Chihuahua dog named Missy who I love very much. Missy has become a big part of my family. When I am not at school, studying, or doing homework, I spent my free time with my family or friends. My family has been my biggest motivation and support system for me to finish school. Since I will be graduating nest year, I hope to make them proud. This semester, I am excited to learn about gender and sexuality in Chicana/o families. Therefore, good look everyone.

Hello everyone my name is Allison Ortiz. I am 21 years old I grew up in Lennox, CA (a very small town by LAX) I am from Guatemalan, and very proud. I am the second person in my family to go to college. I transferred from SMC to CSUDH with my AA in Liberal Arts Social and Behavioral Science. I was in SMC for 4 years, not sure at the moment, of my major which was one of my reason of being in the school for that long. My major is Psychology, but have always enjoyed exploring other majors and classes like Women’s Studies, Latino History and Ethnic History. I hope with my major, to help as many people as I can whether it be as a Teacher, Counsellor or a Therapist. I enjoy learning new things and am always up to new classes that will help me be aware of my culture.

The people who matter the most, my FAMILY <3

Hello fellow classmates of CHS 486,

My name is Amy Herrera. I am a Senior here at CSUDH. I will be graduating this Spring ’17 with a degree in Chicano/a Studies. My plan is to continue with pursuing my Masters degree in Education, since I want to become a teacher. Becoming a teacher has always been my dream and plan since I could remember. I am the type of person who loves to give back and loves helping others, and what other way of helping individuals then to educate others including our youth.

I am 22 years old. I am the youngest of all my sisters, yes I said “sister’S”. I only have sister’s and no brothers, many would say that is a blessing but I believe otherwise, and I have always wanted to have an older brother. But I am grateful of the sisters I do have. I look up to my 3rd eldest sister, which will be graduating with her Master’s degree in Sociology this Spring. She has made me become the person I am today, by educating me about school and telling me to continue to reach for my dreams and going for what I really want. The reason I posted a picture with my family is because they have all supported me and my dreams, especially my parents. I am not only getting through school for myself but also for my parents.

Hello everyone, my name is Rubi Lagunas i am a senior here in  CSUDH, I am majoring in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building,minoring in Administration of Justice. I plan to continue on to Law school or Grad school after i graduate.

I am 24 years old, the middle child of five siblings and the first and only going to college. I have an older Brother and Sister, and two younger sister , who i hope I am setting the right example for. I was born and raise in the city of Inglewood by my two Guerrerense( born in Guerrero Mexico) parents, went to Morningside High school, then to El Camino College and transferred to Dominguez Hills.

I am currently working two jobs as a personal assistant for  Dr. Beale (my dentist and mentor) and for a medical supply. For some reason the medical field has been calling me since i ever started working. But i just don’t see my self doing that for the rest of my life.

I am extremely eager to learn all the things i don’t know about the Chicano culture.

This is picture of me in the background of one of my favorite wrestling shows, Lucha Underground.

Hello everyone! My name is Lenin Torres and I am 21 years old. I was born and raised in Santa Ana, California. This is my 4th year at CSUDH and my major is Chicano Studies. I want to get involved in some sort of activism after I graduate. I believe that as a Chicano I need to do my part and help out my community. 

While I enjoy Chicano Studies, there are two things I am very passionate about. One of these is music. I am a huge music fan. I don’t think I would be able to live with out music. I listen to all kinds of music but my two favorites are hip hop and punk. These two are my favorite because of the raw energy that they present. The other thing I am very passionate about is wrestling. I have been a fan since I was a kid. I enjoy the way that wrestling presents a unique way of story telling through athleticism.

I  am very excited to be in this class because I believe it will provide me with new knowledge. Hope everyone has a great semester!

Hello Professor and Classmates,

My name is Francisca Chavez, a 39-year-old proud single parent of a beautiful 13-year-old girl, Maddy. I’m a “Super Senior” double majoring in Sociology and Chican@ studies with a minor in Political Science. I am currently enrolled in 12 units at CSUDH; this is my final semester, bittersweet. With that being said, I will leave CSUDH with a double B.A. in Sociology and Chican@ and a minor in Political Science. At present, I am looking into graduate school, however, undecided on Social Work (geriatrics), Education (Academic Advisor), or Non profit sector (Programs for underserved youth). I want to spend the rest of my life being a voice for those sitting on the margins of society. I am very passionate about giving back to lower socioeconomic communities, and improving the lives of others. I am all about social justice and equality.

Some of my accomplishments include being on the dean’s list every semester since community college. I graduated from Los Angeles Harbor College in 2012 receiving my Associates of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences: Social and Behavioral Sciences. I have been the recipient of two scholarships (Osher Scholarship and Anne Peters Memorial Scholarship), inducted in both the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology International Honor Society. I’ve also been honored numerous certificates acknowledging my leadership in the community (parent volunteer, homeless shelter volunteer, and advocacy associated with social problems).

In my spare time, I love mentoring and tutoring. But, most of all, I love spending time with my daughter and family. Other hobbies include jogging, hiking, reading, dining out, going to the movies, and traveling. My advice to all of you working on your degree is to take your education very serious, absorb all the knowledge passed on from professors. WE ARE PAYING FOR IT, so stay engaged. Also, set short and long-term goals so you know exactly where you are going, you don’t want to waste time. You have to execute a plan, and go after it with all you have-DON’T EVER GIVE UP- YOU CAN DO IT! GOOD LUCK ALL-WISHING EVERYONE A SEMSETER FULL OF KNOWLEDGE, which ultimately gives you power in our society.

Here is a picture of my twin brothers, mom and myself. I am the one in the front. The people who I love the most in the world.

Hello, my name is Laura Escobar. I am 24 years and I was born and raised in Anaheim, California. This is my first semester at CSUDH! I am transfer student from Cypress Community College where I recently earned my Associates Degree in Psychology. As you might guess I am a Psychology major, I want to get into Clinical Psychology and have my own private practice. I don’t know about you all but I really have a passion for my major. I find human behavior so fascinating and a world still awaiting so much more to discover.

I consider myself a proud Chicana even though I technically am not “full blooded Mexican”. My mother is from Colima, Mexico and my father is from El Salvador. So I am have half Mexican and half Salvatrucha. However, in my household as a child my siblings and I were raised with primarily our mothers Mexican culture. My dad does not have a lot of family here in the United States besides my grandma and his two siblings. If anything they to have adapted to my moms Mexican culture as well. They only Salvadorean thing I can nail, is the bad words in a native Salvadorean accent.

I consider myself a very extroverted person. I am wine lover and dogs have my heart. I like to do my homework on Thursday and Friday nights so I can go out and party on Saturday night. School is my first priority and I like to squeeze in a bit of time for some fun. Work is also very important to me since it is what pays my bills and school. I work at a private after school program in Chino Hills. I work with kids k-12 grade and let me tell you it is not as easy as it may seem. When I am not out with friends I am most likely reading a novel of my interest. Family is the most important thing in my life. Family is the motor to my motivation and my will to be successful.

Hi everyone! My name is Bridgett and I am a sociology major. I just applied to graduate this coming May. I am also completing the Human Resource Management program here at CSUDH. I was born and raised in Norwalk, CA and I have 2 sisters. Lucky for me, I’ll be graduating with one of them in May! The gentleman in my picture is my boyfriend, which is always pushing me to be the best version of myself.  🙂

Hello everyone! My name is Laura and I am addicted to artificially flavored coffee. I love hockey. I love reading and watching amazing films over and over again. I like the feeling of bare feet against cold sheets. I crave new experiences. I am a senior at CSUDH majoring in Communications: Media Studies with a minor in Women’s Studies. I initially wanted to be a filmmaker but since CSUDH did not have a film program I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give the communications department a shot. I decided that although I would still love to make films in the future that I also want to write for Feminist Media Studies and conduct research. I am interested in writing about the role media plays in perpetuating rape culture. I have always been interested in taking a Chicano studies course and since its my senior year it was now or never (or until grad school) and this one in particular interested me.