Nicole Calande

MFA Creative Writing

“As a queer writer, I’ve often been concerned with voices on the margins. Going back to school to get my MFA in creative writing was as much about being connected to diverse 同行的作家和艺术家，因为这是在寻找自己的声音. 以我以前的经验 in independent podcasting and book publishing, I’ve seen the potential to shift power 以及资源流向未被充分代表的声音和艺术家. I hope to continue this passion through creating platforms that directly serve artists and community members 以各种各样的方式——始终牢记可访问性和授权. This year, being involved with Reed Magazine and the CLA will allow me to get the leadership experience in community arts programming that I hope to implement on my own after graduation.”

Jo’Leysha Cotton

Master of Urban Planning

“The impetus for my 创造不同的激情 is because someone before me had 让我有勇气做出改变，这样我就能过上更充实的生活. In particular, these people include my enslaved ancestors, civil right leaders, community activists, 社区成员，还有我的父母和其他家庭成员. Making a difference is not always easy, the best way to pay homage to our ancestors is to pay it forward 给我们的后代.”

Mitchell Hawkins

MS Occupational Therapy

Huy Le

Counselor Education

“My greatest passion for making a difference in the world stems from my educational 高等教育经历. 作为第一代低收入的越南裔美国人 man, I grew up in a single-parent household where I, as the eldest son, had the sole responsibility of taking care of my family while my mother, a Vietnamese immigrant, worked incredibly hard to make ends meet to put food on our table and keep a roof over our heads. 虽然我成功地成为了家里第一个毕业的人 from college, my journey toward achieving this goal was not easy due to my low socioeconomic background and not having the navigational assistance to steer me toward higher education. Through my own educational journey and my work as a Counselor Intern at West Valley College in EOPS, I realized that students like me are often challenged with attaining their educational goals due to various circumstances that make it difficult for them to do so. In fact, achieving my educational goals of transferring to a 4-year university and earning a college degree was something that I initially thought was out of reach for someone like me.

As a future community college counselor, I am keenly determined to decrease these unequal, recurring rates by closing the achievement gap among first-generation, low-income college students from diverse backgrounds so that they can attain their educational goals. I strive to use my education to provide opportunities for college students from underserved communities to help them achieve their dreams and aspirations through higher education, ultimately fueling my passion and drive to continue making a difference 为了全人类，为了整个世界.”

Katherine Reyes

公共卫生及康乐

“As a graduate student and public health worker, I am guided by my personal experiences 作为一个年轻时被监禁的人. 我的资源来自那些有经验的人 paved the way for generations before me, fighting for the rights of Black, Indigenous, 残疾人、移民、妇女、变性人以及其他受压迫群体. I believe public health as a field has an important role and responsibility to support marginalized 在我们争取尊严和解放的斗争中. 具体来说，我相信 racial justice is central to public health and envision a world where public health is a leader in addressing structural racism through bold action such as divesting from carceral solutions and investing in community-centric efforts like housing and 全民医保和全民基本收入.”

Taylor Zavala

Masters of Social Work