Winter Quarter 2020
Never Too Late
Living in a home away from home can be tough,
The only way to live, is to think that there is a diamond inside the rough.
At times I ask myself why is there any point of trying to fit in?
When all they see in me is just my white skin.
I am from a people with a past that must never be forgotten,
I continue to push for those who were left to have their bones rotten.
Now is my time to speak about the ugly truths I see in this world,
Before all my ideas and thoughts are thrown in the trash all curled!
You see, we all come from different places
And that is why we should appreciate all different races!
Why is that so hard?
We learn as kids to treat others how you wanted to be treated.
However, throughout history, that rule has always been cheated.
It’s too late to rewrite the past story,
However, it is never too late to rebuild relationships back to their glory.
The time to act is now
Because we all don’t know when we will take that final bow.
It is important to know for the future!
We are different because of our history and our past
However, that doesn’t mean our relationship cannot last.
We are different in the way we act and live
Let’s experience life appreciating oneself and others
Because we all need one another.
“I wrote this poem because I am a Jew who has faced antisemitism and just want a world that appreciates all people and their cultures.”
Benjamin Zaghi, Human Developmental Sciences
Stolen Greatness
One glance at my black skin and what do you see?
You don’t see my potential unless I’m being used as entertainment and assume that I lack intelligence.
You use my existence as property as if I were in a game of monopoly.
A system that has created broken homes, lost opportunity and lost minds will not dictate my life.
We may not be much in your eyes unless we’re generating revenue for you but history doesn’t lie.
This isn’t up for debate nor is it a cry out for help, the playing fields were never even but we always make do with the cards that we’re dealt.
You may think you stole our greatness but through the trials and tribulations, we persevere and demonstrate the power bestowed upon us.
The truth is you’re scared of us, scared of how great we are, scared of our capabilities and this fear shows.
You clinch on to your power by exploiting us and then claim we leech off of your assistance.
“This poem I wrote is me sharing my perspective on how society views me as a black man and how I believe in myself regardless of any given circumstances. I know there are others who can relate to this so it’s not just for me but for everyone.”
De’Von King, Human Developmental Sciences
“For our presentation, we chose the topic of women’s discrimination. Two of my passions are Advocating for Equity and Equality as well as the health field. I wanted to combine the two ideas and create a message that sought to eliminate the discrimination against women in and through health. I used Canva to find the images and symbols in order to put everything together.”
Arianna Martinez, Human Developmental Sciences
“As an immigrant with an uncommon accent, it has become normal to hear the same question again and again, “where are you from?” and “you’re not from here, right?”. These questions had added up to the idea that I am not American, and that any attempt of integrating will be completely dismissed by my accent. Microaggressions are something of this sort that allows stereotyping to be accepted at most colleges. By understanding the cultural strain imposed to minority groups by these comments, we can progress to a more equal society.”
Anonymous Undergraduate Student, Human Developmental Sciences
“I wanted to bring awareness to the issues of gender equality in the STEM field in a way that is engaging and caters to the modern college student. Even though we are in an improving situation and more girls are joining the field, I feel like more could be done to combat the issue. I purposefully designed it as something to be easily circulated on SNS and also included a QR code linking back to the original article and website, so that others could choose to learn more about the amazing women in STEM and what they have accomplished. Instead of choosing a more direct message by asking people to become aware about the gender differences in STEM, this is a more subtle route that I think will make a difference in the long run. I used Canva to create the GIF, and the picture and article are from news.janegoodall.org/2018/03/08/5-powerful-women-stem-need-know/. “
Vivian, Human Developmental Sciences
“Black women are three to four times more likely to die due to complications during pregnancy than white women. This message portrays the severity of this maternal mortality gap, hoping to bring attention to the structural determinants of health that cause these health outcomes.
My reference for my statistic: Howell, E. A. (2018). Reducing Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity and Mortality. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1. DOI: 10.1097/grf.0000000000000349“
Meera Swaminath, Human Developmental Sciences
“I created this sticker with the idea that women are much more than being stay-at-home moms. Also, that cleaning the home, cooking for the family, and taking care of the kids are not their only purpose. Women are capable of doing a lot more. Even when women are really good at something, they are never good enough. Women are always held to a higher standard than their male peers. There was a study that found that even when resumes were identical except for the name, John vs. Jennifer, science faculty members would more likely see John as the better option for the lab manager position. As a result, women are underrepresented and those who make it had to be more qualified to even be considered. Women legislators are better at bringing funding back to their home districts and in other words, they get more things done. At the end of the day, the goal is to encourage a diverse pool of people to run for office. However, in order to do so, these people have to acknowledge what happens to women in leadership positions. They are constantly facing bias which holds them back and are holding back the country as well. I used Google Images for the art, but the quote is original. A friend of mine helped me put it together. Her name is Alondra Lizarraga. She is also a student at UCSD.”
Josslyn Perez-Cortes and Alondra Lizarraga, Human Developmental Sciences