I was inspired to choose MiraCosta College as my community partner as it would resonate similarly with my college journey as a transfer student. Having the opportunity to sit in Professor Olivia Quintanilla’s course and meet her students was greatly appreciated and I enjoyed hearing their stories of Oceanside, San Diego. As the quarter went on, I realized how difficult finding a narrator would be. At first, I decided to look into clubs at MiraCosta College and potentially find a narrator there. However, this seemed to prove challenging at the time as it seemed people were not interested in being interviewed or did not answer. As time passed, I chose to look around at different sites in Oceanside as that is where MiraCosta College is located. I contacted Anita Morales, a current librarian at the Oceanside Public Library, and enjoyed hearing her story. One task I found difficult while doing the oral history was trying to let the conversation flow naturally while asking the questions I had prepared. This was because I had wanted it to feel like a conversation rather than an interview. Anita discussed how growing up in her hometown of La Puente, California has affected her and how seeing injustices in her city started her journey to activism. For me it was interesting to hear her story and what she said about her hometown as we grew up in the same City and I had many similarities and differences to how it affected us. She goes in-depth on what she does now at the library and how she intends to help the community of Oceanside. One of my favorite parts was hearing her describe how the communities and people at La Puente and Oceanside are not very different and how deserving they are of resources and aid.
June 3, 2024
Reflection: MiraCosta College
About Race and Oral History Project
The Race and Oral History Project is a collaboration between UC San Diego Institute of the Arts and Humanities and the UC San Diego Library.
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