I think the best part of having MiraCosta as our community partner was meeting Professor Olivia Quintanilla who is extremely passionate about what she does. Her creation of the department at MiraCosta and her evident leadership in that matter exemplify this passion. To have her and Professor Luis Alvarez and everyone at the ROHP who want to create stories of those who have lived extraordinary lives is very special. During our visits to MiraCosta, we were able to meet with Professor Quintanilla’s students and discuss with them their project of finding and writing about a historical site in or around Oceanside. We also sat in on Professor Quintanilla’s lectures about the gentrification of Oceanside and the effects this has had on the people who have lived here all their lives. All in all, I very much enjoyed meeting and having conversations with the MiraCosta students. The best part of having MiraCosta as our community partner was that it led me to meeting and interviewing Eduardo Aguilar. Eduardo is a professor at MiraCosta College and had also attended as a student before that. The stories Eduardo told me about his childhood and his time involved in student activism at MiraCosta are just fascinating. The best part about his experiences is that he can recall exact moments and people that inspired him, as well as the people who were not supportive of him and his activist groups. This was my first interview, and it was an incredible experience to be able to have such a great conversation where you can really feel what the interviewee was going through at that time. Overall, I was excited when I first started this class and coming out of it, I am very grateful to be a part of this wonderful project.
June 3, 2024
Reflection on Oral History and 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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