Reflection on Raza Resource Centro + Personal Reflection
As a Mexican- American first-generation college student the Raza Resource Centro has felt like a home. I am a third-year student at UC San Diego and thanks to the Race & Oral History in San Diego class I was able to learn more about the center and their aims. During my freshman and sophomore years, I was not very familiar with the resources and opportunities the university provides to students, and thanks to this course, and the Raza Resource Centro (RRC) I can have a better understanding of what community means. The Raza Resource Centro is a peaceful space in which staff, students, and professors make you feel welcome. Part of the class is to be engaged with one community partner, and in my case, I choose the Raza Resource Centro, by attending the center I was able to see plenty of archives of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlán (MEChA) and how they reached the university for extra resources and help. By looking at the archives I realized that student and social activism is a compelling thing. I learned more about UC San Diego’s history, and how impactful the MEChA movement is. By conducting my interview with Marnie Brookolo, director of the UC San Diego Women’s Center I was able to learn even more about the history of the new resources and centers that have been developed during the years due to the student-social activism. It was a great opportunity to be part of this class since it is unique compared to the structure of other courses at UC San Diego. This class is for those who are interested in the history of socialism, student-activism, race, white supremacy, gender, and community. Dr. Alvarez and the community partners are willing to be engaged with the students who are passionate about the impotence of student-activism.
