In Lak'ech: You Are My Other Me — Magnolia Landa-Posas | Ed Talks Fall 2018
Summary
TLDRThe speaker recounts their challenging start at CU-Boulder, feeling unwelcome and considering leaving. However, they found a supportive community with MASA (Mexican American Student Association) and learned about past activism for equity in education. Inspired, they co-founded a summer outreach program to encourage Chicano and Latino students to pursue higher education, aiming for representation parity. The program, 'Aztlán,' focuses on empowerment through five core beliefs, fostering change and hope. The speaker, now a graduate and program co-director, urges educational institutions to reflect on perpetuating systems of power and to embrace diverse knowledge and experiences.
Takeaways
- 🎓 The speaker arrived at CU-Boulder in 2012 with aspirations to graduate, become a doctor, and achieve the American dream.
- 😔 The first semester was challenging, with numerous unpleasant experiences leading to feelings of not belonging and contemplation of leaving the university.
- 👨👩👧👦 The speaker's parents are Mexican immigrants who sacrificed to provide a better future for their children, adding pressure to succeed.
- 🏠 The thought of returning home to parental disappointment was unbearable, leading the speaker to seek a new support system on campus.
- 🤝 They found a community in student groups focused on Mexican American students, which helped reshape their worldview and sense of belonging.
- 📚 Learning about past activism and the struggles of Chicano students in the 1970s inspired the speaker to stay and fight for equity and education.
- 🌟 The realization that representation and diversity at CU were lacking led to the creation of a summer outreach program to attract Chicano and Latino students.
- 🔢 Despite being only 9% of CU's graduates, Latinos make up 21% of Colorado's population and 31% of its K-12 student body, highlighting a significant disparity.
- 🌈 The summer program, 'Aztlán and Now', was designed to empower students through academic experiences, leadership development, and community engagement.
- 🌟 The program's success is evident in its growth from a 3-day event with 20 students to a 10-day program with 42 participants from across Colorado.
- 💪 The speaker, now a CU-Boulder graduate and co-director of the program, calls for a continued commitment to diversity, representation, and support for students of color.
Q & A
What was the speaker's initial goal upon arriving at CU-Boulder?
-The speaker's initial goal was to graduate, become a doctor, and live out the American dream.
What challenges did the speaker face during their first semester at CU-Boulder?
-The speaker faced a significant number of unpleasant experiences, feelings of not belonging, and contemplation of leaving the university.
How did the speaker's perspective change after finding a new community at CU-Boulder?
-After finding a new community, the speaker's worldview was turned upside down, realizing that their experiences with isolation and microaggressions were shared, and learning about activism and the history of Chicano and CU student activists.
What historical event did the speaker learn about that influenced their decision to stay at CU-Boulder?
-The speaker learned about the Bolder Six Chicano and CU student activists who died in 1974 in pursuit of equity, justice, and the right to education.
What was the demographic discrepancy the speaker observed at CU-Boulder in 2017?
-In 2017, only 517 Latino students graduated from CU, which was roughly 9% of all graduates, while Latinos made up 21% of the state's population and 31% of the K-12 student population in Colorado.
What was the main objective of the summer outreach program proposed by the speaker and their community?
-The main objective was to encourage Chicano and Latino students throughout Colorado to become interested in and pursue higher education, addressing the issue of diversity at CU-Boulder.
What was the historical inspiration for the summer outreach program proposed by the speaker?
-The historical inspiration was the work of the United Mexican American Students (UMAS) and their Summer Bridge programs from 1967 to 1971, which significantly increased the enrollment of Chicano and Latino students.
What are the five core beliefs integrated into the summer program's activities?
-The five core beliefs are: 1) Fiscal polka - critical self-reflection, 2) Gets that Goya - precious and beautiful knowledge, 3) Chief ethic - transformation, 4) We chilla portly - well to act, and 5) Revolutionary hope and love.
How did the speaker describe the process of change within the summer program?
-The speaker described the process of change as circular, messy, painful, rigorous, and invigorating, emphasizing the importance of hope and love at the center of the work.
What is the speaker's hope for the future of students and the university?
-The speaker hopes that students continue to grow, challenge themselves, and transform their lives and society, with the university supporting and reflecting the diversity it seeks.
Outlines
🎓 Overcoming Challenges and Finding Community
The speaker recounts their journey starting at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2012 with aspirations to become a doctor and achieve the American dream. Despite facing numerous unpleasant experiences and feelings of not belonging, they contemplated leaving. However, the fear of disappointing their Mexican immigrant parents, who sacrificed greatly for a better future, motivated them to persevere. They found a new family in student groups focused on Chicano and Latino issues, which transformed their worldview and inspired them to stay and fight for representation and equity in education.
🌟 Empowering Students through Chicano and Latino Outreach
The speaker discusses the creation of a summer outreach program aimed at encouraging Chicano and Latino students to pursue higher education. They highlight the stark underrepresentation of Latino students at CU Boulder, despite making up a significant portion of the state's population. Drawing on historical efforts, they initiated a program in 2013 to provide an interactive academic experience that fosters leadership and community empowerment. The program, named 'Chicano and Latino Summit,' is built on five core beliefs, integrating indigenous epistemologies and promoting self-reflection, knowledge production, transformation, and community action. The speaker shares a story of a student who underwent a significant transformation after participating in the program, demonstrating its impact on personal growth and academic achievement.
🌈 Fostering Change and Revolutionary Hope
The speaker, now a CU Boulder graduate and co-director of the academic program, reflects on the importance of creating safe spaces for students of color and the power of collective action. They emphasize the need for educators and administrators to critically reflect on their values and the systems of power they perpetuate. The speaker calls for a transformation in how institutions reach out to and retain diverse students, advocating for staff and faculty that reflect the diversity of the student body. They express a dream for the program to continue empowering students to challenge themselves and transform their communities, with the assurance of support and witness from the program.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡American Dream
💡Microaggressions
💡Mexican Immigrants
💡Chicano
💡Activism
💡Equity
💡Representation
💡Summer Outreach Program
💡Astok Epistemologies
💡Transformation
💡Radical Changes
Highlights
The speaker arrived at CU-Boulder in 2012 with dreams of becoming a doctor and living the American dream.
The first semester was challenging, with many unpleasant experiences, leading to contemplation of leaving Boulder.
The realization of not belonging and the fear of parental disappointment were significant emotional struggles.
The speaker's parents are Mexican immigrants who sacrificed for a better future for their children.
Finding a new family in student groups like MEChA and MAS helped the speaker find belonging on campus.
Learning about past activism and the Bulger Six, who fought for equity and education, was an eye-opening experience.
The speaker and peers aimed to address the lack of diversity at CU through a summer outreach program for Chicano and Latino students.
In 2017, only 517 Latino students graduated from CU, which was less than 10% of the graduating class.
Latinos make up 21% of Colorado's population and 31% of K-12 student population, indicating a significant underrepresentation in higher education.
The summer program aimed to mirror past efforts to increase enrollment of Chicano and Latino students at CU.
The program faced administrative backlash in the 1970s, leading to its discontinuation.
In 2013, the speaker and peers managed to start their own summer program despite challenges.
The program, called 'Pizza,' aimed to provide an interactive academic experience and empower students.
The program incorporated five core beliefs, including critical self-reflection and transformation.
One student's transformation after participating in the program demonstrated its impact on personal growth.
The program's success led to its expansion, with 42 students attending the sixth annual program from across Colorado.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of reflecting on values and perpetuating systems of power in education.
The speaker calls for bravery in making radical changes to staff and faculty to reflect the diversity of the student body.
The speaker's journey from feeling marginalized to co-directing a program that empowers students of color is a testament to resilience and activism.
Transcripts
[Music]
I arrived at cu-boulder
in the fall of 2012 with the
determination to graduate become a
doctor and reach and live out the
American dream
by the end of the semester however my
determination wasn't wavered let's just
say that the number of unpleasant
experiences that I had that very first
semester were not on short supply and I
quickly learned that I did not belong by
the end of the semester I started
contemplating the possibility of leading
Boulder either taking a break or
transferring to the University of
Colorado Denver to be closer to home
and researching my options I became
paralyzed the thought of my parents pain
and my failed attempt to make it tore me
apart
my parents are both Mexican immigrants
that like many other immigrants rest
their lives to provide them a better
tomorrow for both myself and my siblings
so not making it was not an option
rather than go back home to that China
or worse my parents disappointment I
push myself to find a new family by the
end of the semester I found my people
who mas Amit Chuck uma stands from ik
United Mexican American students and may
transfer movimiento estudiantil Chicano
Islam to student groups that over the
years have merged because let's be
honest
competing for brown students was not
gonna happen
there just wasn't enough
within a month my worldview was turned
upside down
I learned that my experience with
isolation and microaggressions was
shared I learned about the activism of
brown black and indigenous students
during the 1970s and I also learned
about a phase the Bulger six Chicano and
CU student activists that died in
Boulder in 1974 in pursuit of equity
justice and the right to education it
became clear to them to me at that
moment that folks that look like me had
fought and in some cases even died so I
could be in the space and now there
really was no way I was going to leave
within the next couple of months I
learned the rest that the rest of my
newly formed Familia had been talking
about the possibility of making a summer
outreach program for Chicano and Latino
students throughout the state of
Colorado to become interested and pursue
higher education it was clear that
diversity at CU was an issue and it was
even more clear that if those students
did not see themselves represented and
reflected nothing was gonna change in
the fall of 2017 only 517 lat enol
students graduated from CU roughly 9% of
all those students that graduated yet in
the state of Colorado Latinos make up
21% of the population and in Colorado
schools that are K through 12 Latinos
make up 31 of the student population our
idea for a solution was to mirror the
work that we must had done in the past
as an equal opportunity program who mas
used to host Summer Bridge programs for
Chicano and meheecan or high school
students throughout the state of
Colorado and within the span of four
years from 1967 to 1971 it resulted in
an increase of enrollment of brown
students from around 28 students to
about 1,000 their goal like ours today
was to at the bare minimum
reach parity a concept that is that the
proportion of Mexican Chicano and Latino
students represented as Cu should be
equal to the percentage of the
population that they're coming from from
the state unfortunately their work led
to administrative backlash that ended
the program in the early 1970s after an
immense amount of jumping through hoops
tugs and negotiations as Cu
undergraduates managed to start our own
summer program in June of 2013 it ran
for a total of three days with about
twenty high school students we called it
a pizza and now at word four left your
chin up and its mission to provide an
interactive academic experience focus on
expect expanding our educational lens
building our leadership and empowering
both ourselves and our communities Wien
complim ition through courses workshops
panels and activities that integrate
five core beliefs that all of our
participants are counselors and
instructors engaging with in the week
four of these movements we draw from
astok epistemologies and ways of being
the first movement is fiscally polka
which represents critical
self-reflection through discussion and
self-reflection we explore who are we
and what do we care about what has
shaped me and where can I grow allowing
students and all of us present to look
inwardly as a method of understanding
the world around us the second movement
is gets that Goya which represents
precious and beautiful knowledge a
personal favorite because it reminds us
that knowledge is in me I believe the
stories in our community sayings and
most importantly in our very own lived
experience both in our courses and
through artistic expression students
begin to see themselves not only as
holders but also as producers of
knowledge the third movement is chief
ethic
representing transformation which allows
us to make space for theater practices
and discussions around how we
transformed in the past and how we can
trust more moving forward this movement
reminds me of one student in particular
he attended Achatz our first year and
unfortunately due to a combination of
behavioral misconduct and racial
profiling on campus we were forced to
dismiss him a day early before the
program ended we told the student and
their family that we were there to
support them in love with us
Ian of my life the following year the
student approached us and applied again
he shared with us at his behavior and
commitment to his education had changed
after his participation and that gets up
he proudly showcased a binder of
schoolwork collections that had all been
graded hiace a contrast from the lower
academic scores they had received in
previous years transformation was
happening right in front of us the
fourth movement is we chilla portly
which means well to act each and every
one of us has the power to create change
and it can only take place if we push
both ourselves and our communities to
create it and I get that we look to this
movement to dig into the issues that we
are passionate about and to begin to
explore what it could look like to begin
generating change when we go back home
some students have started their own
student groups in their high schools
some have talked with their teachers and
change curriculum to ensure that they're
represented as well as their communities
in the curriculum and pedagogy and
others have also done something very
important which is share the knowledge
that they've learned with us with their
family with their community and with
their peers by the end of the week we
close the program with the idea of
revolutionary hope and love over the
years we have learned that change is not
easy and often it makes us feel very
defeated keeping hope and love at the
center of a work is necessary often it
is remembering in Mukesh the idea of you
are my other
duetted military on our annual journey
through these movements is circular
messy painful rigorous and invigorating
it's work that would not be possible
without the undergraduate and graduate
and structures that make space and hold
space for vulnerability thank you to all
of their work this summer marked our
sixth annual summer program at ten days
with 42 students in attendance from all
across the state of Colorado truly a
program for and by the students that we
serve I believe that as educators
administrators and fellow humans we need
to make space to critically reflect on
our values and ask ourselves how do we
consciously or unconsciously perpetuate
systems of power when will we not only
acknowledge but also incorporate the
precious and beautiful knowledge that
lives outside of academia the knowledge
we find between generations and lived
experiences and in communities of color
when will we transform the ways in which
we reach out to and retain the diversity
of the students that we seek and when
will we be brave enough to act on the
radical changes that need to happen even
if that means staff and faculty that
truly reflect the diversity that we want
to see in our student body when I
arrived at the University and 2012 I
thought my hopes and dreams start to
shattered due to both racism and
exclusion I had to push myself to find a
safe and supportive Amelia on campus the
shared experience of marginalization
pushed me and my peers to look at our
past and create something both new and
old something that would help our
students of color feel empowered
rather than frustrated something that
would help them remember that they have
precious and beautiful knowledge and
that they helped hold that the well to
act and truly that they can perpetuate
and ignite the revolutionary hope and
love that we need
today I stand before you as a cu-boulder
graduate and as one of the co-directors
of the academic program the only program
on campus that is currently created
facilitated and staff primarily by
undergraduate students damn near the
students we bring my wish and my dream
is that I get sinus students continue to
grow she challenged themselves in their
communities to continue to transform
their lives and society knowing that we
will be there for them and as witness
yes - thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
you
[Applause]
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