Project: I plan on using social media to promote a non profit Chicano art gallery to young artists and encourage them to use digital art as a tool to create awareness and provide a voice to the community.
Inspiration: Artists are the first on the scene to shed light on the social inequalities and movements. They are also the last forgotten. Colorado has one of the worst if not the very worst tax system in the country. One of the first things to get cut especially in lower income schools is the arts. The Chicano Humanities arts council is a non-profit art gallery in the Santa Fe arts district that provides a platform for local Chicano artists to display their work. The gallery also serves as a community space where other organizations can gather for meetings, fundraisers and other events. They provide art education to students now but they need to move forward into the 21st century and I plan on helping them do that.
Future Plans for Project: First things first, we need to create and establish a social media plan for short mid and long term. I hope to be able to set up a well oiled machine that any new communications team member can take over seamlessly. I hope to create program that maintains a digital media class which will teach local students basic skills of graphic design. I hope to secure funding for the program that will provide students who graduate from the program with a laptop computer and ideally the necessary accessories to pursue a career in digital media, graphic design or digital marketing.
Project: My Puksta project is furthering the prison activism work done by students at CU Denver. I have continued letter writing to inmates, editing the annual magazine, and distributing to other prison activists and political entities.
Inspiration: Prison activism ties together so many aspects that are involved in my life. The prison justice system is influenced by race, class, and power.
Future Plans for Project: As I have discussed with classmates and professors, I do not plan to bring down prison walls. However, I do believe this work will give a few people back the humanity they had stripped away when they entered prison. Additionally, this work can be shared to change the perceptions about inmates and prisons, and the harm this system does to our society.
What are you up to now?
I play fiddle in a bluegrass band and teach piano privately. I’m also a barista.
What are you up to now?
Writing for work and pleasure
What are you up to now?
I work in compliance at BMO Financial Group in Chicago.
Posted on December 21, 2016
Project: My community engagement project is The (Blank) Monologues. Inspired by The Vagina Monologues, The (Blank) Monologues is a student written and performed production about social issues facing students on campus. These issues include by are not limited to sexual assault, domestic violence, racism, sexism, homophobia, and more. The target population served is the CSU community including students and staff, as well as our beneficiary, Crossroads Safe House.
Inspiration: I realized that there were so many issues that college students face, and all too often they are told that they should not discuss their experiences and they are swept under the rug. I firmly believe that we cannot solve these issues unless they are talked about in the open and put front and center.
Future Plans for Project: I hope to provide a platform for survivors to share their stories and let others know that if they have similar experiences, they are not alone. I want to ensure that these issues cannot be ignored.
