"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." 
~George Bernard Shaw



And so, it begins—the beginning of the end of my college experience. My first 2 years at UCSD were filled with strife and learning: who I am, what the world is, what I think we both could be. It has been a tumultuous, yet rewarding journey that I cannot wait to complete.

This year I am in 2 primary leadership positions: I am a Resident Assistant to 66 residents living on campus this year, I am also Co-Chair of the Black Student Union's Inclusion Committee. Additionally, I aspire to conduct my own research project this school year, as well as Study Abroad this summer in Hong Kong.

Needless to say, there is a lot on my plate! And while things have not been 100% perfect thus far, I am excited. There is energy to my motions and there is dedication to my work. What I build now is the future and I am excited to help be its architect. I am now, more than ever, in the process of sculpting my life; this task requires delicacy, focus, finesse, and imagination.

Wish me the best!

"We survived. For whatever it's worth, I'm glad it's over"
~ Jack Liebau

My second year is over! And though it was eventful, it was also extremely draining. 

Some Lows:

• My terrific boss resigning early in the school year
• The US Presidential election in November 2016
• Mass shooting of Black folks in La Jolla [x]
• Graduation & relocation of 2 of my best friends in Spring
• General exhaustion (2 jobs, school, several extracirriculars, etc...)

Some Highs:

• A wonderful job through which I made some best friends
• The creation of a best friend group I predict will exist the rest of my life
• Moonlight 😍 [x]
• Deepening my connection with myself (prioritizing wellness, critically reevaluating my goals, giving myself grace)

My second year was turbulent, but I learned so much in the process: I learned to be patient and forgiving the way I would hope others would be towards me, I learned that relying on others is challenging but often rewarding, I learned to trust my instincts, and I mostly learned that my relationship with UCSD is not as sustainable as I thought...

With that being said, I am very excited to be graduating from UCSD one year early! #Classof2018

Until next time,

"Get You A Job in Social Justice" ~Kyra Alexandria

I am a Social Justice Peer Educator in Programming for my campus' Women's Center. I was initially hype for this job because it meant that I'd be learning a lot. (I'm very much in love with the self-education aspect of activism. Many different terms and concepts related to ability and gender theory especially, are very new to me. I love reading about these concepts in detail.) Coming into the job, I was excited to work in a space dedicated to opening minds, and I was excited to begin with mine. But my job is helping challenge my activism. I'm now required to move past exploring gender theory, to breaking it down into more digestible parts for fellow community members to explore. It's a big jump for me: one that is both frightening and fun. Fun because I still get to research new* terminology and theories, and frightening because sharing the things I learn is important and special.            

Imma say this: if any of that spoke to you,  get you a job in social justice. Get you a job that helps us unlearn our prejudices and learn what our life could really be. I couldn't be more thrilled about getting paid to change the world-one mind at a time. 

*The theories and terminology that I explore are new TO ME, not necessarily in the scheme of Social justice work, or life.

Thanks for reading! Best of luck!
XOX Kyra

"I am on a journey to understand my role in changing the world, which is no doubt a privilege" ~Cody Charles 

(Alternatively titled: "Privileges, Responsibilities & Gifts")

I am coming to terms with understanding that I have become somewhat despondent in regards to the work I believed(d) I want(ed) to dedicate my life to. By work, I mean social justice advocacy. I am/was arriving at a place of not total depression, but desensitization. I've been told not to arrive to this place without putting up a fight. I've been told this is the desired outcome of mass media. I've been told this is a turning point in the life of an activist—does one lose their passion and drive or do they remain forever dedicated to the cause?

Tomorrow begins week two of the first term of my second year of college, and I have seen beautiful sunsets and needless unkindness. But here's where I lie: both exist, both make up the world, and I can acknowledge and withstand both. Perhaps I cannot believe all wrongs will be righted, but I love too much to believe we cannot change anything.

I believe I can change the world for the better. A privilege because I come from the economic background and two-parent household and stable family life that gives a Black woman from Oakland that type of confidence. A responsibility because I have younger siblings and cousins who I want to have an easier time growing and fitting into this world. A gift because this belief lifts my heart in my worst moments. The combination of these two form a triumphant cycle which orbits around my soul. I know my work, I've just got to try and make it happen.

"We are the ones we've been waiting for" 

The above is the quote that I feel appropriately summarizes my first week back on campus (aka Week -1). But, before I break down what that means to me in specifics, let me explain why I'm not in Oakland right now.

This school year, I have the privilege of serving as one eighth of my campus' Women's Center's student intern team. I am one of two Social Justice Peer Education (SJPE) Programming Interns. As part of our job training, we, along with all of the COM3 (Campus Community Centers [there are 3 c's]. My campus has a total of 7: the Black Resource Center (BRC), Raza Resource Centro (RRC), the Women's Center (WC), the LGBT Resource Center (LGBTRC), the Cross Cultural Center (the Cross), Asian Pacific Islander Middle Eastern Desi American (APIMEDA) & the Inter-Tribal Resource Center), interns were moved onto campus a week early to train from about 8:30am-4:30pm for one week. SO, my family flew down Thursday (9/8) night, I moved in Friday (9/9) afternoon, and we spent the weekend enjoying each other's company including a very pleasant trip to Belmont park and a lovely night of dinner and a movie.

My beautiful family @ Belmont Park! (after Jaden tried to kill me)

Fast forward to now: it's Friday night (9/16). Week -1 is complete. And this evening I had one of the best times of my life. Bear with me as I zoom in briefly before zooming out to context and this week's quote! Training this week has been eventful: I nearly died on a high ropes course, wonderful co-workers saved me, and I won a game of jeopardy (with a team)! My co-workers and bosses are fabulous, intelligent, caring individuals with hearts as acrobatic as their minds are. To say I am excited for this year's work is an understatement, but more on that in a bit! Moving on to this evening. I was fortunate enough to join a beautiful trio of sistas at a wonderful open mic night held in Bonita, of all places. A sufficient summary of this evening can be encompassed in the phrase: good vibes. The melanin was poppin', the swag was on, the music was lit, and the talent was jaw-dropping. We heard rap, singing, spoken word and comedy that was powerful and memorable. We all had a wonderful time.

Let's zoom out, shall we? The above quote came from the COM3 joint training session this week. We meditated to the phrase with the immediate impact being that the work we do in these centers (work being a general term for social justice education and activism), is vital to creating the systemic change we desire and deserve; we cannot afford to wait for others to repair the broken system. And that message certainly resonates with me: I am not naive, hopeful, or faithful enough to believe that I will see all of the oppressive systems that rule our society demolished in my lifetime, but I am just naive enough to believe that my generation can perhaps put a dent in things and open a few more minds along the way so that my brothers' children may have a different experience than I had; not yet perfect, but hopefully different & better. 

But that explanation is not what lead me to choose this quote to lead this post. That explanation is my surface-level analysis of the quote (though I'd be fascinated to hear any different or more nuanced explorations!). I chose this quote because it resonated in my head as the week progressed and my brain accommodated new understandings. Let's go back to my pleasure and excitement about working at the WC. The excitement and pleasure comes partially from my recent decision to continue education around a combination of operations management and political science (specifically local policy analysis); my work at the center is essentially my dream: programming and education that opens the hearts and minds of my local community. To have such wonderful people by my side is just a sweet bonus! Switching gears: thinking about the open mic event I attend tonight and how wonderful it was makes me really reflect on my experience with UCSD so far. My first two quarters were great: exciting and busy! But my spring quarter and what's happened so far this quarter have been perfect: I've finally created my circle: I've found, fostered relationships with & am comfortable with some wonderful, loving women. I've found my own community on campus; it's diverse and wonderful, and I'm constantly growing because of it. Bringing this all to being the one I've waited for: I feel like I've been waiting for myself to create a real life with real aspirations and community and support, and now I have. I'm no longer just getting by and occasionally enjoying the ride-I am now navigating the ride. Education that is relevant and interesting? Check. A career plan that's challenging, but worthwhile and exciting? Check. Friends who I love and who love me? Check. I finally accomplished the things I was waiting for myself to accomplish and it has made a world of difference in me. I am happy for the first time in a long time (I've got to say it's not the most comfortable feeling in the world. Also, I am having some seriously incredible thoughts now about content versus happiness within my heart and mind, but that's really a different post...maybe check my personal blog.)

Anyway, this has been incredibly truthful for me, and accordingly, extremely challenging. What this post was meant to impart was the idea that we have to create our reality, especially in the college setting, to be happy/content enough to healthily navigate higher education. And by create our reality, I mean foster the things that you need: do you need a supportive community? Do you need space to create music/write/paint, etc.? Do you need to exercise daily? Do you need to work and feel productive by holding a job? Do you need to have effective study groups? It's not easy, but read yourself and read your campus to best find out the tools and support you'll need to be happy and successful, however success looks to you.

Best of luck! As usual, reach out with questions, comments, or concerns. Much love!

XO

"The only thing separating me from you is a mobile phone away and a trip you could make in a day" ~Bilal, For You

The above is the quote that I have decided will be my guidepost this coming school year. I've come to realize that homesickness will be my greatest foe. Otherwise, I believe I've found my niche on campus: I've made wonderful friends who I love and cannot wait to see again, I have an exciting and challenging job waiting for me, I have a volunteer experience that is close to my heart in place, and I am confident and comfortable in my major/minor as well as my career hopes after graduation, not to mention the involvement I want to seek in my coming years on campus.

Overall, I have created a life for myself in San Diego—one that I know will have me contentedly challenged. But, all of this knowledge does not make it any easier to leave behind the life I have here at home: my family and friends, my hometown, the excitement and ease with which I navigate the Bay, my favorite place in the world.

All of this brings me back to the above quote, taken from Bilal's spectacular debut album First Born Second. Purely because he's a fantastic musician, I've been listening to Bilal a lot recently. [Though I should say that Bilal will always be special to me, he's one of the few artists in my life who was never 'dated' and by that I mean, I don't hear his music and think of one specific time in my life. His musical repertoire grew with me: First Born Second was my childhood: Neo-soul meets hip hop and played often by my folks. Love for Sale was middle school: raw, passionate, a departure from his expected sound that grounded me when I was struggling in my personal life. Airtight's Revenge was the album of my first half of high school: revolutionary and punchy lyrically, it gave me the confidence to begin the ascent to my own opinions from those I had been taught my entire life. And A Love Surreal was the second half of high school: quirky, confident, and fun. This was the album I let rock me to sleep at night after it kept me dancing all day (seriously listen to West Side Girl one time). Bilal is certainly on a list of musicians who raised me and whose music continues to do so.] For You is one of my all-time favorite songs and I've listened to it hundreds of times easily before this summer (though this summer probably added another few dozen), but this line hit me hard for the first time in my listening history, I think because it seems extremely pertinent to me now. My friends, no matter their various institutions of higher education, and especially my family, home in Oakland, though separate from me, are never far if I pick up the phone. This school year, to combat my homesickness, I'm going to be more forthright about missing my family and bridge that gap as often as possible.

Wishing everyone a great summer!
XOX

I slept in until 9! Whoo!  I also made the mohawk again!Unfortunately, CPU lab was boring :(

But, consolation: Feminist Theory was terrific! The content this week is Black feminist theory, so I loooooove studying what I read and live everyday :)

I was bumping Cherry Bomb all day, which of course makes me feel peculiar, and in some ways impairs my abilities to function, ha! ELP was cool; we all had to give a speech. You-know-who said they liked my hair :)

Relaxed and ate a bit before BWS at 5 which was AWESOME again: we talked about our moms & how black motherhood looked to us. I cried a little just from thinking about my momma, but it was still a really awesome experience...
Afterwards, I headed to PC for Open Mic Night in the Loft at 7. It started late, so I only stayed an hour. Most of the acts were mediocre, but this one person, Goosh, was amazing! He had the appearance and voice of Patrick.

Finally headed back to the room for homework and review. I've had a handful of quizzes, but my first exam is this Friday! Got to hang with the suitemates for a bit :)

More to come!
XOX