Volunteering During the Pandemic, Marvin Meza

Volunteering During the Pandemic

by Marvin Meza (English)

Ibegan volunteering with the Laser program during the spring of 2020. Currently, I am a senior majoring in English Literature. I have been volunteering ever since I transferred to Ohio State, but my first volunteering experience was at the Mid-Ohio Worker’s Union. I began my volunteering with Laser once I switched majors from Economics to English.

My former professor Carlos Kelly convinced me to switch majors when he realized my passion for proper media representation and cultural appropriation in literature. He also informed me about Laser and how I could become a volunteer. Laser is a program where Latinx students at Ohio State can mentor students at Columbus area high schools prepare for college. When I took his class, he was so excited to see me because I was the first Latinx student he had ever taught at Ohio State. I was simply mind blown at the fact that I had a Latinx professor at a prestigious university like Ohio State. Initially, I was excited when I got the letter of acceptance from OSU, but I quickly found out what it was like to attend a majority white university as a Latinx student. Having a role model like professor Kelly helped me realize that I could potentially have a future in academia. I originally attended OSU to get a BA in Computer Science. I wanted a well-paying job as soon as I finished college, but I never considered enjoying the work I would be pursuing a career in. Since switching majors I have decided that I want to pursue grad school in English so that I can further my education. Mentoring has sparked a passion in me to help younger Latinx students navigate higher education.

Volunteering during the pandemic has been a huge adjustment that is still difficult to grapple with. Additionally, the pandemic has made everyday life stressful. Socializing through zoom is simply not the same, and I miss being able to hug my friends without second guessing myself. Hybrid classes during the fall gave me some sense of normalcy even when we were socially distanced. However, I lost that sense of normalcy when classes were made fully online during the last few weeks of the semester. I’m excited that my classes this spring semester are mostly in-person, but I know that the decision to make classes online again is just around the corner. Before the pandemic, I really enjoyed being face to face, volunteering with students and reminiscing on my time in high school. However, when I was in their shoes, I didn’t have the same resources that a program like Laser provided.

Having our volunteering sessions over Zoom creates a big disconnect and makes it difficult to build relationships with the students on a different level. It’s a frustrating position to be in. Sometimes it is even difficult to hear what the students are saying; for example, in one session we discussed different university types and we couldn’t hear what the students were sharing. We quickly adapted by having students submit online responses, but it still is not the same as being there in person. Before the pandemic, we would be in the classroom and whenever students had a question, they would just raise their hand. Volunteering in-person, my fellow mentors and I would drive to the school and meet with the students. This past semester I would log on to Zoom for 45 minutes before my classes started and as soon as the session was finished, I closed my laptop and walked right to class.

Exquisite Tenure

A Tribute to Frederick Aldama

I sit at a table where we can offer our students And other scholars different options to enrich An understanding of the making and consuming Of the cultural phenomena we identify as Latino literature. By exploring and connecting the Frederick Aldama Correlations of the humanities and Brain sciences, students will better Understand critical processes such As thought, feeling, and action in our Scientific world. Frederick Aldama If we Latinos Have no future, then the country as a whole has no Future. This may sound like the premise of a dystopian Science fiction flick, but it’s not. It is our reality today. The doors are now open. A lot of people were Frederick Aldama Behind the force that opened them. Now, we have Created a community where ideas are flourishing, And we all know who to thank. Rolando Rubalcava A leader with energy and enthusiasm to spare, Uniting Latinx students through Laser, He is the guy with the light spiky hair, Best of luck Aldama take good care! Yesenia Alvarez You have done so much for students of color in the academy In creating spaces, publications, events, and opportunities And in doing so, you have changed all of our lives greatly.

Kaitlin Sweeney

(at QuePasa Magazine, we created a poem composed by excerpts of Prof. Aldama’s writings, and words of praise by his students in an effort to reflect his scholarship, mentorship, and impact he has had during his time at Ohio State University)

Latinx Profiles in Leadership STUDENTS ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQ+ INCLUSION

by Alexis Miranda (Public Health), Gabe Myers (Neuroscience), Lulu Montes (Social Work)

Three campus leaders are advocating for a more inclusive climate for LGBTQ+ students. Lulu Montes, Gabe Myers and Alexis Miranda are actively involved in Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and were instrumental in producing the USG LGBTQ+ Campus Climate Survey and Report (https://bit.ly/3rFJwi4). It calls for an LGBTQ+ Center that centralizes resources and builds a sense of community for students across multiple identity groups and advocates for greater attention to the needs of BIPOC queer and trans students. The trio met with President Johnson last autumn to discuss the report. Qué Pasa caught up with them over winter break and shares their insights here. For all three leaders, the Morrill Scholarship Program (MSP) was a deciding factor in choosing Ohio State. The MSP staff were “so passionate about helping students,” said Alexis, “I was excited to have a community on campus before I even started classes.” Gabe wanted a school that offered a good program for his major, that was also affordable, “OSU’s Neuroscience program and MSP checked both of those boxes.”

USG is as an important space for acceptance, friends and mentors. “Almost immediately after joining I found a great group of friends who shared a lot of my interests and passions,” noted Gabe. Lulu added, “I met phenomenal members there who do important work, accept me for who I am, and quickly became some of my greatest mentors and friends.”

Ohio State ranks among the nation’s top LGBTQ-friendly universities, but it can still be challenging for students to bring their whole selves and the multiple identities they hold. Alexis acknowledged the community of students working to create a welcoming climate, but emphasized that “OSU is in a state that has no statewide protections for LGBTQ people and has a crisis of police violence.“ Pointing to her own experiences of “significant discrimination on campus due to my identities…this ranking doesn’t necessarily correlate with the student experience.” She noted that LGBTQ and Latinx campus events are helpful but argues that the structural factors have to change in order to make campus a safe space for students to bring their whole selves.

I think OSU as a whole, needs to be more critical of the power and resources it has and needs to connect them to the community on and off campus.

Individuals rather than physical spaces provide support. Lulu pointed to Jeff Perkins, the former Intercultural Specialist for LGBTQ Initiatives, as a source of support for her. Gabe agreed, noting that “For the most part I have felt comfortable being myself on campus.” Rather than physical locations or organizations, he surrounds himself with “people who make me feel supported in expressing my identities, especially being both LGBTQ+ and Latinx.”

Institutional equity requires an intersectional approach.

Lulu argues for an established commitment to queer and trans BIPOC to be reflected throughout student organizations, programming, training, funding, departments/offices, dorms, resources, and policies: “It is easy to claim support for the community while gaslighting and exhausting minoritized students within the community.”

Alexis echoed this message, “I feel like many conversations and initiatives on campus center the experiences of white LGBTQ folks. I would like to see BIPOC queer and trans folks’ needs being prioritized…it’s also important for white queer students to support and uplift BIPOC-led initiatives on campus and in the Columbus community.

Gabe noted the “lack of LGBTQ+ competent mental health resources at OSU that are easily visible and accessible, along with a lack of resources for LGBTQ+ individuals who aren’t white and cisgender.” They all agree that creation of a campus LGBTQ+ Center is the best way to address these concerns because it would allow for more full-time staff members to be hired whose sole focus would be supporting the needs of LGBTQ+ students. Sharing pearls of wisdom for future leaders

Lulu: Some advice I would give would be to surround yourself with people who check in with you, celebrate you, and challenge you- not because they feel obligated to, but because they care. Having this support system influences the way you continue any type of work and see perspectives other than your own to grow into a better person.

Alexis: The best advice I received was from my professor; she told me not to shrink myself to make other people comfortable. This empowered me to view my unique experiences, identities, and passions as a benefit to my work, both in and out of an academic setting.

Gabe: The best advice I can give is to get involved on campus and make new friends as soon as you can. It may seem scary but having those friends and connections early can really help out in the long run.

Where their paths lead next

Lulu wants to start a small business that engages her passion in art. “I have learned a lot from my family in small businesses and am especially proud of my mom who is committed to the Latinx community back home. She is relentless and has taught me to pursue opportunities that matter to me.”

Alexis, currently in the throes of graduate school admissions, is weighing offers from Ohio State, Yale, and others. “I want to learn how to apply the skills I have learned to pursue health equity for my communities and those of my peers.”

Gabe’s long-term goal is to go to medical school. “I plan to become a physician and help people who are having issues with their health. In the short term I plan to continue using my platform in USG to advocate for and communicate the needs of students to administrators.”