A DJS Journey

  My name is Cassie Duren (They/Them), and I’m a second year student majoring in music and Gender, Sexuality, and Race Studies. I work as a CAVE Community Advocate and something I’m really passionate about is looking at the way queer identity interacts and transforms - and is transformed by - other identities such as race and disability. Where I Come From I spent most of my life, and all of my life as  I can remember it, living in the same small town before I came to PLU. I went to a small elementary school named Evaline, where I was the fifth generation in my family to go there, and was part of a graduating class of seven. My family lived on five acres of land purchased from other family members for a family discount, in the house of  great-grandparents I never met. My extended family owned the forty acres of woods around us, which I spent hours exploring as a kid before much of it had to be logged; learning that many of the trees around us had a disease that was killing...

      Iakwe from Dorine Laura Youngstrom Karwon. A proudly strong Marshallese and Kosraen working with the Diversity Center. As a dAdvocate, she has been learning how to craft and use her voice by connecting with those who help and support her to establish her journey in DJS. She is a second year here at PLU, majoring in Business with the hopes of concentrating in Finance or Accounting while pursuing to study in the Legal Field as a Lawyer. Although working from her second home on Oahu, Hawaii with all the chickens interrupting zoom classes. Working remotely with the time difference does not stop her from showing up to learn more and connect. There is always room for improvement, and as a Navigator by heart, she is ready for more excursions. Which, also, includes taking lots of pictures of nature and food. Cheers (:       The English translation of the title means “The young Marshallese boy”. This story is a historical event that took place in the...

  Hello DJS blog readers! My name is Andres Pedro. I am a 3rd  year student at PLU studying Biology with the intention of majoring in it. I come from the beautiful bike riding and rose loving city that is Portland, Oregon. I spend most of my free time currently (which has been frequently due to this pandemic) with my cat named Heath or listening to music.  I have learned recently that as a person of color racism works in ways in which we can’t always see. Sometimes, racism doesn’t affect us directly. Regardless, as person of color I should stand up for others who are being affected by racism.  Last late spring/early summer racial tensions were high due to the killing of George Floyd; it had me wondering what my place in the matter was. It was not my responsibility for me to speak on the matter but simply aid in fighting for a better future. To reiterate, I can not speak for the black community because I am person of color but it is my responsibility to speak up aga...

      Kasey is a third year student majoring in anthropology and religion, and trying to fit in a French minor. She is also a Cave Community Advocate and you can join her in Tuesday morning’s Lute Masterclass sessions. When she isn’t in school she can be found hanging out with her dogs, reading, or working on an art project.      I have been doing organizing/activism work in some way/shape/form for over a decade now. I am also chronically ill and a chronic over-committer. This particular combination of traits means that I am usually exhausted and overwrought. In this moment we are living through, when so much is on the line, and so much is out of our control, when those of us and our friends and loved ones with minoritized identities face nearly daily assaults on our rights and our lives, it is easy to lose yourself in the struggle. It is easy to put yourself last while you focus on all the important work that needs to be done, all the fights th...