A DJS Journey

     Rosario Jesús Treviño Yoson is a 2nd year majoring in Economics. They identify as a mixed queer transmasculine person using he/they pronouns. He plans to use their degree to address food insecurity. As a Diversity Center Advocate, you can find him in several virtual dCenter spaces, including Thursday evening Study Hall, the Latinx Student Union on Wednesday evenings, and Talk Story on Friday afternoons.  Lavender Rights Project, and the WA Black Trans Task Force      I believe organizations serving others should be primarily led by members of the respective communities. As a trans person, I see constant media stories, films, or articles written and created by non-trans people. Despite sometimes the best intentions, these outside representations come off as clumsy. At worst, they grossly misrepresent the transgender experience, with no input from trans creators- and serve as fuel for the ongoing violence and discrimination against us. How does...

  I’m Syd and I use they/them pronouns! A handful of y’all know me as one of the dCenter advocates but I have a few points of connections throughout the PLU community such as ASPLU and Womxn’s Ultimate Frisbee. As a dAdvocate I have the opportunity to show many sides of myself and through this piece, I hope to share a more intimate piece of myself as I layout elements of my DJS journey.  7 Lessons 2020 Drilled Into My Head As a preface to any BIPOC that might come across this, a lot of what I process in this piece relates to my growth as a white person, so if you stop reading now that’s totally fine. As for the white students and staff that might be viewing this I invite specifically white students and staff to reflect on my 7 takeaways from this year in the context of their own whiteness.  This year has been R.O.U.G.H. On a level of shared experience, we are all tired. Tired from the earth hurting more now than ever from the climate crisis. Tired from the continued blata...

Hi Everyone! My name is Vanessa (she/hers) and I’m a senior this year working on a major in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics. I’m from Vancouver, Washington where I was born and raised. In my free time I like to hike or golf with friends and family!   My Decision I once stood sound Eyes open wide My feet firm on the ground  I was hopeful for the future With my mind wide open But no sooner that I set foot out my door  Were my dreams slowly broken It started in middle school where I was easily influenced I was made to believed microaggressions were only words They were never heard coming from me  But the people I called “friends” would say them so freely “Asian”, “Hong-Kong”, “Bangkok”, to name a few  These were the only names I was ever called in school  My name didn’t matter once the new names came around  I was made to laugh and told not to make a sound For if I said anything or voiced my discomfort “Dude, it’s just a joke don’t get so butt...

  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...