I am cool
07.22.02 // 5:23 p.m.

I think I�m getting a bit better at taking criticism. I had to go through the evaluations from a workshop Paul, another one of the directors, and I presented last week. Most of the feedback we received was pretty good, but there were some nasty comments. However, one person�s comments cancelled out the negativity when I read this:

Please list additional comments, questions, and concerns in the space below. Thank you for your time.
- Paul and Cindy are cool.

Despite the long busy days and the craziness of this office, its comments like this one that make it all worthwhile. It�s nice to see students form study groups for their midterms during the workshop about forming and facilitating effective study groups. I like this job. I like talking/writing about it. I think I might talk about it too much. But since there is nothing exactly like it in the nation it is difficult to explain. I try to come up with short blurbs and sound bites to explain it.

At Ren�s 19th birthday barbeque yesterday, I was talking to his cousin, Edgar, about it. Edgar was surprised to find out we were the same age since he thought that I was still in high school.

Edgar: So what do you do exactly? [this was after he asked me 3 times how old I was and if I had skipped any grades.]
Me: I�m the director of MEChA Calm�cac.
Edgar: huh?
Me: It�s UCLA�s Chicana/o and Latina/o academic support program. It�s student-initiated, student-funded, and student-run. In fact, I�m the only non-student on staff because I�m working full time.
Edgar: MEChA as in the organization?
Me: not quite. MEChA began Calm�cac (which means place of learning in Nahu�tl) in 1989 in response to the very low retention rates of raza students at UCLA. Many of the students who entered, never graduated. Only about 30% of those who entered in 1995 graduated in 4 years, and 63% graduated in 5 years.
Edgar: wow, I would think that students who worked so hard to get into UCLA would have the desire to continue and work through the obstacles.
Me: in most cases its not that the motivation and drive isn�t there, but there are a whole slew of factors that affect the graduation rates, like being a student parent, working lots of hours, commuting, family issues, and lots more.
Edgar: true. So you work with Latino students?
Me: mainly, but we don�t limit it just to them. The program is paid for by all students ($7 per quarter, $21 per academic year), but as I said before, there is a certain reason why we target Latino students.
Edgar: that sounds like a really good program. Are there any other programs at other schools?
Me: there are a few modeled after MEChA Calm�cac and the Student Retention Center (for other programs targeting other communities with low retention rates), but Calm�cac is the only one of its kind in the nation.
Edgar: cool. I still think you look young. I bet you get that a lot.
Me: yup.

The thing about talking with Edgar is that he thought the program was great, and it made me excited to talk about it. My uncle just thought I was a counselor, but in reality I�m more of the administrator of the program than a counselor. It�s hard to explain in a paragraph or less. I didn�t even get into the explanation of why MEChA�s name is attached, and its role as the Mother Organization in my little script.

I feel very scattered today. I�m surprised this entry even makes sense.

It�s been 4 months since things happened with Yo, she�s come a long way. This also means it�s been four months since Dominic was here last. Something is wrong with this picture, don�t you think?

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Me siento: scattered
Escuchando: "Uptown" by Raphael Saadiq

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s


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