Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón

In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.

 

But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.

As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
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Front Page Items

UCLA appoints Miguel García-Garibay as senior dean of UCLA College

“UCLA appointed current dean of physical sciences Miguel García-Garibay as senior dean of UCLA College on Tuesday.

Executive vice chancellor and provost Darnell Hunt announced the two-year term appointment of García-Garibay, which began Nov. 1. García-Garibay will also continue in his role as dean of physical sciences…”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/11/04/ucla-appoints-miguel-garca-garibay-as-senior-dean-of-ucla-college

 

National Hispanic Heritage Month: Making STEM Work for Everyone

“…Diana Trujillo’s Instagram handle is @fromcalitomar. That’s not Cali for California. It’s Cali, Colombia, her hometown, and she made it to Mars. The Colombia native was NASA’s flight director for the Mars 2020 mission.

Trujillo is just one name among many Hispanics making strides in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Yet today, Hispanic high school students in STEM courses are less likely to have internet access at home or feel school is preparing them for digital citizenship…”

https://www.yahoo.com/now/national-hispanic-heritage-month-making-131500709.html

 

Certification, minor in Mexican-American Studies now offered at St. Mary’s University

“…In a state like Texas, where Mexican-Americans are now the majority, that’s very important,” Roman said.

She said the certification in Mexican-American Studies is useful in professional development, especially with the increased emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in the business world…”

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/10/27/certification-minor-in-mexican-american-studies-now-offered-at-st-marys-university/

 

Mexican American Proarchives Annual report on Mexican American Professionals for 2021

The American Community Survey is an annual survey administered by the federal government to help local officials and community leaders and businesses understand the changes that take place in their communities. It includes percentages of our population’s graduate school attainment and the employment of Mexican Americans in various occupations.  These important factors  influence the allocation of federal resources. Mexican American Proarchives uses the data provided by the American Community Survey to better understand how Mexican Americans compare to the general population.

The primary goal of Mexican American Proarchives is to inform its readers of the percentage of Mexican Americans who obtain a graduate or professional degree. It is  the main indicator of individuals employed in professions which require a degree; for example, doctors, teachers, etc. Mexican Americans are considered an underrepresented minority because their percentage of professionals when compared with the general population is very low.

For the year 2021 the results are as follows when Mexican Americans are compared to the total population

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL DEGREE

Comparison of years 2020 and 2021

Here are some examples

The following is a mix of occupations in which Mexican American both underrepresented and over represented.

Bar graph shows the comparison between the total population vs Mexican Americans in:

MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, SCIENCE, AND ARTS OCCUPATIONS

The following bar graphs show occupations in which Mexican Americans are employed at a higher percentage than the total population.

SERVICE OCCUPATIONS

NATURAL RESOURCES, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE OCCUPATIONS

PRODUCTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND MATERIAL MOVING OCCUPATIONS

INDUSTRY
AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHING AND HUNTING, AND MININING

RETAIL TRADE

Lastly, Mexican Americans are also poorly represented in,
MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, SCIENCE, AND ARTS OCCUPATIONS

 

 

Director Elizabeth Gonzalez discusses UCLA’s ‘ambitious yet attainable’ Hispanic Serving Institution goal

“UCLA’s inaugural Hispanic-Serving Institution Director Elizabeth Gonzalez sat down with the Daily Bruin to discuss her qualifications, the university’s goal, her priorities as the HSI director and recommendations from the Hispanic-Serving Institution Task Force.

The chancellor’s office appointed Elizabeth Gonzalez as the HSI director in June. To meet UCLA’s current goal to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025, 25% of the university’s students must identify as Latino, according to the Department of Education…”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/10/19/qa-director-elizabeth-gonzalez-discusses-uclas-ambitious-yet-attainable-hsi-goal

 

‘Victor Estrada: Purple Mexican’ paints LA-influenced artistic evolution

“More than 30 years of work and five years of curatorial planning have culminated in “Victor Estrada: Purple Mexican.”

Curator Marco Rios said he wanted to organize a survey show of artist and lecturer of painting Victor Estrada’s work since he first met Estrada more than five years ago. Rios said he was familiar with Estrada’s work from catalogs of “Helter Skelter: L.A. Art in the 1990s,” a seminal 1992 exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art that featured Estrada’s sculpture “Baby/Baby.” The show centers around 40 of the artist’s drawings that have never been exhibited before and opened Oct. 6 at the ArtCenter College of Design – where Estrada earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts…”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/10/16/victor-estrada-purple-mexican-paints-la-influenced-artistic-evolution

Pursuing greater representation in health care

“According to the census report, more than 80% of the people who live in the El Paso metropolitan area identify as Hispanic.

Yet Hispanic students are underrepresented in health care education, as reported by the Mexican American Hispanic Physician Association.

Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare and the University of Texas at El Paso recently announced a new partnership that aims to improve that representation in advanced education…”

https://www.elpasoinc.com/news/local_news/pursuing-greater-representation-in-health-care/article_c02fd4f8-4d29-11ed-8b53-efb548c22930.html

Mexico.. Promised Land for American Immigrants

“In contrast to the waves of immigrants drawn by the American El Dorado, 38-year-old Gabriel Zarate has left San Diego and California to live in Tijuana, the Mexican border city.

Like Zarate, an increasing number of Americans are moving to Mexico, where they find life less expensive and smoother, despite the risk of upsetting Mexicans deprived of their purchasing power.

“I’ve been in Tijuana for four years,” says the man who crosses the border to work in San Diego as an English teacher for foreign students and returns in the evening.

“One of the main reasons is the cost of living,” explains this Chilean-American. It is less expensive than California.”

“In San Diego, I lived in a studio for $1,275 a month,” says his colleague Mike Rashval, 36, who also teaches English in San Diego but works remotely from Tijuana. Here I pay about half of the amount.”

“I love Mexicans, and Mexican food,” continues Gabriel Zarate, who lived in Latin America for several years…

https://globeecho.com/politics/mexico-promised-land-for-american-immigrants/

Opinion: UCLA must follow through on its mission to gain HSI designation by 2025

“…To be federally designated as an HSI by the U.S. Department of Education, at minimum 25% of the university’s undergraduate enrollment must be from Hispanic or Latinx-identifying students. But at its current rate of growth – 0.41% increase per year – UCLA won’t reach the requisite 25% until 2029, despite its projected target of becoming an HSI by 2025…”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/10/13/opinion-ucla-must-follow-through-on-its-mission-to-gain-hsi-designation-by-2025

Making It Personal

“University receives two major awards to bolster STEM programs at Hispanic Serving Institutio

Over the many years she’s been teaching, Dolores Inés Casillas has noticed that a lot of Latinx students majoring in STEM disciplines gobble up her survey course on Chicana and Chicano culture at UC Santa Barbara. That natural enthusiasm to engage with issues that are familiar to one’s lived experience got her thinking. Would more Latinx students graduate with STEM degrees if it was more personal to their lived experience?”

https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2022/020738/making-it-personal?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Making%20It%20Personal&utm_campaign=October%2013%2C%202022

‘It’s About Being Loved’: Linda Ronstadt Celebrates Her Mexican-American Heritage with New Book

“Linda Ronstadt, the queen of California cool, recalls her heyday and the formative years that inspired her new book Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands — published in early October, amid Hispanic Heritage Month.

When I apologize Linda Ronstadt for having to reschedule our interview after what turned out to be a relatively mild strain of COVID blew through our household, she tells me not to worry….”

https://rockcellarmagazine.com/linda-ronstadt-interview-feels-like-home-book-mexican-american-heritage/

 

Working in Canada under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement

“The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement allows non-Canadian citizens in the US and Mexico to obtain a work permit in Canada. Explore the four different categories below….”

https://www.cicnews.com/2022/10/working-in-canada-under-the-canada-united-states-mexico-agreement-1030694.html#gs.f1e1ho

 

UCLA Latinx Film and Theatre Association builds student creativity in safe space

“The UCLA Latinx Film and Theatre Association is making space for Latinx artists.

Founded in 2004, the organization seeks to provide a space for Latinx students to explore their interests in both film and theater. It works to produce student-created short films and plays that premiere at its annual showcase called “Night of Cultura.” Fourth-year communication student and LFTA co-chair Alan Gallardo said if students have no experience or are unfamiliar with film and theater, LFTA can provide a safe space for them to learn about the arts.

“If they don’t know how to write, we will support them and teach them how to write. … If they have a good idea, it’s a good idea, and we are here to help them make that idea a reality,” Gallardo said…”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/09/16/ucla-latinx-film-and-theatre-association-builds-student-creativity-in-safe-space

Mexican actor Gabriel Santoyo will launch as a soloist – PressPerú

“Mexico.- The 22-year-old young actor and digital creator Gabriel Santoyo Navidad, originally from Mexico City, said that having been part of the cast of the Mexican series Kipatla and Señora Acero, although he had a lot of fun in both, clarified that they were two totally different projects.

“Kipatla is about values, empathy, about what it means to be a human being in the fullest sense of the word, and it teaches you to be good, unlike Señora Acero, which is a narco-series that shows action scenes, drug addiction, prostitution and murders.

Of his challenges in his role as an actor, Gabriel Santoyo recalled that the role he enjoyed the most was his character in the movie “Game of Heroes” where he had to play a child with cerebral palsy…”

https://d1softballnews.com/mexican-actor-gabriel-santoyo-will-launch-as-a-soloist-pressperu/

 

Fighting on Two Fronts: The Mexican American Soldier Experience in WWII

“An estimated 400,000 Mexican Americans served in the US armed forces during World War II and compared to other ethnic and racial groups in the United States, Mexican Americans served in disproportionately high numbers in frontline combat positions. Despite their efforts and sacrifices for their country during the war, these men continued to face discrimination when they returned from war.
Join the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and authors Carlos Harrison and Dave Gutierrez on Thursday, October 6th from 6-7pm for a conversation moderated by Hernan Fratto, news anchor with Telemundo Chicago as they discuss the role of Mexican American soldiers during World War II, the communities that they came from, and how these men fought, not just in battle, but to be accepted in an American society that remained biased against them even after they returned home as heroes…”

https://www.choosechicago.com/event/fighting-on-two-fronts-the-mexican-american-soldier-experience-in-wwii/

 

UCLA holds Latinx Welcome event in efforts to promote inclusivity

“The 2022 Latinx Welcome: “Sembrando Comunidad” was a historic, campuswide culmination of efforts to promote inclusivity at UCLA and was open to all students, said Alfred Herrera, assistant vice provost for academic partnerships. The event – which hosted a variety of academic departments, programs and student organizations – also helped further UCLA’s commitment to becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025, he said…”

https://dailybruin.com/2022/10/04/ucla-holds-latinx-welcome-event-in-efforts-to-promote-inclusivity

 

Librarian of Congress Names Ada Limón the Nation’s 24th U.S. Poet Laureate

“…Ada Limón was born in Sonoma, California, in 1976 and is of Mexican ancestry. She is the author of six poetry collections, including “The Carrying” (Milkweed Editions, 2018), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry; “Bright Dead Things” (2015), a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Books Critics Circle Award; “Sharks in the Rivers” (2010); “Lucky Wreck” (Autumn House, 2006); and “This Big Fake World” (Pearl Editions, 2006). She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University and is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and the Kentucky Foundation for Women…”

https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/librarian-of-congress-names-ada-lim-n-the-nation-s-24th-u.s.-poet-laureate/s/44d3bf04-61fa-465d-89f7-6ace60f0790a

Ecuadorian entrepreneur seeks technology experts in the U.S.

“…Through social media, and specifically targeting young people looking for flexible or remote jobs, Kruger has started its search for talent in the U.S.

From Kruger is highlighted how its collaborators do not require a university degree, since in just nine months the company is able to train professionals to handle the necessary tools and software.

“The desire to learn and experience come together to create a professional in the technological area,” noted Kruger…”

https://aldianews.com/en/leadership/entrepreneurs/tech-experts-demand

 


  

Poem
“…And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while…”

T.S. Eliot
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Mexican American Proarchive Annual Report for 2022

The American Community Survey is an annual survey administered by the federal government to help local officials and community leaders and businesses understand the changes that take place in their communities. It includes percentages of our population’s graduate school attainment and the employment of Mexican Americans in various occupations.  These important factors influence the allocation of federal resources. Mexican American Proarchives uses the data provided by the American Community Survey to better understand how Mexican Americans compare to the general population.

Read More…