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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“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?”
“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…”
“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
“…The universities are reaching out to students, aiming to engage first-generation students and underrepresented minority students, Martin said, adding that both groups have historically high stopout rates.
UCR identified about 6,600 students who stopped out of their university with good academic standing between 2008 and 2020, Martin said. The program’s goal is to serve 800 students over the next two years, aiming for 50% to be underrepresented minorities and 45% first-generation students, she added…”
“The Autonomous University of Querétaro has opened Mexico’s first labor center with support from the UCLA Labor Center.
The Centro Laboral UAQ, which opened in August, seeks to provide more resources to workers in Mexico by supporting working class mobilization, assisting in contract negotiation and helping workers understand how to unionize, according to UCLA Newsroom…”
“…From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NC State joins in the national celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. Over the next four weeks, all of campus is invited to take part in a series of events honoring the experiences and impact of the Latin American community on our Wolfpack and this country.
Many of these events are coordinated by Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), one of four campus community centers that serve to inform, support and expand the cultural horizons of the entire NC State student body…”
https://news.ncsu.edu/2022/09/latinx-heritage-month-explained/
“…UC Santa Barbara is among the 20 top-tier research institutions comprising the recently launched Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU). The member universities, which span nine states, all are designated HSIs. Its collective goals are to double the number of Hispanic doctoral students and increase by 20% the Hispanic professoriate in our universities by 2030…”
“…Two-thirds of California’s 195,000 lawyers are white, compared to 39% of adult residents, according to the state bar’s latest diversity report card, released Monday. Hispanics comprise 36% of California’s adult residents, but only 6% of its lawyers as of 2021. And Black lawyers comprise 3% of attorneys in the state, though 6% of Californians are Black…”
“..California students offered freshman admission are more diverse this year as well. Students from underrepresented groups increased to 43.8 percent of admitted California freshmen (37,377), up 2.5 percent from last year (36,462). This year, Latino and Latina students again make up the largest ethnic group among California admitted freshmen at 37.3 percent (31,763), about the same as last year’s 37 percent (31,220). African American students increased from 5.5 percent of admitted students in 2021 (4,608) to 5.7 percent (4,855) this year. While American Indians make up a small but growing proportion of admitted students, offers to these students increased by 36 percent, a gain of 136 students…”
“New data shows 16 highly selective private colleges slightly boosted the number of Black and Hispanic students enrolled at their schools last fall…”
“…The Promise Fellowship program responds to the University of California’s call to ‘Grow Our Own,’ meaning take advantage of the diversity of our undergraduate population to recruit them to graduate school and then to meaningful employment in California,” Rupp said. “Students like Michael and Elena have the potential to give so much back to the community. We hope to attract more committed donors so that we can expand the program over the next years.”
Elena Barragan, a sociology major who also will graduate this week, is the second fellow in the inaugural cohort. A first-generation college student, she grew up “living in poverty with a dream of becoming an elementary school teacher,” hoping to give younger generations a quality of education she felt she never had at that age…”
“…However, my educational journey was far from over. As a husband and father, I knew my choice of higher education needed to be a local university so I wouldn’t be far from home. Cal Lutheran was my choice.
I clearly remember my first visit, and the respect I felt for the university when I walked on to campus and saw my name posted on a small sign, welcoming me. For someone who didn’t believe that higher education was in my future, this was of immense importance, and I will never forget the remainder of my time at Cal Lutheran. I went on to earn my BA, teaching credential, and master’s degree in counseling and guidance at Cal Lutheran…”
“…The authors analyzed the diversity of 21 public schools in eight states with affirmative action bans and compared them to 32 public universities in 24 states that have no bans, Ly said. UCLA, UC San Francisco and the University of Michigan were some of the institutions examined in the study, he added.
Although he had hypothesized that state bans would reduce the diversity of medical schools, Ly said he was surprised to find that enrollment of underrepresented students had decreased by more than one-third of its pre-ban amount within five years…”
“Biden promised an increase in the Pell Grant during his State of the Union address, and the budget proposes a $2,175 increase in the Pell Grant maximum for the 2023-2024 award year, which would bring the maximum to $8,670. The Biden administration also plans to double the size of the Pell Grant by 2029, according to the budget proposal.
Emily Penner, an assistant professor of education at UC Irvine, said many students in California and other states are currently working multiple jobs to afford an education while supporting family members at the same time. This places high expectations on students to manage the financial pressure and academic rigor of their education, she said….”
‘…The Daily Bruin Outreach section, established two years ago, has refreshed its efforts to recruit a more diverse group of students at UCLA, gather community input and understand accessibility needs internally. Over the past year, the office expanded on its operations to:
“…The program includes a presentation of awards and of State Proclamations from local Senate and Assembly members in recognition of students’ academic achievement, and student keynote speeches will be delivered in both English and Spanish. Attendees also will have the opportunity to meet UC Santa Barbara faculty and staff members, administrators, alumni and undergraduate students, as well as network with other students and families from their hometown who may be attending the same universities in the fall…”
“Through Instagram and Depop, the first-year architectural studies student sells assorted jewelry for her business, Jewels by Jocy. Having created her own jewelry for two years and drawing inspiration from beading materials such as pearls, Gonzalez said social media provided her with a community and platform to showcase her products such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings. As a painter and sewer as well, she said she enjoys crafting her own accessories because the process blends the problem-solving skills of her major with creativity and self-expression…”
“The Bruins’ postseason leading scorer is coming back for some “unfinished business.”
UCLA men’s basketball junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is returning for his senior season with the program, he announced in a video posted to social media Monday afternoon. A projected 2022 NBA Draft selection entering the offseason, Jaquez will return to Westwood with two years of eligibility remaining…”
“As a first-generation Mexican American and first in my family to graduate college, I’m incredibly passionate about supporting these young people and creating awareness around the complex experiences of being a first-generation student,” said Irais Castro, PhD, a psychology postdoctoral resident at Kaiser Permanente Antioch…”
