Souvenirs from UCLA

What brings you here to this particular spot?

I need to do some studying. I'm working on my master's thesis. I'm writing about witchcraft in 17th and 18th century Colonial Mexico. There are a lot of cases of witchcraft in Inquisition documents from the period. It's kind of a long story how I wound up in this particular study.

As an undergrad, I studied Spanish and journalism at NYU and I wrote an undergraduate thesis about early modern maps of the Americas and the representation of different animals on those maps. I looked specifically at animals like sloths and opossums. I talked about the ways they were presented within a medieval framework by early modern Europeans who didn't have a framework for understanding the animals, the flora and fauna of the Americas.

I worked as a journalist for a few years, and I didn't want to cover the 2024 election. I decided to go to grad school, and now I'm doing a master's in Latin American studies at UCLA. I'm very interested in Colonial Mexican history, so that's what I've been pursuing.

What’s a risk you’ve taken at college?

The risk was coming here in the first place because I was settled in. I was living in Denver at the time, and I had to move to come here. It was a really big decision because I had to leave behind a career, and this is obviously not very lucrative. The risk paid off because I had this pit in my stomach when I first got here like, “Oh, I have made a terrible mistake,” but then I realized that all the professors I was working with were the smartest people I'd ever met. I really love being in school, so I'm happy I did it. 

How do you envision your future?

I don't think about it. I'm just vibing. 

What's a belief you held strongly that has changed since you started college?

I used to feel very strongly that people who had different opinions than me were wrong, and bad people. And now, I think that I'm more tolerant of other people's opinions, especially even something like voting for Trump. When I was an undergrad, I thought that everyone who voted for Trump was a horrible person, but I've come to realize that is not the case. It's more that people feel let down by both sides of the political establishment. It's an institutional rather than an individual problem.

How do you navigate the social pressures of college life?

I don't really have any because I'm not an undergrad anymore. I'm married to someone who's not in college, so my social life is pretty confined to my pre-existing friends. I'm here for two years. There's only so much social building you can do. It's not like [when] you're an undergrad. I don't have the sororities or fraternities to think about or anything like that. It's great.

What’s a hidden struggle you think college students face?

I have no idea. I feel like they're pretty candid about their struggles. I say that as a TA. I think that students are very comfortable coming forward when they need help. Students here really focus on their grades. I think they worry a lot if they get anything less than an A. 

What do you believe is the most pressing problem facing your generation?

Oh God, like all of them. The political situation was fucked. The economy is fucked. Climate's fucked. I guess that pretty much covers it.

How do you find hope?

Smoke weed. [laughs] No, you just gotta vibe. Gotta live in the moment. Hang out with your friends. Do your research.

– Abigail

April, 6 2025