Karen L. Torres is a first-generation DREAMer student at UCI, studying Psychological Sciences. She is a Santa Ana resident, and has been living in the city for about 14 years. She is originally from Puebla, Mexico. She has spent most of her undergraduate career studying various mental health issues while being involved in her community. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, she plans to enroll in graduate school to earn a Master’s in Social Work, in order to help her community get connected to essential resources. As part of her archive submission, Karen captured 18 photographs of her experiences during the pandemic. These are just a few of her photos at Santa Ana College, Yosemite Falls, and the OC Fair.
On this day in May of 2021, I took my father to get vaccinated at the OC Fair, located in Costa Mesa, California. Seeing the place where the OC Fair is traditionally held as a vaccination site was very intriguing to me. I would have never thought that I would see places like this be closed off and used as a mass vaccination site. I decided to photograph this moment, as I thought future generations would find it as interesting as I did.
Torres, May 2021, “Alternative Uses to Public Spaces”