I to the world am like a drop of water
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
That in the ocean seeks another drop,
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth –
Unseen, inquisitive – confounds himself.
(ACT 1 SCENE 2)
Faculty Director
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu
I was born on an island and love the sound and light of water and waves. But, since I don’t know how to swim and have watched a number of disaster movies set at sea, I also have a fear of oceans. These contradictory feelings are not necessarily unique. Oceans provoke the human imagination, arouse emotions of unease and nostalgia, and are sites of pleasure, contemplation, heroism, and death. Oceans are places to inspire new ways of thinking about ourselves and our place in the world.
I initiated the Oceans theme for the UCI Humanities Center to capture these human encounters and reflections. When I became the director of the center in 2019, we adopted the mission of fostering “conversations that matter.” And oceans matter in so many ways. They are the sites of traumatic journeys for enslaved peoples and refugees. They are places where human and non-human forms of life encounter one another. They are waterways that have enormous impact on our collective ecology and world climate. In other words, focusing on oceans offers opportunities to both tackle big issues of our society and also provide insight into everyday, intimate interactions and feelings. Exploring oceans can bring us together across research disciplines and across communities.
Faculty and Community Contributors
Patricia Pierson
Patricia Pierson is the associate director of the UCI Literary Journalism Program and the UCI Center for Storytelling, where she helps people from the campus and local communities explore the possibilities of nonfiction narrative and life writing. She has lived close to the water all her life, and loves swimming, snorkeling, and beachcombing with friends and family. Pierson, along with student contributor Melanie Huynh, edited and designed this website.
Krystal Tribbett
Dr. Krystal Tribbett is the UCI Libraries’ Curator for Orange County Regional History and Research Librarian for Orange County.
Kunga Wangmo-Upshaw
Kunga Wangmo-Upshaw is the Director of Programs at the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation.
Student Project Contributors
Jonathan Cando
My name is Jonathan Cando, and I am an undergraduate at UCI. I am currently majoring in Film and Media Studies and History with the intent to minor in Literary Journalism. An avid basketball player, film watcher, mediocre gamer, and perpetual night owl, I love consuming content in its various forms and getting to know other people to help broaden my worldview.
Favorite beach activity:
Hanging out near a bonfire under the night sky
Favorite sea animal: Hammerhead shark
Yixuan (Camille) Cheng
Preferred pronouns: She/ her
I am a UCI senior majoring in European Studies with a specialization in French. I was born in Huangshi, China, and lived in Wuhan, Tianjin, Beijing, and Shanghai during my childhood. I speak Mandarin, English, and a little French. I like learning about different cultures, studying philosophy, painting, and cooking. I currently live with four cats in Irvine.
Favorite beach activity: Tanning and reading a book simultaneously
Favorite beach memory: Playing beach volleyball with friends
Andrea Galdamez
Andrea Galdamez is currently a sophomore majoring in Literary Journalism at the University of California, Irvine. She enjoys going on walks, binge-watching different Youtube channels, and baking, although she isn’t that great at it, yet! She also loves meeting new people and trying new foods everywhere she goes.
Favorite beach activity: I love going to fully rest and lie on the sand or go into the ocean and swim against the waves.
Favorite sea animal: Orca
Melanie Huynh
Melanie Huynh is a first year undergraduate student at UCI, majoring in Philosophy. She is Vietnamese American and has two younger brothers. She likes to spend her time with friends and family as well as have time to herself to watch shows, anime, YouTube, and movies. Currently, she is trying to learn how to longboard as a new hobby. Even though there is a pandemic, she tries her best to make new friends and see the best in situations that did not go to plan. Thanks to the Stories of the Sea, she was able to meet new, wonderful people that made her experience with Stories of the Sea memorable and fun.
Favorite beach memory: My cousin showed me how to make a sand ball by simply putting some wet sand and dry sand together, and we had a sand ball fight.
Favorite sea animal: Seahorse
Anthony Innabi
Hello, my name is Anthony Innabi, I was a transfer student and am now a fifth- year senior. I’m interested in comics, movies, and other things as well.
Favorite shade of blue: Teal
Favorite sea animal: Turtle
Eivette Lopez
Eivette Lopez is currently a junior studying Film and Media Studies and English at the University of California, Irvine. She is Mexican American and a lover of art, music, film, and writing. Currently, she is managing life as a college student and learning how to “be.” She is interested in travel, exploring new places, and attending live music events.
Favorite shade of blue: Sky blue
Favorite sea animal: Sea turtle
Chloe Low
I am an English and Literary Journalism major at UC Irvine. I am grateful for this project for providing an opportunity to collaborate with my amazing peers to document the importance of the sea in our lives!
Favorite shade of blue: The deep blue color of the ocean, or the murky blue of a rainy day!
Favorite sea animal: Sunfish
Inbar Michael
Inbar currently studies history at the University of California, Irvine. She is graduating a year early and plans to take a gap year to work and then return for graduate studies. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going on hikes, playing her euphonium, and exploring new places in the Irvine area.
Favorite shade of blue:
Sapphire
Favorite sea animal: Sea Otter
Rehana Morita
My name is Rehana Morita, and I am a second-year undergraduate student studying Film & Media Studies and Asian American Studies at UC Irvine. During my time on the Stories from the Sea project, I explored my interests in multi-media storytelling and learned how to tell stories that often go untold. I’m incredibly grateful for the privilege of learning about the history of the Japanese American community in Crystal Cove. It has been such an influential experience for me as a first-generation Japanese-Libyan-American.
Favorite beach activity: My favorite beach activity is building a bonfire, making S’mores, and watching the sunset.
Favorite beach memory: My favorite memories of the beach were when my sisters and I would take the Amtrak train to the San Clemente Pier Station almost every weekend during the summer. Passengers could get a $10 ticket pass on the weekends, so it was a great way to save money and time instead of driving there. We would haul our ice chest and fill it up with cold drinks and fruit and enjoy them on the hot, sandy beach.
Christian Okubo
I am a senior majoring in History and minoring in Comparative Literature. My goal is to become an educator of some sort. I’m aiming for the college level but will be teaching high school while I try to get into graduate schools. I grew up in Littleton, Colorado — a suburb just outside of Denver — and moved to California when I was 14. My paternal grandparents were incarcerated during World War II because they lived along the West Coast. Meanwhile, my maternal grandmother was already in Colorado as a farmer and my maternal grandfather fled Los Angeles shortly after Executive Order 9066 was signed. Much of my love of History comes from learning the story of my family’s internment and their fight to prove that they belonged in this country just as much as anyone else. I have since brought that childhood passion for history into my work as a researcher.
Favorite beach activity: I like to read on the beach or, if I’m with friends, enjoy a nice drink and play Spikeball.
Favorite shade of blue: Royal blue
Hedieh Sorouri
Hedieh Sorouri is a third-year transfer student at UCI. She is pursuing an English major as well as minors in creative writing and digital arts. She loves photography, hugging her cat, and stargazing. Oftentimes, she can be found writing poems that she will never let anyone lay eyes on. When she is not writing, Hedieh finds solace from the fast-paced university life by romanticizing her studies through dark academia aesthetics. This is something she does often: find the beauty in chaos.
Favorite beach activity: Watching the sky and ocean waters change colors as the sun sets
Favorite shade of blue: Baby blue