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A Life in the Teach

Hello, My Fellow Peters, I’m here again with another interesting, limited-edition event for you guys. For this time, we will accompany my teacher in reminiscing about his glory days. Let us introduce my Writ 37 teacher that I highly recommend everyone to take, Mr. Julian T Smith-Newman. He is currently my favorite teacher and probably the best writing teacher I’ve ever had, but that’s enough fan grilling. During the interview I had with my professor, we talked about his journey and experience to reach where he is right now. Although this may have been a 49-minute interview, it felt more like a conversation because of how some of the lessons and ideals talked about is something I can stand by. After getting simple introductions out the way, I started off with a simple question to better understand why he chose to be a teacher at UCI and what happened along the way. Keep in mind, as much as I would love to put our dear readers through a 49-minute interview. I know many of us would love to spend the rest of their time here and read my blogs, but I’m willing to sacrifice and only give you some of the key pointers that stood out to me.

Mr. Julian during his earlier days, he went to Columbia for college and studied English/literature and also a little bit of art history. He moved around a lot due to his interest in African history, he studied Swahili and writing. Personally, I love my friends and making memorable connections, but I would love to travel the world while being in school. That’s why I thought it was really interesting because he was able to not only drive his passion for writing into other parts of the world, but he was able to have fun with it. Many of my peers now adays pursue dreams that can assure them a stable future financially, which is of course not bad but personally I don’t believe that should be all there is to it (Sorry not sorry). Of course, I’m not ignorant to the variables of the world and forget that not many people are fortunate enough to choose what they want but when life give you lemons, make lemonade (I think that’s how it goes). We dug a little deeper and talked about as to how he became a UCI professor. He was pursuing his masters and the funding for his master’s program allowed him to teach one class every quarter as a student. After he graduated in 2015, he won an award that put him in a financially stable situation but not wanting to wait for a crisis to occur. He soughed out Jobs that could cover for his personal expenses, eventually he saw that continuing teaching would be the most optimal path for him as it would allow him to “carve out time” for his own personal hobbies. This is something that I believe a lot of people should work towards, a life that is balanced enough to allow time for other interests, but when does life work out the way you want it. Following on this statement, I asked more about his personally struggles in college. Thankfully Mr. Julian wasn’t adamant on sharing his past struggles. He expressed his uncertainty in choosing his career path and he explains how the constant question of “why”, is something that can be relatable to many and not just him. I was very much caught by the idea of how no matter the time or generation, these sought of situation ended up being common in the lives of others. In a way it can of creates a sense of community because under one goal which is “success” even though it is subjective to everyone, we still share a certain level of pain among one another and having a community helps drive one another. Another beautiful comment that was mentioned by Mr. Julien that really caught my attention is “it’s good to be committed to your studies on one hand, but it’s not good to be ruled by your studies”, I personally resonate with this line because I believe myself to be a spontaneous person. Trust me guys, I have *good grades* and I have dreams that I aspire to achieve. Despite all of this, I don’t ever want to look back on my life and my only memorable moments were in the library or in my room. Before I go, I feel like I need to explain this better because I would hate for any of my readers to feel targeted. Being studious is not a bad thing, likewise, keeping your eye on the bag. It all boils down to preference, some people might see little need in socializing and love reading or vice versa. That’s why I’m hoping no one feels targeted, but if it is someone is unhappy with their current social life. Change it, it’s never too late for anything and you heard that from me so it’s valid.

This Is your favorite blogger running to class *like genuinely, I’m so late to class right now*.

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The Story of Rachel Hoffer, My Writing 39C TA

This week, we zotbloggers were assigned to write about a UCI or faculty staff member about their experiences in their journey. I had the honor of interviewing Rachel Hoffer, my Writing 39C TA from the winter quarter, and the chance to learn more about her college career and path to where she is today.

Rachel was born and raised in Irvine, California. Throughout her lifetime, she was able to see her small hometown grow into a huge tech center. She moved out of Irvine to attend a small, private Liberal Arts college located in Los Angeles, California: Occidental College. Coming into college, Rachel explained how she wanted to do something that was meaningful, that she loved, and was passionate about. Additionally, she wanted to do something that she could, “… transform into making a world a better place.” Rachel thought about becoming a teacher to teach about a topic she really enjoyed. That topic was related to her all-time favorite hobby: reading. In college, she majored in English to pursue her passion for literature with the “grand dream” of becoming a literature professor. 

Choosing her major was not an easy task. Coming out of high school, Rachel didn’t have a clue about what major she wanted to pursue. At first, she thought that she would study either Psychology or Political Science. What she discovered after her first year while taking GE courses was that the “one connecting factor” that she “… enjoyed from each class was getting to practice analysis skills.” When she took her first writing class, she discovered how she loved reading and analyzing literature. This led to her pursuing English as her major with two minors in history and classical studies by her sophomore year.

Rachel studied hard in her major and graduated in 4 years. Following graduating with her undergraduate degree, she decided to take a gap year. During that gap year, she worked 4-5 jobs; she worked for an arts festival, a marketing software engineering company, a publisher, and more. Rachel discloses that these entry-level jobs were “all opportunities of learning.” These jobs gave Rachel an idea of jobs that she didn’t want to pursue, but also gave her an idea of what she wanted to do in the future. A part of these jobs she loved was teaching skills to others. Finding her career path of teaching was similar to her finding her major in English. Rachel began tutoring kids from different levels and learned that she loved working with high school AP Literature students. She decided to get a Ph.D. to become a college professor at Claremont Graduate University. She then came to UCI to focus on researchability after doing her research and learning. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she was able to reassess her career and “expand the toolbox of teaching.” This year was Rachel’s first year teaching Writing 39C at UCI. “After this period in my life, I expect to finish out my Ph.D. for the next 4 years,” Rachel explains. In the future, she hopes to become a professor at a 4-year university and become a tenured professor.

I was intrigued by Rachel’s story of her college career. One of the main points that I took away from her experience was how she discovered what she loved to do through different experiences. It’s a unique way of figuring out what you want to do as a career. I just wanted to thank Rachel for giving me the opportunity in interviewing her! I really enjoyed her Writing 39C class, and was excited that I was able to talk to her outside of class. If you are interested in taking the same career path as Rachel, I highly recommend getting in touch with her!

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Ma: “Find what you truly love. ”

Hello everybody! It is really an honor that I could invite Miss Ma to participate in our Zotblog interview for Undergraduate/Undeclared students. Miss Ma is now studying in the Public Health Ph.D. program here at UCI, and she would like to share some of her own experiences during her University life with our undergraduate students. Although Ma’s undergraduate study was complete in China, through her experience of studying and teaching at UCI over the past year, she was able to provide very professional advice to students who have not decided on a major. This interview also helped me greatly in my choice of majors and my future college life planning. Thus, I highly recommend our students to read and learn something from it.

The major Miss Ma studied for her undergraduate is Traditional Chinese Medicine. When she was in high school, her grandmother got a severe illness, but she can do nothing at that moment. It was the feeling of helplessness, together with the motivation of learning the reason why people are ill that made her choose to study medicine. Ma said that she loves her major very much and has no regrets about her major choice. While she mentioned that data shows that only 10% of Chinese medical students will continue to practice medicine after graduation, so she advised students to focus on finding their favorite major or passionate field to study. In addition, in the process of finding a suitable major, students should not only study more about the specific knowledge to be learned but also know what it looks like in the job market. In the process of going from university studies to entering society looking for a job, many people will abandon the fields they have studied for many years because knowledge is presented in different ways when becoming a job. “If a student cannot find a major that he or she likes, they can choose one that is applicable to various jobs in the future. ” Ma explained. I think this option is very reasonable because I have experienced such a process myself. When I first have to face the difficulty of deciding on a major, I did not know if I liked social science, so I started with the broader field of it, which is psychology. While after quarters of studying, I developed a great interest in psychology, and decided on psychology as my university major and kept working hard for it.

Ma is now working as TA at UCI and she suggested students be more active during the class. She said professors like to interact with students and are willing to answer their questions, especially those active ones. In general, students who always get perfect scores, or have a lot of interaction during or after the class will leave a great impression on not only TAs but also professors.

Ma also gave some advice specific to students who want to study medicine. “You need to get years of training to become an independent doctor. It is an impressive long process so make sure you’re really interested in it before making the choice.” Ma said. “And sometimes if you have a background from another field, that will help a lot in your research or work. ” Ma then provided a couple of examples to help students better understand. For instance, a mathematics major will feel more relaxed when studying medical statistics, and a student who has studied psychological science will be easier to communicate with patients diagnose. Therefore, medical students can try to obtain a minor degree in other fields, which can not only help students determine their own preferences but also greatly help their future development in the medical field.

The content of this interview has come to an end, and I hope readers can benefit from it. It is believed that these experiences can not only help the current students of the U/U department but also help the future students to various degrees. Because I personally have gained a lot of useful advice from this interview, I would like to express my thanks again to Miss Ma for her willingness to share so many experiences with us. Thank you very much for reading and see you in June!

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Jordy Cardenas: UCI’s “Hugger-in-chief”

A key contributor to the welcoming atmosphere of UCI’s Campuswide Honors Collegium (CHC) is its advisors’ willingness to foster a tight-knit community through their wholehearted support of students’ academic and personal journeys. Jordy Cardenas, a first-generation college student and UCI alum, epitomizes a CHC advisor who accomplishes this goal. I had the pleasure of interviewing her about her career path and the valuable advice she has for college students.

Even from our first advising meeting during winter quarter, I recognized that Jordy embodies all of the characteristics of an effective advisor. She is intrinsically motivated to replicate the safe space that she was offered by her advisors during her undergraduate years at UCI. This accepting environment allowed her to establish UCI as her home, its students and faculty her newfound family. As I interviewed her, I was inspired by her desire to make every student she interacts with feel as though they belong and contribute to UCI. During advising sessions, Jordy prioritizes the human before the student, ensuring that the advisee is healthy mentally before discussing their academic life. This degree of care is crucial to making students feel safe and welcome in the advising space. The prioritization of mental health in her approach to advising was framed by her work in a mental health clinic, where she helped people diagnosed with depression and anxiety. 

Jordy’s career choice is the perfect situation of “paying it forward.” I strive to follow her example in my future career by choosing a fulfilling job that betters the communities that have positively impacted my own life. However, Jordy’s career path was not linear. She initially wanted to pursue a position as a corporate lawyer at Disneyland. She made detailed plans to attend UCI’s School of Law, but she ultimately realized that locking herself into a specific career closed off opportunities that were better suited for her. After graduating from UCI with a Bachelor’s in Criminology, she recognized that it would be more fulfilling to serve the higher education system, resulting in her graduation from San Diego State University with a Master’s in Education. It is vital that college students give themselves the opportunity to embrace their curiosity and, in Jordy’s insightful words, “find passion and joy even in unexpected places.” She emphasized that students should not feel pressured to have all the answers about their major or career intuitively; rather, they should give themselves the freedom to explore their interests and discover a door that might lead to an entirely different path than they originally imagined. 

I speak from experience when I say that Jordy’s warm and welcoming character translates to her hugs. She is the exemplary candidate for the unofficial title that I have given her – UCI’s “hugger-in-chief” – adopting the term from how Michelle Obama, one of Jordy’s role models, has referred to herself as. Jordy is an invaluable addition to the UCI family, and I am grateful that the CHC has given me the chance to connect with her.

Your friendly neighborhood Unaffiliated major,

Sabrina

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Blogger The Explorer

Zot Zot Anteaters, I hope you’ve all been well. Here today we’re going to change things up a bit, instead of our usual Ted talk about my life here on our beautiful campus. I’ll actually be talking about the places of our beautiful campus, as of now not many of you are going to know where this is but if you’re feeling adventurous ask around. I remember taking my time to explore the campus, so trust me you are in good hands. I could recommend you the most popular places on campus which you know that I know the admins are definitely going to beat me to. Instead, what I decided to do was be a little bit more adventurous/spontaneous and find somewhere cool and different. Unfortunately, the results weren’t really great. Our options were either unsafe/too far/unsafe and I really don’t want you guys going anywhere dangerous. Although I could sit here and tell you how I went through a swarm of bees and multiple creepy trails, it was all worth it because I had fun. Limiting every option that are rated R, I would like present to you:

DOOR NUMBER 1: Aldrich Park

Dear Anters, as much as I would like to tell you something else other than this. It’s really all that good, I spent most of my time at Aldrich. Here’s why because if I really wanted to have some ME time not to far from my dorm, Aldrich is definitely your best bet.

DOOR NUMBER 2: CONTINUING EDUCATION BUILDING

See what we have here is a sitting area for a calming and relaxing area for our education majors. Most of you who are curious as to where this is, it’s through the Continuing Education Bridge. Which you can easily look up on our helping navigation tool, “ZOT Finder”. By using this not only can you have a helpful guide to your classes but also a reliable map on our beautiful campus.

DOOR NUMBER 3: The ARC’s Zipline.

Sorry the picture is upside down, -_- for some weird reason it keeps rotating and I can’t rotate it. Just turn your computer around and you can see the picture just fine but basically, I don’t really know much about this unfortunately. I do know that the Arc handles this and can be a good source of information, also there are other activities that are being down here for anyone interested. That includes Dance, Boxing, Yoga, Karate “HIYAH” and everyone’s favorite weightlifting (physical labor, sorry gym bros).

Unfortunately, that is all I have for you.

Until next time take care and have a Zotti day (I’m so sorry this is cheesy).

Gotta blast…. BYEEEIIIII