In this chapter we hear from eight additional participants in the University-Community Links (UC Links) network. (See https://uclinks.berkeley.edu/ for more information about UC Links programs and the global UC Links network.) These testimonies point to how the UC Links experience transformed individual lives. These contributions describe ways that UC Links participants have taken on different roles and identities in the network over time and how participation in these programs has inspired and opened new pathways toward college, careers, and life.

N. Karla G. Trujillo (University of Colorado, Boulder)

N. Karla G. Trujillo has worn many hats in her participation throughout the UC Links network including: community partner and undergraduate participant in the La Clase Mágica UC Links program in San Diego (see Chap. 1), student assistant in the UC Links Office (Chap. 2), and graduate student.

Learning ecologies where community and university come together to co-create better futures for one another have a special place in my heart. I’ve worn many hats within UC Links including as a community member, artist, dancer, storyteller, activist, public speaker, community college student, and an undergraduate participant in La Clase Mágica. I first came to UC Links as an undocumented community member who was born in the culturally rich state of Oaxaca, Mexico. When I was the Program and Marketing Director at La Colonia de Eden Gardens, a community-based organization that partners with UC San Diego (UCSD) to sustain La Clase Mágica (see Chap. 1) and Teenology Rangers learning ecologies, I remember standing next to UC San Diego Professor Olga Vásquez as she advocated for the unique partnership between the La Colonia community and the university. Hearing Olga speak on behalf of this collaborative work showed me how much she believed in the partnership. Her belief was contagious and I was called to action in reciprocating her sentiment. Her support inspired me and I took the opportunity to cross-enroll in university coursework via the collaboration between my local community college and UCSD. This brought me to Professor Amy Bintliff’s UC Links practicum course (Chap. 19), earning university credits that counted toward my educational journey. Professor Bintliff encouraged me to take on the role of a university student and to participate in community-university partnership in a new way. The practicum course provided me with the tools to make links to educational concepts, frameworks, theories, and pedagogies that complimented and informed the work that I was already doing within my community.

While I was living through all these new experiences I was also waiting to be granted permanent resident status. Once my undocumented status changed and I had a visa in my pocket, doors that had been previously locked to me were thrown wide open. It finally became possible for me to access every major university. One of my acceptance letters came from the top public university in the country—UC Berkeley—my dream school, the place my heart always knew it belonged. Once I made everyone aware of my decision to become a UC Berkeley Golden Bear, I received an email from (now retired) UC Links Executive Director Charles Underwood congratulating me on my new journey and assuring me that the UC Links Office, located in UC Berkeley’s School of Education, would do everything possible to support me—including giving me a job. It was time to change my hat once more, as I took on the role of Student Assistant for the UC Links Office working simultaneously to complete my undergraduate coursework and assist the UC Links network with the various tasks, responsibilities, and collaborations that take place within UC Links university-community partnerships.

My first year as a Cal transfer student happened to coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic (and forced me to physically stay in San Diego instead of Berkeley). I worked with La Colonia and UCSD partners to design, organize, and implement the COVID-19 Hunger Response Team, where I assisted in carrying out food drives that fed over 80 families bi-weekly during the intense course of the pandemic. I helped facilitate Pop-Up Art On the Go, installations of community-created art pieces displayed in a central location for families to drive-by and experience imaginative, holistic, stress-relieving activities as a collective. This is one of the many reasons that regardless of what hat I wear, either community or university—I always feel part of La Clase Mágica. This connection is one of the reasons I love to go home to San Diego: stopping by to see the beautiful familiar faces of the youth; being in awe of their transformation, as they grow into young adults; observing fathers as they put in the effort to draw, color, and write poetry and expand their learning alongside their children. At this year’s La Clase Mágica/Teenology Ranger Family Beach Reunion, I got to see parents and caregivers singing and dancing to cumbia beats, expressing themselves and showing support for the growth and development of their families. Undergrads also showed their commitment to their community, by being present despite being on summer break.

Wearing my UC Links Office hat allowed me to work alongside the current UC Link Executive Director Dr. Mara Welsh Mahmood and other UC Links faculty in building community across the UC Links network (Chap. 2). For example, during the pandemic we worked together with UC Santa Barbara Professor Diana Arya and colleagues to bring co-learners from across the world to the 2021 UC Links Virtual Youth Summit (Chap. 10), a place where we got to share our talents in community as we co-explored and co-constructed sustainable futures. The Youth Summit is now an annual hybrid event. The learning ecology co-created by the Youth Summit coordinators and participants is an example of what it means to be authentically appreciated for who you are. The love and joy I feel when among these scholars motivates me—graduate and undergraduate co-creators working together to make the annual Youth Summit a success, by working to make sure everyone engages in and enjoys the celebratory activities.

Belonging to the UC Links network has allowed me to tap into the transformation of diverse learning ecologies and experience the co-construction of equitable learning environments with community leaders and scholars from multiple universities and co-creators of all ages, inspiring one another across the nation and the world. It also energized me to continue my education and pursue my PhD I’m currently a graduate student in the Learning Sciences and Human Development program at University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder) where I continue to make connections between community and university through my position as a research assistant for the Ritual Arts & Pedagogy Lab (RAP Lab)—working with local high school students. I’ve also been recognized for my engaged scholarship and have been awarded the Miramontes Doctoral Fellowship that recognizes my commitment to, justice, and cultural diversity, and named an Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholar through the Office of Outreach and Engagement. Additionally, I have been a lecturer for CU Engage (CU Boulder’s Center for Community-Based Learning and Research), and I am currently a facilitator for the CU Dialogues program where I use my bilingual and translanguaging abilities—fluent in Spanish as well as the languages of both the community and the university. Most recently, I have been named a Senator within the student government representing the School of Education.

I am forever grateful to the UC Links network, because community and university partners around the world continue to make space for me, and it is inspiring, grounding, and contributing to my personal and academic growth. Their ongoing guidance, through the difficult parts of navigating the academic world, plays a major role in the transformation of my participation across the network—allowing me to wear multiple hats in the sustainment of community and university partnerships at many levels.

Fatima Del Rocio Robles (University of California, Irvine, Math CEO)

Fatima Del Rocio Robles participated in Math CEO at UC Irvine as both a middle school participant and later an undergraduate mentor (Chap. 8).

My name is Fatima and I am a proud alumna of Math CEO at UCI (Chap. 8.) My journey with Math CEO began in eighth-grade at Lathrop Intermediate School in the 2014–2015 school year. Although it has been quite a long time, I vividly remember the excitement of boarding a school bus to UC Irvine (UCI), where we would be welcomed with open arms. Math CEO is memorable to me because I was challenged in multiple ways: to explain my thinking and reasoning, collaborate with peers, and persevere through problem solving. I hold Math CEO in high esteem for giving me a glimpse into university life and instilling in me a sense of belonging in college.

In 2019, I became a student at UCI. My first year at UCI posed many challenges; I was fighting imposter syndrome, the COVID-19 pandemic was at its highest point, and I was coping with the loss of my grandfather and uncle. It wasn’t until Spring 2021 that I decided to seek a club or an activity that would bring me joy after such unprecedented times. Once again, Math CEO accepted me and provided lessons on how to be an effective mentor. I acquired the skills to collaborate with fellow undergraduate mentors in cultivating the same challenging, safe, and fun environment that I once experienced as a mentee.

After serving as a mentor for three quarters, I assumed the role of being a classroom leader. While I initially lacked confidence, getting to know the middle school students and forming connections with them motivated me. As classroom leaders, we were tasked with observing the mentors and offering guidance to enhance their mentoring skills. We facilitated culturally responsive discussions, shared personal experiences, and provided a positive learning environment.

Throughout these experiences, it became evident that Math CEO provides both undergraduate mentors and middle school mentees with opportunities for growth and improvement. At Math CEO, we support each other, we empathize, we see students as unique individuals, and we respect and incorporate their cultural upbringing. I have no doubt that I will continue to use the skills that I learned at Math CEO as I pursue a career as an elementary school teacher.

Mercedes Soledad Barriga (University of California, Irvine, Math CEO)

Mercedes Soledad Barriga participated in Math CEO at UC Irvine as both a middle school participant and later an undergraduate mentor (Chap. 8).

I first learned about Math CEO (Chap. 8) as a middle school student in 2016. When my friends told me there was a program where you were able to go on a college campus every Wednesday, I was curious and excited. I had never actually stepped foot in a college even though the idea of going to college had always been promoted by my teachers and my school. When you’re a child, especially a turbulent middle school student, college seems so far away. Being on campus allowed me to imagine myself as a college student walking around Aldrich Park in the center of UC Irvine’s (UCI) campus and studying in the library. The undergraduate mentors in the program were reflections of what I could be in a few years. Math CEO’s math activities challenged me to think beyond what I learned in school and to try new strategies to solve problems. I learned math in new contexts. The activities didn’t solely focus on the numbers like they do in school. Everything had a setup and a story, and it kept me engaged. I wasn’t always able to understand the math right away, but my peers, the mentors, and the professors were always there to help. They had high expectations of me and believed I could solve the problems even when I didn’t believe in myself.

Math CEO found its way to me again during my second year of college at UCI.

Instead of being a mentee, I was now joining as a mentor. The program has evolved greatly since I was in middle school, and I’m proud to see how much it has grown since then. At first, I was very nervous to become an undergraduate mentor because although I knew what to expect, I wasn’t sure if I would be prepared. My worries were unfounded as the Math CEO team made sure we had enough training and preparation. We mentors support one another through co-mentoring and Math CEO learning assistants (LAs) provide us with feedback to improve.

One of the things I admire about the program is the learning philosophy. We teach students that math isn’t just about numbers; it can be related back to their own communities and the real world. We also emphasize the process of getting to an answer over the answer itself. Encouraging students to struggle and work through a problem is important, as it reveals their thinking and allows them to reflect. While working as a mentor, my own philosophy toward learning changed as I understood the significance of having students engaged and involved in their own learning. Through Math CEO, I also found a community on campus where I was able to make friends and feel like I belonged. Once, I had sat in those chairs learning about math and now here I was teaching students from my own middle school. It felt good to be able to give back.

Wesley Veiga (University of California, Berkeley)

Wesley Veiga is a UC Berkeley graduate and participated as a Student Assistant in the UC Links Office.

University-Community Links means more to me than just university and community member stakeholders. UC Links is a value and a community. It is a space where I feel safe, challenged, and accepted. The first time I worked with UC Links, I supported the annual conference in 2021. I was incredibly nervous because my idea of a conference meant something strict and rather performative. The UC Links conference could not have resembled anything further from this assumption. The network works together like a family: a cohort of people all passionate about education and justice. With these two attributes at the focal point of my studies and work at UC Berkeley, UC Links offered me a space to grow and achieve more than I could have ever imagined.

UC Links shaped the trajectory of my life since my time began in the network. Being a student assistant at the UC Links Office in the Berkeley School of Education was my first campus job and it felt quite official and scary. I didn’t know how keeping a timesheet worked, what cubicle etiquette was like, or even how to create different headings in Google Docs. But none of this was an issue. The UC Links Office team took me in and wanted to support me in any and every way imaginable. At our very first meeting, we all sat down and talked about what I wanted to accomplish. They asked how I wanted to learn and where my interests and passions lay. They prioritized making me feel human and truly wanted to get to know me as a person, before supporting me as a worker.

This humanization of the work we do has always stayed a top priority and I am consistently met with empathy and flexibility with the work I do. This has taught me what it looks like to live and work in a healthy environment. UC Links has also taught me so much about the world of education and what it means to strive for in practice. Having worked with education leaders in the past, I noticed far too often how disconnected they were from the realities of our most vulnerable students. Instead, UC Links had taken me on their journey through site visits at schools across California, welcoming local elementary and middle school students to the UC Berkeley campus, and virtual office hours connecting learners around the globe. I have learned so much about higher education and accumulated priceless knowledge about how I can further my education as a student myself. I never would have had such insight and introspection if it weren’t for UC Links taking the time to foster my curiosities. Most importantly, I was able to work with them rather than just for them and this feeling alone has inspired me to take all that I have learned and pass it on to our next generation of learners and UC Linkers. As the next step in my educational journey, I’ve been offered early acceptance to Teach for America and after I graduate in Spring 2024, I will begin teaching elementary school in Los Angeles, California.

Janelle Franco (University of California, Los Angeles, B-Club)

Janelle Franco participated in B-Club (Chap. 6) as both a parent and graduate student.

As an elementary school teacher, I was initially hesitant to apply to doctoral programs because I was concerned that I would feel too removed from children. Reading about B-Club (Chap. 6), where researchers, university students, and children came together in a playful learning environment, is one of the things that drew me to UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) in the first place.

I spent 5 years at B-Club, as a researcher and facilitator, helping with the logistics, theories, and pedagogical practices that guided the club. I was also part of the instructional team that led the UCLA courses that were connected to the after-school program, and completed my dissertation research there. At first, B-Club felt very different from the context I was used to as a classroom teacher. But I slowly began to shift my attention to the dynamic ways children were interacting with one another, and with the university students, and noticed learning in ways that I didn’t necessarily notice initially.

During my time at B-Club I also became a mother. I found that my time observing kids’ playful interactions at B-Club carried over to how I observed the ways my own kids were exploring the world. In line with the multigenerational and inclusive nature of B-Club, I felt supported to bring my kids with me sometimes. When I did, I observed the younger children take on the role of being the older kids, helping my toddler, and even baby, join in the activities.

My experiences with B-Club and the larger UC Links community not only shape my current work with teachers and teacher candidates, but also how I interact and support my own children as a parent. In both cases I recognize the importance of following kids’ interests and creating opportunities for agency and creativity, while valuing their curiosity and questions.

Lucinda Pease-Alvarez (University of California, Santa Cruz)

Lucinda Pease-Alvarez is a Professor Emerita of Education and teacher educator at UC Santa Cruz. She taught undergraduate courses and directed the UCSC UC Links program in collaboration with community and university partners from 1996 to 2002.

During my graduate school years, I had the good fortune of becoming friends with Olga Vásquez, one of the co-founders of UC Links. Drawing on our dissertation research, we worked together on a book focused on the linguistic and cultural resources that were part of the everyday lives of families living in a Mexican immigrant community in the San Francisco Bay Area. After we left graduate school, our friendship blossomed, and I visited Olga and La Clase Mágica (LCM) on several occasions. As a teacher educator, I was particularly interested in how LCM and similar projects contributed to the learning of prospective teachers. At the time, I was convinced that their involvement with children from minoritized communities in informal settings would contribute to their development of asset-oriented and critical pedagogical perspectives. However, just how this could occur was more or less a mystery to me. Thanks to my involvement in UC Links while I was a professor in the Education Department at UC Santa Cruz (UCSC), I gained a much deeper understanding of how to support the learning opportunities available to UCSC undergraduates, the majority of whom were interested in pursuing careers as teachers in formal or informal settings.

From 1996 to 2002, undergraduates participating in UCSC links were involved in after-school programs linked to courses in psychology and education that were informed by sociocultural perspectives on learning, teaching, and knowing. In these courses, undergraduates and instructors examined how the scholarly work that was the focus of course readings related to the learning/teaching experiences in the after-school programs. While the children (from 3–13 years in age) participating in the after-school programs were mostly of Mexican-descent and from minoritized communities in the Santa Cruz region, the majority of undergraduates were of European American backgrounds. During their time together, undergraduates and youth were involved in a variety of activities, including, for example, computer games and projects, arts and crafts, drama, writing projects, and field trips to various sites, including the university. As a teacher educator, I have found the following insights based on my experiences with UCSC Links to be particularly noteworthy.

Engaging as a community of learners in out-of-school settings. From the beginning of my involvement in UCSC Links, I wanted to be sure that what we did with children in the after-school programs was not a mirror image of what they did at school. Like others involved in UC Links, I was convinced that the hierarchical arrangements and prescribed curricula of traditional schooling missed the mark when it came to providing children, particularly those from minoritized communities, with opportunities to learn in ways that build on their needs, interests, and cultural resources. This, in part, compelled us to draw on a community of learners’ perspective that emphasized shared engagement and mutual ownership and involvement. For us, this meant that children, undergraduates, after-school staff, family members, and UCSC instructors considered one another as resources in generating and engaging in after-school activities. My commitment to this perspective became even stronger as I observed children disengaging with and ignoring those undergraduates who attempted to direct their involvement in program activities while they participated enthusiastically when the undergraduates did not take up those traditional teacher-like roles.

Grappling with dilemmas. From the very beginning of each quarter, much of the discussion in class and on the course’s internet discussion forum was focused on the dilemmas and issues undergraduates were having in the after-school programs. Sometimes a dilemma or concern would compel undergraduates to jump to a solution, including establishing a rule about what should go in the after-school program. When program participants focused on what youngsters and others were doing in the programs instead of coming up with immediate solutions to perceived problems, we gained a better understanding of the significance of a particular action or practice. For example, when undergraduates raised concerns about youngsters’ teasing, several immediately suggested that teasing be banned in the after-school programs while others disagreed. Course instructors responded by asking students to read literature on the role teasing played in diverse cultural communities and to share their observations of teasing in field note entries that they posted on our class website. Through their inquiry, undergraduates revealed a wide variety of purposes for children’s teasing, such as expressing humor, getting and maintaining someone’s attention, and signaling close relationships. This provided us with a window into the children’s remarkable capabilities and rich social worlds. Instead of banning teasing, undergraduates became interested in learning more about this practice.

Engaging multiple perspectives. We were not of one mind regarding how to address the issues or concerns that emerged in our work with children. Many undergraduates who had strong views about learning/teaching that reflected their schooling experiences expected to direct children’s engagement in specific activities. Others were critical of what they had experienced in traditional school settings and tended to follow the children’s lead. Undergraduates also tried to enact other approaches and practices that were presented in the course readings when interacting with children. The children’s caregivers and undergraduates from minoritized communities sometimes shared stances and opinions that differed from many of the undergraduates. As participants shared and grappled with these diverse views and practices, we entered a space that operated within the complex multicultural milieu in which program participants lived and learned. Through our involvement in this space, many of our views and ways of engaging with children transformed. It’s important to acknowledge that we sometimes had heated conversations during which we shared our differing views and disagreed on what we thought should go on in the after-school program. Because I witnessed many occasions when discord led to transformations in our thinking—like, for example, our debates about the role teasing should play in the after-school program—I knew that these conversations were important.

During my time with UCSC Links, undergraduates interested in careers as educators gained insights into perspectives and practices that often contrasted with those associated with traditional school settings. This often entailed negotiating and gaining awareness of the cultural differences that circulated among participants in the program as well as the institutional and societal forces that impacted their lives. When it comes to the learning of prospective teachers, I can’t help but wonder how the UCSC Links program in which I participated compares to that of the current UCSC programs given differences in the focus of the programs and the undergraduates participating in them. For example, almost all of the undergraduates participating in Corre la Voz, a UCSC Links program established in 2009 (Chap. 3), identify as Chicana/Latinx while 20 years ago the majority of undergraduates were of European American backgrounds. Further, the majority if not all of these more recent undergraduates, like the children participating in the programs, are members of minoritized communities.

In closing, I would like to express my appreciation to UCSC undergraduates, children and their families, project staff as well as to members of the UC Links team, Michael Cole, Mara Mahmood, Charles Underwood, and Olga Váquez. I am particularly grateful to Cathy Angelillo, Pablo Chavajay, Eugene Matusov, and Esperanza Zamora. Their involvement in the UCSC program led to important transformations in my learning as well as that of other program participants.

Lynda Stone (California State University, Sacramento)

Lynda Stone is a Professor Emerita of Child and Adolescent Development at CSU Sacramento and has worn many hats in her participation throughout the UC Links network: a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA and later as the faculty Principal Investigator for the Magical Web UC Links program from 1999 to 2017.

My 20-year involvement in the UC Links network began in 1996 as a postdoctoral scholar and later as a faculty Principal Investigator (PI) of an after-school program I started in northern California, referred to as the Magical Web or simply, the Web. I was genuinely delighted to start my own program because of my postdoctoral experiences.

In fact, in 1996, I was honored to attend the very first meeting at UC Berkeley where UC Links co-founders Michael Cole and Olga Vásquez along with founding Executive Director Charles Underwood invited scholars from across the UC system to join them in creating a new form of learning activity in which play became the animator of learning and developmental processes. The room was filled with excitement, questions, and hopefulness. Could something this extraordinary be implemented? Collaboration across so many campuses was unusual. And, yet, as the meeting came to an end, there was a shared positive sense of commitment among participants to create a community of informal learning settings, that is, after-school clubs. Across the UC campuses, these after-school clubs became places where teaching-learning practices and sociocultural theory were intertwined through the combination of practical field experiences with children and university course work. Although a sense of community support for the work conducted at local programs was not highlighted at this meeting, it became an essential component of the UC Links network. It was this support and connections to others beautifully organized by Charles Underwood (see Chap. 2) that became the reason I so looked forward to being a part of this truly wonderful community as a professor.

Over these years, I came to appreciate how UC Links’ seemingly practical approach to informal learning had a profound and beautiful influence on the teaching-learning processes for both children and undergraduate/graduate students. The influence on children emerged from collaborative engagement during in situ learning activities with university students. Of course, engagement in this setting influenced all participants. But, the more far-reaching influence on university students’ learning emerged during the undergraduate courses I taught on cognitive and social-emotional development and cultural psychology where students analyzed data collected from the after-school site and linked these data to theoretical constructs. In what follows, I will share more details about how the UC Links after-school program affected the learning and developmental processes of children and university students.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of children’s learning processes organized through play activities at the Web, I conducted yearly video ethnographies. These data revealed something quite different from more formal learning settings where teacher-directed activities were common: the UC Links Magical Web program became an incubator for children’s agency and children’s responsibility for contributing to the content and direction of learning processes. In other words, these data captured an intriguing process—the fundamental and bi-directional relationship between teaching and learning could be shifted as university students gained more sophisticated understandings about learning and development. At the Web, these understandings helped students appreciate the different ways learning processes could be manipulated or structured. In effect, as university students developed more competent understandings of cultural psychology, they helped children take on a more central role in their own learning thereby co-creating their developmental futures. In my view, this fascinating process occurred from the creative ways in which undergraduates continually socialized children into taking on an agential role in the learning process. The children then assisted each other in this process.

The profound influence of this UC Links after-school program on large numbers of undergraduate and graduate students occurred at the university because I used the data collected at the Web in all of my classes. In these classes, students transcribed video data with Transana and used these data to discuss such concepts as semiotic mediation, cultural practices, relational habitus, etc. in relation to learning and developmental processes. These collaborative discussions were in effect challenging sense-making attempts to repeatedly tie theory to practice. The end result, to my delight, were students with more robust understandings of sociocultural theory as well as a growing desire and commitment to implement this new knowledge in real-life learning settings. Students also developed an optimistic view toward their emerging capacity to create productive learning settings for children. This optimism was evidenced when, in class, they repeatedly shared how they used their new knowledge in their current work settings, such as schools, preschools, and hospitals. Interestingly, many of these university students also reported seeing themselves differently. That is, engagement in research discussions utilizing video and transcript data had the effect of nurturing a different learner and practitioner identity, one that affected how these students expected to learn about and structure teaching-learning activities in their own practical world.

In sum, the UC Links network of after-school programs offers a treasure of benefits to children and adult members.

Sayra Martinez (La Colonia de Eden Gardens Inc., University of California, San Diego)

Sayra Martinez es la Especialista de Alcance Comunitario de la Colonia de Eden Gardens Inc., la organización que colabora con UC San Diego en el programa “La Clase Mágica” de UC Links (Cap. 1).

¡Hola! Antes de comenzar y decir cómo llegué hasta donde estoy hoy en día, quiero agradecer a unas personas en especial: Manny y Mary Ann Aguilar, la Profesora Amy Bintliff, Mara Mahmood, John Cano, y Karla Trujillo, por darme la oportunidad de ser parte de UC Links, una red que considero importante, especial y parte de un logro personal. Mi nombre es Sayra Martínez, tengo 37 años, soy de nacionalidad mexicana, y nacida en el hermoso estado de Chiapas. La experiencia de migración a los Estados Unidos (EEUU) fue traumática, recuerdo que aparecieron hombres armados, uno de ellos apuntando su pistola en mi sien mientras, al mismo tiempo, me tomaba del brazo con la otra mano pidiendo pertenecías, dinero, tarjetas para hablar por teléfono, o cualquier cosa que ellos pensaran era de valor. Luego nos pidieron separarnos en dos grupos (uno de mujeres y el otro de hombres), nos hicieron desvestirnos para revisar nuestras ropas y confirmar que no estábamos escondiendo nada.

Al estar dentro de Estados Unidos, no conocía a nadie, no hablaba inglés, y como si eso fuese poco, comencé a experimentar violencia doméstica por parte de mi hoy ex-esposo. Unos años después, en 2003, quedé embarazada y tuve a mi hijo. Agradezco mi tiempo vivido en los refugios, a donde fuí en más de una ocasión. Me hubiese gustado que en lugar de decirme “ve y aplica por ayuda aquí” me hubieran ayudado con educación y en cómo buscar trabajo. En ese tiempo era una adolescente de 17 años, con un bebé, y tratando de sobrevivir en un país diferente, sin hablar inglés, y sin apoyo de nadie, así que opté por regresar a mi país.

De regreso en México, comencé a trabajar, terminé mi preparatoria e ingresé a la universidad a estudiar leyes. Sin embargo, tuve que dejar mis estudios universitarios porque la educación no es pública y mi hijo iba a comenzar preescolar. Viviendo en la casa de mis padres y al ver que no había un avance en mi vida para crear un patrimonio para mi hijo, pensé en emigrar nuevamente a los Estados Unidos, pero a otro estado. Es ahí cuando tomó la decisión, en 2009, de regresar a los Estados Unidos. Con el corazón roto, dejé a mi hijo con mis padres porque no sabía a dónde iría. Cuando regresé a los EEUU, me volví a encontrar con el problema del idioma, pero agradezco a Danny, dueño de un 7-Eleven que me ofreció mi primer trabajo cuando llegué, quien junto a los otros cajeros trataron de enseñarme el idioma. Mi siguiente trabajo fue de niñera, donde una niña de tres años me enseñó cómo leer sus libros para tomar su siesta. Así, fueron sumando más experiencias de trabajo hasta que pude ingresar a una escuela para aprender inglés formalmente. La primera recomendación de la maestra fue que dejáramos de ver y escuchar todo en nuestra lengua nativa y que intentáramos hacerlo en inglés y, desde entonces, así lo he hecho.

Años más adelante obtuve mi certificado como instructora de Zumba, y fue a través de este medio que tuve la gran oportunidad de conocer a Karla Trujillo (Chap. 11) durante un evento para recolectar fondos sin fines de lucro. Luego, en 2014, finalmente tuve la oportunidad que mi hijo regresara a su país de nacimiento, y es entonces cuando—a través de una publicidad acerca de un campamento de verano para jóvenes liderado por Karla (Teenology Rangers)—comienza mi historia con La Colonia de Eden Garden (LCEG), Inc.

Decidí contactar a Karla para conocer cuáles eran los requisitos para inscribir a mi hijo en el campamento de verano. Una vez lo registré, le comenté que se iría de campamento—vale la pena aclarar que mi hijo tenía pocas semanas de haber llegado al país y aún no hablaba el idioma. Sin embargo, para mi hijo, la idea de irse de campamento era extraña, ya que no es algo común en mi país, y su reacción fue de mejor no participar (porque no conocía a nadie). Mi respuesta fue sencilla: “No te preocupes, cuando regreses de campamento ya tendrás amigos.”

Así fue, después de regresar del campamento, la actitud de mi hijo era más enérgica y muy positiva. Sus palabras fueron “Mamá el próximo año quiero regresar como uno de los jóvenes líderes.” Sentí mi corazón feliz, después de eso me pidió que lo llevara todos los domingos al programa de cultura y arte con los adolescentes que Karla lideraba. Así en un evento del Día de los Muertos, una de las mamás me comentó sobre La Clase Mágica (programa después de la escuela) donde ayudaban a los niños y adolescentes con sus tareas. Ese mismo día decidí hablar con quién es hoy directora del programa, Susanna Romero, para registrar a mi hijo. Así, cada lunes y miércoles, luego de trabajar, pasaba por mi hijo a la escuela, y lo llevaba al programa (debía conducir desde la ciudad de Oceanside hasta Solana Beach, un trayecto de aproximadamente, 40 minutos). Los domingos lo llevaba al otro programa con Karla.

Durante la pandemia, LCEG, Inc. estuvo haciendo distribuciones de comida. Llevé a mi hijo conmigo y, poco a poco, comencé a dirigir la distribución de comida, actividad en la cual otras familias también comenzaron a participar como voluntarios. Cuando el año escolar se aproximaba, se me presentó la oportunidad de ser una asistente en La Clase Mágica. Durante la pandemia tratamos de crear actividades para la salud mental y brindar apoyo a las familias. Durante esa etapa, orientamos a nuestras familias para que crearan arte y que, por medio del arte, describieran cómo se sentían en casa. ⋍Cómo hicimos eso posible? Hacíamos entrega de canvas, pinceles y pintura a cada familia. Cada semana nos compartían lo que pintaban y, posteriormente, hacíamos exhibición de cada uno de ellos en un estacionamiento en el cual las familias conducían mientras admiraban cada una de las piezas de arte.

Hoy en día soy Especialista de Alcance Comunitario, donde me dedico a coordinar cada uno de los programas de LCEG, Inc. Creamos actividades en donde integramos a los padres, las madres y cuidadores, también pedimos su participación y retroalimentación. Tener este trabajo es algo que creí que no merecía porque en este país mi educación no es válida. Gracias, Karla, Manny y Mary Ann por creer en mí, cuando ni siquiera yo era capaz de ver mi capacidad en ese momento. Actualmente, en La Clase Mágica contamos con padres, madres y cuidadores que nos ayudan durante las actividades del programa:

  • El campamento, que anteriormente era para jóvenes, hoy es un campamento familiar donde—con ayuda de la profesora Amy Bintliff (Chap. 20)—se realizan actividades para la salud mental y reforzar la unión familiar

  • Yoga y meditación

  • Jardín comunitario donde las familias pueden cultivar sus propios vegetales

  • Grupo de salud mental y crecimiento personal de las madres llamado “pláticas de mujeres,” donde ellas pueden tomar un tiempo personal de descanso, e incluso, aprender a nadar

  • Escuela de yoga, donde se dan clases gratuitas a la comunidad.

En mi rol actual, también me dedico a hacer investigación sobre programas para nuestros padres, madres y cuidadores, por ejemplo: clases de inglés gratuitas o a bajo costo; preparación para obtener el diploma de educación general (GED) o el diploma de equivalencia de la escuela secundaria (a través del examen HiSET); servicios de cuidadores; servicios de enfermería en español.

Quiero que nuestra comunidad vea que hay opciones, que pueden tener acceso a la educación, y realizar sus sueños. También buscamos otros recursos y ayudas para el beneficio de las familias, por ejemplo: ayudas y apoyos gubernamentales, ya sean estatales o federales, también existen ciertos apoyos locales, así como migratorios.

Nuestras familias también son partícipes de investigaciones y actividades realizadas enUCSD a través de la profesora Amy. Cada una de estas actividades han sido muy importantes y significativas para las familias, y han generado mucha alegría y satisfacción cada vez que las familias participan en estas.

¡Muchas gracias a Mara y a John por visitar La Clase Mágica, por presenciar la magia de nuestro campamento familiar, por el apoyo que nos han brindado y por impactar, de manera positiva, nuestra comunidad y familias!

Sayra Martinez (La Colonia de Eden Gardens Inc., University of California, San Diego [English Version])

Sayra Martinez is the Specialist in Community Outreach for La Colonia de Eden Gardens Inc, the community partner collaborating with UC San Diego in sustaining long-time UC Links program, La Clase Mágica (Chap. 1).

Hello! Before I begin and tell how I got to where I am today, I want to thank some special people: Manny and Mary Ann Aguilar, Professor Amy Bintliff, Mara Mahmood, John Cano, and Karla Trujillo, for giving me the opportunity to be part of UC Links, a network that I consider important, special, and part of a personal achievement. My name is Sayra Martínez, I am 37 years old, of Mexican nationality, and was born in the beautiful state of Chiapas. The experience of migrating to the United States (US) was traumatic. I remember armed men appearing, one of them pointing his gun at my temple while at the same time, he grabbed my arm with the other hand asking for belongings, money, phone cards, or anything they thought was of value. Then they asked us to separate into two groups (one of women and the other of men), they made us undress to check our clothes and confirm that we were not hiding anything.

Once in the United States, I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t speak English, and as if that wasn’t enough, I began to experience domestic violence from my now ex-husband. A few years later, in 2003, I became pregnant and had my son. I appreciate my time spent in shelters, where I went on more than one occasion. I wish that instead of telling me “go and apply for help here” they could have helped me with education and how to look for work. At that time I was a 17-year-old teenager, with a baby, and trying to survive in a different country, without speaking English, and without anyone’s support, so I chose to return to my country.

Back in Mexico, I started working. I finished my high school and entered university to study law. However, I had to leave my university studies because education is not public and my son was going to start preschool. Living in my parents’ house and seeing that there was no progress in my life to create a heritage for my son, I thought about emigrating again to the United States, but to another state. That’s when I made the decision, in 2009, to return to the United States. With a broken heart, I left my son with my parents because I didn’t know where I would go. When I returned to the United States, I encountered the language problem again, but I am grateful to Danny, owner of a 7-Eleven who offered me my first job when I arrived, who along with the other cashiers tried to teach me the language. My next job was as a nanny, where a three-year-old girl taught me how to read her books to take her nap. Thus, more work experiences were added until I was able to enter a school to formally learn English. The first recommendation from the teacher was that we stop watching and listening to everything in our native language and try to do it in English and, since then, that’s what I have done.

Years later I obtained my certificate as a Zumba instructor, and it was through this medium that I had the great opportunity to meet Karla Trujillo (Chap. 11) during a non-profit fundraising event. Then, in 2014, I finally had the opportunity for my son to return to his country of birth, and it is then when—through an advertisement about a summer camp for young people led by Karla (Teenology Rangers)—my story with La Colonia de Eden Garden (LCEG), Inc. begins.

I decided to contact Karla to find out what the requirements were to enroll my son in the summer camp. Once I registered him, I told him that he was going to camp—it’s worth clarifying that my son had only been in the country for a few weeks and still didn’t speak the language. However, for my son, the idea of going to camp was strange, as it is not something common in my country, and his reaction was better not to participate (because he didn’t know anyone). My response was simple: “Don’t worry, when you come back from camp you will already have friends.”

So it was, after returning from camp, my son’s attitude was more energetic and very positive. His words were “Mom next year I want to return as one of the young leaders.” I felt my heart happy, after that he asked me to take him every Sunday to the culture and art program with the teenagers that Karla led. Thus, at a Day of the Dead event, one of the moms told me about La Clase Mágica (after-school program) where they helped children and teenagers with their homework. That same day I decided to speak with the person who is now the program director, Susanna Romero, to register my son. So, every Monday and Wednesday, after work, I would pick up my son from school, and take him to the program (I had to drive from the city of Oceanside to Solana Beach, a journey of approximately 40 min). On Sundays I would take him to the other program with Karla.

During the pandemic, LCEG, Inc. was doing food distributions. I took my son with me and, little by little, I began to direct the food distribution, an activity in which other families also began to participate as volunteers. When the school year was approaching, I was given the opportunity to be an assistant at La Clase Mágica. During the pandemic we tried to create activities for mental health and provide support to families. During that stage, we guided our families to create art and, through art, describe how they felt at home. How did we make this possible? We delivered canvas, brushes, and paint to each family. Each week they shared with us what they painted and, later, we exhibited each one of them in a parking lot where families drove while admiring each of the pieces of art.

Today, I am a Community Outreach Specialist, where I dedicate myself to coordinating each of the LCEG, Inc. programs; we create activities where we integrate parents and caregivers, and we also ask for their participation and feedback. Having this job is something I thought I didn’t deserve because in this country my education is not valid. Thank you, Karla, Manny, and Mary Ann for believing in me, when I wasn’t even able to see my ability at that time. Currently, at La Clase Mágica we have parents and caregivers who help us during the program activities:

  • The camp, which was previously for young people, today is a family camp where—with the help of Professor Amy Bintliff (Chap. 20)—activities are carried out for mental health and to strengthen family unity.

  • Yoga and meditation.

  • Community garden where families can grow their own vegetables.

  • Mental health and personal growth group for mothers called “pláticas de mujeres” or “women’s talks,” where they can take personal time, rest, and even learn to swim.

  • Yoga school, where free classes are given to the community.

In my current role, I also dedicate myself to researching programs for our parents and caregivers, for example: free or low-cost English classes; preparation to obtain the General Education Diploma (GED) or the High School Equivalency Diploma (through HiSET exam); caregiver services; Spanish nursing services.

I want our community to see that there are options, that they can have access to education, and realize their dreams. We also look for other resources and aids for the benefit of families, for example: governmental aids and supports, whether state or federal; there are also certain local supports, as well as migratory ones.

Our families also participate in research and activities carried out by UCSD, through Professor Amy. Each of these activities has been very important and meaningful for the families, and has generated much joy and satisfaction every time families participate in these.

Many thanks to Mara and John for visiting La Clase Mágica, for witnessing the magic of our family camp, and for the support they have given us and for positively impacting our community and families!