I’m a first-generation transfer student from Southwestern Community College in San Diego. I’m majoring in Rhetoric and plan to apply for the masters in library and information science program at San Jose State University after my time here at Cal. I'm a part of many communities on campus, such as EOP, transfers, re-entry, NavCal, and Underground Scholars. My academic, professional, and personal goals all intersect and include research (trying to answer the question of why), writing a novel, becoming a librarian, and helping others. These goals also align with the research I hope to perform while I am here at Berkeley which involves correlations of Rhetoric and the unhoused in the Bay Area.
I am a dissectologist and if I am not writing, studying, or hiking somewhere in the city, I am at my kitchen table surrounded by puzzle pieces. Even though I am an introvert, I love interacting with others and reading my poetry and short stories in front of strangers. Southern and Northern California have been my home for the past 10 years but my forever home is waiting for me in Portland, OR.
Tying rhetoric to what is it means to be unhoused and/or using the image of a tent and exploring what it means depending on who you are.
How does the representation of the unhoused in visual rhetoric (e.g., protest signs, public murals) challenge or reinforce stereotypes?
How do the personal narratives of unhoused individuals contrast with the dominant rhetoric used by city officials and media?