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Jonathan came into the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship
Program knowing that he could contribute greatly to the Kuya Ate
Mentorship Program, a retention program catering to the needs of
students through a Filipino-American perspective. His previous background
included community organizing work in high school, involvement with
the Filipino Student Association at UCSC, and coordinating the A
Step Forward outreach program. With a vast amount of experience
in student organizing, he believed that he was ready to take on
the responsibilities of creating a visible space for the Filipino
community at UC Santa Cruz. Although he did not only serve the Filipino
community but also the UCSC community at large, he was charged with
maintaining a family-based system of mentorship to give students
a feeling of belonging to help them succeed in their college career.
By working to provide events and programming that provide holistic
support for students, he offered his expertise on the Filipino culture
to address comparably low student retention and graduation rates.
Believing in the success of student empowerment encouraged him to
push his efforts into the retention coalition of Ch.U.C.K. (ChALE,
Umoja, CUSN, KAMP0) part of the Engaging Education (e^2) center
for student-initiated outreach and retention.
This yearlong internship has given Jonathan a lasting personal growth
experience. Although he entered into the program with a good deal
of knowledge of logistics, communication and other leadership skills,
he leaves with a greater understanding and awareness of community
struggles and social inequalities. The CUIP offered him a space
to dialogue on the needs of communities of color on the UCSC campus,
as well as educate his fellow CUIP interns on the social disparities
and community issues that communities of color experience. Working
with ChUCK became a space for critical analysis of retention issues
on the UCSC campus. Following the mission of the e^2 center provided
a clearer definition behind retention and the work it entails for
communities of color. By coordinating with these different spaces
he has gathered a deeper understanding of cultural issues that he
has applied to his work this year.
Now that his internship has come to a close and he will be graduating
this Spring, he will use the knowledge that he has gained to pursue
a career in non-profit community organizing in the San Francisco
Bay Area. Although he has no definite plans as of yet, he will move
on to helping the youth realize their potential to succeed through
higher education. He believes that by working through the educational
system, he can encourage the youth to strive for more than just
a high school diploma. Wherever he may go, he will definitely be
able to leave a lasting mark on any space he will be involved in.
He is a prime example of an empowered student who is constantly
searching for different venues to give back to his community. He
leaves us with a legacy of uplifting others higher than ourselves
to effect concrete change, to grow past stereotypes and look beyond
social stigmas.
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