With new beginnings like the AYA program, I felt past emotions. Anxiety was my top competitor, especially with having to walk back to the entrance to grab a parking pass, and then leaving it on the car’s dashboard. Besides this shenanigan, the welcoming breakfast was a nice event to begin the program. Shortly after, we had our first guest speaker by the name of Jordyn Holman. She went into great detail about her experience in the program, and how it helped her resume/skills which would land her an internship for The New York Times. After this, the first COMM 101 class began, which was just a syllabus day. Then we had two more guest speakers, Chanel Lake, SVP at Edelman, and Kelly Uchima, a mental health influencer. I enjoyed their presentation as their ideas bounced off each other in a comedic manner. Afterward, we had our first Journalism class which was once more a syllabus day.
My second day felt like a blur as I was getting a hang of the weight that comes with each course. COMMs and Journalism were beginning to feel like a college class as the lecturing got longer and more in-depth in the respective subject. With COMMs, we had our first discussion held by three facilitators. The reading that I understood best was by Zuckerman, as the Levers of Change were explained to us in class. Then we had a guest speaker, Melanie Cherry who explained the industry that is public relations, and the careers that come with it. Next was Journalism, and here we got an understanding of the basics of creating a story.
My third day, or Wednesday was the first field trip. However, we still had COMMs. This class day was based on civic media, as both articles spoke on the different perspectives people hold on the term. The discussion was smoother than the first day as everyone was starting to feel more comfortable with one another. After this, we had a BBQ lunch for Juneteenth and headed over to the California African American Museum. The walkover was hot, but the museum had air conditioning in all rooms to combat the summer heat. The CAAM hosted many of Simone Leigh’s works. The artwork that I enjoyed most was the “Cupboard,” which was a shell figure in the utmost part with a dry-grass skirt surrounding it. From the little plaque, I learned that the shell is influential in her culture, and I saw it in her other artworks as well.
My fourth and last first day was a whole field trip! We began by taking the Metro for around thirty minutes and arriving in Little Tokyo. Since we had arrived before the Japanese American National Museum was open, we could explore in the meantime. Most stores were closed because no tourists would be there at such an early hour. Walking around and getting to see the area before the people had arrived was a unique experience. The museum was incredibly insightful, as the volunteers were very helpful and shared very personal stories that humanized the inhumane history. I can’t wait to see what next week will offer.
Resources
Communicating Change 