08 Jun Graduation-Ready, Outdoors Ready

We are reaching the end of the school year at UC Riverside, and we recently enjoyed our 44th Annual Chicano/Raza Graduation ceremony. Full of joy, sorrow, anxiety, and excitement, I keep pondering about what this summer will await. From finding caves, to trails, and historical markers, Coronado National Memorial only leaves me in awe and with more questions as to what other wonders I will find at the park. Being the first time I leave home, I am also beginning to feel the tensions around the household of what a summer without my family will be like, but just as being a first-generation college student of color, there is no manual to really guide me in my difficulties, only the experiences of my friends who’ve shown total support. Now, I can only take Cuban singer Celia Cruz’ advice “No hay que llorar, que la vida es un carnaval” “One shall not cry, life is a carnival”. And just like that, along with my staff-to-be, we will erect a carnival out of the desert sands of Southern Arizona. As I write, I enter Final’s week at UC Riverside and wait patiently until I begin my internship. Till then, we will enjoy the last couple days of my Undergraduate experience and prepare for the exciting activities and relationships we will build this summer!