About nico
I am currently a Senior at Hamline University, working on a Bachelor's degree in Women's Studies and Social Justice, with a concentration in US imperialism and its relationship to Asian fetishism.
I am a queer biracial mother. Those identities inform my studies and influence my areas of interest. My proud Filipino ancestry also means that my complex experience with my race has been riddled with microaggression, overt racism, and fetishism.
One of my great joys is working with young kids. In my work as Religious Education Assistant at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church I enjoy writing curriculum and teaching kids about spirituality and social justice. As Assistant Pre-K teacher at an early childhood education center, my freedom to utilize my social justice training is slightly more constrained, but it heavily influences my teaching nonetheless.
Recently I became very aware of the need to set up my own boundaries. Studying social justice issues can be intensely draining. To take care of myself, I enjoy playing piano, which has been part of my life since I was six years old. I stopped taking lessons last year due to a wrist injury, but hope to start up again following graduation. This fall I began taking Tai Chi lessons and that practice has become very important in centering me.
I am fortunate to have a strong group of friends. We support and challenge each other and act as reminders that no one person has to solve all of the world's problems on their own.
I also have two cats who are very important to me. While they understand nothing of justice, their purring and their antics play a pivotal role in grounding me when things get tough.
I also have two cats who are very important to me. While they understand nothing of justice, their purring and their antics play a pivotal role in grounding me when things get tough.
internship
In the spring of 2017 I was honored to take part in an internship at Southside Family Charter School in Minneapolis. |
My duties as intern included selecting and organizing curriculum, prepping junior high students for their travel study trip, chaperoning the travel study trip, and facilitating small group discussions.
During the travel study trip, thirty-some junior high students piled into a bus with a handful of chaperones, on our way South. We stopped first in Ferguson and spoke with organizers who were active following Mike Brown's murder by police. From there we continued through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
During the travel study trip, thirty-some junior high students piled into a bus with a handful of chaperones, on our way South. We stopped first in Ferguson and spoke with organizers who were active following Mike Brown's murder by police. From there we continued through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.
In addition to being a chaperone for basic logistics and keeping track of students, I found myself serving as a discussion facilitator and as emotional support. The discussions did not shy away from difficult topics, and midway through the two-week experience the mental toll was beginning to show. I was available as support to the students, and led small groups in conversations about the people we met. This helped me develop my skills as a facilitator as well as giving me the opportunity to compare teaching junior high students to my main point of reference -- teaching Pre-K and early elementary students.
The photo above was taken at the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition to incredible advocacy for justice involved people facing the death penalty, EJI is building a lynching memorial. These jars are filled with dirt taken from the locations of known lynchings and etched with the name of the victim. Many jars simply read, "Unknown."
relevant courses
Unless otherwise noted, all courses were completed at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Women's Studies
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Social Justice
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