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https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/5e54912f2da95810e3bef5c341d6234e.pdf
f19c0b3193310ab2e1ac5e49d6563335
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Rios, Dan. Interview transcript, May 9th, 2017.
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Daniel Flores Rios, born in Hanford, California. April 10th, 1939 to Theodore and Jennie Rios, was the Chief Photographer at the Escondido Times-Advocate and North County Times newspapers. As the Chief Photographer, Rios was instrumental in transitioning the North County Times from publishing images in black and white, to publishing in color.
This interview recounts Rios's career working for the Escondido Times-Advocate and North County Times. Rios also recounts how photographers were initially required to buy and maintain their own equipment and how he was able to create a deal with the newspaper to compensate photographers fairly for their equipment.
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Dan Rios
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Alexa Clausen
Robert Sheehan
Date
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2017-05-09
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Digital cameras
Escondido Times-Advocate (Escondido, Calif.)
Mexican Americans
Photographic chemicals
Photojournalists
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Escondido (Calif.)
Fallbrook (Calif.)
Rancho Penasquitos (Calif.)
Rancho Bernardo (San Diego, Calif.)
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
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SC003: The Dan Rios papers
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in copyright
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California State University San Marcos
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text
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SC003-03
Community history
Latine experience
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Oral Histories
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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Oral History
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Alexa Clausen
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Daniel Flores Rios
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https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=RiosDan_ClausenAlexa_2017-04-15_access.xml
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5.4 Rios, Dan. Interview, April 15, 2017. SC003-02 00:00:00 SC003 Dan Rios papers CSUSM csusm Chicago Tribune (Firm) ; Escondido Times-Advocate (Escondido (Calif.)) ; Photojournalists ; Escondido (Calif.) Daniel Flores Rios Alexa Clausen 1.0:|11(18)|26(13)|48(5)|63(16)|82(2)|105(14)|120(13)|136(9)|153(11)|178(6)|192(14)|208(16)|222(12)|240(3)|264(6)|286(14)|304(5)|322(3)|335(19)|353(8)|372(11)|388(16)|414(8)|435(13)|457(5)|490(9)|509(16)|522(5)|537(13)|549(15)|565(12)|594(11)|609(18)|631(11)|644(14)|656(4) 0 https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/da6f191d23f549388e74dc4e65755822.wav Other audio Daniel Flores Rios, born in Hanford, California. April 10th, 1939 to Theodore and Jennie Rios, was the Chief Photographer at the Escondido Times-Advocate and North County Times newspapers. 
 ; 
 ; In this second interview conducted by Alexa Clausen, Dan Rios discusses starting work for the Escondido Times-Advocate and the beginning of his career at newspaper which was then owned by the Applebee and Carlton families. Rios discusses his work days, the paper's staffing, and his enjoyment in working for the Times-Advocate and in living in Escondido. Rios also discusses the selling of the newspaper to the Chicago Tribune Company and the changes that wrought with new editors, staff layoffs, and a much more difficult working environment. Alexa Clausen: This is April 15th, 2017. Session two with Dan Rios regarding his career as Chief Photographer with the (Escondido) Daily Times-Advocate. Now, Dan, we left off (last interview) having you hear about a job in Escondido, not really sure that you’d been to Escondido many times and going to a newsstand and literally picking up the paper. And then you were telling me how impressed you that the paper being so crisp and vivid. And that’s where we left you off. You literally went to a newspaper stand and grabbed a paper. So tell me your steps to getting hired. Dan Rios: Yeah. Well, I saw the paper and I was really amazed at how good it looked. So I was working for Mr. Boyd in Hillcrest, and on Monday I asked him if I could take the morning off to come and apply for the job. And I did. I drove down here. I met with Curt Babcock, who was the City Editor. He introduced me to George Cordry, assistant City Editor, and Ron Kenny, the Managing Editor. They interviewed me, they saw my portfolio, they saw my brag book and one question they kept repeating was, Did I know how to do color? Since I specialized in color the last year at school (Mesa College), I showed them my color brochure, that I had processed all the film, I had processed all the pictures and they seemed to be pleased with that. That was the end of that interview. Later that day they called and said I was hired and for me to come in the following Monday. AC: Could you give me a date on that? DR: That was the week that—that was 1968. I believe it was May, when Robert Kennedy was killed. AC: Oh my gosh. DR: I started working the week Robert Kennedy died. AC: He was assassinated in Los Angeles. DR: Yes. Yes, by Sirhan Sirhan. They asked me if I can come in on Monday and my shift would be from 7:00 o'clock in the morning until whenever. (chuckles) Whenever I was done. The only problem is I had an appointment with the DMV because I had gotten so many driving tickets. I had an appointment with them on that Monday, so I had asked them if I can postpone it for one day. They agreed. I didn't tell them why. The deal he gave me a one-year probationary period. One more ticket and my license was suspended. So, on Tuesday, the following week, I started. AC: Now let me ask you, were you replacing someone who had retired, or this was a new position for them? DR: They had only hired a part-time photographer. AC: They had a part-time uh-huh. DR: And he had left three, four or five months before me coming here. They had a reporter by the name of Mary Jane Morgan who seemed to know the photography, seemed to know the processing, and she was doing some processing plus her reporting duties. She would process the film for the editorial staff. Because every reporter took their own pictures basically. There were pool cameras. And they went assignment, they took their own pictures, they brought the film in. Mary Jane would process it. In Advertising also they had a pool camera and they would do the same. So when I showed up on Tuesday, there was a stack of rolls of film for me to process. And get busy and organize the dark room and see what the supplies were—chemicals and paper and equipment. I got busy organizing it and started right in. I don't think I got my first assignment until about a week later. And I started--my first assignment--I remember my first assignment was at the Escondido Village Mall at the Walker Scot Pavilion there. Mrs. Purer, Edith Purer I think her name was. I think there’s a road by your-- AC: Yes. DR: (unintelligible) Purer Road. Named after her family. And it was an art exhibit, art contest. So that was my first photograph. Of that. Subsequently I started doing a lot of dark room work in the morning and then shooting the afternoon assignments in the afternoon. I would shoot anything from mug shots to sports events, to society, to accidents, to trials. Everything except professional sports. I was never really much interested in professional sports. AC: And you'd have to what? You’d have to cover the (San Diego) Chargers? DR: No. AC: Where would they send you fort professional—they didn’t do much of that? DR: No. No. They relied on AP and UPI photos. AC: They bought them. Yeah. DR: Yeah, subscribed to those services and-- AC: Had you moved to Escondido? Were you commuting? DR: No, I was commuting. I was getting up at five o' clock in the morning, had a little breakfast, get ready, get dressed. Get out at six and drive a two-lane road to Escondido. I would arrive at work, seven o'clock, work until I was done. Sometimes at work I would have a three, four hour lay-over because my shift would end, but a sporting event would come in. Or a society event would come in later in the day, in the evening. And I would have to stay for that. AC: Were you hourly or salary? DR: I was hourly. A very, very meager salary actually. Well that was one of the conditions that I accepted at work. I talked to my bosses and I said, “You know, you guys aren't paying me a lot of money, I need to earn more money. Am I going to be permitted to use the dark room for my own purposes, for moonlighting?” They said, Yes, no problem, whatever you want. The darkroom is yours after hours. AC: It's the plight of every artistic person. You know? The job and the labor of love. DR: I was fortunate. I got along with everybody, everybody was fantastic. It was just a great boss--Kirk Babcock, the city editor. He could understand my photography. He knew what I was going after and he would compliment me on that. So, it got to the point that it was all over town. And then one of my assignments, we had something called "The North County." (Times-Advocate North County magazine) Which was a Sunday supplement. A magazine type thing. Tabloid type thing. And I was in charge of providing the photography for the cover. Every week, besides my other assignments. There were days when I would scramble all over town trying to find something. It was mostly artsy-fartsy stuff on the cover. Whatever I wanted. They never censored me. They never told me what they wanted. AC: Wow! DR: But it got to a point where I got to know the town. And I would drive a thousand, fifteen-hundred miles a month all over town, and all over the North County, and some assignments in San Diego--not too many. And I would shoot what they called "grab art." Whenever I saw something interesting, I’d take a picture of it. And eventually we had so many of those we couldn't even run them in the paper. And I suggested once that we run a special photo page. No theme, nothing. Just to use the pictures, and on Sunday it was a whole picture. And I came up with the name of "focal reflections." And they were just people, places, events, scenery. Just artsy stuff that I shot that we couldn't use in the paper. And we got a lot, a lot of comments on that. AC: When they were sending you on assignment, were you filling in between what the reporters were doing, or they were there own stories? So were you backing up an assignment of a journalist? DR: Well, most of the time I would go out with a journalist. He would ask questions, I would take pictures. Or if he had gone out and did the story, then they would assign me to go ahead and cover the story (unintelligible). A perfect example of that is--did I ever tell you about Rancho Guajome? AC: No. DR: Eloise Perkins, a historical writer grabbed a hold of me with both fists around my neck (laughs). And she would send me on assignments that she had problems with. And one day I was sitting around--there was two events she sent me on. One, I was sitting around. She said, “What are you doing?” I said, “I’m waiting for an assignment later this afternoon.” (She) says there is this adobe, an abandoned adobe in Vista. Would you go take pictures of it? She gave me the address and I found it. I walked all over the place taking pictures of it. It was collapsing, the floors were rotted, the walls were crumbling. AC: This was before the County bought it and restored it. DR: Yeah. It was just abandoned, I thought. I walked around. I must have spent an hour, hour and half. I went around the back, on the north end of it, there was a trailer there. This man walks out with a shotgun and asked me what the hell was I doing there? I showed him my credentials. I told him what I was doing. He told me he didn't care. He said, If I didn't get my rear end out of there in a hurry that he would start shooting. AC: Oh my god. Thank you, Eloise. DR: So, I got back to Eloise and Eloise just cracked up laughing. She said, “Did that nut threaten you?” I said, “Yeah!” She says, “He chased me away so many times I can't get through the-- AC: So she sends you. DR: And those negatives are in the files. Two and a quarter-inch negatives of all that stuff. AC: You know, you did have—after we shut off the tape, a kind of a get to know Eloise, so I’ll type that up and we can add onto the-- DR: Yeah. She did another one, another Eloise trick she did on me, was at Carrillo Ranch before it became anything. The old lady, Delpy I think her name was, was there. At that point I had a little fame going there at the (newspaper). That I could get along with old ladies. Old ladies and I had a rapport. They would offer me coffee, they would offer me tea, drinks—sodas, whatever. So, Eloise again played a trick on me. She says, Go see Mrs. Delpy at Carrillo Ranch. Take some pictures. So I got there, knocked on the door. She ushered me in, sat me down, offered me coffee, cookies. Told her what I wanted, what I do. She opened up these (photo) albums. with her mother, her stepmother, her stepfather, her family, (Leo) Carrillo, the gatherings, the movie stars. And I started taking copy, photographs of it. And I was there maybe two--two and a half hours talking with her. And eventually I went outside. The stables still were—still had the tack from the early days just rotting away in the stables. So, I again I showed up with Eloise and she’s laughing, said “How did you do with the old lady.” I says, “Great. You know, coffee, tea, cookies, conversation, she was fantastic.” She says, “Oh my god I can't believe it.” So I got a little history there with old ladies. I can handle old ladies, and I got along with them. I got along with everyone. I loved Escondido. The people were just fantastic. I never saw any prejudice on my part. I never experienced it. We had two Hispanic employees in the editorial room. Me and Joe Heredia, who had been there before I was. He subsequently--he had a heart attack and died on the job. AC: Oh my. DR: But--never any problem. I was getting to know people and at that point I had a pretty good memory. I could recognize faces and names. I got to know the city councilmen, most of the Fire Department. And they would call me when things were happening. I got to know the councilmen personally, the mayors, the city attorneys, and had a really good rapport. I loved the city. I loved the population. I loved the society people. They were so gracious. I remember once, they showed me—there was a—can't think of the charity—was a meeting. It was I think in the Fall or toward the Winter. And I showed up. I would pick on one person in a group and semi, lightly make fun of them. To loosen up the room. I wasn't mean, I wasn't vicious. AC: Just teasing. DR: Yeah, just teasing a little bit. So I got to this meeting there early and they were about to have lunch, and they invited me to have lunch. And I said sure. So I had a few snacks here and there and a cup of juice and sat down in front. They got done. And they sat them down and I picked on this one woman. And she was laughing, everyone was laughing. Just to loosen the group up. Then I went to get my IDs, left to right, front to back. And I get back one, the middle one. And her name—by the way the name of the owners (of the Times-Advocate) were Carlton and Applebee. Mrs. Applebee. AC: Now, Lucy (Berk) said—not Applegate? DR: No. Applebee. AC: Like the restaurant. Oh. DR: Applebee. So I got to the middle of the row and this woman. I asked her about her name. To give me her name. Oh god, I can’t remember her first name. An Applebee. And I dropped my pen and my pad of paper and looked at her says, “(and) that’s Mrs. Carlton?” She says, “Mm-hmm.” (Rios and Clausen laugh) AC: Oh they were the owners' wives. DR: Yeah, and I'm jiving with her, I’m teasing her, and I said, Oh god, that's the end of my job. Never brought it up. We became fast friends after that. AC: And this sounds like a style that worked for you to have people relax so you don't have those (stiff) photos. DR: Oh no no, I wouldn’t permit that. Wouldn’t permit hands in front of their bodies either, hiding their crotch. They had to hug people, put their hands in their hands, put hands on their backs. Couldn’t stand these people, just their hands just hanging down. AC: Now you did kind of refer to someone--was it Mr. Babcock--someone said that they liked your style, they knew what you were doing. DR: Yeah, Curt AC: Would you just expand on that a little bit? I'm assuming it’s like a methodology or an artistic approach. DR: Yes. I try to present a viewpoint. Semi-hidden, maybe not so hidden, but I always tried to present a viewpoint. Either through the angle or the lighting. A lot of the time I would take my own lighting. In fact somebody commented--they wrote me a letter that they liked my photography. It reminded them of the earlier photographers in the Midwest. They use to do that. Take multiple lights and set up a little lighting (unintelligible) they were portable. And that was my own device that I thought about. And Curt came up—in fact I was there about six months, and he came up to me, and slapped my back, he says, “How is my serendipity photographer.” No, no, no. Not serendipity. It was “ubiquitous.” “How is my ubiquitous photographer.” I had no idea what that meant. AC: You ran to the dictionary? DR: (laughs) Oh yes. AC: What did he mean? DR: That I was all over town, like a plague. AC: Oh! But it was a compliment. DR: Oh yes. Yes. I was covering everything. My photographs, I had four, five, six photographs in the paper daily. I was doing all the sports, society, the mug shots, and the features, and the artistics, and the grab art. As I said, I would work in the darkroom until noon, and the afternoon it was mine to do what I wanted to. I would do the assignments, do my own, do whatever. The following morning, I would come in to process all the film, do all the proof sheets. Start printing pictures for the advertising, and the editorial, and my own stuff. AC: Had they thought of getting you extra help? DR: They did. About a year later. AC: So, about 1970? DR: Uh-huh, about the middle of 1970. Well people would constantly apply. They would send their resume in. They would send their portfolios, a portion of them. At that point the paper was too small--the salaries were cheap to put it mildly. But I loved the place, and after a year I was planning to go back to San Diego, but I said there was no way I’m going back to San Diego. AC: Oh, you wanted to stay here. DR: Yes, I wanted to stay here. I loved the place, I tolerated the heat. So when they were wanting to hire, I saw this portfolio. Since as a youth, I was never involved in sports, never played sports. Not in school, not extra(curricular), never played sports and I wasn’t that familiar with them. I played softball in grade school, but you know that’s nothing. And then I saw the portfolio of this photographer, Jim Baird and it blew me away. The man was just a phenomenal photographer. And I went to Ron Kenny, I says “I want to hire this guy.” Because he loved sports. Which is something I didn't do and I didn't like! I said he could take that weight off my shoulders. And he could do it with an artistic flair that I could never do. And about that point the Padres had started playing at Petco Park—was called Jack Murphy, or San Diego stadium. AC: Yeah, the old Qualcomm-- DR: Yes. And he would assign himself games because he loved it so much. And I was happier than he was for him to do it. And he did that. And eventually he wanted to do a lot of his own darkroom work and printings that was just fine. But it got to the point where I was doing too much darkroom, not enough photography. So, I went to Ron Kenny again, and I asked him if I can hire a lab tech. Then I could do all-day shooting. Between Baird and myself, we would do the assignments. Then the darkroom technician was Lowell Thorp. He was an older man. He was in his fifties I think at the time. So, he interviewed and he said he wanted no part of photography. He had done that at his previous job and he just wanted darkroom work. And the man was super meticulous. He would come in at five o'clock in the morning. And do all the film, all the proofs. People would hand in their proof sheets with their marked photographs and their crop, and he would supply them. He would hand them out, he would keep the inventory. AC: When do you think this was, what year? Because you said you-- (unintelligible) DR: Jim Baird. Yeah. Jim Baird. Maybe a year later. AC: So ‘71 maybe. DR: And he retired there (at the Times-Advocate), he worked I think fifteen years, retired there. At the end of the year he would produce the summary of all film, all the paper, all the chemicals, everything that was used in the darkroom. The guy was just meticulous, he just loved that place. AC: It was a little bit like his lab? Like his-- DR: Oh it was his domain. Oh my god. If you worked there, he allowed you to work there, but you had better have it clean when you left. I remember when one time there was a reporter, I don't want to name his name, he works for the San Diego Union now. He liked to take his own pictures, and he was on the City Beat. He would get off the City Council Beat at ten-eleven o'clock at night, come in and process the film, print it, go home. Probably one-two o'clock in the morning, go home, come back maybe ten o'clock the following day. Well Lowell got in one day when this reporter had made a mess. He called him at 5 o'clock in the morning to get his butt in there, clean the place up because nothing was going to be done that day until he got there and cleaned his mess up. And he just sat until this reporter showed up. And he did clean the mess up and Lowell started working again. AC: How funny. DR: But he was picky, he was meticulous. He didn't care who worked there. Just clean your mess up. AC: It sounds like in a matter of three years, they hired you and then three-four years made an entire grouping of an entire photographic system from nothing. From having part-time photographers. So North County (San Diego) started a little boom at about the same time. DR: Oh yeah. It was flourishing. It was flourishing. AC: So that reflected in their demand for the newspaper. DR: Yeah. I don’t remember what year it was, early in the in the 70's. We won an award for the best layout in a newspaper regardless of size. And we were winning awards left and right. Editorial awards. I was never very competitive. I was never much into (photography) contests, after school. Didn’t interest me. I don’t know if I mentioned Edith Purer and her--I did join those a couple years. Printed some 16 x 20 prints, won first place, second place, third place in those events. After a couple years I stopped participating in that. AC: So that was your own artistic photography? DR: Yes. AC: What was your specialty, what did you like in your own work? DR: Just sceneries, evening shots, sunsets. AC: Color? DR: Yes, yes. Well no, not all color, some black and white. Would you like some water, I’m sorry-- AC: No, thank you. DR: If I could take you to the computer, I’ve got a screen saver-- AC: Okay. DR: --with some of my pictures. Thank you, Terry (for water). Some of my pictures that I like, that are put on there. On the—but mostly travel. When I was in school, in fact when I was in school, Mr. Dendle, my teacher asked me if I wanted to work for a traveling company, shooting landscapes for post cards, for different cities. That's all I would do is travel across the country photographing cities. AC: I’ll be darned. That’s how they did those, yeah-- DR: Scenery, and cities and whatever-- AC: Landmarks, museums, yeah. DR: Yeah. Send it to the company and they would ship it out to the cities in those stands that they had, those rotating stands. I said, no I wasn't interested in that. AC: Yeah, I like postcards. I don’t have a huge amount but I love it. I love it. DR: And I said, no, I didn’t. But I like scenery, sunsets and that kind of stuff. Nature. AC: I think—maybe people know this if you’re artistic but you have a job, finding time to have a life and your art is difficult. You know, writers do this, and other artists. That balancing the job, the family, and all that. So, had you moved to Escondido yet? DR: No. Was it? Well, yes, by that point. Because I--In getting up at five o'clock in the morning and driving to Escondido to be here at seven o'clock, and then working all day and driving back home--I was living in Hillcrest, and I would start dozing off. Two or three times I dozed off and woke up, so, this was not good. Because I was putting in eight, nine, ten hours a day. I’d have a split shift and work late at night and-- AC: Did they start constructing I-15 yet? DR: No. I've got pictures of Rancho Bernardo with the cows in the pastures where West Bernardo is now. AC: Yeah. With cattle (unintelligible). DR: Yeah. Got pictures of those. AC: So, did they promote you, technically, were you-- DR: No (Rios laughs), I was always Chief Photographer. It was just assumed I was Chief Photographer. There was no ceremony, there was nothing. When my cards came by, it was “Chief Photographer Dan Rios.” AC: Right. So they were too busy publishing a paper to get all these formalities. (Rios laughs) DR: Yeah. Oh yeah. AC: So once it (the Times-Advocate) grew to have a full shop, meaning, you're on assignments, you’re out of the darkroom, you have a tech guy, you have an assistant doing sports. Was-- DR: No he was full time. AC: A full timer. DR: Full time, yeah. AC: So, was-- DR: But he loved sports, specialized in sports which was good for me. AC: Was that the largest the staff ever got? DR: No. AC: Okay, so you’re still growing. DR: It continued to grow. After that we had some stringers. There was a man by the name of Mike Franklin who worked in the production department, who decided he wanted to be a photographer and bought a whole lot of equipment. And came in here and just picked our brains. He wanted to know so much while he was working and then on his days off, we’re talking about he would come back in the dark room and he would chat with Jim and myself about photography, lenses, cameras, film, processing, all kinds of stuff. He never had formal training, but his enthusiasm was just so overwhelming. Eventually, he was hired part time and then full time. And he was a great compliment. He was very good, very artistic. Hard working. AC: What was his name? DR: Mike Franklin. Hispanic. He was a hard, hard, hard worker. AC: Is this still 1970's? DR: Yes. Uh-huh. Yeah. AC: Yeah, okay, so they—the paper’s expanding. DR: Right. Yeah. I will tell you how much it was expanding. Mr. Applebee had us all--everybody in the place--gather in the production department and he told us that he was going to give us a gift. He was starting a profit-sharing plan. Way back when. And he told us, early 70s? Maybe ‘72, ‘73? He told us then that by the time we all retired, if we stayed with the paper long enough, that we would have a lump sum of maybe $100,000 in our retirement fund. AC: And who knew the decline of the paper, huh? DR: Yeah. Soon after, because I think he sold the paper in ‘76, the profit sharing stopped. But those funds were kept up by the Chicago Tribune who bought the paper, and they invested in Chicago Union stock which did diddly forever. But even today I'm still receiving benefits from that retirement fund. A good portion of my retirement fund is Mr. Applebee. AC: Well good for him. It was the right thing to do. They couldn’t keep up a fancy salary, and you were working-- DR: It was never fancy. But I made enough money on moonlighting—you were saying about the spouses—I would work all day and then take assignments. One of the editors would find jobs for you. A lot of jobs. But I would get a lot of jobs, people calling, do you do this? Sure, sure, sure, sure. And I would be working until twelve, one o'clock at night. AC: So when Applebee sells in the 70's, and you are now working for Chicago Tribune, did you sense a difference? Was there any-- DR: Oh it was an earthquake of a change of a difference! They brought in a new publisher who brought in a new city managing editor, who got rid of 50% of the people in the place. At that point, ‘76 I think it was—myself, Jim, Mike, him, him, him—had six photographers on the staff when the paper sold. AC: And he let go half of them? DR: No. They started leaving by themselves. Jim Baird went to the Union, (San Diego Union Tribune), Mike Franklin went to the Union eventually, Sean Haffy later on who also went to the Union. Mike—not Mike Nelson, there was a Nelson character, also went to the Union. Some of them went to the L.A. Times after that. Another Hispanic, Manuel—Manuel something or other, forget his last name, was working there. AC: How did they backfill those jobs? Or was it back to you working crazy hours? DR: No, at that point the new regime that came in started laying off people left and right. And I was not--l had been a golden haired boy with Ron Kenney, and the old staff, and the Applebees. When the new staff came in, I was walking on quicksand because they were laying off so many people. I mean, they laid off half the staff for no reason! We had a city (editor) who was just an ass. Want me to name his name? AC: Sure. Well, its up to you. DR: Eh. A total ass. He would scream at people, verbally insulting people to their face because of their writing. He never did that to me. But I never trusted him, I never liked him. So about a year after the Chicago Tribune bought the paper, I was called up to the office to the publisher, John Armstrong. He told me I was no longer needed as the Chief Photographer. I could remain on the staff, same salary, same benefits, same hours. And no excuse. AC: So what was his point? DR: They would just fire people. Left and right. I think they wanted to get their own group. AC: Shake up everyone? DR: And before the city editor—oh, Tom Nolen, was the city editor’s name. He started the firing people after, I mean he was the one who would scream and yelling at people. And he would intimidate them, they would leave on their own. AC: Did these people come from another area? DR: All from the East Coast. AC: They were? DR: All from the East Coast. Chicago would just send them all down. In fact, all the comptrollers, all the business people. AC: So they wanted to move their own people here. DR: Oh yeah. They just moved their whole-- AC: And get everyone that wanted out of Chicago to come here and have a job. Oh my. DR: And about that time—because working for the Applebees was a dream, it was a (dream) job come true. When Curt Babcock left—he went to the Albuquerque paper, George Cordry took it (Babcock’s position). And I used to tell my wife, if I ever have a dream job and a dream boss, it would be George Cordry, would be my boss. And a year later, he became my boss. And he was just a fantastic boss. AC: So things settle down? DR: Well, yeah, Ron Kenny—George Cordry was let go. All the City Editors were let go, they put their own staff in. Ron Kenney who had been Managing Editor, became Assistant Publisher and they gave him an office next to John Armstrong. Second floor, with absolutely nothing to do. No assignments, no writing, nothing. The gave an office, a desk, a phone, a typewriter. He said he read the San Diego Union from page to everything, the LA Times every day. Then he would go to lunch. Come back and sit around with nothing to do. Eventually-- AC: So was that their way of letting go people without having benefits? I mean-- DR: Well, I don't know what their deal was. When Applebee-- AC: Not giving them unemployment? They didn’t want to give them unemployment? DR: I don’t know what the deal was. AC: Or the contract or something? The contract-- DR: Maybe it was in the contract with Applebee. But what Applebee did when he sold the paper, I believe he sold it for $15 million dollars. He gave all the managers something like $100,000 each. AC: Bonus? DR: Yeah. And every employee—paid them $100 for every year they worked for the paper. Handed everybody checks before he left. And I don't know whether Ron Kenney, who was Assistant Publisher, what kind of deal he had, but he had his money and eventually he quit and moved to Pennsylvania, bought a little store, and I think he started a little store, hotel or motel. Eventually he came back and went to work for the San Diego Union as editorial writer. A good writer. Ron Kenny’s a good writer. AC: You know, I’m thinking, and you tell me, if this is this a good place to stop, because you know the transcription on 35 minutes—you know I’m going to be doing (unintelligible). But do you—is a good stop the Chicago Tribune years? DR: Sure. They were not fun. Not fun. In fact let me tell you a little story. When they moved in, after a year or so, one of my favorite reporters, Bob MacDonald, a columnist had retired and we would get coffee almost every morning. And I told him about my problems with the Chicago Tribune and with John Armstrong. How I was walking on eggshells. I didn't want to lose my job, my security. I loved the town. I didn't want to move anywhere. At that point I had family here, I had roots here, I didn’t want to go anywhere. So I talked to MacDonald about my problems and he said, “Do you like the job, do you like your work?” “Yeah, but they’re not giving me a whole lot of assignments.” Maybe one or two a day, where I was taking five, six, seven assignments. I was busy—you know, “ubiquitous Rios.” He said, “Tell you what, take their check, cash it, spend it, live it up. Don't worry about that. If they want to fire you, eventually they will. If they don't, they too will get fired some day.” And they did. Tom Nolen got canned. END SESSION 2 https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en audio Property rights reside with the university. Copyrights are retained by the university. 
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Rios, Dan. Interview, April 15, 2017.
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Daniel Flores Rios, born in Hanford, California. April 10th, 1939 to Theodore and Jennie Rios, was the Chief Photographer at the Escondido Times-Advocate and North County Times newspapers.
In this second interview conducted by Alexa Clausen, Dan Rios discusses starting work for the Escondido Times-Advocate and the beginning of his career at newspaper which was then owned by the Applebee and Carlton families. Rios discusses his work days, the paper's staffing, and his enjoyment in working for the Times-Advocate and in living in Escondido. Rios also discusses the selling of the newspaper to the Chicago Tribune Company and the changes that wrought with new editors, staff layoffs, and a much more difficult working environment.
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SC003-02
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Chicago Tribune (Firm)
Escondido Times-Advocate (Escondido, Calif.)
Photojournalists
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2017-04-15
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audio
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Daniel Flores Rios
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Alexa Clausen
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Escondido (Calif.)
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
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California State University San Marcos
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-
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Oral Histories
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Video and audio oral histories can be viewed here. Histories are listed alphabetically by last name. Individual histories are indexed and transcribed and can be searched.
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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<p>Rights to oral histories vary depending on the history. The library owns the copyright to some histories, and has license to reproduce for nonprofit purposes for others. Please contact CSUSM University Library Special Collections at <a href="mailto:%20archives@csusm.edu">archives@csusm.edu</a> with any questions about use.</p>
Oral History
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Madison Teater
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Theresa Rios
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https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/ohms-viewer/render.php?cachefile=RiosTheresa_MadisonTeater-2022-04-06.xml
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Las Embajadores de Escondido
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5.4 2022-04-07 Oral history of Theresa Rios, April 7, 2022 SC027-17 00:34:29 SC027 California State University San Marcos University Library Special Collections Oral History Collection CSUSM This oral history was made possible with the generous funding of the Ellie Johns Scholarship Fund at Rancho Santa Fe Foundation and the Library Guild of Rancho Santa Fe. Escondido (Calif.) Hispanic Americans Libraries -- Literacy Public libraries Las Embajadores de Escondido Theresa Rios Madison Teater m4a RiosTheresa_MadisonTeater-2022-04-06.m4a 1:|24(4)|43(1)|52(14)|59(1)|66(7)|72(14)|86(14)|107(4)|122(11)|141(8)|159(6)|174(7)|193(3)|205(3)|219(12)|235(1)|249(11)|256(6)|271(5)|289(13)|315(15)|326(1)|337(12)|345(15)|352(7)|367(2)|383(1)|406(3)|433(13)|440(10)|456(13)|472(3)|491(7)|510(11) 0 https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/1889cecb528454849ec8fbed1d12c9ea.mp3 Other audio English 68 The Introduction of Theresa Rios / Becoming a librarian Teater: < ; laughs> ; All right. Just to get started, can you introduce yourself, like, say your name and when you were, or maybe not when you were born, but where you were born? Rios: Mm-hmm. My name is Theresa Rios. I was born in Clifton, Arizona. Teater: I'm going to ask you a few questions about your childhood and maybe your upbringing. So, how long have you lived in San Diego if you were born in Arizona? Rios: I came to Escondido in 1970. I brought my four children and myself and we moved here and my ex-husband and I have been here for fifty years. I lived in La Jolla for five years. I love Escondido. I came back to Escondido in I believe, [19]78. Teater: Mm-hmm. Rios: And I have been here ever since. Teater: Wow. I love that. That's so cool. So at what point did you become a librarian? Or what was your journey to become a librarian? Rios: My journey was-- I have this write up from this Hispanic newspaper and it tells me here when I started the library was in... back in, oh my goodness. I’m little nervous, but not really. Anyway, I came, I started working, I came back to Escondido. I started going to Palomar College and from there I met my husband, Dan Rios. After that, I left Palomar College and I went to the employment office and they sent me to the [Escondido Public] library and I got this job at the library and I thought, my goodness, I love this job. And so I started by being a library assistant. And from there, they started giving me some privileges about -- being Hispanic, there was no Hispanic library books for either the children and even the adults. So I started-- Oh my goodness. I started, well translating for the library, whatever they needed. Anytime they needed a Hispanic to translate something, they would call me. I started teaching some of the librarians, what to, how to discuss things in Spanish or to answer in Spanish when someone came to the library and had no Spanish experience or could not. But there was no one that would write anything. I transferred papers, whatever they needed. Then I started seeing that the children, I started saying stories to the children and I noticed where a lot of the Hispanic children did not understand what we were saying [in English], what I was saying to them. And, so then I told my supervisor, I think we should start a Hispanic program – a storytelling time. And so he said, yes, whatever, it would be wonderful. Go ahead. Whatever you think. And at that time, I had a lot of the mothers that came with their children sometimes, and they also didn't know English. And so I decided to start Las Embajadores de Escondido. And they, they just thought again, Liz Painter was one of them. She helped, she helped a lot, because she was very friendly with all the people and she also wanted us to try something different. So again, I said, yes, let's do this. Let's tell the stories to the children in Spanish. And so there's a nice picture. The newspaper came over -- The [Escondido] Times Advocate -- and I have this, I'm sorry. Teater: It's okay. Do you want me to pause the recording? Rios: Yes. One moment. Okay. There's a very nice picture of me with this book that I would tell this story, Las Zapatitos Colorados, “The Red Shoes” and with this story, I would tell all the children to be very careful about who they went with, how not to go with just anyone and just sort of try to... tell them to be cautious, but at the same time, there was a lot to learn. We had a lot to learn. But you you'd have to see this, this article. And do you read Spanish? Teater: I know enough to muddle through it, you know < ; laugh> ; Rios: Oh good, good. Because this whole page is in Spanish. It's from the Hispanico, Hispanic Times. And it was way back in 2000. June 22nd, 2000. And it says Theresa Rios, nueva de delegate al club del parlementaria. Parliamentary. Teater: Oh cool. Rios: And before that well I was at Palomar College. I was with Concerned Citizens of Escondido at A Day With Your Neighbor Luncheon on May 7th, 1982: Theresa Rios, Pichacon Lupita, and George Lopez. And there's my boss over here. He's not mentioned, Jon Ericson. Anyway, there's a whole page of me with a picture of the, telling the story to the children. And I would like for you to see that, cause it just explains a lot. I had no idea I had done so much. < ; laughter> ; , it's bringing back all these memories and I loved it. I mean the, the library to me was like home. I mean wonderful. Teater: That's fantastic. Rios: Anyway, again, like I say, anything you asked me to do, whether it was a police department or it was the library or my bosses, the children were very important to get them started learning. I still have many friends here in Escondido that when I see, we talk about all the things that we did. And the library I've been going there and Roberta, she was my dear friend there. Just a lot of the gals that were, that are still there. Some of them the other day I went to the library and there was Francine, this one, she said “Theresa! How are you? I haven't seen you in,” you know, things like that. And I just love the library. I love going back. I'm just gonna kinda stay in touch, you know? Teater: Yeah. That's, that's great. That's so great. Rios: Back to, I mean, back to the -- what other question, I mean, I think I mentioned... Theresa Rios talks about moving from Arizona to California and how she came to be a librarian in the city of Escondido. Clifton, Arizona ; Escondido ; La Jolla ; librarian ; Palomar College ; Spanish ; Translator Becoming a librarian ; Spanish programs ; Theresa Rios in the Hispanico newspaper ; Translating for the public library 601 The Embajadores Program Teater: That was a good starting point. So, can you tell me more about the Embajadores program? Rios: Yes, the Embajadores we, like I said, the children's mothers, some of them, some were elderly ladies that came to the library that were my friends that I would tell them, come join us. I mean, come join the Embajadores. We want every child in Escondido to have a library card. Teater: Oh. Rios: I want every child to know, to learn how to read at a very young age. And so they came, they came from all over and we would have -- one time we had this salsa contest, not a contest, but everybody brought different kinds of salsa and my salsa won a blue ribbon. < ; laughs> ; Teater: Ooh. Rios: It was technically a blue ribbon. It was just a wonderful time. And the people came, we would have different places that would sponsor us. One of them was El Tapatilla in Escondido would send food. Again, a lot of stuff that's in this article brings back a lot of memories. But the Embajadores came and they gave tours. I taught them to give tours through the library. I taught 'em to sit and talk with people that need just answers in Spanish or just to get together with other ladies that, that spoke Spanish only. And then bring them in as far as, trying to -- if they wanted an education, if they wanted to join literacy [program], things like that. I mean, literacy was just starting ; the literacy program. And, and we had, you know, different people teaching other people Spanish or English or... Teater: And about when were these programs happening? Rios: That was back in that era, which is, you know... [unclear] There's a lot of paperwork that have here that I I've been going through, but you know, it's been so long. It's been-- Teater: Yeah. Yeah. Well that's okay. We can keep going. So, can you explain how, like early reading programs are impactful for a child's life? Like why that was so important to you? Rios: Because when I went to-- the reason that I believe this is so important is because I also, when I went to started kindergarten, I did not know a word of English. Very little, very, very little. My parents did not, we did not speak English at home. My father knew a little more than my mother, my mother didn't. I mean, because of her hardships, her mother died when she was, I believe, in third grade, I'm not sure, but the schools were what, you know, and she lived in a ranch and she was left with four or five or six little ones that she helped grow up. And a baby that my, her, my grandmother, her mother died. So my mother always thought education was very important. You need it. She would get very upset. Um, so I knew that... And then I have -- Me marrying so young and having four children. I decided, nuh-uh, if I would've had this education before, I would have, you know, not being so afraid of trying of being around people that could teach me that could read, could that would teach me. I mean, there was no nothing in Clifton Arizona where I was born. There was, there was some things, but not enough to inspire me at a young age. Teater: Mm-hmm. Rios: And so I believe that if the children could get it right into them and tell me their stories, and then I would try to direct them when I would ask questions. Well, what do you do? How do you read at home? Do you do this? No... Do you like coming to the library? Oh yes. We like it. Do you like to hear stories? Oh, yes. And then I would ask some of the children little questions. I don't know if I should say this, but What do you do? Oh, we drink tequila. Teater: < ; laugh> ; oh, no, Rios: We would laugh over that That. I said, “Oh, no, we gotta get this--” < ; laugh> ; . I mean, I don't mean to it it's part of growing up it's in their environment, their family so again, I, I would see parents and I would say, well, you know, good, this is not so good. But, oh my God. And it just, I mean, you'd have to talk to my supervisor, which was Joanne, oh, my away. Well, and Laura Mitchell was also one of my bosses. And like I said, city manager at the time, I can't, it's gone right now, but I'll have to get those names if you need 'em. But they would, give me card blank for whatever I wanted to do. I was so fortunate and so lucky and, a lot of like Graham Humphrey, he was the head of the library at the time. And he knew my husband very well. Dan Teater: Mm-hmm < ; affirmative> ; , Rios: And again, all I had to do was, well, Mr. Humphrey told me I want more Hispanic children here. I want, I don't-- at the time, I don't know whether he meant to say anything like this, but he said, I don't wanna see all this white Anglo-Saxons < ; affirmative> ; and I thought, oh my God. I mean because I believe that they're the white or the black or the Hispanic. We, they all need to learn everybody. < ; affirmative> ; Everybody needs to get some sense when they're young of what's going on and reading stories. I had no prejudice whatsoever, but I also understood the situation: who had the opportunities at home who didn't. And the ones that didn't of course would take priority of my attention, because I would have to explain myself more to them or listen to them a little more, so that they give me ideas of what, how I could help and how everybody in the library could help. Not just me. I didn't want, whenever somebody treated any of 'em with disrespect, I would just jump up and say, no, it's not the way we treat people. I mean, I had to fight everybody, not fight, but kind of. Teater: But yeah, I know what you mean. Rios: And I'm still doing it. I still do it. Even in my church at resurrection and everybody is welcome. Everybody is a child of Jesus. Everybody deserves a right to be heard. Of course, sometimes people are not in the mood to be heard or this and that. But with me, they'll come and tell me anything. and I feel how can I say I, a lot of humility that they can do that with me. But I feel if they're wrong, I'll tell them if they're hurting, I'll listen. And if they just wanna talk, that's good too. So we get along and that's how I get along at the library, and all my life. Theresa Rios talks about starting the Emajadores program, which gave Spanish speakers accessible resources in the library such as tours of the grounds, children's story times, and other elements for women, children, and the elderly. early reading programs ; El Tapatilla ; Embajadores program ; library ; literacy program dual-language learning ; Embajadores Program ; Library learning programs ; Spanish speaker ; Starting reading literacy programs at the library 1196 How to get Involved Teater: < ; laugh> ; all right. Let me, let me look through my questions because you're, you're answering so many of them. So what can library librarians who only speak English do to support the Spanish speakers of, you know, Escondido and San Diego? Rios: What could they do? Teater: Mm-hmm. Rios: Is that the question? Teater: Yes. Rios: They could take classes in Spanish mm-hmm < ; affirmative> ; They could have someone there to help interpret. They just like, you know, now a lot of people are coming like from other countries and we have to continue to learn. < ; affirmative> ; Although I'm fluent Spanish and English, I love French, but you know, I'm not that good at it. And I I'm very close to my Filipino friends. I have a daughter-in-law that's married to my son and a wonderful family. And here in Escondido, I very belong to my church at resurrection eighties and the man, all we are very good friends on the counter. I am a greeter at my church on Sundays. < ; affirmative> ; I, we all work together. So Like I say, whoever walks into that door always gets a good morning from me when I am greeting. And a lot of them too. And I say, we need to be very kind, but at the same time we need to. But anybody just run out, you know, they're having a problem. One, we have to kinda-- Teater: What other, are there any other initiatives that you worked on while you were in the library? It sounds like you had a lot of support from your supervisors. Rios: Well I was on the desk. I started on the desk. Like I said, greeting people and what do they need? Or they would tell me what I need to find out this, I need to go to this desk or I need to go here. I need to, I need to know about that. So I would direct them to wherever. That was part of our job, to direct people, to wherever they needed to go and help them. If they couldn't find something, if they had the librarian on the desk was busy we could try and just keep them moving. But at the same time, I had meetings with several people. I mean they have this special room. Can't think of it right now. I mean, it's just upstairs, but I would do whatever it took to for the children to have special things going on. I mean, yeah, I have to go back. But if you see this picture of me taken when I would read stories, oh, and I got, I got this job at the library, like I said, way back then, but my husband and I were planning a trip to Mexico City, Mexico, a three week trip through me to Mexico. And I told my boss, I told Joanne Greenberg. I said, I think this was in August that I got hired around that time. And in December, we were planning to go to Mexico for three weeks, four weeks. And I said, I would have to work here, but I have to ask, my husband and I are going to go to Mexico, and I want to go very badly. I've never been to Mexico City. And, if you will, let me go. And, and let me come back to this job. I promise to work as hard as I can. And, you know, they let me do this after just being hired a couple of months. And I was all very grateful for that. We had a lovely time in Mexico. We had children running after our van and I mean things I saw and and my husband being a photographer, took pictures of the kids and the dresses, the colors. It was amazing. So I came back to the library and < ; affirmative> ; , I had all those stories in me from, for the children and for, you know, even adults. Teater: Mm-hmm < ; affirmative> ; sounds like, that sounds awesome. Rios: Seeing the no education, you know, a lot of we were out in the mountains where there were, and I said, and here they get a chance to come to America. And here we have all these mentees for them. So again, Mr. Humphrey had told me just whatever you need to do. And Joanne Greenberg the same. And then Laura Mitchell, she's whatever I wanted to do till my husband got sick. And then I said, I can't anymore, I have to-- < ; affirmative> ; He had Gotten this infection that he hardly couldn't walk for about a year. Teater: Oh no. Rios: But I took care of him. And, and he, we did wonderful, I mean, far as, and he came out of it and now he's on dialysis. He has been for five years. And again, it's a challenge just every day is a something new, but, but I live a quiet life. And if I can be, I tell people at my church, I will be here, but if I can't-- < ; affirmative> ; And, and that's the way I said, if you want me that way fine. If not, well, I have to something else, because as far as my church and my masses, I can always see them at home. I can, you know, do other things, especially now that everything is on TV. So, yeah. But at the same time, I'm very close to my priests that we built this new church here in Escondido, Resurrection, and I have had a lot of opportunities to help there. And again, I meet a lot of my people from the library and invite 'em there and come and see and bring your children. And again, I'm still involved. Theresa rios discusses how Escondido Public Library and other libaries can support non-English speakers and become more accessible and inclusive of people of different backgrounds and speak different languages. classes ; library ; Mexico City ; Spanish speakers ; support Accessibility in Libraries ; Escondido Public Library ; How libraries can be more inclusive to non-English speakers 1659 Connection with children as a librarian Teater: So you're still involved with children's programs then? Rios: Not as much as I would like to be, because, like I said, I can't commit myself too much because of my husband. Teater: Yeah. Rios: I have things that I need to do, but any chance I have, and they're having something really special, I try to attend. Teater: That's Nice. Rios: Or I just, I have a kind connection with the children at the church. And, and I just love it ; just even when they just say good morning, back to me, or hello or goodbye. And excited and on their way. And I'm on my way too. Teater: Sounds awesome. What has your-- what has connecting to children, or what has connecting to children meant to you? Like over the years as a librarian? Rios: What has connected mean to children? Teater: No. What has your connection with children meant to you as a librarian over the years? Rios: The in, oh, I just love to hear a child read. I love to just see their little faces when they hear a story. I'm just know, like I said, I have four of my own and, and a lot of nieces, I come from a family of ten, five brothers and five sisters. So I have nieces and nephews. And, anytime I'm Aunt Terry or Aunt T, or < ; laugh> ; , you know, we have a connection with, and in the library, of course they all know that, that I worked there. Anybody could come and, and visit their friends, cousins, nieces, nephews. And one time I had my grandson at the library. I baby him in the summer. Because my daughter and her husband had business to take care of up in Woodland, California. I mean Auburn. < ; affirmative> ; And Mr. Humphrey says, oh, my, my grandson was, I think he was seven or, or so seven years anyway, I had him in, enrolled him into the Boys and Girls Club. And so I had my friend Darlene from the library take him and they came back, both of them crying. < ; laugh> ; Teater: Oh, no. Rios: My grandson wouldn't stay. He would, he wouldn't stay. And I was working at the library. I couldn't, you know, I've taken care of customers. And so they came back crying, and then I said, okay, you come to the back. And I set him down there and I said, don't you move, you stay right there and eat your lunch or whatever. And anyway Mr. Humphrey was very kind, he never said a word to me about, yeah. Was that of order or anything. I mean, he let me do whatever was necessary for me to continue working there. Teater: I love that. That's so sweet. Rios: My grandson. I mean he loved being there at the library with me. < ; laugh> ; can I say, I mean, family always came first with me and I tell all my, the people that I know when they can't attend a meeting, that I, or something that I'm involved with, I say, and they say, my family, my doc, or doctors do whatever families first you take care of that, do not worry about anything else. And I'm saying it's family first when they need whatever they need. But at the same time I live my own life. It's a different life because my husband and I have been married forty-one years. Cause he's my third husband. So I have to do what is necessary to have a good life. And at the same time, do what what's good for other people, especially children and others. But when I can't do it, I can't do it. Like I said, in my home comes first right now with my ill husband has been ill for over 20 years. Teater: Oh no. Rios: And he retired. So, but he manages, he's a wonderful person. I mean, I could not ask for a better mate. Teater: Well, that's good to hear. I think those are all of my questions. Is there anything else that you want to add to your experience as a librarian or anything about that? Rios: Well, I just want you to make sure that, is there any way I can mail this literature to you, this newspaper articles and some of the things that I've did or I'll tell you, do you ever get to the pioneer room? Teater: I do not. So for here, I'm gonna pause the recording. --All right. Well, thank you so much for your time, Theresa. It was really great talking to you and learning all about your experience as a librarian and your impact on literacy in Escondido. It sounds so fulfilling. Thank you for your time today. Rios: You're so welcome. And Jay, what, what was your name, Jay? Teater: What? My name is MJ. Rios: MJ. I knew I had one right. Okay. MJ, thank you for calling me and giving me the opportunity to say all these things that I hope will help other people. Theresa Rios talks about how being a children's librarian has effected her and how accomodating her supervisor was for her responsibilites that interfered with work. family ; husband ; librarian ; Mr. Humphrey ; nephew Appreciation as a librarian ; Appreciative employee ; family bonds ; legacy as a librarian Oral History Theresa Rios is a retired Escondido librarian, where she created Las Embajadores Biblioteca. In this interview, Theresa discusses teaching children to read, empowering children to learn, and how her childhood impacted her passion for teaching children to read and love learning. MJ Teater: All right. It is recording now. All right. So today is Thursday, April 6th, 2022 at 1:07 PM. I am MJ Teater, a graduate student at California State University San Marcos. And today I' ; m interviewing narrator Theresa Rios for the University Library Special Collections Oral History Project. Theresa, thank you for being here with me today. Theresa Rios: You' ; re very welcome. Teater: < ; laughs> ; All right. Just to get started, can you introduce yourself, like, say your name and when you were, or maybe not when you were born, but where you were born? Rios: Mm-hmm. My name is Theresa Rios. I was born in Clifton, Arizona. Teater: I' ; m going to ask you a few questions about your childhood and maybe your upbringing. So, how long have you lived in San Diego if you were born in Arizona? Rios: I came to Escondido in 1970. I brought my four children and myself and we moved here and my ex-husband and I have been here for fifty years. I lived in La Jolla for five years. I love Escondido. I came back to Escondido in I believe, [19]78. Teater: Mm-hmm. Rios: And I have been here ever since. Teater: Wow. I love that. That' ; s so cool. So at what point did you become a librarian? Or what was your journey to become a librarian? Rios: My journey was-- I have this write up from this Hispanic newspaper and it tells me here when I started the library was in... back in, oh my goodness. I' ; m little nervous, but not really. Anyway, I came, I started working, I came back to Escondido. I started going to Palomar College and from there I met my husband, Dan Rios. After that, I left Palomar College and I went to the employment office and they sent me to the [Escondido Public] library and I got this job at the library and I thought, my goodness, I love this job. And so I started by being a library assistant. And from there, they started giving me some privileges about -- being Hispanic, there was no Hispanic library books for either the children and even the adults. So I started-- Oh my goodness. I started, well translating for the library, whatever they needed. Anytime they needed a Hispanic to translate something, they would call me. I started teaching some of the librarians, what to, how to discuss things in Spanish or to answer in Spanish when someone came to the library and had no Spanish experience or could not. But there was no one that would write anything. I transferred papers, whatever they needed. Then I started seeing that the children, I started saying stories to the children and I noticed where a lot of the Hispanic children did not understand what we were saying [in English], what I was saying to them. And, so then I told my supervisor, I think we should start a Hispanic program -- a storytelling time. And so he said, yes, whatever, it would be wonderful. Go ahead. Whatever you think. And at that time, I had a lot of the mothers that came with their children sometimes, and they also didn' ; t know English. And so I decided to start Las Embajadores de Escondido. And they, they just thought again, Liz Painter was one of them. She helped, she helped a lot, because she was very friendly with all the people and she also wanted us to try something different. So again, I said, yes, let' ; s do this. Let' ; s tell the stories to the children in Spanish. And so there' ; s a nice picture. The newspaper came over -- The [Escondido] Times Advocate -- and I have this, I' ; m sorry. Teater: It' ; s okay. Do you want me to pause the recording? Rios: Yes. One moment. Okay. There' ; s a very nice picture of me with this book that I would tell this story, Las Zapatitos Colorados, " ; The Red Shoes" ; and with this story, I would tell all the children to be very careful about who they went with, how not to go with just anyone and just sort of try to... tell them to be cautious, but at the same time, there was a lot to learn. We had a lot to learn. But you you' ; d have to see this, this article. And do you read Spanish? Teater: I know enough to muddle through it, you know < ; laugh> ; Rios: Oh good, good. Because this whole page is in Spanish. It' ; s from the Hispanico, Hispanic Times. And it was way back in 2000. June 22nd, 2000. And it says Theresa Rios, nueva de delegate al club del parlementaria. Parliamentary. Teater: Oh cool. Rios: And before that well I was at Palomar College. I was with Concerned Citizens of Escondido at A Day With Your Neighbor Luncheon on May 7th, 1982: Theresa Rios, Pichacon Lupita, and George Lopez. And there' ; s my boss over here. He' ; s not mentioned, Jon Ericson. Anyway, there' ; s a whole page of me with a picture of the, telling the story to the children. And I would like for you to see that, cause it just explains a lot. I had no idea I had done so much. < ; laughter> ; , it' ; s bringing back all these memories and I loved it. I mean the, the library to me was like home. I mean wonderful. Teater: That' ; s fantastic. Rios: Anyway, again, like I say, anything you asked me to do, whether it was a police department or it was the library or my bosses, the children were very important to get them started learning. I still have many friends here in Escondido that when I see, we talk about all the things that we did. And the library I' ; ve been going there and Roberta, she was my dear friend there. Just a lot of the gals that were, that are still there. Some of them the other day I went to the library and there was Francine, this one, she said " ; Theresa! How are you? I haven' ; t seen you in," ; you know, things like that. And I just love the library. I love going back. I' ; m just gonna kinda stay in touch, you know? Teater: Yeah. That' ; s, that' ; s great. That' ; s so great. Rios: Back to, I mean, back to the -- what other question, I mean, I think I mentioned... Teater: That was a good starting point. So, can you tell me more about the Embajadores program? Rios: Yes, the Embajadores we, like I said, the children' ; s mothers, some of them, some were elderly ladies that came to the library that were my friends that I would tell them, come join us. I mean, come join the Embajadores. We want every child in Escondido to have a library card. Teater: Oh. Rios: I want every child to know, to learn how to read at a very young age. And so they came, they came from all over and we would have -- one time we had this salsa contest, not a contest, but everybody brought different kinds of salsa and my salsa won a blue ribbon. < ; laughs> ; Teater: Ooh. Rios: It was technically a blue ribbon. It was just a wonderful time. And the people came, we would have different places that would sponsor us. One of them was El Tapatilla in Escondido would send food. Again, a lot of stuff that' ; s in this article brings back a lot of memories. But the Embajadores came and they gave tours. I taught them to give tours through the library. I taught ' ; em to sit and talk with people that need just answers in Spanish or just to get together with other ladies that, that spoke Spanish only. And then bring them in as far as, trying to -- if they wanted an education, if they wanted to join literacy [program], things like that. I mean, literacy was just starting ; the literacy program. And, and we had, you know, different people teaching other people Spanish or English or... Teater: And about when were these programs happening? Rios: That was back in that era, which is, you know... [unclear] There' ; s a lot of paperwork that have here that I I' ; ve been going through, but you know, it' ; s been so long. It' ; s been-- Teater: Yeah. Yeah. Well that' ; s okay. We can keep going. So, can you explain how, like early reading programs are impactful for a child' ; s life? Like why that was so important to you? Rios: Because when I went to-- the reason that I believe this is so important is because I also, when I went to started kindergarten, I did not know a word of English. Very little, very, very little. My parents did not, we did not speak English at home. My father knew a little more than my mother, my mother didn' ; t. I mean, because of her hardships, her mother died when she was, I believe, in third grade, I' ; m not sure, but the schools were what, you know, and she lived in a ranch and she was left with four or five or six little ones that she helped grow up. And a baby that my, her, my grandmother, her mother died. So my mother always thought education was very important. You need it. She would get very upset. Um, so I knew that... And then I have -- Me marrying so young and having four children. I decided, nuh-uh, if I would' ; ve had this education before, I would have, you know, not being so afraid of trying of being around people that could teach me that could read, could that would teach me. I mean, there was no nothing in Clifton Arizona where I was born. There was, there was some things, but not enough to inspire me at a young age. Teater: Mm-hmm. Rios: And so I believe that if the children could get it right into them and tell me their stories, and then I would try to direct them when I would ask questions. Well, what do you do? How do you read at home? Do you do this? No... Do you like coming to the library? Oh yes. We like it. Do you like to hear stories? Oh, yes. And then I would ask some of the children little questions. I don' ; t know if I should say this, but What do you do? Oh, we drink tequila. Teater: < ; laugh> ; oh, no, Rios: We would laugh over that That. I said, " ; Oh, no, we gotta get this--" ; < ; laugh> ; . I mean, I don' ; t mean to it it' ; s part of growing up it' ; s in their environment, their family so again, I, I would see parents and I would say, well, you know, good, this is not so good. But, oh my God. And it just, I mean, you' ; d have to talk to my supervisor, which was Joanne, oh, my away. Well, and Laura Mitchell was also one of my bosses. And like I said, city manager at the time, I can' ; t, it' ; s gone right now, but I' ; ll have to get those names if you need ' ; em. But they would, give me card blank for whatever I wanted to do. I was so fortunate and so lucky and, a lot of like Graham Humphrey, he was the head of the library at the time. And he knew my husband very well. Dan Teater: Mm-hmm < ; affirmative> ; , Rios: And again, all I had to do was, well, Mr. Humphrey told me I want more Hispanic children here. I want, I don' ; t-- at the time, I don' ; t know whether he meant to say anything like this, but he said, I don' ; t wanna see all this white Anglo-Saxons < ; affirmative> ; and I thought, oh my God. I mean because I believe that they' ; re the white or the black or the Hispanic. We, they all need to learn everybody. < ; affirmative> ; Everybody needs to get some sense when they' ; re young of what' ; s going on and reading stories. I had no prejudice whatsoever, but I also understood the situation: who had the opportunities at home who didn' ; t. And the ones that didn' ; t of course would take priority of my attention, because I would have to explain myself more to them or listen to them a little more, so that they give me ideas of what, how I could help and how everybody in the library could help. Not just me. I didn' ; t want, whenever somebody treated any of ' ; em with disrespect, I would just jump up and say, no, it' ; s not the way we treat people. I mean, I had to fight everybody, not fight, but kind of. Teater: But yeah, I know what you mean. Rios: And I' ; m still doing it. I still do it. Even in my church at resurrection and everybody is welcome. Everybody is a child of Jesus. Everybody deserves a right to be heard. Of course, sometimes people are not in the mood to be heard or this and that. But with me, they' ; ll come and tell me anything. and I feel how can I say I, a lot of humility that they can do that with me. But I feel if they' ; re wrong, I' ; ll tell them if they' ; re hurting, I' ; ll listen. And if they just wanna talk, that' ; s good too. So we get along and that' ; s how I get along at the library, and all my life. Teater: That' ; s Fantastic Rios: I guess this is how I tried to be. And what else can I tell you? Teater: < ; laugh> ; all right. Let me, let me look through my questions because you' ; re, you' ; re answering so many of them. So what can library librarians who only speak English do to support the Spanish speakers of, you know, Escondido and San Diego? Rios: What could they do? Teater: Mm-hmm. Rios: Is that the question? Teater: Yes. Rios: They could take classes in Spanish mm-hmm < ; affirmative> ; They could have someone there to help interpret. They just like, you know, now a lot of people are coming like from other countries and we have to continue to learn. < ; affirmative> ; Although I' ; m fluent Spanish and English, I love French, but you know, I' ; m not that good at it. And I I' ; m very close to my Filipino friends. I have a daughter-in-law that' ; s married to my son and a wonderful family. And here in Escondido, I very belong to my church at resurrection eighties and the man, all we are very good friends on the counter. I am a greeter at my church on Sundays. < ; affirmative> ; I, we all work together. So Like I say, whoever walks into that door always gets a good morning from me when I am greeting. And a lot of them too. And I say, we need to be very kind, but at the same time we need to. But anybody just run out, you know, they' ; re having a problem. One, we have to kinda-- Teater: What other, are there any other initiatives that you worked on while you were in the library? It sounds like you had a lot of support from your supervisors. Rios: Well I was on the desk. I started on the desk. Like I said, greeting people and what do they need? Or they would tell me what I need to find out this, I need to go to this desk or I need to go here. I need to, I need to know about that. So I would direct them to wherever. That was part of our job, to direct people, to wherever they needed to go and help them. If they couldn' ; t find something, if they had the librarian on the desk was busy we could try and just keep them moving. But at the same time, I had meetings with several people. I mean they have this special room. Can' ; t think of it right now. I mean, it' ; s just upstairs, but I would do whatever it took to for the children to have special things going on. I mean, yeah, I have to go back. But if you see this picture of me taken when I would read stories, oh, and I got, I got this job at the library, like I said, way back then, but my husband and I were planning a trip to Mexico City, Mexico, a three week trip through me to Mexico. And I told my boss, I told Joanne Greenberg. I said, I think this was in August that I got hired around that time. And in December, we were planning to go to Mexico for three weeks, four weeks. And I said, I would have to work here, but I have to ask, my husband and I are going to go to Mexico, and I want to go very badly. I' ; ve never been to Mexico City. And, if you will, let me go. And, and let me come back to this job. I promise to work as hard as I can. And, you know, they let me do this after just being hired a couple of months. And I was all very grateful for that. We had a lovely time in Mexico. We had children running after our van and I mean things I saw and and my husband being a photographer, took pictures of the kids and the dresses, the colors. It was amazing. So I came back to the library and < ; affirmative> ; , I had all those stories in me from, for the children and for, you know, even adults. Teater: Mm-hmm < ; affirmative> ; sounds like, that sounds awesome. Rios: Seeing the no education, you know, a lot of we were out in the mountains where there were, and I said, and here they get a chance to come to America. And here we have all these mentees for them. So again, Mr. Humphrey had told me just whatever you need to do. And Joanne Greenberg the same. And then Laura Mitchell, she' ; s whatever I wanted to do till my husband got sick. And then I said, I can' ; t anymore, I have to-- < ; affirmative> ; He had Gotten this infection that he hardly couldn' ; t walk for about a year. Teater: Oh no. Rios: But I took care of him. And, and he, we did wonderful, I mean, far as, and he came out of it and now he' ; s on dialysis. He has been for five years. And again, it' ; s a challenge just every day is a something new, but, but I live a quiet life. And if I can be, I tell people at my church, I will be here, but if I can' ; t-- < ; affirmative> ; And, and that' ; s the way I said, if you want me that way fine. If not, well, I have to something else, because as far as my church and my masses, I can always see them at home. I can, you know, do other things, especially now that everything is on TV. So, yeah. But at the same time, I' ; m very close to my priests that we built this new church here in Escondido, Resurrection, and I have had a lot of opportunities to help there. And again, I meet a lot of my people from the library and invite ' ; em there and come and see and bring your children. And again, I' ; m still involved. Teater: So you' ; re still involved with children' ; s programs then? Rios: Not as much as I would like to be, because, like I said, I can' ; t commit myself too much because of my husband. Teater: Yeah. Rios: I have things that I need to do, but any chance I have, and they' ; re having something really special, I try to attend. Teater: That' ; s Nice. Rios: Or I just, I have a kind connection with the children at the church. And, and I just love it ; just even when they just say good morning, back to me, or hello or goodbye. And excited and on their way. And I' ; m on my way too. Teater: Sounds awesome. What has your-- what has connecting to children, or what has connecting to children meant to you? Like over the years as a librarian? Rios: What has connected mean to children? Teater: No. What has your connection with children meant to you as a librarian over the years? Rios: The in, oh, I just love to hear a child read. I love to just see their little faces when they hear a story. I' ; m just know, like I said, I have four of my own and, and a lot of nieces, I come from a family of ten, five brothers and five sisters. So I have nieces and nephews. And, anytime I' ; m Aunt Terry or Aunt T, or < ; laugh> ; , you know, we have a connection with, and in the library, of course they all know that, that I worked there. Anybody could come and, and visit their friends, cousins, nieces, nephews. And one time I had my grandson at the library. I baby him in the summer. Because my daughter and her husband had business to take care of up in Woodland, California. I mean Auburn. < ; affirmative> ; And Mr. Humphrey says, oh, my, my grandson was, I think he was seven or, or so seven years anyway, I had him in, enrolled him into the Boys and Girls Club. And so I had my friend Darlene from the library take him and they came back, both of them crying. < ; laugh> ; Teater: Oh, no. Rios: My grandson wouldn' ; t stay. He would, he wouldn' ; t stay. And I was working at the library. I couldn' ; t, you know, I' ; ve taken care of customers. And so they came back crying, and then I said, okay, you come to the back. And I set him down there and I said, don' ; t you move, you stay right there and eat your lunch or whatever. And anyway Mr. Humphrey was very kind, he never said a word to me about, yeah. Was that of order or anything. I mean, he let me do whatever was necessary for me to continue working there. Teater: I love that. That' ; s so sweet. Rios: My grandson. I mean he loved being there at the library with me. < ; laugh> ; can I say, I mean, family always came first with me and I tell all my, the people that I know when they can' ; t attend a meeting, that I, or something that I' ; m involved with, I say, and they say, my family, my doc, or doctors do whatever families first you take care of that, do not worry about anything else. And I' ; m saying it' ; s family first when they need whatever they need. But at the same time I live my own life. It' ; s a different life because my husband and I have been married forty-one years. Cause he' ; s my third husband. So I have to do what is necessary to have a good life. And at the same time, do what what' ; s good for other people, especially children and others. But when I can' ; t do it, I can' ; t do it. Like I said, in my home comes first right now with my ill husband has been ill for over 20 years. Teater: Oh no. Rios: And he retired. So, but he manages, he' ; s a wonderful person. I mean, I could not ask for a better mate. Teater: Well, that' ; s good to hear. I think those are all of my questions. Is there anything else that you want to add to your experience as a librarian or anything about that? Rios: Well, I just want you to make sure that, is there any way I can mail this literature to you, this newspaper articles and some of the things that I' ; ve did or I' ; ll tell you, do you ever get to the pioneer room? Teater: I do not. So for here, I' ; m gonna pause the recording. --All right. Well, thank you so much for your time, Theresa. It was really great talking to you and learning all about your experience as a librarian and your impact on literacy in Escondido. It sounds so fulfilling. Thank you for your time today. Rios: You' ; re so welcome. And Jay, what, what was your name, Jay? Teater: What? My name is MJ. Rios: MJ. I knew I had one right. Okay. MJ, thank you for calling me and giving me the opportunity to say all these things that I hope will help other people. Teater: Yeah, they will. Thank you so much for your time today. Rios: You' ; re so welcome. Teater: Okay. All right. Have a good rest of your day. Rios: You too goodly. Teater: All right. Bye. Bye. https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en audio Property rights reside with the university. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. This resource is licensed for noncommercial educational use using CC NC-BY 4.0. Please contact Special Collections at archives
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Rios, Theresa. Interview April 7, 2022
Description
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Theresa Rios is a retired Escondido librarian, where she created Las Embajadores Biblioteca. In this interview, Theresa discusses teaching children to read, empowering children to learn, and how her childhood impacted her passion for teaching children to read and love learning.
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SC027-17
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Latine Americans
Libraries -- Literacy
Public libraries
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2022-04-07
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audio
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Theresa Rios
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Madison Teater
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Escondido (Calif.)
Arizona
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
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Theresa Rios
Community history
History Department internship
Latine experience
Women's experience
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TRANSCRIPT, INTERVIEW 2022-04-07
THERESA RIOS
MJ Teater:
All right. It is recording now. All right. So today is Thursday, April 6th, 2022 at 1:07 PM. I am MJ Teater, a
graduate student at California State University San Marcos. And today I'm interviewing narrator Theresa
Rios for the University Library Special Collections Oral History Project. Theresa, thank you for being here
with me today.
Theresa Rios:
You're very welcome.
Teater:
<laughs> All right. Just to get started, can you introduce yourself, like, say your name and when you
were, or maybe not when you were born, but where you were born?
Rios:
Mm-hmm. My name is Theresa Rios. I was born in Clifton, Arizona.
Teater:
I'm going to ask you a few questions about your childhood and maybe your upbringing. So, how long
have you lived in San Diego if you were born in Arizona?
Rios:
I came to Escondido in 1970. I brought my four children and myself and we moved here and my exhusband and I have been here for fifty years. I lived in La Jolla for five years. I love Escondido. I came
back to Escondido in I believe, [19]78.
Teater:
Mm-hmm.
Rios:
And I have been here ever since.
Teater:
Wow. I love that. That's so cool. So at what point did you become a librarian? Or what was your journey
to become a librarian?
Rios:
My journey was-- I have this write up from this Hispanic newspaper and it tells me here when I started
the library was in... back in, oh my goodness. I’m little nervous, but not really. Anyway, I came, I started
working, I came back to Escondido. I started going to Palomar College and from there I met my husband,
Dan Rios. After that, I left Palomar College and I went to the employment office and they sent me to the
[Escondido Public] library and I got this job at the library and I thought, my goodness, I love this job. And
so I started by being a library assistant. And from there, they started giving me some privileges about -being Hispanic, there was no Hispanic library books for either the children and even the adults. So I
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THERESA RIOS
started-- Oh my goodness. I started, well translating for the library, whatever they needed. Anytime they
needed a Hispanic to translate something, they would call me. I started teaching some of the librarians,
what to, how to discuss things in Spanish or to answer in Spanish when someone came to the library and
had no Spanish experience or could not. But there was no one that would write anything. I transferred
papers, whatever they needed. Then I started seeing that the children, I started saying stories to the
children and I noticed where a lot of the Hispanic children did not understand what we were saying [in
English], what I was saying to them. And, so then I told my supervisor, I think we should start a Hispanic
program – a storytelling time. And so he said, yes, whatever, it would be wonderful. Go ahead.
Whatever you think. And at that time, I had a lot of the mothers that came with their children
sometimes, and they also didn't know English. And so I decided to start Las Embajadores de Escondido.
And they, they just thought again, Liz Painter was one of them. She helped, she helped a lot, because
she was very friendly with all the people and she also wanted us to try something different. So again, I
said, yes, let's do this. Let's tell the stories to the children in Spanish. And so there's a nice picture. The
newspaper came over -- The [Escondido] Times Advocate -- and I have this, I'm sorry.
Teater:
It's okay. Do you want me to pause the recording?
Rios:
Yes. One moment. Okay. There's a very nice picture of me with this book that I would tell this story, Las
Zapatitos Colorados, “The Red Shoes” and with this story, I would tell all the children to be very careful
about who they went with, how not to go with just anyone and just sort of try to... tell them to be
cautious, but at the same time, there was a lot to learn. We had a lot to learn. But you you'd have to see
this, this article. And do you read Spanish?
Teater:
I know enough to muddle through it, you know <laugh>
Rios:
Oh good, good. Because this whole page is in Spanish. It's from the Hispanico, Hispanic Times. And it was
way back in 2000. June 22nd, 2000. And it says Theresa Rios, nueva de delegate al club del
parlementaria. Parliamentary.
Teater:
Oh cool.
Rios:
And before that well I was at Palomar College. I was with Concerned Citizens of Escondido at A Day With
Your Neighbor Luncheon on May 7th, 1982: Theresa Rios, Pichacon Lupita, and George Lopez. And
there's my boss over here. He's not mentioned, Jon Ericson. Anyway, there's a whole page of me with a
picture of the, telling the story to the children. And I would like for you to see that, cause it just explains
a lot. I had no idea I had done so much. <laughter>, it's bringing back all these memories and I loved it. I
mean the, the library to me was like home. I mean wonderful.
Teater:
That's fantastic.
Rios:
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THERESA RIOS
Anyway, again, like I say, anything you asked me to do, whether it was a police department or it was the
library or my bosses, the children were very important to get them started learning. I still have many
friends here in Escondido that when I see, we talk about all the things that we did. And the library I've
been going there and Roberta, she was my dear friend there. Just a lot of the gals that were, that are still
there. Some of them the other day I went to the library and there was Francine, this one, she said
“Theresa! How are you? I haven't seen you in,” you know, things like that. And I just love the library. I
love going back. I'm just gonna kinda stay in touch, you know?
Teater:
Yeah. That's, that's great. That's so great.
Rios:
Back to, I mean, back to the -- what other question, I mean, I think I mentioned...
Teater:
That was a good starting point. So, can you tell me more about the Embajadores program?
Rios:
Yes, the Embajadores we, like I said, the children's mothers, some of them, some were elderly ladies
that came to the library that were my friends that I would tell them, come join us. I mean, come join the
Embajadores. We want every child in Escondido to have a library card.
Teater:
Oh.
Rios:
I want every child to know, to learn how to read at a very young age. And so they came, they came from
all over and we would have -- one time we had this salsa contest, not a contest, but everybody brought
different kinds of salsa and my salsa won a blue ribbon. <laughs>
Teater:
Ooh.
Rios:
It was technically a blue ribbon. It was just a wonderful time. And the people came, we would have
different places that would sponsor us. One of them was El Tapatilla in Escondido would send food.
Again, a lot of stuff that's in this article brings back a lot of memories. But the Embajadores came and
they gave tours. I taught them to give tours through the library. I taught 'em to sit and talk with people
that need just answers in Spanish or just to get together with other ladies that, that spoke Spanish only.
And then bring them in as far as, trying to -- if they wanted an education, if they wanted to join literacy
[program], things like that. I mean, literacy was just starting; the literacy program. And, and we had, you
know, different people teaching other people Spanish or English or...
Teater:
And about when were these programs happening?
Rios:
That was back in that era, which is, you know... [unclear] There's a lot of paperwork that have here that I
I've been going through, but you know, it's been so long. It's been-Teater:
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THERESA RIOS
Yeah. Yeah. Well that's okay. We can keep going. So, can you explain how, like early reading programs
are impactful for a child's life? Like why that was so important to you?
Rios:
Because when I went to-- the reason that I believe this is so important is because I also, when I went to
started kindergarten, I did not know a word of English. Very little, very, very little. My parents did not,
we did not speak English at home. My father knew a little more than my mother, my mother didn't. I
mean, because of her hardships, her mother died when she was, I believe, in third grade, I'm not sure,
but the schools were what, you know, and she lived in a ranch and she was left with four or five or six
little ones that she helped grow up. And a baby that my, her, my grandmother, her mother died. So my
mother always thought education was very important. You need it. She would get very upset. Um, so I
knew that... And then I have -- Me marrying so young and having four children. I decided, nuh-uh, if I
would've had this education before, I would have, you know, not being so afraid of trying of being
around people that could teach me that could read, could that would teach me. I mean, there was no
nothing in Clifton Arizona where I was born. There was, there was some things, but not enough to
inspire me at a young age.
Teater:
Mm-hmm.
Rios:
And so I believe that if the children could get it right into them and tell me their stories, and then I
would try to direct them when I would ask questions. Well, what do you do? How do you read at home?
Do you do this? No... Do you like coming to the library? Oh yes. We like it. Do you like to hear stories?
Oh, yes. And then I would ask some of the children little questions. I don't know if I should say this, but
What do you do? Oh, we drink tequila.
Teater:
<laugh> oh, no,
Rios:
We would laugh over that That. I said, “Oh, no, we gotta get this--” <laugh>. I mean, I don't mean to it
it's part of growing up it's in their environment, their family so again, I, I would see parents and I would
say, well, you know, good, this is not so good. But, oh my God. And it just, I mean, you'd have to talk to
my supervisor, which was Joanne, oh, my away. Well, and Laura Mitchell was also one of my bosses. And
like I said, city manager at the time, I can't, it's gone right now, but I'll have to get those names if you
need 'em. But they would, give me card blank for whatever I wanted to do. I was so fortunate and so
lucky and, a lot of like Graham Humphrey, he was the head of the library at the time. And he knew my
husband very well. Dan
Teater:
Mm-hmm <affirmative>,
Rios:
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THERESA RIOS
And again, all I had to do was, well, Mr. Humphrey told me I want more Hispanic children here. I want, I
don't-- at the time, I don't know whether he meant to say anything like this, but he said, I don't wanna
see all this white Anglo-Saxons <affirmative> and I thought, oh my God. I mean because I believe that
they're the white or the black or the Hispanic. We, they all need to learn everybody. <affirmative>
Everybody needs to get some sense when they're young of what's going on and reading stories. I had no
prejudice whatsoever, but I also understood the situation: who had the opportunities at home who
didn't. And the ones that didn't of course would take priority of my attention, because I would have to
explain myself more to them or listen to them a little more, so that they give me ideas of what, how I
could help and how everybody in the library could help. Not just me. I didn't want, whenever somebody
treated any of 'em with disrespect, I would just jump up and say, no, it's not the way we treat people. I
mean, I had to fight everybody, not fight, but kind of.
Teater:
But yeah, I know what you mean.
Rios:
And I'm still doing it. I still do it. Even in my church at resurrection and everybody is welcome. Everybody
is a child of Jesus. Everybody deserves a right to be heard. Of course, sometimes people are not in the
mood to be heard or this and that. But with me, they'll come and tell me anything. and I feel how can I
say I, a lot of humility that they can do that with me. But I feel if they're wrong, I'll tell them if they're
hurting, I'll listen. And if they just wanna talk, that's good too. So we get along and that's how I get along
at the library, and all my life.
Teater:
That’s Fantastic
Rios:
I guess this is how I tried to be. And what else can I tell you?
Teater:
<laugh> all right. Let me, let me look through my questions because you're, you're answering so many of
them. So what can library librarians who only speak English do to support the Spanish speakers of, you
know, Escondido and San Diego?
Rios:
What could they do?
Teater:
Mm-hmm.
Rios:
Is that the question?
Teater:
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THERESA RIOS
Yes.
Rios:
They could take classes in Spanish mm-hmm <affirmative> They could have someone there to help
interpret. They just like, you know, now a lot of people are coming like from other countries and we
have to continue to learn. <affirmative> Although I'm fluent Spanish and English, I love French, but you
know, I'm not that good at it. And I I'm very close to my Filipino friends. I have a daughter-in-law that's
married to my son and a wonderful family. And here in Escondido, I very belong to my church at
resurrection eighties and the man, all we are very good friends on the counter. I am a greeter at my
church on Sundays. <affirmative> I, we all work together. So Like I say, whoever walks into that door
always gets a good morning from me when I am greeting. And a lot of them too. And I say, we need to
be very kind, but at the same time we need to. But anybody just run out, you know, they're having a
problem. One, we have to kinda-Teater:
What other, are there any other initiatives that you worked on while you were in the library? It sounds
like you had a lot of support from your supervisors.
Rios:
Well I was on the desk. I started on the desk. Like I said, greeting people and what do they need? Or
they would tell me what I need to find out this, I need to go to this desk or I need to go here. I need to, I
need to know about that. So I would direct them to wherever. That was part of our job, to direct people,
to wherever they needed to go and help them. If they couldn't find something, if they had the librarian
on the desk was busy we could try and just keep them moving. But at the same time, I had meetings
with several people. I mean they have this special room. Can't think of it right now. I mean, it's just
upstairs, but I would do whatever it took to for the children to have special things going on. I mean,
yeah, I have to go back. But if you see this picture of me taken when I would read stories, oh, and I got, I
got this job at the library, like I said, way back then, but my husband and I were planning a trip to Mexico
City, Mexico, a three week trip through me to Mexico. And I told my boss, I told Joanne Greenberg. I
said, I think this was in August that I got hired around that time. And in December, we were planning to
go to Mexico for three weeks, four weeks. And I said, I would have to work here, but I have to ask, my
husband and I are going to go to Mexico, and I want to go very badly. I've never been to Mexico City.
And, if you will, let me go. And, and let me come back to this job. I promise to work as hard as I can. And,
you know, they let me do this after just being hired a couple of months. And I was all very grateful for
that. We had a lovely time in Mexico. We had children running after our van and I mean things I saw and
and my husband being a photographer, took pictures of the kids and the dresses, the colors. It was
amazing. So I came back to the library and <affirmative>, I had all those stories in me from, for the
children and for, you know, even adults.
Teater:
Mm-hmm <affirmative> sounds like, that sounds awesome.
Rios:
Seeing the no education, you know, a lot of we were out in the mountains where there were, and I said,
and here they get a chance to come to America. And here we have all these mentees for them. So again,
Mr. Humphrey had told me just whatever you need to do. And Joanne Greenberg the same. And then
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THERESA RIOS
Laura Mitchell, she's whatever I wanted to do till my husband got sick. And then I said, I can't anymore, I
have to-- <affirmative> He had Gotten this infection that he hardly couldn't walk for about a year.
Teater:
Oh no.
Rios:
But I took care of him. And, and he, we did wonderful, I mean, far as, and he came out of it and now he's
on dialysis. He has been for five years. And again, it's a challenge just every day is a something new, but,
but I live a quiet life. And if I can be, I tell people at my church, I will be here, but if I can't-- <affirmative>
And, and that's the way I said, if you want me that way fine. If not, well, I have to something else,
because as far as my church and my masses, I can always see them at home. I can, you know, do other
things, especially now that everything is on TV. So, yeah. But at the same time, I'm very close to my
priests that we built this new church here in Escondido, Resurrection, and I have had a lot of
opportunities to help there. And again, I meet a lot of my people from the library and invite 'em there
and come and see and bring your children. And again, I'm still involved.
Teater:
So you're still involved with children's programs then?
Rios:
Not as much as I would like to be, because, like I said, I can't commit myself too much because of my
husband.
Teater:
Yeah.
Rios:
I have things that I need to do, but any chance I have, and they're having something really special, I try
to attend.
Teater:
That's Nice.
Rios:
Or I just, I have a kind connection with the children at the church. And, and I just love it; just even when
they just say good morning, back to me, or hello or goodbye. And excited and on their way. And I'm on
my way too.
Teater:
Sounds awesome. What has your-- what has connecting to children, or what has connecting to children
meant to you? Like over the years as a librarian?
Rios:
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THERESA RIOS
What has connected mean to children?
Teater:
No. What has your connection with children meant to you as a librarian over the years?
Rios:
The in, oh, I just love to hear a child read. I love to just see their little faces when they hear a story. I'm
just know, like I said, I have four of my own and, and a lot of nieces, I come from a family of ten, five
brothers and five sisters. So I have nieces and nephews. And, anytime I'm Aunt Terry or Aunt T, or
<laugh>, you know, we have a connection with, and in the library, of course they all know that, that I
worked there. Anybody could come and, and visit their friends, cousins, nieces, nephews. And one time I
had my grandson at the library. I baby him in the summer. Because my daughter and her husband had
business to take care of up in Woodland, California. I mean Auburn. <affirmative> And Mr. Humphrey
says, oh, my, my grandson was, I think he was seven or, or so seven years anyway, I had him in, enrolled
him into the Boys and Girls Club. And so I had my friend Darlene from the library take him and they
came back, both of them crying. <laugh>
Teater:
Oh, no.
Rios:
My grandson wouldn't stay. He would, he wouldn't stay. And I was working at the library. I couldn't, you
know, I've taken care of customers. And so they came back crying, and then I said, okay, you come to
the back. And I set him down there and I said, don't you move, you stay right there and eat your lunch or
whatever. And anyway Mr. Humphrey was very kind, he never said a word to me about, yeah. Was that
of order or anything. I mean, he let me do whatever was necessary for me to continue working there.
Teater:
I love that. That's so sweet.
Rios:
My grandson. I mean he loved being there at the library with me. <laugh> can I say, I mean, family
always came first with me and I tell all my, the people that I know when they can't attend a meeting,
that I, or something that I'm involved with, I say, and they say, my family, my doc, or doctors do
whatever families first you take care of that, do not worry about anything else. And I'm saying it's family
first when they need whatever they need. But at the same time I live my own life. It's a different life
because my husband and I have been married forty-one years. Cause he's my third husband. So I have to
do what is necessary to have a good life. And at the same time, do what what's good for other people,
especially children and others. But when I can't do it, I can't do it. Like I said, in my home comes first
right now with my ill husband has been ill for over 20 years.
Teater:
Oh no.
Rios:
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THERESA RIOS
And he retired. So, but he manages, he's a wonderful person. I mean, I could not ask for a better mate.
Teater:
Well, that's good to hear. I think those are all of my questions. Is there anything else that you want to
add to your experience as a librarian or anything about that?
Rios:
Well, I just want you to make sure that, is there any way I can mail this literature to you, this newspaper
articles and some of the things that I've did or I'll tell you, do you ever get to the pioneer room?
Teater:
I do not. So for here, I'm gonna pause the recording. --All right. Well, thank you so much for your time,
Theresa. It was really great talking to you and learning all about your experience as a librarian and your
impact on literacy in Escondido. It sounds so fulfilling. Thank you for your time today.
Rios:
You're so welcome. And Jay, what, what was your name, Jay?
Teater:
What? My name is MJ.
Rios:
MJ. I knew I had one right. Okay. MJ, thank you for calling me and giving me the opportunity to say all
these things that I hope will help other people.
Teater:
Yeah, they will. Thank you so much for your time today.
Rios:
You're so welcome.
Teater:
Okay. All right. Have a good rest of your day.
Rios:
You too goodly.
Teater:
All right. Bye. Bye.
Transcribed by MJ Teater
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�
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Rios, Theresa. Interview transcript. April 7, 2022.
Description
An account of the resource
Theresa Rios is a retired Escondido librarian, where she created Las Embajadores Biblioteca. In this interview, Theresa discusses teaching children to read, empowering children to learn, and how her childhood impacted her passion for teaching children to read and love learning.
Creator
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Theresa Rios
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MJ Teater
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2022-04-07
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Latine Americans
Libraries -- Literacy
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Escondido (Calif.)
Arizona
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California State University San Marcos University Library Special Collections
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2022-05-13
Community history
History Department internship
Latine experience
Women's experience
-
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Faye A. Jonason
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Leslee K. Roberts
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5.4 Roberts, Leslee K. Interview November 11, 2022. SC027-23 0:38:15 SC027 California State University San Marcos University Library Special Collections oral history collection Community oral histories CSUSM This interview was recorded as part of the North County Oral History Initiative, a partnership between California State University San Marcos and San Marcos Historical Society & ; Heritage Park. This initiative was generously funded by the Center for Engaged Scholarship at CSU San Marcos. csusm United States. Marine Corps Poway (Calif.) Women marines Korean War, 1950-1953 Veterans -- United States Telephone operators Leslee K. Roberts Faye A. Jonason mp4 RobertsLeslee_JonasonFaye_2022-11-29.mp4 1:|16(2)|32(7)|45(3)|64(2)|86(17)|113(4)|144(2)|174(4)|195(17)|225(13)|257(15)|284(3)|310(18)|335(4)|374(2)|406(7)|436(16)|459(15)|493(8)|511(16)|545(5)|594(12)|616(5)|639(6)|682(5)|719(11)|736(4)|753(13)|808(4)|852(2)|898(2)|932(5)|953(11)|989(11)|1019(4)|1050(9)|1089(10)|1156(10)|1167(16) 0 https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/73ed728127e92b4e01be2617427312f6.mp4 Other video English 0 Entering the Marine Corps/ Boot camp training Leslee Roberts discusses her decision to join the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. She recounts growing up in Cleveland, OH and how she had originally joined the Sisters of Charity, but that her independent personality made her a difficult fit to become a nun. Her brother who had ambitions to join the Marine Corps later introduced her to a recruiter and she enlisted. Leslee also discusses her boot camp training at Parris Island and the strict grooming rules that were expected of women Marines. Cleveland (Ohio) ; Marine corps ; Nuns ; Parris Island (S.C.) ; Sisters of Charity ; U.S. marines ; U.S. military ; Vietnam War ; Women in the Marine Corps ; Women in the military 0 349 Assignment at Camp Pendleton Leslee Roberts discusses being assigned to Camp Pendleton in 1966 or 1967. She was around twenty-four years old. She worked in the Marine Corps Exchange and trained other Marines due to her previous work experience. It was during this period in which she met her husband. Camp Pendleton (Calif.) ; Marine Corps ; Marine Corps Exchange ; Oceanside (Calif.) ; U.S. marines ; U.S. military ; Women in the Marine Corps ; Women in the military 0 510 Working as a switchboard operator Leslee Roberts recounts her work as a switchboard operator in the Marines. She began this work prior to joining the Marines when she worked at the Salvation Army’s hospital. She briefly explains the technology behind the switchboard. She describes the most enjoyable part of the work was interacting with other people and learning about their day-to-day lives. Leslee also describes the Marine Corps uniforms that were worn during the summertime and wintertime. Camp Pendleton (Calif.) ; Marine Corps ; Marine Corps Exchange ; Marine Corps uniforms ; Military uniforms ; Oceanside (Calif.) ; Switchboard operator ; U.S. marines ; U.S. military ; Women in the Marine Corps ; Women in the military 0 746 Women Marine barracks at Camp Pendleton Leslee Roberts discusses living at the Women Marine barracks when she was assigned to Camp Pendleton. She describes the experience as unpleasant and lived there for less than a year before moving off base. She explains that the Woman Marine barracks were “squad based” and that Marines had to maintain their quarters to strict regulations. Leslee also briefly describes the social life in the barracks and how rank and rules affected daily life for the Marines. Barracks ; Camp Pendleton (Calif.) ; Marine Corps ; Oceanside (Calif.) ; U.S. marines ; U.S. military ; Women in the Marine Corps ; Women in the military ; Women Marine barracks 0 1042 Marriage Leslee Roberts describes her marriage to her husband who she met while assigned to Camp Pendleton. Her husband was a Gunnery Sergeant. They moved to Oceanside, CA after getting married and lived in Oceanside for five years before moving to Poway, CA. She explains that she continued to work for the Marine Corps Exchange after getting married. She also recounts the various military regulations that she and her husband had to jump through in order to get married. She explains that due to her low rank and her gender, she had to ask permission to marry her husband from her Commanding Officer. She also explains that she received an honorable discharge once she became pregnant. Camp Pendleton (Calif.) ; Gunnery Sergeant ; Marine Corps ; Marine Corps Exchange ; Marriage ; Military regulations ; Oceanside (Calif.) ; Poway (Calif.) ; Pregnancy ; U.S. marines ; U.S. military ; Women in the Marine Corps ; Women in the military 0 1318 Living in San Diego County Leslee Roberts describes her current life in San Diego County. She has lived in the same house in Poway, CA since 1972. She explains how Poway was a new community and that she enjoyed watching it grow. She recalls participating in events, greeting new citizens in Poway, and watching the construction of various developments and schools. Community center ; Developming community ; North County San Diego ; Poway (Calif.) ; San Diego (Calif.) ; San Diego County ; Schools 0 1545 Reflecting on the Marine Corps Leslee Roberts reflects on the Marine Corps from a gender lens. She explains that while women were seen as second-class citizens during the Vietnam War, that men and women both enlist for the same reasons. She expresses her how she is glad to see women being granted the same honor and privileges as men in the military in the twenty-first century. Gender ; Marine Corps ; Sexism ; U.S. marines ; U.S. military ; Women in the Marine Corps ; Women in the military 0 1676 The community of Poway, CA Leslee Roberts continues to reflects on the community of Poway, CA. She recalls the history of Poway’s schools that eventually led to the formation of Poway Unified School District. She also discusses the fight to create a community center and a community pool. Leslee also discusses the complicated relationship between North County and the City of San Diego, such as North County citizens having to abide by San Diego tax laws or relying on San Diego to fix their streets. Community center ; Developing community ; North County San Diego ; Poway (Calif.) ; Poway Unified School District ; San Diego (Calif.) ; San Diego County ; Schools ; Taxes 0 Oral history An oral history interview with Leslee K. Roberts, a Marine Corps veteran, who shares her experiences growing up in Ohio, deciding not to become a nun and choosing to leave Ohio by joining the U.S. Marine Corps. She discusses some military regulations, meeting and marrying her husband, and her various homes in North County. She talks about her involvement and support of the Poway community as well as Poway’s early development. Faye Jonason: Good afternoon. It is November 29th, 2002―22, and we are at the
 ; Marine Corps Mechanized Museum. And I am interviewing―my name is Faye Jonason
 ; and I’m interviewing Leslee Roberts, and we’re doing this for CSU San Marcos’s
 ; Program for Oral History and for Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton’s Oral
 ; History Archives. So, thank you for being here.
 ; 
 ; Leslee Roberts: My pleasure.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And I’m going to ask you your name—your full name—and for you to spell
 ; your last name, please.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes. My name is Leslee Kaye Roberts. That’s R-O-B-E-R-T-S.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And you were in the Marine Corps!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes,
 ; 
 ; ma’am.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, I’d like to know, very much, how you came about the decision and
 ; how you came to the Marine Corps.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (sighs) That’s a bit of a story. Um, number one, I have a―I had a
 ; brother and it was his dream to become a Marine. He was about four years younger
 ; than I and that’s all he ever talked about. Number one. That was not originally
 ; my ambition. I joined the Sisters of Charity to become a nun and that did not
 ; work out too well. I’m very independent individual, had hard time conforming.
 ; So, I was told that I would not fit with the Sisters of Charity. So, I left.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Now this was in Cleveland?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: This was in Cleveland. Uh, like
 ; 
 ; I was, uh, in my twenties, and I had no job, and I bounced around for a while,
 ; and my brother—bless his heart—kept telling me “Join the Marine Corps. Join the
 ; Marine Corps.” It was something that he had desired and something that he worked
 ; at for—all through his high school years. He even knew the, um, recruiter, okay?
 ; So, he introduced me to the recruiter and the young man convinced me
 ; that—what–what’s three years—okay? So, at the time I was doing nothing, and I
 ; said, all right. And I put my hand in the air and I became a Marine.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (laughs) What did your family think about that?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: They weren’t too happy. My mom—she always went along with whatever
 ; decision I made,
 ; 
 ; within reason. My dad took it very hard. It was during the Vietnam War, and he
 ; even laid his head in my lap and cried, “Please don’t do this!” But it was too
 ; late. I already had my hand in the air and I belonged to the United States of America.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (chuckles) Okay. So, what happened next?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I went to bootcamp!
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Where?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Parris Island, and spent a good s–almost eight weeks—I guess it was—in training.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: What did they train you to do?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: To be honest, as I kind of mentioned here before, um, the whole idea of
 ; boot camp wasn’t any different than becoming a sister for Sisters of Charity.
 ; (Jonason laughs) The whole idea of both institutions was to take my personality,
 ; take me
 ; 
 ; (points to herself) away and to think as one individual. I was not allowed to
 ; have individual thoughts or ideas. And the Marine Corps was basically the same.
 ; You were to think as one unit and not as a person, but as one unit.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And so, you’re training―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: In–in the Marine Corps? Boot camp is basically the same. There was a
 ; lot of, uh, book learning to learn whatever. There was a lot of marching,
 ; learning to follow rules. Um, I don’t know if I can be any more specific than that.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did they teach—you know—I know the Marine Corps taught makeup to some women.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (shaking her head) No. I was never taught about makeup.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: You were—you weren’t taught ―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: You weren’t even allowed to wear makeup.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (clears her throat) Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Okay? The—one of the things I remember the most is your hair had to be short.
 ; 
 ; It could touch the collar (points to her collarbone) but not cover the collar.
 ; But, again, I didn’t follow those rules and I got away with it.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Hm.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (sighs) I have a hard time conforming, still do.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: The rule was it could not—it could–it could touch but not cover, you
 ; know, the–the collar (gestures to her shoulder area). So, all I did was wear it
 ; up. And as long as I got up every day before Reveille was called, I made sure my
 ; hair was up and I had eyebrows on, because you weren’t allowed to wear make up either.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh. (laughs)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (shrugs) So―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, you got your training in Parris Island.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And then what happened? Where did you go after that?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, I was given leave, for two weeks and I—while I was in boot camp, I
 ; had choices. I didn’t
 ; 
 ; necessarily—I wouldn’t necessarily get those choices. But, I asked for San
 ; Diego, California. And I got California! (she smiles)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And why did you ask for San Diego, California?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Because I’d never been out of Ohio.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh, okay. And did they say―I guess they sent you to San Diego.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: They did, all the way to Camp Pendleton.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. And what year was that? Do you know?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I believe it was ’66, ’67, yeah.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. And how–how were you assigned your job?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, (sighs) that’s a good question. I assumed my job—Number one, I was
 ; a bit of older recruit, okay? And I had experience in working—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: You said you were in your twenties.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I was around twenty-four.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: So, that made me a little bit older than most recruits coming in. They
 ; were eighteen, nineteen—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —years old. Because I had the experience, they took that experience and
 ; they gave me an M.O.S., which was forty-one eleven, which was an Exchange person
 ; accou–accountant and Commissary accountant.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And you say you also did some kind of interviewing or training other Marines.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: When I got into working for—in the Exchange—I did—I interviewed people
 ; to work in the Exchange, okay?
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: And hired them. I worked in Personnel.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: And handled most stuff regarding that.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And how long did you do that?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: For the three years that I was in.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And what do you remember best about your time at Camp Pendleton during
 ; that time.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I met my husband.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Ah! (chuckles) And how did you meet your husband?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: He also worked
 ; 
 ; in the Exchange. Of course, he was higher up than I was. And, he ran his own
 ; store. And, um, at times I was a switchboard―I would work the switchboard and
 ; relieve at lunch time. And we got to communicating on the switchboard, and he
 ; finally come over and introduced himself.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: And I don’t have to tell you, from that point on, we clicked!
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. Tell me about your switchboard work, because that doesn’t exist
 ; anymore, does it?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: What was that like?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: ―not that I know of. Um, I enjoyed it, okay? It was work that I also
 ; did at the hospital when I worked for the Salvation Army (unintelligible). And
 ; um, so because I had that experience it was on my record, so to speak. And when
 ; I went to work for the Exchange, I kind of relieved people. I worked in the office.
 ; 
 ; We were all in the same facility. And I would relieve them for lunch, or if
 ; someone called in sick, or whatever, so―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: How does the―most―myself, I have never run a switchboard.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: How would I go about doing that?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, that’s kind of hard to say! (laughs) And that’s—you know—a
 ; switchboard! Um, it was just another way of communicating from phone to phone
 ; within the offices. And each phone had a number, and there was a number on the
 ; board, and there were the cords that you would plug in outside or you could plug
 ; them into each other.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh, okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, it’s like something you―like—I’m trying to think of what they’re called.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I can’t think of anything at this time that would―I could compare it
 ; to, except if you had a–a phone with buttons, you know.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Yeah. Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: You just plugged them in!
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Interesting, interesting. And so, you were here for three years and what
 ; 
 ; were your uniforms that you were required to wear while you were working and
 ; while you were doing other―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I always was in uniform.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Which was?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Summertime, wintertime. I worked with the uniform.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: What―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I was in the Marine Corps.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: —what kind of uniform?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: In the summertime, we had a–a light uniform, fit for the weather. In
 ; the winter, we had a much heavier, darker-colored uniform.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. And you always had to wear a cover outside?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Outside, always.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. Is there anything about that work experience that you would like
 ; to tell us about?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, you got to meet a lot of people!
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Yeah?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Always. And uh, it was always—it was a bit fun, in a way, because you
 ; could for months communicate with an individual and talk and say, “How was your day?”
 ; 
 ; and “Oh, I just had a baby,” or whatever, okay? And never, ever see their faces.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Uh, (chuckles) okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: So, that was kind of different. Yes. And it was always a fun experience
 ; when they were able to come and say “Hi, I’m so-and-so. I work for―” whatever.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, were there civilians that came in and shopped where you were?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, absolutely! I mean, this was a Commissar―uh, well, at the time it
 ; was an Exchange, the Military Exchange. And of course, all civilians, troops―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Their families.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Their families, absolutely. Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Were there any special events that associated with your–your work?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Can you be more specific?
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did they hold any special events at—I guess—at the exchange.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No. We–we celebrated the Marine Corps birthday, uh―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did they close down the store? Did you have spe―I mean, what did they
 ; do for that?
 ; 
 ; (clears her throat)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Bec–being civilian, not a lot, okay? Because not only the military
 ; shopped there ; their families did, which was not military, okay? Um, the―we
 ; would be closed on holidays. And, we were just like any outside, whether you
 ; were working at Target or J.C. Penny or whatever.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. Um―
 ; 
 ; (A second interviewer, Maryellen Cortellini, seems to be asking Leslee a
 ; question, because Leslee looks to her right, away from Faye.)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: (less audible) Where did you live when you first got to Camp Pendleton?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I didn’t hear the question.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Excuse me. What was the question? (It sounds as though Jonason turns to
 ; ask the Cortellini to repeat the question.)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Where did she live?
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh, where did you live when you first came to Camp Pendleton?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I lived in the W.M., Women Marine’s barracks. Um, it was not my cup of
 ; tea. And when I was able, I moved off base. It wasn’t quite, um, legal, but I did.
 ; 
 ; I had a― (sighs) there was a―I can’t remember her rank. I think she was a Staff
 ; Sergeant, and she was being transferred to, um, Virginia, and she had pets, and
 ; she knew I did not like living in the barracks with a bunch of teenagers. So,
 ; she offered me her home if I would take care of her pets! And—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —I moved off base, oh, within eight months or so and lived in Carlsbad.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: And took care of her home and her pets.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, how long had you stayed in the Women Marine barracks themselves?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, actually, it wasn’t even a full year.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. And these were wooden buildings?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No. At the―these were new barracks that they had just recently built.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, they were, what, squad based?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Squad based! Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: How many―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: A great big―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: ―bunks?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Well, I think we had about twenty in the squad bay I lived in. And you
 ; were judged—you were put in the squad bay according to your rank.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And so, you’re–you’re one bunk above and below?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Exactly.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And you were required to keep them a certain way.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Absolutely.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Regulation.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: You had–you had, um, I can’t remember the exact term. Forgive me.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Junk on the bunk?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No, uh―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (laughs) That’s what I was told.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: We―well, not then! We had to maintain and keep them clean, okay? And
 ; so, it was a–a group thing that was done once a week, no matter what your rank
 ; was. You were required, you know. Wash floors, windows, whatever.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did you also do other things besides your job in maintaining the–the
 ; barracks? Did you―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh! Had a good time! (both she and Jonason chuckle)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Well, you did more than that, I know! (Roberts laughs) Did they have
 ; you do—picking
 ; 
 ; up around the barracks, and―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: ―all that kind of stuff?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes. We had, um, um―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Field day?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Outside to maintain the—you know—the grass, and the bushes and
 ; whatever. Yes, that was also part of our requirement. We were to treat it like
 ; it was our home. And we would do those things if we were within our own home. So.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Had you ever gone to the Green Hat Club?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No. The Green Hat Club was after me.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Okay? I’m not sure what year. Yes, there were a lot of, uh–uh, what do
 ; you call them, um―
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: (inaudible)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —officers clubs. There were different clubs for different rank and of
 ; course I was a peon, so I―till I made sergeant, but yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: How did ch–becoming sergeant change your life?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It gave―it made me more independent.
 ; 
 ; I didn’t have to follow some of the rules and regulations.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, did you live―you said you lived in the barracks about a year. So,
 ; you lived in the–in the Staff Sergeant’s house about two?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: About two years. Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. And then what did―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Not legally, but I did. (both she and Jonason laugh.)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Well, nowadays, you’d get permissions or something. Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I’m not sure (smiles wide).
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (laughs) Um, is there any other part of that work that you’d like to
 ; share with us?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: As far as the military is concerned?
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: In a way, um, it was―I think once I left the military, I was more
 ; conscious of my responsibility when I was in the Marine Corps.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: The motto of a W.M., which we were called—Women Marines—was to release
 ; a fighting man. And of course, it was during the Vietnam War, and it was a
 ; 
 ; difficult time for the United States and for everyone. So, I didn’t think about
 ; it a lot but once I left the military, I realized what my job was or had been,
 ; to help win that war.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: You–you appreciated it more?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Much more.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And so, then when you left you got married?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes, I did.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And where did you go?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: In fact, I don’t know. I don’t remember all the times, but my husband
 ; who was stationed here at Camp Pendleton and his career was basically here,
 ; okay? He was a Gunnery Sergeant and he owned a home in Oceanside. And so, when
 ; we—naturally when we got married, I moved into his home in Oceanside.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And how long did you stay there?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (sighs) Uh, quite a few years. We didn’t move out—I guess I was there
 ; 
 ; at least five years, at least five years, and then we bought a home elsewhere in
 ; San Diego. He retired.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Why did you like San Diego?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: He liked San Diego.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did you?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes, I guess so. My children were born here. It became my home. Uh,
 ; yes. Yes. I liked it.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did you work outside the home once you were married?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I did, but not until my children got a little older. I actually went to
 ; work for the Marine Corps Exchange. (both she and Jonason laugh)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. And how long did you do that?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, now you’re asking a question you have to think about. It was a few years.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Yeah?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I would say five or six years. Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. Well, that’s good.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: What was the Marine Corps reaction to your announcement that you
 ; wanted to get married?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I–I—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh, you said—Yeah!—How did you―when you decided
 ; 
 ; to get married, there were regulations that you had to jump through before you
 ; could do that.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (chuckles) Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Both you and your husband.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Being―being a–a low rank, number one, and being a woman Marine, I had
 ; to ask permission from my C.O., the sergeant in charge, and—which I had to do.
 ; Uh, between you and me, I did it because it was considered one of my
 ; responsibilities. Otherwise, I thought it was a silly rule.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (chuckles) And your husband had to do the same thing, right?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Well, he did. He did. And my―for me, he did it for me. Not so much for
 ; himself. He’d been married before. His first wife had passed. So, um, he was a–a
 ; bit youn–older than I am or was. And um, so no he didn’t. But, he did,
 ; 
 ; for me. Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: He asked permission for you.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Right. We went together.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh! Very interesting. And were there any other situa―parts of that that
 ; were required?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No, because when we married, there–there was no problem. But because of
 ; our age, okay, we wanted a family. And the–the motto of the Marine Corps was if
 ; we wanted you to have a child, we’d issued you one.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: I see.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: So, as soon as I became pregnant, I was automatically dis–discharged.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (coughs) Excuse me.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I got an honorable discharge, but, yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Huh.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: So, that’s how I left.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Interesting. And were you―after you were married, you moved into his
 ; house. Were you still a Marine at that poin–time?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: I’m trying to clarify that.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, until I became―
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Pregnant.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: ―pregnant. Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay. (
 ; 
 ; Roberts: We lived there for two children.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (chuckles)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: He retired. He went to work for the Post Office and we moved into San
 ; Diego area.
 ; 
 ; Terry Norwood: Where were your children—(barely audible) first and second—born?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Camp Pendleton, at the old hospital.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Because he was still in the military? Or―
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No. We were―because he was what is considered a lifer, someone who put
 ; in twenty-two years of his life. He continued to have privileges—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Ah.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —military privileges.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, he wasn’t in the Corps still, when they were born?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And what did he do?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: My husband went to work for the U.S. Post Office.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Mm-hmm. He took the test and passed and–and continued to work there for
 ; thirty years.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Wonderful!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And I understand that you’re still living in San Diego area.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, actually I live in the same house.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (chuckles) Oh, my goodness!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Live in the same house. We bought a new home outside of Poway and I’ve
 ; lived there ever since. I think it was 1972, or something like that.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Wow! You must like it there.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It’s paid for! (she chuckles and Jonason laughs) For sure!
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Are there parts of the community that you enjoy more than others?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: In–in San Diego? San Diego?—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: In Poway, San Diego County.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, you know, I had two other children born there, and, um, it—number
 ; one, it was very new. We were one of the first housing developments in the area.
 ; So, basically, I watched it grow (raises her hands to indicate something
 ; growing) into this huge community.
 ; 
 ; And, um, I felt like it was home. And yes, I do. I like it there. I can’t think
 ; of any place else.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: (unintelligible, but sounds like “Chopped Liver”)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, I’m not sure. A pool, oh (shrugs)—as far as activities—(looking at
 ; Cortellini) is that–is that what we’re talking about? Okay—
 ; 
 ; Norwood: What do you like about the community?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh! I did—yes, I’m talking about the beginning of living in the
 ; community and why I stayed there. Uh, I’m very active. Well, I won’t say active
 ; but I have a lot of activities within the community since I’ve lived there. So—
 ; I like to swim and do water aerobics, and—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: This is a community pool, I take it? Or—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes, it is. Number one, I–I got to watch the community grow. Like I
 ; said, we were one of the first developments in the area, housing developments,
 ; and so I got to watch
 ; 
 ; it grow.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: There must be a story about being one of the first of the development.
 ; Was there—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: —an event or something?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —number one, now you want me to be silly? It was a ch—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: No. (laughs)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, okay. (laughs also) No, it was just a very new community and it was
 ; fun greeting all the new people and watching different developments grow,
 ; watching schools being built and my children being able to go to those schools.
 ; I know—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Did you get to pick specific flooring and that type of thing in your
 ; house wh—at that time? Was that something that—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Pretty much.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: —Yeah?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Pretty much so. Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I mean, the house was built and then I did what I wanted to the inside
 ; of it (smiles wide) and outside, of course.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: But that wasn’t with the builder, though. That was on your own, right?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: That was on my own.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Interesting. Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (apparently she turns to Cortellini) Are there other questions that you
 ; would like to see asked?
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Um, it would be nice if she (rest of question is inaudible, but
 ; seems to be talking about entering something into a document)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Well, we’ll have that in the–in the file. Um—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Just the fact that she left her close-knit family and friends, and
 ; her small town of Eastlake, Ohio to travel all the way to South Carolina to
 ; enlist in Marine Corps bootcamp. How brave and courageous as a young woman to
 ; make that monumental decision.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (turning her head from Cortellini back to Jonason, smiling) She does—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Well, I think she–she went in from the frying pan into the fire—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: The fire.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: —didn’t you! (laughs)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Amen! (laughs also)
 ; 
 ; Norwood: But she’s a cast iron skillet.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (turning to Norwood): Pardon me?
 ; 
 ; Norwood: But you’re a cast iron skillet.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, is that—Oh, I–I’ve never quite thought of myself that way, but—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: (continuing to laugh) Yeah, but hey—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —I will take the compliment. (turns back to Jonason)
 ; 
 ; Norwood: And the other thing I think you could give perspective on is how the
 ; military has grown since you’ve been here.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, absolutely. Uh, as–for women? Yes, absolutely. Uh, it was—we
 ; 
 ; were considered second class citizens back in 1966. Like I think I said
 ; previously, we were given the title of releasing a fighter–a fighting man, okay?
 ; And we were supposed to, uh—our jobs basically were to fill in where the men
 ; would have to leave and we would fill in and take their jobs. So, it was—it’s
 ; different today. Women join the military exactly the reason that men do. They
 ; want the—They want to do something for their country, number one. I can’t speak
 ; for all of them, but yes. I think they—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —they have the same honor and privileges that they–you–this country
 ; offers their military. So, yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: If you had a message for a young Marine today, what would it be?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Whoa! (Jonason laughs)
 ; 
 ; Um, I really wouldn’t have a message for them. It—Number one, I believe it’s
 ; something that they—nowadays—let me put it this way. Nowadays, I think both men
 ; and women join the military because they want t–to, because it offers them
 ; something that they desire. Back in the day of, say, 1966, uh, men were drafted.
 ; Okay? And women were second class citizens. But they did it anyways, (shrugs)
 ; whatever their purpose—for their country ; for themselves ; for their family. So,
 ; times have changed.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay! Well, thank you very much.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: You’re very welcome.
 ; 
 ; (the video then stops and starts, and cuts off the beginning portion of what
 ; Leslee Roberts is saying, but she continues speaking, turning to Cortellini now:)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —San Diego people. Or we could become Poway people living in San
 ; 
 ; Diego.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: Mm. Okay. And that, I can’t tell you how huge that is to the
 ; education—well, this is not necessar—this is going off on a tangent—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No, no. It had a–had a big—yes. Because—
 ; 
 ; Norwood: It did!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: just a community—
 ; 
 ; Norwood: It did.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Mira Mesa, down the road is San Diego.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: So, we were given a choice, and we made it. And we made the Poway
 ; U—part, we helped make Poway Unified School what they are.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: That right there tells—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Is key.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —what this woman is about. So, to–I–just—and—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I never thought about it, but—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: (inaudible due to Jonason asking a further question)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: So, you’re saying that there was no Poway schools when you—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Poway, yes. Poway had their own little, uh—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: No, it wasn’t.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —They didn’t even have a high—They—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: They didn’t have a—They were not a unified school district until late—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No, they weren’t. Until much later.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: But, did–did they have a school?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh yes. They had several, um, elementary schools. What was that? (turns
 ; from Jonason to Cortellini) They had Poway High—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: They had one—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: — and one middle school.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —one middle school.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: And they, and they were—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (turns to Jonason) Midland. Yeah, it was Midland. (holds up her left hand)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: They were part of Escondido. They weren’t really in their s–unified
 ; school district,—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No, they weren’t considered—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: but they were—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: But they—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It was—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: And then we had (inaudible)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It was–Actually, it was–it was considered—it was kind of a country town.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It was just this country little, country city. They were themselves,
 ; okay? And, um, they did have schools for their kids and whatnot. But that was
 ; very small, very limited. I can’t even begin to tell you—Even now, there’s only
 ; one main—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Okay. I’m st—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —road, going through Poway, and it’ll always be the main th–main road
 ; through Poway because everyone built to the sidewalks! There’s no way of
 ; widening it. (Jonason laughs) There’s no way of expanding it. (Jonason clears
 ; her throat) It’s all the way up to, uh, Ramona, bay–basically.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: So, now, I’m going to the Poway Museum and the R.B. Museum to see
 ; what historical data is there, because based on more—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Now—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —info about the school district and how it came to be, because—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: See,
 ; 
 ; now Rancho Bernardo was—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —that is really—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Rancho Bernardo was always there. It was considered more—back in
 ; (lowers voice) those (back to speaking voice) days, it was, uh, for seniors.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Seniors.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It was more of a senior place.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: It was a community planned—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: And um, yes.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: And, uh, they did attend, those that were–that lived in, say, Rancho
 ; Bernardo. They did attend the Poway school. Okay? Those were the—That was the
 ; only school district around. San Diego was a little far ou– far away for them.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: But–but it wasn’t even a formed Unified School District in the early 70s.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Till much later. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Okay. And then, also, um, you’re–you’re being modest. You haven’t
 ; been asked to write your history, so I get it.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (turns to Jonason and shrugs)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: But just sitting here, I’m thinking of how you guys fought for the
 ; community center,—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, yeah.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —the pool that you swim in.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: You know? All the things—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: And what happened with the community center?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It was a—We wanted it. They made it. Um, (sighs) how do I say it? It–it
 ; wa–I guess—it
 ; 
 ; wasn’t—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: The city—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —exactly a community—how–how–what would you call the pool, ‘cuz I’ve
 ; been going there for twenty years.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Yeah. It was a community center.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: It was.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Um, and the city decided to change—all that nastiness out of my
 ; mouth real quick—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: You can say it. I–my ears are used to it. (Jonason chuckles)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Then, um, this—When the city decided that to change their Charter
 ; and a lot of their zoning and who they were going to support or–or–in–like–They
 ; were no longer going to have a senior center. Okay? And they were—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —no longer going to have a community pool. But the community rallied—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: But it was considered growing, and they wanted to grow into something
 ; besides Poway which we kind of fought for.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: And, yet, they didn’t want to bring in a Y.M.C.A. They wanted to be—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —their own thing and have it be bigger. But it’s just not what the
 ; people wanted at the time.
 ; 
 ; So, these ladies were part of the movement.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Well, back then, yeah, we kind of steadfast and we voted.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: How were you—How old were your kids at that time?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh they were—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Oh, this was only like ten years ago.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yeah. Well—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: But–but I—but I’ve only known you for maybe ten—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Sss—Yeah. Bu–bu–well, when they started building schools—This was the
 ; thing that–that we fought for. Number one was technically, technically I live in
 ; San Diego. Okay? But Poway is our school district. Poway is our hospitals. Poway
 ; is, you know, all the stuff that makes a city a city. We were able to stay in
 ; that group, and—well, Rancho Bernardo, too. But we—whereas just down the road
 ; about three or four miles, we have San Diego, Mira Mesa,
 ; 
 ; some of the other ones.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: It’s very—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: They’re all San Diego, so they have to follow the San Diego taxes, the
 ; San Diego whatever, whatever.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Well, we do too.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No, no, I know. But I’m trying to think of things.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: It’s very convoluted up where we are. It took me a while to wrap my
 ; head around—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Everything.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: —how in the world could we be part of Poway Unified when we’re a San
 ; Di—city of San Diego address. It was really complex.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: We—But we kind of fought for that. In fact, I can remember Mount Carmel—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Well, I’m grateful (chuckles)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: —Mount Carmel wa—uh, all the kids in my–in our area went to Poway High,
 ; went to Midland Junior High, okay? S–and–and the elementary school. And my kids
 ; started off at Me–Meadowbrook. Meadowbrook? (looks toward Jonason)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Whatever, for kindergarten through ninth, (Jonason coughs) or whatever
 ; it was, until we fought for our own schools (Jonason coughs) and our own area.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Hhm, that’s interesting.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: So, I mean, yeah. I can remember when they built
 ; 
 ; the high school.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Do you?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Carmel Mountain.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: You’re a legend in my community, girl.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (laughs) I don’t know about that, but— (Jonason laughs) we
 ; didn’t—Poway, um, was recognized as having a very good school system, okay? Or,
 ; whatever. And we wanted to continue with what Poway was giving to our students.
 ; Where San Diego was—I mean, look at San Diego. San Diego is a huge place, and
 ; it’s gotten huger, so—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Is Poway considered part of North County?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes. So—
 ; 
 ; Norwood: And, for many, many, many, many, many years, Rancho Bernardo, where I
 ; live—She lives in Poway, but sh–very close to R.B., um, but she’s not affected
 ; like we are because she’s in Poway. So, R.B. is the farthest north of San Diego.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: San Diego, yep (nodding).
 ; 
 ; Norwood: She is right
 ; 
 ; beneath us.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: On the edge, Mm-hmm.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: We are North County and we are–don’t—We have to fight for the city of
 ; San Diego to fix our streets, to—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: To do whatever.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: To–to do whatever we need—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Right.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: —because we’re so far north. They forget about us. They’ll take our tax revenue—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, they do take that!
 ; 
 ; Norwood: —but they’ll forget about us, which is one of–just one of many reasons
 ; why we wanted to integrate into our own sch–school system up there.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, no. I—
 ; 
 ; Norwood: Because it was so small, we could be more vocal. We could give more
 ; input into a smaller school district versus being a part of San Diego.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Well, parents were included. You were invited to come to the–to the
 ; school board meetings. You were, you know what I mean? You were invited to
 ; participate in becoming a school board member—I mean—so, you were part of it.
 ; Where as far as San Diego is concerned, which is—like I said—just five miles
 ; down the road, um, they were totally into, uh,
 ; 
 ; San Diego, (shrugs) Mira Mesa and all the ones around there now. So— (shrugs)
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Aah, we did that a bit, I guess. I don’t— (laughs) We fought for it.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Well, it sounds like you’re a very active person in your community.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Uh, (sighs, shaking her head), that was a long time ago. This old lady
 ; has settled in. (she and Jonason laugh) I’m not as active as I used to be.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: I just wanted to say. You know, when I first met Leslee, before I
 ; knew she was a Marine, over time, I started calling her “our fearless leader”
 ; (Roberts and Jonason laugh) at the pool, because she had this wonderful way of
 ; recruiting more people and she—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I had a mouth!
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: She singlehandedly—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: It’s a good thing!
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: She–but she s—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: When I don’t agree with you, you’re gonna hear about it. (all laugh)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: She’s still humble about it. But, she singlehandedly turned a water
 ; aerobics, or water exercise class into a family. That’s how we became friends.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yes.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Oh.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: She roped me in, and she writes–ropes in everybody!
 ; 
 ; (laughs)
 ; 
 ; Norwood: Yes. She makes you feel wanted.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: She makes you feel like a family, and then makes everyone feels
 ; welcome, and now, they—you wouldn’t believe the size of our water aerobics.
 ; We’re up to forty-plus people (somewhat unintelligible, faint voice, and there
 ; is background traffic noise)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I know.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: And that’s the summer.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Well, I think we have around, about thirty permanent, you know, oldies
 ; but goodies.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: That’s—but that’s also—
 ; 
 ; Norwood: (can’t distinguish what she says, due to crosstalk)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: In the summertime.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Seriously. I give you credit for that, and you really—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Oh, not totally. There were—
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: But, she’s—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Look at Doreen,
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: And see, that’s where
 ; 
 ; Norwood: (unintelligible, due to crosstalk)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Doreen.
 ; 
 ; (Norwood and Cortellini crosstalk ; unintelligible)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Yeah. It wasn’t just me.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: (first few words unintelligible) incorporated those values, a team and—
 ; 
 ; Jonason: You feel that? Do you feel that the Marine Corps has helped you be
 ; organized and get people together?
 ; 
 ; Roberts: I never thought about it, ‘cuz I was always a mouth.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Well, but—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: Why do you think they kicked me out of the Sisterhood.
 ; 
 ; Jonason: Because you needed to be a Marine. (laughs)
 ; 
 ; Roberts: No. Because I didn’t fit in. (laughs)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: What did we go to the Mayor’s office for?
 ; 
 ; Norwood: Oh, that was film week again. (next few words unintelligible)
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Okay.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (nodding) Yeah.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: Still! Still!
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: Leslee has—I know—Leslee has been an advocate for myself,
 ; 
 ; my project, my books. She—
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (to Jonason) Like I said, I’m a mouth.
 ; 
 ; Cortellini: She has shared my books with everybody.
 ; 
 ; Roberts: (to Jonason) And sometimes, if you’re loud enough, people just don’t
 ; say no to you.
 ; 
 ; Norwood: I called her my agent there—she still is my agent (rest of sentence is unintelligible).
 ; 
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Title
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Roberts, Leslee K. Interview November 11, 2022.
Description
An account of the resource
An oral history interview with Leslee K. Roberts, a Marine Corps veteran, who shares her experiences growing up in Ohio, deciding not to become a nun and choosing to leave Ohio by joining the U.S. Marine Corps. She discusses some military regulations, meeting and marrying her husband, and her various homes in North County. She talks about her involvement and support of the Poway community as well as Poway’s early development.
Identifier
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SC027-23
Subject
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Camp Pendleton (Calif.)
Korean War, 1950-1953
Switchboard operators
United States. Marine Corps
Veterans -- United States
Women marines
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2022-11-23
Format
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video
Creator
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Leslee K. Roberts
Contributor
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Faye A. Jonason
Maryellen Cortellini
Terry Norwood
Coverage
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Poway (Calif.)
Publisher
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California State University San Marcos University Library
Language
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English
Rights Holder
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Leslee K. Roberts
Rights
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<a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In copyright</a>
Community history
North County Oral History Initiative
Veteran experience
Women's experience
-
https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/a4eab2eb7098e5cb2da2844a583b4393.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
Transcript created March 31, 2023
Transcript
Faye Jonason: Good afternoon. It is November 29th, 2002―22, and we are at the Marine Corps
Mechanized Museum. And I am interviewing―my name is Faye Jonason and I’m interviewing
Leslee Roberts, and we’re doing this for CSU San Marcos’s Program for Oral History and for
Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton’s Oral History Archives. So, thank you for being here.
Leslee Roberts: My pleasure.
Jonason: And I’m going to ask you your name—your full name—and for you to spell your last
name, please.
Roberts: Yes. My name is Leslee Kaye Roberts. That’s R-O-B-E-R-T-S.
Jonason: And you were in the Marine Corps!
Roberts: Yes, ma’am.
Jonason: So, I’d like to know, very much, how you came about the decision and how you came
to the Marine Corps.
Roberts: (sighs) That’s a bit of a story. Um, number one, I have a―I had a brother and it was his
dream to become a Marine. He was about four years younger than I and that’s all he ever talked
about. Number one. That was not originally my ambition. I joined the Sisters of Charity to
become a nun and that did not work out too well. I’m very independent individual, had hard time
conforming. So, I was told that I would not fit with the Sisters of Charity. So, I left.
Jonason: Now this was in Cleveland?
Roberts: This was in Cleveland. Uh, like I was, uh, in my twenties, and I had no job, and I
bounced around for a while, and my brother—bless his heart—kept telling me “Join the Marine
Corps. Join the Marine Corps.” It was something that he had desired and something that he
worked at for—all through his high school years. He even knew the, um, recruiter, okay? So, he
introduced me to the recruiter and the young man convinced me that—what–what’s three
years—okay? So, at the time I was doing nothing, and I said, all right. And I put my hand in the
air and I became a Marine.
Jonason: (laughs) What did your family think about that?
Roberts: They weren’t too happy. My mom—she always went along with whatever decision I
made, within reason. My dad took it very hard. It was during the Vietnam War, and he even laid
his head in my lap and cried, “Please don’t do this!” But it was too late. I already had my hand in
the air and I belonged to the United States of America.
1
�Jonason: (chuckles) Okay. So, what happened next?
Roberts: I went to bootcamp!
Jonason: Where?
Roberts: Parris Island, and spent a good s–almost eight weeks—I guess it was—in training.
Jonason: What did they train you to do?
Roberts: To be honest, as I kind of mentioned here before, um, the whole idea of boot camp
wasn’t any different than becoming a sister for Sisters of Charity. (Jonason laughs) The whole
idea of both institutions was to take my personality, take me (points to herself) away and to think
as one individual. I was not allowed to have individual thoughts or ideas. And the Marine Corps
was basically the same. You were to think as one unit and not as a person, but as one unit.
Jonason: And so, you’re training―
Roberts: In–in the Marine Corps? Boot camp is basically the same. There was a lot of, uh, book
learning to learn whatever. There was a lot of marching, learning to follow rules. Um, I don’t
know if I can be any more specific than that.
Jonason: Did they teach—you know—I know the Marine Corps taught makeup to some women.
Roberts: (shaking her head) No. I was never taught about makeup.
Jonason: You were—you weren’t taught ―
Roberts: You weren’t even allowed to wear makeup.
Jonason: (clears her throat) Okay.
Roberts: Okay? The—one of the things I remember the most is your hair had to be short. It could
touch the collar (points to her collarbone) but not cover the collar. But, again, I didn’t follow
those rules and I got away with it.
Jonason: Hm.
Roberts: (sighs) I have a hard time conforming, still do.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: The rule was it could not—it could–it could touch but not cover, you know, the–the
collar (gestures to her shoulder area). So, all I did was wear it up. And as long as I got up every
day before Reveille was called, I made sure my hair was up and I had eyebrows on, because you
weren’t allowed to wear make up either.
Jonason: Oh. (laughs)
Roberts: (shrugs) So―
Jonason: So, you got your training in Parris Island.
2
�Roberts: Yes.
Jonason: And then what happened? Where did you go after that?
Roberts: Uh, I was given leave, for two weeks and I—while I was in boot camp, I had choices. I
didn’t necessarily—I wouldn’t necessarily get those choices. But, I asked for San Diego,
California. And I got California! (she smiles)
Jonason: And why did you ask for San Diego, California?
Roberts: Because I’d never been out of Ohio.
Jonason: Oh, okay. And did they say―I guess they sent you to San Diego.
Roberts: They did, all the way to Camp Pendleton.
Jonason: Okay. And what year was that? Do you know?
Roberts: I believe it was ’66, ’67, yeah.
Jonason: Okay. And how–how were you assigned your job?
Roberts: Uh, (sighs) that’s a good question. I assumed my job—Number one, I was a bit of older
recruit, okay? And I had experience in working—
Jonason: You said you were in your twenties.
Roberts: I was around twenty-four.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: So, that made me a little bit older than most recruits coming in. They were eighteen,
nineteen—
Jonason: Oh!
Roberts: —years old. Because I had the experience, they took that experience and they gave me
an M.O.S., which was forty-one eleven, which was an Exchange person accou–accountant and
Commissary accountant.
Jonason: And you say you also did some kind of interviewing or training other Marines.
Roberts: When I got into working for—in the Exchange—I did—I interviewed people to work in
the Exchange, okay?
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: And hired them. I worked in Personnel.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: And handled most stuff regarding that.
Jonason: And how long did you do that?
3
�Roberts: For the three years that I was in.
Jonason: And what do you remember best about your time at Camp Pendleton during that time.
Roberts: I met my husband.
Jonason: Ah! (chuckles) And how did you meet your husband?
Roberts: He also worked in the Exchange. Of course, he was higher up than I was. And, he ran
his own store. And, um, at times I was a switchboard―I would work the switchboard and relieve
at lunch time. And we got to communicating on the switchboard, and he finally come over and
introduced himself.
Jonason: Oh!
Roberts: And I don’t have to tell you, from that point on, we clicked!
Jonason: Okay. Tell me about your switchboard work, because that doesn’t exist anymore, does
it?
Roberts: No―
Jonason: What was that like?
Roberts: ―not that I know of. Um, I enjoyed it, okay? It was work that I also did at the hospital
when I worked for the Salvation Army [unintelligible]. And um, so because I had that experience
it was on my record, so to speak. And when I went to work for the Exchange, I kind of relieved
people. I worked in the office. We were all in the same facility. And I would relieve them for
lunch, or if someone called in sick, or whatever, so―
Jonason: How does the―most―myself, I have never run a switchboard.
Roberts: Yes.
Jonason: How would I go about doing that?
Roberts: Oh, that’s kind of hard to say! (laughs) And that’s—you know—a switchboard! Um, it
was just another way of communicating from phone to phone within the offices. And each phone
had a number, and there was a number on the board, and there were the cords that you would
plug in outside or you could plug them into each other.
Jonason: Oh, okay.
Roberts: Mm-hmm.
Jonason: So, it’s like something you―like—I’m trying to think of what they’re called.
Roberts: I can’t think of anything at this time that would―I could compare it to, except if you
had a–a phone with buttons, you know.
Jonason: Yeah. Okay.
4
�Roberts: You just plugged them in!
Jonason: Interesting, interesting. And so, you were here for three years and what were your
uniforms that you were required to wear while you were working and while you were doing
other―
Roberts: I always was in uniform.
Jonason: Which was?
Roberts: Summertime, wintertime. I worked with the uniform.
Jonason: What―
Roberts: I was in the Marine Corps.
Jonason: —what kind of uniform?
Roberts: In the summertime, we had a–a light uniform, fit for the weather. In the winter, we had
a much heavier, darker-colored uniform.
Jonason: Okay. And you always had to wear a cover outside?
Roberts: Outside, always.
Jonason: Okay. Is there anything about that work experience that you would like to tell us about?
Roberts: Oh, you got to meet a lot of people!
Jonason: Yeah?
Roberts: Always. And uh, it was always—it was a bit fun, in a way, because you could for
months communicate with an individual and talk and say, “How was your day?” and “Oh, I just
had a baby,” or whatever, okay? And never, ever see their faces.
Jonason: Uh, (chuckles) okay.
Roberts: So, that was kind of different. Yes. And it was always a fun experience when they were
able to come and say “Hi, I’m so-and-so. I work for―” whatever.
Jonason: So, were there civilians that came in and shopped where you were?
Roberts: Uh, absolutely! I mean, this was a Commissar―uh, well, at the time it was an Exchange,
the Military Exchange. And of course, all civilians, troops―
Jonason: Their families.
Roberts: Their families, absolutely. Yeah.
Jonason: Were there any special events that associated with your–your work?
Roberts: Can you be more specific?
Jonason: Did they hold any special events at—I guess—at the exchange.
5
�Roberts: No. We–we celebrated the Marine Corps birthday, uh―
Jonason: Did they close down the store? Did you have spe―I mean, what did they do for that?
(clears her throat)
Roberts: Bec–being civilian, not a lot, okay? Because not only the military shopped there; their
families did, which was not military, okay? Um, the―we would be closed on holidays. And, we
were just like any outside, whether you were working at Target or J.C. Penny or whatever.
Jonason: Okay. Um―
(A second interviewer, Maryellen Cortellini, seems to be asking Leslee a question, because
Leslee looks to her right, away from Faye.)
Cortellini: (less audible) Where did you live when you first got to Camp Pendleton?
Roberts: I didn’t hear the question.
Jonason: Excuse me. What was the question? (It sounds as though Jonason turns to ask the
Cortellini to repeat the question.)
Cortellini: Where did she live?
Jonason: Oh, where did you live when you first came to Camp Pendleton?
Roberts: I lived in the W.M., Women Marine’s barracks. Um, it was not my cup of tea. And
when I was able, I moved off base. It wasn’t quite, um, legal, but I did. I had a― (sighs) there
was a―I can’t remember her rank. I think she was a Staff Sergeant, and she was being transferred
to, um, Virginia, and she had pets, and she knew I did not like living in the barracks with a bunch
of teenagers. So, she offered me her home if I would take care of her pets! And—
Jonason: Oh!
Roberts: —I moved off base, oh, within eight months or so and lived in Carlsbad.
Jonason: Oh!
Roberts: And took care of her home and her pets.
Jonason: So, how long had you stayed in the Women Marine barracks themselves?
Roberts: Uh, actually, it wasn’t even a full year.
Jonason: Okay. And these were wooden buildings?
Roberts: No. At the―these were new barracks that they had just recently built.
Jonason: So, they were, what, squad based?
Roberts: Squad based! Mm-hmm.
Jonason: How many―
6
�Roberts: A great big―
Jonason: ―bunks?
Roberts: Well, I think we had about twenty in the squad bay I lived in. And you were judged—
you were put in the squad bay according to your rank.
Jonason: And so, you’re–you’re one bunk above and below?
Roberts: Exactly.
Jonason: And you were required to keep them a certain way.
Roberts: Absolutely.
Jonason: Regulation.
Roberts: You had–you had, um, I can’t remember the exact term. Forgive me.
Jonason: Junk on the bunk?
Roberts: No, uh―
Jonason: (laughs) That’s what I was told.
Roberts: We―well, not then! We had to maintain and keep them clean, okay? And so, it was a–a
group thing that was done once a week, no matter what your rank was. You were required, you
know. Wash floors, windows, whatever.
Jonason: Did you also do other things besides your job in maintaining the–the barracks? Did
you―
Roberts: Oh! Had a good time! (both she and Jonason chuckle)
Jonason: Well, you did more than that, I know! (Roberts laughs) Did they have you do—picking
up around the barracks, and―
Roberts: Uh―
Jonason: ―all that kind of stuff?
Roberts: Yes. We had, um, um―
Jonason: Field day?
Roberts: Outside to maintain the—you know—the grass, and the bushes and whatever. Yes, that
was also part of our requirement. We were to treat it like it was our home. And we would do
those things if we were within our own home. So.
Jonason: Had you ever gone to the Green Hat Club?
Roberts: No. The Green Hat Club was after me.
7
�Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: Okay? I’m not sure what year. Yes, there were a lot of, uh–uh, what do you call them,
um―
Cortellini: [inaudible]
Roberts: —officers clubs. There were different clubs for different rank and of course I was a
peon, so I―till I made sergeant, but yes.
Jonason: How did ch–becoming sergeant change your life?
Roberts: It gave―it made me more independent. I didn’t have to follow some of the rules and
regulations.
Jonason: So, did you live―you said you lived in the barracks about a year. So, you lived in the–
in the Staff Sergeant’s house about two?
Roberts: About two years. Yes.
Jonason: Okay. And then what did―
Roberts: Not legally, but I did. (both she and Jonason laugh.)
Jonason: Well, nowadays, you’d get permissions or something. Yeah.
Roberts: I’m not sure (smiles wide).
Jonason: (laughs) Um, is there any other part of that work that you’d like to share with us?
Roberts: As far as the military is concerned?
Jonason: Mm-hmm.
Roberts: In a way, um, it was―I think once I left the military, I was more conscious of my
responsibility when I was in the Marine Corps.
Jonason: Oh!
Roberts: The motto of a W.M., which we were called—Women Marines—was to release a
fighting man. And of course, it was during the Vietnam War, and it was a difficult time for the
United States and for everyone. So, I didn’t think about it a lot but once I left the military, I
realized what my job was or had been, to help win that war.
Jonason: You–you appreciated it more?
Roberts: Much more.
Jonason: And so, then when you left you got married?
Roberts: Yes, I did.
Jonason: And where did you go?
8
�Roberts: In fact, I don’t know. I don’t remember all the times, but my husband who was
stationed here at Camp Pendleton and his career was basically here, okay? He was a Gunnery
Sergeant and he owned a home in Oceanside. And so, when we—naturally when we got married,
I moved into his home in Oceanside.
Jonason: And how long did you stay there?
Roberts: (sighs) Uh, quite a few years. We didn’t move out—I guess I was there at least five
years, at least five years, and then we bought a home elsewhere in San Diego. He retired.
Jonason: Why did you like San Diego?
Roberts: He liked San Diego.
Jonason: Did you?
Roberts: Yes, I guess so. My children were born here. It became my home. Uh, yes. Yes. I liked
it.
Jonason: Did you work outside the home once you were married?
Roberts: I did, but not until my children got a little older. I actually went to work for the Marine
Corps Exchange. (both she and Jonason laugh)
Jonason: Okay. And how long did you do that?
Roberts: Uh, now you’re asking a question you have to think about. It was a few years.
Jonason: Yeah?
Roberts: I would say five or six years. Yeah.
Jonason: Okay. Well, that’s good.
Cortellini: What was the Marine Corps reaction to your announcement that you wanted to get
married?
Roberts: I–I—
Jonason: Oh, you said—Yeah!—How did you―when you decided to get married, there were
regulations that you had to jump through before you could do that.
Roberts: [chuckles] Yes.
Jonason: Both you and your husband.
Roberts: Being―being a–a low rank, number one, and being a woman Marine, I had to ask
permission from my C.O., the sergeant in charge, and—which I had to do. Uh, between you and
me, I did it because it was considered one of my responsibilities. Otherwise, I thought it was a
silly rule.
Jonason: [chuckles] And your husband had to do the same thing, right?
9
�Roberts: Well, he did. He did. And my―for me, he did it for me. Not so much for himself. He’d
been married before. His first wife had passed. So, um, he was a–a bit youn–older than I am or
was. And um, so no he didn’t. But, he did, for me. Yes.
Jonason: He asked permission for you.
Roberts: Right. We went together.
Jonason: Oh! Very interesting. And were there any other situa―parts of that that were required?
Roberts: No, because when we married, there–there was no problem. But because of our age,
okay, we wanted a family. And the–the motto of the Marine Corps was if we wanted you to have
a child, we’d issued you one.
Jonason: I see.
Roberts: So, as soon as I became pregnant, I was automatically dis–discharged.
Jonason: (coughs) Excuse me.
Roberts: I got an honorable discharge, but, yes.
Jonason: Huh.
Roberts: So, that’s how I left.
Jonason: Interesting. And were you―after you were married, you moved into his house. Were
you still a Marine at that poin–time?
Roberts: Yes.
Jonason: I’m trying to clarify that.
Roberts: Uh, until I became―
Jonason: Pregnant.
Roberts: ―pregnant. Yes.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: Mm-hmm.
Jonason: Okay. (
Roberts: We lived there for two children.
Jonason: (chuckles)
Roberts: He retired. He went to work for the Post Office and we moved into San Diego area.
Terry Norwood: Where were your children—(barely audible) first and second—born?
Roberts: Camp Pendleton, at the old hospital.
10
�Jonason: Because he was still in the military? Or―
Roberts: No. We were―because he was what is considered a lifer, someone who put in twentytwo years of his life. He continued to have privileges—
Jonason: Ah.
Roberts: —military privileges.
Jonason: So, he wasn’t in the Corps still, when they were born?
Roberts: No.
Jonason: And what did he do?
Roberts: My husband went to work for the U.S. Post Office.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: Mm-hmm. He took the test and passed and–and continued to work there for thirty years.
Jonason: Wonderful!
Roberts: Mm-hmm.
Jonason: And I understand that you’re still living in San Diego area.
Roberts: Uh, actually I live in the same house.
Jonason: (chuckles) Oh, my goodness!
Roberts: Live in the same house. We bought a new home outside of Poway and I’ve lived there
ever since. I think it was 1972, or something like that.
Jonason: Wow! You must like it there.
Roberts: It’s paid for! (she chuckles and Jonason laughs) For sure!
Jonason: Are there parts of the community that you enjoy more than others?
Roberts: In–in San Diego? San Diego?—
Jonason: In Poway, San Diego County.
Roberts: Uh, you know, I had two other children born there, and, um, it—number one, it was
very new. We were one of the first housing developments in the area. So, basically, I watched it
grow (raises her hands to indicate something growing) into this huge community. And, um, I felt
like it was home. And yes, I do. I like it there. I can’t think of any place else.
Jonason: Yes.
Norwood: (unintelligible, but sounds like “Chopped Liver”)
11
�Roberts: Uh, I’m not sure. A pool, oh (shrugs)—as far as activities—(looking at Cortellini) is
that–is that what we’re talking about? Okay—
Norwood: What do you like about the community?
Roberts: Oh! I did—yes, I’m talking about the beginning of living in the community and why I
stayed there. Uh, I’m very active. Well, I won’t say active but I have a lot of activities within the
community since I’ve lived there. So— I like to swim and do water aerobics, and—
Jonason: This is a community pool, I take it? Or—
Roberts: Yes, it is. Number one, I–I got to watch the community grow. Like I said, we were one
of the first developments in the area, housing developments, and so I got to watch it grow.
Jonason: There must be a story about being one of the first of the development. Was there—
Roberts: No—
Jonason: —an event or something?
Roberts: —number one, now you want me to be silly? It was a ch—
Jonason: No. (laughs)
Roberts: Oh, okay. (laughs also) No, it was just a very new community and it was fun greeting
all the new people and watching different developments grow, watching schools being built and
my children being able to go to those schools. I know—
Jonason: Did you get to pick specific flooring and that type of thing in your house wh—at that
time? Was that something that—
Roberts: Pretty much.
Jonason: —Yeah?
Roberts: Pretty much so. Yes.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: I mean, the house was built and then I did what I wanted to the inside of it (smiles wide)
and outside, of course.
Jonason: But that wasn’t with the builder, though. That was on your own, right?
Roberts: That was on my own.
Jonason: Interesting. Okay.
Roberts: Yes.
Jonason: (apparently she turns to Cortellini) Are there other questions that you would like to see
asked?
12
�Cortellini: Um, it would be nice if she (rest of question is inaudible, but seems to be talking
about entering something into a document)
Jonason: Well, we’ll have that in the–in the file. Um—
Cortellini: Just the fact that she [Cortellini clarification: left her close-knit family and friends,
and her small town of Eastlake, Ohio to travel all the way to South Carolina to enlist in Marine
Corps bootcamp. How brave and courageous as a young woman to make that monumental
decision.]
Roberts: (turning her head from Cortellini back to Jonason, smiling) She does—
Jonason: Well, I think she–she went in from the frying pan into the fire—
Roberts: The fire.
Jonason: —didn’t you! (laughs)
Roberts: Amen! (laughs also)
Norwood: But she’s a cast iron skillet.
Roberts: (turning to Norwood): Pardon me?
Norwood: But you’re a cast iron skillet.
Roberts: Oh, is that—Oh, I–I’ve never quite thought of myself that way, but—
Jonason: (continuing to laugh) Yeah, but hey—
Roberts: —I will take the compliment. (turns back to Jonason)
Norwood: And the other thing I think you could give perspective on is how the military has
grown since you’ve been here.
Roberts: Oh, absolutely. Uh, as–for women? Yes, absolutely. Uh, it was—we were considered
second class citizens back in 1966. Like I think I said previously, we were given the title of
releasing a fighter–a fighting man, okay? And we were supposed to, uh—our jobs basically were
to fill in where the men would have to leave and we would fill in and take their jobs. So, it was—
it’s different today. Women join the military exactly the reason that men do. They want the—
They want to do something for their country, number one. I can’t speak for all of them, but yes. I
think they—
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: —they have the same honor and privileges that they–you–this country offers their
military. So, yes.
Jonason: If you had a message for a young Marine today, what would it be?
Roberts: Whoa! (Jonason laughs) Um, I really wouldn’t have a message for them. It—Number
one, I believe it’s something that they—nowadays—let me put it this way. Nowadays, I think
13
�both men and women join the military because they want t–to, because it offers them something
that they desire. Back in the day of, say, 1966, uh, men were drafted. Okay? And women were
second class citizens. But they did it anyways, (shrugs) whatever their purpose—for their
country; for themselves; for their family. So, times have changed.
Jonason: Okay! Well, thank you very much.
Roberts: You’re very welcome.
[the video then stops and starts, and cuts off the beginning portion of what Leslee Roberts is
saying, but she continues speaking, turning to Cortellini now:]
Roberts: —[San Di]ego people. Or we could become Poway people living in San Diego.
Norwood: Mm. Okay. And that, I can’t tell you how huge that is to the education—well, this is
not necessar—this is going off on a tangent—
Roberts: No, no. It had a–had a big—yes. Because—
Norwood: It did!
Roberts: just a community—
Norwood: It did.
Roberts: Mira Mesa, down the road is San Diego.
Norwood: Yeah.
Roberts: So, we were given a choice, and we made it. And we made the Poway U—part, we
helped make Poway Unified School what they are.
Norwood: That right there tells—
Jonason: Is key.
Cortellini: —what this woman is about. So, to–I–just—and—
Roberts: I never thought about it, but—
Cortellini: (inaudible due to Jonason asking a further question)
Jonason: So, you’re saying that there was no Poway schools when you—
Roberts: Poway, yes. Poway had their own little, uh—
Cortellini: No, it wasn’t.
Roberts: —They didn’t even have a high—They—
Cortellini: They didn’t have a—They were not a unified school district until late—
Roberts: No, they weren’t. Until much later.
14
�Jonason: But, did–did they have a school?
Roberts: Oh yes. They had several, um, elementary schools. What was that? (turns from Jonason
to Cortellini) They had Poway High—
Cortellini: They had one—
Roberts: — and one middle school.
Cortellini: —Mm-hmm.
Roberts: —one middle school.
Cortellini: And they, and they were—
Roberts: (turns to Jonason) Midland. Yeah, it was Midland. (holds up her left hand)
Cortellini: They were part of Escondido. They weren’t really in their s–unified school district,—
Roberts: No, they weren’t considered—
Cortellini: but they were—
Roberts: No.
Cortellini: But they—
Roberts: It was—
Cortellini: And then we had [inaudible]
Roberts: It was–Actually, it was–it was considered—it was kind of a country town.
Cortellini: Yes.
Roberts: It was just this country little, country city. They were themselves, okay? And, um, they
did have schools for their kids and whatnot. But that was very small, very limited. I can’t even
begin to tell you—Even now, there’s only one main—
Cortellini: Okay. I’m st—
Roberts: —road, going through Poway, and it’ll always be the main th–main road through Poway
because everyone built to the sidewalks! There’s no way of widening it. (Jonason laughs)
There’s no way of expanding it. (Jonason clears her throat) It’s all the way up to, uh, Ramona,
bay–basically.
Cortellini: So, now, I’m going to the Poway Museum and the R.B. Museum to see what
historical data is there, because based on more—
Roberts: Now—
Cortellini: —info about the school district and how it came to be, because—
Roberts: See, now Rancho Bernardo was—
15
�Cortellini: —that is really—
Roberts: Rancho Bernardo was always there. It was considered more—back in (lowers voice)
those (back to speaking voice) days, it was, uh, for seniors.
Cortellini: Seniors.
Roberts: It was more of a senior place.
Cortellini: It was a community planned—
Roberts: And um, yes.
Cortellini: Yeah.
Roberts: And, uh, they did attend, those that were–that lived in, say, Rancho Bernardo. They did
attend the Poway school. Okay? Those were the—That was the only school district around. San
Diego was a little far ou– far away for them.
Cortellini: But–but it wasn’t even a formed Unified School District in the early 70s.
Roberts: Till much later. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So—
Cortellini: Okay. And then, also, um, you’re–you’re being modest. You haven’t been asked to
write your history, so I get it.
Roberts: (turns to Jonason and shrugs)
Cortellini: But just sitting here, I’m thinking of how you guys fought for the community
center,—
Roberts: Oh, yeah.
Cortellini: —the pool that you swim in.
Roberts: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
Cortellini: You know? All the things—
Jonason: And what happened with the community center?
Roberts: It was a—We wanted it. They made it. Um, (sighs) how do I say it? It–it wa–I guess—it
wasn’t—
Cortellini: The city—
Roberts: —exactly a community—how–how–what would you call the pool, ‘cuz I’ve been going
there for twenty years.
Cortellini: Yeah. It was a community center.
Roberts: It was.
Cortellini: Um, and the city decided to change—all that nastiness out of my mouth real quick—
16
�Roberts: You can say it. I–my ears are used to it. (Jonason chuckles)
Cortellini: Then, um, this—When the city decided that to change their Charter and a lot of their
zoning and who they were going to support or–or–in–like–They were no longer going to have a
senior center. Okay? And they were—
Jonason: Oh.
Cortellini: —no longer going to have a community pool. But the community rallied—
Roberts: But it was considered growing, and they wanted to grow into something besides Poway
which we kind of fought for.
Cortellini: And, yet, they didn’t want to bring in a Y.M.C.A. They wanted to be—
Roberts: No.
Cortellini: —their own thing and have it be bigger. But it’s just not what the people wanted at the
time. So, these ladies were part of the movement.
Roberts: Well, back then, yeah, we kind of steadfast and we voted.
Jonason: How were you—How old were your kids at that time?
Roberts: Oh they were—
Cortellini: Oh, this was only like ten years ago.
Roberts: Yeah. Well—
Cortellini: But–but I—but I’ve only known you for maybe ten—
Roberts: Sss—Yeah. Bu–bu–well, when they started building schools—This was the thing that–
that we fought for. Number one was technically, technically I live in San Diego. Okay? But
Poway is our school district. Poway is our hospitals. Poway is, you know, all the stuff that makes
a city a city. We were able to stay in that group, and—well, Rancho Bernardo, too. But we—
whereas just down the road about three or four miles, we have San Diego, Mira Mesa, some of
the other ones.
Cortellini: It’s very—
Roberts: They’re all San Diego, so they have to follow the San Diego taxes, the San Diego
whatever, whatever.
Cortellini: Well, we do too.
Roberts: No, no, I know. But I’m trying to think of things.
Cortellini: It’s very convoluted up where we are. It took me a while to wrap my head around—
Roberts: Everything.
17
�Cortellini: —how in the world could we be part of Poway Unified when we’re a San Di—city of
San Diego address. It was really complex.
Roberts: We—But we kind of fought for that. In fact, I can remember Mount Carmel—
Cortellini: Well, I’m grateful (chuckles)
Roberts: —Mount Carmel wa—uh, all the kids in my–in our area went to Poway High, went to
Midland Junior High, okay? S–and–and the elementary school. And my kids started off at Me–
Meadowbrook. Meadowbrook? (looks toward Jonason)
Cortellini: Yeah.
Roberts: Whatever, for kindergarten through ninth, (Jonason coughs) or whatever it was, until
we fought for our own schools (Jonason coughs) and our own area.
Cortellini: Hhm, that’s interesting.
Roberts: So, I mean, yeah. I can remember when they built the high school.
Cortellini: Do you?
Roberts: Carmel Mountain.
Cortellini: You’re a legend in my community, girl.
Roberts: (laughs) I don’t know about that, but— (Jonason laughs) we didn’t—Poway, um, was
recognized as having a very good school system, okay? Or, whatever. And we wanted to
continue with what Poway was giving to our students. Where San Diego was—I mean, look at
San Diego. San Diego is a huge place, and it’s gotten huger, so—
Jonason: Is Poway considered part of North County?
Roberts: Yes.
Jonason: Okay.
Roberts: Yes. So—
Norwood: And, for many, many, many, many, many years, Rancho Bernardo, where I live—She
lives in Poway, but sh–very close to R.B., um, but she’s not affected like we are because she’s in
Poway. So, R.B. is the farthest north of San Diego.
Roberts: San Diego, yep (nodding).
Norwood: She is right beneath us.
Roberts: On the edge, Mm-hmm.
Norwood: We are North County and we are–don’t—We have to fight for the city of San Diego
to fix our streets, to—
Roberts: To do whatever.
18
�Norwood: To–to do whatever we need—
Roberts: Right.
Norwood: —because we’re so far north. They forget about us. They’ll take our tax revenue—
Roberts: Oh, they do take that!
Norwood: —but they’ll forget about us, which is one of–just one of many reasons why we
wanted to integrate into our own sch–school system up there.
Roberts: Oh, no. I—
Norwood: Because it was so small, we could be more vocal. We could give more input into a
smaller school district versus being a part of San Diego.
Roberts: Well, parents were included. You were invited to come to the–to the school board
meetings. You were, you know what I mean? You were invited to participate in becoming a
school board member—I mean—so, you were part of it. Where as far as San Diego is concerned,
which is—like I said—just five miles down the road, um, they were totally into, uh, San Diego,
(shrugs) Mira Mesa and all the ones around there now. So— (shrugs)
Jonason: Yeah.
Roberts: Aah, we did that a bit, I guess. I don’t— (laughs) We fought for it.
Jonason: Well, it sounds like you’re a very active person in your community.
Cortellini: Yes.
Roberts: Uh, (sighs, shaking her head), that was a long time ago. This old lady has settled in.
(she and Jonason laugh) I’m not as active as I used to be.
Cortellini: I just wanted to say. You know, when I first met Leslee, before I knew she was a
Marine, over time, I started calling her “our fearless leader” (Roberts and Jonason laugh) at the
pool, because she had this wonderful way of recruiting more people and she—
Roberts: I had a mouth!
Cortellini: She singlehandedly—
Jonason: It’s a good thing!
Roberts: I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.
Cortellini: She–but she s—
Roberts: When I don’t agree with you, you’re gonna hear about it. (all laugh)
Cortellini: She’s still [Cortellini clarification: humble] about it. But, she singlehandedly turned a
water aerobics, or water exercise class into a family. That’s how we became friends.
Roberts: Yes.
19
�Jonason: Oh.
Cortellini: She roped me in, and she writes–ropes in everybody! (laughs)
Norwood: Yes. She makes you feel wanted.
Cortellini: She makes you feel like a family, and then makes everyone feels welcome, and now,
they—you wouldn’t believe the size of our water aerobics. We’re up to forty-plus people
(somewhat unintelligible, faint voice, and there is background traffic noise)
Roberts: I know.
Cortellini: And that’s the summer.
Roberts: Well, I think we have around, about thirty permanent, you know, oldies but goodies.
Cortellini: That’s—but that’s also—
Norwood: (can’t distinguish what she says, due to crosstalk)
Roberts: In the summertime.
Cortellini: Seriously. I give you credit for that, and you really—
Roberts: Oh, not totally. There were—
Cortellini: But, she’s—
Roberts: Look at Doreen,
Cortellini: And see, that’s where
Norwood: (unintelligible, due to crosstalk)
Roberts: Doreen.
(Norwood and Cortellini crosstalk; unintelligible)
Roberts: Yeah. It wasn’t just me.
Cortellini: (first few words unintelligible) incorporated those values, a team and—
Jonason: You feel that? Do you feel that the Marine Corps has helped you be organized and get
people together?
Roberts: I never thought about it, ‘cuz I was always a mouth.
Jonason: Well, but—
Roberts: Why do you think they kicked me out of the Sisterhood.
Jonason: Because you needed to be a Marine. (laughs)
Roberts: No. Because I didn’t fit in. (laughs)
20
�Cortellini: What did we go to the Mayor’s office for?
Norwood: Oh, that was film week again. (next few words unintelligible)
Cortellini: Okay.
Roberts: (nodding) Yeah.
Norwood: Still! Still!
Cortellini: Leslee has—I know—Leslee has been an advocate for myself, my project, my books.
She—
Roberts: (to Jonason) Like I said, I’m a mouth.
Cortellini: She has shared my books with everybody.
Roberts: (to Jonason) And sometimes, if you’re loud enough, people just don’t say no to you.
Norwood: I called her my agent there—she still is my agent (rest of sentence is unintelligible).
21
�GLOSSARY
Carmel Mountain (pg.18)
C.O. (pg.9)
Doreen (pg.20)
Green Hat Club (pg.7)
Gunnery Sergeant (pg.9)
Kingsley (pg.15)
Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton (pg.1)
Marine Corps Exchange (pg.9)
Marine Corps Mechanized Museum (pg.1)
Meadowbrook [CA] (pg.18)
Midland Junior High (pg.18)
M.O.S. (pg.3)
Mount Carmel (pg.17)
Parris Island (pg.2)
Poway High (pg.14)
Poway Museum (pg.15)
Poway Unified School [District] (pg.14)
Ramona [CA] (pg.15)
Rancho Bernardo (pg.16-19)
R.B. Museum (pg.15)
Reveille (pg.2)
Sisters of Charity (pg.1,2,20)
Staff Sergeant (pg.8)
W.M. (Women Marines [barracks]) (pg.5,6,8)
22
�23
�
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Transcripts
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Roberts, Leslee K. Interview transcript, November 11, 2022.
Description
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An oral history interview with Leslee K. Roberts, a Marine Corps veteran, who shares her experiences growing up in Ohio, deciding not to become a nun and choosing to leave Ohio by joining the U.S. Marine Corps. She discusses some military regulations, meeting and marrying her husband, and her various homes in North County. She talks about her involvement and support of the Poway community as well as Poway’s early development.
This interview was recorded as part of the North County Oral History Initiative, a partnership between California State University San Marcos and San Marcos Historical Society & Heritage Park. This initiative was generously funded by the Center for Engaged Scholarship at CSU San Marcos.
Creator
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Leslee K. Roberts
Contributor
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Faye A. Jonason
Maryellen Cortellini
Melissa Martin
Terry Norwood
Date
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2022-11-23
Subject
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Camp Pendleton (Calif.)
Korean War, 1950-1953
Switchboard operators
United States. Marine Corps
Veterans -- United States
Women marines
Coverage
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Poway (Calif.)
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
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<a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In copyright</a><a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"></a>
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Leslee K. Roberts
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text
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RobertsLeslee_JonasonFaye_2022-11-29_transcript
Community history
North County Oral History Initiative
Veteran experience
Women's experience
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Oral Histories
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Oral History
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Seth Stanley
Interviewee
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Jennie Ruiz
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5.4 2023-04-07 Ruiz, Jennie. Interview April 7, 2023 SC027-029 SC027 California State University San Marcos University Library oral histories collection CSUSM This oral history interview was generously funded through the Instructionally Related Activities Fund at California State University San Marcos. California State University San Marcos. Cross-Cultural Center Education, Higher Human rights Student success Jennie Ruiz Seth Stanley mp4 RuizJennie_StanleySeth_2023-04-07.mp4 1:|40(5)|52(10)|66(9)|77(15)|94(11)|105(8)|118(2)|135(1)|148(7)|166(14)|186(3)|212(2)|223(3)|235(3)|255(3)|273(1)|282(3)|292(4)|304(7)|342(5)|353(8)|368(2)|378(4)|388(3)|399(13)|410(1)|457(10)|468(7)|486(7)|510(1)|519(10)|529(9)|539(3)|549(4)|595(6)|606(1)|621(8)|633(13)|677(3)|690(1)|699(12)|713(1)|723(1)|736(10)|753(7)|764(3)|775(1)|794(6)|817(2)|837(9)|847(10)|860(10)|874(5)|885(2)|895(3)|937(11)|957(9)|968(3)|982(2)|1003(2)|1015(12)|1026(3) 0 https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/514cb50273b20f4b16cea6c5712830f4.mp4 Other video English 1 Introductions Introductions from Seth Stanley and Jennie Ruiz 34 Biographical/Educational Background Ruiz describes her personal and educational background. 85 Work During Education. Ruiz recalls working as a student and how it lead to her career in enabling student success in higher education. 187 Discovering Counseling Career Path Ruiz speaks about her beginnings of counseling as a career path and what led her to California State University San Marcos. 281 Experiences working for Student Success Ruiz recalls experiences supporting student success on campus, work as a peer mentor, the special-ness of the CSUSM student body, her work in the Dean of Students Office. CSUSM ; Student Success ; Student Success Coaching 555 Leadership Style and Experience Ruiz speaks about her leadership roles and leadership style in a university setting. CSUSM ; Faculty ; Leadership ; Staff ; Student Success Coaching 710 Network and Relationships on CSUSM Campus Ruiz details her networking skill and speaks about the relationships she's built at CSUSM CSUSM ; Faculty ; Networking ; relations ; Student Affairs 934 Relationships with Students and Building Rapport Ruiz speaks about her relationships with students on campus, building relationships with students and understanding their needs. CSUSM ; Faculty ; O-Team ; Orientation ; Student Relations ; Students ; Team-building 1162 Initial Experiences with the Cross-Cultural Center Ruiz speaks to her initial experiences with the Cross-Cultural Center, how she interacted with the CCC in her role overseeing student orientation, and what the center's physical space was initially like. C3 ; CCC ; Cross-Cultural Center ; CSUSM ; Jennie Ruiz ; SLL ; Student Life and Leadership 1260 Cross-Cultural Center's Change Over Time Ruiz recalls how the Cross-Cultural Center changed over time, how the space where the CCC was located in relation to other parts of Student Life and Leadership, and the center's move to the Commons Building, work on a collaborative mural, and then the move to the University Student Union building. C3 ; Cross-Cultural Center ; CSUSM ; Floyd Lai ; Jennie Ruiz ; SLL ; Student Life and Leadership ; Tukwut Courtyard 1791 Friendship With Sara Sheikh-Arvizu Ruiz describes her friendship with Sara Sheikh-Arvizu, former Associate Director of Multicultural Programs at CSUSM. CCC ; Cross-Cultural Center ; CSUSM ; Jennie Ruiz ; Sara Sheikh ; Sara Sheikh-Arvizu 2080 Favorite Memories From Cross-Cultural Center Ruiz recalls working at the front desk of the Cross-Cultural Center, and remembers a student with significant mental health challenges, who found refuge and friendship at the CCC. C3 ; CCC ; Cross-Cultural Center ; CSUSM ; Jennie Ruiz ; NSYCH ; Students 2344 How the Cross-Cultural Center Helped Her Develop as a Professional Ruiz speaks to the impact of the Cross-Cultural Center on her as a professional, her privilege, and centering voices in programming. Ruiz recalls a workshop with the campus Jewish community. CCC ; Cross-Cultural Center ; CSUSM ; intentionality ; Jennie Ruiz ; Privilege 2652 Memories from the Peer Mentoring Program Ruiz recalls some of her experiences with the creation of the Peer Mentoring Program and recalls an overnight retreat. CSUSM ; Floyd Lai ; New Students ; Peer Mentoring Program ; Retreats ; Sara Sheikh ; Team Building 2956 Thoughts on the Significance of Identity-Specific Spaces Ruiz speaks to the importance of having identity-focused university spaces like the Black Student Center, the Latin
/x Center, etc, which champion underrepresented communities and assist with student success. ACE Scholars ; Community ; CSUSM ; Diversity ; EOP ; Equal Opportunity Program ; Identity-Specific Spaces ; Underrepresented 3354 Cross-Cultural Center and the Purpose of Identity-Specific Spaces Ruiz expands on why identity-specific spaces are necessary and what groups benefit from them. She also goes on to speak about the role the Cross-Cultural Center plays with the expansion of identity-specific spaces. APIDA ; C3 ; CCC ; Cross-Cultural Center ; CSUSM ; Identity Specific Spaces ; Jennie Ruiz ; Kamalayan Alliance ; Pacific Islanders Moving image Oral history interview of Jennie Ruiz for the Cross-Cultural Center Oral History Project on April 7, 2023. Biographical information about Jennie, how she started working for California State University San Marcos, her leadership and networking skills. Jennie’s friendship with Sara Sheikh-Arvizu and its impact on her. Her experience running the Cross-Cultural Center, and her thoughts about its role at CSU San Marcos. Seth Stanley [Interviewer]: This is Seth Stanley. Today I' ; m interviewing Jenny Ruiz for the California State University San Marcos Cross-Cultural Center Oral History project. Today is April 7th, 2023, and this interview is taking place at the University Library. Hi Jenny. Thank you for coming. Jennie Ruiz [Narrator]: Hi, Seth < ; laughs> ; . SS: To start out, uh, can you tell me a little bit about your background and how that maybe has influenced your work in higher education? JR: Oh, goodness. Okay. Background. How far do you, how do you, how far do you want me to go? SS: As long as you want. JR: Oh goodness. Well, I was born, no, um-- SS: Go for it. JR: Background. Um, so I' ; m born and raised in San Diego, um, from Mira Mesa originally, um, went to college up at Sonoma State. For my undergrad. And did, um, got my degree in sociology. So I did a few different majors, but then I landed on sociology cause I had a really great Intro to Soc[iology] professor who I really enjoyed. Um, and through my time at Sonoma State, I got involved in various things. I mainly had to work on campus just to pay bills and live and all that. So I worked in like different food service and I worked in retail off campus, and actually told the story last, it was, what was it, Tuesday at a session I led about my like, professional journey. But I had a, a job on campus where I was having to put up flyers across campus and I hated it. I would have like hundreds of flyers to post. Um, this is before lot. This is before like electronic signage and all of that. So I, um, and I was miserable but I saw a flyer for a job in the Career Center on campus and I' ; m like, thank goodness no one else has seen this ad at this point ' ; cause I' ; m putting the ads up, so I' ; m gonna apply for this job, which I did. And that kind of took me into this path of, um, of higher ed and student affairs. It kind of opened me up into, like the orientation, you know, kind of world new student orientation, ' ; cause a lot of things were run through that area. Academic advising, I interacted with, um, the program called Freshman Seminar there, which is similar to our GEL program here [program geared towards first-year students and student success in academia]. So I served in various leadership roles. I actually got, uh, I was on the dean' ; s list one semester. There, grades were never my thing, but one semester I got on the dean' ; s list and I got an invitation to apply for leadership positions on campus. So that in conjunction with my job in the Career Center just kind of launched me into kind of the higher ed. like, oh, this is kind of fun! So I was an orientation leader. I worked as a peer mentor in our freshman seminar class. I was a student assistant [at the] Career Center. And then once I graduated, I was looking into kind of a counseling area. Um, didn' ; t quite know what I was going to do and my dad, funny enough, got me a book called What to Do with a Sociology Degree, and I was reading it one day and there was a paragraph on college counseling and I was like, of course I could do this job for work! I had never even connected [that] the professional staff that I worked with were doing that as a career. So that kind of, you know, launched me and I applied for grad school. I went to USD [University of San Diego] for my master' ; s in counseling with a specialization in college student development. Worked in my orientation, worked in the orientation program there as a grad assistant. And then after that, got a job at Stony Brook University in New York as a residence hall director. Um, my friend tipped me off to a job that was here at Cal State San Marcos to be Coordinator of New Student Programs. So I applied for that job and I thankfully got it. And, um, that started my career here back in 2006, back when, funny enough, C3 [Cross-Cultural Center] was literally, I think the size of this room when I first started on the fourth floor, third floor of, um, no, the administrative building past, then [named] Craven Hall. So, and then since then I' ; ve just held a variety of positions and here I am. < ; laugh> ; . SS: [Inaudible] Tell me more about what motivated you to work in a specifically a college setting and specifically supporting student success. JR: Yeah. I think people go into higher ed or any of their professions for one or two reasons: either they had a really good experience or they had a really awful experience and didn' ; t want that to be repeated for somebody else. In my case, I had a fantastic college experience. I had great mentors, I had really great opportunities. Um, so I felt very fortunate. And I just, you know, in my work as a peer mentor in the freshman seminar class, I was meeting individually with these first time freshmen, really working with them and, and you know, talking with them about just life and how to connect and find their place on campus. And I found myself really enjoying it and kind of becoming-- it was a natural thing to me. Um, and so I think I wanted to feel that in my career, be able to really take that with me. And, one of the great things about I think this campus, but just the CSU [California State University] is I think our students are just so special and just work so hard. Not saying that students don' ; t work hard other places but that there' ; s something about our students here. Um, there' ; s a lot of gratitude, there' ; s a lot of understanding, I think, of the privilege they have of being here and getting their degree and, you know, working with that population is really, really rewarding. So, you know, did I want-- I wanted to be that for other students moving forward. But I just loved the feel of being on a college campus. There' ; s nothing like it. I now have a almost seven year-old and just, he' ; s been able to be here since when, since he was born. And just knowing that-- he actually said the other night, he' ; s like, " ; You go to college!" ; And I' ; m like, no, I don' ; t go to col-- I' ; m not a college student, I work at a college. But he just, he associates college with me. And that' ; s just, he' ; s grown up in that environment. And then my mom also worked at USD for 30 years. So, I grew up going to campus with her and hanging out with college kids who, funny enough, seemed significantly older than they do now. So, it was just always a part of, you know, who I was. And so, I felt fortunate to find a place here. SS: And, now you' ; re working as the Interim Director of Student Success Coaching, right? Can you walk us through your experiences as that at the job? JR: In the five weeks I' ; ve been in the position, < ; laugh> ; , um, it' ; s-- it' ; s been, it' ; s been really great. It' ; s actually brought me back to I' ; d say my roots here because I started here at CSUSM overseeing orientation and really working with new students and first year students and all that. So, it' ; s been fun in the short time I' ; ve been here to work with the team to really be creative about how we' ; re gonna be engaging students who are coming in this next year. We' ; re kind of in this two-- two paths right now. It' ; s the finish this semester, but then let' ; s think big and creatively for the incoming class who' ; re gonna be here in fall [20]23. So just really, learning from the team and thinking about how impactful the work that they' ; re doing can really be for the retention success of the first-time freshman coming in. So, I don' ; t know how much you know about the program but it serves first-year students who are not in an otherwise specialized program. So who are not in the Educational Opportunity Program who are not in TRIO [Student Support Services], who are not in CAMP [College Assistance Migration Program], um, ACE Scholars who are former foster youth, and then athletes or international students. So, we kind of capture the rest of the students, so don' ; t really have a home, you know, and we wanna be that contact for them to kind of have that, that person they can go to for any questions that they have just about college. Um, so it' ; s going well. I' ; m really enjoying it. I' ; m able to be creative and think through things and plan, which is something I love to do. SS: So, I know you' ; ve only worked there for, you' ; ve only been working in this position for five weeks, but, um, could you tell me, tell me about, your leadership style and how you adapted to different situations and team members? JR: Yeah, I mean, I think I can relate it to, ' ; cause I was in my old position as associate dean for almost seven years. So I' ; ve been in management leadership roles for over ten, twelve years now. But yeah it' ; s been interesting because I joined a brand new team and so I really had the chance to kind of see how I was gonna adapt myself to them and how they were gonna receive me. And you know, it' ; s funny, my first day I brought donuts and I said to them, ' ; cause this team right now doesn' ; t have a permanent space. They' ; re literally working in a temporary space right now. So my first thing was how do I provide them with a level of, you know, kind of stability and structure. So even in an absence of a physical, permanent location, they can kind of feel that stability. SS: Mm-hmm. JR: But I came in that first day and I was like, so I haven' ; t started a new job in a very long time. So I said, I just ask for your grace. But I' ; m as much as, as reasonable and appropriate, obviously it' ; s just about the human first. These are all human beings who are working in a job and if you don' ; t connect that piece and know what really matters to these people just in life, you' ; re kind of missing the mark. So my goal was, and I told people ' ; cause they wanted to meet with me, people outside my team wanted to meet with me very quickly to like talk about coaching and how I could collaborate. And I said, I want the first month to be me focusing on the team, getting to know the team, building those relationships. And so meeting with them individually and getting to know their strengths and kind of where there' ; s opportunities. But I, I' ; d say I' ; m very, I' ; m all about personal connections and relationships and being collaborative. But I' ; m also good about being, like, sometimes we just kind of have to do things and we can' ; t bring everyone into the fold, but I want to be as transparent as possible, communicate, provide, make sure people are in the loop. ' ; Cause the less transparency there is, people then start to kind of worry and, you know create a narrative themselves. And so, but also humor. I like to approach things with humor. But Yeah. SS: Well, sounds like you' ; re the right person for the job. < ; laughter> ; Um, I' ; d like to ask, how have you leveraged your networks and relationships to support student development and success? JR: Oh gosh. SS: < ; laughs> ; JR: You know, it' ; s-- so this talk I just gave on Tuesday, the Division of Student Affairs does, um, they just started this series called Conversations with Leaders. And they finally, they asked, they asked me to speak and I' ; m like, okay, because part of me is like, " ; You want me to talk? Oh, that' ; s fine!" ; So I talked a lot about this, but one of the benefits of my job, the job I had here when I first started with orientation: it' ; s such just by the nature of the job, so highly collaborative that, that set me up for how I have literally done everything else in every other position I have here on campus. So, it had me working with event planning, with catering, with parking facilities, with advising, with, you know, leadership to student life. Like I work with every area on campus. And so through that, and I' ; m asking people to do things when I don' ; t have any leadership or jurisdiction over them. And so you very quickly had to establish this relationship with people so you can-- ' ; cause all I would do in that job is ask people for favors. It' ; s just, " ; I need you to do this. Can you help with this?" ; And so, and I fast forward now, there' ; s one of the colleagues I' ; ve worked with, I met him my second day working, he works in advising and now I' ; m meeting with him about coaching and how to collaborate. And it' ; s just, we laugh now that I' ; m like, talk about full circle and even doing training on some technology that we' ; re gonna be implementing into the program. The person in IT [Information Technology], I worked with him when PeopleSoft was first coming on board. And so again, it' ; s like " ; It' ; s so fun to work with you again!" ; But, all that to say, it' ; s been so key. And I think what has been very validating is when I' ; ve come into this job, the, the reactions I' ; ve gotten from people saying, " ; I' ; m so glad it' ; s you and I can' ; t wait to work with you in this role." ; And that' ; s been really affirming and I feel like because of my relationships, I' ; ve been able to, you know, there' ; s credibility. I' ; m able to connect the coaches with people that they haven' ; t connected with before. And, you know, if they have a question, I' ; m like, " ; Let me just ask this person directly, like what the answer is." ; They' ; re like, " ; You can just do that?" ; I' ; m like, " ; Yeah, I just can chat whoever, or text whoever and vice versa." ; So what I shared on Tuesday at the session was relationships is literally how I' ; ve gotten everything done here on this campus. It' ; s, it' ; s been so, so important. So I don' ; t think I answered the question? SS: No, I love that. I love that. I' ; m so glad to see you [indistinguishable]. JR: It' ; s been, it' ; s very sweet. I' ; m like, " ; Thank you!" ; It is very, because especially it' ; s people that I' ; ve worked with forever and you know, and you just want people who are collaborative and willing to hear you out and you can laugh with. And I actually said to somebody the other day on the call, I said, " ; You don' ; t have to be diplomatic with me. Just tell me there' ; s clearly something there. So just like, tell me how you' ; re feeling so we can just deal with it." ; And I think they appreciated it because with some people you have to be very diplomatic and be very discreet in how you' ; re saying things. And I' ; m like, just, " ; I' ; ve been here long enough. Like, just tell me." ; SS: [Indistinguishable] So I' ; d like to ask, how do you approach building rapport with students and understanding their unique, needs? JR: Yeah. Um, so I' ; ve had the benefit, I mean, since I' ; ve started here to work directly with students. So in my orientation job, I supervised volunteers who are on orientation team. I supervise students who were paid staff. Like those were my direct reports. So I was directly supporting and working with students. I think very similar with how I just work with anyone. I-- it' ; s so hard to describe something that I feel like just kind of happens, but I try to feel people out. You know, again, I approach a lot of things with humor, but obviously if this setting is not appropriate right, it' ; s, you know, I' ; m able to kind of feel that out. I feel like I' ; m very intuitive. Like, I joke that my superpower is intuition because I can-- I can tell-- if I know someone, I can tell like when they walk in a room and be like, there' ; s something going on or what' ; s happening, and I' ; ll just kind of give a look and be like, you let me know what you need. Like, but I just, I stop and I make efforts. I get to know people and with students, that makes, that makes a difference. You know just being visible and being authentic. Providing, you know, sharing with-- with discretion of course, but like my own personal life and connections and here and there. Um, but you know, in my old-- in my previous position, I was working with students in some really difficult circumstances ' ; cause I was overseeing student conduct. I was overseeing students who were really in a difficult situation within their life. Whether it' ; s, they' ; ve had very something very difficult happen to them and they' ; re navigating it and how they' ; re acting may not be the most appropriate in that setting. And just, um, I' ; m really good about student[s] coming in and being like, " ; What is going on? Like, what' ; s, what' ; s happening?" ; And also good about being like, what we' ; re doing here isn' ; t working. So how do we, let' ; s figure it out. So through the years I' ; ve gotten very good at being direct, but in a supportive manner? Um, some, well, supervisor joked with me, she' ; s like, " ; I' ; ve never met somebody who could suspend a student, and in the same sentence, the student, thanks you." ; < ; laugh> ; It' ; s just, it' ; s treating somebody as a human being. ' ; Cause, even if you' ; re making a decision that' ; s difficult, you can still do it with compassion. And humor too. I love to be sarcastic with students, like, especially O team [Orientation Team]. ' ; Cause I still have a connection with the students who are on orientation team. ' ; Cause my previous position, I was still in the same office and I would, they' ; d be laying down on orientation day and I' ; d just be like, " ; What are you doing?" ; They' ; re like, " ; Oh, sorry Jennie!" ; And I' ; m like, " ; Come on," ; < ; laugh> ; " ; Get your, get yourself together. Don' ; t be laying down on the job." ; So. SS: All right. Um, finally we' ; re gonna get into the Cross-Cultural Center Questions. JR: I know this is like, this is getting us-- getting me warm. Okay. SS: I Really love that. Yeah. I love, like, you' ; re just a person people can trust, a conduit of stability. JR: Conduit of stability. Oh, that' ; s deep. Okay. SS: Could you, anyway, could you describe what the Cross-Cultural Center was like when you initially began engaging with it? JR: Mm-hmm. What I remember about C3 is what we call it. Um, so when I first started, we had, and I imagine you' ; re interviewing Alexis Monte Virgin, SS: Um, I' ; m not sure, she' ; s not one I' ; m interviewing. JR: Yeah, he was the coordinator when I first started. Um, he' ; s like a president of a university now. It' ; s amazing. So he was, he was the coordinator. The, the interaction I had with C3 when I started-- because I oversaw orientation, the Student Life and Leadership Office at the time was this compacted space in, um, past known as Craven Hall. And so when I had on orientation days, we needed a place for Orientation Team to debrief the day. So we' ; d go up to C3. So that' ; s how, that' ; s what I remember it as. We' ; d go up to, we' ; d go to C, we' ; d be sitting on the floor. They had these big red couches, the red couches, the red chairs, and, it was small, but it was like, it was cozy. But yeah, we would just be having people sit on every surface possible and have our debriefing sessions there. And that' ; s kind of my initial like, connection and, memory of how I first interacted. SS: This is a really big follow up, but, how did it shift over time? And did you have any role in this change? JR: Um, how it shifted? So, pretty quickly after I started, probably within the first year-- and I think the plans had already been happening, was we were gonna be moving spaces. We were gonna be moving, offices to the first floor, no, to the third floor [of the Administration Building]. So I don' ; t know if you' ; re familiar or not- where Ace Scholars is now, where the Tukwut courtyard is? That' ; s where Student Life and Leadership used to be. So we were already, when I first started, kind of in this future planning, dream big mode of what can Student Life and Leadership look like. But at that time, C3 was under the purview of Student Life and Leadership. So figuring out where and how that space - because it was very important to have a designated space - not have it be interweaved into our office, but have a community building location for the Center. So, I am sure that I was part of conversations because we were doing like kind of physical planning of the office, figuring out where everything was gonna kind of be. Um, because I was overseeing orientation, the space back then it was, I had this massive cubicle-- Um and then around the corner through a door was where C3 was. So it was an office physically located like right off of the general Student Life and Leadership office. So, kind of talking through and brainstorming how we were gonna fit these red couches into that space. The space was kinda like a triangle. So doing the physical kind of puzzle pieces, you know, figuring out, um, you know, what to put on the walls and to create that space was definitely part of that conversation. So, but yeah I don' ; t remember the nuances, but I would imagine because it was physically located there, we were all part of that " ; What does this look like?" ; conversation. So, um, how it' ; s evolved since then? I mean, it was in that space. And then, if I remember correctly, I don' ; t know what happened first, but a leadership program was created within Student Life and Leadership. It' ; s called SLL [Student Life and Leadership]. And, the idea was to create a Tukwut leadership. Um, is it Tukwut Leadership Center? Yeah. I think I' ; m remembering this correctly. So what ended up happening, I think a space opened up in the Commons Building directly across from Commons 206, I think is the room. And so the Cross-Cultural Center moved up there and then the [TLC], that [Tukwut] Leadership [Center] space, um, kind of a space for leadership programs and student organization meetings, stuff like that, moved into that triangle space on the third floor. So the space when it was up there was-- I mean, it was massive. It was, I mean, comparatively speaking, I mean there was, there were windows, um, there was like a welcome desk. There were the couches again, I believe. We had at one point, I don' ; t know what the timeframe was, but we had painted this like collective mural where everybody had like, it was a, program that they had brought to campus with a muralist. And they pretty much gave us different pieces to draw and paint. And that was put together, I think it' ; s still up in the C3 here in the Student Union, I wanna say. But that was up in the space and it was just bigger and more open. And I wanna say it was up there until the Student Union opened, which I wasn' ; t in as much conversation about because at that time I had transitioned more into the Data Students Office-ish role. So I wasn' ; t gonna be under the same umbrella. But I remember the conversations about the physical space in the Student Union and, the offices and having a balcony and having programming space and all of that. And so you see this space now. I mean it' ; s just, it' ; s just beautiful. And it' ; s with the balcony. And we' ; ve held some retreats in there and separate kind of staff meeting stuff. And Floyd' ; s [Lai, Director of the CCC] great. He' ; s always willing to host people. Um, so it' ; s done a lot of trainings in there and stuff like that. So, that' ; s kind of how the physical space has evolved. It' ; s gone a long way from this sized office. SS: Thank you for that. JR: Yeah. SS: So many permutations. I love the red couches. JR: The red couches. I mean, that' ; s the thing. And you probably will hear a consistent thing is this thread, the red couches is what C3 was. Like, that is what was, you know, the signature furniture there. SS: Yeah. [Indistinguishable] JR: Oh, I' ; m sure you did. SS: Anyways, um, I knew that you were temporary temporal, sorry. Temporarily responsible for the Cross-Cultural Center during a transition between associate directors. Let me ask you, what led you to that position? JR: < ; laughs> ; SS: How' ; d that Happen? JR: I don' ; t know. You know, I think, when you' ; re in a-- when you' ; re leading a department right? And somebody leaves, you' ; re kind of like, okay, who could kind of pick things up and keep them moving while we' ; re doing a search, right? I think the reason I was kind of a natural person to jump into that position and I felt very grateful to do it, was because with my work with New Student Programs and Orientation, I had collaborated with, with Sara Sheik, who remains one of my dearest friends, we had collaborated on the creation of a peer mentoring program. So it was a orientation, New Student Programs and Cross-Cultural Center, um, Multicultural Programs, collaborative program. Where we focused on pairing up first-year students from underserved, underrepresented populations. So really it was, I forget the criteria but, primarily students of color, first gen[eration] students who weren' ; t part of other specialized programs, which now I think about it, I' ; m like, that' ; s funny. That' ; s the population I' ; m working with again. So, because we had worked so closely on that and had, we' ; re really working with the staff on creating that program, and we interviewed and hired the mentors and we onboarded the mentees and all of that stuff. I think when Sara ended up leaving, I was a natural kind of-- ' ; Cause I had already been working with the, with the directors and coordinators of the other, of the other centers. I had already been working with the staff in C3 on this program. So, it was kind of a natural, you know, " ; Can you just help with this for a little bit?" ; And so that way we, you know, can have some consistency? Um, so it was a fun- SS: Yeah, I tried to find how long you were in that position. I couldn' ; t find it. How Long? JR: It was about a semest- I' ; d say it was about a semester, if not an entire semester. It was a couple of months in the spring semester of-- oh gosh, I don' ; t know what year it was. [20]10, [20]11, [20]12, around that time. Yeah, because it was before- ' ; cause I moved into the Interim Assistant Dean of Students position in January, 2013. So I would say it was probably nine [2009] or [20]10 possibly, but it was only a couple months while we worked on, hiring and getting Floyd. So. SS: Perfect. I don' ; t wanna get too sidetracked but, I' ; d like, if you' ; re willing, I' ; d like you to tell me about your friendship with Sara [Sheikh]. How is she? JR: God. Is this what she started crying about when she was asking about relationships? SS: I' ; m not sure. < ; laughs> ; JR: Oh gosh, Sara, what a special human. Um, she texted me earlier. She' ; s like, how was your interview? I' ; m like, it' ; s at three. So I' ; ll tell her that you all asked about her. Um, I remember interviewing her because when we would bring candidates on for our department, you know, we' ; d all have a chance to meet all the candidates and whatnot. She first off, she was not, how do? This is the diplomatic part of me. She was not allowed to reach her fullest potential here. Her skills and her talents were not as tapped as they possibly could have been here. She left before she should have. Um, but opportunities arose and she had to take it. But she is, we are so incredibly different, but she is a quiet, calm, intentional, just peaceful human being. Everything she does is with intention and purpose. And she' ; s one of those people in my life, and I tell her all the time, and it' ; s now her and her wife because they' ; re, they' ; re like cup filling people like you, you hang out with them, you spend time with them. And I' ; m like, okay, my soul, has been refilled. Um, not to get into politics, but this is, this is related the day of the, the day after the 2016 election, there were various emotions. And she happened to be on campus that day. She, Sara was here, this was years after she' ; d gone, but she happened to be bringing a group of students here to campus. And I told her, I said, you are the perfect and only person I would' ; ve wanted to interact with on this day. Because she' ; s so good at just like being in a space with and just allowing space and asking intentional questions. But-- and then her laugh is just so unique. Like when you get her laughing, it' ; s just like, there' ; s no laugh like it. Um, but she just, the students so highly respected her, and everything that she touched here, again she did with intention and purpose. And she makes everyone feel like literally you' ; re the only person in the room. She has nothing else to distract her. It' ; s a very intentional, like, you' ; re hearing it a, a pattern like purposeful and intentional. She' ; s just a good, good person. So, I remember, ' ; cause I tend to talk a lot and, um, and this isn' ; t fair ' ; cause you' ; re asking me to talk, so there' ; s no, there' ; s no judgment here. But I remember we were at a, we were doing a staff retreat and I had to get used to that. she would process. So, you know, somebody would ask a question and a prompt, and we had to give space for Sara because Sara needed time to kind of put all of the thoughts together and process and whatnot. And so, I' ; ve always taken that with me. But, we' ; ve, you know, she was at my wedding. I was at her wedding. She met my son when he was, you know just after he was born. I' ; ve had the privilege to, I was there the day that, they officially adopted their son. I was taking pictures and just, just one of those people, you know? Just one of those people in your life that I' ; m grateful for our relationship here. And just the connection and it, I, it' ; s one of those things where I' ; m like, thank you for allowing me to stay in your life. Because there' ; s days where I' ; m like, what do I bring to you? < ; laughs> ; Because she' ; s just so fantastic. But she would just kind of, she would brush that off and be like you' ; re nuts. So she' ; s special. SS: I love that. That' ; s incredibly great [indistinguishable]. That' ; s amazing. I know we' ; re in the little sidetrack here, but- JR: No, it' ; s fine. it' ; s all connected. SS: It' ; s all oral history, its all about people, so. JR: It Is. SS: Back to the Cross-Cultural Center. Could you tell me about a favorite memory? Or not even a favorite, just a memory you have from the Cross-Cultural Center? JR: Hmm. < ; laugh> ; . SS: This is a little stumped [one]. JR: No, it' ; s not stumped. I just, there' ; s certain things that it' ; s like, I just immediately remember and I' ; m like, it doesn' ; t have to be super deep, right? SS: Mm-hmm. JR: I remember there was a period of time, I don' ; t know, I think it was before Sara left, but, um, there were ti-- I don' ; t know if she was out, but, we needed to have physical presence in the Center. And so each of the SLL staff would sign up for shifts to sit at the front desk of the center. And, I remember, I love NSYNC. It' ; s a boy band. Yeah. And I remember I was listening to Pandora at the time, it was Pandora. And I told them, I was up there, I had like a morning shift and I said, " ; If I am here at my shift, you are hearing NSYNC and boy bands." ; And it just became a thing. They' ; re like, " ; Oh, Jennie' ; s here." ; And I would just play that music. And, it was, that' ; s the first thing that kind of came to mind. It was just kind of funny. They were like, " ; Oh God, Jenny' ; s on shift." ; But it was cool because it got us physically out of our own offices and I looked forward to that, you know, physical, that physical location change. But then to interact with students in different ways. Um, God, there' ; s a lot of memories. I met a student, and I won' ; t say his name for obvious reasons you' ; ll learn shortly, but I first met him in C3 and I remember him ' ; cause he would walk in and he was always in military gear, but like not like he, he was like within the military, he was always just wearing like military-grade-- SS: Camo? JR: Yeah. He had like a, this military-grade backpack, like, the combat boots and just, and he was just the sweetest, kindest person. And I, that' ; s he, that was the first time I met him was in the C3. And he would come in there all the time and that' ; s where he would hang out and we would talk about life. And he quickly disclosed to me that he had dealt with some significant mental health challenges. And just, my brother has also dealt with some stuff and so he and I were connecting on that and just talking about life and making those connections. And I remembered he had gone away for a bit and then he had returned and he was, he was having some challenges as only a couple years ago. Unfortunately he passed away last year. But I always remember just that connection I had with him. And I realized, you know, a lot of other people on campus had that connection with him. He was just, he was just this unique soul. He was like an old soul. He dealt with so much adversity with mental and physical health, but he just always came with just a presence of kindness and just sh- like sheer gratitude. And when I-- when I changed, when I moved outta my office a couple weeks ago, ' ; cause I was in that office for nine years. One of the things I was, I was cleaning this stuff out and I found a thank you card from him. And I was like, wow, what a gift. And he had, it was after I was out of the role within relation to [C3], but it' ; s a couple years ago when I helped him with some stuff and it just said, " ; Thank you for helping me in one of the difficult times in my life." ; and I was just like, God, what a gift you just gave me. So, um, I don' ; t know if I would' ; ve had the chance to meet him had I not been in that, you know, in that physical space because I know that was a space of safety for him, which was I know the case for a lot of students, so. SS: Wow. JR: [Mm-hmm] < ; laugh> ; . SS: Sorry about that. JR: I know it' ; s tough and yeah. Yeah. SS: [indistinguishable] It' ; s remembering NSYNC Radio, at least. < ; laugh> ; JR: NSYNC Radio. But I think even with him, I still smile, you know, and um, yeah, ' ; cause again, he just exuded gratitude and it, um, yeah. So mm-hmm. SS: Well on a lighter note! Uh. JR: < ; laugh> ; , I know, sorry take these down. SS: No, no, no. It' ; s perfect. It' ; s perfect. I know you only worked there for a semester, but how might have your work at the Cross-Cultural Center helped you develop as a professional? JR: Massively. I mean, you know, as a, as a White woman, straight CIS woman, I bring privilege with me and I always am trying to learn and understand that what my physical presence may bring depending on the space and I' ; m at right? And, the majority of the students who, who hung out in that space were, were students of color, primarily students who were of Asian Pacific Islander descent. But, it was something for me to be able to-- when I first got asked to kind of fill in the role, part of me was like I didn' ; t want my own identity to be a detriment to their development. But I realize now me even just knowing that I think < ; laughs> ; makes a difference. That I' ; m aware of how my identity impacts those around me. But there were some experiences that came up that I remember we were doing, we were doing some activities-- Oh we were doing a, an event and it was around, um, Judaism, and I don' ; t remember what the content of the workshop was, but Hillel, which is still an active organization for serving and supporting Jewish students, but obviously non-Jewish students can be involved. There was some concern about us offering this workshop and possibly providing false information. And it was one of those things that in the moment you can get very defensive, right? You can be like, no, you know, we' ; re not, we' ; re not trying to do anything to whatever. But what it had me do was, you need to stop for a second and be-- again, the intentionality. It really taught me just you to think of anyone who could be potentially impacted, but also leveraging the voices that you have and collaborate and pull them in. Um, ' ; cause why wouldn' ; t have we have collaborated with folks on campus who live that on, on a daily basis and could provide some additional you know, but I was advising students at this time and the student was just doing what he was told. He was creating these workshops kind of in a vacuum. But it was a really good lesson to, again, do things as intentionally as possible. Even if it means you have to move the workshop a few weeks later, if it means we' ; re doing it the right way, let' ; s do that. So that was a really good lesson and I think it ended up being fine. We ended up collaborating with them. Um, and then just--Trying to think. I mean, just working with all different types of people and interacting with students I probably normally wouldn' ; t have just because they weren' ; t involved in Orientation Team. Like this, this particular pocket of students who worked as student assistants, within all the other centers because there was kind of like this collective team they had of- at the time the Women' ; s Center, the Pride Center, and the Cross-Cultural Center, those three centers ; our staffs would get together on a frequent basis. And there' ; s folks from other staffs that I have connected with that I' ; m still in, contact with that I probably would never have interacted with. And to be honest, they probably would never have even-- based on who I am and how I present and probably would never have even interacted with me. And so, it was a great opportunity to kind of make those connections. But, um, I learned some more things just about program planning. We, we planned some pretty big events and just again, how to honor history and culture and doing it in a meaningful manner while advising students who just wanna get things done. And it' ; s like, how do you balance that? So that was, um, that was a good experience. SS: Yeah. That' ; s great. Um, making connections. using your voices. Moving on, could you describe, and this doesn' ; t have to be with the Cross-Cultural Center ' ; cause I know you worked a pretty short time over there. Could you describe a project or initiative you with that you are particularly proud of, or were a part of necessarily? JR: Hmm. Geez, just so many SS: < ; laughs> ; JR: I think I can discuss the peer mentoring program. Although it was short-lived, I think for what it was. It' ; s one of those programs that no matter how good of a program you have, if you don' ; t have the resources to continue it, you can only do so much. And so-- but it was, it was really cool because it was kind of a brainchild of Sara and then she came to me and said, " ; You work with new students, can we just do this connection?" ; And so we really got a chance to dig into the benefits of peer mentoring and we kind of, we created it really from the ground up. We recruited current students to be peer mentors, created that training for them. And because of my work with O-Team [Orientation Team], who is solely volunteers, you know, I had a training with them, a weekly training with them on, in the spring semester, and then we had retreats. And so I was able to really bring that component. Um, and then what Sara brought was really the, the pieces of how-- why we' ; re serving this particular population because there is an equity gap that our white students are persisting at a higher rate and graduating at a higher rate than our students of color. So, and then there was research that showed that peer mentoring specifically helps to close-- is one of the most beneficial components that a student could have to have a peer to peer connection. So it was really fun to work with her on that and really create the curriculum, create the, the criteria for the mentors. And then I remember we had spreadsheets and we were divvying up the, the caseloads of like who, or not the caseloads-- of like who would be matched with certain mentors and stuff like that. Um, and so that was really fun. And then once Sara left and Floyd came on, um, I don' ; t think it was a while, but he and I had the idea to do like an overnight retreat with this program. So what we did was we had them all come together. So we' ; ve had the mentors and the mentees, this is before school even started, had them on a bus. We drove up to Julian [California] and we did kind of team-building activities. And it was really-- I remember we had this, we wanted to do a ropes course and we had, there' ; s a ropes course at this camp. And I remember Floyd and I were brought in probably three days before the retreat. And our boss at the time said, we can' ; t spend the money on this. And we' ; re like, " ; What are we supposed to do?" ; So then he and I just like hunkered down and created like our own like, internal team-building exercises, but we' ; re like, " ; What the hell are we gonna do?" ; But we figured it out. What' ; s funny now is I think it was that year, one of the mentees is now on my coaching staff. SS: < ; laughs> ; . JR: So I' ; ve known him forever and it' ; s really cool. And then funny enough we, well it' ; s not funny but, we had to buy a new car this past weekend, track me here-- and I, we go to San Diego County Credit Union because that, we had literally just paid our car off on Thursday and that' ; s when our car died. So we went back to San Diego County Credit Union. Said we wanted to get a loan with you again. And as we' ; re meeting with this loan officer, she' ; s like, where do you work? I told her, she' ; s like, " ; I knew you look familiar!" ; And my husband' ; s always like, " ; I swear to God, she knows people everywhere." ; And she said, " ; I was part of the peer mentoring program" ; and I remembered her ' ; cause she was assigned to, I would say was our best mentor ' ; cause some of our mentors left a lot to be des-- like, " ; Can you talk? Can you touch base with your students?" ; But this one -- and her last name was Ruiz as well -- and so we connected on that, but it was so cool to see this student who had been in the peer mentoring program and just being like, " ; I remember you!" ; And it was a nice little reunion. Um, but I thought it was a really cool framework to create. Um, unfortunately the resources just weren' ; t able to keep it going. So. SS: Yeah. That' ; s cool that you saw your, your one mentor--[indistinguishable] JR: It was so funny that, " ; I know you look familiar!" ; When I said I worked at campus, it was funny. SS: Yea I Know plenty of people working in the university space currently working with limited resources. Yeah, it' ; s definitely challenging. JR: It is. Especially when it' ; s such meaningful work like that. I mean, it' ; s literally to support, but now I' ; m in a space again to be able to do that same kind of work, which is exciting. SS: Mm-hmm. What is the significance of having a space that champions underrepresented students? JR: Um, I mean so much. And with underrepresented students, obviously that' ; s such a large umbrella, right? And then every group and, and community that makes up that term needs different things and there' ; s an intersectionality and all that and it can-- but you know what it really comes down to, it' ; s about equity, right? And it' ; s interesting having conversations with people who don' ; t quite get it and there' ; s people who make comments sometimes it' ; s like, " ; What about a space for us?" ; And I' ; m like, do you understand that any-- I can go somewhere and see someone who looks like me and understands my experience. I mean, generally speaking, pretty easily, if you have a student who comes to this campus and does not see anyone who looks like them during the day, does not have a faculty member teaching them who is from the same culture or community, to be able to have a space that a student knows they can go to. To have an experience that just physical and mental and emotional safety on a daily basis, for them to do homework and define that community will only help them to be better in all aspects of their life. That' ; s why programs like EOP [Educational Opportunity Program] and ACE Scholars and those programs exist because they' ; re-- every student should have access to the same level of services, right? First and foremost. But, if you look at certain populations and certain areas where students are from, they then need that much more support to get them to the same place that more majority populations are. So I think providing spaces like this is one step in providing that, that equity. Um, because I can imagine a student coming here and I' ; ve never really experienced it, but being like, " ; I don' ; t see myself here." ; They' ; re not gonna feel an emotional connection to the campus. They' ; re not gonna feel like going to class because why would they care? I mean, there' ; s some students who inherently they just have this intrinsic motivation and they' ; ll go to school and it' ; s fine. But you wanna have that, that community and sense of belonging. That' ; ll just make it that much more just robust of an experience for them. And the community pieces is massive. So spaces like this, if done well, and intentionally and has good leadership and the resources it needs. Because the thing is these centers-- and people joke a lot of times are placed in the basements of buildings, they' ; re placed in inaccessible areas that people don' ; t necessarily know about. If you do it well and put ' ; em in high traffic areas like the USU [University Student Union], have staffing and resources to really support those students, then it goes well. But just historically spaces like that are just under-resourced and which is an issue. So. SS: Yeah. Um, I guess in that same sort of area of, doing it right. Are there any aspects of your time at the Cross-Cultural Center that you would' ; ve approached differently if given the chance? JR: Mm. I, when I came in, because again, there was this like conglomerate of the three spaces. I would, and it was a really short period of time, but I got kind of sucked into their drama < ; laughs> ; , and I wish I would' ; ve come in and I don' ; t know if I had fully found my voice yet like if I, knowing what I know now about things and haven' ; t gone through when I' ; ve gone through now, I feel like I would be able to go in and be able to really help the students to be very-- To, you know to collaborate, but not necessarily be dependent on, I think, I wanted to collaborate with these other folks but I think there was almost a sense of like I had to defer to what they wanted kind of thing. And so probably it would be fun to go back in there now knowing what I know now and see how things would be different. But, I don' ; t know. I think that the state of where I was at the time, you learn based on where you' ; re at in life. And I got lessons, from it. I, um, there were-- I worked with my first student who I was aware of being undocumented at the time and just learning about that process and learning about that impact for her and just, I mean we literally, no one knew but she would, she would submit kind of a fake time sheet every month just to have this sense of normalcy and that nobody would question. And just, that was kind of my first, kind of opportunity to, to work with students experiencing those challenges. So. I can' ; t think of anything glaring. I was still I think pretty early and young in my profession. Um, so, there' ; s still days where I' ; m like, " ; You wanted me to be in there?" ; But, it worked out. But I think those are the things I can, I can think of. SS: That' ; s good. JR: Yeah. SS: More experience. JR: More experience. It' ; s all, it' ; s all experience. Yes. SS: Well, as we' ; re wrapping-- winding down, I know you mentioned before that a lot of people that would go to the Cross-Cultural Center were um-- JR: Asian Pacific Islander. SS: Oh yeah. Asian Pacific Islanders. JR: < ; laughs> ; Yes. SS: I, a lot of questions are raised around like these cultural centers, like the Black Student Center and, the Latinx Center and stuff like that. And should there be an Asian student center? Should there be a white student center? What' ; s your response to that? JR: < ; laughs> ; That' ; s my response. < ; laughs> ; Um, I mean, I think I mentioned it before about the purpose of these spaces. Everyone, every student should have access to support and resources on our campus. I do not think inherently based on the setup of society, students at particular demographics are lacking spaces where they see others like them. SS: [Mm-hmm.] JR: Like I said, things need to be, do, done well. You need to have the staffing. I think it' ; s always going to be met with some dissonance because there' ; s gonna always be people who just don' ; t get it. But the people who are the ones traditionally, and I know there' ; s people who may identify as the same within that center and say, I don' ; t think we should have, you know, separation or whatnot. But it depends where people are at on their identity development. And when you kind of go through identity development, you get to the point where you' ; re comfortable enough in your space and your skin and your whatever to understand that everyone else is in a different space and that' ; s okay. And that some students may be okay with it and some students may really need that space to be successful. And again, if having a Black Student Center allows one black man who goes to school here to have a physical space that he can go to feel safe, then I think that' ; s been successful because otherwise where would he find that here? Right. I think the people who ask those questions about, why don' ; t we have this? Why don' ; t we have this? And it' ; s like, I don' ; t-- there' ; s gonna always be people who ask those questions and they don' ; t have an answer for it. They don' ; t have anything to kind of back up, you know, you ask the question of, " ; Why do you think we need that space?" ; And they don' ; t have any, you know, there' ; s no research to back up the answers that they' ; re hoping to get. It' ; s just, they' ; re there-- The questions are just being asked, I think to kind of stir things up. But again, the caveat is: you don' ; t wanna just do it to do it to check off boxes. You need to do it as intentionally as possible. And I' ; m far from being an expert on how to implement that. But if you don' ; t have the resources and don' ; t have the institutional support, you' ; re only gonna be, you' ; re set up to fail. SS: Mm-hmm. Perfect. Great. Um, yeah, I like that answer. If it helps. It' ; s worth it. JR: Yep. Mm-hmm. SS: To conclude connecting to that question, uh, what role do you see the Cross-Cultural Center playing as it coexists with the expansion of identity-specific spaces? JR: I would imagine, I' ; ll say Floyd specifically ' ; cause he has been the longest-tenured, um, director in there now. [Floyd] is probably been asked how he' ; s gonna be-- What is the Cross-Cultural Center? How does the Cross-Cultural Center kind of stand apart from the other identity centers? I think with the Cross-Cultural Center, although other centers talk about intersectionality and you know, and that sort of thing, I think what the Cross-Cultural Center can really focus on is really that multiculturalism, how all the different identities intersect and kind of can help to facilitate those conversations and understandings and that sort of thing. I would imagine there' ; s been conversations about-- do we have a space for, you know, our APIDA [Asian Pacific Islander Desi American] students? Because that tends to be the space that, that population tends to spend time. I think, there were conversations way back in the day where, ' ; cause they' ; re Kamalayan Alliance, I don' ; t know if it' ; s a really big organization now, but Kamalayan Alliance was a massive student organization back in the day, and that was primarily the students who made up the space in the center and some people had issues with it. It' ; s kind of like but this is not supposed to be just for Filipino students, but it' ; s like, who defines that? You know? It depends on who has a connection here and who feels connected. So, I would imagine-- I know there' ; s some campuses who have, I mean, tons of different affinity spaces and identity centers. And I' ; m sure there' ; s gonna be conversation about what, what is C3' ; s role in that? Um, I don' ; t know the answer I' ; m not privy to those conversations, but I' ; m sure the questions have come up of what is the space for this type of physical and identity space in the midst of adding all these different, identity spaces? Other campuses do it. It' ; s just, I' ; m sure there' ; s a lot of conversations about what is the vision and mission and kind of, where' ; s it gonna go, which can be exciting. Um, but I' ; m sure there' ; s also some pressure to be like, who are we? What is our, what is our mission here on campus? But, um, the current leadership can figure it out. He' ; s [Floyd Lai, Director of the Cross-Cultural Center] good. He' ; s good. SS: Yea, he is good. JR: He is good. SR: Anyways, thank you so much for coming here and-- JR: This was Fun. < ; laughs> ; . I don' ; t know what I expected, But yeah. SS: Anyway, I' ; m gonna end the recording. JR: Okay. https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en video Property rights reside with the university. 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Title
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Ruiz, Jennie. Interview April 7, 2023
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview of Jennie Ruiz for the Cross-Cultural Center Oral History Project on April 7, 2023. Biographical information about Jennie, how she started working for California State University San Marcos, her leadership and networking skills. Jennie’s friendship with Sara Sheikh-Arvizu and its impact on her. Her experience running the Cross-Cultural Center, and her thoughts about its role at CSU San Marcos.
Identifier
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SC027-029
Subject
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California State University San Marcos. Cross-Cultural Center
Education, Higher
Human rights
Student success
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2023-04-07
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video
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
Rights Holder
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Jennie Ruiz
Type
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Moving image
Creator
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Jennie Ruiz
Contributor
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Seth Stanley
Coverage
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San Marcos (Calif.)
Rights
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<a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In copyright</a>
Cross-Cultural Center oral history project
CSUSM history
Women's experience
-
https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/c5940d5103570c06601179277b230b8f.pdf
6501572b27876302ad6780f8f8a675fb
PDF Text
Text
JENNIE RUIZ
TRANSCRIPT, INTERVIEW
2023-04-07
Seth Stanley [Interviewer]:
This is Seth Stanley. Today I'm interviewing Jenny Ruiz for the California State University San Marcos
Cross-Cultural Center Oral History project. Today is April 7th, 2023, and this interview is taking place at
the University Library. Hi Jenny. Thank you for coming.
Jennie Ruiz [Narrator]:
Hi, Seth <laughs>.
SS:
To start out, uh, can you tell me a little bit about your background and how that maybe has influenced
your work in higher education?
JR:
Oh, goodness. Okay. Background. How far do you, how do you, how far do you want me to go?
SS:
As long as you want.
JR:
Oh goodness. Well, I was born, no, um-SS:
Go for it.
JR:
Background. Um, so I'm born and raised in San Diego, um, from Mira Mesa originally, um, went to
college up at Sonoma State. For my undergrad. And did, um, got my degree in sociology. So I did a few
different majors, but then I landed on sociology cause I had a really great Intro to Soc[iology] professor
who I really enjoyed. Um, and through my time at Sonoma State, I got involved in various things. I
mainly had to work on campus just to pay bills and live and all that. So I worked in like different food
service and I worked in retail off campus, and actually told the story last, it was, what was it, Tuesday at
a session I led about my like, professional journey.
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�JENNIE RUIZ
TRANSCRIPT, INTERVIEW
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But I had a, a job on campus where I was having to put up flyers across campus and I hated it. I would
have like hundreds of flyers to post. Um, this is before lot. This is before like electronic signage and all of
that. So I, um, and I was miserable but I saw a flyer for a job in the Career Center on campus and I'm like,
thank goodness no one else has seen this ad at this point ‘cause I'm putting the ads up, so I'm gonna
apply for this job, which I did. And that kind of took me into this path of, um, of higher ed and student
affairs. It kind of opened me up into, like the orientation, you know, kind of world new student
orientation, ‘cause a lot of things were run through that area. Academic advising, I interacted with, um,
the program called Freshman Seminar there, which is similar to our GEL program here [program geared
towards first-year students and student success in academia].
So I served in various leadership roles. I actually got, uh, I was on the dean's list one semester. There,
grades were never my thing, but one semester I got on the dean's list and I got an invitation to apply for
leadership positions on campus. So that in conjunction with my job in the Career Center just kind of
launched me into kind of the higher ed. like, oh, this is kind of fun! So I was an orientation leader. I
worked as a peer mentor in our freshman seminar class. I was a student assistant [at the] Career Center.
And then once I graduated, I was looking into kind of a counseling area. Um, didn't quite know what I
was going to do and my dad, funny enough, got me a book called What to Do with a Sociology Degree,
and I was reading it one day and there was a paragraph on college counseling and I was like, of course I
could do this job for work! I had never even connected [that] the professional staff that I worked with
were doing that as a career. So that kind of, you know, launched me and I applied for grad school. I went
to USD [University of San Diego] for my master's in counseling with a specialization in college student
development. Worked in my orientation, worked in the orientation program there as a grad assistant.
And then after that, got a job at Stony Brook University in New York as a residence hall director. Um, my
friend tipped me off to a job that was here at Cal State San Marcos to be Coordinator of New Student
Programs. So I applied for that job and I thankfully got it. And, um, that started my career here back in
2006, back when, funny enough, C3 [Cross-Cultural Center] was literally, I think the size of this room
when I first started on the fourth floor, third floor of, um, no, the administrative building past, then
[named] Craven Hall. So, and then since then I've just held a variety of positions and here I am. <laugh>.
SS:
[Inaudible] Tell me more about what motivated you to work in a specifically a college setting and
specifically supporting student success.
JR:
Yeah. I think people go into higher ed or any of their professions for one or two reasons: either they had
a really good experience or they had a really awful experience and didn't want that to be repeated for
somebody else. In my case, I had a fantastic college experience. I had great mentors, I had really great
opportunities. Um, so I felt very fortunate. And I just, you know, in my work as a peer mentor in the
freshman seminar class, I was meeting individually with these first time freshmen, really working with
them and, and you know, talking with them about just life and how to connect and find their place on
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campus. And I found myself really enjoying it and kind of becoming-- it was a natural thing to me. Um,
and so I think I wanted to feel that in my career, be able to really take that with me. And, one of the
great things about I think this campus, but just the CSU [California State University] is I think our
students are just so special and just work so hard. Not saying that students don't work hard other places
but that there's something about our students here. Um, there's a lot of gratitude, there's a lot of
understanding, I think, of the privilege they have of being here and getting their degree and, you know,
working with that population is really, really rewarding. So, you know, did I want-- I wanted to be that
for other students moving forward. But I just loved the feel of being on a college campus. There's
nothing like it. I now have a almost seven year-old and just, he's been able to be here since when, since
he was born. And just knowing that-- he actually said the other night, he's like, “You go to college!”
And I'm like, no, I don't go to col-- I'm not a college student, I work at a college. But he just, he
associates college with me. And that's just, he's grown up in that environment. And then my mom also
worked at USD for 30 years. So, I grew up going to campus with her and hanging out with college kids
who, funny enough, seemed significantly older than they do now. So, it was just always a part of, you
know, who I was. And so, I felt fortunate to find a place here.
SS:
And, now you're working as the Interim Director of Student Success Coaching, right? Can you walk us
through your experiences as that at the job?
JR:
In the five weeks I've been in the position, <laugh>, um, it's… it's been, it's been really great. It's actually
brought me back to I'd say my roots here because I started here at CSUSM overseeing orientation and
really working with new students and first year students and all that. So, it's been fun in the short time
I've been here to work with the team to really be creative about how we're gonna be engaging students
who are coming in this next year. We're kind of in this two… two paths right now. It's the finish this
semester, but then let's think big and creatively for the incoming class who're gonna be here in fall
[20]23. So just really, learning from the team and thinking about how impactful the work that they're
doing can really be for the retention success of the first-time freshman coming in.
So, I don't know how much you know about the program but it serves first-year students who are not in
an otherwise specialized program. So who are not in the Educational Opportunity Program who are not
in TRIO [Student Support Services], who are not in CAMP [College Assistance Migration Program], um,
ACE Scholars who are former foster youth, and then athletes or international students. So, we kind of
capture the rest of the students, so don't really have a home, you know, and we wanna be that contact
for them to kind of have that, that person they can go to for any questions that they have just about
college. Um, so it's going well. I'm really enjoying it. I'm able to be creative and think through things and
plan, which is something I love to do.
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SS:
So, I know you've only worked there for, you've only been working in this position for five weeks, but,
um, could you tell me, tell me about, your leadership style and how you adapted to different situations
and team members?
JR:
Yeah, I mean, I think I can relate it to, ‘cause I was in my old position as associate dean for almost seven
years. So I've been in management leadership roles for over ten, twelve years now. But yeah it's been
interesting because I joined a brand new team and so I really had the chance to kind of see how I was
gonna adapt myself to them and how they were gonna receive me. And you know, it's funny, my first
day I brought donuts and I said to them, ‘cause this team right now doesn't have a permanent space.
They're literally working in a temporary space right now. So my first thing was how do I provide them
with a level of, you know, kind of stability and structure. So even in an absence of a physical, permanent
location, they can kind of feel that stability.
SS:
Mm-hmm.
JR:
But I came in that first day and I was like, so I haven't started a new job in a very long time. So I said, I
just ask for your grace. But I'm as much as, as reasonable and appropriate, obviously it's just about the
human first. These are all human beings who are working in a job and if you don't connect that piece
and know what really matters to these people just in life, you're kind of missing the mark. So my goal
was, and I told people ‘cause they wanted to meet with me, people outside my team wanted to meet
with me very quickly to like talk about coaching and how I could collaborate. And I said, I want the first
month to be me focusing on the team, getting to know the team, building those relationships.
And so meeting with them individually and getting to know their strengths and kind of where there's
opportunities. But I, I'd say I'm very, I'm all about personal connections and relationships and being
collaborative. But I'm also good about being, like, sometimes we just kind of have to do things and we
can't bring everyone into the fold, but I want to be as transparent as possible, communicate, provide,
make sure people are in the loop. ‘Cause the less transparency there is, people then start to kind of
worry and, you know create a narrative themselves. And so, but also humor. I like to approach things
with humor. But Yeah.
SS:
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�JENNIE RUIZ
TRANSCRIPT, INTERVIEW
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Well, sounds like you're the right person for the job. <laughter> Um, I'd like to ask, how have you
leveraged your networks and relationships to support student development and success?
JR:
Oh gosh.
SS:
<laughs>
JR:
You know, it's… so this talk I just gave on Tuesday, the Division of Student Affairs does, um, they just
started this series called Conversations with Leaders. And they finally, they asked, they asked me to
speak and I'm like, okay, because part of me is like, “You want me to talk? Oh, that's fine!” So I talked a
lot about this, but one of the benefits of my job, the job I had here when I first started with orientation:
it's such just by the nature of the job, so highly collaborative that, that set me up for how I have literally
done everything else in every other position I have here on campus. So, it had me working with event
planning, with catering, with parking facilities, with advising, with, you know, leadership to student life.
Like I work with every area on campus. And so through that, and I'm asking people to do things when I
don't have any leadership or jurisdiction over them. And so you very quickly had to establish this
relationship with people so you can-- ’cause all I would do in that job is ask people for favors. It's just, “I
need you to do this. Can you help with this?” And so, and I fast forward now, there's one of the
colleagues I've worked with, I met him my second day working, he works in advising and now I'm
meeting with him about coaching and how to collaborate. And it's just, we laugh now that I'm like, talk
about full circle and even doing training on some technology that we're gonna be implementing into the
program. The person in IT [Information Technology], I worked with him when PeopleSoft was first
coming on board. And so again, it's like “It's so fun to work with you again!”
But, all that to say, it's been so key. And I think what has been very validating is when I've come into this
job, the, the reactions I've gotten from people saying, “I'm so glad it's you and I can't wait to work with
you in this role.” And that's been really affirming and I feel like because of my relationships, I've been
able to, you know, there's credibility. I'm able to connect the coaches with people that they haven't
connected with before. And, you know, if they have a question, I'm like, ”Let me just ask this person
directly, like what the answer is.” They're like, “You can just do that?” I'm like, “Yeah, I just can chat
whoever, or text whoever and vice versa.” So what I shared on Tuesday at the session was relationships
is literally how I've gotten everything done here on this campus. It's, it's been so, so important. So I don't
think I answered the question?
SS:
No, I love that. I love that. I'm so glad to see you [indistinguishable].
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JR:
It's been, it's very sweet. I'm like, “Thank you!” It is very, because especially it's people that I've worked
with forever and you know, and you just want people who are collaborative and willing to hear you out
and you can laugh with. And I actually said to somebody the other day on the call, I said, “You don’t have
to be diplomatic with me. Just tell me there’s clearly something there. So just like, tell me how you’re
feeling so we can just deal with it.” And I think they appreciated it because with some people you have
to be very diplomatic and be very discreet in how you're saying things. And I'm like, just, “I've been here
long enough. Like, just tell me.”
SS:
[Indistinguishable] So I'd like to ask, how do you approach building rapport with students and
understanding their unique, needs?
JR:
Yeah. Um, so I've had the benefit, I mean, since I've started here to work directly with students. So in my
orientation job, I supervised volunteers who are on orientation team. I supervise students who were
paid staff. Like those were my direct reports. So I was directly supporting and working with students. I
think very similar with how I just work with anyone. I… it's so hard to describe something that I feel like
just kind of happens, but I try to feel people out. You know, again, I approach a lot of things with humor,
but obviously if this setting is not appropriate right, it's, you know, I'm able to kind of feel that out. I feel
like I'm very intuitive. Like, I joke that my superpower is intuition because I can… I can tell-- if I know
someone, I can tell like when they walk in a room and be like, there's something going on or what's
happening, and I'll just kind of give a look and be like, you let me know what you need. Like, but I just, I
stop and I make efforts. I get to know people and with students, that makes, that makes a difference.
You know just being visible and being authentic. Providing, you know, sharing with-- with discretion of
course, but like my own personal life and connections and here and there. Um, but you know, in my old- in my previous position, I was working with students in some really difficult circumstances ‘cause I was
overseeing student conduct. I was overseeing students who were really in a difficult situation within
their life. Whether it's, they've had very something very difficult happen to them and they're navigating
it and how they're acting may not be the most appropriate in that setting. And just, um, I'm really good
about student[s] coming in and being like, “What is going on? Like, what's, what's happening?” And also
good about being like, what we're doing here isn't working. So how do we, let’s figure it out. So through
the years I’ve gotten very good at being direct, but in a supportive manner? Um, some, well, supervisor
joked with me, she's like, “I've never met somebody who could suspend a student, and in the same
sentence, the student, thanks you.” <laugh> It's just, it's treating somebody as a human being. ’Cause,
even if you're making a decision that's difficult, you can still do it with compassion. And humor too. I
love to be sarcastic with students, like, especially O team [Orientation Team]. ‘Cause I still have a
connection with the students who are on orientation team. ‘Cause my previous position, I was still in the
same office and I would, they'd be laying down on orientation day and I'd just be like, “What are you
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doing?” They’re like, “Oh, sorry Jennie!” And I'm like, “Come on,” <laugh> “Get your, get yourself
together. Don't be laying down on the job.” So.
SS:
All right. Um, finally we're gonna get into the Cross-Cultural Center Questions.
JR:
I know this is like, this is getting us-- getting me warm. Okay.
SS:
I Really love that. Yeah. I love, like, you're just a person people can trust, a conduit of stability.
JR:
Conduit of stability. Oh, that's deep. Okay.
SS:
Could you, anyway, could you describe what the Cross-Cultural Center was like when you initially began
engaging with it?
JR:
Mm-hmm. What I remember about C3 is what we call it. Um, so when I first started, we had, and I
imagine you're interviewing Alexis Monte Virgin,
SS:
Um, I'm not sure, she's not one I'm interviewing.
JR:
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Yeah, he was the coordinator when I first started. Um, he's like a president of a university now. It's
amazing. So he was, he was the coordinator. The, the interaction I had with C3 when I started… because
I oversaw orientation, the Student Life and Leadership Office at the time was this compacted space in,
um, past known as Craven Hall. And so when I had on orientation days, we needed a place for
Orientation Team to debrief the day. So we'd go up to C3. So that's how, that's what I remember it as.
We'd go up to, we'd go to C, we'd be sitting on the floor. They had these big red couches, the red
couches, the red chairs, and, it was small, but it was like, it was cozy. But yeah, we would just be having
people sit on every surface possible and have our debriefing sessions there. And that's kind of my initial
like, connection and, memory of how I first interacted.
SS:
This is a really big follow up, but, how did it shift over time? And did you have any role in this change?
JR:
Um, how it shifted? So, pretty quickly after I started, probably within the first year… and I think the plans
had already been happening, was we were gonna be moving spaces. We were gonna be moving, offices
to the first floor, no, to the third floor [of the Administration Building]. So I don't know if you're familiar
or not- where Ace Scholars is now, where the Tukwut courtyard is? That's where Student Life and
Leadership used to be. So we were already, when I first started, kind of in this future planning, dream
big mode of what can Student Life and Leadership look like. But at that time, C3 was under the purview
of Student Life and Leadership. So figuring out where and how that space - because it was very
important to have a designated space - not have it be interweaved into our office, but have a
community building location for the Center.
So, I am sure that I was part of conversations because we were doing like kind of physical planning of
the office, figuring out where everything was gonna kind of be. Um, because I was overseeing
orientation, the space back then it was, I had this massive cubicle… Um and then around the corner
through a door was where C3 was. So it was an office physically located like right off of the general
Student Life and Leadership office. So, kind of talking through and brainstorming how we were gonna fit
these red couches into that space. The space was kinda like a triangle. So doing the physical kind of
puzzle pieces, you know, figuring out, um, you know, what to put on the walls and to create that space
was definitely part of that conversation. So, but yeah I don't remember the nuances, but I would
imagine because it was physically located there, we were all part of that “What does this look like?”
conversation. So, um, how it's evolved since then? I mean, it was in that space. And then, if I remember
correctly, I don't know what happened first, but a leadership program was created within Student Life
and Leadership. It's called SLL [Student Life and Leadership]. And, the idea was to create a Tukwut
leadership. Um, is it Tukwut Leadership Center? Yeah. I think I'm remembering this correctly. So what
ended up happening, I think a space opened up in the Commons Building directly across from Commons
206, I think is the room. And so the Cross-Cultural Center moved up there and then the [TLC], that
[Tukwut] Leadership [Center] space, um, kind of a space for leadership programs and student
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organization meetings, stuff like that, moved into that triangle space on the third floor. So the space
when it was up there was… I mean, it was massive.
It was, I mean, comparatively speaking, I mean there was, there were windows, um, there was like a
welcome desk. There were the couches again, I believe. We had at one point, I don't know what the
timeframe was, but we had painted this like collective mural where everybody had like, it was a,
program that they had brought to campus with a muralist. And they pretty much gave us different
pieces to draw and paint. And that was put together, I think it's still up in the C3 here in the Student
Union, I wanna say. But that was up in the space and it was just bigger and more open. And I wanna say
it was up there until the Student Union opened, which I wasn't in as much conversation about because
at that time I had transitioned more into the Data Students Office-ish role.
So I wasn't gonna be under the same umbrella. But I remember the conversations about the physical
space in the Student Union and, the offices and having a balcony and having programming space and all
of that. And so you see this space now. I mean it's just, it's just beautiful. And it's with the balcony. And
we've held some retreats in there and separate kind of staff meeting stuff. And Floyd's [Lai, Director of
the CCC] great. He's always willing to host people. Um, so it's done a lot of trainings in there and stuff
like that. So, that's kind of how the physical space has evolved. It's gone a long way from this sized
office.
SS:
Thank you for that.
JR:
Yeah.
SS:
So many permutations. I love the red couches.
JR:
The red couches. I mean, that's the thing. And you probably will hear a consistent thing is this thread,
the red couches is what C3 was. Like, that is what was, you know, the signature furniture there.
SS:
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Yeah. [Indistinguishable]
JR:
Oh, I'm sure you did.
SS:
Anyways, um, I knew that you were temporary temporal, sorry. Temporarily responsible for the CrossCultural Center during a transition between associate directors. Let me ask you, what led you to that
position?
JR:
<laughs>
SS:
How’d that Happen?
JR:
I don't know. You know, I think, when you're in a-- when you're leading a department right? And
somebody leaves, you're kind of like, okay, who could kind of pick things up and keep them moving
while we're doing a search, right? I think the reason I was kind of a natural person to jump into that
position and I felt very grateful to do it, was because with my work with New Student Programs and
Orientation, I had collaborated with, with Sara Sheik, who remains one of my dearest friends, we had
collaborated on the creation of a peer mentoring program. So it was a orientation, New Student
Programs and Cross-Cultural Center, um, Multicultural Programs, collaborative program. Where we
focused on pairing up first-year students from underserved, underrepresented populations. So really it
was, I forget the criteria but, primarily students of color, first gen[eration] students who weren't part of
other specialized programs, which now I think about it, I'm like, that's funny. That's the population I'm
working with again. So, because we had worked so closely on that and had, we're really working with
the staff on creating that program, and we interviewed and hired the mentors and we onboarded the
mentees and all of that stuff. I think when Sara ended up leaving, I was a natural kind of… ‘Cause I had
already been working with the, with the directors and coordinators of the other, of the other centers. I
had already been working with the staff in C3 on this program. So, it was kind of a natural, you know,
“Can you just help with this for a little bit?” And so that way we, you know, can have some consistency?
Um, so it was a fun-
SS:
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Yeah, I tried to find how long you were in that position. I couldn't find it. How Long?
JR:
It was about a semest- I'd say it was about a semester, if not an entire semester. It was a couple of
months in the spring semester of… oh gosh, I don't know what year it was. [20]10, [20]11, [20]12,
around that time. Yeah, because it was before- ‘cause I moved into the Interim Assistant Dean of
Students position in January, 2013. So I would say it was probably nine [2009] or [20]10 possibly, but it
was only a couple months while we worked on, hiring and getting Floyd. So.
SS:
Perfect. I don’t wanna get too sidetracked but, I'd like, if you’re willing, I'd like you to tell me about your
friendship with Sara [Sheikh]. How is she?
JR:
God. Is this what she started crying about when she was asking about relationships?
SS:
I’m not sure. <laughs>
JR:
Oh gosh, Sara, what a special human. Um, she texted me earlier. She's like, how was your interview? I'm
like, it's at three. So I'll tell her that you all asked about her. Um, I remember interviewing her because
when we would bring candidates on for our department, you know, we'd all have a chance to meet all
the candidates and whatnot. She first off, she was not, how do? This is the diplomatic part of me. She
was not allowed to reach her fullest potential here. Her skills and her talents were not as tapped as they
possibly could have been here. She left before she should have. Um, but opportunities arose and she
had to take it. But she is, we are so incredibly different, but she is a quiet, calm, intentional, just
peaceful human being.
Everything she does is with intention and purpose. And she's one of those people in my life, and I tell
her all the time, and it's now her and her wife because they're, they're like cup filling people like you,
you hang out with them, you spend time with them. And I'm like, okay, my soul, has been refilled. Um,
not to get into politics, but this is, this is related the day of the, the day after the 2016 election, there
were various emotions. And she happened to be on campus that day. She, Sara was here, this was years
after she'd gone, but she happened to be bringing a group of students here to campus. And I told her, I
said, you are the perfect and only person I would've wanted to interact with on this day. Because she's
so good at just like being in a space with and just allowing space and asking intentional questions. But…
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and then her laugh is just so unique. Like when you get her laughing, it's just like, there's no laugh like it.
Um, but she just, the students so highly respected her, and everything that she touched here, again she
did with intention and purpose. And she makes everyone feel like literally you're the only person in the
room. She has nothing else to distract her. It's a very intentional, like, you're hearing it a, a pattern like
purposeful and intentional. She's just a good, good person. So, I remember, ‘cause I tend to talk a lot
and, um, and this isn't fair ‘cause you're asking me to talk, so there's no, there's no judgment here. But I
remember we were at a, we were doing a staff retreat and I had to get used to that. she would process.
So, you know, somebody would ask a question and a prompt, and we had to give space for Sara because
Sara needed time to kind of put all of the thoughts together and process and whatnot. And so, I've
always taken that with me. But, we've, you know, she was at my wedding. I was at her wedding. She met
my son when he was, you know just after he was born. I've had the privilege to, I was there the day that,
they officially adopted their son. I was taking pictures and just, just one of those people, you know? Just
one of those people in your life that I'm grateful for our relationship here. And just the connection and
it, I, it’s one of those things where I’m like, thank you for allowing me to stay in your life. Because
there’s days where I’m like, what do I bring to you? <laughs> Because she's just so fantastic. But she
would just kind of, she would brush that off and be like you’re nuts. So she's special.
SS:
I love that. That's incredibly great [indistinguishable]. That's amazing. I know we're in the little sidetrack
here, but-
JR:
No, it's fine. it's all connected.
SS:
It’s all oral history, its all about people, so.
JR:
It Is.
SS:
Back to the Cross-Cultural Center. Could you tell me about a favorite memory? Or not even a favorite,
just a memory you have from the Cross-Cultural Center?
JR:
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Hmm. <laugh>.
SS:
This is a little stumped [one].
JR:
No, it's not stumped. I just, there's certain things that it's like, I just immediately remember and I'm like,
it doesn't have to be super deep, right?
SS:
Mm-hmm.
JR:
I remember there was a period of time, I don't know, I think it was before Sara left, but, um, there were
ti-- I don't know if she was out, but, we needed to have physical presence in the Center. And so each of
the SLL staff would sign up for shifts to sit at the front desk of the center. And, I remember, I love
NSYNC. It's a boy band. Yeah. And I remember I was listening to Pandora at the time, it was Pandora.
And I told them, I was up there, I had like a morning shift and I said, “If I am here at my shift, you are
hearing NSYNC and boy bands.” And it just became a thing. They’re like, “Oh, Jennie's here.” And I would
just play that music. And, it was, that's the first thing that kind of came to mind. It was just kind of funny.
They were like, “Oh God, Jenny's on shift.” But it was cool because it got us physically out of our own
offices and I looked forward to that, you know, physical, that physical location change. But then to
interact with students in different ways. Um, God, there's a lot of memories. I met a student, and I won't
say his name for obvious reasons you'll learn shortly, but I first met him in C3 and I remember him
‘cause he would walk in and he was always in military gear, but like not like he, he was like within the
military, he was always just wearing like military-grade-SS:
Camo?
JR: Yeah. He had like a, this military-grade backpack, like, the combat boots and just, and he was just the
sweetest, kindest person. And I, that's he, that was the first time I met him was in the C3. And he would
come in there all the time and that's where he would hang out and we would talk about life. And he
quickly disclosed to me that he had dealt with some significant mental health challenges. And just, my
brother has also dealt with some stuff and so he and I were connecting on that and just talking about life
and making those connections. And I remembered he had gone away for a bit and then he had returned
and he was, he was having some challenges as only a couple years ago. Unfortunately he passed away
last year. But I always remember just that connection I had with him.
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And I realized, you know, a lot of other people on campus had that connection with him. He was just, he
was just this unique soul. He was like an old soul. He dealt with so much adversity with mental and
physical health, but he just always came with just a presence of kindness and just sh- like sheer
gratitude. And when I… when I changed, when I moved outta my office a couple weeks ago, ‘cause I was
in that office for nine years. One of the things I was, I was cleaning this stuff out and I found a thank you
card from him. And I was like, wow, what a gift. And he had, it was after I was out of the role within
relation to [C3], but it's a couple years ago when I helped him with some stuff and it just said, “Thank
you for helping me in one of the difficult times in my life.” and I was just like, God, what a gift you just
gave me. So, um, I don't know if I would've had the chance to meet him had I not been in that, you
know, in that physical space because I know that was a space of safety for him, which was I know the
case for a lot of students, so.
SS:
Wow.
JR:
[Mm-hmm] <laugh>.
SS:
Sorry about that.
JR:
I know it’s tough and yeah. Yeah.
SS:
[indistinguishable] It's remembering NSYNC Radio, at least. <laugh>
JR:
NSYNC Radio. But I think even with him, I still smile, you know, and um, yeah, ‘cause again, he just
exuded gratitude and it, um, yeah. So mm-hmm.
SS:
Well on a lighter note! Uh.
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JR:
<laugh>, I know, sorry take these down.
SS:
No, no, no. It's perfect. It's perfect. I know you only worked there for a semester, but how might have
your work at the Cross-Cultural Center helped you develop as a professional?
JR:
Massively. I mean, you know, as a, as a White woman, straight CIS woman, I bring privilege with me and
I always am trying to learn and understand that what my physical presence may bring depending on the
space and I'm at right? And, the majority of the students who, who hung out in that space were, were
students of color, primarily students who were of Asian Pacific Islander descent. But, it was something
for me to be able to-- when I first got asked to kind of fill in the role, part of me was like I didn't want my
own identity to be a detriment to their development. But I realize now me even just knowing that I think
<laughs> makes a difference. That I'm aware of how my identity impacts those around me.
But there were some experiences that came up that I remember we were doing, we were doing some
activities… Oh we were doing a, an event and it was around, um, Judaism, and I don't remember what
the content of the workshop was, but Hillel, which is still an active organization for serving and
supporting Jewish students, but obviously non-Jewish students can be involved. There was some
concern about us offering this workshop and possibly providing false information. And it was one of
those things that in the moment you can get very defensive, right? You can be like, no, you know, we're
not, we're not trying to do anything to whatever. But what it had me do was, you need to stop for a
second and be-- again, the intentionality. It really taught me just you to think of anyone who could be
potentially impacted, but also leveraging the voices that you have and collaborate and pull them in.
Um, ‘cause why wouldn't have we have collaborated with folks on campus who live that on, on a daily
basis and could provide some additional you know, but I was advising students at this time and the
student was just doing what he was told. He was creating these workshops kind of in a vacuum. But it
was a really good lesson to, again, do things as intentionally as possible. Even if it means you have to
move the workshop a few weeks later, if it means we're doing it the right way, let's do that. So that was
a really good lesson and I think it ended up being fine. We ended up collaborating with them. Um, and
then just…Trying to think. I mean, just working with all different types of people and interacting with
students I probably normally wouldn't have just because they weren't involved in Orientation Team. Like
this, this particular pocket of students who worked as student assistants, within all the other centers
because there was kind of like this collective team they had of- at the time the Women's Center, the
Pride Center, and the Cross-Cultural Center, those three centers; our staffs would get together on a
frequent basis. And there’s folks from other staffs that I have connected with that I'm still in, contact
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with that I probably would never have interacted with. And to be honest, they probably would never
have even-- based on who I am and how I present and probably would never have even interacted with
me. And so, it was a great opportunity to kind of make those connections. But, um, I learned some more
things just about program planning. We, we planned some pretty big events and just again, how to
honor history and culture and doing it in a meaningful manner while advising students who just wanna
get things done. And it's like, how do you balance that? So that was, um, that was a good experience.
SS:
Yeah. That's great. Um, making connections. using your voices. Moving on, could you describe, and this
doesn't have to be with the Cross-Cultural Center ‘cause I know you worked a pretty short time over
there. Could you describe a project or initiative you with that you are particularly proud of, or were a
part of necessarily?
JR:
Hmm. Geez, just so many-SS:
<laughs>
JR:
I think I can discuss the peer mentoring program. Although it was short-lived, I think for what it was. It’s
one of those programs that no matter how good of a program you have, if you don't have the resources
to continue it, you can only do so much. And so… but it was, it was really cool because it was kind of a
brainchild of Sara and then she came to me and said, “You work with new students, can we just do this
connection?” And so we really got a chance to dig into the benefits of peer mentoring and we kind of,
we created it really from the ground up. We recruited current students to be peer mentors, created that
training for them. And because of my work with O-Team [Orientation Team], who is solely volunteers,
you know, I had a training with them, a weekly training with them on, in the spring semester, and then
we had retreats. And so I was able to really bring that component. Um, and then what Sara brought was
really the, the pieces of how-- why we're serving this particular population because there is an equity
gap that our white students are persisting at a higher rate and graduating at a higher rate than our
students of color. So, and then there was research that showed that peer mentoring specifically helps to
close-- is one of the most beneficial components that a student could have to have a peer to peer
connection. So it was really fun to work with her on that and really create the curriculum, create the, the
criteria for the mentors. And then I remember we had spreadsheets and we were divvying up the, the
caseloads of like who, or not the caseloads-- of like who would be matched with certain mentors and
stuff like that.
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Um, and so that was really fun. And then once Sara left and Floyd came on, um, I don't think it was a
while, but he and I had the idea to do like an overnight retreat with this program. So what we did was
we had them all come together. So we've had the mentors and the mentees, this is before school even
started, had them on a bus. We drove up to Julian [California] and we did kind of team-building
activities. And it was really-- I remember we had this, we wanted to do a ropes course and we had,
there's a ropes course at this camp. And I remember Floyd and I were brought in probably three days
before the retreat. And our boss at the time said, we can't spend the money on this. And we're like,
“What are we supposed to do?” So then he and I just like hunkered down and created like our own like,
internal team-building exercises, but we're like, “What the hell are we gonna do?” But we figured it out.
What's funny now is I think it was that year, one of the mentees is now on my coaching staff.
SS:
<laughs>.
JR:
So I've known him forever and it's really cool. And then funny enough we, well it's not funny but, we had
to buy a new car this past weekend, track me here-- and I, we go to San Diego County Credit Union
because that, we had literally just paid our car off on Thursday and that's when our car died. So we went
back to San Diego County Credit Union. Said we wanted to get a loan with you again. And as we’re
meeting with this loan officer, she’s like, where do you work? I told her, she’s like, “I knew you look
familiar!” And my husband's always like, “I swear to God, she knows people everywhere.” And she said,
“I was part of the peer mentoring program” and I remembered her ‘cause she was assigned to, I would
say was our best mentor ‘cause some of our mentors left a lot to be des-- like, “Can you talk? Can you
touch base with your students?” But this one -- and her last name was Ruiz as well -- and so we
connected on that, but it was so cool to see this student who had been in the peer mentoring program
and just being like, “I remember you!” And it was a nice little reunion. Um, but I thought it was a really
cool framework to create. Um, unfortunately the resources just weren't able to keep it going. So.
SS:
Yeah. That's cool that you saw your, your one mentor—[indistinguishable]
JR:
It was so funny that, “I know you look familiar!” When I said I worked at campus, it was funny.
SS:
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Yea I Know plenty of people working in the university space currently working with limited resources.
Yeah, it's definitely challenging.
JR:
It is. Especially when it's such meaningful work like that. I mean, it's literally to support, but now I'm in a
space again to be able to do that same kind of work, which is exciting.
SS:
Mm-hmm. What is the significance of having a space that champions underrepresented students?
JR:
Um, I mean so much. And with underrepresented students, obviously that's such a large umbrella, right?
And then every group and, and community that makes up that term needs different things and there's
an intersectionality and all that and it can-- but you know what it really comes down to, it's about
equity, right? And it's interesting having conversations with people who don't quite get it and there's
people who make comments sometimes it's like, “What about a space for us?” And I'm like, do you
understand that any-- I can go somewhere and see someone who looks like me and understands my
experience. I mean, generally speaking, pretty easily, if you have a student who comes to this campus
and does not see anyone who looks like them during the day, does not have a faculty member teaching
them who is from the same culture or community, to be able to have a space that a student knows they
can go to. To have an experience that just physical and mental and emotional safety on a daily basis, for
them to do homework and define that community will only help them to be better in all aspects of their
life. That's why programs like EOP [Educational Opportunity Program] and ACE Scholars and those
programs exist because they're-- every student should have access to the same level of services, right?
First and foremost. But, if you look at certain populations and certain areas where students are from,
they then need that much more support to get them to the same place that more majority populations
are. So I think providing spaces like this is one step in providing that, that equity. Um, because I can
imagine a student coming here and I've never really experienced it, but being like, “I don't see myself
here.” They're not gonna feel an emotional connection to the campus. They’re not gonna feel like going
to class because why would they care? I mean, there's some students who inherently they just have this
intrinsic motivation and they'll go to school and it's fine.
But you wanna have that, that community and sense of belonging. That'll just make it that much more
just robust of an experience for them. And the community pieces is massive. So spaces like this, if done
well, and intentionally and has good leadership and the resources it needs. Because the thing is these
centers-- and people joke a lot of times are placed in the basements of buildings, they're placed in
inaccessible areas that people don't necessarily know about. If you do it well and put 'em in high traffic
areas like the USU [University Student Union], have staffing and resources to really support those
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students, then it goes well. But just historically spaces like that are just under-resourced and which is an
issue. So.
SS:
Yeah. Um, I guess in that same sort of area of, doing it right. Are there any aspects of your time at the
Cross-Cultural Center that you would've approached differently if given the chance?
JR:
Mm. I, when I came in, because again, there was this like conglomerate of the three spaces. I would, and
it was a really short period of time, but I got kind of sucked into their drama <laughs>, and I wish I
would've come in and I don't know if I had fully found my voice yet like if I, knowing what I know now
about things and haven't gone through when I've gone through now, I feel like I would be able to go in
and be able to really help the students to be very… To, you know to collaborate, but not necessarily be
dependent on, I think, I wanted to collaborate with these other folks but I think there was almost a
sense of like I had to defer to what they wanted kind of thing. And so probably it would be fun to go
back in there now knowing what I know now and see how things would be different. But, I don't know. I
think that the state of where I was at the time, you learn based on where you're at in life. And I got
lessons, from it. I, um, there were-- I worked with my first student who I was aware of being
undocumented at the time and just learning about that process and learning about that impact for her
and just, I mean we literally, no one knew but she would, she would submit kind of a fake time sheet
every month just to have this sense of normalcy and that nobody would question. And just, that was
kind of my first, kind of opportunity to, to work with students experiencing those challenges. So. I can't
think of anything glaring. I was still I think pretty early and young in my profession. Um, so, there's still
days where I’m like, “You wanted me to be in there?” But, it worked out. But I think those are the things
I can, I can think of.
SS:
That’s good.
JR:
Yeah.
SS:
More experience.
JR:
More experience. It’s all, it’s all experience. Yes.
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SS:
Well, as we're wrapping-- winding down, I know you mentioned before that a lot of people that would
go to the Cross-Cultural Center were um--
JR:
Asian Pacific Islander.
SS:
Oh yeah. Asian Pacific Islanders.
JR:
<laughs> Yes.
SS:
I, a lot of questions are raised around like these cultural centers, like the Black Student Center and, the
Latinx Center and stuff like that. And should there be an Asian student center? Should there be a white
student center? What's your response to that?
JR:
<laughs> That's my response. <laughs> Um, I mean, I think I mentioned it before about the purpose of
these spaces. Everyone, every student should have access to support and resources on our campus. I do
not think inherently based on the setup of society, students at particular demographics are lacking
spaces where they see others like them.
SS:
Mm-hmm.
JR:
Like I said, things need to be, do, done well. You need to have the staffing. I think it's always going to be
met with some dissonance because there's gonna always be people who just don't get it. But the people
who are the ones traditionally, and I know there's people who may identify as the same within that
center and say, I don't think we should have, you know, separation or whatnot. But it depends where
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people are at on their identity development. And when you kind of go through identity development,
you get to the point where you're comfortable enough in your space and your skin and your whatever to
understand that everyone else is in a different space and that's okay. And that some students may be
okay with it and some students may really need that space to be successful. And again, if having a Black
Student Center allows one black man who goes to school here to have a physical space that he can go to
feel safe, then I think that's been successful because otherwise where would he find that here? Right. I
think the people who ask those questions about, why don't we have this? Why don't we have this? And
it's like, I don't-- there's gonna always be people who ask those questions and they don't have an answer
for it. They don't have anything to kind of back up, you know, you ask the question of, “Why do you
think we need that space?” And they don't have any, you know, there's no research to back up the
answers that they're hoping to get. It's just, they're there-- The questions are just being asked, I think to
kind of stir things up. But again, the caveat is: you don't wanna just do it to do it to check off boxes. You
need to do it as intentionally as possible. And I'm far from being an expert on how to implement that.
But if you don't have the resources and don't have the institutional support, you're only gonna be,
you're set up to fail.
SS:
Mm-hmm. Perfect. Great. Um, yeah, I like that answer. If it helps. It's worth it.
JR:
Yep. Mm-hmm.
SS:
To conclude connecting to that question, uh, what role do you see the Cross-Cultural Center playing as it
coexists with the expansion of identity-specific spaces?
JR:
I would imagine, I'll say Floyd specifically ‘cause he has been the longest-tenured, um, director in there
now. [Floyd] is probably been asked how he's gonna be-- What is the Cross-Cultural Center? How does
the Cross-Cultural Center kind of stand apart from the other identity centers? I think with the CrossCultural Center, although other centers talk about intersectionality and you know, and that sort of thing,
I think what the Cross-Cultural Center can really focus on is really that multiculturalism, how all the
different identities intersect and kind of can help to facilitate those conversations and understandings
and that sort of thing. I would imagine there's been conversations about-- do we have a space for, you
know, our APIDA [Asian Pacific Islander Desi American] students? Because that tends to be the space
that, that population tends to spend time.
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I think, there were conversations way back in the day where, ‘cause they're Kamalayan Alliance, I don't
know if it's a really big organization now, but Kamalayan Alliance was a massive student organization
back in the day, and that was primarily the students who made up the space in the center and some
people had issues with it. It's kind of like but this is not supposed to be just for Filipino students, but it's
like, who defines that? You know? It depends on who has a connection here and who feels connected.
So, I would imagine-- I know there's some campuses who have, I mean, tons of different affinity spaces
and identity centers. And I'm sure there's gonna be conversation about what, what is C3’s role in that?
Um, I don't know the answer I'm not privy to those conversations, but I'm sure the questions have come
up of what is the space for this type of physical and identity space in the midst of adding all these
different, identity spaces? Other campuses do it. It's just, I'm sure there's a lot of conversations about
what is the vision and mission and kind of, where's it gonna go, which can be exciting. Um, but I'm sure
there's also some pressure to be like, who are we? What is our, what is our mission here on campus?
But, um, the current leadership can figure it out. He's [Floyd Lai, Director of the Cross-Cultural Center]
good. He's good.
SS:
Yeah, he is good.
JR:
He is good.
SR:
Anyways, thank you so much for coming here and—
JR:
This was Fun. <laughs>. I don’t know what I expected, But yeah.
SS:
Anyway, I’m gonna end the recording.
JR:
Okay.
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�
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Ruiz, Jennie. Interview transcript April 7, 2023
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview of Jennie Ruiz for the Cross-Cultural Center Oral History Project on April 7, 2023. Biographical information about Jennie, how she started working for California State University San Marcos, her leadership and networking skills. Jennie’s friendship with Sara Sheikh-Arvizu and its impact on her. Her experience running the Cross-Cultural Center, and her thoughts about its role at CSU San Marcos.
This oral history interview was generously funded through the Instructionally Related Activities Fund at California State University San Marcos.
Creator
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Jennie Ruiz
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Seth Stanley
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2023-04-07
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California State University San Marcos. Cross-Cultural Center
Education, Higher
Human rights
Student success
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San Marcos (Calif.)
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
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Jennie Ruiz
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text
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RuizJennie_StanleySeth_2023-04-07_transcript
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Cross-Cultural Center oral history project
CSUSM history
Women's experience
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Oral History
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Interviewer
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Madeleine Meyer
Interviewee
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Diana Saldivar
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5.4 Saldivar, Diana. Interview April 14th 2023. SC027-39 01:04:02 SC027 California State University San Marcos University Library Special Collections oral history collection CSUSM This oral history was made possible in collaboration with the Cross-Cultural Center and with generous funding from the Instructionally Related Activities fund. csusm California State University San Marcos. Cross-Cultural Center ; California State University San Marcos. Kamalayan Alliance ; California State University San Marcos. Associated Students Incorporated ; San Diego State University ; California State University. Multicultural Programs ; Filipino Americans ; Student success ; Human rights Diana Saldivar Madeleine Meyer Video SaldivarDiana_MeyerMadeleine_2023-04-14 1:|14(13)|32(10)|47(3)|59(10)|73(9)|92(14)|104(3)|133(8)|148(11)|164(15)|178(14)|202(11)|230(3)|259(11)|284(3)|297(6)|316(10)|334(4)|348(6)|363(4)|382(15)|404(11)|427(4)|443(13)|458(4)|481(6)|503(9)|523(11)|543(4)|554(3)|571(13)|584(12)|596(7)|615(16)|630(12)|644(6)|654(15)|682(5)|703(11)|717(13)|728(8)|744(4)|765(7)|776(17)|794(9)|812(9)|828(6)|848(11)|873(9)|888(8)|900(8)|919(13)|934(12)|949(15)|971(16)|990(13)|1009(8)|1031(9)|1046(18)|1065(6)|1080(6)|1103(11)|1121(9)|1148(6)|1152(15) 0 https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/4ba35a3be1f188bd69a1d18341a5b736.mp4 Other video english 0 Childhood and Education Saldivar describes how she moved a lot and never had a solid group of friends due to her father's career in the military. She explains how she struggled navigating college as a first generation student. Saldivar started out at Palomar Community College, then California State University San Marcos and later moved onto San Diego State University for graduate school. Saldivar explains how she graduated during the recession and no one was hiring so she felt discouraged and had to take on volunteer work to maintain work experience. She also discusses what life was like growing up with parents who immigrated from the Philippines and China. Palomar Community College ; California State University San Marcos ; San Diego State University ; immigrant ; VA bill ; Military ; first generation ; childhood 0 780 Finding the Cross-Cultural Center and Getting Involved In Associated Students Incorporated Saldivar explains how the Cross-Cultural Center was very small and almost hidden amongst the campus. She explains how faculty encouraged her to apply for a position for Associated Students Incorporated (ASI, student governance). Saldivar explains how the Cross-Cultural Center exposed her to faculty that looked like her and represented her despite the campus being predominately white. Cross-Cultural Center ; Associated Students Incorporated ; representation ; identity 0 1205 Working and building up the CCC Saldivar explains how she started working at the Multicultural Center (now called Cross-Cultural Center) and helped to build the foundations of the center. She explains how in only three years the center was able to grow and become recognized on campus. The center was working with various other campus organizations to share resources and create appropriate spaces for students. Saldivar explains how the center impacted people within their identity. multi-cultural center ; start up ; building ; Pride Center ; LGBT ; Womens Center ; Asian Center ; Cross-Cultural Center 0 1690 CCC Began Growing Saldivar discusses how the Cross-Cultural Center began to expand and its new location allowed the center to become more visible to students. Programing for the center was created such as the Peer Educator Program, Multicultural Mondays and Dinner Dialogues. These programs provided a space and opportunity for students to explore, understand and discuss identities. Peer Educator Program ; Multicultural Mondays ; Dinner Dialogues ; identities ; representation ; LGBTQ ; Religion 0 2282 How the CCC Helped Saldivar Saldivar feels like her courses helped her identify who she was and understand how her background has shaped her as an individual, but the CCC is what allowed her to put those realizations into practice. The CCC allowed her to realize she must live intentionally and how to really make an impact in peoples lives. The CCC provided her with the skills she would use later on in her career. 0 2744 How Saldivar Met Her Husband Saldivar explains how she and Randy, her husband, met through the Cross-Cultural Center and ended up getting married. Saldivar reflects on the programs that she and Randy worked on for the CCC. Husband ; San Diego State ; University of San Diego ; University of Southern California ; Filipino American Organization 0 3191 Working Dynamics Between Saldivar and Her Husband Saldivar explains how she and Randy maintained a professional relationship while working at the center. She describes how they compliment one another and help one another become successful in their work. Kamalayan Alliance 0 3399 Asian Pacific Islander First Graduating Ceremony Saldivar discusses how the CCC helped the Asian Pacific Islander Club recognize their first graduating class. She explains how the lack of a budget forced the CCC and Asian Pacific Islander Club to get creative. Saldivar expresses her gratitude towards the university for always listening to the wants and needs of their students. Asian Pacific Islander Club ; Asian Pacific Islander graduation 0 3557 Impact of CCC on Others Saldivar discusses impact of the CCC on students and their academic success. She expresses the joy it brings to her when she sees how much her and her community has grown due to the center. Filipino ; student success 0 3723 Role of CCC Saldivar discusses how much the center has grown and how its programs are focused on the current needs of the students. 0 Video Diana Saldivar is a California State University San Marcos alumna. She graduated with her degree in Communications, Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Saldivar worked at the Cross-Cultural Center from 2004-2007 and was also involved in the Asian Pacific Islander Student Society, Kamalayan Alliance, and with Associated Students Incorporated (student government). In her interview, Saldivar discusses how the Cross-Cultural Center provided her with a sense of belonging on campus and served as a second home. Saldivar explains how the center provided her with lifelong friendships, skills and connections that has helped her become the person she is today. Saldivar recounts how the CCC provided a safe space, allowing for conversations with others that are often deemed controversial, and how the center encouraged those to constantly seek knowledge. Madeleine Meyer: My name is Madeleine Meyer and I'm here today in the Kellogg Library interviewing Diana Saldivar at California State University San Marcos for the Cross-Cultural Center Oral History Project. The date is Friday, April 14th, 2023, and the time is eleven fifty-seven. I'd like to start with asking you a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and what was your early life like? Diana Saldivar: Ooh, that's a long question (both laugh). That's gonna be a long answer. How long do we have? Um, I actually was born here in San Diego, California on a military, one of the military bases. I don't know exactly which one. My mom forgot to give me those details, but all I know is that the hospital is now torn down. So I know it doesn't exist anymore, but I assume it was either 32nd or one of the Navy bases down south. Because I didn't know, we lived in North Park for a little bit, from there, because my dad's military career, we moved several places across, the West Coast. So I've been to Fallon, Nevada, San Francisco, Treasure Island, back to San Diego, Hawaii. And then once my dad retired, he retired at Camp Pendleton here in Oceanside. So I ended up being around probably fourteen, fifteen (years old). So right in the middle of my middle school, high school years is when I came to kind of be more of a, a transplant to San Diego. So--it was definitely still different from me, (laughs) for me from moving from San Francisco to a really big, you know, metropolitan city with a lot of diversity to Oceanside, which was very (laughs), in development still. Meyer: Um-Hm. Saldivar: So that was a big challenge. And then also because of me moving around to so many schools, I think I went to eight or nine schools by the time I was fifteen. Meyer: Wow. Saldivar: So it wasn't like I grew up having solid friends, grew up with them during grade school and things like that. It was always a lot of transition. So me entering high school, middle school when everybody has friends since they were like second grade in kindergarten, that was very different for me. Fortunately, I was able to find my own community. I was able to find other, military transplants. So we just kind of found each other in a sense. So, I ended up graduating high school at Vista High, in 2000, oh (both laugh) that's so long ago. We just even had our 20th, annual, reunion. It was delayed because of the pandemic (COVID-19). Meyer: Right Saldivar: So it was 21(st annual reunion), which made it feel so much worse (laughs). So I graduated in Vista High and, I didn't really know what to do. I mean, I was kind of one of those, I was a first generation, what do you call it? Immigrant child who, my parents did some college, but it was more like vocational college. They didn't really understand the full traditional college career, how to get there. So I had a lot of high school counselors. They kind of helped with, you know, what are your thoughts about going into, you know, college, have you thought of, you know, applying and things like that. And it never really crossed my mind. I was just kind of going as it goes. But I ended up applying to San Diego State, Cal(ifornia) State San Marcos and one other college. Because of my dad's military career, he was able to get the GA or, the VA Bill (Veterans Affairs, often referred as GI Bill). So I was able to use it as his dependent, which was nice because affording college was just out of the question and having that nice little package was so good (laughs). So I had to stay in California, so I was very limited to where I could go. And I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I was like, you know, “Let's just go to Cal State San Marcos. It's close to home (laughs).” You know, I didn't really understand the whole, let's research and let's look at this and that and things. I'm just like, okay, I'll just go to college and put, I don't know, well non-major and stuff like that. And then, you know, I ended up being here, started 2000, dropped--got kicked out (both laugh) 2002 because I didn't meet the math requirement (laughs). I'm not sure if they still have that here, but as an undergrad you had to meet an English and math requirement. I definitely met the English because I did IB (International Baccalaureate) English, like honors English, but I was terrible at math, and I don't know why I was taking math classes at seven o'clock in the morning (Meyer laughs). So that was terrible setup for me. So then I ended up going to Palomar Community College for a couple years to get myself back on track, doing the, IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) program. And probably by 2004 I found myself back here at Cal State San Marcos, you know, with a brand new focus, more (of an) understanding of what I wanted to do. Finally declared a major and two minors, like a crazy person. Like why would I wanna be the school more? I don't know. I ended up then graduating in the winter, or yet fall of 2007, but I walked, spring 2008, which was great because it felt really nice to kind of be able to represent my family, kind of being the first gen(eration) going across. And then it was like, what do I do now? And then I ended up going to San Diego State for my grad program, but that in itself wasn't even planned. Meyers: Um-Hm. Saldivar: This is kind of how my life has been. Meyers: Yeah. Saldivar: It just doesn't get planned. It just happens. Which is probably not a great (laughs) way to live life sometimes, unless you have a goal. It was my mentor, Dilcie Perez from the Cross-Cultural Center, or actually just kind of the student activities area and where she looked at me and she's like, “Did you ever think about making this a career?” And I was like, “What, I could get paid for this?” (both laugh). So that was kind of pretty much how it all happened in, the three months before I was graduating, I went to a info session about higher education programs and kind of figuring out that you could work with students, these are things that you could do to build your, your career in, in the collegiate setting. And I was like, oh, okay. I'll apply to of course, a California state school because that's how I can afford (laughs). And you know, still on my dad's, VA. Ended up getting in the San Diego State program. And so right after, the fall semester, I had a semester off because of the way that the, the, the calendar, schedule was laid out. So I had some work experience. So I ended up getting some work experience at the--oh my gosh. St. Paul? No, not St. Paul's. Oh my gosh. Father Joe's. Oh, my I’m like why I’m saying St. Paul's. Meyer: Yeah. Yeah. Saldivar: The Father Joe's Villages. I ended up, being a vocational counselor there for a couple months. And then I moved on to do my grad program at San Diego State. And then this was the longest title ever. Let me, let me see if I can get it right. Masters (laughs) of Arts in Higher Education with a Specialization in Student Affairs Administration. Meyer: Wow. Saldivar: Yeah (both laugh). You should see what it looks like on the degree (Meyer laughs). It's like, my gosh, what did it say? I'm like, just higher ed. Just, just say higher ed. Meyer: Just put et cetera at the end. Saldivar: Right. And (both laugh) everything's an acronym. So yeah, I went to San Diego State, got do-- done, and then I graduated in 2010, when the economy was just (blows raspberry, gives thumbs down gesture). Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: So it was a terrible time-- Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: To graduate because education was literally redlined. Nobody was hiring. People were, either being laid off or decreased (furloughed) and things like that. So I, it was, it was a difficult time because, you know, I grew up with that mentality, especially that, first gen mentality that if you go to college and you get these degrees, you're going to get a good job at the end. You're gonna get paid well, you're gonna be able to buy a house and all these other things, which is a very, you know, generational (laughs), you understand. We're like, yeah, here, we're now still paying rent. Meyer: Yeah Saldivar: So it was, it was very, it was very humbling. At the same time it was, it was an eye-opener to the reality of like, this is not really the American dream that I was fed to believe in a sense. If that'll, you know, if you're educated, you'll be much more successful, whatever that looks like in that terminology. I would say at least, probably 80 to 85% of our class did not end up in higher ed. Meyer: Um-Hm. Saldivar: They only got in if they were already doing an internship and then was already kind of luckily able to find funding to continue that internship into a part-time or, uh, what do you call it? A contracted job? So it wasn't even like they were full on (jobs). It was, you know, you're, we could, we could help keep you on for another year. And it was like yearly basis until they finally, leveled out and then got the full-time benefit stuff. So that's what happened to a lot of my, cohort, either they all ended up going home to where they, came from and then going into nonprofit or some type of K-12 (Kindergarten-twelfth grade) education prep program. So we tried to find jobs, or I definitely tried to find jobs that could still, you know, help hone in my skills that are transferrable to get back into higher ed. But it took a long time to do that. So, I mean that's kind of more of my, educational professional side (laughs) about me. I guess, on a more personal side, I'm the first born of two. So I have a younger brother, two years younger than me. I, you know, grew up, like I said, all over the place. My parents are, my mom is from the Philippines and then my dad's Chinese. So he's from China, Hong Kong. They both immigrated to the states probably when they were fifteen, sixteen. Meyer: Wow. Saldivar: Yeah. So they were like teenagers. So they still kind of had deep cultural ties to their homelands, but then also was at that point in where they were at school, where they could become more acclimated to their American culture and things like that. So I kind of, I wanted to be, say like, I'm one and a half, two generation kind of in a sense where they understood some of, you know, American norms and values and things like that, but at the same time had that duality of, how do we stay culturally close to ourselves and things like that. So it, growing up I still kind of, you know, butt heads in, in a sense (laughs) with my parents. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: Like, well, that's not how I feel doing that now. Meyer: Yeah Saldivar: You know? I mean, even my grandma had immigrated later on and so, I had a lot of my family in the Bay Area. The San Francisco, San Jose, or Stockton area. And my Chinese grandma, R.I.P. (Rest In Peace) love her to death. She was very, very strict Chinese ma--grandma. And where she tried to marry me off so (laughs), I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. (laughs). I mean, I was too young to understand what was going on, but at least my mom was like, “We are not doing that!” Meyer: Oh my God. Saldivar: Yeah (laughs). Meyer: How, how old were you? Saldivar: I was probably about seven or eight when my grandma was grooming-- Meyer: Oh-- Saldivar: Me to, you know, prepare for like, have you met this child? Or, you know, I have a friend's son who's on my oh. What the heck? (Meyer laughs) No! Meyer: Your mom is like, “We're not, (both talking) we’re not doing this—" Saldivar: Yeah, exactly. We're not exactly (laughs). Meyer: Oh my gosh. Saldivar: Yeah. It was kind of neat because my, my--the thing is because my dad is a firstborn male of the family. So he's spoiled and everything and oh, since I'm the first daughter, you know, we have to make sure she's married off well. And then my, my brother who's actually considered the first-born male of the firstborn son gets so much better benefits and perks than I do. So even though I'm the first born (unintelligible) oh no, you're a female. But my son--my brother still gets like, everything. Meyer: And he's the baby. So it's, yeah. (Saldivar laughs). Oh man. Saldivar: Yeah. So that's kind of just a little bit about me. I know that was, a real deep dive into a lot of stuff. Meyer: No, that's great. That's great. Um, yeah, I, well that answers my question about your educational journey too. Which is perfect. Saldivar: There you go. Meyer: Um, and then I was just going to ask, how did you first become aware of the Cross-Cultural Center when you came onto Cal State San Marcos’ campus? Saldivar: That’s a, (laughs) that's actually a really good question. Um— Meyer: How did you wander in? Yeah. Saldivar: Yeah. And I think that's always the funny thing is people don't know about it. I think what was hard was when I was here on campus and versus like how it is now, it wasn't visible. Meyer: Oh OK. Saldivar: You--it was not even like an indicator. There was no signage, there was not like, how the Veterans Center is literally right there in the middle of campus or, you know, the Student Center is right there. The, the Cross-Cultural Center, or what it was called formerly is the Multicultural Center was in a back office kind of like this. It was hidden in Craven Hall (now Administrative Building), fourth floor way in. So when you walk in, it's not right there. It's like you have to go halfway through, then down this tiny corridor and then it's a door. Meyer: Um-Hm. Saldivar: And it's, you think, okay, either it's a janitor’s closet or it's where they keep all the, um, what do you call it, the computer stuff and everything— Meyer: Yeah Saldivar: Like a storage closet. You're just like, “Where is this place? Am I in the right place?” And (they’re) like, “Keep going down. (laughs) You're following the right area”. Like we had signs and arrows and everything. In different bright colors to make it feel like it's okay, (Meyer laughs) it's a safe space. You're coming to, you're know, we're not going to kidnap you or anything. (both talking) Meyer: This is not a meat locker. Saldivar: Right, exactly. You're going to make it out alive. Meyer: Yeah, yeah. Saldivar: The way I ended up getting there, funny enough was I was just going through--when I returned back to school, my focus was just get my degree and go, you know, I wasn't even thinking about being involved, you know, student life, things like that. That wasn't even on my radar, until I started taking community, what do you call it? Sociology classes. So my major was Communications and I minored in Sociology and Ethnics Studies and my Ethnic Studies teacher --I am terrible with names (laughs). I see her face Dr. Elsie, (whispers: Elsie), no, Elsa, Elsie (Dr. Sharon Elise), something like that. Meyer: Uh-Hm. Salvidar: And she--was talking about, you know, race and, racial identity and things like that. And so she was very involved in the school, and something came up in where there’s a position for ASI, our Associated Student Inc. for a Director of Diversity and Cultural Events or, something like that. I'm terrible remember(ing), those kind of details years back. But yeah, it was with ASI and I, so it was a Cultural and and Diversity Coordinator. So it'd be in charge of all the events regarding, you know, student orgs ,and things like that. So she know would talk about in this class and she was like, you know, this is available if you guys are interested and stuff. And then she personally took me aside and she's like, “I think you should go for this Dee.” I was like, “really?” She was like, “I think you might be good for it. You should try it out.” I was like, “Okay, cool.” That was my thing. (laughs) I was just like, okay, people see something in me, I guess I'll try it. It wasn't anything like, oh, I have so wanted this job, or I should be interested. It's like, okay, let me just fill it out and stuff and you know, and ask questions, you know, your personal identity. What do you think you would bring on campus? Why is cultural diversity important to you and, and to the students? Those are kind of some of the things I remember. And, and you know, I was filling it out, just kind of taking a lot of the experience. I grew up, you know, being a military child and being in San Francisco and other places and having to adjust to those. It's just, you know, feeling--just more of creating a belonging on campus. Meyer: Um-Hm. Salvidar: Because especially during that time, there was not a lot of students of color on, on campus. It was very predom-- we called it the pre-primarily, PWI. Primarily a White Institution (Predominately White Institution). That was, what do you call it? Oh geez, I forgot what you call it. Commuter (student body). Yeah. So it was very big commuter student, there was no student life on campus. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: It wasn't as lively as it was, is now or a couple years before. So I applied for it. I think I was the only one (laughs) that applied for it because I don't think, because ASI wasn't even really built up either. We were such a young campus. And so I interview it. I ended up being on the board and so that was kind of my shoe into student activities and student involvement. And that's where I got to meet other people, meet other campus organizations, realized, oh my gosh, there's much more to on-campus than going to class. Meyer: Right. Saldivar So from there I ended up, you know, having to--part of that position allowed me to network and coordinate with a lot of different folks on campus, which was great. And that's when I caught the attention of Alexis (Montevirgen, second Associate Director of Multicultural Programs). Who was a part of the Multicultural Center at a student affair, student activities department. And he would be attending some of the stuff that ASI would be putting on. And he's like, “So have you thought of, you know, maybe wanting to move into student, you know, affairs and activities? You know, I have a position that'd be coming up,” you know, but because with ASI it was only a one-year thing. So it wasn't like you could continue. I mean, I could continue on if I wanted to, but, you know it was just my foot on the door just trying to see what, it was about. And he's like, “Yeah, you know, we actually have a center that you could be a peer educator and all this stuff come by. Let's talk. You know, I'd love to see what you'd be interested in doing for us.” And, and, it was kind of amazing to see a male Filipino-- Meyer: Um-Hm Saldivar: Faculty, staff member on campus. Because it was like, wait, there's somebody that looks like me and he's interested in what I have to do and talk about. So it was kind of really neat to kind of see him as a mentor and a friend and somebody that looks like me, but could understand also culturally, you know, where we come from. What was interesting was I hadn't really explored my Filipino identity as much, because I wasn't really exposed to it other than my family. And so I felt more closely to my Chinese American identity. So him being Filipino and being like, hey, you know, I see you, let’s work together. Let's figure out what we could do. I felt like it was an opportunity for me not just to, you know, be a part of that center, but also to help kind of selfishly myself, kind of, I learned who I am. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: You know, in this role. So after I did ASI for the one year, they're like, “So you want to continue?” I'm like, “Actually I want to move over there (points, laughs).” So they, they always laugh because Sarah Gallegos was my supervisor for ASI. So her and Alexis, you know, would work together and stuff and she's like, “You stole my person (laughs).” So they would always joke about that and everything. “Stop stealing my people!” Meyer: They're poaching. Saldivar: Right. Exactly. He literally just straight up poached me. He's like, so you interested. So that's how I ended up being a part of the Multicultural Center as, it was, it was a different title at that time. It was, I, I don't know if it was ambassador or, because it wasn't even called peer educator at that time. It was just kind of like, I was his assistant because the peer educator program hadn't, hadn't even started yet. We were in, he was in the— the works of actually building it. So I kind of came on more as a, as like an executive assistant to him helping him organize what is the peer education supposed to look like? What are some programs we could start doing? Things like that. So looking at more of the administrative logistic planning of it before even, just even being a student. So it was kind of nice because, I was able to do some of my work experience to like, hey, you know, let's get my type A personality going here. Yeah. So (laughs). Yeah. So that's how I fell into it. And I was there for almost two and a half, three years. Meyer: Wow. Saldivar: Yeah. I continued on with it. He was just like, yeah, you're staying on. I'm like, okay. (laughs). Meyer: Aw. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: Well, it sounds like you were really essential to the early space. Saldivar: I want to say I am, I guess. I mean, I was just in it because I felt like it was such a great opportunity to create a space for students who, didn't feel like they belonged on campus. And just to be with great minds who want to think big and create a culture and a system of, what do you call it? Just, you know, integrate a lot of things on campus that wasn't there. And it was, I felt like it was one of, what do you call it? Now, I'm looking back like I'm, when I was young I was like, “I’m in it. This is fun. Yay!” Just go ahead and do this because, you know, I just want to be part of it and I'm now looking back like, I was in an incubator. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: I literally was in a startup not realizing it was a startup. So yeah. I was kind of looking back like, oh dang, (laughs). I did all that. Oh— Meyer: You were at the beginning of something really big. Yeah. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: So it sounds like the Cross-Cultural Center, or the Multi-Cultural Center as it was called, was a lot smaller when you started. Saldivar: Oh my gosh, yes (both laugh). Meyer : How would you say it was different when you started and when you left? Saldivar: Oh my gosh. We had people (laughs), the campus community actually knew what the Cross-Cultural Center was. So that was really, it was so interesting to see within the two-and-a-half, three years how much it had grown. When I started it was just me and Alexis in this small little room, red couches, you know, we had some posters up. We had a bookcase full of just some, you know, books that we called “our library” (laughs). Now that, I think have a huge like, depository of information that people can have resources to. But at that time we didn't even have this library, so it was-- Meyer: Wow. Saldivar: I know it's hard to imagine (laughs). So there wasn't like a lot of resources focused on DEI (Diversity and Equity) work, you know, even it was even called DEI work at that time. It was just called, you know , you know, diversity and multiculturalism. So a lot of the lingo has even changed from the time I was there to now. I think what, I mean, just breaking it down to even certain years, the first year was just building, just building a foundation, getting down what is the Multi-Cultural Center about what’s its place on campus and how can we be in collaboration and community with all the other centers that were even being established. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: So it was nice that it was a really good time for the Cross-Cultural Center, Women's Center, um, the LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender) Center, the Pride Center, all those centers kind of working together to build each other up. You know, we knew that it was important to have these centers, but we didn't wanna have just one centralized one that filled everything. Its like, no, we need to really, I don't wanna say--segment them. But we, they did needed to be segmented because there's all different sorts of needs for each one. But we also wanted to work together as, you know, we are here together as a whole but specifically they could help you with these certain things. You know. So we were, that was such a great time in where we didn't, we weren't fighting for resources and I think still they're not fighting for resources, so, which is good. So we started in Craven Hall, the small little area, and I think what really helped was just having students come and just hang out and know there's a space for them. Yeah. It ended up being a lot of API (Asian Pacific Islander) students of course. So, you know, it kind of, it was hard to get that stigma off for a while that's like, “Oh, that's the Asian Center.” It's like, no, we're actually open to a lot more people. But it just happened to be a lot of Asians in here. Meyer: You're not the first person who said that. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: I’ve heard that a few times. Saldivar: Yeah. I know Floyd is still dealing with that. (both talking) Meyer: Yeah, Floyd mentioned that. Saldivar: I’m sorry, I'm so sorry (laughs). Myere: No— Saldivar: Because what, what was nice about the, the, the Multicultural Center or when it changed to the Cross-Cultural Center was that it was a nice incubator for student organizations to start too. There was, since there's no space for folks, there's no space to grow. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: And no space to, to create communities. And so that's kind of what happened with the Cross-Culture Center--well, I like Cross-Cultural Center, but it's Multicultural Center--back then Multicultural Center (laughs) was, it was an incubator for, for student orgs (organizations). So Kamalayan Alliance actually started from there. The Filipino organization that me, and actually my husband was a part of the, the found founding group. Yeah. So we founded that and it's crazy to see how far they are. And I was, oh god, 20 something years later. Oh, that makes me feel old. And they're like, “Oh yeah, 26th anniversary.” I'm like, “has it been 26 years?” Meyer: You're like, can we say 15 maybe? Saldivar: Can we just say anniversary? Just, just leave the number out. Meyer: Yeah (both laugh). Saldivar: It's crazy to see how many generations have gone through that. I know--what do you call, APSA? The Asian Pacific Student Society? The Vietnamese group. I know we also helped, and this was later on also, you know, the Black Student Union, things like that. And kind of just developing and growing and finding spaces to find each other. And then being able to create that community. And then if they needed to go off and do their own thing, that was fine too. But we just were happy that, hey, people found each other through here and they were able to do something and create action. So that was kind of a really, something that I hold dear to my heart is that there was a space for students to do that and to find friendships and god, I don't know how many of them got married to each other. Meyer: Aw. Saldivar: (laughs) There’s a lot of people that are like, oh, you're still together. We're still best friends and now y'all have kids. And it's crazy how much the, the, that space had, impacted so many people so many years later. Meyer: Wow. Yeah. Saldivar: So I guess, so what else happened there? I mean, there's just so much (laughs). We did move three times, the time I was there, so it was nice that they realized this space is too small for us. They ended up, the main office ended up taking note of how many students were coming in a day. So then they could show to, I don't know, the chancellor, the provost, I still don't understand the hierarchy. And I'm a student and I'm in higher ed(ucation). And I was like, what (laughs) You know, they're like, there's a need here. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: You see what's happening is that these students are coming in, they're using the space, they're doing this, this, this, and this. So they were provide--so us, us students just hanging out and chilling and doing whatever we're doing there. They were using us, as I won’t saying using us. But, you know, they were using us as a case study saying, “Hey, this is something important to us. Look what's happening. We need a bigger space.” And so what was nice is that through, I think between 2005, five and six or six or six or seven, we ended up moving us to the bottom floor of the Craven Hall. Or was it the first floor? It's one of the, the lower ends. Which was nice because not only was it semi-visible to, the students now, because people would have to walk by the center to get to the one stop. And we were in front of that really nice, painted mural. But they also, it was a bigger space. It was an awkward space, but it was bigger. It was this weird triangle and were like, how are we gonna fit anything? So it was really weird, like sectioned off stuff. It was weird. But what was nice is that because of being more visible people were able to see, “Hey, wait, what's going on in there? Oh, that looks cool.” Then we were able to even promote more of our programs and be like, hey, have you guys heard of this? Or, you know, here's a flyer, here's A-frames. Things like that. The red couches still, still came with us because the red couches came (both laugh) wherever we went. Everybody knew us by the red couches. I think, that was really one of the key things that brought a lot of students in, because you know, I mean, before we just had-- Meyer: Benches Saldivar: Benches. And basic chairs. And it was not comfortable. It didn't feel welcoming. People like, “Hey, you wanna take a nap? We got some red couches.” People just pass out there next thing (Meyer laughs) you know, they made it a home. You know. Other things that happened in there was when a lot of programming was starting to be developed. So I was there as the assistant for about six months until the new semester kicked in. And me and Alexis had come up, helped develop the peer educator program. So the peer educator program consisted of four peer educators. I was kind of the main lead one. Jay (Franklin) was hired on as, the LGBTQ peer educator. And then there was Brittany, which I forgot her, what her specific one was. And then there was Stephanie who was like spiritual and religious. So we were kind of sectioned off into certain areas of our expertise to kind of help reach out to those groups. At that time it kind of worked because it was such a small population of the students, we could do that. As time has gone on, they just made 'em all peer educators and they were just kind of more cross trained in everything and anything. And whoever had those expertise would be kind of referred to. So it became more of a referral system than it was like, “Oh, you go to Jay because he's specifically this identity.” But it was great because we were able to all really learn from each other. Oh yeah. And then there was Cher, how can I forget, I forgot Cher. Cher is fun. Cher just, her (laughs) demeanor was so different, she was, very introverted, but once you got to know her, oh, she had the most sassiest mouth ever. And I'm just like, “Cher! We can't say that!” (Both laugh) But she was great. She, we, we came really close. And I think that's what I love about being in that peer educator program that we became really close. You know, we were all in it brand new. First of all, we were all students of color, so we're like, oh my god, there's more you know (laughs). And it was a great learning opportunity for all of us. So the things that we didn't know or understand, it was a safe space for us to explore that. So as peer educators, you know, we came up with some programming for the students. So we did things, and it kind of kind of all organically came together. You know, one, one of the things that we all worked on was called Multicultural Mondays. So on Mondays, once or every twice a month, I forgot what days.(laughs). There was a, you know, a certain schedule to it. We would, look at certain identities or things that would be meaningful for the students to wanna explore. So just kind of added programming to it. One of the things that I love that I hold dear to my heart was one of the programs we did called “Dinner Dialogues.” That was a very pricey program, but it worked (laughs). I'm like, “Do we have a budget?” (Both laugh) I didn't know what that was. I'm just like, “Can I have money for this?” Meyer: Well, Jay was saying, getting people in with food always worked. Saldivar: Oh gosh. Yeah. We ended up having a fridge and a microwave, but until we moved down to the, to the second floor. So yeah. That's one of things. Like we got food, we got pizza because, the campus was a food desert. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: We had nothing other than the Dome (food services originally operated by San Diego State University’s Aztec Shops). And the Dome was one of, first of all kind of expensive, and two, it was gross (both laugh). It was, oh. Oh no. So one of the things that we came up with called Dinner Dialogues, and it was a really great, I wanna say experience of how that organically happened as a program. It was just a bunch of students, hanging out in the Cross-Cultural Center past four o'clock, which was very rare because nobody wanted to be on campus past two. Usually the classes ended at two, you were gone. But these students felt safe. They felt home. They felt like, this is where I want to be. So we all ended up just getting food. I think this was when Chick-fil-A opened and we all got free, what do you call it? Chicken sandwich passes. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: So we all went got like (laughs), thirty-five sandwiches. Oh, it was crazy. And yeah, we all sat there, we're just all eating. And we started talking about-- it was my, my good friend Jacob Dansler, he was, Black male and it was some of us and we were all, you know, all from different backgrounds and stuff. And we were talking about some of the challenges that we've had as a person of color or what it mean to be a man of color, or a woman of color or, you know, LGBQ person of color. And it was really cool to kind of just sit there and have that kind of dialogue with each other and learn and be able to ask questions that were, I wouldn't say in, in a way that we didn't feel like we were being judged for asking these questions. It was a very safe space and a space for learning and, and feeling, you know, we actually have a lot more in common than we realized. And people were like, you know, we need to make this a program. This is cool. I would love to have these kind of spaces where we could talk about these things like this. And so that's where Dinner Dialogues ended up coming out and we're like, yeah, free meal, but at the same time, let me talk with you about things that maybe we don't have these opportunities to talk about all the time . So it was really great. That program kicked off really well and we had ended up having, I think it was for two years until I actually ended up leaving. And then I don't know what happened if it continued or if it morphed and changed ‘cause it always changes with people who come in. But yeah, I think that was one of really one of the main things that kicked off there. And then Jay, because he was the LGBTQ peer educator, he also was able to bridge a lot of the communities together and start, start planning out the Pride Center. And so that was kind of really nice in where the, the Multicultural Center was the hub of creating more and building more and growing out. So while he was there, we worked together in supporting not only the, oh gosh, LGBT group, but then also, okay, how are we gonna get a space for these students as well? So that was a really big achievement for Jay and for the Cross-Cultural Center in that sense. And it was nice that we were able to support each other in building those communities. You know, mine was Kamalayan, his was-- Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: You know, the pride, oh, we call it, I think Britney was helping with the BSU (Black Student Union) part, things like that. So we were all there to support each other, support the students and just, I don't know, we were just doing it because we wanted to. It's just ‘cause we had the passion for it and we loved it. I don't think we—it was like fully intentional what we were doing. And until we're like, oh crap, look what we did (laughs). Meyer: Yeah. You wanted to create a space for you and the people on campus and it just kept being a space. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: That's great. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: All right. Saldivar: I know, I think I've-- there's so much. I hope I'm catching everything (laughs). Meyer: No, you're, you're actually answering some of the questions before I even ask 'em, which is great-- (both talking) Saldivar: Oh, perfect. Okay good. Meyer: Yeah. How did it, how did the Cross-Cultural Center help you develop and express your cultural identity? Saldivar: Oh gosh. I think it made me, I think it was, it was, that was just one of the many layers upon my education studies here. Because in my communications major, and because minoring in sociology and ethnic studies, those classes helped me really look internally of who I was, what my identities meant, how they came across to, to the students, to the people that I work with. You know, really being able to put all that theory and then the Cross-Cultural Center allowed me to put it into practice. Oh god, I sound old (laughs). Meyer: No. Saldivar: Being able to put those together. I'm like, ah, makes me (unintelligible). Meyer: No that's, that's a great way to put it. Yeah. Saldivar: Yeah. And I think that helped me a lot in regards to the development of who I was becoming and who I am now. You know, coming into a college, like I said, you know, first gen(eration) Chinese, Filipino-American, I'd like, what does that, what did that mean to me? You know, even when I, I went into college, I didn't even know, I didn't even know that I was considered first gen. I was just like, yeah, I'm going to college because everybody says I should, or, you know, my parents weren't able to go and they said I should go, so I'm gonna go, you know, you just don't have that frame of reference until you get into a space. They're like, “Oh, are you the first one to go in your family? Oh, so you’re the first gen.” Wait, what, what does that mean? So, and so, you know, not realizing there's the support systems and things like that to help you and understand and develop that. And I think that's what really helped me was with that Cross-Cultural Center is to be--is to meet not only my community and people and friends, lifelong friends, who’re gonna help me, you know, be where I am today. But also meeting the mentors and the folks who do the work and how they've helped me understand more of, I guess the practice and, and the acknowledgement of like, it's okay to be uncomfortable. You know, it's, it, it's it, you have to be uncomfortable with the un-- you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, you know, these are things that I don't know, and it's okay not to know. You know, you're gonna move into certain spaces where you're gonna feel uncomfortable and how do you unpackage that? How do you take that and make it into a learning opportunity? And that's one thing that Dilcie Perez has-- she taught me throughout my time being there . She was such a great guidance and mentor for me that I give her kudos to everything about what I do with the work that I do. I remember when I was asked to return back for the 15th-year anniversary of the Cross-Cultural Center, and they asked me and Jay to be speakers, I was like, “Oh, good lord, what am I supposed to talk about?” (both laugh) There's so much to talk about! And it took me a while to realize what I wanted to say. And it came back in, to the fact of being intentional. And that always stuck with me. The one thing that Dilcie always said to me, she was like, what's your intentions on what you know, of what you're doing? Why are you doing this? Meyers: Um-Hm. Salvidar: So I wasn't just doing something for the sake of doing it, but just to understand, you know, is there an impact? What are the consequences? What is the bigger picture that you're trying to achieve? Even (Former Dean of Students, Gregory) Toya was a really great, mentor and where he asked, “What are the students learning outcomes?” I was like, students what (laughs)? What, what? He's like, yeah. Why are we putting on this? Why are you putting on this project? Or why are you putting on this program? What do you want the students to learn? So that really gave me a great foundation and understanding of, why am I doing this? Just, am I doing it for the sake of doing it? Is it self-serving, or is it really here for the students? And being kind of in a, in a selfish (selfless?) teaching moment. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: So I, I wanna say that the Cross-Cultural center really helped me build, you know, a framework or a lens of how I move forward in doing whatever I do or move, as I grow up, you know, it's like, oh my gosh, it made me mature (laughs)! Meyer: They gave you a little toolkit with all the stuff you-- Salvidar: Right. Meyer: You needed for adult life. Saldivar: Exactly. And I, and I thank them for that. ‘Cause now that I'm, you know, now in kind of their space. In their spot. It's so weird to have that flip in where I was looking for mentors who look like me or who I could connect to. But now I'm in that space and where I'm the mentor and where I'm reaching out to students say, “Hey, I see you. Let me, you know, I'm here for you. If you need a space or someone to talk to, I'm here.” You know, and it's so weird to be in that odd spot (laughs) right now, but it's because of them that they were such great models by example that I now have those skills and that toolkit to be like, okay, you know what? I know what it feels like to be in that spot. Let me help you get to where you wanna be. Let me help you unpackage what's going on with your lives and things like that. You know, just an example was a couple weeks ago I had a grad student, who identifies as Chinese American reach out to me. And she's like, I wanna be in where you are at in doing marketing and communication. But how do I, you know, deal with the cultural, challenges with my parents who want me to be in the medical field. Meyer: Um-Hm. Salvidar: And I was like, oh girl, let's talk (both laugh)! You know? And so it was really nice and, and I would say the experience of being, being able to talk to her and her just at the end feeling so relieved and feeling like she could find someone that she could connect to. Someone that she was able to be like, oh my god, I'm not alone in this feeling and this experience and it's okay to feel what I'm feeling. Was such an elated moment for me to be like, oh my gosh, I can still help students (laughs). You know-- Meyer: You took that weight off her shoulders. Saldivar: Yeah. And it felt good to be, you know, I was there and I didn't have anyone to help me with navigating that. And I'm glad that I was able to be there for her to have those experiences that I could be able to connect with someone else who's going through the same thing. So yeah, the Cross-Cultural Center helped me grow a lot, Personally a lot. In understanding who I am, what space I take, what space I should take, you know, what being present means. In spaces that don't have many people of color or female people of color. Yeah. I mean it's (laughs). It's a lot. It's a lot. Yeah. Meyer: And I understand that you made a lot of friends there and met your husband at the Cross-Cultural Center. Saldivar: (laughs) Yes. Meyer: Tell us a little bit about how you guys met. Saldivar: Oh my gosh. (laughs). Meyer: Well, it's relevant to the Cross-Cultural Center, so. Saldivar: Right. Yeah. I mean, that's the funny thing. It's just, wow, y'all (both laugh) we're, we're like, y'all met and y'all married, now you have a kid. Okay! Meyer: So you're not the only ones. There's multiple. Saldivar: There were several people who, I would say yeah, got married some of our best friends and stuff. So me and Randy (Saldivar), met through a friend. It was not intentional when we first met. I was actually working with ASI at the time. So we were, I was at the cancer, one of the cancer walks, the Susan G. Koman cancer walks that we had on here at the field. I was a part of, you know, the walking team and my good friend Trish at the time, she was another Filipina-American and who were able to connect, was there with me to help support. And we were both at the check-in, check-in table at that time. And this is when we had the Nokia phones. Okay. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: This is how old it was. So she (laughs)--her. Randy had called her ‘cause I guess he was studying at the library. He was like, “Hey, what's up? What are you doing?” She's like, “Hey, come down.” You know, “I'm with my friend Dee, and we're at this thing, you know, just come and hang out.” He's like, okay. I didn't even know who he was. I didn't know who this guy was. She's like, oh, my friend's coming over. I'm like, okay, cool. I'm sitting there with my--I was in a Japanese 101 at this time, so I have my Japanese book out. I'm reading it, you know, he comes down with his boom box and (Meyers laughs) and I’m, I was like, what are you doing? He's like, oh yeah, you know, just B-boying. And I'm like, okay, cool. Whatever. You know, I didn't know anything about the hip-hop culture and stuff. And she's like, “Oh, this is my friend Randy, Randy this Dee,” I'm like, “Cool. Okay.” And he looks down and he is like, “Oh, you're studying Japanese?” I'm like, “Yeah, I'm in 101.” He's like, “Oh, I took it.” I was like, “Oh cool. How was it?” He's like, “Oh, it's really fun. He's like, do you need help with it?” I'm like, “No, I'm cool, thanks.” So (both laugh). So that's was my first initial meeting with him. Not even a thought. He was just a passing thought. And there was another time where they had the International Festival here on campus, and it was me and Trish again. And we're eating Ramen sitting on the floor. Randy comes by, says hi again. And this is a time where we had the old school, film. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: So we didn't have phones or anything. It was just, yeah, he was going around taking pictures, right, and--but this is where you could actually get it digitally downloaded, which was weird. On a CD, and he had taken a picture of me and Trish and it wasn't until years later when we started dating where we're going through photos. And it was labeled “Trish and Friend.” Meyer: Oh my God. (laughs) Saldivar: I was like-- Meyer: That's your wife. Saldivar: I was like, Randy, that's, that's me (both laugh). He was like, wait, what? He looks back, oh my god, I took a picture of you two (laughs). And we couldn’t stop dying. Just, we had all of these opportunities that we had met. And nothing. He wasn't attracted to me. I wasn't attracted to him. We had no clue. We even met each other. We're like, ah-ha. Cool. Okay. Bye. It wasn't until our friend Trish had decided when, you know after we were kind of starting the Cross-Cultural Center and stuff. It's, you know, let's create a, a student organization for Filipino-Americans or folks who were interested in the Filipino-American culture. Great. So she asked me to be on board. My friend Marvin, asked Randy to be on it, and her friend Katie. So it was the five of us. And we, we, that's when we literally first intentionally met each other. Like, oh, hey, okay. I thought of him as a little brother. I was like, cool (laughs), you know, whatever. And so then we would go to the Cross-Cultural Center, or the Multicultural Center to hold meetings just to hang out, you know? ‘Cause Alexis ended up being our advisor as well. So then we would ask him, okay, how do we, you know, how do we start this (student organization)? Or what are things that we need to do? You know, we ended up having our first GBM, you know, and, and saying, okay. So we started kind of building out the, the, the student org here and there. During that time there was probably about--we knew each other for about a good eight months by now. We just still friends. We just kil-, I don't even pay attention to him. He don't pay attention to me. We're just like, yeah, cool. Have you seen this movie? Cool. Have you seen this? Okay. Yeah. We're just hanging out. And then, masquerade ball was around the corner. And all of us were like, yeah, let's go. Let's go to masquerade ball. Woo! You know, let's just dress up and dance. And it was my friend Trish who was like, “So have you thought of, what do you think of Randy?” And I was like, what do you mean what do I think of Randy? “Like, you know, what do you think of him? Like, you think he's cute or something?” And I was like, “Uh, he's okay. I mean, he's nice.” Like she, I, you know, she's trying to plant seeds in my head. On the flip end, she's planting seeds on his end. Meyer: Oh. Saldivar: “So what do you think about Dee?” I was like, what! Meyer: One of those friends-- Saldivar: Yeah. Yeah. She's like, I see something, but you both don't see it. So she was playing matchmaker. And so one time, we were supposed to all meet and go to, a GBM meeting, or we call FCC, Filipino Collegiate Collaborative. So this is where, all the schools across San Diego, USC (University of Southern California), UCSD (University of San Diego), San Diego State and us (CSUSM) were supposed to meet all the Filipino American organizations. So we worked together outside of the school to work with other student orgs, which was really cool. So we were supposed to have our meeting, and it was supposed to be me, Trish, and Randy. And Trish was like, “Oh no, I'm sick. I can't go, but if you two wanna go.” I'm like, okay (laughs). Literally, that's kind of how it ended up going. “Okay. So, you wanna go to like, masquerade ball together?” “Sure. Okay.” So it ended up kind of being our first date in a sense. And then from there, you know, we were kind of dating and-- Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: Because we were still involved in, you know, Kamalayan Alliance. We were coming, as you could tell to the center, he would help out and volunteer a lot, you know, and he saw, you know, Alexis, he's like, “Hey, another Filipino. Yay!” So, you know, we all started kind of building the community and you know, we're spending more time together. He's helping out a lot. And then next thing you know, it's, I'm the one who asked him out (laughs). I was like, so, you know what's going on? (Meyer laughs) And he is like, hey, yeah. I was like, “So do you wanna go out or something?” And he looks at me and he's like, “Yeah, sure. Where do you want to eat?” (Meyer laughs) I was like, “What?” “Yeah. You said you wanna go out, so where do you want to eat?” I'm like, oh my god, you’re so dense. (laughs). I was like, no, do you, wanna be, you know, exclusive? He was like, “Oh yeah. Okay, cool.“ Meyer: Where do you want to eat? Right? Saldivar: He's like, uh, so this-- it tells you so much about his personality. We are so different from each other (laughs), you know, and, he's such a great support. He, when we talk about it, we laugh about it. I'm always the very type A business type of person behind the scenes. Let's get the logistics and stuff going. He's the PR (public relations) of it all. He can talk people's ear off, he can find people's stories, he can connect with them. And then once he does a connection here, here's Dee. And then, you know, I get all this stuff taken care of (laughs). So it was really cool. We've, we worked really well in tandem. And I, I'm surprised at the age that we were at, we were early twenties nobody knew we were dating. Meyer: Oh wow. Saldivar: We were very professional in a sense of where nobody knew in the student org or even sometimes in the Cross-Cultural Center that we were even together, we kept it very, professional. Didn't do the whole PDA (Public Display of Affection) thing. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: No. You know, we're not here to do that. We're here to serve our community. And I think at such a young age and stage of our relationship of being able to do that, helped us really kind of be able to be really good partners. In the sense where what we do here is for, you know, a different purpose versus what we do here. Meyer: Right Saldivar: I think it was the one time (laughs) at a GBM, this is where the students really started growing. You know, we had almost forty to fifty members by the second, third year, and we had people come through the center and stuff. (laughs) When GBM, he went to go off to go get lunch and he is like, let me go grab something before the, the, the meeting and I'll see you. I'll be right back. And then he gave me a kiss. Everyone freaked out. They're like, oh, what? Meyer: Oh. Saldivar: They're like, what? (laughs) We’re like, what? They’re like what was that? (points, laughs), and we’re like, oh, y'all don't know yet? Like really a core small group of us. The ones right here knew, you know. Meyer: But everyone else. Saldivar: Everyone else, because I guess because they didn't hang out with us outside of the Cross-Cultural Center or at our house or when we went to the dinner and things like that. We really kept it. We, we didn't know we were that good at keeping it very separate. You know, when we go out to sushi or dinner, hang out at people's houses and we were, you know, completely different people. But we were in a school setting or the Kamalayan setting, we were very--we are officers, we are representatives of this, you know, this space. We need to be kind of, you know, professional. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: So yeah. That moment that kiss happened, people were like, (gasps)? And we had people, no, you're lying. You're all lying to us. You just, no, you're trying to prank, someone was so sure we were probably, we were trying to just get a rise out of people. We're like, no, we've been together for like six months now. They're like, (gasps) no! (laughs). So it was, it was crazy. It was, that's how we ended up meeting, you know, he graduated in Kinesiology in 2009. Yeah. He--and what was nice is that in, he was also the president of Kamalayan, probably within the first two or three years. And the Cross-Cultural Center helped in creating a lot of the success of Kamalayan and where we had the first API (Asian Pacific Islanders) graduate ceremony. Meyer: Oh. Saldivar: Now that has been going on. And we used the center, oh my gosh, that was so crazy. (laughs). We had used the Cross-Cultural Center as a place to build the graduate, the, the planning of the graduate. And we also made the stoles. This is how we had no budget. So we went to Michael's (craft store) and bought the thickest red stole, I mean, red ribbon we could. Meyer: Oh yeah. Saldivar: And black puffy paint. Meyer: Oh no. Saldivar: And we're sitting there, (painting) 2005. Meyer: And that never looks even or clean. Saldivar: Oh no. It was a hot, ugly mess. (Meyer laughs) And you know, we put API grad and there's, you know we're trying to sit there and make it dry, so nothing's smearing. We had red ribbons everywhere and Alexis was like, what the heck is going on? I'm like, “We're making stoles!” (Both laugh) And he's like, oh boy. So I'm--yeah. A lot of the things that happened, like I said, the Cross-Cultural Center was an incubator. A lot of things was DIY (Do It Yourself). It was handmade. You had no budget. So what were we gonna do? You know, we had a lot of, thank goodness we had a lot of support from departments and different, areas with, other API folks who were like, yeah, we got budgets that we could go ahead and just hand over to you or, you know, we'll support you or sponsor you in this or sponsor you in that. So, oh, thank goodness for this community because I don't know if we would’ve got where we are today without really, the support of the school to see that there is a need and it wasn't coming up from the president or things like that. It was coming from the ground up. So that was really cool. Meyer: You were asking for what you needed, not having someone tell you. Yeah. Saldivar: Exactly. And they're like, oh, we--that's what made a, I think Cal State San Marcos such a unique school is that they listen to the people from the ground. It's not directives always coming from the top saying, hey, we need this, or you need to do this, or you need to do this. It's like, no, the students are saying something, how can we meet their needs? Type of thing. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: So it's been really cool in seeing that dynamic versus a lot of other institutions that believe or think that, you know, this is what the students want, but not really listening to them. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: So yeah. So yeah, all in all, that's how me and Randy met. And we ended up getting married after I finished my master's program. And then now we have a child. Two of our other friends, Mike and Darlene met through, he was part of Kamalayan and she was a part of VSA, the Vietnamese Student Association. And we worked really well together, or we worked closely together and we ended up being, you know, in the Cross-Cultural Center as well. And so she ended up asking him out and he was like, “Sure, okay. I didn't know you liked me.” (Both laugh). And now they're together, married. And then other, there's another couple come Kamalayan Alliance that also was a part of the Cross-Cultural Center and they ended up doing, PCN together, Filipino Culture Night. Which was another thing the Cross-Cultural Center helped create and establishing a lot of that stuff too. And now they're married (laughs). So yeah, there's a lot of married couples coming out and just, you know, we're still really all in touch with each other. People have ended up, generations after us, one of our good friends Jael he was part of Kamalayan Alliance, I'm not sure if he was part of the board, but now he owns and runs his own polvorón company, called Papa's Polvorón. And where he's now has his--it started out as like a at home kitchen type of thing. And he was at the farmer's markets. Now he has his product in a lot of the Filipino stores, across the nation. So it's like, geez, (laughs). Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: You know, it's really nice to see where all of the students and people who've been through the Cross-Cultural Center and where they are now. You know, and I think that's just one of the biggest rewards I see. Being a part of that community was like, wow, I was there to see y'all start like, “I don't know what I wanna do. I just wanna go and, eat all you can eat sushi.” To, now they're having families and having own businesses and doing great things and great work, you know? So Yeah. So yeah. That's how I met my husband (laughs). Long story short. Meyer: Well it's so intertwined with the story of the Center for you. So I think it's really cool the, you know. Yeah. Saldivar: When we, took our engagement photos we came back to the center, we came back to the campus because this has so much meaning for us. Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: You know-- Meyer: I'll add the pictures, to the file later. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: But, just so people know what you're talking about, the picture of you when you thought it was, like a conference and it was a surprise actually. Saldivar: Yeah. (laughs) Meyer: That’s that's really sweet. Yeah. What role do you see the Cross-Cultural Center playing going forward as it coexist with these other identity-specific spaces? You said it's kinda like a support, an incubator, it helps kind of foster the activities of the other programs. Saldivar: Yeah. I think when, when it was in, during my time generation, that's what it was. Now, I mean, it's grown so much and where I, I want--in a sad way that I don't recognize it anymore, but that's a good thing. Because that means there has been growth and development and changes. And I'd rather see that than stay where it is stagnant-wise. What role it has now on the campus, I--I don't really know. Meyer: You've been off campus for awhile (laughs). Saldivar: I’ve been off campus for a while, so it's like, oh, I don’t know what it's gonna be. I mean, what they're doing now, it, it--and I want them to continue what they're doing: is to just continue to, to grow support, find changes. I mean, a lot of the things that I've seen is, you know, with their programming has changed. Which I think it's great, it's changing with the times and that's how all centers should be is, you know, they have to go with what's going on with the students. If they're not willing to change or, be flexible, then what's kind of, what's the purpose of the center? Meyer: Yeah. Saldivar: You know, that's kind of the (laughs) thing I could say because I mean, I've been so removed. Meyer: Right. Saldivar: I mean, other than coming back and, you know, being like, “Yay. Hi everybody.” I'm like-- Meyer: You haven't been hands-on with the center for a while. Saldivar: Yeah. Meyer: Of course, of course. Saldivar: Yeah. I'm, I'm the person that used to be here years ago (laughs). “No, don't call me Auntie, please!” (Both laugh) Meyer: And are there any other memories you wanna share that, um, like I know there were retreats that you guys (video cuts out, battery ran down, audio recording) https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en video Property rights reside with the university. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. 
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Saldivar, Diana. Interview April 14th 2023.
Description
An account of the resource
Diana Saldivar is a California State University San Marcos alumna. She graduated with her degree in Communications, Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Saldivar worked at the Cross-Cultural Center from 2004-2007 and was also involved in the Asian Pacific Islander Student Society, Kamalayan Alliance, and with Associated Students Incorporated (student government). In her interview, Saldivar discusses how the Cross-Cultural Center provided her with a sense of belonging on campus and served as a second home. Saldivar explains how the center provided her with lifelong friendships, skills and connections that has helped her become the person she is today. Saldivar recounts how the CCC provided a safe space, allowing for conversations with others that are often deemed controversial, and how the center encouraged those to constantly seek knowledge.
Identifier
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SC027-39
Subject
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California State University San Marcos. Cross-Cultural Center
California State University San Marcos. Kamalayan Alliance
California State University San Marcos. Associated Students Incorporated
California State University. Multicultural Programs
Filipino Americans
Human rights
Student success
San Diego State University
Date
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2023-04-14
Format
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video
Creator
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Diana Saldivar
Contributor
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Madeleine Meyer
Coverage
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San Marcos (Calif.)
Publisher
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California State University San Marcos University Library
Language
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English
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Diana Saldivar
Asian Pacific Islander Desi American experience
Cross-Cultural Center oral history project
CSUSM history
Women's experience
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https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/files/original/4bcd8ed877ea09e7427c82b1554dcd38.pdf
1d119ec1d00bab23677c754d035b658b
PDF Text
Text
Diana Salvidar
TRASNCRIPT, INTERVIEW
2023-04-14
Madeleine Meyer: My name is Madeleine Meyer and I'm here today in the Kellogg Library interviewing
Diana Saldivar at California State University San Marcos for the Cross-Cultural Center Oral History
Project. The date is Friday, April 14th, 2023, and the time is 11:57. I'd like to start with asking you a little
bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and what was your early life like?
Diana Saldivar: Ooh, that's a long question (both laugh). That's gonna be a long answer. How long do we
have? Um, I actually was born here in San Diego, California on a military, one of the military bases. I
don't know exactly which one. My mom forgot to give me those details, but all I know is that the
hospital is now torn down. So I know it doesn't exist anymore, but I assume it was either 32nd or one of
the Navy bases down south. Because I didn't know, we lived in North Park for a little bit, from there,
because my dad's military career, we moved several places across, the West Coast. So I've been to
Fallon, Nevada, San Francisco, Treasure Island, back to San Diego, Hawaii. And then once my dad retired,
he retired at Camp Pendleton here in Oceanside. So I ended up being around probably fourteen, fifteen
(years old). So right in the middle of my middle school, high school years is when I came to kind of be
more of a, a transplant to San Diego. So--it was definitely still different from me, (laughs) for me from
moving from San Francisco to a really big, you know, metropolitan city with a lot of diversity to
Oceanside, which was very (laughs), in development still.
Meyer: Um-Hm.
Saldivar: So that was a big challenge. And then also because of me moving around to so many schools, I
think I went to eight or nine schools by the time I was fifteen.
Meyer: Wow.
Saldivar: So it wasn't like I grew up having solid friends, grew up with them during grade school and
things like that. It was always a lot of transition. So me entering high school, middle school when
everybody has friends since they were like second grade in kindergarten, that was very different for me.
Fortunately, I was able to find my own community. I was able to find other, military transplants. So we
just kind of found each other in a sense. So, I ended up graduating high school at Vista High, in 2000, oh
(both laugh) that's so long ago. We just even had our 20th, annual, reunion. It was delayed because of
the pandemic (COVID-19).
Meyer: Right
Saldivar: So it was 21(st annual reunion), which made it feel so much worse (laughs). So I graduated in
Vista High and, I didn't really know what to do. I mean, I was kind of one of those, I was a first
generation, what do you call it? Immigrant child who, my parents did some college, but it was more like
vocational college. They didn't really understand the full traditional college career, how to get there. So I
had a lot of high school counselors. They kind of helped with, you know, what are your thoughts about
going into, you know, college, have you thought of, you know, applying and things like that. And it never
really crossed my mind. I was just kind of going as it goes. But I ended up applying to San Diego State,
Cal(ifornia) State San Marcos and one other college. Because of my dad's military career, he was able to
get the GA or, the VA Bill (Veterans Affairs, often referred as GI Bill). So I was able to use it as his
dependent, which was nice because affording college was just out of the question and having that nice
little package was so good (laughs). So I had to stay in California, so I was very limited to where I could
go. And I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I was like, you know, “Let's just go to Cal State San
Transcribed by Geneva
Martinot
1
2023-11-13
�Diana Salvidar
TRASNCRIPT, INTERVIEW
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Marcos. It's close to home (laughs).” You know, I didn't really understand the whole, let's research and
let's look at this and that and things. I'm just like, okay, I'll just go to college and put, I don't know, well
non-major and stuff like that. And then, you know, I ended up being here, started 2000, dropped--got
kicked out (both laugh) 2002 because I didn't meet the math requirement (laughs). I'm not sure if they
still have that here, but as an undergrad you had to meet an English and math requirement. I definitely
met the English because I did IB (International Baccalaureate) English, like honors English, but I was
terrible at math, and I don't know why I was taking math classes at seven o'clock in the morning (Meyer
laughs). So that was terrible setup for me. So then I ended up going to Palomar Community College for a
couple years to get myself back on track, doing the, IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer
Curriculum) program. And probably by 2004 I found myself back here at Cal State San Marcos, you
know, with a brand new focus, more (of an) understanding of what I wanted to do. Finally declared a
major and two minors, like a crazy person. Like why would I wanna be the school more? I don't know. I
ended up then graduating in the winter, or yet fall of 2007, but I walked, spring 2008, which was great
because it felt really nice to kind of be able to represent my family, kind of being the first gen(eration)
going across. And then it was like, what do I do now? And then I ended up going to San Diego State for
my grad program, but that in itself wasn't even planned.
Meyers: Um-Hm.
Saldivar: This is kind of how my life has been.
Meyers: Yeah.
Saldivar: It just doesn't get planned. It just happens. Which is probably not a great (laughs) way to live
life sometimes, unless you have a goal. It was my mentor, Dilcie Perez from the Cross-Cultural Center, or
actually just kind of the student activities area and where she looked at me and she's like, “Did you ever
think about making this a career?” And I was like, “What, I could get paid for this?” (both laugh). So that
was kind of pretty much how it all happened in, the three months before I was graduating, I went to a
info session about higher education programs and kind of figuring out that you could work with
students, these are things that you could do to build your, your career in, in the collegiate setting. And I
was like, oh, okay. I'll apply to of course, a California state school because that's how I can afford
(laughs). And you know, still on my dad's, VA. Ended up getting in the San Diego State program. And so
right after, the fall semester, I had a semester off because of the way that the, the, the calendar,
schedule was laid out. So I had some work experience. So I ended up getting some work experience at
the--oh my gosh. St. Paul? No, not St. Paul's. Oh my gosh. Father Joe's. Oh, my I’m like why I’m saying St.
Paul's.
Meyer: Yeah. Yeah.
Saldivar: The Father Joe's Villages. I ended up, being a vocational counselor there for a couple months.
And then I moved on to do my grad program at San Diego State. And then this was the longest title ever.
Let me, let me see if I can get it right. Masters (laughs) of Arts in Higher Education with a Specialization
in Student Affairs Administration.
Meyer: Wow.
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Saldivar: Yeah (both laugh). You should see what it looks like on the degree (Meyer laughs). It's like, my
gosh, what did it say? I'm like, just higher ed. Just, just say higher ed.
Meyer: Just put et cetera at the end.
Saldivar: Right. And (both laugh) everything's an acronym. So yeah, I went to San Diego State, got do-done, and then I graduated in 2010, when the economy was just (blows raspberry, gives thumbs down
gesture).
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: So it was a terrible time-Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: To graduate because education was literally redlined. Nobody was hiring. People were, either
being laid off or decreased (furloughed) and things like that. So I, it was, it was a difficult time because,
you know, I grew up with that mentality, especially that, first gen mentality that if you go to college and
you get these degrees, you're going to get a good job at the end. You're gonna get paid well, you're
gonna be able to buy a house and all these other things, which is a very, you know, generational
(laughs), you understand. We're like, yeah, here, we're now still paying rent.
Meyer: Yeah
Saldivar: So it was, it was very, it was very humbling. At the same time it was, it was an eye-opener to
the reality of like, this is not really the American dream that I was fed to believe in a sense. If that'll, you
know, if you're educated, you'll be much more successful, whatever that looks like in that terminology. I
would say at least, probably 80 to 85% of our class did not end up in higher ed.
Meyer: Um-Hm.
Saldivar: They only got in if they were already doing an internship and then was already kind of luckily
able to find funding to continue that internship into a part-time or, uh, what do you call it? A contracted
job? So it wasn't even like they were full on (jobs). It was, you know, you're, we could, we could help
keep you on for another year. And it was like yearly basis until they finally, leveled out and then got the
full-time benefit stuff. So that's what happened to a lot of my, cohort, either they all ended up going
home to where they, came from and then going into nonprofit or some type of K-12 (Kindergartentwelfth grade) education prep program. So we tried to find jobs, or I definitely tried to find jobs that
could still, you know, help hone in my skills that are transferrable to get back into higher ed. But it took a
long time to do that. So, I mean that's kind of more of my, educational professional side (laughs) about
me. I guess, on a more personal side, I'm the first born of two. So I have a younger brother, two years
younger than me. I, you know, grew up, like I said, all over the place. My parents are, my mom is from
the Philippines and then my dad's Chinese. So he's from China, Hong Kong. They both immigrated to the
states probably when they were fifteen, sixteen.
Meyer: Wow.
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Saldivar: Yeah. So they were like teenagers. So they still kind of had deep cultural ties to their
homelands, but then also was at that point in where they were at school, where they could become
more acclimated to their American culture and things like that. So I kind of, I wanted to be, say like, I'm
one and a half, two generation kind of in a sense where they understood some of, you know, American
norms and values and things like that, but at the same time had that duality of, how do we stay
culturally close to ourselves and things like that. So it, growing up I still kind of, you know, butt heads in,
in a sense (laughs) with my parents.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: Like, well, that's not how I feel doing that now.
Meyer: Yeah
Saldivar: You know? I mean, even my grandma had immigrated later on and so, I had a lot of my family
in the Bay Area. The San Francisco, San Jose, or Stockton area. And my Chinese grandma, R.I.P. (Rest In
Peace) love her to death. She was very, very strict Chinese ma--grandma. And where she tried to marry
me off so (laughs), I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. (laughs). I mean, I was too young to understand
what was going on, but at least my mom was like, “We are not doing that!”
Meyer: Oh my God.
Saldivar: Yeah (laughs).
Meyer: How, how old were you?
Saldivar: I was probably about seven or eight when my grandma was grooming-Meyer: Oh-Saldivar: Me to, you know, prepare for like, have you met this child? Or, you know, I have a friend's son
who's on my oh. What the heck? (Meyer laughs) No!
Meyer: Your mom is like, “We're not, (both talking) we’re not doing this—"
Saldivar: Yeah, exactly. We're not exactly (laughs).
Meyer: Oh my gosh.
Saldivar: Yeah. It was kind of neat because my, my--the thing is because my dad is a firstborn male of the
family. So he's spoiled and everything and oh, since I'm the first daughter, you know, we have to make
sure she's married off well. And then my, my brother who's actually considered the first-born male of
the firstborn son gets so much better benefits and perks than I do. So even though I'm the first born
(unintelligible) oh no, you're a female. But my son--my brother still gets like, everything.
Meyer: And he's the baby. So it's, yeah. (Saldivar laughs). Oh man.
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Saldivar: Yeah. So that's kind of just a little bit about me. I know that was, a real deep dive into a lot of
stuff.
Meyer: No, that's great. That's great. Um, yeah, I, well that answers my question about your educational
journey too. Which is perfect.
Saldivar: There you go.
Meyer: Um, and then I was just going to ask, how did you first become aware of the Cross-Cultural
Center when you came onto Cal State San Marcos’ campus?
Saldivar: That’s a, (laughs) that's actually a really good question. Um—
Meyer: How did you wander in? Yeah.
Saldivar: Yeah. And I think that's always the funny thing is people don't know about it. I think what was
hard was when I was here on campus and versus like how it is now, it wasn't visible.
Meyer: Oh OK.
Saldivar: You--it was not even like an indicator. There was no signage, there was not like, how the
Veterans Center is literally right there in the middle of campus or, you know, the Student Center is right
there. The, the Cross-Cultural Center, or what it was called formerly is the Multicultural Center was in a
back office kind of like this. It was hidden in Craven Hall (now Administrative Building), fourth floor way
in. So when you walk in, it's not right there. It's like you have to go halfway through, then down this tiny
corridor and then it's a door.
Meyer: Um-Hm.
Saldivar: And it's, you think, okay, either it's a janitor’s closet or it's where they keep all the, um, what do
you call it, the computer stuff and everything—
Meyer: Yeah
Saldivar: Like a storage closet. You're just like, “Where is this place? Am I in the right place?” And
(they’re) like, “Keep going down. (laughs) You're following the right area”. Like we had signs and arrows
and everything. In different bright colors to make it feel like it's okay, (Meyer laughs) it's a safe space.
You're coming to, you're know, we're not going to kidnap you or anything. (both talking)
Meyer: This is not a meat locker.
Saldivar: Right, exactly. You're going to make it out alive.
Meyer: Yeah, yeah.
Saldivar: The way I ended up getting there, funny enough was I was just going through--when I returned
back to school, my focus was just get my degree and go, you know, I wasn't even thinking about being
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involved, you know, student life, things like that. That wasn't even on my radar, until I started taking
community, what do you call it? Sociology classes. So my major was Communications and I minored in
Sociology and Ethnics Studies and my Ethnic Studies teacher--I am terrible with names (laughs). I see her
face Dr. Elsie, (whispers: Elsie), no, Elsa, Elsie (Dr. Sharon Elise), something like that.
Meyer: Uh-Hm.
Salvidar: And she--was talking about, you know, race and, racial identity and things like that. And so she
was very involved in the school, and something came up in where there’s a position for ASI, our
Associated Student Inc. for a Director of Diversity and Cultural Events or, something like that. I'm terrible
remember(ing), those kind of details years back. But yeah, it was with ASI and I, so it was a Cultural and
and Diversity Coordinator. So it'd be in charge of all the events regarding, you know, student orgs ,and
things like that. So she know would talk about in this class and she was like, you know, this is available if
you guys are interested and stuff. And then she personally took me aside and she's like, “I think you
should go for this Dee.” I was like, “really?” She was like, “I think you might be good for it. You should try
it out.” I was like, “Okay, cool.” That was my thing. (laughs) I was just like, okay, people see something in
me, I guess I'll try it. It wasn't anything like, oh, I have so wanted this job, or I should be interested. It's
like, okay, let me just fill it out and stuff and you know, and ask questions, you know, your personal
identity. What do you think you would bring on campus? Why is cultural diversity important to you and,
and to the students? Those are kind of some of the things I remember. And, and you know, I was filling it
out, just kind of taking a lot of the experience. I grew up, you know, being a military child and being in
San Francisco and other places and having to adjust to those. It's just, you know, feeling--just more of
creating a belonging on campus.
Meyer: Um-Hm.
Salvidar: Because especially during that time, there was not a lot of students of color on, on campus. It
was very predom-, we called it the pre-primarily, PWI. Primarily a White Institution (Predominately
White Institution). That was, what do you call it? Oh geez, I forgot what you call it. Commuter (student
body). Yeah. So it was very big commuter student, there was no student life on campus.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: It wasn't as lively as it was, is now or a couple years before. So I applied for it. I think I was the
only one (laughs) that applied for it because I don't think, because ASI wasn't even really built up either.
We were such a young campus. And so I interview it. I ended up being on the board and so that was kind
of my shoe into student activities and student involvement. And that's where I got to meet other
people, meet other campus organizations, realized, oh my gosh, there's much more to on-campus than
going to class.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar So from there I ended up, you know, having to--part of that position allowed me to network and
coordinate with a lot of different folks on campus, which was great. And that's when I caught the
attention of Alexis (Montevirgen, second Associate Director of Multicultural Programs). Who was a part
of the Multicultural Center at a student affair, student activities department. And he would be attending
some of the stuff that ASI would be putting on. And he's like, “So have you thought of, you know, maybe
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wanting to move into student, you know, affairs and activities? You know, I have a position that'd be
coming up,” you know, but because with ASI it was only a one-year thing. So it wasn't like you could
continue. I mean, I could continue on if I wanted to, but, you know it was just my foot on the door just
trying to see what, it was about. And he's like, “Yeah, you know, we actually have a center that you
could be a peer educator and all this stuff come by. Let's talk. You know, I'd love to see what you'd be
interested in doing for us.” And, and, it was kind of amazing to see a male Filipino-Meyer: Um-Hm
Saldivar: Faculty, staff member on campus. Because it was like, wait, there's somebody that looks like
me and he's interested in what I have to do and talk about. So it was kind of really neat to kind of see
him as a mentor and a friend and somebody that looks like me, but could understand also culturally, you
know, where we come from. What was interesting was I hadn't really explored my Filipino identity as
much, because I wasn't really exposed to it other than my family. And so I felt more closely to my
Chinese American identity. So him being Filipino and being like, hey, you know, I see you, let’s work
together. Let's figure out what we could do. I felt like it was an opportunity for me not just to, you know,
be a part of that center, but also to help kind of selfishly myself, kind of, I learned who I am.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: You know, in this role. So after I did ASI for the one year, they're like, “So you want to
continue?” I'm like, “Actually I want to move over there (points, laughs).” So they, they always laugh
because Sarah Gallegos was my supervisor for ASI. So her and Alexis, you know, would work together
and stuff and she's like, “You stole my person (laughs).” So they would always joke about that and
everything. “Stop stealing my people!”
Meyer: They're poaching.
Saldivar: Right. Exactly. He literally just straight up poached me. He's like, so you interested. So that's
how I ended up being a part of the Multicultural Center as, it was, it was a different title at that time. It
was, I, I don't know if it was ambassador or, because it wasn't even called peer educator at that time. It
was just kind of like, I was his assistant because the peer educator program hadn't, hadn't even started
yet. We were in, he was in the— the works of actually building it. So I kind of came on more as a, as like
an executive assistant to him helping him organize what is the peer education supposed to look like?
What are some programs we could start doing? Things like that. So looking at more of the administrative
logistic planning of it before even, just even being a student. So it was kind of nice because, I was able to
do some of my work experience to like, hey, you know, let's get my type A personality going here. Yeah.
So (laughs). Yeah. So that's how I fell into it. And I was there for almost two and a half, three years.
Meyer: Wow.
Saldivar: Yeah. I continued on with it. He was just like, yeah, you're staying on. I'm like, okay. (laughs).
Meyer: Aw.
Saldivar: Yeah.
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Meyer: Well, it sounds like you were really essential to the early space.
Saldivar: I want to say I am, I guess. I mean, I was just in it because I felt like it was such a great
opportunity to create a space for students who, didn't feel like they belonged on campus. And just to be
with great minds who want to think big and create a culture and a system of, what do you call it? Just,
you know, integrate a lot of things on campus that wasn't there. And it was, I felt like it was one of, what
do you call it? Now, I'm looking back like I'm, when I was young I was like, “I’m in it. This is fun. Yay!” Just
go ahead and do this because, you know, I just want to be part of it and I'm now looking back like, I was
in an incubator.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: I literally was in a startup not realizing it was a startup. So yeah. I was kind of looking back like,
oh dang, (laughs). I did all that. Oh—
Meyer: You were at the beginning of something really big. Yeah.
Saldivar: Yeah.
Meyer: So it sounds like the Cross-Cultural Center, or the Multi-Cultural Center as it was called, was a lot
smaller when you started.
Saldivar: Oh my gosh, yes (both laugh).
Meyer : How would you say it was different when you started and when you left?
Saldivar: Oh my gosh. We had people (laughs), the campus community actually knew what the CrossCultural Center was. So that was really, it was so interesting to see within the two-and-a-half, three
years how much it had grown. When I started it was just me and Alexis in this small little room, red
couches, you know, we had some posters up. We had a bookcase full of just some, you know, books that
we called “our library” (laughs). Now that, I think have a huge like, depository of information that people
can have resources to. But at that time we didn't even have this library, so it was-Meyer: Wow.
Saldivar: I know it's hard to imagine (laughs). So there wasn't like a lot of resources focused on DEI
(Diversity and Equity) work, you know, even it was even called DEI work at that time. It was just called,
you know, you know, diversity and multiculturalism. So a lot of the lingo has even changed from the
time I was there to now. I think what, I mean, just breaking it down to even certain years, the first year
was just building, just building a foundation, getting down what is the Multi-Cultural Center about
what’s its place on campus and how can we be in collaboration and community with all the other
centers that were even being established.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: So it was nice that it was a really good time for the Cross-Cultural Center, Women's Center, um,
the LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender) Center, the Pride Center, all those centers kind of
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working together to build each other up. You know, we knew that it was important to have these
centers, but we didn't wanna have just one centralized one that filled everything. Its like, no, we need to
really, I don't wanna say--segment them. But we, they did needed to be segmented because there's all
different sorts of needs for each one. But we also wanted to work together as, you know, we are here
together as a whole but specifically they could help you with these certain things. You know. So we
were, that was such a great time in where we didn't, we weren't fighting for resources and I think still
they're not fighting for resources, so, which is good. So we started in Craven Hall, the small little area,
and I think what really helped was just having students come and just hang out and know there's a space
for them. Yeah. It ended up being a lot of API (Asian Pacific Islander) students of course. So, you know, it
kind of, it was hard to get that stigma off for a while that's like, “Oh, that's the Asian Center.” It's like,
no, we're actually open to a lot more people. But it just happened to be a lot of Asians in here.
Meyer: You're not the first person who said that.
Saldivar: Yeah.
Meyer: I’ve heard that a few times.
Saldivar: Yeah. I know Floyd is still dealing with that. (both talking)
Meyer: Yeah, Floyd mentioned that.
Saldivar: I’m sorry, I'm so sorry (laughs).
Myere: No—
Saldivar: Because what, what was nice about the, the, the Multicultural Center or when it changed to
the Cross-Cultural Center was that it was a nice incubator for student organizations to start too. There
was, since there's no space for folks, there's no space to grow.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: And no space to, to create communities. And so that's kind of what happened with the CrossCulture Center--well, I like Cross-Cultural Center, but it's Multicultural Center--back then Multicultural
Center (laughs) was, it was an incubator for, for student orgs (organizations). So Kamalayan Alliance
actually started from there. The Filipino organization that me, and actually my husband was a part of
the, the found founding group. Yeah. So we founded that and it's crazy to see how far they are. And I
was, oh god, 20 something years later. Oh, that makes me feel old. And they're like, “Oh yeah, 26th
anniversary.” I'm like, “has it been 26 years?”
Meyer: You're like, can we say 15 maybe?
Saldivar: Can we just say anniversary? Just, just leave the number out.
Meyer: Yeah (both laugh).
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Saldivar: It's crazy to see how many generations have gone through that. I know--what do you call,
APSA? The Asian Pacific Student Society? The Vietnamese group. I know we also helped, and this was
later on also, you know, the Black Student Union, things like that. And kind of just developing and
growing and finding spaces to find each other. And then being able to create that community. And then
if they needed to go off and do their own thing, that was fine too. But we just were happy that, hey,
people found each other through here and they were able to do something and create action. So that
was kind of a really, something that I hold dear to my heart is that there was a space for students to do
that and to find friendships and god, I don't know how many of them got married to each other.
Meyer: Aw.
Saldivar: (laughs) There’s a lot of people that are like, oh, you're still together. We're still best friends
and now y'all have kids. And it's crazy how much the, the, that space had, impacted so many people so
many years later.
Meyer: Wow. Yeah.
Saldivar: So I guess, so what else happened there? I mean, there's just so much (laughs). We did move
three times, the time I was there, so it was nice that they realized this space is too small for us. They
ended up, the main office ended up taking note of how many students were coming in a day. So then
they could show to, I don't know, the chancellor, the provost, I still don't understand the hierarchy. And
I'm a student and I'm in higher ed(ucation). And I was like, what (laughs) You know, they're like, there's a
need here.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: You see what's happening is that these students are coming in, they're using the space, they're
doing this, this, this, and this. So they were provide--so us, us students just hanging out and chilling and
doing whatever we're doing there. They were using us, as I won’t saying using us. But, you know, they
were using us as a case study saying, “Hey, this is something important to us. Look what's happening.
We need a bigger space.” And so what was nice is that through, I think between 2005, five and six or six
or six or seven, we ended up moving us to the bottom floor of the Craven Hall. Or was it the first floor?
It's one of the, the lower ends. Which was nice because not only was it semi-visible to, the students
now, because people would have to walk by the center to get to the one stop. And we were in front of
that really nice, painted mural. But they also, it was a bigger space. It was an awkward space, but it was
bigger. It was this weird triangle and were like, how are we gonna fit anything? So it was really weird,
like sectioned off stuff. It was weird. But what was nice is that because of being more visible people
were able to see, “Hey, wait, what's going on in there? Oh, that looks cool.” Then we were able to even
promote more of our programs and be like, hey, have you guys heard of this? Or, you know, here's a
flyer, here's A-frames. Things like that. The red couches still, still came with us because the red couches
came (both laugh) wherever we went. Everybody knew us by the red couches. I think, that was really
one of the key things that brought a lot of students in, because you know, I mean, before we just had-Meyer: Benches
Saldivar: Benches. And basic chairs. And it was not comfortable. It didn't feel welcoming. People like,
“Hey, you wanna take a nap? We got some red couches.” People just pass out there next thing (Meyer
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laughs) you know, they made it a home. You know. Other things that happened in there was when a lot
of programming was starting to be developed. So I was there as the assistant for about six months until
the new semester kicked in. And me and Alexis had come up, helped develop the peer educator
program. So the peer educator program consisted of four peer educators. I was kind of the main lead
one. Jay (Franklin) was hired on as, the LGBTQ peer educator. And then there was Brittany, which I
forgot her, what her specific one was. And then there was Stephanie who was like spiritual and religious.
So we were kind of sectioned off into certain areas of our expertise to kind of help reach out to those
groups. At that time it kind of worked because it was such a small population of the students, we could
do that. As time has gone on, they just made 'em all peer educators and they were just kind of more
cross trained in everything and anything. And whoever had those expertise would be kind of referred to.
So it became more of a referral system than it was like, “Oh, you go to Jay because he's specifically this
identity.” But it was great because we were able to all really learn from each other. Oh yeah. And then
there was Cher, how can I forget, I forgot Cher. Cher is fun. Cher just, her (laughs) demeanor was so
different, she was, very introverted, but once you got to know her, oh, she had the most sassiest mouth
ever. And I'm just like, “Cher! We can't say that!” (Both laugh) But she was great. She, we, we came
really close. And I think that's what I love about being in that peer educator program that we became
really close. You know, we were all in it brand new. First of all, we were all students of color, so we're
like, oh my god, there's more you know (laughs). And it was a great learning opportunity for all of us. So
the things that we didn't know or understand, it was a safe space for us to explore that. So as peer
educators, you know, we came up with some programming for the students. So we did things, and it
kind of kind of all organically came together. You know, one, one of the things that we all worked on was
called Multicultural Mondays. So on Mondays, once or every twice a month, I forgot what days.(laughs).
There was a, you know, a certain schedule to it. We would, look at certain identities or things that would
be meaningful for the students to wanna explore. So just kind of added programming to it. One of the
things that I love that I hold dear to my heart was one of the programs we did called “Dinner Dialogues.”
That was a very pricey program, but it worked (laughs). I'm like, “Do we have a budget?” (Both laugh) I
didn't know what that was. I'm just like, “Can I have money for this?”
Meyer: Well, Jay was saying, getting people in with food always worked.
Saldivar: Oh gosh. Yeah. We ended up having a fridge and a microwave, but until we moved down to
the, to the second floor. So yeah. That's one of things. Like we got food, we got pizza because, the
campus was a food desert.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: We had nothing other than the Dome (food services originally operated by San Diego State
University’s Aztec Shops). And the Dome was one of, first of all kind of expensive, and two, it was gross
(both laugh). It was, oh. Oh no. So one of the things that we came up with called Dinner Dialogues, and
it was a really great, I wanna say experience of how that organically happened as a program. It was just
a bunch of students, hanging out in the Cross-Cultural Center past four o'clock, which was very rare
because nobody wanted to be on campus past two. Usually the classes ended at two, you were gone.
But these students felt safe. They felt home. They felt like, this is where I want to be. So we all ended up
just getting food. I think this was when Chick-fil-A opened and we all got free, what do you call it?
Chicken sandwich passes.
Meyer: Right.
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Saldivar: So we all went got like (laughs), thirty-five sandwiches. Oh, it was crazy. And yeah, we all sat
there, we're just all eating. And we started talking about-- it was my, my good friend Jacob Dansler, he
was, Black male and it was some of us and we were all, you know, all from different backgrounds and
stuff. And we were talking about some of the challenges that we've had as a person of color or what it
mean to be a man of color, or a woman of color or, you know, LGBQ person of color. And it was really
cool to kind of just sit there and have that kind of dialogue with each other and learn and be able to ask
questions that were, I wouldn't say in, in a way that we didn't feel like we were being judged for asking
these questions. It was a very safe space and a space for learning and, and feeling, you know, we
actually have a lot more in common than we realized. And people were like, you know, we need to make
this a program. This is cool. I would love to have these kind of spaces where we could talk about these
things like this. And so that's where Dinner Dialogues ended up coming out and we're like, yeah, free
meal, but at the same time, let me talk with you about things that maybe we don't have these
opportunities to talk about all the time. So it was really great. That program kicked off really well and we
had ended up having, I think it was for two years until I actually ended up leaving. And then I don't know
what happened if it continued or if it morphed and changed ‘cause it always changes with people who
come in. But yeah, I think that was one of really one of the main things that kicked off there. And then
Jay, because he was the LGBTQ peer educator, he also was able to bridge a lot of the communities
together and start, start planning out the Pride Center. And so that was kind of really nice in where the,
the Multicultural Center was the hub of creating more and building more and growing out. So while he
was there, we worked together in supporting not only the, oh gosh, LGBT group, but then also, okay,
how are we gonna get a space for these students as well? So that was a really big achievement for Jay
and for the Cross-Cultural Center in that sense. And it was nice that we were able to support each other
in building those communities. You know, mine was Kamalayan, his was-Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: You know, the pride, oh, we call it, I think Britney was helping with the BSU (Black Student
Union) part, things like that. So we were all there to support each other, support the students and just, I
don't know, we were just doing it because we wanted to. It's just ‘cause we had the passion for it and
we loved it. I don't think we—it was like fully intentional what we were doing. And until we're like, oh
crap, look what we did (laughs).
Meyer: Yeah. You wanted to create a space for you and the people on campus and it just kept being a
space.
Saldivar: Yeah.
Meyer: That's great.
Saldivar: Yeah.
Meyer: All right.
Saldivar: I know, I think I've-- there's so much. I hope I'm catching everything (laughs).
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Meyer: No, you're, you're actually answering some of the questions before I even ask 'em, which is
great-- (both talking)
Saldivar: Oh, perfect. Okay good.
Meyer: Yeah. How did it, how did the Cross-Cultural Center help you develop and express your cultural
identity?
Saldivar: Oh gosh. I think it made me, I think it was, it was, that was just one of the many layers upon my
education studies here. Because in my communications major, and because minoring in sociology and
ethnic studies, those classes helped me really look internally of who I was, what my identities meant,
how they came across to, to the students, to the people that I work with. You know, really being able to
put all that theory and then the Cross-Cultural Center allowed me to put it into practice. Oh god, I sound
old (laughs).
Meyer: No.
Saldivar: Being able to put those together. I'm like, ah, makes me (unintelligible).
Meyer: No that's, that's a great way to put it. Yeah.
Saldivar: Yeah. And I think that helped me a lot in regards to the development of who I was becoming
and who I am now. You know, coming into a college, like I said, you know, first gen(eration) Chinese,
Filipino-American, I'd like, what does that, what did that mean to me?
You know, even when I, I went into college, I didn't even know, I didn't even know that I was considered
first gen. I was just like, yeah, I'm going to college because everybody says I should, or, you know, my
parents weren't able to go and they said I should go, so I'm gonna go, you know, you just don't have that
frame of reference until you get into a space. They're like, “Oh, are you the first one to go in your
family? Oh, so you’re the first gen.” Wait, what, what does that mean? So, and so, you know, not
realizing there's the support systems and things like that to help you and understand and develop that.
And I think that's what really helped me was with that Cross-Cultural Center is to be--is to meet not only
my community and people and friends, lifelong friends, who’re gonna help me, you know, be where I
am today. But also meeting the mentors and the folks who do the work and how they've helped me
understand more of, I guess the practice and, and the acknowledgement of like, it's okay to be
uncomfortable. You know, it's, it, it's it, you have to be uncomfortable with the un-- you have to be
comfortable with the uncomfortable, you know, these are things that I don't know, and it's okay not to
know. You know, you're gonna move into certain spaces where you're gonna feel uncomfortable and
how do you unpackage that? How do you take that and make it into a learning opportunity? And that's
one thing that Dilcie Perez has-- she taught me throughout my time being there. She was such a great
guidance and mentor for me that I give her kudos to everything about what I do with the work that I do.
I remember when I was asked to return back for the, 15th-year anniversary of the Cross-Cultural Center,
and they asked me and Jay to be speakers, I was like, “Oh, good lord, what am I supposed to talk
about?” (both laugh) There's so much to talk about! And it took me a while to realize what I wanted to
say. And it came back in, to the fact of being intentional. And that always stuck with me. The one thing
that Dilcie always said to me, she was like, what's your intentions on what you know, of what you're
doing? Why are you doing this?
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Meyers: Um-Hm.
Salvidar: So I wasn't just doing something for the sake of doing it, but just to understand, you know, is
there an impact? What are the consequences? What is the bigger picture that you're trying to achieve?
Even (Former Dean of Students, Gregory) Toya was a really great, mentor and where he asked, “What
are the students learning outcomes?” I was like, students what (laughs)? What, what? He's like, yeah.
Why are we putting on this? Why are you putting on this project? Or why are you putting on this
program? What do you want the students to learn? So that really gave me a great foundation and
understanding of, why am I doing this? Just, am I doing it for the sake of doing it? Is it self-serving, or is it
really here for the students? And being kind of in a, in a selfish (selfless?) teaching moment.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: So I, I wanna say that the Cross-Cultural center really helped me build, you know, a framework
or a lens of how I move forward in doing whatever I do or move, as I grow up, you know, it's like, oh my
gosh, it made me mature (laughs)!
Meyer: They gave you a little toolkit with all the stuff you-Salvidar: Right.
Meyer: You needed for adult life.
Saldivar: Exactly. And I, and I thank them for that. ‘Cause now that I'm, you know, now in kind of their
space. In their spot. It's so weird to have that flip in where I was looking for mentors who look like me or
who I could connect to. But now I'm in that space and where I'm the mentor and where I'm reaching out
to students say, “Hey, I see you. Let me, you know, I'm here for you. If you need a space or someone to
talk to, I'm here.” You know, and it's so weird to be in that odd spot (laughs) right now, but it's because
of them that they were such great models by example that I now have those skills and that toolkit to be
like, okay, you know what? I know what it feels like to be in that spot. Let me help you get to where you
wanna be. Let me help you unpackage what's going on with your lives and things like that. You know,
just an example was a couple weeks ago I had a grad student, who identifies as Chinese American reach
out to me. And she's like, I wanna be in where you are at in doing marketing and communication. But
how do I, you know, deal with the cultural, challenges with my parents who want me to be in the
medical field.
Meyer: Um-Hm.
Salvidar: And I was like, oh girl, let's talk (both laugh)! You know? And so it was really nice and, and I
would say the experience of being, being able to talk to her and her just at the end feeling so relieved
and feeling like she could find someone that she could connect to. Someone that she was able to be like,
oh my god, I'm not alone in this feeling and this experience and it's okay to feel what I'm feeling. Was
such an elated moment for me to be like, oh my gosh, I can still help students (laughs). You know-Meyer: You took that weight off her shoulders.
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Saldivar: Yeah. And it felt good to be, you know, I was there and I didn't have anyone to help me with
navigating that. And I'm glad that I was able to be there for her to have those experiences that I could be
able to connect with someone else who's going through the same thing. So yeah, the Cross-Cultural
Center helped me grow a lot, Personally a lot. In understanding who I am, what space I take, what space
I should take, you know, what being present means. In spaces that don't have many people of color or
female people of color. Yeah. I mean it's (laughs). It's a lot. It's a lot. Yeah.
Meyer: And I understand that you made a lot of friends there and met your husband at the CrossCultural Center.
Saldivar: (laughs) Yes.
Meyer: Tell us a little bit about how you guys met.
Saldivar: Oh my gosh. (laughs).
Meyer: Well, it's relevant to the Cross-Cultural Center, so.
Saldivar: Right. Yeah. I mean, that's the funny thing. It's just, wow, y'all (both laugh) we're, we're like,
y'all met and y'all married, now you have a kid. Okay!
Meyer: So you're not the only ones. There's multiple.
Saldivar: There were several people who, I would say yeah, got married some of our best friends and
stuff. So me and Randy (Saldivar), met through a friend. It was not intentional when we first met. I was
actually working with ASI at the time. So we were, I was at the cancer, one of the cancer walks, the
Susan G. Koman cancer walks that we had on here at the field. I was a part of, you know, the walking
team and my good friend Trish at the time, she was another Filipina-American and who were able to
connect, was there with me to help support. And we were both at the check-in, check-in table at that
time. And this is when we had the Nokia phones. Okay.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: This is how old it was. So she (laughs)--her. Randy had called her ‘cause I guess he was studying
at the library. He was like, “Hey, what's up? What are you doing?” She's like, “Hey, come down.” You
know, “I'm with my friend Dee, and we're at this thing, you know, just come and hang out.” He's like,
okay. I didn't even know who he was. I didn't know who this guy was. She's like, oh, my friend's coming
over. I'm like, okay, cool. I'm sitting there with my--I was in a Japanese 101 at this time, so I have my
Japanese book out. I'm reading it, you know, he comes down with his boom box and (Meyers laughs)
and I’m, I was like, what are you doing? He's like, oh yeah, you know, just B-boying. And I'm like, okay,
cool. Whatever. You know, I didn't know anything about the hip-hop culture and stuff. And she's like,
“Oh, this is my friend Randy, Randy this Dee,” I'm like, “Cool. Okay.” And he looks down and he is like,
“Oh, you're studying Japanese?” I'm like, “Yeah, I'm in 101.” He's like, “Oh, I took it.” I was like, “Oh cool.
How was it?” He's like, “Oh, it's really fun. He's like, do you need help with it?” I'm like, “No, I'm cool,
thanks.” So (both laugh). So that's was my first initial meeting with him. Not even a thought. He was just
a passing thought. And there was another time where they had the International Festival here on
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campus, and it was me and Trish again. And we're eating Ramen sitting on the floor. Randy comes by,
says hi again. And this is a time where we had the old school, film.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: So we didn't have phones or anything. It was just, yeah, he was going around taking pictures,
right, and--but this is where you could actually get it digitally downloaded, which was weird.
On a CD, and he had taken a picture of me and Trish and it wasn't until years later when we started
dating where we're going through photos. And it was labeled “Trish and Friend.”
Meyer: Oh my God. (laughs)
Saldivar: I was like-Meyer: That's your wife.
Saldivar: I was like, Randy, that's, that's me (both laugh). He was like, wait, what? He looks back, oh my
god, I took a picture of you two (laughs). And we couldn’t stop dying. Just, we had all of these
opportunities that we had met. And nothing. He wasn't attracted to me. I wasn't attracted to him. We
had no clue. We even met each other. We're like, ah-ha. Cool. Okay. Bye. It wasn't until our friend Trish
had decided when, you know after we were kind of starting the Cross-Cultural Center and stuff. It's, you
know, let's create a, a student organization for Filipino-Americans or folks who were interested in the
Filipino-American culture.
Great. So she asked me to be on board. My friend Marvin, asked Randy to be on it, and her friend Katie.
So it was the five of us. And we, we, that's when we literally first intentionally met each other. Like, oh,
hey, okay. I thought of him as a little brother. I was like, cool (laughs), you know, whatever. And so then
we would go to the Cross-Cultural Center, or the Multicultural Center to hold meetings just to hang out,
you know? ‘Cause Alexis ended up being our advisor as well. So then we would ask him, okay, how do
we, you know, how do we start this (student organization)? Or what are things that we need to do? You
know, we ended up having our first GBM, you know, and, and saying, okay. So we started kind of
building out the, the, the student org here and there. During that time there was probably about--we
knew each other for about a good eight months by now. We just still friends. We just kil-, I don't even
pay attention to him. He don't pay attention to me. We're just like, yeah, cool. Have you seen this
movie? Cool. Have you seen this? Okay. Yeah. We're just hanging out. And then, masquerade ball was
around the corner. And all of us were like, yeah, let's go. Let's go to masquerade ball. Woo! You know,
let's just dress up and dance. And it was my friend Trish who was like, “So have you thought of, what do
you think of Randy?” And I was like, what do you mean what do I think of Randy? “Like, you know, what
do you think of him? Like, you think he's cute or something?” And I was like, “Uh, he's okay. I mean, he's
nice.” Like she, I, you know, she's trying to plant seeds in my head. On the flip end, she's planting seeds
on his end.
Meyer: Oh.
Saldivar: “So what do you think about Dee?” I was like, what!
Meyer: One of those friends--
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Saldivar: Yeah. Yeah. She's like, I see something, but you both don't see it. So she was playing
matchmaker. And so one time, we were supposed to all meet and go to, a GBM meeting, or we call FCC,
Filipino Collegiate Collaborative. So this is where, all the schools across San Diego, USC (University of
Southern California), UCSD (University of San Diego), San Diego State and us (CSUSM) were supposed to
meet all the Filipino American organizations. So we worked together outside of the school to work with
other student orgs, which was really cool. So we were supposed to have our meeting, and it was
supposed to be me, Trish, and Randy. And Trish was like, “Oh no, I'm sick. I can't go, but if you two
wanna go.” I'm like, okay (laughs). Literally, that's kind of how it ended up going. “Okay. So, you wanna
go to like, masquerade ball together?” “Sure. Okay.” So it ended up kind of being our first date in a
sense. And then from there, you know, we were kind of dating and-Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: Because we were still involved in, you know, Kamalayan Alliance. We were coming, as you
could tell to the center, he would help out and volunteer a lot, you know, and he saw, you know, Alexis,
he's like, “Hey, another Filipino. Yay!” So, you know, we all started kind of building the community and
you know, we're spending more time together. He's helping out a lot. And then next thing you know,
it's, I'm the one who asked him out (laughs). I was like, so, you know what's going on? (Meyer laughs)
And he is like, hey, yeah. I was like, “So do you wanna go out or something?” And he looks at me and
he's like, “Yeah, sure. Where do you want to eat?” (Meyer laughs) I was like, “What?” “Yeah. You said
you wanna go out, so where do you want to eat?” I'm like, oh my god, you’re so dense. (laughs). I was
like, no, do you, wanna be, you know, exclusive? He was like, “Oh yeah. Okay, cool.“
Meyer: Where do you want to eat? Right?
Saldivar: He's like, uh, so this-- it tells you so much about his personality. We are so different from each
other (laughs), you know, and, he's such a great support. He, when we talk about it, we laugh about it.
I'm always the very type A business type of person behind the scenes. Let's get the logistics and stuff
going. He's the PR (public relations) of it all. He can talk people's ear off, he can find people's stories, he
can connect with them. And then once he does a connection here, here's Dee. And then, you know, I get
all this stuff taken care of (laughs). So it was really cool. We've, we worked really well in tandem. And I,
I'm surprised at the age that we were at, we were early twenties nobody knew we were dating.
Meyer: Oh wow.
Saldivar: We were very professional in a sense of where nobody knew in the student org or even
sometimes in the Cross-Cultural Center that we were even together, we kept it very, professional. Didn't
do the whole PDA (Public Display of Affection) thing.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: No. You know, we're not here to do that. We're here to serve our community. And I think at
such a young age and stage of our relationship of being able to do that, helped us really kind of be able
to be really good partners. In the sense where what we do here is for, you know, a different purpose
versus what we do here.
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Meyer: Right
Saldivar: I think it was the one time (laughs) at a GBM, this is where the students really started growing.
You know, we had almost forty to fifty members by the second, third year, and we had people come
through the center and stuff. (laughs) When GBM, he went to go off to go get lunch and he is like, let me
go grab something before the, the, the meeting and I'll see you. I'll be right back. And then he gave me a
kiss. Everyone freaked out. They're like, oh, what?
Meyer: Oh.
Saldivar: They're like, what? (laughs) We’re like, what? They’re like what was that? (points, laughs), and
we’re like, oh, y'all don't know yet? Like really a core small group of us. The ones right here knew, you
know.
Meyer: But everyone else.
Saldivar: Everyone else, because I guess because they didn't hang out with us outside of the CrossCultural Center or at our house or when we went to the dinner and things like that. We really kept it.
We, we didn't know we were that good at keeping it very separate. You know, when we go out to sushi
or dinner, hang out at people's houses and we were, you know, completely different people. But we
were in a school setting or the Kamalayan setting, we were very--we are officers, we are representatives
of this, you know, this space. We need to be kind of, you know, professional.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: So yeah. That moment that kiss happened, people were like, (gasps)? And we had people, no,
you're lying. You're all lying to us. You just, no, you're trying to prank, someone was so sure we were
probably, we were trying to just get a rise out of people. We're like, no, we've been together for like six
months now. They're like, (gasps) no! (laughs). So it was, it was crazy. It was, that's how we ended up
meeting, you know, he graduated in Kinesiology in 2009. Yeah. He--and what was nice is that in, he was
also the president of Kamalayan, probably within the first two or three years. And the Cross-Cultural
Center helped in creating a lot of the success of Kamalayan and where we had the first API (Asian Pacific
Islanders) graduate ceremony.
Meyer: Oh.
Saldivar: Now that has been going on. And we used the center, oh my gosh, that was so crazy. (laughs).
We had used the Cross-Cultural Center as a place to build the graduate, the, the planning of the
graduate. And we also made the stoles. This is how we had no budget. So we went to Michael's (craft
store) and bought the thickest red stole, I mean, red ribbon we could.
Meyer: Oh yeah.
Saldivar: And black puffy paint.
Meyer: Oh no.
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Saldivar: And we're sitting there, (painting) 2005.
Meyer: And that never looks even or clean.
Saldivar: Oh no. It was a hot, ugly mess. (Meyer laughs) And you know, we put API grad and there's, you
know we're trying to sit there and make it dry, so nothing's smearing. We had red ribbons everywhere
and Alexis was like, what the heck is going on? I'm like, “We're making stoles!” (Both laugh) And he's
like, oh boy. So I'm--yeah. A lot of the things that happened, like I said, the Cross-Cultural Center was an
incubator. A lot of things was DIY (Do It Yourself). It was handmade. You had no budget. So what were
we gonna do? You know, we had a lot of, thank goodness we had a lot of support from departments and
different, areas with, other API folks who were like, yeah, we got budgets that we could go ahead and
just hand over to you or, you know, we'll support you or sponsor you in this or sponsor you in that. So,
oh, thank goodness for this community because I don't know if we would’ve got where we are today
without really, the support of the school to see that there is a need and it wasn't coming up from the
president or things like that. It was coming from the ground up. So that was really cool.
Meyer: You were asking for what you needed, not having someone tell you. Yeah.
Saldivar: Exactly. And they're like, oh, we--that's what made a, I think Cal State San Marcos such a
unique school is that they listen to the people from the ground. It's not directives always coming from
the top saying, hey, we need this, or you need to do this, or you need to do this. It's like, no, the
students are saying something, how can we meet their needs? Type of thing.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: So it's been really cool in seeing that dynamic versus a lot of other institutions that believe or
think that, you know, this is what the students want, but not really listening to them.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: So yeah. So yeah, all in all, that's how me and Randy met. And we ended up getting married
after I finished my master's program. And then now we have a child. Two of our other friends, Mike and
Darlene met through, he was part of Kamalayan and she was a part of VSA, the Vietnamese Student
Association. And we worked really well together, or we worked closely together and we ended up being,
you know, in the Cross-Cultural Center as well. And so she ended up asking him out and he was like,
“Sure, okay. I didn't know you liked me.” (Both laugh). And now they're together, married. And then
other, there's another couple come Kamalayan Alliance that also was a part of the Cross-Cultural Center
and they ended up doing, PCN together, Filipino Culture Night. Which was another thing the CrossCultural Center helped create and establishing a lot of that stuff too. And now they're married (laughs).
So yeah, there's a lot of married couples coming out and just, you know, we're still really all in touch
with each other. People have ended up, generations after us, one of our good friends Jael he was part of
Kamalayan Alliance, I'm not sure if he was part of the board, but now he owns and runs his own
polvorón company, called Papa's Polvorón. And where he's now has his--it started out as like a at home
kitchen type of thing. And he was at the farmer's markets. Now he has his product in a lot of the Filipino
stores, across the nation. So it's like, geez, (laughs).
Meyer: Yeah.
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Saldivar: You know, it's really nice to see where all of the students and people who've been through the
Cross-Cultural Center and where they are now. You know, and I think that's just one of the biggest
rewards I see. Being a part of that community was like, wow, I was there to see y'all start like, “I don't
know what I wanna do. I just wanna go and, eat all you can eat sushi.” To, now they're having families
and having own businesses and doing great things and great work, you know? So Yeah. So yeah. That's
how I met my husband (laughs). Long story short.
Meyer: Well it's so intertwined with the story of the Center for you. So I think it's really cool the, you
know. Yeah.
Saldivar: When we, took our engagement photos we came back to the center, we came back to the
campus because this has so much meaning for us.
Meyer: Yeah.
Saldivar: You know-Meyer: I'll add the pictures, to the file later.
Saldivar: Yeah.
Meyer: But, just so people know what you're talking about, the picture of you when you thought it was,
like a conference and it was a surprise actually.
Saldivar: Yeah. (laughs)
Meyer: That’s that's really sweet. Yeah. What role do you see the Cross-Cultural Center playing going
forward as it coexist with these other identity-specific spaces? You said it's kinda like a support, an
incubator, it helps kind of foster the activities of the other programs.
Saldivar: Yeah. I think when, when it was in, during my time generation, that's what it was. Now, I mean,
it's grown so much and where I, I want--in a sad way that I don't recognize it anymore, but that's a good
thing. Because that means there has been growth and development and changes. And I'd rather see that
than stay where it is stagnant-wise. What role it has now on the campus, I--I don't really know.
Meyer: You've been off campus for awhile (laughs).
Saldivar: I’ve been off campus for a while, so it's like, oh, I don’t know what it's gonna be. I mean, what
they're doing now, it, it--and I want them to continue what they're doing: is to just continue to, to grow
support, find changes. I mean, a lot of the things that I've seen is, you know, with their programming has
changed. Which I think it's great, it's changing with the times and that's how all centers should be is, you
know, they have to go with what's going on with the students. If they're not willing to change or, be
flexible, then what's kind of, what's the purpose of the center?
Meyer: Yeah.
Transcribed by Geneva
Martinot
20
2023-11-13
�Diana Salvidar
TRASNCRIPT, INTERVIEW
2023-04-14
Saldivar: You know, that's kind of the (laughs) thing I could say because I mean, I've been so removed.
Meyer: Right.
Saldivar: I mean, other than coming back and, you know, being like, “Yay. Hi everybody.” I'm like-Meyer: You haven't been hands-on with the center for a while.
Saldivar: Yeah.
Meyer: Of course, of course.
Saldivar: Yeah. I'm, I'm the person that used to be here years ago (laughs). “No, don't call me Auntie,
please!” (Both laugh)
Meyer: And are there any other memories you wanna share that, um, like I know there were retreats
that you guys (video cuts out, battery ran down, audio recording)
Transcribed by Geneva
Martinot
21
2023-11-13
�
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Transcripts
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Written oral histories and transcripts are available for researchers that prefer the written word, or to see the whole interview in a document. Transcripts of <a href="https://archivesoralhistories.csusm.edu/collections/show/5">audio and video files</a> are also available as part of those video files.
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Saldivar, Diana. Interview transcript April 14th 2023.
Description
An account of the resource
Diana Saldivar is a California State University San Marcos alumna. She graduated with her degree in Communications, Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Saldivar worked at the Cross-Cultural Center from 2004-2007 and was also involved in the Asian Pacific Islander Student Society, Kamalayan Alliance, and with Associated Students Incorporated (student government). In her interview, Saldivar discusses how the Cross-Cultural Center provided her with a sense of belonging on campus and served as a second home. Saldivar explains how the center provided her with lifelong friendships, skills and connections that has helped her become the person she is today. Saldivar recounts how the CCC provided a safe space, allowing for conversations with others that are often deemed controversial, and how the center encouraged those to constantly seek knowledge.
This oral history was created in collaboration with the Cross-Cultural Center and was generously funded through the Instructionally Related Activities Fund at California State University San Marcos.
Creator
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Diana Saldivar
Contributor
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Madeleine Meyer
Geneva Martinot
Date
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2023-04-14
Subject
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California State University San Marcos. Associated Students Incorporated
California State University San Marcos. Cross-Cultural Center
California State University San Marcos. Kamalayan Alliance
California State University. Multicultural Programs
Filipino Americans
Human rights
San Diego State University
Student success
Coverage
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San Marcos (Calif.)
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California State University San Marcos University Library
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English
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https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
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Diana Saldivar
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Property rights reside with the university. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. This resource is licensed for noncommercial educational use using CC NC-BY 4.0. Please contact Special Collections at archives@csusm.edu if you need reproductions made. Please see the related “Preferred Citation note” for language on citing materials from this collection. Permission to examine Library materials is not authorization to publish or to reproduce the examined material in whole, or in part. Persons wishing to quote, publish, perform, reproduce, or otherwise make use of an item in the Library’s collections must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of the copyright holder. The researcher assumes full responsibility for use of the material and agrees to hold harmless the University Library, and California State University, against all claims, demands, costs, and expenses incurred by copyright infringement or any other legal or regulatory cause of action arising from the use of the Library's materials. In assuming full responsibility for use of the material, the researcher also understands that the materials they examine may contain Social Security numbers, other personal identifiers, and/or sensitive material on potentially living and identifiable individuals (e.g., medical, evaluative, or personally invasive information). The researcher agrees not to record, reproduce, or disclose any Social Security number or other information of a highly personal nature that may be found.
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text
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SaldivarDiana_MeyerMadeleine_2023-04-14_transcript
Asian Pacific Islander Desi American experience
Cross-Cultural Center oral history project
CSUSM history
Women's experience