Graduated MPISJ Students
Insights, Advice, & Life after the Minor
UCSB students are drawn to the interdisciplinary PISJ Minor for many reasons, but the knowledge and experiences the Minor provides consistently influences post-graduation plans, opportunities, and ideas about how and where impact is possible.
Anabel Rocha Ambrosio
Anabel Rocha Ambrosio recently graduated from UCSB with a double major in Feminist Studies and Language, Culture, & Society while also completing the Poverty, Inequality, and Social Justice Minor. Anabel was first introduced to the Minor through a class offered by the Promise Scholars Program, but she felt most directed toward pursuing the Minor at the personal recommendation of her class's teaching assistant. She has since stepped into a new role at UCSB as the Communication Department's Undergraduate Advisor.
Why was it important to you to pursue the PISJ Minor?
It was important for me to pursue this Minor because I felt that it would give me the opportunity to expand my knowledge on social justice and activism. At the time, I was just a Feminist Studies Major, but I wanted to add more to it. I was learning about feminist theories primarily in the United States, but wanted to learn more about how to apply them to larger issues. I wanted to learn about the systems in not just the United States, but also around the world so that I could view them through a feminist lens and make it a part of my own work.
In what ways did your Minor coursework help you engage with these reasons?
The courses that I took in the Minor really helped me connect the theories I was learning about to real-world issues that we all take part in around the world. In SOC 130SG, we learned about the effects of capitalism all throughout the world. One of the subjects we touched on was the Mexican women that worked in various factories in Mexico for very little pay. When learning about the history of capitalism around the world and having various background contexts, it was much easier to understand why women were targeted and also how this continues to affect them today, particularly in Mexico where femicide is ongoing femicide. It was really helpful to learn the history and details of the systems in place so that I could have a better understanding of the type of work that needs to be done to address these social and economic injustices.
How are you wanting to stay involved in pursuing social justice issues in the future?
At this time, I want to learn about and observe some of the ways that the UCs are not providing enough support to undocumented students. I would also like to learn more about the way that the theory-model minority might play into these inequalities. Although I understand that this theory is often used in the best way, government funding, there is much more that UCs can do to support undocumented students to succeed.
You have previously indicated that you are interested in pursuing a career as a K-12 teacher. What is one lesson you've gained from the PISJ Minor that you would like to teach your students in the future?
During my internship, my supervisor explained to me that people don't realize how much power their voices truly have and that if we can show them the power of their voices, one of the main goals of education is then we can empower them to make change. I want to remain in education.
"I feel that if we teach students how valuable and powerful their voices are and to use them to create great change in our society, I have already seen the way that my siblings have taken this lesson and applied it to their lives — they don't hesitate to use their voices to create change in their school and community."
What unexpected findings and key takeaways did you learn while pursuing your Minor coursework?
SOC 130SG definitely had the biggest impact on me. In this class, I felt that I got a much better understanding of the history of capitalism throughout the world.
"One week focused specifically on how the iPhone is made. We learned about the very beginning of that process which starts with someone who has to work for little-to-no pay, for many long hours, under very dangerous conditions. Although this is something that I was vaguely aware of before this course, I was able to learn about the history of these lands and how powerful countries and companies step in and create economic opportunities for people of the Global South."
This was a difficult class. I found myself tearing up at times during lectures while I learned about the horrible conditions many people live in due to capitalism's effects. I think about this class in my own life. I believe that while it is going to take a lot of work to address all of the injustices happening globally, that we can start to make a change if we do our part in educating people about what is happening and encouraging them to make small changes to their lifestyle to support.
How has the PISJ Minor shaped your career goals after graduation?
I originally wanted to go into politics, but after my internship with CAUSE that I completed through the Minor, I decided to look into other career paths. I really enjoyed grassroots work similar to what I had done with CAUSE while helping out with their rent stabilization campaigns, however, I found myself learning more and more about the oppression and systems of oppression, particularly for women of color and undocumented people. I hope that I can learn more about these injustices and help people succeed at UCSB.
What advice do you have for any future students? What would you recommend them to consider when completing the Minor?
I highly recommend taking the Minor to future students. Regardless of what your major is, this Minor will give you so much background knowledge and historical context on a variety of the things you might be familiar with or things that are connected to your majors. It is a privilege to have access to higher education and one way we can give back to our community is by learning about topics on poverty, inequality, and social justice issues that we can apply to our careers and activism. I would also recommend doing an internship that feels a little outside of your comfort zone. It is a short period of time where you'll learn a lot and you'll gain a lot of experience that you can apply to future career goals. If you're uncomfortable doing outreach that agree with the organization's goals, challenge yourself.
