Daniela Ayala

This experience ripples through our community as each one of us struggles to find our voice in the academic world.

I wore that teal ribbon not only to acknowledge what I had to go through to reach where I am today, but also to show the beyond of my peak of the iceberg — to remind a silent survivor to find their voice.

When midnight struck this year, I was straddled between the pessimism of past years and the optimism of others who looked forward to the new year. I want a neutral year.

It is dystopian for a kid to bear the responsibility of other people’s biases and hatred, so, instead of sending thoughts and prayers, we must act to realize the things we pray for.

The admission tour guide told my mostly Latino classmates about the birth of the Free Speech Movement on “this very campus” and detailed the historical significance of many sights during the tour. They explained how UC Berkeley was a center for activism and advocacy of marginalized voices.

Although normalized in American society, we discussed the morality of changing your appearance to submit to the societal pressure of Eurocentric beauty standards, ultimately imposed by the colonization of the Americas. 

Sure, there are some background characters, such as the Guatemalan coffee shop barista that served a role in the quirky white woman’s meet-cute with the white man who strictly drinks black coffee, but there is never a prominent person of color in most Hallmark movies.