"Our Field Trip to UC Berkeley," a letter from the fifth graders of International Community School in Oakland
by Susan Dang, Jessica Perez, Ernesto Ochoa, Wilfredo Molina, San Ming Mak, Wendy Sanchez
We are intelligent, fifth grade students from a new, small school in the Fruitvale area of Oakland. Our school is called International Community School. We are from many cultures. We are Mexican, Central American, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Laotian, Filipino, African-American, and Hawaiian. Our school is a peaceful one that tries to make the world a better place. On March 1st, 2002, we went on the most amazing field trip, to the University of California, Berkeley. We went on the field trip because our teachers want to see us graduate from college one day. It was like a dream for us.
We had so many inspiring experiences on our field trip. We went to the gym, the library, the campanile and the Berkeley art museum. This is what some of our gifted students wrote about our day:
I loved the library because I love to read books about everything that amazes me. For me, being in a huge library is like being in a dream that I wish would never end!’’ — Wendy Sanchez
"The basketball stadium was so so so cool. I felt like I was in a dream. Man, it was like I was a pro basketball player, playing in the finals." — Ernesto Ochoa
" When I went up the clock tower elevator, I was scared. My legs were shaking like a jack hammer." —Wilfredo Molina
We had the opportunity to see the Sebastião Salgado photography exhibit, Migrations. Salgado traveled all over the world for six years taking thousands of pictures of refugees and people who suffer because of war or persecution. Here are some of our reflections:
"Sebastião Salgado is an activist because he fights for the rights of others. I admire him because I think that he is a person that tries to show the world to all of us." — Jessica Perez
"I feel really sad and I want to do something powerful about it. Sebastião Salgado took these pictures because he wanted people to know that the kids are suffering and dying. Last week, I wrote a very dramatic letter to the president of the United States. It was a letter to him because I was concerned about our wars in this world. I think that Sebastião Salgado and I have the same feelings and dreams for this world." - Susan Dang
"He impressed me by using pictures rather than words to tell a story. There was a photograph of a kid standing with no one. I imagined that his family was in war and he was running to safety." —San Ming Mak
"The photography exhibit made me think that we should care more for other people because we are all a big community. We are connected as children in this world. There was one photograph of a girl from Afghanistan who was holding a notebook. It made me think that she wants an education but there are not many opportunities for her. Many pictures showed us that even if kids are in a terrible place, they are smiling and still have hope." - Wendy Sanchez
After going on this field trip, we all shared our dreams for our future. Listen to our dreams.
"When I go to the University of California (notice I said when, not if), I am going to be a strong, intelligent activist like Harriet Tubman, Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Cesar Chavez." — Susan Dang
"One dream that I have for my future is that I am going to try my very best to get into the University of California. No matter what, I’m going there. This I promise to myself and my teachers." —Wilfredo Molina
"When I saw all the University students from so many different cultures, I decided that when I go, I am going to study Anthropology because I want to learn about different cultures in the world." — Jessica Perez
This experience was important because so many things changed in our minds and our hearts. We believe that all children, no matter what their culture is, what language they speak, how rich their family is, or the color of their skin, should have the education that they need to get to the University of California.
Oakland’s McClymonds High Opens the Doors to a New Student Resource
by K2C Staff
On September 25, its Fall Open School Night, McClymonds High School in Oakland opened the doors to its new Student Resource Center, a joint effort of teachers, counselors, and administrators at McClymonds, UC Berkeley outreach programs, and Stanford University’s Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities.
McClymonds’ Principal, Lynn Haines Dodd, notes what an auspicious beginning this is: "Thanks to UC Berkeley’s School/University Partnership Program, West Oakland youth and their families will have a college resource room at McClymonds High School for the first time."
After just a few weeks in operation, the Resource Center is brimming with activity. Students from as far as across campus and as near as the 9th Grade Small Learning Communities down the hall drop by to browse the library of career and college literature, "chill" in the lounge area, or surf the Web on the new, high-powered computers–stocked, naturally, with Web page bookmarks for college, financial aid, and career planning sites. The furniture is a big hit, and not just because it’s brand new, or because it’s comfortable: everything is either black or orange–McClymonds’ school colors.
A half a dozen UC outreach programs share the space: the Alliance for Collaborative Change in School Systems (supporting improved math curricula); Bay Area Urban Debate (fostering debate teams and classes); the Early Academic Outreach Program and the Educational Guidance Center (providing academic support and enrichment, pre-college advising, and motivational activities); the Incentive Awards Program (offering leadership training, community-building activities, and college scholarships); and the School of Business’ Young Entrepreneurs at Haas (introducing students to the world of business through entrepreneurship).
Amidst all the hustle and bustle, two UC undergraduate AmeriCorps interns provide consistent staffing, working to develop the center along with community members inside McClymonds and around it. UC Berkeley may be almost four miles away from McClymonds, but the Student Resource Center helps make it–and any college–feel within arm’s reach.