Stephanie Joseph
Staff Writer
Issues of social justice and injustices were brought to light during an evening of senior thesis presentations Wednesday.
The Center for Multicultural Services hosted the event in honor of Social Justice Day in the Executive Dining Room.
The event featured the presentations based on the topic of social injustice.
Senior social justice in education major Rudy Amaya, with his group, discussed the importance of mentoring children and listening to them.
They discussed their mentoring program called Tree of Life, where they take kids on excursions and college tours.
“I am passionate about this program because of the mentors I had in my life and the children I met,” Amaya said. “A lot of times people don’t see mentoring as important, but it is.”
This program started in 2017, Amaya said. Since then, they have taken about 20 children from the Santa Ana Church of the Brethren on a tour of the University of La Verne and Cal State Fullerton.
The children visited with faculty here and even made a stop at President Lieberman’s office, Amaya said.
Senior communications major Arturo Gomez Molina talked about his work with an organization called Inner City Struggle.
They help to fight evictions by informing tenants in unincorporated areas about renter’s rights. His presentation focused on the work he is producing for the organization.
Gomez Molina said he wants to bring awareness to gentrification, the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste, and will help Inner City Struggle with an upcoming campaign.
The event was organized by senior history major Paril Patel and Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs Misty Levingston.
Among those who attended was President Devorah Lieberman.
“I was deeply impressed that every presentation,” Lieberman said. “The presenters were very passionate about their topic. Their professors should be very proud of their research.”
Stephanie Joseph can be reached at stephanie.joseph@laverne.edu.
Stephanie Joseph
