My name is Skyla Santacruz, and I am a second-year graduate student in the English master's program with an emphasis in Literature. On top of being a graduate student here at LMU, I am also one of the graduate advisors in the BCLA Advising Center, a Teaching Fellow, and a Teaching Fellow Co-Lead for Fall 23-Spring 24.
In Spring 2023, I presented at the Southwest Popular American Culture Associate Conference (SWPACA) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on my paper "The Dangerous 'Other' is Us." This fall (October 26th), I am presenting at the Pacific Ancient and Modern Languages Association Conference in Portland, Oregon, with my paper "Exploring Hybridity and the Sense of Self Through Luz Noceda in Disney’s The Owl House." I have always had a knack for helping my fellow peers and students, and I care deeply about student success. My career goals are to one day work as an English professor teaching speaking and writing, or to be an academic advisor at a university. LMU has definitely made an impact on my professional pursuits. As a teaching fellow in my second year, I get to teach one section of Rhetorical Arts to first-year students. Teaching on my own has been an eye-opening experience, and getting to know each of my students has been so rewarding! Before coming to this institution, I had only one goal in mind: to become a professor. I didn't think anything else could be an option. Working for the BCLA Advising Center, alongside my supervisors and full-time academic advisors, has shown me the other opportunities I can have as an academic advisor and how rewarding it is to work with students to reach their academic goals. In my role as graduate advisor, I have been a part of the BCLA Summer Open House, BCLA Transfer Orientation and BCLA First-Year orientation. I have learned what it is like to work at a university, in addition to learning inside a classroom.
Personally, LMU has made me want to connect more with my culture as a Latine person. In the summer, I had the privilege of taking a course, "Engaging LA and Latin America" with Professor Ruben Martinez, which included a one-week trip to Mexico City. Even before the trip, the works we read and videos we watched for class informed me a lot about the experiences that Latine/Hispanic people go through in Los Angeles, which are not always positive. In Mexico City, it was clear that this trip connected to the class as we visited the places we read about. We were also called to pay attention to how the structure of buildings and the city life mimicked that of Los Angeles. On top of this, we visited Iberoamericana University, where four professors from the institution gave talks on the issue of water in Mexico and the danger of journalism in Mexico. This trip was an impactful and unforgettable experience as I hadn't visited Mexico since I was very young; I have listed just a handful of what we did in Mexico City. Being surrounded by many aspects of my culture as an adult made me realize there are still parts of my culture I want to reconnect with.
The role of my professors definitely has impacted me. One of the professors that stands out to me is Dr. Julia Lee. Whether it was supporting me at the SWPACA conference by attending my presentation, in switching my emphasis from Rhetoric and Composition to Literature, or always asking me how I am doing before class or in passing. Dr. Lee, with the help of the English Department, has helped pay for both of the conferences I have attended and because of that, I had the chance to visit states I have never been to before! As a whole, LMU has helped me grow into a more well-rounded individual by giving me opportunities in and outside the classroom.