2008 Senior Thesis Awards

Anna Spector

Youth at Risk and Juvenile Detention: A Cross Cultural Comparative Study

Research was conducted at Ikago Center School of Industry, the first and only juvenile rehabilitation center in Molepolole, Botswana and at Camp Afflerbaugh-Paige High School for incarcerated juveniles in La Verne, California. This study examines how these two societies use detention as a means for dealing with the global at-risk youth population: young people who struggle with complexities including delinquency. Additional library research focuses on what factors contribute to the international at-risk youth population, the existing problems within juvenile justice systems and the treatment of youth, as well as alternative rehabilitation programs and theories that have proven to be successful. From the collected narratives of the young people in Botswana and Camp Afflerbaugh-Paige High School, their stories share insight into the lives of at-risk youth.

Danielle J. Brown

Intersecting Lines Will Meet at Some Point

A collection of poems; a meditation on the power of the written and spoken word as a means to challenge and question institutional thought, heteronomativity, colorism, and other social stigmas. My work hearkens back to the poetry of Nikki Giovanni, a Black feminist poet of the 1960s, and the performance poetry of Staceyann Chin, a queer feminist activist of mixed race. As community outreach is integral to my experience here at Pitzer, I've attended and performed at several public readings on and off campus; this past semester I've managed to attend readings by poet Staceyann Chin, Black queer filmmaker Cheryl Dunye, Pomona College's acclaimed poet, Claudia Rankine and Def Jam poet Ishle Yi Park. Having the unique experience of getting to know Ishle Yi Park was truly inspirational, as she taught me how performing my poems publicly is just as effective, if not more than the written word in mobilizing individuals. I intend to continue reading my poetry publicly and to distribute them in chapbook format.

Holly Carpenter

The Mexico City Policy: Social and Environmental Consequences

My thesis has gone through a number of evolutions-narrowing the topic further and further in an attempt to reach a manageable undertaking. The final draft is entitled-The Mexico City Policy: Social and Environmental Consequences, and details just what this suggests. The Mexico City Policy is a ban on USAID foreign aid funding for NGOs that are in any way associated with abortion, and pertains highly to my interests in population and environmental issues. The thesis was complemented by my work at Planned Parenthood in Pomona, CA, where I volunteer weekly. It was a fascinating endeavor to write so much on a topic that deeply interests me, and I feel like it turned out well. Hopefully in future years I can use the knowledge gained from this thesis by working in the population aid field.

Jessica MacMartin

Un avance y una manera de exclusión: la educación intercultural bilingue en el Ecuador

My senior thesis is a continuation of the Directed Independent Study Project I completed while abroad in Ecuador Fall of 2006. This investigation and project looks at the state of intercultural bilingual education in Ecuador. Ecuador is a multi-faceted nation with a complex and tumultuous history. The indigenous peoples of Ecuador have been excluded for centuries but have recently been receiving the attention, power, and resources they deserve. Through the Indigenous Movement was born the program of intercultural bilingual education between Quichua and Spanish. This program created a bridge between these different cultures and sectors of Ecuadorian society. Through interviews, fieldwork, and extensive research in Ecuador as well as the United States, this investigation attempts to answer if intercultural bilingual education is truly an advancement, or simply another tool to perpetuate exclusion. This project was unique in that I expanded on my research from abroad, looking critically at that research and project and drawing further more informed conclusions. All in all, I believe that the program of intercultural bilingual education can be the catalyst for change to a more equal society, but only if it receives the attention and necessary changes to realize that potential.

Kirsten Brewer

Environmental Bilingual Education, or Educación Ambiental Bilingüe

My senior project, Environmental Bilingual Education, or Educación Ambiental Bilingüe, effectively integrates my two majors Environmental Studies and Spanish and Pitzer's core values of social responsibility. I travel twice weekly to Azusa, California: to assistant teach in a bilingual kindergarten and to tutor a student in her home. Writing my thesis I have learned of the value of native language instruction for young bilinguals. I am very proud that I have been able to offer support to this program and to their class teacher Maria Villegas, also a Pitzer grad.

Leah Newman

What Now?: An Educational Video for the Young Men at the California Youth Authority

My project is an instructional video about reentry to society after youth incarceration to be shown in the classrooms at the Division of Juvenile Justice in Chino, CA. The project began by interviewing 5 wards at the Hemen G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility. From them we learned what was frightening about the prospect of reentry and why they had failed at past attempts to stay out of prison. We used what they said to create a video which includes sections on meeting positive influences, education options, interviewing, resume writing, job possibilities, cars and transportation, time management, money management, and the sealing of records. The video is entertaining while also address key concerns about reentry. It is intended to give realistic advice in order to help the young men survive in an overwhelming environment where there is often little support.

Randy Gomez

Senior Photography Exhibition

My thesis relates to CCCSI's learning objective of a global and local context because photography is a medium that can transcend different cultures and languages and my Senior Photography Exhibition's main purpose was this. Inviting local Day Labors I wanted to show that the immigrant experience can touch the life of those who are not immigrants. Thus, my show was able to bring awareness to a global issue in the context of southern California. For this I opportunity I have CCCSI to thank!!!

Sarah Zellweger

India to Incarceration

Opportunities orchestrated through CCCSI introduced me to a variety of community organizations and intuitions—experiences that greatly shaped the creation of my major, Urban Studies. My CCCSI Senior Thesis centered upon the co-creation of a multicultural urban studies class at Camp Afflerbaugh-Paige, a juvenile detention high school located in La Verne, CA. Working with the young men to create curriculum my participatory action research sought to understand the significance of a multicultural paradigm in an incarcerated setting. We discussed an array of urban issues, using local-global comparisons that contextualized our writings and discussion. CCCSI truly is the heart and soul of Pitzer college, giving students freedom to turn the process of learning into active engagement.