Luis Espino

Institutional Privilege

Upon being admitted to Pomona College, I knew that studying at this institution carried a lot of weight. I did not understand just how much until applying to the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. MMUF, for short, is an undergraduate fellowship program that is...

read more

Time, Busyness y mi Madre

I have mentioned in previous posts that when I came to college, I came at a time when I felt like I needed my own space. I had lived in the living room of my grandparents’ house since I first came to this country, and was excited at the thought of having a space to...

read more

The Hidden Benefits of Community Engagement

I remember the excitement I felt from learning about the many campus talks and lectures about social justice topics throughout my first year of college about as well as I remember the heaviness I felt in listening to those talks. From climate change and Black Lives...

read more

Earning a PhD: Si Se Puede!!

I am blessed to have been chosen to be part of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, a program my college recently joined, which is meant to diversify academia by increasing the number of professors from marginalized identities(especially people of color). As a...

read more

Homesickness

I came to college around a time when I felt I needed my own space. I wanted space in the sense of physical space (after living in the living room at home for most of my life, a room to make my own sounded pretty fantastic) and space to myself, space to learn more...

read more

Why College Makes Me Happy

Well, for one, I recently got back from a two-day retreat with the IDEAS (Improving Dream Equality Access and Success) Club at the Claremont Colleges, the undocumented student and ally, advocacy and support group for immigrant struggles. I realize that I am extremely...

read more

On Self Care

As someone who underwent severe anxiety, loneliness, and I would venture to say, depression in high school, I’ve come to understand the importance of taking care of myself, especially in the midst of the world of academia. I attended a direct action training this past...

read more

Honeymoon Period

After a full year of agonizing over STEM classes that I wanted to convince myself I liked, I decided to make a change and be involved in things that I actually care about, and that have some sort of significance in my life. Having grown up as a part-time translator...

read more

Saying No

As my first year comes to a close, I realize there have been too many opportunities I have not taken to leave things I did not want to do. Example: I came in totally thinking I was going to be a mechanical engineering, and going to a liberal arts college meant that...

read more