Category Archives: Week 1: Introductions

Introduction

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Hello everyone! My name is Janette Rodriguez. I was born and raised in San Diego. I’m currently a senior here at SDSU, having only transferred from Mesa College last year. I’m majoring in English & Comparative Literature. I’ve always been passionate about the art of storytelling, language, and the diverse experiences one can encounter and learn about through literature. Like many of us, I too have hopes of becoming a professor and a published author. My goal after graduation is to purse my masters degree and further my academic growth.

Some of my hobbies include reading, journaling/scrapbooking, watching films, collecting vinyl, making silly videos with my friends, and film photography. I’m particularly fond of reading sci-fi and dystopian novels the most, but I will honestly read anything recommended.


I’m especially excited to explore the history of mermaids and how they contribute to the changing attitudes about the environment. I look forward to learning from and with all of you!

Nellie Murphy Introduction

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Hi! My name is Nellie Murphy, and I am a junior studying Marketing here at SDSU! I am from Denver, Colorado, but I absolutely love it out here in SD. I plan to study abroad this upcoming spring semester in Milan, Italy! As a dual citizen of Europe, I would love to live and work abroad after college as well. I love to ski and skateboard, I really enjoy yoga, and I obsess over TV shows like Stranger Things, Lost, and The Office. I am very close with my sister Iris, who just graduated with a degree in environmental sciences, and I chose this class because it sounded like something she would like.

I am excited to be part of this really interesting class, and hope not only to expand my knowledge of mermaids, mermen, and ancient stories of hybrid “monsters” but also to improve my writing, close reading skills, and rhetorical strategies.

A child of Anansi the Spider: God of Lies and Stories

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(Photo of me taken by one of my best friends in Vegas)

Howdy, my name is Dion Jones. I was born here in San Diego but transferred here from NAU after having transferred from Grossmont Community College. I want to say that this is my 4th year in undergrad but that would be an understatement—and a lie. I am an English major who has only grown to love our study more with time.

I hope to achieve a few key things with my time on earth: become a special education teacher, become a great husband, and great father, most else I need no defined vision… yet. My favorite genres tend to involve fantasy—magic systems, swords—I pretend that they’re optional—and monsters/mythological creatures. Reading and watching eastern animation, manga, assorted action and adventure western animated shows, nature documentaries, and Godzilla shaped my love for art—especially drawing which eventually led to my love and enjoyment of stories—the lives, experiences, and imaginations of others—and the tellers of said stories. I don’t know what I hope to gain from this class, but I like stretching and building my ‘thinking muscles’, hopefully that’s enough to motivate me to do well.

Jazmine V. Introduction

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Hello everyone, my name is Jazmine! I am a junior that has recently transferred from San Diego City College. I am majoring in English and Comparative Literature with aspirations to become a professor. Not sure if I want to teach city college level only or universities as well. Only the future will tell! I am highly interested in learning about literature and viewing it in different lenses. It’s a bit troublesome for me to introspectively look at text and think deeply.I tend to look at literature pieces at face value but that is slowly changing. I think it has to do with topics that don’t peak my interest. But, with each literature class, I gain more practice fine tuning this tough skill. 

Outside of class, you’ll find me, nowhere for the most part. I am a huge homebody! I love to stay in and stream my favorite tv shows. I’m currently obsessed with Taskmaster season 19, Adults on FX and, the entirety of Abbott Elementary. Plus, I play plenty of Stardew Valley on my switch and am actively trying to perfect my farm! I am yearning for an update on Animal Crossing! Funny enough since I am an english major, I should say I love reading books but in reality I’m not an avid reader, I have periods where I am glued to a book and when finished, then I don’t pick up another novel for monthsss! Also, my brain can’t comprehend annotating a book. It doesn’t feel right but I do admire it when I see others with all their colorful tabs and thoughtful notes in the margins. 

Besides all that, I really do look forward to this class with y’all and can’t wait to learn about mermaids and their symbolism!

Hi I’m Jackie!

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Hi everyone my name is Jackie! I am an English and Comparative Literature major who transferred from San Diego Miramar College this year. I am super excited to continue my education here at SDSU and I’m looking forward to all the knowledge I will gain from classes. My favorite form of writing is creative writing, I feel like I can write for so long and just pour out my ideas freely. I currently work in dentistry and love working with teeth just as much as I love writing creatively. I am so passionate about both and after graduation I hope to continue working in dentistry while still continuing my writing because why not? 🙂

Outside of work and school, I enjoy creative outlets that mainly involve working with my hand such as painting (even though I am not super great at it), ceramics— which I did in 3 semesters of at Miramar. A newer creative outlet I’ve picked up is learning how to play the drums. My dad is a musician and has guided me into learning how to play the drums, it was so hard for me at first but I’m proud to be able to play a couple songs now. With most of these hobbies, I tend to put them on pause during the semester because things can get pretty hectic with work and schoolwork so I definitely look forward to them during the breaks.

I am looking forward to this semester with all of you! 🙂

Introduction

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Hello! My name is Bomin Kim, and I am from Seoul, South Korea. I am currently an exchange student at San Diego State University (SDSU). I am a sophomore, and I am Korean, but my home university is in Japan. At my home university, my major is Intercultural Communication, but here at SDSU, I am studying Psychology. I decided to explore psychology during my exchange program because I am interested in human behavior, how people think, and how cultural backgrounds shape our minds. I believe that this learning can help me better understand human interactions in a globalized world.

I really love animals, and dogs are definitely my favorite. I also have a dog named Byeol, which means star in Korean, and he has been an important part of my life since I was around 13. Also, in my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, whether it’s hanging out, exploring new places, or trying new foods together. At the same time, I also love having quiet days at home to relax and recharge. Another thing I really enjoy is listening to music. One of my favorite songs is Daydreamin’ by Ariana Grande, which I never get tired of listening to. I also enjoy learning new languages. Right now, I speak Korean, Japanese, and English, and I’m currently studying Chinese. It’s challenging, but also very fun and exciting for me.

The reason I chose to study abroad is not only to improve my English skills but also to broaden my worldview. I believe that stepping out of my comfort zone and living in different countries will help me for a future career where international cooperation and understanding are essential.

Thank you for reading my introduction, and I am really looking forward to learning more and sharing thoughts!

Screenshot

My Introduction

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Hello my name is Bryan Ho and this is my second year (possibly final, hopefully) at SDSU and my fifth year in total being in college/university. I am a transfer student from Mesa Community College, and my major is English and Comparative Literature. What I hope to achieve in life is becoming an author as I’ve always wanted to entertain people with my stories. I mainly write fantasy fiction and using tropes/story elements my way or in a way I would enjoy writing rather than following what’s popular within the genre. As a kid I never really liked reading, even fantasy books like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings didn’t excite me and I always (kind of still do depending on what I’m reading) saw doing it as a chore. Flash forward to middle school and I find out it wasn’t reading itself that I didn’t like, it was that none of the books around me clicked, and when I found out what I truly loved to read? I began to collect these kinds of books a lot throughout the years, and currently I have three completely full shelves in my room alongside a desire to become an author. I’m a little bit embarrassed to share what those books are but they’re mainly from Japan and are called Light Novels, the reason being they’re comparatively ‘short’ to regular novels. Just the style of the stories and the way the authors wrote notes at the end of the books, thanking their readers sincerely for picking their novels up, thanking everyone from editors and artists in allowing their work to be published left a huge impression on me. Here’s hoping that this class will inspire my writing and that I’ll be having fun in it too. Thanks for reading.

(Me and my brother during Thanksgiving)

Introduction

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Hi Everyone! My name is Angelina Gonzalez! I have lived in San Diego my whole life, and though I’ve always wanted to travel the world (and hopefully I will when I can afford it), I know that I’ll always come back to San Diego. I love to complain about the monotony of San Diego’s usually temperate weather, but deep down, I know I could never handle the struggle of the extreme cold or heat. I feel truly spoiled to live in this beautiful county! 

I transferred from Southwestern College in Chula Vista in 2023. Originally I was set on pursuing my major in psychology, but as I moved along in the college process, I felt like I was missing something. I’m currently double majoring in Psychology, as well as English & Comparative Literature. I feel so happy that I get to learn about something that I am truly passionate about, and expand my understanding of the world. 

A little bit about me is that I’m the second of four daughters, and we are animal lovers. I currently have 5 dogs and one cat, so you’ll often see me covered in dog hair (which I try and fail at removing). I love to knit, and crochet, although I often unwind most of my projects because I’m a terrible perfectionist. This means it takes me forever to finish a project. I am by no means an expert and every project I start teaches me something new! Like most in this class, I am fond of reading, specifically from the works of Jane Austen, which have been accused of being a bit boring and slow. While this critique can be true, I still love to read about the way Jane Austen portrays women during this time as complex, flawed, and intelligent.  I love the beach, and often take my dogs to the beach, either Solana Beach or the Fiesta Island dog park. I love seeing the world through how my fur babies engage with it, and I know for sure that the beach is one of their favorite places on earth, besides my bed.

I’m so excited to explore the theme of this class, and how one of my favorite mythical creatures can teach us about how we have valued and taught about the ocean and our connection to it.

Introductions!

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Hello! It’s great to meet you all in this class. I’m an exchange student from South Korea, and being here in San Diego has been so much fun! I actually studied in California when I was 11, but it has been seven years since I last visited the U.S. Experiencing both the Asian and American education systems has shown me how important interaction with professors can be. In our first class, I was surprised at how active and lively the discussion was. I hope this exchange experience helps me become more extroverted and gain many new perspectives by talking and sharing ideas with all of you.
I also really enjoy learning new languages! These days, I’m interested in Japanese and Spanish. I believe language has a lot of power, especially being able to communicate with others in their own language is truly wonderful. When I travel, I can feel the difference between knowing and not knowing the local language, and I think it opens the door to various opportunities. It also allows me to connect more deeply with a culture and understand better and embrace its differences.
I’m especially happy to be in San Diego, where I can use my English, even if it’s not perfect. I love hearing different stories from people of various cultures, and I think that is what really helps me expand my knowledge and perspective. The weather here is also amazing and I’m so jealous! In South Korea, summers are so humid that it sometimes feels hard to breathe. One big difference I’ve noticed between South Korea and the U.S. is that in America, people seem less concerned about what others are doing. I think that’s why it feels easier to just be yourself here, which I find really impressive.
Finally, I should mention that I love music so much! I grew up listening to Taylor Swift, and she’s still one of my favorite artists today. Music is such a big part of my life that I almost always have my AirPods in. I hope we can share some great songs with each other and have many interesting conversations throughout this semester!

Hi there, I’m Annie!

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Hello everyone! My name is Annie, and it is so nice to meet you all! I am in my last year of college (sobs) and I’ll be graduating in the upcoming spring semester. I am majoring in both English and Journalism, with an emphasis in Public Relations, with an Honors minor in Interdisciplinary Studies. I am also, as Professor Pressman knows quite well by now, the president of SDSU’s Color Guard & Aztec Winter Guard! It is my third season spinning with them, and my seventh year partaking in this wonderful, crazy sport that I love so much.

2024 program, “Becoming You”
2025 program, “Unholy Unchained”
My first year on the Fall Guard! Leading the first Warrior Walk with our Fall Guard manager, AJ.

In my last class with Professor Pressman, I was able to combine my passion for color guard with the foundational knowledge we gained in the Digital Humanities class she taught last spring. Never did I think I would combine color guard and academia, but I had so much fun with it! Color guard, as a performing art, is a storytelling method in its own right. The performers can tell the story of going through life and coming into your own person to covered piano music of One Direction’s “Story of My Life” (like our 2024 program, Becoming You), or tell the story of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world devoid of society escaping from captors to music from Sam Smith’s “Unholy” and 2WEI’S “Survivor” (from our 2025 program, Unholy Unchained).

Though our competitive winter season has yet to start, I am so excited to see what our coaches have in store for us, yet saddened for my last season of winter guard as I will age out this year. I can only hope that my last season with the AWG will bring us to the finals round at the University of Dayton Arena (my biggest dream ever!!).

I’m not really sure how to end this post, so I guess I’ll end it off with my favorite English/Literature interests—I love fantasy (yes, especially mermaid fantasy), and I also love dystopian or apocalyptic fiction. My favorite mermaid novel I’ve read is Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly, and, taking a cue from Gale’s post, my mermaid tail would be a silvery-blue color! I look forward to further meeting and interacting with you all, and I’m excited to see what we’ll learn in this class!