Category Archives: Week 1: Introductions

Introduction

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Hi all, I’m Jesmond. I am a Lao-American in their fourth year of majoring in English. There’s not much to this post since I am a quiet person and not really experienced in writing long posts but I’ll try to introduce myself as best as I can.

I am a neurodivergent person (austistic) who loves to read and game. I used to read a lot of books in middle school and high school, and I am especially interested in monsters such as vampires, zombies, and ghosts.

Now, what got me into monsters (and this class?) To put it simply: fear drives curiosity. According to one of Jeffery Jerome Cohen’s seven theses of monster theory, “fear of the monster is really a kind of desire.” Monsters are the personification of our fears and anxieties, yet there is something about them that makes us want to learn more about them. This curiosity inevitably leads us to create more monsters, until eventually we become the monsters others want to learn about.

It was only a few semesters ago when my fascination with monsters started. First, I took a class about monsters and was first exposed to Cohen’s theses. Next, I analyzed a children’s literature novel on vampires and expounded on the concept of the other and “othering”. And last, I applied Cohen’s theses for a comparative analysis on vampires in media with the help of my classmates.

That is why monsters, especially literary monsters, fascinate me.

As for this class, I didn’t know what to expect since it was simply listed as “Literature & the Environment,” but when I got an email from the professor that it was going to be about mermaids, I knew I was in for a ride. Mermaids are a type of monster to be expected in media, although some mermaids may not be classified as monsters. Mermaids can represent our desires to explore the depths, but they can also represent what we sacrifice. Our freedom, our legs, our way of life–what will we give up for ocean life?

That is all for now. I am looking forward to hearing you all and getting to know you more.

Howdy From Salinas!

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Hey y’all! I’m a third year transfer from Miramar College majoring in English Comparative Literature. 🙂 I’m originally from Austin Texas (which isn’t very close to mermaids, but San Diego sure is!) Although there are certain things that I miss about Texas like the southern hospitality, BBQ, and my family, I’m so very happy to have made San Diego my home of three years. <3

I have always been passionate about literature, and I like to say that my first love was reading. Some of my childhood favorites include Anne of Green Gables, Pride & Prejudice and the Tintin comic books. I have the dreams of one day publishing a book, and I write poetry when I’m feeling inspired… or extremely emotionally charged haha. Recently over the summer I had an internship at Mesa College for the AANAPISI department (Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution) which has influenced me greatly! Even though the big dream is to have career in literature, I would find a career that is community orientated in higher ed really fulfilling as well.

Besides reading, I also like to hike, make arts and crafts, daydream and spend time with my loved ones.

Oh and because I’m inspired by Gale’s introduction, If I had a mermaid tail it would be a dark silver color. Maybe slightly holographic too, just for fun.

Introduction!

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Hi, I’m Kenzy and I’m a second year English and Comparative Literature major in preparation of SST. I’m the youngest of four, two older sisters and a brother, and I love all things media. I’m a huge reader and have been since I was a kid, and I try to keep that up outside of assignments, but I feel like being an English major, it’s easy to be exposed to a lot of literature without needing to actively seek it out. I listen to music basically any time it should be silent; it’s a peaceful background noise that almost stimulates my brain just enough that it can function a little better. I love Taylor Swift so I am a basic fan girl at heart and any chance I can be about her and boy bands like 5 Seconds of Summer and even my favorite rap artists. If I’m not listening to music, I have movies or TV on. I’ve been in the film world since middle school and it’s so fun to watch it from an analytical lens even if my preference is comedy. The use of the same tactics they do in dramatic cinema to convey points in comedic or lighthearted ones is spectacular.

I was initially drawn in to the class because of its relation to the environment and that being something I care about; it wasn’t until a week or two prior to the semester starting that I actually realized it focused on environment specifically reflected through mermaids. I think the fictional aspect draws attention better from me anyways because it’s my preferred genre, and it’s always interesting to see how authors create allegories or metaphors that represent greater conflicts.

My sister and my best friend in the picture are my favorite people; I do everything with at least one of them and I will do just about anything to bring them up. They are my unintentional physical representation of how important community and relationships are to humanity.

This is Rapunzel, my old and absolutely angelic cat at my moms house 🙂

Introduction :) !

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Hello all! I’m Alyssa 🙂 I’m a fourth-year English and Comparative Literature major, and I’m currently pursuing a minor in Political Science, and I’m a second-year transfer student from Mt. San Jacinto. After I graduate from SDSU, I look forward to pursuing my Master’s in either English or Political Science.

This may sound cliché, but the main reason why I was so excited for this course is that I loved The Little Mermaid growing up. I remember when I was younger and going to Disneyland with my family, I would always run up to take photos with Princess Ariel. My Dad says I always took my hair out of a ponytail so she and I would “look alike!”

Growing up, my family and I would go to Disneyland so often when passes were more affordable, and because I grew up in Orange County so Anaheim was only 15-20 minutes away from our house! My parents have definitely raised me to be a Disney adult.

Some more things about me besides my love for Disney and mermaids are that I live in Menifee–which is north of Temecula–so I commute to and from San Diego for school. Fortunately, my boyfriend does live 10 minutes from SDSU, so staying with him and his family has helped me out getting to my classes these last two years. Anndddd I really, really love going to concerts! I went to my very first one in 2022, and since then, I’ve been to over 10 different concerts! I think my top three favorite concerts I’ve seen were Sabrina Carpenter, Cage the Elephant, and Hozier. I also have 4 dogs! I love them all so much, even if they don’t like me sometimes. I had a 5th dog, but he passed a couple of years ago. This is Cotton! He was the cutest dog ever.

Anywho, I’m very excited to learn more about mermaids and their mythological origins. I’m interested in learning how different cultures have represented mermaids as well! I’ve always loved Greek mythology growing up, so taking a class about mermaids is really going to make younger me so happy.

Into!

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Hi everyone! My name in Morgan and I’m a third year here at SDSU. I’m majoring in Sustainability so I’m super exited to take a writing class that focuses on the environment.

I’m originally from Crested Butte, Colorado, where I grew up surrounded by mountains and the outdoors which is something that I’ll always be grateful for. I love the mountains and everything about it. Especially skiing. I’ve been skiing my entire life and it’s something I definitely miss the most being here in San Diego. The photo above is of my dog, Calvin, on one of our camping trips. I love spending time outdoors with my friends and family its always such a good reset from the outside world.

Choosing to go to SDSU. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I love exploring new beaches and the city of San Diego. I’ve made lifelong friendships and memories that I will never take for granted. I’ve always loved the ocean ever since I was a little kid and so now living near one is a dream come true. I was super exited to find out that this class has a focus on mermaids because I honestly don’t know much about then and their history and it will be super fun and interesting to learn about especially while living in San Diego!

Hi I’m Emily!

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Hello! My name is Emily and I am a third year Poitical Science major with a minor in Theatre Arts. Helping people, the enviorment, and animals has always been a passion of mine and led me to my decision to where I am today. This photo is of my dogs, Ranger and Lola, and they are definitley my babies. I adore dogs and would love to help organizations in the future centered around animal welfare. There are so many dreams and adventures I want to take care of after college and I am so excited where that road will take me.

Some of my many hobbies include reading, writing, and acting. I have been acting in plays since I was 8, and after coming to college, I realized it was something I couldn’t live without, hence why I added the minor. I also have always been interested in Greek Mythology and the ocean (Percy Jackson kid) and my friends and I often watched H20 mermaids together. I am very excited to learn more about mermaids and the oceanic enviorment and how it relates to humankind.

I am super excited to get to know more people in the class!

Hi I’m Sierra!

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Hi everyone!

This is my second year here at SDSU, as I transferred from Fullerton Community College just last year. I am a Comparative Literature major, and my dream after college is to go into Special Education for elementary school. I decided to major in Literature because I think that stories and books are incredibly important to accessing windows and mirrors to worlds we’ve yet to be exposed to. I like to believe this major makes me more well rounded and empathetic in my understanding of the world around me.

Outside of school my past times mainly consists of being with friends and family. I find the older I get the less time I have to just be in the company of the people I surround myself with. I like to go thrift shopping, getting coffee/matcha, and going to record stores.

Since being here in San Diego and at SDSU I’ve learned a lot about the things that I value. I miss my family greatly when I am here, yet simultaneously my education and my friends are my guidepost, especially as I am finishing up my bachelors. To learn and grow—to see things in new perspectives—has been a gift these past few years of college. I have never thought about the connection between literature and the environment, and I am excited to see all the directions in which this class goes.

Hello Everyone! I’m Ashley

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I am an English and Comparative Literature major in my junior year. I just transferred in from Mesa College. Although it is my first year since transferring, it is not my first year at SDSU. Years ago (longer than I care to admit) I attended SDSU fresh out of high school. I dreamed of being a writer. Unfortunately, a lack of self-confidence, combined with the pessimistic attitude of an 18-year-old led me to drop out. Now, after five years of chipping away at an AA in English, I have returned with a sense of optimism and a true desire to learn. In other words, I am SO excited to be here. We’ll see how I feel in the middle of the semester though.

Anyways, a little bit about the non-academic side of my journey, I was born and raised in San Diego. Specifically, the Pacific Beach community. I grew up surfing, playing tons of sports, and just always at the beach. My upbringing has made the ocean like a second home to me, sometimes even a first, and I am tremendously grateful for that. Whenever my sister and I go for a swim she asks me: “wanna go play mermaids?” And no, she’s not six years old, she is an adult. So you can imagine the first person I told after I registered for this class. I have recently discovered a passion for doing triathlons, which may be evolving into a love for open water swimming. Overall, I am existing in a realm of self-discovery right now and absolutely loving it. Oh, for work, I’m in the restaurant industry. Bartender, server, barista, you name it, I’ve even worked the line. If you’re ever in PB you can usually find me at Kono’s Coffee cart. I’ll make you a pretty good coffee.

Hi, I’m Kelly!

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I am an English and Comparative Literature Major in my senior year at SDSU. I’ve always loved reading and getting lost in stories, so it was a natural choice to major in something I love doing! I hope to work in publishing as an editor after I graduate and help publish as many storytellers as possible. Books are a way to help bridge cultures and barriers by allowing us to explore things we never thought possible, and to be part of that process in any way would be extremely rewarding for me. I also love collecting books and trying to find different editions of my favorite books whenever I travel. For instance, I have multiple copies of Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice that I’ve picked up and adore greatly. I find that each edition reminds me of where I got it and serves as a way to detail different stages of my life, despite the fact that I’m slowly running out of room to store them.

I’m fascinated to learn more about mermaids and the rich history they provide us about different environments! I grew up with a very surface-level understanding of mermaids borrowed from shows like H20: Just Add Water and movies such as The Little Mermaid, and I think this class is a chance to go deeper and really understand what makes mermaids special and why they are so important. Likewise, I’m excited to learn about the different perspectives of mermaids from each culture and what it says about their values. I think that literature is an important way to learn about the environment because it serves as a way to teach other generations about the world around them in a more personal way.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you all and learning from your perspectives!

Hello, I’m Melissa

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I am an English and Comparative Literature major in my senior year. I was born and raised in San Diego and spent most of my life here, but lived in North Carolina for almost seven years. While I missed California almost the entire time, living there made me understand so much about the country and its history. For a while I planned to major in Political Science when I returned to school in 2022, but the call of Literature won out in the end. I am what some call a “non-traditional” student, meaning I am older, but I actually feel very lucky to have the access to an education I wouldn’t have had if I had gone to college right out of high school.

I have wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, but put it aside for more practical pursuits. Now I am a writer, but I want to take it to the next step and be a published author. I have written several novels in different genres (Women’s Fiction, (Sub)urban Fantasy, Mystery), but I have only gone through the querying process with one of them. I also write poetry.

I’m really looking forward to learning about the lore of mermaids outside of the Disney interpretation and exploring their historical context with all of you!

My husband and me at Birch Aquarium Oceans at Night