Category Archives: Week 1: Introductions

Hello I’m Kaila

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I am an English Major with a minor in Women’s Studies, with dreams of teaching at the college level about Women in Literature. I have always had such great love and appreciation for literature. To me, literature is so important, as it tells the stories of the past, present, and future.

Outside of school, I coach youth volleyball. I played volleyball growing up and find great joy in watching my players fall in love with the sport and form lifelong friendships.

In my downtime, I enjoy getting caught up in a good book or getting lost in my writing. If I am not home, I am either at Disneyland, at a car meet, or with friends and family. I am a proud Disney adult. I grew up going to the parks and watching the movies. I will find any excuse to talk about my car, as I love it so much despite its lack of air conditioning. I am a very loyal person, so my friends and family are everything to me. At heart, I am a very social person. I thrive in social environments. There is rarely a weekend when I am not socializing, whether it is with friends, family, or I have thrown myself into a new environment.

Excited to have this class with you all!

Hello Everyone,

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My name is Gavin and I am a sophomore majoring in Journalism. Ever since I was a kid I have always been obsessed with sports (particularly basketball, football, and soccer). When I applied for college back in late 2023, I was unsure what I wanted to pursue for a future career. Then I realized I could combine my knowledge and love for sports with my passion for writing and telling stories. One fun fact about me is that I have also been collecting a large number of sports cards for over 13 years that I hope to one day be able to sell. My dream job is to be able to one day work for ESPN as a sports broadcaster or sports reporter, and get to travel to various locations around the world to cover games. I am excited to take this class and learn more about the deeper meaning of certain texts and writing, and also how to dissect and understand different perspectives of the environment and literature.

I am looking forward to having engaging conversations in class and to learn new things about literature and environment that I do not already know.

Hi from Gale!

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Hi! my name is Gale, and if I was a mermaid my tail would be blue with orange fins like this peacock cichlid, and my mermaid power would be controlling schools of fish the way thresher sharks do with their tails. I think I would be a brackish mermaid, and live in a habitat like a mangrove forest.

An image of a captive African peacock cichlid with complex bright blue and orange patterns
An underwater image of a mangrove forest, showing mangrove roots, a bed of sea grass, and a school of small fish

I’m a Marine Biology major, Junior and new transfer this semester. I’m pursuing a career in animal husbandry in public Aquaria, because it allows me to combine my passions for studying, hanging out with, and talking about aquatic life!

My Story

Until approximately June 2021, I was very dismissive of fish. Even as a lifelong naturalist, my interests centered on the terrestrial and non-aquatic. The reason? I found fish depressing! I wondered what joy could possibly be experienced in a life of constant vicious predation, a life without air, a life sequestered to, confined by, the realm of water.

Then I started working at a pet store, and I realized several things: First, terrestrial life is every bit as brutal, cold, and unforgiving as aquatic life. There’s nothing worse about being hunted and consumed underwater. Second, fish are every bit as capable of joy as terrestrial animals; they play, they are curious, they have personalities and relationships. Third, there is nothing limiting about relying on water to live. The underwater world comprises 70% of the earth’s surface, and as I learned later when I started diving, being able to swim means having access not only to all of that surface, but to depth– everything that can swim can fly, and is not bound by gravity the way we are on land.




My experience working in that pet store (after dropping out of art school) inspired me to get a degree in Marine Biology so I could share my new appreciation of our planet with the world. I am realizing now that Mermaids might be as critical a vessel for spreading this message as public aquariums. Mermaids, for my whole life, have represented primarily Humans’ connection to and stewardship of the sea (and other bodies of water). I’m excited to see how this fits into the history of our perception of mermaids, and what this trend says about the progress of Blue Humanities.

Hello all!<3

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Hi, my name is Hahnnah Palafox (pronounced HA-NA), I am 23 years old, and this is my second class with Professor Pressman, and I’m so excited to be here. This is also my last semester at SDSU, and I could not be more ready! I’m an English major, as I mentioned in class, I’ve been bartending/working for my current job for almost 8 years now, crazy…I just started a new job for ACES as a Behavioral Technician. I’ve passed all my assessments, and I’m waiting to take the exam to become certified! I love working with children, and I’m super excited for this new beginning to take off! There is a lot currently on my plate, but with this being my last semester and only having three classes, I’m ready! I can’t wait to talk with you all about Mermaids, the Environment, and soooo much more, looking forward to all of your insights!

Here is a picture of me and my girlfriend at a recent wedding because I don’t like to take selfies!! (I’m the one not in the dress lol)