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!

Week 1: Intro

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Hi everyone! My name is Megan Jue and I am so excited for this class! I am a sophomore at SDSU am I am double majoring in Economics and Finance and also have an honors minor! I am from the Bay Area. I didn’t know they offered fun classes like this so I am glad I have the opportunity to take it right now! I did not really know that this course was about mermaids but it was a very fun surprise that definitely made my day and made me 100% want to keep this course in my schedule. As someone who always loved the beach and ocean being from California I also always loved nature and the mythology that surrounds it! Some hobbies of mine include traveling (My favorite places are Monaco and New York) and going to concerts (I recently saw Zach Bryan, Parker Mccollum, and John Summit). I have a dog, Monty, and two cats, Nova and Clover who are my favorite living beings in the whole world. I also love Formula 1 and am planning on attending the Las Vegas Grand Prix for my birthday this year. My favorite store is Brandy Melville and my favorite show right now is the Summer I Turned Pretty because it rage-baits me and pisses me off but I need some adrenaline in my life!

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

Hello Everyone, I’m Omar

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I am an English and Comparative Literature Major and I am in my Junior year. I immediately went into the construction field after High School and worked specifically in cement work, landscape, interior/exterior painting, and later as a construction consultant. I used to only work with fellow Hispanics so I always had to translate instructions, ask the GC (General Contractor) what needed to be done, and explain to the laborers the plans of a certain project.

It was then that I started to fall in love with reading and writing which made me want to go school and major in English with the goal of teaching English in High School or teaching an ESL class. When I am not in class, I enjoy planting and gardening in general, playing guitar, going for walks (really long walks), reading, and watching and reviewing films. I genuinely love being in a classroom with others that can express themselves as well as doing that through literature which is something that incredibly important, especially in an age where deep social interactions/conversations are getting increasingly rare.

I am very excited to expand my knowledge on the environment (and more specifically mermaids) as well as how literature continues to change over time which often times reflects society. Looking forward to reading all of the posts.

A photo my family took of me with my acoustic

Here I am running CAT6 cables for a LARGE TV wall.

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.