Beloit has allowed 紧张的Saxena’25 to get involved in campus events and social justice work. A San Diego native, Joya began her college education at Mills College in Oakland. 然而, after the school planned to merge with Northeastern University, 她决定去别的地方看看. She was familiar with Beloit after applying her senior year of high school, and decided to reapply as a transfer student. “I kind of felt [Beloit] calling me for a couple of years. 我一开始没看出来, 但几年后, it’s clear that this is where I belonged all along,乔伊说。.

To Joya, the lack of pretension at Beloit was appealing. “It’s frowned upon to talk about your GPA or what grade you got on a test or paper, and I think it goes back to that Midwestern ‘be humble’ and ‘be grateful for what you have’ [mentality],她说。. “In my hometown, there was a lot of that, and it wasn’t a good environment for me.”

She also felt welcomed as a transfer student. “People were always willing to help out. 他们说, ‘this is how you navigate cold winters, this is how you dig out your car from the snow,’”她说。.

Joya found a particularly strong community in the identity spaces and a way to continue her involvement in social justice work at Beloit. “I was very young when I was in the front seat watching the world on fire,乔伊说。. “For me, seeing what was happening in this country made me want to get involved. I’ve been involved in organizing locally for the March For Our Lives movement, 气候运动, 黑人的命很重要, 这种性质的东西, because it’s something that’s called to me for many years.”

乔娅参与了 Asian Pacific Students Association (APSA) and is the program coordinator for Students for an Inclusive Campus (SIC), which relaunched after a yearlong hiatus. “今年, we’ve been responding to different things that have happened in the world and making students feel like they matter,乔伊说。. “当我还是个小女孩的时候, I wanted to give back to my community, and I think being part of SIC has allowed me to do that. I just want to give students the support they need and make them feel like they belong on campus.”

So far, the club has organized two vigils, a clothing drive, and a free speech panel. “The events we’ve held thus far have had a lot of turnout…because we’ve focused on things students are passionate about.”

Joya has also become involved in the Weissberg Program in Human Rights and Social Justice 作为一名学生工作者. Her role involves content creation and helping students understand the goals of the program. She has written articles for the 圆桌 about the psychology behind misinformation, and has had conversations with student leaders, and helped with Weissberg event promotion. “This job has helped me build my skills, but I’m still testing what it is I want to do,乔伊说。. “I want to go into the workforce with a lot to offer.”

While Joya is still figuring out what she wants her future to look like, she knows it will involve social justice. “I want to do something where I know I’m contributing and helping communities. I came to 十大菠菜台子 to be in an environment where people were interested in uplifting others; that’s been my passion and that’s what I want to do. But knowing what that looks like was hard.”

Joya plans on working with AmeriCorps before settling down in a career. “I want to build myself up gradually, and I think serving in AmeriCorps would be a way to learn about what people need and how to interact with communities,她说。.

为了获得指导，她去拜访 职业工作. “[They have] really helped students like myself understand what employers want and what skills we need to be successful in the workforce,乔伊说。. “Most of the alums that I’ve had conversations with are doing amazing things with their careers. They’re helping people and doing things they’re passionate about. 这是我的终极目标.”