Table of Contents
“Live Purposefully” Appreciate life, don’t take things for granted. Go out there and follow your dreams and leave this world a little bit better.
6
save the world
9
burnt out
10
identity fashion
12
art counts intro
14
art counts performers
16
triathlon “Live Purposefully”
18 19
identityproject.co facebook.com/identityprojectco
Appreciate life, don’t take things for granted. nyc vs socal fashion Go out there and follow your dreams and leave this world a little bit better. Ava
22
quote
24
featured art gallery
26
write your dreams
6
7
Engineering Brigades
4 countries
Ghana, panama, Honduras, Nicaragua
10,000 Honduras
80
%
only have access to
of children are of1 children areof in in of 3 stages 1 of 3 st ages of
1 dentist 10 nurses 4 doctors
malnutrition
45-65%of all illness is
water-related.
– Global Brigades definition of success
Interview with Justin Hyunh
quick facts Every
"Success is when communities are empowered to lead their own development"
Honduras don’t have access to
clean water.
How did you find out about Engineering Brigades? Close friend Jamie, is the president of the Environmental Brigade and sparked an interest because Justin is passionate about the environment. At first Justin was not sure, because he was young, and then he started researching it and fell in love with the program. He supported it 100% and know that he wants to pursue it. The program works and sincerely cares about the impact he’s going to make. He decided to start it at UCSD and over the past summer got accustomed to the program and what it entailed. When school started he got the word out and began finding the right people to pursue their dreams. How does this intertwine with your dreams? This has helped redefine my dreams. It used to be that I wanted people to be nice to each other. It’s a nice goal, but it’s not something that I want to commit to my life for. People will get along. But this made me realize how privileged how nice I am. In this privileged country, it becomes more about me. I want to use my privilege to make an equal world. I want to give to others who have less privilege than me. I get to thrive, emotionally, education, finances. These kids are malnourished, and full of disease and
it’s my dream to create a more equal world. And that it’s possible. It opened my eyes to the truth so that it couldn’t be out of my mind. How do you encourage others to rise? Sustainability is my passion. Human behavior is becoming more wasteful. The world is wasting, but if every community develops and is conscious of the environment, they will be able to sustain life, not just human life. For the privileged people – acknowledge that there is evil and injustice in the world. You’re no longer ignorant and you have the power to change the world. Now that you know that the world is in danger, it’s impossible to not think about it. I want to encourage people that the way we’re behaving the world will not sustain forever. It’s difficult to know everything, but not do anything or make a difference.
6
7
order of the brigades who come in 1. Medical 2. Dental 3. Water 4. Engineering 5. Public Health Order after that varies.
Justin's goal
Justin’s goal is to design and plan a water purification system that will be self-sufficient. Engineering Brigade is the newest of the 10. The 10 step process is the holistic model. Empowerment to community, by giving them resources and other things. Environmentally conscious. Develop a community that is environmentally conscious.
Most diseases come from contaminated water
Engineering and water brigade are closely related. Engineering is focused on the planning aspect (designing the entire system) and the water brigade is focused on implementing the system. Water brigade will educate the people about water.
5 Burnout
Steps to handle
cost
Each person $1580. (780 for incoming costs, security, housing, for the week. 800 for the flight. Providing funds. )
schedule
Before they get there, they fundraise and plan. 7 day Global Brigade is set for spring break, March 22-28.
Day 1
is meeting the community leaders & getting adjusted to the community.
Day 2
is evaluation stage. Evaluating water and what needs to be done and how to get them clean water. What’s the best kind of design? How can we improve quality of life.
Day 3-5
surveying and drafting. Getting into engineer techniques and most engineering will be happening.
Day 6
travel to a local village that has already has water implemented.
Day 7
wrap up, contact information, and keep up relationship with people.
written by: Samuel Li
PHOTO BY: ROBIN PARK
Let’s talk about burnout. It happens to the best of us. Once in in a while you just feel overwhelmed. You feel constantly emotionally and physically exhausted. You may feel unmotivated and as if all your work has been for naught. And you’re not alone. We’re all in this together.
1
4
2
5
Take a break: take some time off to take your mind off your troubles. Get a breath of fresh air, watch the sunset, call a friend to say hi.
Introduce some variety: change up your schedule, even if it’s something as small as treating yourself to a macchiato on your way to work!
Focus on your purpose: this will allow you to stay centered on your passion, or to rediscover your passion!
Develop the habit of positive thinking: surround yourself with supportive people and look forward to all the little things.
3
Have a health routine: take your physical, emotional, and mental health seriously. Take time to reset, rest, and recharge. written by: Mi Nyguen
fashion -by the-
ocean
styled by: Jenny Moon & Justin Siu
Let's get the performing arts community together to showcase talent for one another! We want to create an opportunity where dancers, singers, artists, and performers are formally invited to sit down to watch, support, and appreciate each other's craft. This is a platform for performers to express themselves, for the audience to connect with the performers, and for everyone to appreciate one another's talent. This is a safe environment where performers can be vulnerable to share a piece of who they are.
6
Gill Sotu (MC)
He isn’t strictly a poet, a musician, a writer, a DJ or host. Effortlessly combining the artistic elements of himself, Gill weaves poetry into musical performances and improvisational songs into hosting gigs. Ever present is a forceful undercurrent of soulful, comedic, thought-provoking passion that engages and inspires his audiences throughout California.
4N01
Established in 2010, 4N01 is UCSD’s only all-female hip hop dance group. Our team is a group of diverse dancers who come from various backgrounds with different skills, talents and experience levels. Our movement aims to represent our love, passion and diversity. We don’t focus on how good you are when you start, but how hard you work to get better.
15
chinese dance assoc.
kunfusion
Hip Hop Flutist
lawrence park
Chinese Dance Association seeks to create a bridge which fuses the traditional dances of the East with modern forms of the West, a style uniquely developed as a reflection of Asian dance through the ages. Our purpose is to create an atmosphere of artistic and creative expression for dancers and viewers alike, hoping to enrich the community with the awareness of Asian culture through the art of dance. Qian Hong (Thousand Red Flowers) is contemporary Han fan dance that celebrates strength and perseverance.
I go by many names: Jake Espinueva, HipHopFlutist, Jacobus the Fifth, Gemini Squeeze. And I play the flute. Flutez4lyfe
Is UCSD’s Multi-Asian Student Association very own dance team. Established in 1999, kunFUSION is a non-competitive, all-inclusive, for-fun, exhibition dance team that does not hold tryouts. kunFUSION opens its doors for non-experienced newcomers and dedicated dancers alike to come together as one team and one family to take part in a tradition that keeps FUSION close to heart. For most of us, it’s our very first time dancing on stage or even dancing in public, so let’s hear it for “KUN-fu-SION!!!” Lawrence Park is a R&B singer that sings from the soul. He wants to motivate, inspire and encourage with music. A gospel record label is knocking at his door, but Lawrence is going to try positive secular music to seek out his full potential and to see what else is out there.
acamazing
azarel
I’m a lovesick poet bleeding my love for that special someone.
asayake taiko
A Japanese drumming ensemble that consists of UCSD students. We perform for cultural events, festivals, and a variety of university functions. Each year, Asayake Taiko continues to grow in equipment and members to accomplish its mission statement: to promote cultural awareness not only in the UCSD campus community, but in the greater San Diego community through the art of taiko.
SAN diego
performers
Having a passion for dance and performance, Salt Shakers & Hot Bods was combined in 2014 by a group of friends that met in Multi-Asian Student Association’s dance team, kunFUSION. They are past or current members of dance teams such as: Finesse, Urban FX, [N]Motion, kunFUSION, Kidz Next Door, 4NO1, and more. For each performance they strive to surpass their own skill by showcasing a set both entertaining for the audience and technical by mixing different dance styles.
sleepless collective
Established in 2015, was founded by Sheng Poon in an effort to bridge the UCSD and San Diego Dance Community - as well as the Choreography and Freestyle Community. It is a choreography team grounded in Hip Hop foundation that seeks to develop top-level dancers with a humble heart to serve others. We are incredibly excited to perform at Art Counts 2015 for our debut performance!
identity airline
Is a student-run co-ed acappella group at UCSD. Comprised of undergraduate students, we are united by our love and passion for music and singing. Our repertoire spans the whole musical spectrum, ranging from Gatsby-swing inspired renditions to contemporary pop-opera fusion. Our own members create arrangements to sing, as well as coordinate original choreography for our performances. Although you may believe we’re out to make beautiful music, that is only half the picture. We use our music as the means to engage the audience in order to deliver a truly entertaining and memorable experience.
salty bodies
flight-art02
keili fernando
She began playing guitar, writing songs, and singing melodies at a young age. She has a background in classical guitar, jazz, pop, and country vocal stylings. In high school, she started posting videos on her YouTube channel, sing2heart, and was also voted “Best Female Musician” by her peers. Keili has performed nationally and internationally at weddings, talent shows, fundraisers, and fairs. Her music has taken her to Nashville, Tennessee and Dublin, Ireland. She is excited to perform at Art Counts again!
rachel lahr
I am a singer/songwriter from Northern California and taught myself guitar at age 14 to accompany my love for singing. This summer I signed to Radiant Soul Record s and released my very first single, “Road to Ruins,” which can be found on almost all music sites!
odakota
Roughly fourteen billion earth years ago, light began to permeate through time and space, resulting in what we humans have come to call life. So here we are, with cognitive minds and working hands, aware of our inevitable death and simultaneously fulfilled with the ever lasting joy of a single moment of consciousness. Where do we go from here? Why are we here? Who are we?
supa hot pocketz
Is made up of people from different teams on campus who come together just to have fun and enjoy the company of friends. Our goal as a team is to show that dancing does not always have to be extremely serious, at the end of the day, we do it because we love it and we want to bring smiles to the faces of our audience.
the scholar
He touches on the idea of the gentleman of East Asian Cultures. The gentleman of the east also known as shu sheng was known to be highly skilled in both academics and the arts. He was a person who was well respected for his intelligence and kindness, but a force not to be reckoned with because of his political influences and martial arts prowess.
16
17
triathlon interview with
Kaitlyn van peursem
Can you tell me about your background? Born in Texas and moved to Irvine when I was 1. I have a younger brother who’s a senior in high school with a mom who’s Chinese and a dad who’s Dutch. Being half Asian and half White had a huge affect on me because my dad was raised in the Philippines, so he was culturally Asian even though he’s white. I feel full Asian even though I’m half. Who inspired you to become a triathlete? I swam Club all through high school and senior year I was checking out swim programs at different colleges, but afterwards I decided not to swim in college because it would take up too much time. A close friend I used to swim with, told me she picked up triathlon and encouraged me to do it and I love it. How often do you participate in triathlons? The main season is in Winter and we travel every other week. Last year I competed in 5, all dispersed throughout Winter Quarter ending with Nationals, which was in Arizona. They chose the top 10 guys and girls to participate in Nationals and I was one of them.
"Training is definitely more difficult because it s 3 sports. " Do you face any discrimination being a female triathlete? If so, what do you face? It’s definitely known that men are stronger, so there’s that stereotype we have to face. During practice, the guys just go, and they don’t wait for you. Because the girls are being dropped, we made our own day to ride our bikes. I personally haven’t experienced any discrimination, but as a team we feel that. What does training and diet look like when preparing for triathlons? Training is definitely more difficult because it’s 3 sports. You have to definitely make time to swim in the pool. The hardest for me is to go out on the road and take a few hours to do that. We try to balance all 3. Certain days are swimming, running, and biking. My strength is swimming so if I don’t swim for a couple weeks and be fine. And honestly, I do not eat healthy at all. I’m the worst snacker but I justify myself.
Being a female triathlete, do you ever feel the need to compete with the men to better than them? I don’t feel that. My motives for joining the team weren’t to be better or for competition. I wanted a community of like-minded people who enjoy being healthy. Guys have respect for the girls who can keep up. There’s definitely competitive girls out there, but that’s not me. I race against myself. When you re running a race, what motivates you to finish strong? I just had a race at UCLA this past weekend. It’s called Draft Legal. My coach asked me in the summer to do a Draft Legal race where there’s only 11 girls. Drafting on bikes is allowed, in this race and I’m not as comfortable on a bike so I was getting psyched out and asking why my coach asked me to do this. I’m definitely not as strong as them on the bike. I texted my captain and he just motivated me. He told me, “Kaitlyn just believe in yourself ” and gave it to me as it is. He said, “I want you to be exhausted and know that you tried your best”. I want to be able to say “I put it all out in the race” and there’s points I ask myself “I don’t know if I can finish this.” I trained hard and this is what I have to show for it.
" He said, I want you to be exhausted and know that you tried your best . " How do you juggle triathlons with everything else in life? t’s been really hard this year because I stepped into leadership at Intervarsity. I was really scared because I felt lead to lead the dorm team but not ready to give up triathlons. We had a retreat and I talked to one of my leaders and she broke it down for me. She said, “triathlons aren’t separate from what you believe, it can be a mission field.” Triathlons are how I get away from classes. Unfortunately, I had to miss a lot of classes because of school and I had to learn how to prioritize that school comes first and Intervarsity follows. Triathlons are my stress reliever and a source of social interaction. What does it mean for you to rise? I think how I rise in college is getting involved in all of these things. Yeah it’s diffi
18
19
cult and stressful, but I feel like I’m making a difference on this campus. I was an Orientation Leader, and on Intervarsity and on the triathlon team. It’s how I rise and serve God in these multiple aspects of my life. This is what makes me so happy here. I don’t know if I’d be as happy if I wasn’t involved. I see people who aren’t as involved and it makes me sad that they aren’t taking advantage of that. What would you say to inspire other female athletes to Rise? I think it’s super generic, but getting involved. In a way it’s finding at least one community
where you’re fully connected and if something’s wrong they genuinely care about you. I was super blessed to find that community in 3 different areas. It’s being involved and making legit relationships with those who accept you. It’s not just a random community, but I sought that out. If I have passions, go for it. It’s just awesome being surrounded by people who are like minded in your passion. written by: Samuel Li
Winter Fashion:
NYC vs. SoCal Winter is a magical time of the year. Hot chocolate, crisp air, and all the best holidays are combined into one season. Although most traditions are similar throughout the country, there is a significant difference in fashion between the east and west coast. In New York City, the low temperature challenges us to get creative with everything in our closet. Parka, masculine coat, insulated boots, and earmuffs are musts in the winter gear collection. Although the wind might be unbearable, it certainly does not prevent NYC girls to show-off their own styles. Layering, mix and matching are the key words of east coast winter fashion. A baggy sweater underneath a giant coat, while having an infinity scarf casually drip around your neck, is the go-to outfit idea. This year, sporty look also became a new NYC favorite, especially after Alexander Wang launched his H&M collection. It is impossible to go a few blocks without seeing a New Yorker strolling down the street in those stylish black foamy jackets. Despite the harsh weather condition, New Yorkers still manage to live up to the standard of world fashion center. Flying across the country, SoCal chicks are still rocking our sundresses, cropped tops and high-waist shorts. We celebrate Christmas with warm sunshine and BBQ by the pool. Occasionally we throw on a flannel or a crewneck sweater at night, and still go chill at the beach. The amazing weather allows us to be laid-back, and dress as we please. Snapbacks and beanies are always in, and scarves are worn mostly for style. The west coast fashion is so laid-back, effortless, yet so satisfying. Being fortunate enough to experience winter on both sides, I enjoy both types of style. While NYC inspires me to dress up, SoCal helps me shed the layers and relax. The geographic and cultural influences of fashion are indeed fascinating.
written by: Monica Garbanzo
Ava
is a transwoman. When I first met her, she was Leo. If I could describe her with one word, it would be fearless-- without a care in the world about what negative thoughts anyone else could give her. She was always loved by a generous paparazzi of friends and did not hold back her fabulously contagious confidence. As one that was touched by her empowering juju, I myself admired Ava immensely and learned much from her. I grew up in a highly conservative community where I was oppressed as a gay male with hurtful and dehumanizing words like weird, homo, faggot, etc. everyday. Until I met Ava in college, she assured me that there was nothing to be ashamed of in
"....I too deserved to be loved for who I was and am." I recently had the opportunity to interview Ava and get the inside scoop to her life. Reality is, her road to happiness hasn’t always been a happy nor easy one-- which makes her all the more inspiring. She was born in Vietnam during a time when anything LGBT was taboo. Nonetheless, she took a strong inclination to the feminine world even as a child, enjoying female accessories like heels and dresses. By puberty, she knew she was physically attracted to men and embraced “gay” as the best suited identity for herself. In college, she met her first trans friends and was opened to a whole new culture of non-conformity that threw all she had known into another identity crisis. For the first time, she brought her dresses and heels into the public and began exploring what it meant to be transgender. She relied significantly on the transgender testimonies she witnessed on youtube and
20 beginning stages of transition and decision-making were frightening steps that often left her in confusion. She felt awkward presenting herself as female some days and at least somewhat male other days when she felt socially pressured to comply with gender norms. Peers were not sure how to respond, and many friends suddenly halted communication or walked away from their relationship as Ava progressed with her transition. This genderfuck also opened the door to a whole new level of social harassment. Ava was met with new forms of discrimination primarily in the form of offensive terms such as tranny, she-male, and surreptitious comments like “dude, that’s a man”. Despite being met with strong negativity, she stuck to what her heart told her and, by junior year, her new name “Ava” was facebook official.
" Just do you. Do what makes you happy and not what someone else expects you to be. "
When I asked Ava how she responded to sexual prejudice, she responded, “It’s 2014 and people need to get with the times!”. This decade’s turn of gender progressive events in America have made long strides in achieving gender and sexual equality. TIME magazine featured its first transwoman on its cover-- Laverne Cox, an inspiration and drama celebrity from Orange is the New Black, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was reformed to allow for freedom of sexual expression, and same-sex marriages has been becoming increasingly recognized-- just to name a few milestones. In our own community, Ava’s own success story has definitely rendered her a celebrity and progressive hero in her own respect. Last year, she was a facilitator for the trans group at the UCSD LGBT Resource Center, sharing her own story, advice, and mentoring other individuals looking into transitioning. As an adolescent, Ava didn’t have her own mentors or figures to look up to, so she has been compelled to fulfill a role of inspiration and mentorship herself for others. She encourages others with, “Just do you. Do what makes you happy and not what someone else expects you to be. Whether you’re gay or trans, there’s always someone that’s not going to be happy with you regardless of who you are. You can’t control how people treat you, but you can control how you feel about it, how you handle the situation, and what emotions you feel. I chose to be trans and I know the consequences I might face, but it doesn’t bring me down because I know I’m much better than that. For those that harass me, I just feel sorry for them because they’re perhaps just not educated enough, are ignorant, or might have been raised in a different background with different cultural beliefs... you never know.” For many, transition is an option that empowers one to fully integrate inner identity with physical body-- integration of mind, body, and soul. Ava enjoys the results of her transition, being recognized as a woman on the street and treated the way she would like. When it comes to introductions, she realizes its not about the way she’s presented, but about how she’s treated that matters. She esteems herself as a classy lady and does not settle for less than any other human when it comes to demanding the same rights and opportunities. What inspires me the most about Ava is the way she has pursued identity in a way that has been true to herself despite the obstacles.
"pursued identity in a way that has been true to herself written by: Justin Siu
Coming soon 2015 facebook.com/DreamFestivaluCSD/
PHOTO BY: ROBIN PARK
24
featured art gallery
Left: “ I was a sailor in my past life. I did all the work. My boss was lazy, And I fought octopuses with brooms. #visualizingMYdreams ” Top Right: “Something was coming. Something new. Something big. Something that exceeded what I was even hoping for. #visualizingmydreams” Bottom Right: “I was in an artic polar expedition. My team worked with French scientists in partnership with the WWF to find a rare polar-DNA to heal the world of cancer. My team got lost for 4 days until we were saved by a production team shooting an episode on National Geographic. #visualizingMYdreams” Artist Info: Phuong Pop-Secret Le | www.cargocollective.com/phuongLe | phuongle@gmail.com
my dreams