A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: A Growing Passion for Research

By Diana Guardado ’23

This past summer, I had the great honor of traveling to Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda, to research how Covid-19 impacted the lake region’s education system. The responsibility to lead a research project abroad became a challenge to cross-examine the impact of the exploitation of colonized people, and to collaborate with communities in dismantling racist ideologies applied in international research.

A day before departing from my home in North Hollywood, I sat down in my childhood room and whispered to myself, “I will not act as a savior. I will become an active listener.” I understood that international development prioritizes competition to discover solutions at the expense of ‘creative interdependence.’ On the other hand, I did not want to compete with existing models on how to ‘fix an issue’; instead, I yearned to create a think tank comprised of villagers’ voices and ideas. Therefore, during my nine weeks on the lake, I detached myself from formal positions of power by operating with the intention of creating safe spaces for communities and me to exchange knowledge.

For eight consecutive Sundays, I attended three-hour Sunday church services at Kavumo Church of Uganda to pray alongside the villagers and amplify the energy projected by Priest Akamukama Dickens. Also, on Thursdays, I assisted in the seed germination process with members of Bunyonyi Women’s Association. My muscles ached as my fingers dug through the fertile soil in my effort of building connections with locals. Without a doubt, these day-to-day interactions deconstructed the power-hoarding process research practices by forming dynamics with the villagers built on empathy and alliance.

After the conclusion of my trip aboard, my newly acquired passion for research captured the attention of Menlo College Dean Melissa Michelson. She invited me to collaborate on her project in increasing civic engagement on college campuses through celebratory efforts. By entering the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge and obtaining a grant from Ask Every Student, we have collaborated with national organizations to develop tactics on how to ignite students’ political participation in festive spaces.

In late October, I had the honor of presenting my work on voting at the Rising Scholars Conference at the University of Maryland, College Park. I worked with “Souls to the Polls,” a collection of Black churches, to organize election parties around Baltimore and raise the public’s awareness of the General Election. After my trip to Maryland, I gained the momentum to lead a team of 12 Menlo students by creatively exploring different strategies for increasing voter turnout. With success, we were honored with an “ALL IN’s Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting” recognition.

Traveling to Uganda and leading a civic engagement coalition on campus has allowed me to cherish curiosity and embrace the discomfort of new cultures and ideas. Overall, I have grown the foundation to step outside of traditional power-hoarding practices and into a lifestyle of embracing the energy of the communities.