An oral history with Alma Karina Miranda-Rodriguez, a student and current cultural program coordinator at Chico State’s Latinx Resource Center, El Centro. This interview was conducted for the Preserving Chico State Voices for Change Oral History Project for California State University, Chico. The purpose of this interview was to gather information regarding Alma’s experiences and outlook on being a student at Chico State during the last four years and working for the newly formed Latinx Resource Center, El Centro, which is an extension of Chico State’s Cross-Cultural Leadership Center.
Specifically this interview details Alma’s experiences as a queer, Chicana woman growing up in a majority white community at Chico and how her household was impacted by familial variations of citizenry status. Furthermore, this interview delves into Alma’s educational background and how she truly believes the input and encouragement of her teachers, both in lower and higher education, shaped her decisions at Chico State and changed her world view. According to Alma, her education has promoted her to question and challenge the social norms and traditions she interacts with on a daily basis.
Moving into conversation about El Centro, this interview then covers how Alma got involved with El Centro, what her job entails within the center, and what types of resources and services they provide the local student body. Additionally, Alma outlines the different organizations that El Centro works with, its decision to use Spanish in many of its advertisements, and some of the underpinnings of Chico State’s Cross-Cultural Leadership Center.
The final element of this interview covers what Alma thought about the future of El Centro, which she admitted to not knowing much about since there is so much work still to be done. Lastly, Alma highlights the significance of representation and participation in higher education for members of historically marginalized groups, and reiterates how much of an achievement it is for members of these communities to take up space within higher education as a whole.
