peer mentor focus issue 8
DESCRIPTION
Revised.TRANSCRIPT
focus Peer Mentor
A review of events in the Peer Mentor Community
Winter 2014 Edition
On campus spotlight – Food Trucks
Black history month
What You Might Have Missed: Henrietta Lacks
What You Might Have Missed: Leading with Love
IN THIS ISSUE
by: Brittney Wallace
On February 27th, 2014 Peer Mentor Club’s
highly anticipated Karaoke Night was out in
full swing. Whether it was belting out rock-
in’ tunes on the karaoke machine, dancing it
up with the Just Dance game for the Xbox,
or playing board games—it’s obvious that
the attendees were loving it! And of course,
how can you have a party without tons of
pizza? Yum. A few Peer Mentors braved the
stage to sing their favorite tunes. The night
ended with a tribute to the new Disney mov-
ie Frozen. A perfect way to end a perfect
night! Look forward to more exciting activi-
ties from the Peer Mentor Club!
What You Might Have Missed:
Meet the Lacks Family
Anyone who’s on the East bay campus knows who Henrietta
Lacks is. The legendary story about genetics and ethics is
one all CSUEB freshmen have heard before. On February
17th, CSUEB students got to experience the real story of the
Lacks family. On the next page is an article detailing the
event
With a great sense of humor, Henrietta
Lacks grandchildren, Kim and David Jr.
Lacks spoke about their grandparents:
“My grandfather would have done any-
thing my grandmother (Henrietta) want-
ed! There are many strong women in the
family.”
A presentation with the chronicles of the
Lacks family on their journey after the
whirlwind success of the book was
shared with the audience as Kim ex-
plained how difficult it was for scientist
and author Rebecca Skloot:
“ I had a hard time getting in contact
with our family”
“we just didn't know if we could trust
her.”
Kim goes on to say that Skloot was de-
termined and persistent and always had
their best interest at heart. “Hard work
pays off,” Kim sums up afterwards to the
tune of raucous applause.
Audience members were granted a Q &
A section with the family, which re-
vealed many things about Henrietta’s
cells today. In terms of reparations, the
family has not received payment for
Henrietta’s cells. However, David is now
working very closely with the cells and
makes sure that the HeLa cells are given
proper acknowledgement.
“Oprah’s making a documentary about
it!” Kim says excitedly to the audience.
It appears as though things are finally
looking up for the Lacks family. They
have their hands in numerous founda-
tions, movie projects, and even contrib-
ute in the recognition of the HeLa cells.
Near the end of the interview, David ad-
dresses the crowd with a call to action
stating for people to, “do their research,”
and “educate yourself on what doctors
are involving you in.”
The message is not only an homage to
the Lacks legacy but to the millions of
people who have benefited from the
HeLa cells. Henrietta’s life has truly be-
come immortal.
What You Might Have Missed
Have you seen the food trucks?!
Located across from Einstein’s Ba-
gel, there are four new kinds of
tastes available now on campus.
Roderick’s BBQ Food Truck, Li-
censed 2 Grill Truck, Siam Loco
Wraps, and Munch India are the
four food trucks spotted weekly
this quarter. Students say “It felt
amazing to have such great food in
my belly”- Justin F. and that they
are “handy when you are rushing
to class”. These trucks offer a vari-
ety to the food already present on
campus, although not all four al-
ways serve on the same days.
Don’t want to wait in line at New
Union? Come find the food trucks!
By: Jonathan Hur
On campus spotlight:
HAVE YOU SEEN THE FOOD TRUCKS?
The month of February our
very own campus was filled to
the brim with events and dis-
cussions regarding Black His-
tory Month. An "Inner
Thoughts" table dis-
cussion was held by
the Xi Pi Chapter of
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority Incorporated
on Thursday February
20th, at 7:45 pm. Dis-
cussions of various
topics such as Black Politics,
African Americans in main
stream, the internal and exter-
nal struggle of the black com-
munity, and much more were
held. The chapter also held a
Battle of the Sexes game night
in El Dorado Hall where
Black History month trivia
questions were posed Jeop-
ardy style. It was a both fun
and mentally stimulating for
all in attendance. Students of
East Bay also held an open
discussion on the topic of
"Light Skin VS Dark Skin" of
February 5th. The month of
February on the campus of
East Bay was certainly a
month to not only get in-
formed, but to speak your
mind!
Black History Month at CSUEB By: Cynthia Husband
What You Might Have Missed
Student Life and Leadership Pro-
gram invited the leaders at CSUEB
to Leading with Love: Making an
Impact through Service on Feb 28,
2014. The keynote speaker Debbie
Choy began the conference by ask-
ing the participants to say ““I am a
leader. I am capable of motivating
others”. In this, she allowed us to
feel confident while finding our
voice. A myriad of activities al-
lowed for community building and
networking amongst those present.
What seemed to be a shy environ-
ment at first turned friendly towards
the end of the conference. There
were three local non-profit organiza-
tions also present at the conference.
Hayward Community Action net-
work, Alternate Family Services,
and Freedom House hosted some
on-campus service activities. The
project that I completed was for the
Hayward Community Action Net-
work. My group created beaded
badge holders, which will be sold to
support the training and cost to help
individuals who are homeless or are
at risk of homelessness. I learned
that your attendees at the event
should have something for them to
learn, be entertained and to have fun
with other people.
Leading with
Love
Campus Events
Campus Events
This newsletter was brought to you by the Peer Mentor
Newsletter committee:
Jeanette Butler Kolyne De Jesus Jonathan Hur
Cynthia Husband Alejandra Oliva
Catherine Quesada Komal Rana
Brittney Wallace
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