Reaction Paper About Ucb Diversity
Hello to the lovely UCB Diversity folk! I am a 22-year-old lady with a sexual identity that can be summarized with a shrug of the shoulders and an “ehhh, who’s to say”. I come from a Mexican/Salvadorean background and am originally from the Bay Area. I moved to LA to head to college while pursuing creative non-fiction writing and comedy. I have found and participated in a wonderful series of creative environments since moving down—mainly UCB and my indie all-latinx improv team, Gringos! Gringos has shown me what diversity can and should be within the improv and sketch community: supportive, loving, and challenging in the best way. We’re practicing weekly with Jiavani Linayao as our coach. We’ve performed in over 25+ indie shows in the past
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It is and yet it remains stigmatized. I have PTSD and it has changed the way I approach improv. I have my flashbacks under control for the most part, but it sometimes creeps up. I thought it would always hold me back and didn’t think I’d be able to seriously pursue improv until I had a pivotal moment with Will Hines. I was in his 201 Class and there was a player who made an overtly unnecessary and sexual move—I immediately became flustered and uncomfortable because I thought I had to say yes to it so I did. I soon after found myself holding back tears in a bathroom stall. But something about improv has always pushed me to do and be better and braver—so I asked Will after class if I always had to say “yes and” to the moves I wanted to physically manifest into a tangible object I could kick off that building in downtown LA with that stupid glass slide. But then he told me I didn’t have to say yes, but instead, change the direction of the scene while still being a good improviser. I swear I blacked out for a moment and felt young Joe Biden’s warm embrace. My PTSD sometimes finds the cracks and makes itself overwhelmingly known, but I know make a point to allow myself to know I can change the scene, the narrative, the fear into literally anything else I want it to be. Improv has taught me how to not just say “no,” but change the narrative for the
It is and yet it remains stigmatized. I have PTSD and it has changed the way I approach improv. I have my flashbacks under control for the most part, but it sometimes creeps up. I thought it would always hold me back and didn’t think I’d be able to seriously pursue improv until I had a pivotal moment with Will Hines. I was in his 201 Class and there was a player who made an overtly unnecessary and sexual move—I immediately became flustered and uncomfortable because I thought I had to say yes to it so I did. I soon after found myself holding back tears in a bathroom stall. But something about improv has always pushed me to do and be better and braver—so I asked Will after class if I always had to say “yes and” to the moves I wanted to physically manifest into a tangible object I could kick off that building in downtown LA with that stupid glass slide. But then he told me I didn’t have to say yes, but instead, change the direction of the scene while still being a good improviser. I swear I blacked out for a moment and felt young Joe Biden’s warm embrace. My PTSD sometimes finds the cracks and makes itself overwhelmingly known, but I know make a point to allow myself to know I can change the scene, the narrative, the fear into literally anything else I want it to be. Improv has taught me how to not just say “no,” but change the narrative for the