A major switch from biology to English and Chicano studies
Kayla McCormack I UCLA
Sometimes, a single question can change everything.
For Evelyn Giron, who is graduating from UCLA with degrees in both English and Chicano studies, with a minor in Central American studies, that question was: “Where is all the Central American literature?”
It was a moment of curiosity during office hours with UCLA’s Marissa López, a professor with appointments in English and Chicano studies, that set Giron on a transformative academic journey. López responded by pulling books off her shelf, among them “I, Rigoberta Menchú” and “The Tattooed Soldier.”
“I remember I went home and read both books back-to-back in two days because I was so excited,” Giron said. “That one question changed the trajectory of my undergraduate experience.”
Giron, who graduates in June, didn’t always imagine herself immersed in literature and research. She originally started at UCLA as a biology major, partly because of how much she loved biology as a high school student. But, she enrolled in English 100: “Ways of Reading Race” to fulfill general education requirements, and it changed her academic trajectory.
“Every single reading was so enlightening,” she said. “After that, I started taking more English classes and ultimately decided to switch my major to English.”
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Photo credit: UCLA