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Mentorship June 20, 2018
ENTITY SQUAD
Today is my first day as an ENTITY Academy intern. Walking into the peculiar ENTITY building, I felt something close to the first-day-of-school jitters. ENTITY is like a school, but with a nontraditional type of education.
Having graduated only a month before, my time as an ENTITY Academy intern is my first step out of my “student” secure blanket, a comforting label that entitled me to discounts at restaurants in Westwood and sanctuary from demanding career questions. Even though I now have the official, physical piece of paper from UCLA (Go Bruins!), I still find myself facing uncertainty.
Regardless, I have no finals and access to bagels and coffee with empowered peers. You can say I’m looking forward to being a student here. Here are some other things I’m looking forward to on this journey.
1. Creative Enlightenment
In a room of 50 bright-eyed ENTITY Academy interns, the energy buzzes with anxious, ready-minded thinkers and doers. I’m ecstatic to join this diverse, educated group of passionate writers who I believe will inspire and challenge my work and beliefs. In a world of media-filtered opinions and “fake news,” having open, contrasting views and discussing them breeds understanding and challenges judgments. I hope to find creative community with my fellow interns as we write into the world.
I’ve always loved writing because despite being a restrained, shy child, I found a voice in written words. As I develop into a more mature writer, I aim to evolve my writing voice, which previously was read only by professors and fellow classmates. My identity and experience is one that is distinct and I hope to raise issues about my story in my own words.
3. Stories & Mentors
Since the first time I visited my local library, stories have been my teachers. I learned about love, pain and lifelike how my grandmother navigated through wartime —all from the pages of bent books. Other than my mother, I haven’t had any female mentors, so I’ve read a lot of female writers (shout out to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie!). Compared to the curriculum of white, male writers I experienced during my education, I felt their voices were necessary. In being surrounded by a community of women (and three male feminists!) and having the opportunity to listen and read their stories, I am ready to be inspired and to learn from not only experienced mentors, but fellow peer mentees.
I do not know what the next seven weeks will be like, but I know I’m ready for it.
