It may be Xanni Valentín Chavira’s last quarter at Cal State LA, but she’s ending it with a bang! As Editor-in-Chief of La Onda: acompañando el movimiento, Xanni has the daunting task of making sure that the Spanish section of the University Times is published every week with quality content. Thankfully, she does is spectacularly while balancing a double major in Spanish Literature and Latin American Studies. Xanni has been able to turn around tough life events and use them to her benefit to further her education, while being involved with the activities she loves, like going to community events. Read on to find out more about this inspirational woman; she will soon be missed on campus but you’ll constantly see her out there changing the world!
What made you choose to attend Cal State LA?
What made me choose to attend Cal State LA was the location, the diversity on campus, and the fact that it offered Psychology and Spanish majors. I thought about the location because I’m from Tijuana, Mexico, and I wanted to experience the urban life in California. The diversity on campus was one the most important things as well; I love being surrounded by Mexican and Chicanx community (it makes me feel home) and at the same time I wanted to share space with other folks outside of my culture. I was not very sure of what I wanted to major in but I knew I wanted to learn about the human psychology and literature.
How did you become interested in your majors? What made you want to double major?
I became interested in my majors because well… I have different stories for both of them. For my Spanish major I was very indecisive. I was going through very difficult times in my freshmen year, I couldn’t stand reading any poetry or anything related with literature. My grandfather was the person who introduced me to many writers and he had just passed away the year before, therefore, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue with the major; countless poems and novels reminded me of him. But then I thought to myself “I’ve always liked literature, I am a big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Lorca, Miguel de Cervantes and Pablo Neruda.” I turned it around and took literature as part of my healing process; my Spanish classes became a coping skill. My Latin American Studies (LAS) major was a complete different scenario. I decided to convert my minor into a major just this past summer. I was already taking LAS classes essentially because I believe that we live in a colonized society where black and brown bodies are being under attack on a daily basis. I wanted to learn about the historical context of it, mainly because I am from Yaqui descent and my grandfather was a Zapatista soldier, Zapatismo is a revolutionary indigenous movement in Mexico. History in general made me want to double major, to teach LAS in my native language is now one of my goals.
What are you involved with on campus?
I’m involved in La Onda: acompañando el movimiento, Sigma Delta Pi (an honor society), and AEE (Asociación de Estudiantes de Español.
How did you become involved with La Onda?
Well, I can say that I had the honor of being one of the founders/creators of La Onda, due to a journalism in Spanish class that I took in 2014 with Dr. Pablo Baler. My classmates and I had the brilliant idea of creating a section in Spanish for the newspaper on campus, University Times. We wanted to publish our work since it was a way of creating a better curriculum for ourselves and for future Spanish major students in the school. But more than anything, I saw it as an opportunity to share culture and language with others through letters. I guess that I didn’t become involved with La Onda, we had the privilege to create the first section in Spanish at Cal State LA.
What do you do as Editor-in-Chief of La Onda?
What don’t I do as Editor-in-Chief of La Onda? Haha, no I love my job. First of all, I make sure that our writers feel comfortable and free to express themselves in the working atmosphere. I believe that creating and maintaining safe spaces in the work environment is essential in order to grown personally and professionally. I check and edit the “final product,” and I make sure that the stories are congruent, relevant and of interest to the students. And one of the most important things, I also double-check that they make sense and have no grammatical mistakes. Furthermore, I maintain order and keep everyone informed, you know! I e-mail professors, companies, publicists, writers, staff, advisors, and the list goes on and on. Planning meetings and workshops are part of my duty as well. Finally, the thing that I enjoy the most is writing for the paper.
What future goals would you like to see La Onda accomplish?
I would like to see La Onda creating an entire newspaper and/or magazine in Spanish. I would like to see it as the reason of why the administrators of this school incorporated a Spanish journalism major. I would love to see La Onda on international T.V. and to listen to it on the radio. I want to see our legacy expanding in and outside of campus.
How did you become involved with Sigma Pi?
I did become involved in this one! I became involved thanks to one of my dearest colleagues and extraordinary human being, Martha J. Orellana. She and other people made Sigma Delta Pi come back to life. She told me the benefits of becoming part of this honor society and mentored me through the process. It was an amazing experience and I am very proud of it.
What’s the last thing you want to do before leaving Cal State LA?
The last thing I want to do is probably revisit all the spaces that made me feel the happiest foreign person and alive in LA. The dorms, the food court, the Student Health Center, and the unforgettable “Simpson Tower,” I haven’t been there in the longest time! I would also like to knock on all my peoples’ doors (particularly my professors), the ones who helped me out to say a final goodbye and thank them for all the things that they did to help me with my graduation journey.
What’s the first thing that you are going to do after you graduate?
The first thing that I am going to do after I graduate is to visit my grandparents’ graves; it wouldn’t have been possible without them.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I love to read articles! I am addicted to the articles on Facebook, especially the ones about politics and decolonization. Oh lord, I can’t get enough of those! I love watching the news in Spanish and English, listening to music, and spending time with my partner. I also enjoy going to the theater, teatro Chicano is my favorite…plays fascinate me! I always go to community events and spaces. Rallies are absolutely a MUST in my life as well.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I see myself becoming a chiropractor or a dentist. I also see myself going back to my country and opening schools and community spaces for working class citizens. I strongly believe in giving back to the community. Oh! And I see myself with finally having time to adopt a dog, I’ve always wanted one but I can’t and I don’t think I would be able to any time soon.
If you could give any advice to students starting their Cal State LA career, what would you say?
I know it might sound cliché but would tell them to not give up, to stay focused on their goals, to always have higher aspirations, to not conform with what they have, to be hungry to learn and succeed in life, to demand justice because they deserve it, to fight for their rights, to GO TO OFFICE HOURS, to not procrastinate on finals weeks in their senior year, to always be on top of things, to look for books in public libraries before buying them at (we know where), to get involved on campus, to be thankful for the privilege that they have because they are in school, and to always remain humble and never forget where they came from and where they are going.