When people think of college, we like to think that part of the charm of college is the time we can spend finding ourselves and learning more about who we really are. College can be a time where you can make your own stories and memories and it’s also a time where you find out about more of your own life story. Mario Granados, a senior graduating this semester who is majoring in Journalism and also has a minor in Theatre, was kind enough to meet with me and tell me about his story!
Her Campus at Cal Lutheran: Why did you decide to be a Journalism major and a Theatre minor?
Mario Granados: I think I’ve always been called a natural storyteller. I also like writing; I always have stories to tell, especially the stories that matter. I think one of the most powerful things you can do for people is have them open up and show you their perspectives and take the time to share that person’s story with other people. Especially in the kind of world we live in today, where we take advantage of the certain privileges we have, we tend to forget that other people don’t have the same privileges as us.
HCCLU: What are your plans after you graduate?
MG: I have my eyes set on graduate school, just because it gives me more of an edge in the world that we live in. I know that going into graduate school will help me ease into the professional world more than just being thrown into it. I’m more comfortable in an academic setting, which is why I want to stay in higher education.
HCCLU: What are some of the stories you think matter?
MG: I think any group that is marginalized is important to look at, especially when it comes to civil rights and oppression. Because people don’t always think about a certain group’s struggles and what groups have gone through in order to obtain the rights they have now. Highlighting important historical figures; for example, this month I did my bulletin board on black history month so I made sure I put Marsha P. Johnson, who was an important black transwoman.
HCCLU: You mentioned bulletin boards, so you’re an RA on campus. Why did you choose to be an RA?
MG: I chose to be an RA to help out residents who are shy or residents who seen necessarily considered the norm. I always wanted to be an RA to reach out to them and to let them see that you can be who you are and still have a leadership role.
HCCLU: What is your story?
MG: I think I come from a family that doesn’t fully support who I am as a person. I came out two and a half years ago and they’re getting better, but they’re still weirded out by the idea. I totally understand it and I think having that struggle piled on with the fact that some of my family members are affected by DACA is stressful. Now that the DACA issue is very prominent, most of my family has been focusing on that instead of my sexuality. But my sexuality is still part of the problem, they still aren’t comfortable with my sexuality.
HCCLU: How do you feel about what’s currently going on with DACA?
MG: It’s a very touchy subject because everyone has an opinion. I can say that Trump supporters do have a reason in saying that the law itself is temporary, as in it wasn’t meant to last forever. But at the same time these young kids came out of the shadows voluntarily. And they have been working as a force of good in society, they shouldn’t be mistreated and they shouldn’t be cast aside because of a decision their parents made. These kids never, ever, ever had control over this decision. At the same time, I read an NPR report that said there are 9,000 teachers who are part of DACA and there are doctors and lawyers and people who have built homes here, who have built families and contributed to the community here. They’re part of the fabric of America at this point, so it’s hard to ignore the fact that sooner or later they are going to become citizens.
HCCLU: What are you passionate about?
MG: I think I’m passionate about being a source of good in people’s lives and making a difference in my own community and in whatever community I belong to. I’m also passionate about helping others. Making sure that they see I’m hearing them or just letting people know that they are important.
HCCLU: Considering the combination of what you’re passionate about and your goal to tell the story and help those who are marginalized, would you ever go into public policy?
MG: I feel like what I can bring will have more of an impact if I stay within the academic setting. Empowerment comes through education. I’d like to make my mark by trying to become a college dean or someone who works in a university because universities are full of information and full of ideas. I’m always open to learning about the perspectives than my own because that creates a better, more solid foundation for me as a scholar going forward on how to view differed people and see where they come from.
HCCLU: What has been like being involved in the theatre community?
MG: If anything, theatre has always been a hobby in my life and also therapy. Because it’s allowed me to take a break from my life for a few hours and I can be someone else for a few hours and forget about your actual problems.HCCLU: Do you think that being able to escape for a few hours is important?
MG: I do think it’s important and we do escape with Netflix and music and whatever your preference is, but one of the most powerful experiences I had in theatre was being in Under Fire. Under Fire was a play about military veterans from all four branches and we had actual veterans come to the performances and by the end, some of them were teary-eyes. During the debrief the cast had with them afterwards, the stories they told and the fact that they were willing to open up was inspiring.
HCCLU: How many plays have you been part of?
MG: In general I’ve been in 10 or 12 plays, but I’ve done 6 at Cal Lutheran. My most recent one was called Cymbeline, it was one of Shakespeare’s final plays.
HCCLU: Since you’re graduating, was that your last play?
MG: In a way, yes. But I’m also considering the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival for the fourth year in a row.
HCCLU: What are the roles you’ve been playing for the past few years?
MG: I think that the roles that are given to me are based upon what I can bring to the stage. I know for a fact that I will never play a romantic lead, that’s not something they can match me with during the casting. I’m too kooky, I’m too way out there. So they always look for characters that are way out there. I play characters who are unconventional and who are important part to the story, but they’re important because of their unconventionality.
HCCLU: Did owning up to your unconventional personality take you some time before you were comfortable and confident in what you could bring?
MG: Yes it did, I remember as a first year I was deeply in the closet, I had three roommates who were all focused on sports and talking to girls, while I was listening to Broadway and focusing on my homework. It was a way for me to realize that I needed to find my people, needed to find my comfort zone with who I am as a person.
HCCLU: What do you have to say to people who are still trying to find their personality, who are still trying to find their comfort zone?
MG: It’s important to find a role model, someone who inspires you. You need to have people who support you be part of your surroundings to establish a strong support network. Take as many risks as you can within the realm of staying true to yourself.
HCCLU: Now that you’re graduating, do you have any regrets?
MG: I regret not finding a specific group of friends; I’ve weaved myself into different social groups and then weave myself out. I never truly found my group of friends where we plan everything out for the weekend, but I’ve accepted that and I didn’t expect to find that here.
HCCLU: What would you say to students who at experiencing issues with their family, who feel like their family doesn’t understand them?
MG: I think one of the things my therapist said to me a few years back was that parents aren’t necessarily an evil force. I had a tendency to put them on this pedestal where they could do no work and they would never hurt me. But when they started teasing me about my sexuality and made it known they were uncomfortable with it, I would always feel like they were the antagonist of my life. My therapist told me that they aren’t and that they’re really trying to understand and that it’s their ignorance that fuels the comments that they’re making. And then he said, if they had a son like me, he doubts that they’re truly evil or that they’re truly antagonistic. So take what they say with a grain of salt, make sure that you understand that your parents are complex beings and that they want the best for you, but at the same time you have to understand that it’s your life and what makes you happy should be the priority.
HCCLU: What are some of your best moments at Cal Lutheran?
MG: I think one of them is Under Fire because I got to see genuine reactions from the audience. All the three summers I was here as an intern for the Shakespeare company because getting to know professional actors was a truly enriching experience because they have so much talent and experience that they share with you. The third would have to be the RA position; it allowed me to show residents I can be who I am and still be in a leadership position. I can still be visibly queer, visibly latino, visibly myself and still hold a position of authority. I still have a way to influence people with who I am.HCCLU: Do you have a favorite quote?
MG: “Hope is never silent” by Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay elected official in California and in the United States in the 1970s. He spent most of his life closeted and the last decade of his life, he really became a public servant. I think really having the courage to come out at that particular time and saying that “hope is never silent” propelled him onto the national stage and also propelled the LGBT movement as a whole into the future. Having hope is very important; I’ve worked with LQBTQ youth groups and most of them feel completely hopeless. They feel like it’s the end of the world if they’re cast out by their friends or if they’re chastised by their parents, when the reality of the situation is that hope is still there. Hope is in that you’re young; we’re living in a better time now and so forth. Making sure we always vocalize the fact that there is always going to be something better.
HCCLU: You’ve been talking about the importance of role models and their impact on lives, do you have a role model?
MG: One of my biggest is RuPaul Charles just because he’s unapologetically himself. He isn’t afraid to show people who he really is. I think his bravery and artistry is something that I’m completely enamored with; there’s not one fake bone in his body. He is completely genuine and although he struggled to get where he is, he is one of the people who has propelled the conversation onto the national stage that made us, as gay people, different by society.