F2015YagubyanGreg

My name is Greg Yagubyan. I am a third year transfer student from Pasadena City College, and this is my first quarter at UCLA. So far school has been great. I really anticipated UCLA to be exactly how it is, full of students roaming around campus with a clear sense of direction to where they're going. The fields are plush with vibrant greens, and the halls are intricately designed to give you a sense of purpose and motivation, especially Royce Hall. The surrounding areas are filled with fast-food restaurants and snack shops that will up your calorie count in no time, two being Fat Sals and Diddy Riese. Going back to topic I am double majoring in Sociology and Gender Studies with interests in learning more about society and the affects certain institutions have on society as culture. I am American born with an Armenian ethnic background. Coming from Armenian decent I grew up in a culture that is patriarchally dominant, and very resistant to change when it comes to the male counterpart. This prompted me to dig deeper and reason for answers through the lenses of an institution that is known as the "Ivy" of the west coast, UCLA.  I took Chicana Art & Artists in order to have a deeper understanding of Feminism and its interrelation with Art. My family never forced me to practice my religion, but very much like everyone else religion was heavily influenced by cultural traditions and holidays. To put this into perspective, one cultural tradition that also ties into religion in my culture is Lent. Lent is the process of fasting for forty days leading up to Easter. Throughout that time frame, if I commit to lent, I must refrain from consuming meat, poultry, dairy, and anything that derives from livestock. The Virgen of Guadalupe is a familiar sight to me since my grandmother has a picture of her at her house. I never bothered to ask her who she was, or what she meant to her.