Pepe

 My name is Jose "Pepe"Perez. I am a history major, and this is my first quarter here at UCLA. I was a missionary and then I joined the Marine Corps. I transferred from Ventura College and after UCLA I hope to attend Law School.  I do not want to practice Law however. My military Occupation was spent in the Law field and it put a bad taste in my mouth. I want to teach US History. I hope that my time as a Marine and Missionary with earn the respect of my students and I hope my time at UCLA and in Law school will give me the tools to not only be logical, but interesting and well informed.



I am in this class because I believe that understanding and appreciating art helps us gain important insight into the soul of an individual. The plight of minorities and women is of particular importance to me and I hope to gain valuable insight from not only our professor, but also from my fellow class mates.


La Virgin de Guadalupe has always played a minor role in my life. Like Professor Lopez I am also culturally Catholic. And her image was always around my grand mother's house as a child. I admired her image and it has always demanded my respect and reverence in her presence. In my opinion she has more cultural relevance than religious responsibility. No place has that been more expressed to me than my time in the military. Many Marines, who hadn't step foot in a church carried her imagine into combat for protection. I don't know if she was real or if the event before Juan Diego even occurred. But she is important and significant. Even if it is only for temporal comfort.