Calderon, Bertha

       Hello, my name is Bertha. I am a senior finishing up my studies at UCLA this coming winter quarter. My major is Latin American Studies and I am also minoring in Urban and Regional Studies. I’m excited to be taking this class because it will consist of both learning about art and artists as well as creating art. In the past, I have engaged in the arts in the form of music, film, theater, writing, photography, drawing and painting. The arts are something I have always been passionate about and something that will continue to be a part of my life.

       A little more about me is that I was born in Acapulco México. At the age of seven, my family moved to Chicago, and one year later, to Los Angeles. I am an only child to a single mother, and thankfully, my mom and I have grown very close. Most of our family remains in México City as well as Juchitán Oaxaca. Mexican culture, but more specifically, Oaxacan culture has been present throughout my life. This of course includes the Virgin of Guadalupe, a motherly symbol of faith and hope. I have been a witness to the utter devotion people can have for the Virgin of Guadalupe. Though my mom is religiously catholic she was always very understanding of my own opinions and critiques. I in turn have been very privileged to be able to share Catholicism culturally with her and the rest of my family.