Ontiveros, Leslie (Leslie)

Hi everyone! My name is Leslie Mariah Ontiveros and I am a third year Chicanx Studies major and Education minor. My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I am currently not involved in research, but I was last quarter with Bruin Club! I would go to the University Community School in Koreatown for the after school program with a wonderful team of about eight UCLA students and two researchers, our group of students we worked with were 3rd to 5th graders. We were researching how students interacted with the idea of gender and how gender norms were present in the program. We would have video cameras strapped to our chest/stomach area and the children were completely aware of it. Then we would write field notes about our interactions with the kids and watch the videos and discuss where we saw gender norms and how we could challenge them the next time we met up. It was extremely interesting, because I myself want to be an educator one day and was conflicted on whether or not I wanted to discuss nontraditional topics with my future students. I understand however, that it is completely necessary in order to promote positive healthy change for the future.  I enjoyed reading Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? by Linda Nochlin, because it spoke truth to the fact that art is not free, and greatness is only attributed by institutions that only promote the same social structures that are hurting women. Nochlin explained that women need not dwell in self-pity but must accept their space in those oppressions to drive a positive movement towards equality.