Campus Conversations

Cupcakes for Children!

October 5, 2012

Blogger: Ava Martinez

Hello prospective students/whoever else has ventured onto the admissions blog!

In case you are new to reading about my experience at Oxy, I'll take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Ava Martinez, and I am a sophomore Psychology and Art History and the Visual Arts double major from San Francisco, CA. This semester, I am taking Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Asian Art, Health Psychology, 19th Century Art, and Book Arts: Letterpress. I am also involved in Delta Omicron Tau Sorority, Quidditch, Dance Production (Irish and Swing dancing), and am in the process of starting a new service club called Cupcakes for Children (I'll talk more about that later.). So far, this semester has been busy, but definitely a lot of fun! Also, because a lot of my friends now have cars, I've had the chance to take more off campus adventures to places including Santa Monica, Magic Mountain, and Target (Best place ever, let's be real.).

On the topic of Cupcakes for Children/some shameless self promotion: this summer, I spent some time in Bawjiase, Ghana, working as a childcare volunteer at an orphanage. In my short time there, I grew more attached to the 26 children who lived at the orphanage than I could have imagined was possible. Upon my return to the US, I decided I wanted to provide continued support for the organization and its children, so I partnered with Mama Hope, the nonprofit that supports the orphanage, to raise money to fund electricity for the children's center. Cupcakes for Children, the club I'm currently in the process of starting, will support this fundraiser through meeting to bake cupcakes as a club, and then holding bake sales, with the profits going to the electricity fundraiser. I plan on returning to Ghana over winter break, but in the meantime I am really excited to get Oxy's student body involved!

Well, that's all for now, but I hope you will enjoy reading about my different experiences at Oxy this year. Good luck with the college admissions process and the first semester of senior year!
xoxo,
Ava