By Marissa Garcia
The psychological and emotional after-effects of natural disasters. The nuanced perspectives of those who have autistic siblings. Why young people aren’t voting. The sexual gray zone between consent and assault.
These were just a few of the research topics that 24 undergraduate students worked long and hard on during their involvement in the Raab Writing Fellows Program in 2018-2019.
“We write to understand, and in the research process that’s where we come to understand,” said Diana Raab, an award-winning author and poet who funds the program. “Looking for answers—that’s what writing is all about.”
Writing Program Director Madeleine Sorapure and UCSB Trustee Diana Raab at the third annual Raab Writing Fellows Showcase.
The fellows presented their findings through many creative mediums such as booklets, musicals, websites, essays and short stories at the Raab Writing Fellows Showcase last week at the Mosher Alumni House.
For the third year in a row, the program has allowed students to embrace their passions and explore their topic of interest through year-long research under the mentorship of faculty members in the Writing Program.
This year students were also required to enroll in a year-long course taught by Ljiljana Coklin, which provided extra resources and gave students the chance to learn from their peers. The fellowships are generously funded by Raab, whose research focuses on the healing and transformative powers of memoir writing.
Raab’s writing career began in 1964 after her grandmother committed suicide. At the age of ten, she was given a journal to write in as a source of healing.
Writing Program faculty member Patricia Fancher, introduces her mentee Haley Nolan at the Raab Writing Fellows Showcase.
Today, Raab is an advocate for personal writing and is eager to mentor students who are learning to develop this craft.
“I like encouraging new writers and the craft of writing. It’s a passion that has to be expressed,” said Raab.
Raab Fellow Hannah Maerowitz “channeled the healing powers of writing” through her project, Exploring the Narratives of Siblings of Autism. Maerowitz’s final product is a 10-chapter compilation of her own personal experiences growing up with a sibling with autism, along with the experiences of several others she interviewed.
Fellow Haley Nolan’s research also derived from personal experience as she told her story and the stories of other women at UCSB who have dealt with uncomfortable sexual experiences that lie in the gray area between consent and assault.
“This is the most important thing I’ve done throughout my college career,” said Nolan. “I found a huge sense of community while doing my project.”
Although the Raab writing fellowship lasts for just one year, many students will continue to work on their projects or transform them into larger productions.
For example, fellow Jessica Reyes has created a website to shed light on the long-lasting effects of the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow and she has submitted her work to UCSB's new Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal.
Hayley Tice is creating a website Where the Money Goes that tracks political donations in Santa Barbara County. She will continue to update the public data base she has assembled.
Ector Flores-Garcia has decided to apply to the program again for the coming academic year to continue working on his project: to develop a digital mental health game for young adults with suicidal thoughts.
Fellows Arbel Illya, Claire Stanley, and Yvette Linares also said the year “wasn’t enough time” as they continue working to co-author an essay on their research project titled, Researching Visual Propaganda: From Posters and Pamphlets to Memes and Fake News. The group has reached out to a magazine and hopes to be published soon.
Student Diana Mendoza presents her research project Hiding in Shadows: The Experience of Undocumented Working Service Employees of Hispanic Origin at the 2018-2019 Raab Writing Fellows Showcase.
Homebrewed: A Musical Quest, is a musical written by fellows Hannah Morley and Delenn Jadzia. The play features lesbian, bisexual, asexual and transgender characters who learn to accept themselves. The two students are committed to their plans for a filmed production.
The diverse projects embodied the Writing Program’s curricular principle of writing in different contexts; each was derived from a different experience and question of inquiry.
The Raab program welcomes innovative and creative undergraduate students from all departments. Students interested in the program for the 2019-2020 year are to apply by Monday, June 24. More information can be found on the Writing Program’s website.
Marissa Garcia is a fourth-year Sociology major and Professional Writing minor at UC Santa Barbara. She is a Web and Social Media Intern with UC Santa Barbara’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.