Material Wellbeing

Safe Haven

This cathedral located in Mexico City makes me feel safe because I get to connect with those who share the same interests and cultural practices that have been done for many years. In my opinion it’s a great place where someone can feel loved and cared about.

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-Denisse Peña Paxtle

My Own Space

Prior to college I didn't have my own room. It wasn't until my sophomore year that I realized my own space that I could decorate or live in for my own self. There are still remnants of my old set up here. I want to continue to expand and decorate.​

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-Aaron Estrada-Escalera

Anchor

After finishing praying I was able to remind myself that I am not alone and feel a sense of calmness. The movements of prayer are very intentional with releasing stress and the ability to pray anywhere is comforting even if it's not easy. Oftentimes when trying to find a space to pray on campus or in public there is a sense of judgement and feeling not as safe because of peoples biases.​

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-Kadeja Alkanass

Music

This is a picture I took while at a Linkin Park concert in Omaha. I am there with my friends. While I'm not the biggest Linkin Park fan, attending this concert was incredible and a great way to start the semester. Music is important in my life. I often have headphones on or ear buds in. Since moving to UNL, I have been listening to and looking for music in Spanish as a way to stay connected with my family back home (thank you mom for passing down your great music taste).

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-Aaron Estrada-Escalera

Library Basement Study Spot

Accidentally found this cozy study spot in my freshman year of college. I spent countless hours napping, studying, or just waiting in between classes. I later found new study places and moved out of the quiet isolation to more busy and open spaces. This is a reminder of my beginnings.​

-Leopoldo Hernandez

Safe Space at MFT Clinic

This is a place I go to when I need to decompress and feel like school is not consuming my life.​

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-Kadeja Alkanass

Self Care Spa Day

This photo reminds me to take time for intentional self care, even if it's only a few minutes. No matter how busy we get, this is a reminder that self care doesn't have to take a long time.

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-Kadeja Alkanass

My Neighborhood

I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life and I've never had any safety concerns at all, which is really nice for my own well-being and my own comfort in the space that I live in. Although my neighborhood is predominantly White, there hasn't ever been any sort of instances of racism or discrimination here, and I think that that also contributes to this sense of safety. My dad is Arab and Muslim and my mom is Mexican, there's a lot of heat around those identities in the political climate that we are in today, but that hasn't ever been, projected or targeted towards us, which is super nice. I think that that's something really important to recognize... that we can all live in a space together despite being different. Safety isn't just about physical violence or anything like that. It's also emotional safety and psychological safety. When you feel respected in a space where you are the minority, it's nice to know that your identity is still respected, especially in todays political climate with immigration raids happening, even in Nebraska where we are building facilities to unlawfully detain migrants. That is concern I have, if I am going to be racially profiled going outside. I havem't experienced anything like that in my neighborhood and I feel that shows there is some level of respect for my family's identity and so I don't feel targeted or scared in my neighborhood.

Rings

The rings shown here are engagement rings. Husband is a support person. When anxious, I tend to fidget with my ring, it is a reminder that I am not alone even when things feel overwhelming.

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-Kadeja Alkanass

Hobbies

Our living room holds our hobbies. It's a space where we can put on a random episode of a show or put on a movie. Over the years we've expanded our collections and it's lead to a place of relaxation and creativity.​

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-Aaron Estrada-Escalera

A Warm Welcome From Family

This location is right outside my home, it's often decorated to welcome friends and family from all parts of the world. It also serves as a dance space to give life to a home that has seen many generations. Chairs and streamers are always ready for when family from newer generations will appear to give comfort and a sense of belonging.​

A Warm Farewell

A warm goodbye as my parents leave back to Omaha and send me off to start my senior year. My parents are the reason why I keep going.​

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-Leopoldo Hernandez

Warm Gathering, Warm Food

This photo was taken on the night of the Guzman room dedication in Andrews Hall. There were speakers from both the UNL and local community and a hot meal was provided for us. The Guzman room was a classroom converted into a community space classroom. This event was the first time a classroom could feel like home to me. There were not enough chairs to house everyone who was there and it was incredibly hot in there. People were spilling out into the hall. Members from the community who once attended UNL but dropped out had spoke to the group about how if a space like this existed during their time at UNL, they may not have dropped out. These same members of the community played a large role in the construction of this room, whether it being picking out paint or physically building the things that are in this room. It was the closest I felt to having the warmth of family at UNL. There was laughter, there were tears, there were stories, and there was food.

Homes Built with their Own Hands

The people in the city are hardworking people who live in a house built with their own hands and decorating it to represent their identities.

-Denisse Peña Paxtle

It's Wrecked

This is my car, it was totaled this Halloween. No drinking and driving involved on either end. By not having my car, it reminded me how much my car has been a part of my life throughout college. I am very privileged to have a car throughout college and before, my parents could provide me that. Having to rely on others to bring my places was hard, it made me think of material wellness and how it effects me. This wasn’t a space for me anymore what had once been a sanctuary was now considered not worth saving.

The Construction of Community

This event was a book talk and signing that brought together a lot of different community members: those who worked in construction, who worked in academia, families who benefited from Lincoln literacy, and other Lincoln community members who enjoy books and community events. This event was both sentimental and hopeful, because the woman who wrote the book was a past professor of mine. The things she had written about the people she brought together made me realize that even if I do go through getting a PhD, there is a still a possibility for a world outside of academia. We live in uncertain times in academia with budget cuts. There is still hope and community outside of the community I have imagined myself in for so long.

Keepsakes

I took this photo because my friend from Pakistan had her mother ship these jewelry pieces for me as a thank you for being there for her daughter. I got these as a birthday gift and treasure them. They are a reminder of my close friend who will be going back home to Pakistan after a year. Whenever I look at them, I remember all the times my friend and I would go out or spend time together.

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-Kadeja Alkanass

Intentional Mentorship

This is an SPSS syntax output often used in research, in this case psychological research, and this is in my advanced research methods and data analysis course, that is taught by, Dr. Manda Williamson. The reason why I put this is that Manda is such an awesome professor, and super supportive and caring, and really cares about student success. I, like many other first-generation college students, have parents who did not have access to education in the US and so I am figuring out higher education on my own. I am not only navigating what to have in a graduate school application, and trying to gain the skills needed to be a more well-rounded candidate, I am also gaining the skills to ask for help, and not be ashamed of going up to my professors and asking for extra support, because I know that it will be given by her.  When you have mentors that are there to support you and guide you along the way, I think that that is really reassuring, and it makes me feel a lot more motivated to continue to possibly pursue a PhD, because I have a mentor who's there to support me along the way. I feel like that's something that professors and any sort of advisor in the academic space should take into consideration, because students are trying their best, and they're wanting to put their best foot forward into getting to a place that they want to be at, and so having those mentors along the way that support you is nice, and it motivates you to keep on going.

Picnic with Friends

This was a time to reconnect with friends that I have been friends with for years, and taking the time to catch up on what everybody was doing, as well as hear, any stories that they had to share, and share parts of our culture, because oftentimes when we have conversations there's always an aspect of culture that is involved in it, just because we talk about our families, and we talk about things that we are doing at home... As a person who comes from​

two different ethnic identities, I often find it is a little bit easier and less intimidating to share parts of my culture [with these friends] because, I think there is a mutual sense of empathy and understanding amongst us all, where we understand where people are coming from. A lot of the ethnic identities do share a lot of similar values, and so not having to educate or explain myself even further... I can just share what's on my mind and have it be understood, is really nice. And so when I'm with these friends, or when I'm with other friends who come from an ethnic identity it's just a lot easier to feel like I am understood in those spaces, and so that kind of helps my overall well-being, because I feel like I can be myself and not having to necessarily code switch or hide parts of myself.

My Home

United States: unsafe, prejudice, targeted, unfair, no equity, scared (not being able to provide for their families/separation of families)

Mexico City: safe, belonging, family, welcoming people, beautiful culture and language

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-Denisse Peña Paxtle

The Waterfall of Remedies

This picture of a waterfall made me realize we take things for granted sometimes. Realizing that we must protect and maintain our environment to further connect with nature/healing. My family prioritizes using natural elements to create anecdotes and remedies to cure our ailments. For example, when I was a kid my mom would cut the tomatillo and then put vapor rub in it and microwave it and then put salt on it. She would then apply it to our chest and under our noses right before we go to sleep.

-Denisse Peña Paxtle

The Back Living Room

This is the aftermath of a family get together. Each photo in the back represents significant meaning in my family and brings hope for the future - from my ancestors to family who are still around giving meaning to those before them. This room connects my family throughout many generations.​