A strong component of Common Ground is student visibility, support, and representation. We encourage students to claim their own power and develop their full capacity to contribute to the world. 

Ayde Guerrero, Right Livelihood College Student Coordinator

Ayde Guerrero was a Sociology major and pursued a double minor in Legal Studies and Technology Information & Management. She is interested in initiating conversations about global change and creating connections with people around the world. Her interest sparked when she became more actively involved in various social justice projects such as a Peer Adviser, supporting students in their educational goals, an Everett fellow, a cohort of students that take direct action on social change, and coordinating two-week long tech trainings for women in Nigeria.  Ayde promotes community development because she believes it can create opportunities for collective action. Through creating opportunities, she believes this can lead to an unlimited amount of connections among the public such as intentional conversations, research, organizing, and collaboratively working towards a common goal. As the Right Livelihood Student Coordinator, Ayde was working towards bringing awareness to the community that UCSC is a North American Right Livelihood College Campus which encourages connections with other universities, students, Right Livelihood Laureates and activists from around the world. 

Emily Holmes, Common Ground Center Student Co-Chair

Emily Holmes was a third year legal studies student and justice advocate. Her passion for enacting change started with the facilitation of an 80-hour service project for her local homeless shelter. After its completion, Emily worked several independent video and media marketing jobs supporting community members in her home-town of Santa Clarita, California. Emily’s dedication to making an impact followed her to Santa Cruz when she assumed the position of Rachel Carson College’s Earth Week Social Media Coordinator, providing outreach for environmental issues. She served as the acting Co-Chair of Kresge’s Common Ground Center, and was excited to administer change through educational dialogue and empower students to make their own impacts. When she’s not working, Emily fills her free time with friends, cult-classics, and the occasional backpacking trip.

Maddie Striegel, Common Ground Center Student Co-Chair

Paul Mojaver, World Cafe Coordinator

Paul was the World Café Coordinator at the Common Ground Center. He led weekly World Cafés that revolved around great food, exotic teas, curious people, and open dialogue about the world we live in. While having no formal political affiliations, the World Cafe's goal is "shaping our future through conversations that matter". Paul was a Politics and Philosophy double major, minoring in the History of Consciousness. He is interested in political theory, especially with regards to power. He likes to think about the causes, effects, and implications of ideology at all levels of our human world. He strongly believes that our thoughts shape our actions, and that our actions determine who we are.  Consequently, he is passionate about public philosophy, and is a firm believer in open discussion being an ideal platform for positive, meaningful change. His job was to provide a safe public space where thoughts, assumptions, perspectives, and beliefs could be examined, weighed, and challenged, with the goal of expanding awareness and developing understanding about the world and our place in it. Hopefully, these discussion encouraged individual plans of action. Paul was excited to facilitate World Café events, and looked forward to what everyone has to contribute in this space.

Executive Committee:

Our Executive Committee is made up of 3 faculty and at least 3 students. It is primarily concerned with making decisions on the year-to-year prioritization, goal setting, and long range planning of the Center. It is not concerned with decisions and oversight in the coursework (which is in the purview of the Provost). The Committee meets regularly once per month. Members in the Committee serve a 1-year term with the opportunity for renewal.

The inaugural students and faculty of the Common Ground Center, Fall 2012.