Mo, PhD Student, UC Santa Barbara
"I’m on fellowship, and while I spend most of my pay on rent, I have the privilege of digging into my savings and leaning on my family that many of my friends and colleagues do not. I’m doing this in solidarity with all the grad students who do not have the privileges I do. One should not need to have considerable savings put aside just to be able to go to grad school. I’m also very touched by the struggles of my fellow disabled grads and was hoping for more and better protections for them (and myself). On top of everything, I just found that being out on the picket line day after day had a positive effect on my mental health.
I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve socialized as much as I have on the picket line. As an international student who comes from a place where unionizing and labor actions/protests are illegal, I’m very new to all of this and it has been a very valuable educational experience. Initially intending to participate only tangentially, I found myself getting more involved and eager to help out wherever I could. I made a lot of new friends, met a lot of new people, and learned a lot through it all. I would be happy to be even more involved next time around.