I am a third-year graduate student in the Program in American Studies, and my work focuses on issues of history, memory, and tourism, particularly as they relate to Indian Country in the United States and the American war in Vietnam.
Born and raised in California, I received a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in Native American Studies, in 1994. After spending several years in the work force, I packed away everything I owned and, with my girlfriend, traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, the South Pacific and Mexico.
Learning of my acceptance into graduate school at the University while abroad, I made the move here in 1998. I’ve been slowly adapting to the colder climes of the upper Midwest, although my biggest problem has been adjusting to the absence of mountains and an ocean. One of only a handful of surfers in Minnesota, I might be the only University student to have surfed Lake Superior.
Long active in issues of peace and social justice, I hope my column will address matters pertaining to domestic politics and international relations, marginalized communities in the United States, and the social and political aspects and implications of film, television and other elements of popular culture.
My column runs every other Tuesday.