That wasn’t necessarily the path she saw ahead of her when she first arrived on campus. When she came to Whittier, she knew she wanted to major in philosophy, thanks to high school lessons on existentialism that had ignited her curiosity. But college was all-new territory. She wanted guidance on how to get to where she wants to go: the front of a future classroom as a professor.
She found it in her mailbox. Early on, she received letters inviting her to apply for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, which offered her the structure she wanted. The fellowship is designed to help under-represented students become professors. It not only provides financial support for undergraduate research, it also prompts them to strategically plan for graduate school.
“I feel prepared to go out, get a job, prepare for grad school, and get into a Ph.D. program. I feel like I can do it now,” Contreras said.
Empowered to pursue her philosophical deep readings, she chose Debordian Spectacle and Baudrillardian Simulation—big, complex ideas about authenticity, representation, and society, to just scratch the surface—for her research. By the time Contreras was standing before her peers in Wardman Hall last month, delivering her senior presentation, she was boiling these abstract ideas down and relating them to modern culture with the skill of a promising professor.
She didn’t get there alone. Professor of Philosophy Paul Kjellberg, listening in the audience as Contrearas related Guy Debord’s theories to the upscale clothing brand Supreme, had helped her navigate the world of academia.
“I feel like he understands where I’m coming from,” Contreras said. “He reassures me and I think that’s what he’s best at.”
One of her first classes with Kjellberg was one of Whittier’s unique JanTerm traditions: the Simplicity course that includes a weeklong retreat at Hsi Lai Temple. Contreras so greatly enjoyed the experience of deeply considering “the simple life” within the temple’s quiet walls, she returned to the course earlier this year as a staff member, helping facilitate the experience for her fellow students.
Soon, she hopes to continue leading students in a classroom of her own. After she graduates, Contreras is considering joining AmeriCorps to gain more teaching experience, before continuing her education in a master’s program.
She’s also thinking about applying to writing positions so that can continue to pen pieces about another passion of hers: music. While at Whittier, she became a staff writer at Altangeles, an online alternative music publication founded by other Whittier students. The site was one of many communities she found during her three years. Contreras also joined the Palmer Society, Women’s Leadership Association, Food Recovery Network, Philosophy Club, KPOET, and Red Readers, a book club about Marxist literature.
“I enjoy how small and close-knit the community is,” Contreras said. “I don’t think I would have liked college as much if I was at a bigger college, which is a big reason why I chose Whittier.”
