This is the pilot episode of Berkeley Brainwaves, a show dedicated to telling tales from the Cal campus.
TRANSCRIPT
Val Dieter: [00:00:00] You’re listening to KALX Berkeley, 90. 7 FM, University of California and community supported radio. And this is Berkeley Brainwaves, a 30 minute public affairs show dedicated to sharing the stories from the Cal experience. I’m your host, Val Dieter, and welcome to our first ever Brainwaves episode, celebrating the remarkable women at UC Berkeley.
Tonight, we spotlight the extraordinary journeys of three undergraduate women whose stories embody resilience, ambition, and the transformative power of education. Our first speaker, Miriam, is a test ament to the remarkable versatility and determination that defines the spirit of UC Berkeley. As the head opinion editor of the Daily Californian, UC Berkeley’s esteemed publication, she shapes the discourse on campus, challenging us to think critically and empathetically.
Next, we celebrate Divya. A young woman who stands at the intersection of technology and education. As a data science major, she not only [00:01:00] delves into the complexities of data, but also shares her knowledge and passions by teaching high school students. Finally, as a single mother, Rangsiri navigates the challenges of undergraduate studies with unyielding resolve.
Her journey is one of courage and tenacity, balancing the responsibilities of parenthood with the demands of academia. Together, these three remarkable women embody the diversity, excellence, and resilience of the UC Berkeley community. Their stories are a testament to the impact that dedicated women make, not just within the hallowed halls of academia, but in the broader world beyond.
As we listen to their journeys, let us be inspired to pursue our own paths with courage, to support one another in our endeavors, and to celebrate the incredible contributions women make to our society every day.
Katie Han: You’re listening to KALX, Berkeley. 90. 7 FM, University of California and community supported radio. And this, is Berkeley Brainwaves, a 30 minute public affairs show dedicated to sharing [00:02:00] stories from the Cal experience. I’m your host Katie Han, and I’m here today with Miriam Klachinska, a current second year of UC Berkeley studying economics with a minor in creative writing and public policy. A nd also a Head Opinion Editor at Berkeley Students Publication, The Daily Californian. Welcome to the show, Miriam.
Miriam Klaczynska: Thanks for having me.
Katie Han: Yeah. How are you feeling?
Miriam Klaczynska: I’m feeling pretty good. I’m excited to be here.
Katie Han: That’s awesome. Today, in honor of Women’s History Month, we will be having an open conversation about what it is like to be a woman at Cal right now, and share women’s experience from diverse perspectives across the university.
So Miriam, I have a question for you. What is it like to be a woman at Cal?
Katie Han: Um, you know, it’s definitely interesting. I feel like there’s a really great community of women here, but sometimes I feel like in certain classes, especially like more, um, STEM focused ones are more technical ones, uh, I definitely feel like a lot of those courses can be dominated by male perspectives or just like by male students in general.
Um, so I found like it really [00:03:00] valuable to have a, like a close group of female friends who I can always kind of like count on and, you know, just kind of talk about, um, experiences with, and that kind of makes me feel a lot like safer, more comfortable, and just sort of at home at Berkeley. So, yeah.
Katie Han: That’s awesome.
So you, you just explained that you have a support system in all those classes, any particular classes that you kind of find that sort of uh vibe?
Miriam Klaczynska: Definitely for econ classes. It’s, um, really, I find like I work best with, um, women in my econ classes. Um, I have a lot of funny stories from discussion sections where, um, I’ll be talked over sometimes by my like male colleagues. And then I’ll have like, um, a woman who’s also in like the discussion group with me, kind of back me up and circle back and be sort of like, Hey, so like, what were you saying? Cause I think you were cut off. So those are great experiences.
Katie Han: Okay. Yeah, that, that is pretty funny. Um, so, not only are you an economics major, you are also minoring in creative writing and public policy, which is an interesting background right there.
So, [00:04:00] I just mentioned that you are the head opinion editor at the Daily Californian. How would you say that being a student at Berkeley has affected your interest in writing?
Miriam Klaczynska: For sure. Um, I’ve always adored writing, but I think being at Berkeley has really motivated me to pursue writing as a potential career avenue, not just something that I do for fun.
Um, I took a novel writing class last semester as part of the creative writing minor. That was pretty incredible. It was also really nice to just, like, Um, be able to have those conversations and, um, I feel like being at Berkeley has really put me in spaces where I can have those conversations about writing and where I can be motivated and supported to pursue that writing.
Um, and the Daily Californian definitely has done that. I mean, I’ve been a part of the Daily Cal since my freshman year. Um, and I have done a number of positions. I was a hiring manager for a while. Um, I’ve edited for opinion both as the head as a head editor and also as a deputy I’ve written for the news department also and for the weekender department, which is like the creative writing department. Um, and I also [00:05:00] work in sales for the Daily Cal so I’ve done a lot, um, but the Daily Cal really is kind of like my home away from home. Uh being at the daily cal office, I mean I’m there every day, It’s a very special place to me and It’s very special to be able to go to this place where there are so many talented writers, and they have so much to share, and so much growth is able to happen there, and it’s also really rewarding being the head opinion editor, because I get to work with my columnists and the soapbox writers, um, to, you know, hone in their own writing abilities, and it’s this amazing way of giving back, where when I was a columnist, you know, I got so much support and growth from my editors, in, um, pushing past what I thought I could do and becoming a better writer, becoming a stronger writer, having better sentences, better flow, um, communicating my ideas a lot more clearly.
And now sort of being able to pass that on, um, is incredibly rewarding and it’s a beautiful experience.
Katie Han: I see. I see. So, yes, I read a few of your pieces in the Daily Californian. You wrote an article in the [00:06:00] “Sex On Tuesday” column, right? Um, the article: Re-entering a Dating World After a Long Term Relationship.
You wrote that alongside your co writers Amber X. Chen and Eric E. Forrester. Um, you also wrote The Lacquered Legacy of a Nailbiter. Uh, Maraki, The Labors of My Love. But one article that stuck out to me the most was Learning to Love Berkeley, because it’s directly tied to the Cal experience. Would you like to kind of go behind what you were thinking about when you were writing this article?
Miriam Klaczynska: For sure. Um, so, you know, I come from a, um, immigrant background. I grew up in Europe, um, in Poland, and because of that, I always kind of imagined myself either going to university in, um, somewhere in Europe, like in the UK, or even going back to Poland, um, or going to university on the East Coast, which is more kind of like similar cultural feel to Europe and kind of where I grew up, and that was sort of always my goal when it came to college, I really wanted to, I know I had this very, like, this idea of these like, um, brick buildings with like Ivy growing up on the sides and it was just going to be like a [00:07:00] cloudy kind of like East coast weather.
That was sort of how I imagined my college experience. Um, but coming to Berkeley, um, I mean, I didn’t even actually want to apply to Berkeley in the first place. My mom just wanted me to, since I was already filling out the UC app. Um, but I thought that Berkeley was, I’d known a lot about Berkeley’s very like competitive atmosphere, and that was something I was kind of concerned about. And then also I wasn’t really sure I wanted to stay in California.
So when I first came to Berkeley, I felt really hesitant about it. I wasn’t sure that this was the right place for me. Um, I had the transfer application loaded on my laptop as I was going to my first classes. I felt really unsure about my place here and, um, kind of like with time, I found myself falling in love with Berkeley and sort of seeing the beauty in Berkeley and meeting incredible people and making these strong communities, um, and that was sort of the point, and also like joining the Daily Californian.
Um, and then that was kind of the point when I found myself really starting to enjoy being at Berkeley and being really happy being here and being proud to be a Berkeley student. Um, and sort of taking [00:08:00] full advantage of the experiences that I have here and trying to make my time here as enriching as possible.
So, um, I then composed the article about learning to love Berkeley for the, um, Cal Day issue for 2023. For students, potentially like myself, who had gotten accepted to Berkeley, weren’t really sure if they wanted to attend Berkeley. Um, but, you know, we’re giving it a shot. We’re here for Cal Day. And, you know, I had the idea that maybe they’d pick up the article, read it, and think about giving Berkeley a shot, because I’m really glad that I did.
Katie Han: Sounds awesome, for sure, um, okay, you have so many interests. How do they all kind of tie together?
Miriam Klaczynska: Um, I mean, I have always been someone who has jumped back and forth on what I want to do with my future. But something that has always been able to ground me is writing.
And I know that no matter what I want to do, I want to do something with writing. And, you know, whether that be working in the publishing industry, maybe putting use to my economics degree and kind of working more so in, like, the finance side of that. Or being a writer, or even, um, [00:09:00] being a creative writing professor, which is something I’ve really been considering recently, or being a journalist.
No matter what it is, I want what I do to tie back into writing, because that, sort of as I wrote about in my article, like, Maraki Labors of Love, writing is my greatest passion, and it always has been, and it’s always been a very grounding force for me, something that allows me to explore the world. Um, the whole reason that I joined the Berkeley Economic Review is because when, um, I first was entering the Econ major, I didn’t really know how to explore Econ other than through writing because writing is my way of exploring the world.
It’s my way of internalizing things and processing things and you know, truly learning actually. And, um, I can’t imagine my life without writing and I know that, just that it’s been central to me in my development on Berkeley, it’s definitely going to be central to my development for the rest of my life, and hopefully my professional development, my career, all of that.
I just always want to be writing. [00:10:00] I’m currently working on a novel. I’m working on a bunch of short stories, um, Daily Cal articles. I’m gonna be writing Sex on Tuesday with my deputy editors, Amber and Erki, every week. So it’s great, it’s, I mean, there’s always, there are always things to write about. That’s the great thing about writing.
Katie Han: Actually, this leads me to my next question. You’re writing a novel currently. Um, would you like to tell us more about that? Like that novel or any new projects that you’ve been working on so far?
Miriam Klaczynska: Um, yeah, sure. So I actually started working on this novel last semester in, um, a novel writing class that I took, but, um, I decided to stick with it because I really fell in love with the project.
Um, it’s, uh, sort of like the general synopsis, it’s about, um, a woman who, um, she experiences the death of her childhood best friend and sort of gets propelled onto this like journey across Europe where she’s, on one hand trying to find her childhood best friend because she doesn’t believe that she’s actually dead. But on the other hand, she’s sort of just trying to find herself and figure out [00:11:00] like who she herself is.
And although like I wouldn’t say that my main character is a self insert, I think we are very distinct, like we are very different, a lot of sort of that journey that she’s going on is a journey that I think I myself have gone on sort of with like self discovery and with, being propelled to new locations and to just new places to kind of, make that self discovery happen faster.
Um, I think that if I’d stayed in Poland, I’d be a very different person. Um, and that’s sort of the train of thought that the book follows. It’s sort of like, how does where we are influence who we are and who we’re going to become? I’ve always just had this urge to write long form fiction. I feel like so much can be communicated through it.
And as much as I love writing short stories, I love growing with the characters and I love having these like really long character arcs where they transform so much over the course of the story and having distinct characters and having a lot of distinct characters, which, you know, in a short story, if you throw in too many characters, you’re going to confuse your reader, you have to sort of [00:12:00] either have like a lot of characters that are more one dimensional or a few characters that have more depth and nuance to them.
But with a novel. You can kind of do it all. You can throw in a bunch of two dimensional, two dimensional characters. You can throw in some one dimensional characters just to kind of have that mix, have that juxtaposition almost, um, and I just love it.
I find it so much fun and just such a great use of time and something that I’m just always thinking about. I mean, when I’m walking around campus going from class to class, when I’m listening to music, I’m like, oh, I need to write this song, like I need to write this like lyric from the song down because that’s so Neera, who’s one of my characters.
Or, oh, this like quote that I see like spray painted on, I don’t know, the wall, a wall on Telegraph, it’s something that would totally resonate with my character Tom or something. And it’s, it’s just cool how I see the world almost through my novel. Um, yeah.
Katie Han: That’s [00:13:00] so interesting to get a look into a writer’s brain right there.
Okay, well you know what? I’m excited to hear that you’re working on your novel. Is it kind of in the works still or is it nearing the end?
Miriam Klaczynska: I’m about at 50, 000 words with it right now. I’m aiming at like 80,000. Um, I’m hoping to finish it over the summer because, um, my uh, childhood best friend and I were actually planning on going on a road trip through the places that, um, my character is going to be going through.
Not all of them, we’re just kind of going to be driving around, um, since everything in Europe is pretty close to each other. So we’re going to be in Poland and just kind of, like, hop around to the different locations. A lot of it’s set in Germany, so we’re going to be there for a while. And I’m hoping to finish it while we’re doing that. That’s kind of my goal. That’s the plan, but we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes.
Katie Han: Thank you so much for coming on to the show and just sharing a little bit about yourself. Um, I feel like I just heard a lot of interesting stories so far, but. Yeah. Thank you so much again, Miriam.
Miriam Klaczynska: Thank you so much for having me, Katie.[00:14:00]
Paras Sajjan: You’re listening to KALX Berkeley, 90.7 FM, University of California and communitysupported radio, and this is Berkeley Brainwaves, a 30 minute public affairs show dedicated to sharing stories from the Cal experience. I’m your host, Paras, and I’m here today with Divya, a third year undergrad data science major at Cal. Welcome Divya.
Divya: Hello.
Paras Sajjan: So I just had some questions. As a first year myself, I have not been able to fully experience what Cal has to offer yet, but coming from a junior, I was wondering, are there any clubs, programs, or activities you’ve done that have really Made your experience here at Cal?
Divya: Yeah, definitely. Um, my sophomore year, I started getting into more activities and clubs around campus. I joined BDAB and Data Story and that was, it was very cool. The community is absolutely amazing. I feel like I get a lot of aspects of [00:15:00] my social life as well as like professional development from both my clubs and it’s been a really, really great experience.
But apart from more like data science clubs, I have also been a part of AFX. Last semester. I kind of just wanted to try it for fun, just like my junior year. I just wanted to try something new out of my comfort zone. So that was definitely an amazing experience. I’m not really like of a hip hop dancer, but um, it was just really cool to just try something new. So that was great.
Paras Sajjan: That sounds super exciting. I think you have a good range of different clubs you’ve been joining.
Other than, you know, AFX, moving to your uh major focused clubs, Big Data at Berkeley, do you have any like, fun memories or really impactful things that you learned during those clubs?
Divya: Yeah, so my experiences in both the clubs, um, are quite different.
So like in BDAB, I’m more involved in the education sector. So, um, We have a program called boot camp. We invite high [00:16:00] schoolers to come on to campus every weekend and we basically run through a data science boot camp for them. Which has been absolutely like, probably one of the most rewarding things to do at my time at Cal.
It’s just so amazing. Like, Teaching has always been a passion of mine, but to kind of put that into action and like, um, involve my major into it as well has been like a really great experience. And then, um, as far as DataStory, I’m more on the consulting end of DataStory, so that’s, I mostly do like, project management or like just working on consulting projects, uh, mostly with non profits I’d say has been my experience.
Currently we’re working with a company called the Education Trust and their mission is really cool because basically the project that we’re working on is for college affordability for out of state, in state, um, students. So it’s just been cool working on a project that is so closely related to college students.
Paras Sajjan: That sounds wonderful. Do you think you have to do a lot of like public speaking in both of those clubs? And how do you [00:17:00] prepare to like get yourself hyped up to talk to a bunch of people?
Divya: Yeah, I think like it’s definitely been a new experience. One, just like being on the leadership aspect of any of any of the clubs at Berkeley, I feel like you have to like up your public speaking skills, just hosting info sessions or workshops or whatever it is.
So it’s been really cool to just like learn about public speaking, but I feel like public speaking in the technical realm, like with your, with data science specifically or any other, um, technical skill is another task to tackle. Just because you really have to be like, well versed in your own subject in order to be able to teach it or like talk about it and be asked questions about it.
So um it’s been a really, really great experience. I think my audiences are a little different for both just because for BDAB it’s high school students or younger kids, whereas DataStory it’s older, like people that work at the company or um just like college students in general, I guess, too.
Paras Sajjan: So you’re getting a good range of how to talk to different age groups.
Divya: Yeah, [00:18:00] definitely.
Paras Sajjan: That sounds great. So, I guess another question I have for you is, you are in, you know, AFX, BDAB, DataStory, how do you balance your time with clubs, academics, and your social life?
Divya: Yeah, as far as balancing my time, I think, over my time at Cal, I, I feel like a lot of us, uh, struggled at the beginning with trying to balance classes, that are so hard.
But I think just prioritizing time to yourself, time to your friends, and like things that make you happy. And also just kind of, uh, these clubs have helped me force myself to like make time for them. So like, to get my work done earlier, quicker, just so I can make time for that like social responsibility in my club or whatever it is.
Paras Sajjan: That’s good. Getting a good balance I feel like is very important for the college experience. So, you said like, you have figured out how to maintain the balance between hanging out with friends and working on clubs and doing things that make you happy. What are some of the things that, you know, you enjoy [00:19:00] doing?
Divya: Yeah, um, I think like, everyone can say just like chilling at a friend’s house or like hanging out with friends. I think, um, last semester AFX was kind of like that getaway for me, like, just being able to like be required to dance for like six hours a week without thinking about anything else. Um, this semester, I, uh, I’m starting to get into rock climbing. So that’s been like super fun.
I, I try to go like as often as I can just to make some time, you know, Mostly because I paid for it so like I should, I should like, um, go utilize my time there. But it’s been really fun. So just always having something to like do outside of education is always good.
Paras Sajjan: Rock climbing is definitely outside of that realm.
Yeah, so I guess That’s just a final question. As a junior, you’re going to be going outside of Cal soon. How do you think Cal has helped find your identity and prepare you to enter that new, modern world?
Divya: Yeah, I feel like most people can agree when they say like their experience at [00:20:00] Cal is very work hard, play hard.
So I think I definitely, like that’s been a very useful and something that I had to learn. And I think it’s definitely important in the real world as well when it comes to like work life balance and like not overworking yourself and things like that. So I think like learning that early and like realizing that um It’s important to have your social life and your friends and like the people who genuinely just like make you happy around you. I really appreciate that about Cal
Paras Sajjan: That’s great. I’m glad that you’ve been able to talk about your experience and all of the new exciting things you’ve been doing. I’m very tempted to try rock climbing now. So,
Divya: Definitely, go for it. You can come with me.
Paras Sajjan: Oh, perfect!
So Divya, thank you so much for coming on and talking about your experience at Cal.
Divya: Thank you. Of course. Thank you for having me. It’s been so much fun.
Natalie Sumitra: You’re listening to KALX Berkley 90. 7 FM. University of California and [00:21:00] community supported radio and this is Berkley Brainwaves, a 30 minute public affairs show dedicated to sharing stories from the Cal experience. I’m your host Natalie Sumitra and I’m here with Rungsiri Upradit. Today we are going to be addressing Women’s History Month. And talking about Rungsiri’s personal experience here at Cal.
Rungsiri Upradit: Hi, thank you so much, um, for having me here. Coming to Cal has probably been, like, one of the best experiences of my entire life. Um, I know that sounds, like, cheesy, but It has honestly been just, I think, the best years of my life. I feel like I’m just like surrounded by people that, you know, care so much about like what they’re studying, but at the same time, they also want to help other people.
So yeah, just from my professors to all the friends that I’ve made here, I feel like they’re all going to be lifelong friends. So um, Yeah, I think [00:22:00] Cal has given me, like, the tools and resources, really, to think critically about issues and how I can help make an impact.
Natalie Sumitra: So, how long have you been here at Cal?
Rungsiri Upradit: Yeah, so, I’m a transfer student, um, I’m a fall 2021 admit. Um, so I’ve been here ever since and I am supposed to graduate in May. I’m looking forward to that.
Natalie Sumitra: Congrats.
Rungsiri Upradit: Thank you. Um, but, I, because I’m a student parent, I have a reduced course load. So I was able to be a part of fellowships. Um, also work. Um, and study while also raising my daughter.
So I’ve been here for three years and, um, yeah.
Natalie Sumitra: What do you most value in the time that you’ve been here?
Rungsiri Upradit: Yeah, I think definitely, um, being able to come back to school as, like, a re-entry student, someone who’s a little bit [00:23:00] older, um, also as a single mom, um, so I really value, like, that I was given this opportunity to um have an education because I’ve always loved school. I’ve always wanted to go to school. Um, Just, you know, my circumstances at the time just didn’t allow me to do that, but, um, so my journey coming here wasn’t super easy, but I’m really grateful for everything that happened.
I wouldn’t change anything, I think. Yes, I value my education here at Cal, but I think the most valuable thing to me is like really, um, just all the individual relationships that I’ve been able to, um, build here.
Like I said, um, or, you know, I’ve made lifelong friends here. I think, um, [00:24:00] that’s probably what I value the most.
Natalie Sumitra: What was it like being a student parent?
Rungsiri Upradit: Um, I think being a student parent definitely has a lot of challenges that comes with it, but particularly the anthropology department. Um, just I love all the professors there.
They’ve been just so supportive and caring. Um, I feel like, I’m an Anthro major, so I feel like the Anthropology department is like home to me, you know, there’s been times where, you know, uh, my daughter’s had like to be home from school, so she’s been able to come to like quite a few classes with me and like some of my professors, um, shout out to Professor Bill White.
Um, He will, like, interact with her and, like, you know, show her, like, different, um, the different technologies, like, used in class and stuff and [00:25:00] just really, like, kind of, I felt, like, went out of, like, his way to like interact, you know with a kid So I really appreciated that and just even things we did outside of class, um, still on class projects, but when we would meet up to do like pedestrian surveys and stuff like she was able to tag along and not only interact with my professors, but my classmates and so, I feel like that’s really special.
Um, and I hope, like, you know, she remembers it forever, and as she’s, like, learning, and, you know figuring out or like shaping her worldview right now. Like, I hope she takes these experiences with her.
Natalie Sumitra: So could you tell us about something that has been really influential to your experience and what inspires you as a woman?
Rungsiri Upradit: Yeah. So through the UC Berkeley Public Service [00:26:00] Center, um, I was able to be a part of College Corps, which I was in the very first cohort.
It’s a statewide program where they have, um, three different focuses. And one is food access, environmental justice, or, um, youth behavioral health. And I was in the environmental justice one. I worked, um, or I work at a nonprofit in San Francisco called Bright Line Defense. And, um, I’ve just met the greatest people there.
Um, It’s the women that I’ve met there, some of like the strongest, most like supportive women I’ve ever met in my entire life and like so smart, um, so thoughtful and just like, seeing them, you know, like being there with them, working in the community with them. Um, I feel so empowered, like definitely a special space for me.
[00:27:00] And It was through UC Berkeley Public Service Center.
Natalie Sumitra: That’s so cool.
Rungsiri Upradit: Yeah, that I was able to like meet them. And you know, I was there as a fellow for a whole year and now I’m a part time, um, uh, I’m a part time program liaison there and It’s been a really special time, so I feel like, I don’t know, for me, like, being surrounded by women who just, I don’t know, have the same kind of, like, goals and, like, wanting to make the world kind of, like, a better place is really important to me and I don’t really know, like, what work I’m going to for sure go into in the future, but whatever I do go into, um, I don’t know. I always want to make sure that I’m, I want to be, like, approachable, and I want to be, like, the woman that I needed when I was younger.
I definitely feel [00:28:00] like There’s a lot of uncertainty in just, you know, having a whole career before this and then, you know, transferring here at a much later age, like, there is definitely a lot of uncertainty in like, uh, okay, is it too late? Or like, what am I gonna do now? And people ask me all the time, like, oh, like, what are you gonna do? And I think sometimes it’s okay to say like, I don’t know.
Because I feel like I’m, you know, I’m trusting, like, I’m trusting the decisions that I’m, that I’m making and I feel like every single decision that I’ve made has led me to just a really good place and, like, I feel, like, really happy with my circumstances today.
Like, I, yeah, so, I think it’s, you know, I took a risk, but I trusted [00:29:00] that coming here I was gonna, even though I didn’t quite know what I was gonna exactly do, like, but along the way I’ve just met so many people that have just guided me to just, a really good place and I feel like I’ve learned a lot from them. Like I’ve met a lot of mentors and just very supportive people here.
Natalie Sumitra: That’s beautiful.
Gursachi Sikka: Thank you for joining us in this celebration of achievement, resilience, and the unwavering spirit of women at UC Berkeley. Let their stories inspire us to strive for excellence, to challenge the status quo, and to make the world a better place for all.
I’m your co host, Gursachi Sikka. To all our listeners, Happy Women’s History Month. This has been Berkeley Brainwaves on KALX Berkeley 90. 7 FM, University of California and community supported radio.
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