Everybody knows Felix Cooper.
Everybody knows Felix Cooper.
At least, that's how it seems as he crosses the Porter College quad and is greeted by virtually everyone who passes by.
For Cooper, who grew up in Compton--the central Los Angeles community that has come to embody popular notions of "the hood"--arriving at UCSC as a junior transfer from an inner-city community college gave him a case of culture shock.
"Until college, I'd never really been out of L.A.," he says. "I saw my first deer on campus."
UCSC has opened Cooper's eyes to many new worlds. A movie buff who's
majoring in film and sociology, Cooper now enjoys independent films as much
as the "popcorn movies" he grew up on. And he has
discovered a passion for political activism that he never knew he had.
Sociology classes have given him an opportunity to explore issues of race and class--"things that were going on in my personal life," says Cooper. And he is active in student government, both at the campus and college level.
"I went a whole new direction when I got here," says Cooper. "I went from just wanting to edit film in a little editing room to working to save affirmative action. I've never been as active as I am now."
This year, Cooper is a residential assistant at Porter and chair of the Porter College Senate. As a member of the Porter Multicultural Activities Group, he is spearheading an effort to produce a video series documenting the lives and experiences of students of color at UCSC.
Cooper now feels that he is part of several communities: Porter College, UCSC, and Compton. "This is my last year of college, and I want to really enjoy it," he says. "Next year I'll probably go back to L.A. That's where I grew up, and it's where I want to work."
Although still captivated by film and awed by the power of the medium, Cooper is planning to apply to law school after taking a year off. He volunteered last summer at the Compton Legal Aid Society to get a feel for the profession, and he liked what he saw.
"I thought about going into law about four years ago, but so many
people go into law these days that it seemed like a clichéd thing
to do," he recalls. "But I wanted something with a little more
substance, and less than
5 percent of lawyers are black, so maybe it's not such a cliché after
all."
--Jennifer McNulty