Senior Feature: Zaia Hammond
By Ria Rao, CSW|Streisand Center Student Worker
Zaia Hammond (she/her) is one of our Office Operations Student Workers and a 4th year Human Biology and Society major and African American Studies minor at UCLA! She has supported CSW|Streisand Center’s office for the last 2 years. In her time here, she has made significant contributions to the center by spearheading our Books to Jails initiative and helping with daily office tasks. We sat down for a conversation on her experiences at CSW|Streisand Center, UCLA, and beyond.
How has your time here prepared you for your career?
Wow, I think being at CSW has taught me a lot. I think most importantly, though, as someone that wants to go into working in community medicine and actually like serving under their populations, I’ve learned a lot about what it means what community actually means and what it means to advocate for people who whose voices often go silenced or unnoticed. For example, I’ve learned so much about what prison abolition and feminist scholarship really are and how they apply to the world and relate to everyone in our communities, and not just people directly involved in the prison industrial complex or women-presenting people. These topics affect every single one of us and it just taught me a lot about what it means to be an advocate in a community. On a more professional level, CSW has taught me that your workplace doesn’t have to be somewhere that you hate! In fact, I’ve genuinely loved going to work here. I feel like that allowed me to know like what kind of place I want to potentially be in my future — one that’s welcoming and a safe space to ask questions and be given the grace to learn from them.
What is one goal you achieved that felt really far away your first year in college?
One goal that comes to find is truly just finishing my core STEM classes, especially a quarter early! The idea of like getting through all of my STEM classes once felt impossible when I came in. Similarly, I’ve always wanted to get into research here at UCLA but I also didn’t think that was possible so here we are! At one point, I literally thought I was gonna transfer. I don’t know, I just didn’t know if this school or this space is for me. I felt so much imposter syndrome here for the longest time. I felt like my best wasn’t good enough here for a long time, but I think my greatest accomplishment is learning that my best is in fact good enough here at UCLA. Overall, perserverance is real and so important!
What is your favorite memory working at CSW?
My favorite memories here at CSW are definitely all of our monthly gatherings! One that specifically comes to mind is my first Halloween gathering during my junior year. I was Josie from Josie and the Pussycats, Rosa [Management Services Office at CSW|Streisand Center ] was Cruella de Vil. and our director was an Excelt Sheet. I think that gathering best captures the true essence of our space: the funnieness, the quirkiness, and the committment to community and having fun in a workplace. I remember just starting this job at that time and thinking to myself, “Man, I love this place”.
What advice do you have for other UCLA students on how to make the most of their four years?
My mom gave me the following advice and I feel like it meant a lot. “You can never lose, only win or learn”. I think going into school with that mindset has really freed me in a way to try anything and challenge myself. College is meant for you to challenge yourself because without challenging yourself you won’t know what you’re capable of! So, that’s one of my biggest takeaways and I would say that to any incoming freshman. Generally, do not be afraid to be great. Do not be afraid to reinvent yourself and go outside of the box. Trying new things and seeing what works for you, and not necessarily what works for everyone else is so important because this school does give you a lot of imposter syndrome! I’ve felt that very strongly throughout my four years here but going into new experiences with the mindset that they can either be a learning experience or winning experience has helped so much.
What are you most looking forward to in your next chapter?
I think I’m most looking forward to 1) taking a gap year and 2) being in the place that I’ve always dreamed of. First, I’m excited to go back home and reset; I think that’ll be a good foundation for this next chapter of my life. Secondly, I feel like I’m most excited to be out of the place that I’ve always dreamed of as in graduating from a school that I once dreamed to go to and now, dreaming of going to medical school. It still feels so crazy to say out loud! So, I’m really forward to those two things and really emerging into my adulthood. After graduating will be the first time not really being in school so finding out who I am outside of being a student is also really important to me.
We’d like to thank Zaia for her time and energy that she contributed to CSW | Streisand and congratulate her on her upcoming journey. After graduating, Zaia will be applying to med school! Thank you Zaia and best of luck for your future journey!
Ria Rao is a junior at UCLA studying Cognitive Science and Statistics & Data Science. She has been involved with UCLA student media organizations UCLA Radio and FEM News Magazine, and now serves the CSW|Streisand Center as a Student Worker.
