John Dunstan

My name is John Dunstan, and I am a third year double major in political science and geography. I originally grew up on the East Coast, but my family moved to the Bay Area during my sophomore year of high school.

I am involved in various areas of the GEP department where I was the TA for GEP 203, currently one of the TAs for GEP 201, and a research assistant for Dr. Goman through the SSURI program. I also serve as the Associated Students executive vice president where I advocate for student voices in the committees that I sit on with faculty & administration, chair the senate for student government, and generally try to change the lives of the diverse campus for the better.

The main challenge I had when coming to SSU was finding my place in a new and different environment. I did not really click with a lot of the mainstream groups or activities on campus which really made it hard for me to find a place where I felt comfortable or myself. Through my time living on campus and my classes I was really able to find groups of people who are interesting, share similar ideals, and were accepting of me. One issue that myself and many of my peers face when coming to SSU is that there are a lot of people with very different backgrounds and ideologies who are not always conscious of where people are coming from and how that really affects their outlook on the world. It is hard for us to connect with one another at times, especially when it feels as though a person’s beliefs or background invalidates your own experiences.

When I think of the positive aspects of SSU I think of the opportunities I have been given. I came in as a history major, thinking that I would become a high school history teacher. Coming here and taking a variety of classes really opened up my perspective on the world, especially how unequal it really is; I really have the World Regional Geography class to thank for that. If you were to ask when I first got to SSU what I would be doing now I would never had said that I would be a TA, doing research, or be the Vice President of the student body; none of those things were what I had envisioned for my path past high school, but they are instrumental pieces in my future that I truly am thankful for. There are a lot of professors, students, and other adults that have helped me along the way, and unfortunately there is not enough room to thank all of them. Everything I have accomplished would not have been possible without those individuals, and I am forever thankful for how they have enriched my life.