Meet the 2020-21 Dean’s Student Council: Gustavo Tepetla
This series of web posts profiles the 2020-2021 UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture’s Dean’s Student Council.
Gustavo Tepetla is a fourth year undergraduate student in the Department of Design Media Arts with a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education. Before transferring to UCLA, Tepetla graduated from Los Angeles Pierce College with five Associate of Arts degrees. Tepetla’s mixed-media work strives to raise awareness of topics like social and environmental justice, and media literacy.
Gustavo Tepetla is non-traditional in just about every sense of the word.
“I consider myself a "dash" student. I am a transfer-student, first generation-student, commuting-student, system impacted-student, parenting-student, disabled-student, immigrant-student, BIPOC-student, and non-traditional because of my age,” Tepetla said.
Tepetla found an instant connection when he first visited UCLA’s campus during a field trip with his class from Pierce College. As he climbed Janss Steps and stood in front of Powell Library, he immediately felt at home.
“I felt an immense warmth fill my body, followed by déjà vu and striking clarity. It was so strong it gave me goosebumps. I remember saying to my classmates, ‘I've been here before.’”
Tepetla’s background also gives him a special connection to UCLA’s mission to teach a community of diverse and motivated students. “I was raised in a culture where ‘each one, teach one’ is the driving idea towards creating a unified global/universal community,” he says.
All of Tepetla’s non-traditional experiences give him a unique perspective that has enriched his UCLA experience. “As a member of the BIPOC community I acknowledge positionality in a nuanced way as it relates to creating safe spaces for all,” he says.
“I was raised in a culture where "each one, teach one" is the driving idea towards creating a unified global/universal community.”
Gustavo Tepetla
During his two years at UCLA, even amidst the pandemic, Tepetla has served as a Dean’s Student Council member, VAPAE Teaching Artist, Design Media Arts Student Council President, and President of DISRUPT, a student organization working to promote anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion on campus.
As the Design Media Arts undergraduate voice on the Dean’s Student Council, Tepetla proposes student-driven initiatives that transform the UCLA Arts student experience. “The Council can be described as a medium or a tool, a metaphysical space where we build on each other's ideas to strengthen our school and community,” he says.
Of his other experiences at UCLA, Tepetla strongly values his time as the president of DISRUPT. The group is currently partnered with the Fowler Museum to curate programs that break down barriers in the art world and promote innovative ideation through accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Their joint program, DISRUPT the Fowler, holds regular lectures, conversations, and workshops throughout the year.
In his work, Tepetla says his ultimate goal is to teach others and “share the light” of knowledge. “I often hear people say that knowledge is power, but I say that ways and actions that are founded on solid knowledge is where the true power can be found,” he says.
“As a designer, I strive to be actionary, to live deliberately, to minimize being reactionary to existing forces; I create because I choose to create.”
Gustavo Tepetla
Like most UCLA Arts students, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Tepetla’s his education. “I find myself spending more time searching for resources in order to maintain the level and quality of work I am accustomed to creating,” he says. “I no longer have access to the shoot room, the computer lab, or the fabrication lab. It is a challenge to say the least.”
As a senior student working on his capstone project, Tepetla is acutely aware of the pressure to produce work that could be the deciding factor of admission into grad school or finding meaningful employment. “The pressure is on to produce high quality work, even when things are significantly out of reach. All I can do is my best,” he says.
After graduating this spring, Tepetla plans to take a “reenergizing” gap year to focus on his family and his health. Tepetla’s four-year-old daughter, Kayla, has been an important source of motivation and light during a difficult year. “Her smile truly helps every day feel more special and has a magical way of erasing stresses,” says Tepetla. “Love is the best healer.”
Tepetla also hopes that his gap year will give him time to refine graduate school applications and build his portfolio. He would like to continue his journey and commitment as a UCLA VAPAE Teaching Artist in Los Angeles public schools.
“I want you to know that this is your home. Your voice and presence hold value.”
Gustavo Tepetla
Tepetla is excited to see what the Council will accomplish in years to come. “There has been so much work done to build the foundations of what will become models for generations to build on,” he says.
Tepetla encourages any student interested to join the Dean’s Student Council. To prospective Council members, he says: “I want you to know that this is your home. Your voice and presence hold value. Sign up and join your family of advocates.”
Story by: Ruby Dennis
HEADER IMAGE: Provided by Gustavo Tepetla.
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