Portrait of Cornelia

Cornelia attended California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), majoring in business and planning to work for corporate America as a human resource manager.

Cornelia’s previous work experience was as a receptionist. After looking online and discovering that human resources was one of the business fields, she decided this was what she wanted to do.

With experience working with people, and Cornelia knew she could interact with personnel and run a human resource department.

In this portrait, I caught Cornelia eating a snack and she said that that was just a classic pose for her.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin ©2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

Portrait of Tika

Tika was a lab assistant at California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), Antelope Valley location, computer lab. She was studying for her Masters in Social Work (MSW) and her bachelor’s was in sociology, which she received at CSUB.

Tika was originally from Oakland, California, USA. She came to Antelope Valley for a change of scenery and to be with her grandchildren and children. She had “three grown children and 10 grandchildren, the ages of seventeen down to two.”

Tika definitely was studying to be in the right profession. While speaking to her, I found that she was very calming. Tika is going to be practicing in a profession where people are anywhere from extremely sad, to depressed, to screamingly angry, and everything in between.

I’m sure that as Tika proceeds with her career, people who are at their height of their emotions will appreciate her natural ability to make them chill and make them listen to the wise things she has to say.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin ©2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please

Portrait of Prabha

Prabha was born in South India. She came to the United State as a result of an arranged marriage. She and her husband-to-be met only three or four days before their wedding. A Matchmaker, from Prabha’s town who knew both their families, got them together via horoscope analysis.

Prabha’s husband-to-be came from the United States to India. After the wedding, she moved to United States with him, about 15 years prior to this interview.

Prabha had two boys, a degree in accounting, from Bharathiar University, and a public accounting certification (CPA) from the State of Delaware. She worked at California State University Bakersfield where she monitored the accounting aspects of grants. She was also pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin ©2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

Portrait of Carl-2

Carl was a biologist who studied spiders and scorpions. He was a professor at California State University Bakersfield (CSUB).

When Carl started his PhD research, he was interested in a phenomenon called aggressive mimicry which is “when organisms look like other organisms in order to lure their prey. There was an hypothesis that the glow that scorpions have was actually used to lure in moths.” Fluorescent glow phenomena is seen on the scorpion below.

Carl also explained that there’s “a structure called a pectine which looks like a feather sticking to either either side. It’s a chemo-sensory organ which is basically a nose. The pectines on the female tend to be fairly short and the males have one that’s much longer because they are the ones who go looking for the female.”

Carl had the Scorpion in the photograph below about two years. He caught her out in the field close to the school. California State Bakersfield is probably one of the best places in the world to study spiders and scorpions because it is an excellent habitat for these species.

You can see the Pectine in this photo

Fluorescent glow

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin ©2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

Portrait of Kim

Kim worked for the Lancaster, California, USA, branch of CareNet Women’s Resource Center where she performed the duties of executive director. Her background was in social work; she earned her Masters in Social Work (MSW) at California State San Bernardino and her undergraduate degree at California State San Marcos.

Kim arrived in Antelope Valley a year prior to this interview. At first, she worked as a volunteer at CareNet, and then “the director of the center left, and it was a good fit for me to become the director.”

Kim practiced various forms of case management such as adoptions and Adult Day Health Care Center advising.

Kim was originally from Southern California but lived in Kansas for about seven years. Her husband had coached at a small Christian College there. When she lived in Kansas, Kim was the director of a transitional housing program for women and children.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin ©2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.

Portrait of Ace

Ace was a student at California State University, Bakersfield majoring in Communications and Psychology. She was a senior and also a beginner dancer. Her favorite style dance was modern dance.

Ace did several dance performances, mostly at Antelope Valley College. She also did dramatic theater at the Palmdale Playhouse .

Ace’s mother was a professional pianist so she learned how to play the piano as a young child,  but she didn’t play piano very much as an adult.

Image Credits: Bat-Ami Gordin ©2017 all rights reserved. Credit if you use it, please.