University to host day of giving to support struggling students Tuesday, May 5

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities graduate student Aaron Pelly made the decision to donate his relief check to support those in the process of or are hoping to renew their participation in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

When considering what to do with his relief funding, he saw an email that detailed resources for and ways to support DACA students amid this unprecedented time from the ���سԹ� Dreamers Club. Pelly decided that his money would be best spent supporting students that may not have resources to help them continue their studies or maintain their legal status.

“I am in a position where I could do this – provide support for students that otherwise might not have the resources to be able to eat, pay rent and renew for the DACA program,” Pelly said. “My wife and I have a stable income. We wanted to use these funds to help support individuals who are really struggling. There are many who have lost their jobs and have nowhere else to turn. Many may not have the resources to afford renewing their DACA application amid the pandemic.”

DACA was established by President Obama in 2012 to grant a form of temporary protection from deportation known as “deferred action” to undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. before the age of 16, resided in the U.S. since June 2007 and met other requirements.

On September 5, 2017, the Trump Administration announced an end to the DACA program, leading to several states, including Washington, filing a challenge to that decision. In the meantime, students are currently still able to renew their applications through the program.

With Pelly’s donation, a new fund was set up to support the application fees for DACA students, which cost an average of $500 per application. Pelly and his wife are donating $2,000 to support the cost of applications for DACA students.

Pelly completes his master’s program in environmental science at ���سԹ� this spring. His wife is a local school teacher. Both know the value of education and how the funds will support individuals achieve a great life for themselves and their families.

“That is four students that could renew their applications,” he said. “There are a lot of people suffering right now. This is one small thing that we can do to help make a large impact for a few people.”

Pelly initially didn’t want to be named for this article, however, he recognizes that his story could help encourage others to donate their relief funding to those in need, if they aren’t struggling.

“This wasn’t even my idea,” he said. “I saw something on Twitter that gave me the idea about how these are funds from the government that are supposed to support hardship. This is a way to help those who are struggling and provide some security for students that are dealing with many other hardships at the moment.”

Torres-Pena said having these types of funds available at ���سԹ� for DACA students is a huge relief for students and their families.

“I think it brings comfort to DACA students who need to renew or are planning to renew, but don’t have the funds to do so,” she said. “Not only does it bring comfort to DACA students, but it also brings comfort to all undocumented students and allies.”

Torres-Pena said when Pelly reached out to her to help get a fund created to support students looking to renew their DACA application, she was shocked in a good way.

“I knew ���سԹ� was filled with amazing people, but I just never thought this would happen,” she said. “The club and I will forever be grateful to Aaron. Our club has worked really hard to provide a safe and accepting space for students, so hopefully these DACA renewal funds will reach students most in need.”

Individuals interested in donating to the fund should contact Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� executive director of advancement and community engagement, at jaime.heppler@wsu.edu or 509-372-7207.

���سԹ� will host a day of giving tomorrow, May 5, to raise funds to support struggling ���سԹ� students amid COVID-19. For more information and to give a gift to support ���سԹ� students amid COVID-19, visit tricities.wsu.edu/give.

 

Media Contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� executive director of advancement and community engagement, 509-372-7207, jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations/communication coordinator, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Pink plaid with hinted stripes of green and gray. It’s the color and pattern of a button-up shirt that Kimberly Granados wore while working in the fields and it’s one that she turned into paper as part of the that visited Washington State University Tri-Cities this week.

Drew Matott, director of the Peace Paper Project, brought the program to ���سԹ� where he worked with veterans, students of migrant farm working backgrounds and others who have dealt with trauma and loss, while also providing a positive outlet for those who want to learn a new craft. The project provides individuals a way to express and process their memories and experiences by means of hand papermaking and by preserving it in a physical work of art, he said.

“These workshops have been extremely wonderful and rewarding,” Matott said. “At first, people are hesitant and not sure what to do. Once they start cutting up the materials, it starts to transform. The first one is the scariest. The second one is much easier. And then finally, the material just becomes pulp.”

Matott has worked with thousands of people around the world, both those who are in the process of coping with trauma and also as a means to teach people how to earn a living from hand papermaking in poverty-stricken regions.

“The goal with the Peace Paper Project is to use papermaking to have a positive influence on people’s lives,” he said. “Whether it be helping people process things that are traumatic, or working with individuals in an effort to improve their lives, our goal is to make a positive difference.”

From the fields to ���سԹ�

Granados, a senior psychology major at Washington State University Tri-Cities, grew up in Mexico, but moved to Quincy, Washington, when she was in the fifth grade.

There, she and her family worked to remove weeds, churn dirt and tied and trimmed branches for sustained growth at a local tree nursery.

It was hard work, she said, but it was a means for her to earn money for college.

Granados said she had dreamed of coming to school at ���سԹ�, but that the road was difficult. In junior high, she was waved off as a troubled adolescent, but she persisted with the help of a school counselor that saw something in her.

“When I was in junior high, they just kind of labeled me as a troubled kid,” she said. “They told me, ‘You just want attention and to cause trouble.’ But there was so much more to it than that.”

She did well in high school and then attended a community college in Moses Lake before transferring to ���سԹ� to pursue her dream of becoming a counseling psychologist.

“My school counselor was the one who inspired me to help teens because when everyone else labeled me as a troubled kid, she saw so much more in me,” she said. “It’s the reason I want to go into psychology – to help youth and give them a chance.”

Preserving memories through paper

Through the papermaking process with the Peace Paper Project, Granados cut up a shirt from her time as a farm worker into small pieces, which went into a grinding machine. The machine, mixed with water, ground the shirt into a pulp, which she then sifted and pressed into paper. After writing “Dreamer” on a smaller strip of paper, Granados placed it on the corner of her newly pressed works, designating it hers and defining an era that she can display for family and friends.

As Granados’ paper dried, threads from the shirt showed in random, defining delicate patterns similar to the paths she had taken throughout her life. The grit, the detail, the precision that it has taken to get her to this point is illustrative. It’s been a long road to attend college and her new art is a symbol of that road.

“It shows that all my hard work is paying off,” she said. “It is meaningful because I’ll have that piece of paper. It’s a sign that, ‘You’re doing good girl.’”

She hopes to frame the work of art and possibly display it in her home. Additionally, she would like to incorporate a similar art practice into her future work as a psychologist.

Preserving fond memories of the military

For ���سԹ� junior Zachary Hays, the military had an immense impact on his life. After serving for eight years with the U.S. Navy, he wanted a means to preserve

those memories in a positive and beautiful form.

Hays spent three years overseas, deployed to Japan where he worked as an aviation electronics technician in his rank of petty officer, second class. He said he most enjoyed working directly on aircraft, troubleshooting and making quick, last-minute repairs that took intensive focus and quick wit.

“It was an incredible experience getting in and working on the aircraft,” he said. “Often times, we’d have to fix an issue within five to 10 minutes to make sure that we were on track for the flight plan. It was a lot of quick thinking and critical thinking. It was definitely my favorite part.”

With the Peace Paper Project, he converted one of his old uniforms into something that he can print on and display in his own home, in addition to providing it as a gift to family and friends.

“This is a way for me to take what I did and turn it into something that myself and my family members can keep and enjoy,” he said. “It’s a way to preserve that time in an artistic form.”

Hays spent hours cutting up an old uniform, grinding it up into a pulp and pressing it into several sheets of paper, which now feature fond memories on the flight deck, working on the F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, repairing radar systems, computer displays and weapon systems.

With the paper pressed from his uniform, he plans to work with a friend to print a photograph of him on the flight deck onto the paper as a way to commemorate the experience.

“It’s not a stepping stone that it would be for others, but it is a neat thing to do with something that has a lot of memories,” he said.

An important process

Hays said he never experienced the level of trauma that some other military service members may have experienced, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t recognize the importance of the process for those who benefit from it.

“I do think this is an important thing to be able to do to take the past and move on from it,” he said. “Some people choose other means of moving on. But this is a process that you can unpack it a bit and turn it into something beautiful.”

From now on

Hays is pursing a degree in electrical engineering in ���سԹ�, which is directly applicable to the work he completed with the U.S. Navy. But having that artistic component to supplement his engineering education and commemorate his experience in the military is special, he said.

Through artistic opportunities like those presented with the Peace Paper Project on campus, he has enjoyed the experience in tandem with his fellow veteran students who are all going through similar processes.

“It is such a cool opportunity with many different avenues,” he said. “For me, I’m not doing it for therapeutic reasons, but because it’s a neat experience. It can be symbolic for others signifying the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. It gives them an opportunity to take something traumatic and turn it into something artistic and beautiful.”

The project, he said, is something he can display and share for years to come.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – A master papermaker will join the Washington State University Tri-Cities community Oct. 15-18 to offer workshops and a public lecture in the therapeutic art of hand papermaking as part of what is known as the “Peace Paper Project.”

The Peace Paper Project is an international organization of hand papermakers, art therapists, social activists and fine artists. The organization uses hand papermaking across the globe to improve the lives of survivors of trauma and loss through the traditional practice of hand papermaking.

Master papermaker Drew Matott will hold a public lecture from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the Floyd Atrium on the art of hand papermaking and the goals of his Peace Paper Project. There is no cost to attend.

Matott will also lead several free workshops and sessions with the following student and campus groups during the week:

• Veteran students will recycle their old uniforms into paper from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 in the Student Union Building
• Members of the Dreamers and MEChA clubs will recycle migrant farming clothing and other fabric-based items into paper from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15, in the Student Union Building
• International students and their cultural learning partners will make paper together on Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• The community is invited to bring their own fabric to make paper from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 16-18, in the Student Union Building
• Matott will also work with a variety of classes and other student groups at various times throughout the four days as a means to show how the traditional art of hand papermaking is accomplished and is used as a therapeutic practice
  

  The Peace Paper Project often works with military veterans to hand-make paper out of old uniforms as a therapeutic process.

“We are very excited to have the Peace Paper Project on campus,, especially as it provides a creative avenue for our students to learn resiliency as they cope with change,” said Jana Kay Lunstad, director of enrollment and campus registrar. “Art has the power to heal. Our hope is that our students will connect with a practice that allows them to share their stories with their families, friends and other individuals dealing with difficult loss and trauma.”

Since 2011, the Peace Paper Project has set up more than 40 collaborating studios worldwide and has made paper with more than 30,000 survivors.

For more information on the Peace Paper Project, visit .