By Jeff Burr
Staff Writer
Most students at Costa strive to participate in clubs that may offer opportunities for community service, but English teacher Stacy Cabrera is attempting to incorporate a philosophical setting into Costa.
The Young Philosophers Club at Mira Costa, which will be officially registered next year, is a club where students can learn and engage in discussions about philosophy. Cabrera will be the club administrator and will guide the discussions by giving her insight.
“I hope that my club will give even the smallest supplement to those big ideas that will really help students see the cohesiveness across their chosen class schedules, giving them a purpose for studying and seeing meaning behind what they do,” Cabrera said.
The club will include a wide variety of activities such as discussions, lectures and open seminars for students to participate in. In the fall, the members will decide on a comprehensive topic that will be the subject for the club meetings that school year.
“I am open to many different activities including discussion, lecture, seminars and guest speakers,” Cabrera said. “We are still hoping to see new faces during our Wednesday meetings so we can get as much feedback as possible about the direction of this club.”
Cabrera attended California Baptist University and graduated in three years after minoring in philosophy. However, she wanted to further pursue her interest in philosophy and received her master’s degree last month from Loyola Marymount University.
“As I got closer to finishing my English degree, I realized I could drop Philosophy to a minor,” Cabrera said. “I regretted that decision later and to make up for it, I completed my Masters Degree in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University this past May.”
In the coming years, Cabrera is hoping to gain a large number of club members so she can conduct annual conferences, facilitated by LMU philosophy scholars. This would give students the opportunity to give presentations related to the club’s yearly topic and discuss their views in a large setting with others.
“I would like to hold an annual conference in which students submit their own works,” Cabrera said. “There would be a keynote speaker [from LMU], who would begin the presentations, and then the student presenters, followed by audience Q&As and such.”
Cabrera is looking forward to officially registering the Young Philosophers Club as a club at Costa next fall, but has been holding meetings for future members every Wednesday in room 33. She is looking for new recruits to help vote on and form a cabinet so students can take leadership.
“I would love to hear what kinds of things people are genuinely interested in, so that we can work together to build a strong, academic presence on this campus, and hopefully on others in our area as well,” Cabrera said.
Leave a Reply