The Channels

Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: Commencement

Media Credit: Elite Henenson Co-president of Project H.O.P.E. de-stresses at the farmers market.

Janet Muniz, co-president of Project H.O.P.E and orientation leader for new students, will hold onto her dream of helping others as she transfers to UCSB.

"Janet is an inspiring, deeply dedicated person. She takes being a peer educator to heart," said Program Adviser Mara Petrick.

Muniz was a club officer when she first began participating in Project H.O.P.E., but she wanted to do more. She decided to apply for the co-president position.

"With Project H.O.P.E I've been trying to create different, cool ways of bringing tough subjects up, and not only talk about them," she said.

Project H.O.P.E., 'Helping Others through Peer Education,' is a part of the Health and Wellness Center, helping students deal with tough issues like drugs, sex and stress.

Petrick picked Muniz as one of the two co-presidents. She started the position in Fall 2008.

Muniz said her main goal starting off was to expand Project H.O.P.E. and advertise the club around campus.

"I had so many ideas for them," she said.

The job requires Muniz being creative, coming up with ideas for new events and conducting club meetings.

Muniz said the most important part of her involvement in Project H.O.P.E. is listening.

"In my position, you learn to accept more, like people who have different views on something," she said. "They're hard issues we work with."

Muniz said that she has had a big impact on recruiting students into Project H.O.P.E. and has made the club more diverse than ever before. She said there are more international students involved, and students with different lifestyles-for example, some who drink alcohol and others who do not.

After completing her degree at UCSB, her goal is to attend graduate school and continue her major in political science.

"When I say what my major is everyone is shocked," she said. "Most of the students involved in Project H.O.P.E. are majoring in psychology or things like that."

Muniz also works as the orientation leader on campus, helping new students with guidance and registration.

She has two jobs on campus, and said that going to school as well is difficult to keep up with. "It feels like I'm in school all the time," she said with laugh.

Both jobs involve with helping others, which has helped make her dream clearer.

"I'm from Santa Ana, (Orange County, Calif.), a town with a lot of Hispanic and lower class people," Muniz said. "My dream is to go back there someday to help people."

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