Skyline College Learning Commons held their workshop, “Capturing Change: Photography & Social Impact,” as a part of the Critical Global Citizenship Education (CGCE) Project on Feb. 20. Students attended the library event to learn more about viewing photography through a different lens.
The CGCE Project started in the fall of 2024 and strives to empower students to become more aware and conscious of social issues concerning them.
Pia Walawalkar, organizer of the event and member of the CGCE Project team, feels strongly about the social issues overlooked by the education system, and how focusing on them in mediums of art can help bring an awareness of the world to students and even educators.
“It’s important that we are individuals and that we matter as individuals, but also we are part of a wonderful bigger community, and that it’s sort of an awareness that how we show up in our everyday life—in our thoughts, or rather, what we can do or how we travel or how we treat other people—have global implications,” Walawakar said.
Guest speaker, Yesika Wong, previously a freelancer for The Skyline View, showed great passion for storytelling.
Starting off with writing, Wong soon found and loved the lens of photography as another powerful way to tell stories, saying that every photo she takes is a reflection of the stories she wants to share.
Wong led the workshop and voiced her gratitude and pride in working on the CGCE Project.
“Being part of this project makes me feel proud and grateful,” she said. “It is a recognition of all the hard work I have put in over the last years living in California, and it reminds me that it was all worth it.”
Wong’s presentation delved into the intricacies of photography, and how so many different stories can be told through art and photographs. The passion was tangible throughout the event, with her having been enthused in promoting social change before even becoming a photographer.
Nick Voong, an attendee of the event, found it inspiring to see all the different stories—such as climate change, human rights, and forced labor—and how people can use photography to share issues and topics important to them.
The Critical Global Citizenship Education (CGCE) Project continues its journey on March 18, with part two of Thursday’s event in the Skyline College Library.
