“Write what you know” may be timeworn advice, but it’s also why, even at a young age,
Abril Olivares Nolasco has a rich and deepening reservoir of stories to share. Abril realized she wanted
to be a writer while still a little girl in her home country of Mexico. By age 8, she had already won her first writing contest. Later, while working on
her high school magazine, two teachers urged her to keep pursuing her creative passion.
“They said I had talent and knew how to express and analyze things,” Abril recalls.
In the former skill, she took after her mother, a journalist. The latter ability perhaps
came from her father, an engineer. And she also had a family history to draw from.
Her grandparents endured harsh poverty, Abril explains, and one of her grandmothers
was forced to work at age 5.
“Trauma can pass on through generations,” she says. “But my mom always told me that
her parents didn’t go through all that suffering not to have their stories shared
with the world. I think my purpose in life is going to be to tell that story.”
In addition, Abril draws upon her own experiences. “I tell people that I sometimes
make mistakes just to have experiences to write about,” she adds with a smile.
Those mistakes definitely do not include journeying to Los Angeles to attend Santa Monica College, she says.
“A counselor back in Mexico told us that community college offers a good option for
international students because it’s easier to get into universities as a transfer
rather than as a first-year,” Abril recalls. She chose SMC for its status as a top
school for transferring to leading four-year institutions.
She also appreciates the variety of courses available at SMC. “Part of what I love
about America is that you can be and do whatever you want,” Abril says. She currently majors in
communication with a focus on film and media while also studying cognitive science.
“I want to pursue cognitive science because I believe if you know how the brain and
your feelings work, your narratives will be better,” Abril explains.
Amid her busy academic schedule, Abril serves as president of SMC’s International Student Forum (ISF), through which scholars of all nations get to know each other. “SMC offers such
a friendly community, which is really important when you’re living by yourself for
the first time, adjusting to a different culture and trying to strive in academics,”
she says.
As president, Abril has overseen activities that range from a day at the beach to
members sharing snacks from their homelands to visiting Universal Studios. Beyond
multicultural bonding, “the ISF is about having fun and meeting new people,” Abril
says. “That’s why I was so eager to be president.”
Abril also works at the front desk of the International Education Center—the organization that helped acclimate her to SMC originally. After a virtual conference
with Denise Kinsella, associate dean of International Education (“I had many questions,” Abril recalls),
she began taking courses online from her family’s home in Mexico City. Then she physically arrived at SMC in February 2022.
“It was the first time I left home in my life,” Abril says. “This is the longest time
I’ve been away from my parents, family and friends and Mexico City.” Calling her time
at SMC “transformational,” Abril says, “I’ve been challenged in all areas of my life
and have never felt so comfortable with being myself as I do now.”
As she completes her associate’s degrees, she plans to transfer to a university that,
like SMC, promotes a sense of closely knit community. “An environment like that would
be nice,” she says, thinking that she might travel east to study at Amherst, Williams or Smith College.
However, being used to urban areas, Abril admits that she may “need to find the charm
of” those institution’s locations, which are pretty rural compared to Mexico City
and Los Angeles.
Wherever she continues her education, Abril will keep writing and is also considering
being an editor. In either capacity, she aims to contribute to such publications as
The New Yorker and The Atlantic. She is a fan of The New York Times column “Modern Love,” which, like her own stories, finds universal meaning in intimate
accounts.
“Finding solace in knowing another person has gone through the same experience as
yours is what makes writing so nice,” she says.
* * *
SMC in Focus Volume VIII, Issue 6
A Radical Reimagining
Acclaimed Native American artist Matika Wilbur’s Project 562 is creating a never-seen-before synergy across disciplines on campus—and changing the way SMC community members see Native America. Read Article
Creative Cognition
Abril Olivares Nolasco applies her imaginative empathy to writing and serving as president of Santa Monica College’s International Student Forum. Read Article
More than Meets the Eye
SMC int’l student Devin Wu gets a kick out of the surprised looks he gets when he opens his mouth & speaks in flawless Spanish. Locals assume he learned it in Spain. Actually, he’s Ecuadoran. Read Article
Empowerment Champion: Spotlight on Nick Mata
An interview with “compassionate and caring” Nick Mata, who currently leads 11 of SMC’s special programs covering what he’s most proud of, milestones & more, including a stint as a hotdogger! Read Article
Bragging Rights
A Black Collegians staffer wrote a book to help others & set herself free. A sociology prof. writes about Iran’s women-led protests. A journalism prof. is the first Black woman to be elected VP of Society of Professional Journalists. Read Article
Journey to Success
With a family background in business, Thu Shun (Isobel) Wati journeyed from Myanmar to develop her marketing skills at Santa Monica College. Read Article