B E

Unusual events occurred as I moved to California interested in furthering my school education in order to enter the labor market, or to have a career.

I was separating from the Air Force in Colorado, and attended workshops on the Enneagram, and human development. I found out about a graduate program in California in Boulder, Co. Having an interest in human development, I contacted "Sofia" University in Palo Alto. I was pre-registered for it while still in Colorado. Perhaps it was my naivitee or not having informational resources...so I made the trip.

The program was described as "cutting edge", and leading to a prosperous field in the "transpersonal" field.

The graduate school experience can be filled with expectations and dreams, in this case, we as students were inducted into a "spiritual emergence" process as we entered the program. The program was so highly "experiential" that the classrooms didn't have chairs, and most of the times papers or practical application tools weren't required. It was a long term program...4 years of experiences. It included "classes" in things like body orientated tracks, spirituality questionable groups, "transpersonal studies" in lieue of cultural, etc. The school introduced to a "group" out of europe, which was/is still forming its theory. The group "leaders" taught "experiential, holisitic" classes where the couple presented as "spiritual teachers" and also as "therapists." That combination has been almost letal for some of us. Other times students participated in workshops led by students in the "PhD" program while not being fully credentialed, and in things like intense breahwork, rebirthing,etc.The experience has been far from being transformative.

Schools have for long been thought of as catalyzers for personal liberation, or to allow someone's integration to a new culture. In this case, the whole experience became complex, hard to make sense of, sour. No guidance for students in this so called "spiritual emergence," academic, financial aid counseling ...no even a thesis required even when I approached student services. We were offered a "clinical" track (Halfway into the program) as a way to explore human development and psychology in more "practical ways." Being an immigrant to immigrant parents, and Spanish speaking made this more interesting. It's clear that I was in transition and away from family, and uninformed about the educational system.