What's up, everybody. It's that time again. Time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Daren Mooko.
Who are you?
Daren Rikio Mooko, son of Katherine and Michael. Brother of Niki. Housemate to Sokko and Miya (my dogs!)
What are you?
I'm Japanese American (4th gen on my Dad's side, 3rd gen on my Mom's). My preferred gender expression is "he." I'm a lifelong Dodgers fan. I'm the Associate Dean of Students at Pomona College. I'm a Leo. I'll stop there before it starts sounding like a dating website.
Where are you?
I'm in Claremont, CA.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Torrance, CA and have lived in San Diego, Vermont and Indiana.
What do you do?
I work at Pomona College as the Associate Dean of Students. I absolutely love working with students -- the mutual learning that takes place is priceless to me.
More recently, I take a lot of photos. What started out as a hobby has gotten a little more serious and I'm enjoying learning the technical aspects of it.
And even more recently, I've started tweeting @darenmooko. It's an interesting social media platform. While I don't appreciate the character limit (forces us to think/write in "sound bites") I can see the value of it (forces us to be concise).
What are you all about?
So far, I'm about social justice and learning. I say "so far" because I know things always change and our lives takes twists and turns we never expect or anticipate.
Though I've worked in Higher Education for almost 20 years now, learning is more at the core of what I'm about -- Higher Education just happens to be the setting for me.
I often think about the work that I do not as a college administrator, but as someone who does social justice work and I happen to do it on a college campus. For instance, a great deal of my work right now centers around sexual violence on campus: policy development, educational programs, processes for investigating, reporting and adjudicating.
What makes you angry?
On a day-to-day basis, selfishness and thoughtlessness get to me. From the drivers on the road to how people treat each other, I'm quick to notice it.
More broadly, injustice and greed get me the angriest. And right now, there are plenty of both in our society. And what gets me really angry, is to watch both flourish seemingly without interruption.
