Choosing to be a teacher was a given for Zepeda. Her passion to end school bullying was best completed in the classroom.
But Zepeda also held another passion: film.
“I think my first goal was to be a filmmaker. That's what I always wanted to do. But then teaching was also something that I've always been passionate about, trying to have students see their capabilities in life.”
Zepeda received her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Bakersfield in 2018 before joining the university’s teaching credential program. She recalls one of her professors, Dr. Bre Evans-Santiago, discussing bullying and biases in the classroom.
“I just went up to her after class and I said that it was one of my greatest passions to create a film about bullying, because my sister was going through it and I found that to be very troubling with my parents and me.”
Through the university’s Student Research Scholars program, Zepeda received a scholarship to create the documentary. She hopes that future and current teachers will be able to use the documentary to prevent bullying in school settings.
“This research is important because I've always been passionate about the topic of bullying. Being a bullied victim and seeing these kids committing suicide because of bullying is very impactful in my own life as a teacher,” she said.
“I found a way to help lessen and prevent bullying through something that I'm good at, something I'm passionate about.”
The Student Research Scholars program is funded by the President’s Associates, the longest standing and most prestigious giving society at CSUB. Through the program, students like Zepeda are paired with faculty mentors to conduct hands-on research. Dr. Evans-Santiago mentored Zepeda as she produced the documentary.
“She's truly amazing,” Zepeda said. “I feel like I've gained so many opportunities because of her, and she really has taught me how to be a strong advocate in anti-bullying.”
The documentary, entitled "Consider Me, Include Me," was published in spring 2020. With graduation on the horizon, Zepeda plans to continue using her skills in film and teaching to continue her advocacy work.
“I feel like it really did change my life. It made me feel more excited about researching, about moving this topic of bullying forward,” Zepeda said. “It's made me more excited about being a teacher as well, because now I can take this into my own classroom and say that, ‘Oh, I've learned about bullying and I know there's ways that we can stop it.’”
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