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The sounds of crinkling gift wrap paper mixed with the laughter of students filled San Diego City College’s Curran Plaza, where first-year Julen Ocegueda set up his small but bustling gift-wrapping station.
Paper scraps, a pair of Fiskar scissors, tape, and his baby blue-colored iPhone lay on the table, as he gift wrapped a lavender-scented candle and a pair of jeans for an eager student.
“I don’t know how to wrap these curves,” Ocegueda said. “Whatever, it’s fine. A good crinkle is good for the soul.”
Ocegueda, along with his English C-1000 class, debuted a free campus-wide gift exchange on Nov 19.
The one-day event was held not only to help City College gift wrap for the holidays, but also to bring attention to the financial strain and overconsumption that can come with holiday gift shopping.
After watching documentaries like “The True Cost” and “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy” and reflecting on larger national issues such as the federal shutdown and removal of SNAP benefits, the class began to question the viability of holiday spending habits.
“This assignment was to get us to think about consumerism and sustainability,” Ocegueda said. “How much of what we buy (during the holidays) do we really need?”
For some students who attended, that reflection came with tangible benefits. Vanessa Vecerra, a 3D modeling and animation major, was grateful the event brought her some welcome financial relief.
“I’m so surprised, because I’ve never had this kind of opportunity,” Vecerra said. “I’ve always had to save so much money to buy (gifts) for my family. This is a blessing for me.”
A San Diego Community College District survey showed that nearly two-thirds of SDCCD students face some form of housing or food insecurity.
Professor Christy Ball, who supervised the event, knows about hardships firsthand.
“My husband got laid off,” Ball said. “He was furloughed the first week of June, then fully laid off the last week of July, and has been unemployed the rest of this year.”
Despite many facing hardships, Ocegueda remains grateful and optimistic. He believes supporting one another and building a community can help people get through difficult times.
“I’m so satisfied,” Ocegueda said. “Seeing (everyone) helping and everything – it’s amazing. Very nice to see so much commitment and so much trust in the City College community.”
This story was edited by Itzel Martinez, Mylo Gallardo and Tresean Osgood.
Update, Dec. 18: The story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of the name of Professor Christy Ball. City Times regrets the error.
