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I am a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (KPA-CTP, FFCP) and the Sole Proprietor of Saturn Dog Training. I use training methods rooted in Behavioral Science and Applied Behavioral Analysis. I am lucky to have clients who come to me for help with their reactive/fearful/aggressive dogs, specifically because their values align with mine. I do not condone the intentional use of punishment, fear or discomfort in teaching plans of any kind. Whether I am teaching skills to dogs, cats, fish, or humans I feel that the use of pain or intimidation is unethical at best.

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I am an organizational team member of Sacramento Zouk, a dance company that has facilitated Brazilian Zouk classes, workshops and social events for over 10 years in Sacramento. I assist in teaching classes, managing the video archive and creating social media content.

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My parents immigrated from Taiwan as newlyweds in the 80s so my father could pursue his PhD in Magnetic Resonance Imaging from the University of California, Irvine. They had intended to return to Taiwan after attaining the degree, but became pregnant with my brother while in school and chose to stay in America to raise him here. I was born 8 years later.

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My childhood and upbringing blended a lot of elements from Taiwanese, Cantonese and Chinese cultures with my experience of being born and raised in America. My closest connection to these Asian cultures was church. Chinese speaking churches were where our languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien) were spoken freely, our food was reminiscent of our home countries, and adults were all considered Aunties and Uncles. Mandarin Chinese was technically my first language, but my English caught up quickly once I started school.

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My senior year of high school, I applied to colleges as an Acting major. I auditioned and was waitlisted at CalArts and Chapman University, but ultimately wasn’t accepted at either institution. I decided to take a gap year to figure out if Acting was really what I wanted to dedicate my life to, and I’m so grateful I did.

I met some incredibly creative people that year, and gained insight to their lifestyles and financial situations. The happiest creatives I met were the ones who didn’t make art for money. The most successful people I met were the ones who found a high paying 9 to 5 that allowed them the financial resources to fuel their creative endeavors. I also partied hard and went to a lot of raves that year, which exposed me to drug culture and harm reduction.

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After my gap year I chose to major in Psychology because I wanted to gain more understanding of mental illness, the intersection between mental illness and mental health, and the role of drugs in human experiences and behavior. I earned my A.A. in Psychology at Irvine Valley College and graduated magna cum laude with honors in 2018.

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At the end of my two years in community college, I applied and was accepted to my father’s alma mater the University of California, Irvine. I was offered a regent’s scholarship and was in the process of interviewing with research labs. However, at this time my mental illness was at its height and I didn’t have the necessary time, support or resources to address it. I made the difficult decision to withdraw my acceptance. My scholarship could not be deferred.

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After a 6 year break from higher education, I applied and was accepted as a transfer student at Sac State. I am majoring in Psychology with a minor in Non-Profit Management. I plan to use these degrees to transition my business (Saturn Dog Training) into a 501c so I can help more dogs find homes and be successful in those homes, decreasing the need for rehoming and euthanasia.

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At the end of my first year of college (2017) I experienced a Manic Episode with Psychotic Features and was 5150’d (involuntary psychiatric hospitalization). Because I did not have medical insurance at the time (my dad was between jobs) I was held in a county facility along with others without health insurance. These were people experiencing homelessness as well as those who had been arrested then transferred to the facility from prison due to mental illness.

There are a few individuals from that time who I will never forget. One in particular was an older man with schizophrenia who arrived before me and who I watched become stable over the course of days. On the day of his release, we asked him what he was going to do next. He said that they were giving him a bus pass, three days worth of medication and he had $500 to his name. He planned on using that money to get a place to stay for a week. From there, who knows…

It was there that I became intimately aware of the vicious cycle that happens to unhoused individuals with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness.

(Episode/Psychosis -> Acute Stabilization -> Release With No Referral for Follow Up Care -> Episode/Psychosis)

As for me, I utilized county resources to attain follow up care after release. I left the facility with three days worth of medication, so I had three days to find a medical practitioner through the county who I could work with to keep myself stable. It was not an ideal situation, but it kept me stable enough to finish my Associate’s degree.

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I’ve now lived with Bipolar 1 Disorder/SPMI for over 8 years. I consider myself living proof that people with SPMI can live stable, meaningful, productive lives with the right care and resources.

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Miriam “meer-ee-um”

(on social media I sometimes go by Saturn)

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Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs

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Junior

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Psychology

Minor in Non-Profit Management

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Sun ♊️ Gemini

Moon ♍️ Virgo

Rising ♎️ Libra

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I’m fur mom to 2 cats and 2 dogs (see pictures)

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Loki and Mija

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Nessie and Pepperjack

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I hope that at the end of this semester I will be able to speak more eloquently on topics of race, culture and intersectionality.