Vanessa Luna - Philately: Stamp Collecting and its Connection to American Culture
After graduating with a major in Legal Studies and double minors in Chicano Studies and American Studies, Vanessa returned to Southern California to serve her community through both AmeriCorps and her local government. Using the skills and experience she gained at UC Berkeley, Vanessa moved to Los Angeles to work in a dream position as a College and Career Counselor at the Youth Center for Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention, rehab, and re-entry program. She plans on continuing her education in the near future, in order to further improve upon her skills to best assist her community. In her free time, she is typically watching a movie, writing letters to mail, contemplating American culture and history, and of course, collecting stamps.
Area of Concentration Courses
American Studies C171 - The American-Designed Landscape Since 1850
American Studies 10 1 The Ordinary and Extraordinary 1890s
American Studies 102AC - California, the West, and the World: From Gold and Guano to Google and the New Gilded Age
American Studies 101 - A History of the Present: The U.S. After 9/11
Thesis
Philately: Stamp Collecting and its Connection to American Culture
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Vanessa’s American Studies thesis centers around the history of stamp collecting in the United States and what it says about American culture. In a current society where paper mail is no longer used and technology is phasing out old methods of communication, stamp collecting has become an odd fixture that has been seen as an antiquated hobby. However, the hobby itself survives as the art of stamp collecting will continue as long as stamps are produced. Stamps have changed slightly in their intention, but remain important nonetheless. To what extent is stamp collecting still an important art to the average or un-average American? She argues that stamp collecting and philately has been an important facet of American culture because, despite the many major ways the United States has changed since the nineteenth century, philately has remained popular and prevalent for over 150 years. Stamp collecting and philately brought peace and solitude to many Americans in many different, difficult time periods and circumstances, making it a consistent element of an often-changing American culture.
