Joshua L. Mills received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the UCLA College of Letters and Science and was a student speaker at his departmental commencement ceremony last June. A women’s studies major, Mills designed a concentration that addressed his interest in film: gender and sexuality in the media. He received the department’s Academic Excellence Award. Mills, a member of the Palisades Charter High School class of 2000, battled clinical depression beginning in his junior year of high school, and his struggle was the subject of a feature article in the Post [“Dealing with Depression,” September 30, 2004]. He was gradually able to overcome his depression during his undergraduate years. In his commencement address, Mills confessed that he originally intended for women’s studies to be a temporary major when he started at UCLA. He explained, “Almost immediately, however, I realized that the classes were fascinating…I found that my perspective on life itself was changing…Women’s studies isn’t about just women; it’s about everyone. It’s about how we’re all alike, and how we’re all different…It’s about not merely understanding and tolerating these differences, but embracing them.” About his experiences at UCLA, he said, “These have been the happiest years of my life…I never could have predicted that I would end up a women’s studies major, but it has turned out to be one of life’s happy accidents. I feel I understand our society better, and I feel I understand myself better.” Mills will apply what he learned at UCLA as he pursues the two career paths that interest him: film criticism and teaching. He is currently an instructional aide at Marquez Charter School, his own alma mater, and he plans to travel in Europe before earning his teaching credential. Mills is the son of Rick and Ruth Mills. His sister, Jeanette, is on schedule to graduate from UCLA in June of 2008.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
