Name: Beth Segura
Title: Operations Coordinator
Previous Work: Operations Management for a network of public high schools in underserved communities throughout the Bay Area
A favorite quote: “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ee cummings
Currently Reading/Listening to/Watching: I’m currently watching As We See It, a tender reflection of people navigating adulthood with autism, and Station Eleven, a post-apocalyptic story of people making sense of life through theatre; I’m reading multiple dystopian novels which inspire me to dream of the world as it ought to be, including Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro; I regularly listen to NPR programming and This American Life, as well as a long playlist of indie rock and indie-folk musicians.
What have you been up to during your first couple of months at California Humanities?
My first couple of months at California Humanities revolved around getting to know the various programs and partnerships, the staff, and the operational, financial, and office procedures. It’s a unique experience starting a job in a fully remote environment, but I feel it is going as seamlessly as possible, and I attribute much of that to the supportive, welcoming, and warm culture at California Humanities.
How do humanities intersect with your life?
I think it’s difficult, if not impossible, to separate the humanities from daily living. Even while I am having the most ordinary of days – listening to news and stories on NPR in the morning, playing some of my favorite music, opening a book, walking past one of the beautiful murals in Oakland – I am engaging with the humanities. I will say that the most obvious intersection has been through the performing arts, as I have invested a lot of time listening to and telling human stories as both a theater-goer and a theatre practitioner. I also see an intersection with the humanities through my involvement with faith communities and volunteer work for various social justice causes.
You have lived in various parts of the state. What are some of your favorite spots to visit in California?
It’s been such an honor and joy to experience the diversity and beauty of California across the state, and I feel there is still so much more to explore. I hold a deep fondness for many spots, but I will just name a few that have captured my heart: Santa Barbara and in particular, the little pocket of Montecito where I went to college; the beaches of the Yuba River in Nevada County where I spent all my summers growing up; and Hawk Hill in the Marin headlands, which is where I first fell in love with the San Francisco Bay Area.
