Ryan Alaniz MA,PhD

Please check out our recent article co-written by my dear friend Laura Olson.  

Below is a heartbreaking video from the BBC attempting to answer this question.  Two Hondurans share how they sent their children over the Mexico/US border alone so they may have a better life. ‘I sent my seven-year-old across the border alone’ – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-50866766

In case you haven’t seen it.  We are pretty much all in agreement.  99% of scholars recognize that there is a climate crisis and we need to make significant changes soon!

Many of my friends and students are overwhelmed by the enormity of the climate crisis issue.  So I am especially appreciate of this recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.  They argue that the most important thing we can do is share what we know with others, especially our family members … More Most important Climate Action-Talk About it!

Students and colleagues often feel overwhelmed by the tremendous complexity and size of the climate crisis.  But we must start somewhere.  Below is a social movement entitled Buen Vivir as described by Sergio Beltran: Buen vivir (living well, or living well together) is an indigenous Latin American term describing alternatives to development rooted in community, … More Buen Vivir

‘The best teacher will send you back to yourself… the greatest teacher knows they are only a temporal guide. Never the destination. Never the answer.” –Nayyirah Waheed

I currently teach at the San Luis Obispo county jail and the California Men’s Colony State Prison. One of the most profound lessons I gained teaching inside a correctional facilitate concerns the stereotypes about prisoners and agency.  Following the famous saying by James Bradford, “But for the grace of God go I,” I recognize that … More There but for the grace of God…

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying … More We Are Prophets

Outside of the academy, I homestead with my family.  I love it and find it enables me to live in a way that brings my values and actions closer together.  However, many folks just don’t understand this lifestyle.  Here is a brief description that describes why we do what we do.

The legend of Oprah Winfrey