​Our Mission

Bear Closet aims to create a platform for the LGBTQ+ community to share their personal narratives with middle school and high school students in the Berkeley area. We encourage members and supporters of LGBTQ+ community to serve as mentors and advocates for the equality of all identities by sharing their personal journey toward self-love and acceptance. We hope to inspire youth to take pride in their own identity and fight for a stronger, more inclusive future.

What We Do

Bear Closet is a DeCal course offered at UC Berkeley dedicated to training and preparing students to speak at middle and high schools regarding LGBTQ life at college, through the Pacific Center’s Speaker’s Bureau program. Such services are essential to motivate LGBTQ adolescents to pursue higher education with the reassurance of a better, more inclusive future they may look forward to in college. This course is open to students of all genders and sexualities (including straight, cisgender allies), and will facilitate students’ volunteer work with LGBTQ support organizations, including the Pacific Center and Center for Educational Partnerships.

We welcome anyone interested in sharing their queer-related stories and experiences (i.e. personal, of a friend/family member, etc.) at middle and high school classrooms, in hopes of motivating out or closeted youth to pursue college education with the assurance of a better future. Rather than strictly focusing on assignments and deadlines, this two-unit DeCal prioritizes class discussion and bonding among its members, for the sake of establishing a strong base for community service.

For more information on our DeCal, feel free to read the syllabus here.

Who We Are

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​Ryan KamKar

Hi y’all! My name is Ryan (pronouns: he/him/his), and I am a third-year Public Health student at UC Berkeley. I am an avid volunteer for non-profit organizations that focus on community education and health (MEDLIFE, Berkeley Free Clinic, and Refugee Transitions). Growing up in an Iranian family and conservative city with limited exposure to LGBTQ+ community and history, I have always dreamt of creating an organization like Bear Closet that allows youth to connect with mentors and role models in the queer community. I’m super excited to continue working with a group of dedicated Bear Closet leaders and students this year, as we strive to increase the scope of our outreach as well as our impact in the community. Fun facts: I am a fan of all music, from alternative/independent rock to classical (I played marimba in high school). I also enjoy traveling and meeting new people. Someday, I would love to go backpacking through other countries and learn about the unique cultural and life experiences each person has to share.

Olivia Hanson

​Hi, my name is Olivia Hanson! You can call me Liv. My pronouns are she/her/hers or they/them/theirs. I am a senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Theater & Performance Studies. I consider myself an artist, student activist, and ecofeminist from Los Angeles. I have tutored students in Gender Studies, Marriage and Family, and human sexuality. I have been practicing hip hop and modern dance throughout my life. I am also a visual artist and have a passion for making music videos and dance films. I am currently living at Lothlorien co-op working as a Waste Reduction manager. I was just recently our social manager and was in charge of planning live music performances, art shows, camping trips, dance parties, as well as consent and harm reduction workshops. I was a student in Bear Closet Fall 2017 and co-facilitated Spring 2018. A fun fact about me is that I am a vegetarian and enjoy long sunny days on the beach, and sneaking into music festivals. Can’t wait to meet you!

Marcelo QuiJano

​Hi everybody, my name is Marcelo Quijano, and I am a third-year student majoring in Anthropology and Integrative Biology! I identify myself as a bisexual man of color and I use he/him/his pronouns. I have been teaching Bear Closet for two semesters now, and I am very excited to meet this semester’s class! I decided to facilitate Bear Closet because I believe in the course’s mission and enjoy watching the growth of everyone who completes the course. In addition to Bear Closet, I am also serving as the External Vice President of Sigma Epsilon Omega, the gay and queer fraternity, and work at the library as an events coordinating assistant. A fun fact about me is that I am from San Salvador, El Salvador and immigrated into the U.S at the age of seven.

Erinn Wong

​Hello! My name is Erinn Wong, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a sophomore at UC Berkeley as an Intended Business and Media Studies major. In 2014, I started a club in high school called Club H.E.R.O., which stands for Helping Everyone Reach Out. Our mission was to raise awareness of social issues by giving students the opportunity to voice them through weekly discussions and action projects, while relating to a superhero theme. Club H.E.R.O. sparked my passion for social justice; starting and running a club gave me a small glimpse of what business can do for people and social impact, and how it can influence systems and cultures. I am also a proud first-generation Chinese American, who enjoys learning Chinese language and culture and playing the Chinese yo-yo. My ethnic and cultural identity is an important part of me, so I always enjoy learning about other people’s identities and experiences. I joined Bear Closet as a student Spring 2018, and will now be returning as a facilitator. I am so excited to keep learning about the cause and to meet everyone!