{"id":1700,"date":"2021-05-07T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/studying-psychedelic-mushrooms-propels-first-gen-student-to-divinity-school\/"},"modified":"2024-12-17T18:38:01","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T02:38:01","slug":"studying-mushrooms-propels-student-to-divinity-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/studying-mushrooms-propels-student-to-divinity-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Studying psychedelic mushrooms propels first-gen student to divinity school"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3471-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3471-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Studying psychedelic mushrooms propels first-gen student to divinity school\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Kimberly Melgoza completed her undergraduate thesis on psilocybin mushrooms with the help of a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The fellowships are awarded to high-achieving undergraduates from underrepresented minority groups. (Image: Courtesy of Kimberly Melgoza.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Studying psychedelic mushrooms propels first-gen student to divinity school<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Graduating senior Kimberly Melgoza has been studying how mind-altering substances, like psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca, have been used in rituals across Latin America. She\u2019ll bring this research to Yale Divinity School as a master\u2019s student this fall. <strong>[4\u00bd min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">May 7, 2021<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default 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class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>The small, coffee-colored mushroom <i>psilocybe Mexicana<\/i> is regarded with such awe by Mexico\u2019s indigenous communities that the Aztecs dubbed it \u201cteonanacatl\u201d or \u201cGod\u2019s Flesh.\u201d Imbibers say the psychedelic fungus induces visions that bring them closer to the spiritual plane.<\/p>\n<p>The little \u201cmagic mushroom\u201d also helped one student at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences earn a spot studying for a master\u2019s degree at Yale University.<\/p>\n<p>Kimberly Melgoza, who graduates from USC Dornsife with a degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/religion\">religion<\/a> on May 14, has been studying the use of the \u2018shroom in religious ceremonies as part of her <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/mmuf\">Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship<\/a>, work that will continue when she heads to Yale Divinity School this fall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this research for two years now. I did my honors thesis paper on mushrooms, and that\u2019s the paper I used for my writing sample when I applied to graduate schools,\u201d says Melgoza.<\/p>\n<p>After her master\u2019s degree, she hopes to pursue a career as a professor, sharing the passion for religious studies that she found while at USC Dornsife.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A religious conversion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Science, not religion, was Melgoza\u2019s first interest. She grew up in South Los Angeles, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, neither of whom attended college. University was on Melgoza\u2019s mind early on, however, thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/mesa.ucop.edu\/\">USC Viterbi\u2019s Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA)<\/a> program, which encourages economically disadvantaged students to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.<\/p>\n<p>MESA\u2019s programming often took place on the USC campus, so USC became a natural first choice when she applied for college. She started out as a neuroscience major with a pre-med focus, but a few unusual courses ignited a different passion.<\/p>\n<p>A class titled \u201cDeath and the Meaning of Life\u201d was among the first. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know it was a religion class at first. The more he talked about it, the more I was interested in it,\u201d says Melgoza.<\/p>\n<p class=\"transcript-list-item\">Next, she took \u201cDrugs, Alcohol, Visions and Altered States\u201d with <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1022649\">James McHugh<\/a>, associate professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/religion\">religion<\/a>, which piqued her interest in the way indigenous communities use psychedelics and other mind-altering substances in religious rituals.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Melgoza_Profile_InStoryA-3471.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of mushrooms.\" width=\"315\" height=\"490\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melgoza\u2019s command of Spanish helped her archival research of the fungus psilocybe Mexicana, which has been used ritually by Mexican Indigenous communities for millennia. (Image Source: Creative Commons.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cKimberly has a passionate, wide ranging curiosity for learning about religions and cultures, and in my classes she always showed an acute critical understanding of some very difficult materials, such as Indian philosophical texts,\u201d says McHugh<\/p>\n<p class=\"transcript-list-item\">She finally switched her major to religion during her junior year, after some intensive soul-searching.<\/p>\n<p class=\"transcript-list-item\">\u201cI started thinking about what I really wanted to do with my life. Did I really want to go to medical school?\u201d says Melgoza. \u201cI based my decision on the fact that, when writing my final paper in a religion class, I really had fun, I didn\u2019t stress about it. I thought, \u2018This is special. Maybe this is my passion, and what I want to do [with my life].\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"transcript-list-item\">Aztecs, alcohol and ayahuasca<\/h2>\n<p class=\"transcript-list-item\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/mmuf\">Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship<\/a> enabled Melgoza to dive more deeply into her interests. Aided by McHugh, Melgoza researched how various mind-altering substances like <i>psilocybe Mexicana <\/i>as well as ahuyasca and alcohol have played a role in Latin American religious practices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"transcript-list-item\">Substances like psilocybin mushrooms had been used ritually for thousands of years by indigenous groups in Mexico, but the Catholic Church suppressed their use after the arrival of the Spaniards in the 1400s. Unearthing the fungi\u2019s spiritual history helps bring light to traditions buried by colonization.<\/p>\n<p>Melgoza\u2019s heritage has been helpful as she digs through the USC Libraries for materials. \u201cI can\u00a0read Spanish and a lot of these articles are in Spanish,\u201d she says, although not everything she\u2019s uncovered has painted a picturesque vision of communing with the stars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was reading one excerpt from [Aztec emperor] Moctezuma II about taking holy mushrooms ceremonially, and they were talking about how people would take these and sometimes kill\u00a0themselves or others,\u201d says Melgoza.<\/p>\n<p>Her work through the Mellon Mays program has helped her prepare for the academic career she\u2019s set her sights on. Presenting at the Undergraduate Student Symposium gave her a chance to overcome her shyness, and she also submitted a paper to an academic journal. Although it ultimately wasn\u2019t accepted, Melgoza feels it was good practice for her years ahead in the academy, where persistence is required for success.<\/p>\n<h2>A hand out and a hand up<\/h2>\n<p>When she\u2019s not tracking <i>psilocybe Mexicana <\/i>and ayahuasca usage across Latin America, Melgoza is helping her South L.A. community. Every week, through USC\u2019s Share-A-Meal club, she rolls up vegan burritos with her fellow classmates and hands them out to the homeless camped on the outskirts of campus. She\u2019s been with the organization since her freshman year and is now the vice-president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really fell in love with it. I\u2019ve gotten to know a lot of people experiencing homelessness,\u201d she says. \u201c[Each week] I would reunite with them and ask how they\u2019re doing; they knew my name and I knew their name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melgoza is also giving back to the organization that first brought her to USC: She\u2019s now an undergraduate assistant with MESA, mentoring high school students hoping to attend college, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing students to campus for workshops and events.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a near mirror image of her own introduction to Troy, helping young students take their first steps in finding their intellectual passion, just as she did nearly a decade ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/history-of-mind-altering-drugs\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Prayer and peyote: Students learn the religious uses of mind-altering substances<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/student-studies-black-queer-phobia\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Mellon Mays scholar explores queer culture and Black identity<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/death-on-the-ganges\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Death on the Ganges: Students explore how death and religion intertwine in India<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graduating senior Kimberly Melgoza has been studying how mind-altering substances, like psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca, have been used in rituals across Latin America. She\u2019ll bring this research to Yale Divinity School as a master\u2019s student this fall. <strong>[4\u00bd min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":1703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,17],"tags":[150,229,104,214],"class_list":["post-1700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commencement","category-student","tag-dei-story","tag-first-generation-students","tag-religion","tag-undergraduate-spotlight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Studying psychedelic mushrooms propels first-gen student to divinity school<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Graduating senior Kimberly Melgoza has been studying how mind-altering substances, like psilocybin mushrooms, have been used in rituals across Latin America. 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