On May 24, 2024, shortly after CSUSB spring commencement celebrations, a group of outstanding History students from both the Palm Desert and main San Bernardino campuses enjoyed an excursion to a local museum and a festive dinner in the Coachella Valley.

Geoffrey Demke ('24), recently named the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus Outstanding Graduate, told me about the experience to the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, and mentioned meeting up with classmates from the main campus History Club.  "At the Cultural Museum, we started out in a big round room with displays and screens all around us, including the ceiling. The museum showed a 15-minute animated show that included lights and sounds that showed some of the legends of the Cahuilla people. This presentation was shown at a 360 degree angle so you could watch it no matter where in the room you sat. After the presentation we walked through some of the rooms that displayed some of the tools and artwork of the Cahuilla. One of the favorite things that I saw were the baskets that were made by the Cauilla."

Demke continued, "When I gave tours at the Coachella Valley History Museum, I would tell the patrons how intricate those baskets were. While the Coachella Valley History Museum had only a few baskets, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum had an astounding variety of baskets with different shapes and designs.  I was even able to watch a video of a current member of the Cahuilla who made a basket and explained that she learned to make it from her grandmother. The History Club entered the Cultural Museum together but once inside everyone seemed to gravitate to different things and we were quite spread out. Obviously, it was the baskets that grabbed my attention. There were dates and pictures of important events that happened here in the Coachella Valley. We also learned about the importance of water here in the desert. There was a room that showed huge and amazing older photos of the Cahuilla. Since the whole experience was self guided, some of us finished before others and sat on the benches while the others trickled out. We exchanged views and experiences with each other, and talked about our eye-opening experiences. We all then walked down the block to eat at a Thai restaurant. A great end to a great day."

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