Western Hemisphere Institute
Connecting Latin American students to UA — August 27, 2009
The Western Hemisphere Institute at the University of Arizona shrinks the distance between us, as students from Latin America get a crash course on history and culture at the University of Arizona.
Western Hemisphere Institute
Kim Craft
From his village near Nayarit Oscar Munoz heads a group of students who promote indigenous history and culture. He got on an airplane for the first time in his life, leaving his home in Nayarit Mexico in July 2009 to travel to Tucson, Arizona. Munoz arrived as a VIP, Selected by the US State Department to participate in the Western Hemisphere Institute.
The institute serves students from Latin American countries, who share similar backgrounds. They come from minority groups of indigenous or Afro-Latin descent and have distinguished themselves as leaders in their communities.
Assistant Professor, at the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, Marcela Vasquez-Leon says the institute program trains the students to use their education to improve the places where they live.
"One of our goals is to bring them to a different context that they can see that there are people like themselves all over the world , that are struggling to make their communities better "
The students spend three weeks in Tucson, followed by two weeks in Boston, New York and Washington D.C. Activities at the University of Arizona include learning about culture and history of minority groups , meeting with local groups to improve leadership skills, and participating in community service, to see how it works differently here than in their countries.
The institute includes formal discussions and lots of field trips. From Abraham Ater they learned that as a child of 8 he left his home in Sudan, not knowing the shadow of war threatened his life, with his only guidance a pursuit of education.
"I left my parents, everything I have, clothes, shoes, my village, everyone, so all that was left to me was education I didn't have it but I have to pursue it. I have to go after it, find it where it was. I thought it was important to share that with them"
Where Carmen Esperanza Canto Mejia comes from, Quiche Guatamala, poverty and distance limit options and make access to education difficult. She plans to follow Ater's path, to earn a Ph.D in psychology, and continue her volunteer work in Guatemala city with the plan of eventually returning to her community.
"Y lo reste que generar Fuentes de trabajo y promover esta juventud de que studia , que siga a luchando por que si se puede. Suenamos ser una familia diferente que puede generar cambios e sobre todo buscar el buen comun de nuestro municipio."
(I wish to generate new sources of work and promote young students, who continue fighting, because yes we can! We are dreaming of becoming a different family that can make changes and most of all find well being for everyone in our community. )
At the same time Munoz expects to use the experience at the Institute to advance his cause at home in Nayarit.
"Se compartir mis esperiencias asi y seguir motivando los jovenes a que participen, que exploren el mundo que nos seremos verdad que los conoscamos el mundo en sus aspectos sin olvidar claro quienes somos no olvidar nuestros origins nuestro identidad cultural "
(to share my experience and continue motivating young people to participate, that they explore the world and we know the truth, that we know the world and not forget who we are, to not forget our origins and our cultural identity.)
Research and study have proved to us that the world is not flat, although it does have rough edges. Ignorance and fear can make us reluctant to explore the world. Yet a putting ones faith in education can make the sailing smoother and provide the opportunity to raise all boats.
