The 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 Latine Student Organization hosted activist Saul Flores, who shared the personal growth he experienced by walking more than 5,000 miles to trace the route many immigrants take to the United States.
阿宾顿,爸爸. -拉丁学生组织 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 9月11日，西班牙传统月拉开帷幕. 15岁，邀请著名活动家索尔·弗洛雷斯, 谁走了超过5步,000 miles to personally experience the arduous and dangerous journey that many immigrants endure on their way to the United States.
The seeds of the Walk of Immigrants were sown during an intensive leadership development fellowship he was awarded as a college student. 他用这笔钱组织了一次去中美洲的服务之旅, which inspired Flores to raise awareness of the struggles immigrants face.
“This project became bigger as I became more curious about my identity. 这成了我所在社区的故事. 在一个意想不到的地方, 我发现了我要服务的社区,“弗洛, 非法移民的儿子, 说.
他拿走了20多个,沿途的人和地方的照片, using proceeds from the sale of the images and sponsorships to help rebuild the lone elementary school in his mother’s rural hometown of Atencingo, 墨西哥.
Flores described his difficult walk through the infamous Darien Gap, a roadless and lawless jungle border region that immigrants often traverse. 在走了许多英里之后, he and the human smuggler he paid encountered an armed solider who forced them to turn around. Flores then nearly died after being exposed to poison from an native frog before finishing his trek through 10 countries months later.
“Immigrants leave behind their homes and communities for something that isn’t certain. My mother 说 that people don’t know how hard it is to leave not for opportunity, 而是为了一次又一次的机会,他说.
弗洛雷斯分享了他的经历, he reminded the students that their stories are their most valuable assets.
“我们对人们如何谈论我们变得麻木, 但我们的故事是拉丁美洲的支柱,他说, while a carousel of striking images from the Walk of Immigrants rotated in the background.
弗洛雷斯敦促观众不仅要庆祝著名的拉丁裔, but also everyday people such as farm workers and those who toil in mundane occupations to feed their families.
“在这个国家做移民很难. 移民为我们带来了他们的双手和双脚, 但他们也带来了他们的食谱和文化,他说, after describing the multiple labor-intensive jobs his parents held.
Look inward, Flores told them, and assess the impact you are having on the world.
“Cement within yourself a real passion to serve the greater community, 你会做出不可思议的改变,他说, before sharing his phone number with the audience so they could connect with him.
索尔·弗洛雷斯的活动, which was livestreamed at other Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, 是由宾大环球和学生发起费赞助的. To find out about additional Hispanic Heritage Month events at 阿宾顿, log on to 参与.
丹尼尔·加西亚, 左, president of the Latine Student Organization at 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校, and visiting activist Saul Flores shared their journeys before the kick off event for Hispanic Heritage Month.
丹尼尔·加西亚 leads the 阿宾顿 campus Latine Student Organization (LSO), 协调弗洛雷斯访问的200多名成员.
加西亚, 来自哥伦比亚的国际学生, echoed the emphasis Flores placed on the importance of owning and sharing your personal story.
“When I was leaving my country and saying goodbye to my dad, he 说 he wanted me to be outstanding. 我是这个国家的第一代, 他想让我写一份最好的简历，建立一个关系网,加西亚说.
加西亚 quickly started knocking out those goals, working for 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校's 全球项目办公室 to support other international students and as a Lion Ambassador tour guide. He also became active with the Student Government Association and LSO.
“LSO很重要，因为它有助于学生建立网络, 它可以帮助你建立自己的地位,”加西亚, 金融专业的二年级学生, 说.
今年, LSO is focusing on sharing the multiple cultures of students that fall under its umbrella, 包括哥斯达黎加, 墨西哥和波多黎各, along with the experiences of students who are born in the United States with Latino heritage.
“We offer an amazing opportunity for our students because no other Penn State location is as diverse as 阿宾顿. 多样性使你成长为一个人. I learn something every single day about cultures from around the world,加西亚说.
Although 加西亚 is moving on to the University Park campus next year, he urged students who may be struggling to adapt to college to reach out to LSO or other campus organizations.
“我们会帮助你了解校园和这里的人. 我们希望成为新生的资源。.
关于宾大阿宾顿
威尼斯人娱乐信誉平台分校提供了一个负担得起的, accessible and high-impact education to its diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. 有3个以上,100名学生, 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 is a residential campus that offers bachelor’s degrees in 25 majors, 本科研究, 施赖尔荣誉学院, NCAA三级田径和更多.
