QUE SALEN DE SUS PAÍSES POR UN PORVENIR MEJOR PARA SUS FAMILIAS.
EL DOCTOR RAMÓN TORENCIJA ES UN VIVO EJEMPLO DE LUCHA
Y PERSEVERANCIA,ÉL ACTUALMENTE ES EL PRESIDENTE
DE WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY,
CON UN DOCTORADO EN SOCIOLOGÍA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE WISCONSIN.
>>>GRACIAS POR ESTE TIEMPO DOCTOR.
>>>MY PLEASURE
>>>¿CUANDO VINO PARA ACÁ PARA LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS?
¿COMO FUERON ESO INICIOS?
>>>THE BEGINGING WAS HARD. WHEN I CAME HERE I WAS 17 YEARS OLD.
I DID NOT SPEAK ANY ENGLISH.
I GREW UP ION BRAZIL BUT MY FATHER IS PUERTO RICAN
AND I CAME TO WORK IN THE FARM
TO PICK APPLES,
PEARS AND CHERRIES AND LIVED IN A CAMP A MIGRANT CAMP.
MY SECOND SUNDAY IN THAT FARM
I WAS REALLY GOING OUT OF MY MIND
AND SO I WENT TO THE ROAD
AND I HITCH HIKED AND A CAR PASSED
BY AND CAME BACK AND THIS CAR TOOK ME TO A BAPTIST CHURCH
I WAS RAISED CATHOLIC BUT THEY TOOK MY TO A BAPTIST CHURCH
AND IN THIS CHURCH THEY GAVE ME A BIBLE IN ENGLISH
AND IN SPANISH AND THATS HOW I BEGAN TO LEARN ENGLISH;
TRANSLATING READING IN SPANISH FIRST AND THEN READING IN ENGLISH.
AFTER A YEAR ON THE FARM I JUST LEFT AND I ALSO THROUGH
THE CHURCH MET A FAMILY OF MISSIONARIES
AND I WENT TO PORTLAND STATE UNIVERISTY
AND I SAID YOU KNOW I DONT HAVE ANY PAPERS
I DONT HAVE ANY TRANSCRIPTS BUT I REALLY WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL.
>>>SO WHO HELPING YOU TO BE SUCSESS IN YOUR CAREER?
>>>IT WAS REALLY A FACULTY MEMBER PROFESOR OF SOCIOLOGY
THAT ONE DAY SHE SAID TO ME "YOU KNOW RAMON YOURE
A SMART ENOUGH TO DO WHAT I DO" SO THAT MADE
THE WORLD SMALLER SHE SAW POSSIBILITES IN ME THAT AT
THAT TIME I DIDNT THINK THAT THEY WERE THERE
BUT LOTS OF PEOPLE HELPED ME.
>>>ALOT OF STUDENTS, THEY CAME FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
AND THEY DONT REALLY HAVE THE SAME OPPURTUNITY LIKE YOU.
WHY DO YOU THINK IS THAT?
>>>I THINK FIRST OF ALL THERE IS A MYTH.
THAT LATINOS DONT VALUE EDUCATION. THAT IS WRONG
WE DO VALUE EDUCATION.
I THINK HOWEVER ALOT OF LATINOS DO NOT HAVE THE CULTURAL CAPITAL
TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD OF ACADEMIA.
WE DONT KNOW WHAT A FINANCIAL AID FORM IS.
WE DINT KNOW YOU KNOW THE RYTHM OF WHAT HAPPENS
IN A INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND QUITE FRANKLY
IT CAN BE INTIMIDATING SO HAVING SOMEBODY
CAN OPEN THE DOOR AND JUST SIT DOWN WITH YOU
AND DEMYSTIFY THE PROCESS. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
>>>SO NOW YOU ARE A LEADER ,
YOU ARE PRESIDENT OF A VERY PRETSTIGE UNIVERSITY.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SUPPORT OUR LATINO COMMUNITY?
>>>WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR STUDENT POPULATION ONLY 20 %
OF OUR STUDENTS ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR.
SO WE GOTTA CHANGE THAT WE GOTTA DIVERSIFY THE STUDENT POPULATION
AND WE GOTTA DIVERSIFY THE FALCULTY.
SO WE ARE STARTING THIS NOW WITH THIS PROGRAM CALLED"
THE WESTFIELD PROMISE".
"THE WESTFIELD PROMISE" IS A BOUT HAVING A FALCULTY MEMBER
FROM WESTFIELD STATE TO WORK WITH A FALCULTY IN HIGH SCHOOL
AND WE ARE WORKING WITH HIGH SCHOOLS IN HOLYOKE,
IN SPRINGFIELD AND WESTFIELD. OUR FALCULTY AND THE FALCULTY
FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL WILL TEACH A COURSE TOGETHER
AND ITS CALLED "THE STRETCH COURSE."
SO YOU TAKE POLITICAL SCIENE 101 INSTEAD OF TEACHING
THAT COURSE ONE SEMESTER WE ARE STRETCHING THAT COURSE
FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. AND WE ARE TEACH STUDENTS, JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL,
WHEN THEY COME TO THEIR SENIOR YEAR THEY COME
TO WESTFIELD STATE AND TAKE COURSES AT THE WESTFIELD STATE.
WHAT THAT DOES IS IT SORTA INTRODUCES THESE STUDENT
TO WESTFIELD STATE IT DEMYSTIFY WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN
A UNIVERSITY AND IT ALSO PAIRS THESE STUDENTS WITH NOT ONLY
WITH FALCULTY BUT PEERS, COUNSELORS SO THE WHOLE PROCESS
BECOMES MUCH EASIER AND THE WHOLE TRANISTION BECOMES EASIER .
¿SE HA SENTIDO ALGUNA VEZ DISCRIMINADO POR SER LATINO?
¿LE VIERON DIFERENTE?
>>>WHENEVER YOU HAVE AN ACCENT, WHICH I DO RIGHT ,
SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT YOU DONT HEAR WELL
OR YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE SAYING SO IVE NOTICED
THAT SOMETIMES WHEN EVEN TO THIS DAY WHEN I INTRODUCE MYSELF
AND TALK TO SOMEBODY THEY WIL RAISE THEIR VOICE AND MAKE SURE
THAT THEYRE SPEAKING LOWER THAN THEY USUALLY DO
BUT THERE HAS ALSO BEEN ALOT OF INSTANCES WHERE
IVE BEEN HELPED BY ALOT OF PEOPLE.
¿COMO SE SINTIO ESE TIPO DE RECHAZO? Y NO FUE UN INTERMEDIARIO
DE UNA FORMA NEGATIVA PARA NO LOGRAR SU META.
>>>YOU FACE THIS TYPE OF DISCRIMINATION AND RACSIM
BY REMINDING YOURSELF OF WHO YOU ARE BY SAYING TO YOURSELF
THESE INCIDENTS DO NOT DEFINE WHO I AM.
MY GRANDMOTHER USE TO SAY THAT
" SUCCESS IS THE GREATEST REVENGE"
AND SO WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE SOMETHING LIKE THIS
YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG ITS HURTFUL ITS INFURIATING
BUT YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT YOUR GREATER PURPOSE AND
YOU HAVE TO MARCH ON WE ALL WALK AROUND ASKING
THE VERY SIMPLE QUESTION HOW DO I DO THAT IN LIFE
? HOW DO I ACCOMPLISH? HOW DO I FOLLOW MY DREAMS?
DONT LOSE SIGHT OF THAT. YOU CAN DO IT.
YOU TOO ONE DAY CAN HAVE CAN HAVE
AN IMPACT IN OTHER PEOPLE LIVES
AND YOU CAN ONE DAY DO WHAT I DO.
SO DONT GIVE UP. KEEP GOING.