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.
