Voces Fuertes, a student immigrant advocacy organization at Goshen College, received the Latino Leadership Award for student organization of the year. It was awarded for its efforts of encouraging civic engagement in the community of Goshen and for its work in amplifying immigrant voices.
Community Pro-Education, an Elkhart County nonprofit organization that promotes education, health and culture, offered the award to Voces Fuertes, or “strong voices.”The organization selected Voces Fuertes for this recognition because of its efforts to advocate for immigrant rights and to bring awareness to the public about immigrant struggles.
Community Pro-Education will host a dinner on Friday, Oct. 16 to officially hand out the award.
Gilberto Perez Jr., the dean of students and vice president for student life and Hispanic serving initiatives, is the faculty adviser for Voces Fuertes and a member of the board of Community Pro-Education.
“This recognition dinner is an opportunity to recognize Latino leaders from the county, and let them know that they are doing a wonderful work in our community, that they should keep doing it and we want to affirm and recognize their work,” Perez Jr. said.
Students who wanted to speak about different issues affecting immigrants founded Voces Fuertes about two years ago. Since then, they have focused on organizing educational initiatives and participating in public demonstrations to help people understand immigration issues better.
“It is like the stuff we are doing is actually making an impact on the community,” said Ariana Montiel, a senior majoring in biochemistry and one of the leaders of Voces Fuertes. “We feel people outside of school notice.”
The group participated in multiple community initiatives, including an event where they collaborated with the Goshen City Democratic Party on immigration. Members of Voces Fuertes collected stories from the community and shared them at the event.
“We literally spoke to 700 people and we only had a small part of the event, but it is very meaningful to be able to actually tell the stories of people we know,” Montiel said.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, Voces Fuertes collaborated with Latino Student Union. Both organizations spoke about the importance of standing against oppression and highlighted their personal experiences.
“We were able to speak with our parents that way,” said Mafe Aguilar Vargas, a senior graphic design and marketing major, who is a leader of the organization. Aguilar Vargas also mentioned how impactful it was to speak about her personal experiences because it allowed others to understand her perspective and “why we should stand against the oppression that is happening.”
The student leaders of Voces Fuertes hope their work encourages people outside the Hispanic community to understand and support those who face discrimination.
“We want people to understand what immigrants go through and to be allies,” Aguilar Vargas said. “We also want people to take action on issues affecting other communities.”
Advocacy comes with challenges and responsibilities, including being dismissed by others and feeling uncertain about taking part in public events.
Yet, Voces Fuertes creates opportunities to speak up about issues affecting immigrants and their families.
“We are all immigrants, so why are we picking and choosing who stays and who doesn’t, or who belongs?” Aguilar Vargas said.
Perez Jr. said of Voces Fuertes, “They have found their voice and they are expressing it to others in ways that can encourage them to also become more civically engaged.”
