Richard Aguirre, director of corporate and foundation relations, has helped reinforce GC’s commitment to first-generation Latino students. Last year, he formulated and proposed a college prep program for Goshen High School. The project’s beginnings were part of a larger vision for Indiana. “I was part of a state commission organized by IUPUI (Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis). The goal of this effort was to develop an agenda to propel Indiana forward for the next couple of decades,” Aguirre said. One statistic this interdisciplinary committee was combatting was population decline in the Midwest. Bordering states have decreased in numbers in...

By Marris Opsahl • March 16, 2017 • Features

Generally, Elijah Lora, a first-year, feels that protests are not effective in changing public policy, but he went to a protest last Thursday anyway. A week ago, Goshen High School students organized a protest in support of the “Day Without Immigrants” movement, and Goshen College students were among those protesting in downtown Goshen. “I am very much aware that racism and prejudice still exist in the city of Goshen,” Lora said, “but this protest wasn’t for the racists.” After realizing that protesting doesn’t always mean opposing those who disagree with you, Lora decided he need to show support by attending...

By Jordan Waidelich • February 23, 2017 • News

Tonight, Feb. 2, Goshen College will hold its second Latino scholarship dinner, a banquet that celebrates the college’s Latino students and their accomplishments. The meal is a fundraiser opportunity to provide adequate funding for scholarships for these Latino students, who now make up 20 percent of Goshen’s student body. In addition to Latino students and faculty, alumni, donors, business owners, educators and other associates who have shown interest in Goshen College and its Latino population have been invited to listen to the stories of these students. Students will elaborate on some of the challenges, successes and other stories they’ve taken...

By Josh Stoltzfus • February 2, 2017 • News

Richard Aguirre, alongside many others, is attempting to bring hope to the undocumented community of Elkhart County. Aguirre, director of corporate and foundation relations at Goshen College, has helped create a network called Elkhart County HOPE. According to Aguirre, Elkhart County HOPE, “aims to be a collaborative network of educators, churches, nonprofit organizations, businesses and individuals who are willing to help immigrants (and refugees) who may be caught up in the latest enforcements of the Trump administration.” The network was created after a convocation held in response to Election Day. After the convocation, Latino students flocked to Aguirre, Rocio Diaz...

By Abby King • February 2, 2017 • News

“Hoping and praying for the best, but planning for the worst.” That’s what Richard Aguirre, director of corporate and foundation relations, is doing in the days before Donald Trump is inaugurated. Aguirre and Jose Chiquito, a first-year, were invited to speak at a press conference in South Bend with the Community Coalition for Immigration Reform and St. Joe Valley Jobs with Justice. On Jan. 14, Chiquito and Aguirre spoke in support of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump plans on repealing. “It was an honor to be able to speak at a gathering that was part...

By Jordan Waidelich • January 19, 2017 • News

Alexa Valdez, a senior social work major, learned at a very young age what it means to make a commitment to someone. At 18, Valdez stood in front of a judge, alongside her husband, and took an oath to love and to cherish him until the day he dies. Valdez reflects on that commitment and her husband’s lack of documentation. Being a Latina in the United States, have you ever been directly affected by the topic of immigration? My spouse is currently undocumented. Over the years, this topic has become extremely personal to me because it affects the way we...

By Dez Lopez • January 19, 2017 • Features

In support of undocumented immigrant students, President Brenneman has signed a statement that calls for the continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Along with 424 other college presidents, Brenneman wanted to show his support for students with DACA status. He also wanted to make a public statement on behalf of Goshen College. “We want to be especially alert and advocate for the continuation of the program,” he said. In the next few days, Brenneman plans to share a public letter to the campus community regarding the college’s commitment to all students, especially those that are vulnerable....

By Jordan Waidelich • December 1, 2016 • News

For some listeners, one word stood out during the Latino Student Union’s convocation in September: Latinx. Alexa Valdez, a senior social work major and a Latino Student Union leader, spoke during chapel on Sept. 14 about what exactly it means to be Latinx. “Latinx is trying to break through the barriers that the Spanish language presents,” she said. “It’s full of the gender binary, which makes it difficult for people who don’t identify within the binary to name themselves.” One key aspect that Valdez stresses is that Latinx invites people to be more inclusive and to be better allies to...

By Dez Lopez • November 10, 2016 • Features

In a single week, Gilberto Perez, senior director of intercultural development and educational partnerships, was recognized with two awards. Perez’s work in education and advocacy for the Latino community is the reason he was the recipient of these awards. He began his role with CIIE in 2014, but he’s spent years bringing together diverse people and advocating on behalf of the Latino community in Goshen. Despite his administration position in CIIE, Perez spends time mentoring students and being a role model for them. He also strives to make connections between people and create bridges. On Sept. 28, Perez was honored...

By Jordan Waidelich • October 13, 2016 • Features

In celebration of Indiana’s bicentennial, a torch relay passed through Elkhart County on Tuesday Oct. 4, featuring three Goshen College employees. The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay started in Harrison County on Friday Sept. 9 and will finish in Marion County on Oct. 15. Richard Aguirre, director of corporate and foundation relations, Rocio Diaz, CIIE coordinator of intercultural community engagement, and Gilberto Perez, senior director of intercultural development and educational partnerships, each took a turn running through Goshen with the torch. “It was a fun experience,” said Perez, “but perhaps the greatest joy in all of this was seeing the GC...

By Jordan Waidelich • October 6, 2016 • News

Goshen College is within 5 percent and approximately two years of reaching its goal of being a Hispanic-Serving Institution. This week, President Barack Obama declared Sept. 12 through Sept. 18 National Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Week. Goshen College is an emerging HSI, with this year’s Hispanic student population reaching 20 percent of all full-time undergraduate students. A Hispanic-Serving Institution is an institute of higher education that has an enrollment of full-time undergraduates with at least 25 percent Hispanic students. According to NBC News, there are 435 qualified HSIs in the U.S. and 310 “emerging HSIs,” whose Hispanic population is between 15...

By Maddie Birky • September 15, 2016 • News

Gilberto Perez works at the Center for Intercultural and International Education, or CIIE. He’s worked there for two years and is tasked with seeing the movement in three different areas. The three areas are intercultural leadership, intercultural community engagement and intercultural dialogue. Each area has a different goal that it is working towards. The intercultural leadership area works at overseeing student programs and intercultural academies. “[In] the leadership academies we partner with the chamber of commerce,” said Perez. “Last year we did ‘Cultivating Leaders of Tomorrow.’ [We brought] business professionals together to think about their leadership style.” Intercultural community engagement...

By Elsa Lantz • April 14, 2016 • Features

This past Saturday, Goshen College’s Latino Student Union hosted the school’s first ever dance marathon at the Recreation-Fitness Center, in conjunction with the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance. The event was an opportunity for people to dance, play and eat all in support of a local cause. The Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance (IUYA) is a youth-led Indiana organization with the mission to bring attention and change to the way policies inhumanely affect undocumented families. The organization provides support to youth who are looking to achieve higher education in Indiana. Goshen College and LSU allied themselves with the IUYA by creating the...

By Josh Stoltzfus • April 7, 2016 • News

The Goshen College Latino Student Union will hold GC’s first ever benefit dance marathon on Saturday, April 2 in the Recreation and Fitness Center. The event is called “Dance Marathon: Dance Today for the People of Tomorrow.” According to Janeth Vela, a junior LSU leader, the Saturday night event will feature “a Mario Kart video game competition, bouncy houses, lots of good food, dancing of course, ping pong, basketball, henna tattooing, a rave, speakers, great food and we will also be airing the March Madness semifinals.” Last semester at the annual Club Summit, Claire Frederick, a junior, shared an idea:...

By Jenae Longenecker • March 31, 2016 • News

Alexa Valdez has become quite the prominent figure on campus as a third year social work major. As one of the leaders of Latino Student Union, or LSU, she has grown to become a leading voice in the campus Latino community. “I am in charge of social media [for LSU],” Valdez said. “I write Facebook posts, announcements in the communicator and emails about what’s going on and what we are planning.” Valdez, a Goshen local, chose GC for a variety of reasons. She was involved in college activities as a child and a member of the children’s choirs in the...

By Christi Sessa • February 4, 2016 • Features