Rural 2022

By Oswaldo Martinez, Raychel Brown and Rochus Sison

Today, we went back to Nuestra Casa and we indulged. The students and staff of Nuestra Casa gathered for a potluck. We witnessed the community come together to bring food and laughter around the table.

As the clatter of dishes being put away faded in the background, we gravitated towards Sister Mary Rita – the founder of Nuestra Casa. However, this isn’t her only achievement. She indulged us with stories about her life and her impact on the global community. Sister Mary Rita was part of the founding of Heritage University (which we visited yesterday), spearheaded a low income housing program in Lake Oswego, took part in social justice missions in Nicaragua and across Africa, started a Spanish-language program at a local university, and continues to serve as an educator in the valley.

Seeing the work Sister Mary Rita has done in social justice and activism has shown us that one person really can make a sustainable impact. Listening to the stories of people like Sister Mary Rita and the people of Nuestra Casa has enriched our education and expanded our perspectives. We are forever thankful for this experience that we have been allowed to participate in. 🙂 <3 xoxo

By Kevin Figueroa-Rangel

After having visited the Alvarez pepper farm, we visited Heritage University. We were introduced to Isaias, the student life director at the University. He went over the various programs that the institution offers, as well as the resources they provide the students with to help them succeed academically. He mentioned that the university, with the help of generous donors and other grants, covers 90% of the cost for nearly every student. Moreover, he mentioned that most students will actually find themselves attending without having to pay a single dime in tuition.  Given that the cost of attending college is increasing each year, it was nice to see that there are institutions that are prioritizing the education of their students. Towards the end of the visit, we were given the opportunity to speak with several students who currently attend Heritage. The biggest takeaway from the short QnA session was that most of the student body, after eventually completing their degree and graduating from Heritage, is interested in staying near the institution in order to give back to the community. This truly helped emphasize how strong of a community Heritage has and will continue to build as time passes.

By Brooke Niemer

Yesterday afternoon we visited Northwest Justice Project (NJP) where we listened to a presentation about what NJP does and specific details about the H2A program. The H2A program for migrant farmworkers is something that has been discussed throughout our time so far on the immersion, but we still had a lot of unknowns. This presentation provided the specifics of what it covered, how it worked, and who it was intended for. One thing that stood out to me is when they showed an example of an H2A visa which explicitly stated the dates of when they would be considered documented within the U.S. This stood out to me because the effects of their labor will have a much longer effect than their time for this particular visa since they are helping provide fresh produce to people which will have a positive effect on their health. One of the presenters is a Jesuit Volunteer, and we continued our time together during dinner.

After we visited NJP, we walked over to the Yakima house for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW and had a community dinner with them. Four people who we had never met before invited us into their house and community for dinner and a lively conversation. One thing that stood out to me was their passion for making connections and community. We were able to hear about how they chose JVC, their service placements and what their role is, the history of the JVC house, and the fun things that they engage in. They also asked very thought-provoking questions about our immersion and what brought us here, which made me feel very welcomed in their community. Their generosity and kindness are something that I will always remember.

By Gus Smith

Yesterday (Tuesday), our group sat in on a class for native Spanish speakers who were learning English, run by an organization called Nuestra Casa. Leading up to our visit, I was nervous. I’d practiced Spanish with native speakers very sporadically, and feared that I wouldn’t be able to understand or keep up with the things they might say to me. Upon our arrival to the church building that houses Nuestra Casa’s classrooms and offices, that fear started to disappear. Those I met inside were some of the most caring and friendly people I’ve ever had the pleasure of interacting with. The immediacy and energy with which they welcomed us broke any ice there might have been and allowed us to feel the level of relaxation necessary to form real connections. All of that happened before we even entered the classroom, but  continued inside. The students, who were full grown adults, many with children, had a passion for learning and a desire to engage with us that made it really easy to give help when it was asked for, or offer it when it appeared necessary. That mix of factors created an instant community between all of us that I’ve rarely seen anywhere else. Everyone was appreciated, recognized, and included, and I’m very excited to return to Nuestra Casa tomorrow for our next class.