Su Casa Hispanic Center

Kaitlyn Hegewald, Summer 2018

My Urban Health Project for the summer of 2018 consisted of a service project that focused on Su Casa Hispanic Center’s youth enrichment program for low-income Hispanic/Latino children, Vacaciones Útiles. This unique program serves over 50 students each summer ranging from pre-school to second grade to help them grow intellectually, socially, and spiritually. I served as a teaching assistant for the first grade class and collaborated with the first grade teacher to help her with lesson plans and leading various activities in the classroom. The students arrived at 8 a.m., and the day began with breakfast and morning classes followed by lunch, recess, and afternoon classes until 2 p.m. Each week, the students explored a different theme such as animals, nature, health, outer space, music, and culture through a bilingual program. The students were instructed in both English and Spanish to encourage development in both languages. The Spanish language is a large part of the culture of the students at Vacaciones Útiles, and I think that it is amazing that the bilingual program celebrates this. The importance of maintaining cultural heritage as well as strengthening language abilities in both English and Spanish were emphasized throughout the program. Even though the students come from different countries throughout Latin America, Vacaciones Útiles teaches the children to celebrate their cultures and differences.

I had the opportunity to learn about the different cultures of the students at Vacaciones Útiles, but the students also shared the many challenges that they have faced. My experience at Vacaciones Útiles gave me a better understanding the hardships that immigrant children face at very young ages. For example, one day as we boarded the bus for tennis, one of the first graders started telling me a story about when he was on a bus for four straight days. He is six years old now, but he told me about his family’s journey to Cincinnati from El Salvador when he was only four years old. He explained how his family boarded a bus in Mexico and drove through the blazing hot desert to finally reach Cincinnati four days later. As he described their difficult journey, which included just one meal per day of a small sandwich, my eyes were opened to challenges that immigrant children face. At only six years old, he has already faced unthinkable hardships. Many of the children in the program have faced unimaginable obstacles at very young ages, which is one of the reasons why this program is such as valuable asset to the community. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to help the students at Vacaciones Útiles grow throughout the summer, and I hope to take what I learned through this experience into my future career.