The Voice - Student Newspaper

Spanish club broadens horizons

The event – open to all students and staff but attended primarily by Spanish and communication students – was billed as a cultural exploration of Ecuador, a tiny but populous country wedged between Colombia and Peru on the northwestern coast of South America.

The Feb. 9 event featured a lecture followed by a free lunch catered by Mi Cocina Mi Pais, a local restaurant specializing in Ecuadorian cuisine. It was the Spanish Club's second installment in their Latin American series, which aims to engage and educate students about the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries.

Dr. Bel Quiros-Winemiller, professor of Spanish and Chinese at GCC, organized the event. As Spanish Club adviser and seasoned event planner, Winemiller was able to secure an esteemed guest speaker, Dr. Jorge Valdivieso. Valdivieso has served in various capacities in education, government and business over his long and impressive career. He is currently Ecuadorian Consul Emeritus to Arizona.

Valdivieso lectured in Spanish for the first half of his presentation, which covered the geography, ecology, climate, demographics and industry of Ecuador.

"I enjoyed listening to him talk about what the indigenous people eat and how Ecuador has had eight presidents in 10 years," said Elizabeth Jamrogiewicz, a first-year GCC student. "Hearing him talk about the beauty of the Galapagos Islands really piqued my interest."

Jamrogiewicz enjoyed the presentation, which prompted the avid traveler to add Ecuador to her list of places to visit.

"For my honeymoon we went to the Dominican Republic," said Jamrogiewicz. "After this I'm definitely interested in going to Ecuador."

Eliciting that kind of reaction from students is exactly the goal of the series, according to Winemiller.

"I want to share what I know about the world with these students," said Winemiller. "There is so much variety in Latin America, with the food, the music, the customs, even the accents. I want students to have a better view of Latin America and experience the cultures."

The first event in the series was dedicated to Peru. The next installment will celebrate Chile and will be held in the Student Union on Monday, March 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Winemiller urges all students who are interested to come.

Please send comments to llemoine@gccvoice.com