Hispanic Heritage Month

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Student Eduardo Herrera-Perez shares his reflections.

Eduardo Herrera-Perez is a full-time student studying Business who plans to transfer to Wayne State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree. He is the President of the Schoolcraft College Business Club and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Eduardo’s interests include running and traveling.

As a Hispanic, higher education is something I really take for granted. My entire family, including my parents, all went to college, and many are in their 30s and still attending college for nursing. Education is just something that’s in my family’s blood.

Eduardo Herrera-Perez
Schoolcraft College student Eduardo Herrera-Perez.

I want to identify myself as someone who accomplished something. As someone who worked their way up to something. And college is really the first step to this goal. Not only am I working myself up to my

career goal, but I am also making lifelong friends along the way. By the time I’m out in the real world, I will have a diploma that I can use for the rest of my life and lifelong friends. And that’s higher education in a nutshell! Make lifelong friends and earn a degree meant to give you a head start in life.

University has many meanings behind it. For instance, the one that we’ve heard everywhere is that it’s a place where people study to receive their undergrad degree and master’s. But there is another meaning behind the word “University.” Uni stands for United. A university is the only place other than a big metropolis where people from different races and backgrounds come together and unite to take classes together. And Schoolcraft College has made inclusion a top priority for their campus. 

At Schoolcraft, you will find yourself surrounded by many different cultures. You will see fliers for events for an array of cultural heritage events. And inside the Grote Center you will find the office for our Director of Equity and Engagement. Schoolcraft just meets all criteria for a community college focused on equity.

Hispanic Heritage Month means a lot for me as a Hispanic. It’s the month where I can celebrate my culture and feel proud of my ethnic background. It’s the month where all Hispanics come together to celebrate Hispanic culture! It’s the month where I can feel proud of who I am.

It’s a month of bondness with my culture.

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My name is Armando Saucedo-Villegas, and I was born in Saltillo, Mexico. Currently I’m the Multimedia Editor for the Schoolcraft Connection, where I record, edit, and publish all the video content that goes up on the YouTube channel “Schoolcraft Connection.” Being Latino gives me a connection to my family. For many Latinos, “Family” is not just the people you live with – family is tradition.

Armando Saucedo
Schoolcraft College student Armando Saucedo-Villegas.

As an immigrant, I try very hard to maintain connection with my traditions and culture; however, I also realize that my family came to this country for better changes. Having that dichotomy all my life of being from a place where I barely remember and living in this area of cultural diversity where life has been changing constantly is tough. I know I haven’t had it as hard as I could have had it, having lighter skin and not having an accent means that if I don’t mention being Latino in the conversation, it wouldn’t be considered an option. I don’t try to hide where I’m from, but it does say something about the people who act differently when I mention that I wasn’t born here.

As much as these 31 days (of Hispanic Heritage Month) help spread awareness of obstacles that Latino people have in their life, I know I don’t have the same problems as people that have darker skin than I do. A problem that I and many others do have, however, is having to live in a car-dependent suburb and having to drive everywhere, especially school. One way to make Schoolcraft a better place not just for people like me, but everyone on campus, is to add some form of public transportation, or add better protected bike and path networks to get to the local restaurant for lunch.

This solution doesn’t have anything to do with me being Latino, but it would open up opportunities for every student to be able to arrive on campus without having to rely on buying a car that may break down just to get an education or have access to any amenity found at Schoolcraft.

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Rena Yuzon was born and raised in Michigan. She was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Wayne State University and a Master of Arts degree in Education from the University of Michigan. Rena currently works as the Course Manager of the Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and Public Safety Training Complex disciplines in the Distance Learning office.

Rena Yuzon
Rena Yuzon, Course Manager in Distance Learning, with her family.

Hispanic Heritage Month means many different things to me. It is certainly an opportunity to learn, celebrate and engage in the rich and varied histories and cultures of Hispanic communities. It also offers an opportunity to look at identity in all its nuance.

I am a biracial woman who identifies as Hispanic. I was born to a white mother and a Hispanic father. I am a third-generation American on both sides. I was raised in a predominately white suburban community. I learned about my culture as all do – from my family, holidays, birthdays, weddings, funerals and the like. As I grew up, I heard a multitude of narratives about my ethnic and racial identity. I straddled two communities, always searching for my place in them.

In high school, I learned about the immense reach and influence of the Spanish Empire across the world. Through family tree projects, I got to learn about the early Latin American diaspora and how migration affected my own family. In college, I learned the details of the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the impacts on the indigenous and enslaved people and how new identifies were forced and shaped. These lessons helped me understand the significance of personal identity and allowed me to get more comfortable in my own.

After graduate school, I married a first-generation Filipino-American. Through this, I got to learn more about the Hispanic dimensions of Filipino history and culture, since the Philippines was a Spanish colony for more than 300 years. Now, we have a multiracial son named Diego. I’m excited to help him find his own identity in all this nuance.

As I was considering what to write about for Hispanic Heritage Month, I listened to Painting by Numbers, an interesting episode from the podcast Code Switch. One of the things that became clear to me was that I am far from the only one grappling with these issues of identity. My greatest hope for the Schoolcraft College community, metropolitan Detroit, the state of Michigan, and the country as a whole, is to understand that each one of us carries a unique, layered and fluid identity worthy of respect and dignity. My life’s work is to cultivate this understanding through teaching and learning. I’ve continued to pursue this work during my time at Schoolcraft College with many wonderful faculty and staff. I am proud of the hard work we’ve done together and look forward to continuing the work toward a more diverse and inclusive community.

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To help celebrate the rich history and contributions of Latin Americans, all are invited to “Hispanic Heritage Month: The Latin American Experience in the U.S.” The program, hosted by the Office of Equity and Engagement and presented by Safe Place, will be from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28, in the lower level of the Vistatech Center on the campus of Schoolcraft College.

The presentation offers an opportunity to learn more about the importance of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). Safe Place is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all, with this program looking at the Latino representation, achievements, contributions and current struggles facing Latin Americans in the U.S.

Thanks also to the Student Activities Office for its support. For more information, contact the Student Activities Office at 734-462-4422.