 "Photo: Luis Porras")
Watching the turning of the leaves during fall and expecting snow in the winter are a few things Johanna Pastel was accustomed to in her hometown of Albany, N.Y., but in El Paso and Juárez, Pastel is learning what a November without snow is like and what it's like to cross an international border every day.
Pastel, a student at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., is a participant in the Border Studies Program, which works to enhance multicultural knowledge by enabling students from around the nation to take courses, live with a host family and participate in field studies.
The program, which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, is based in Earlham College, Ind., and is affiliated with the UTEP Center for Inter-American and Border Studies.
To qualify, students must fill out an application that includes 10 short essays, submit two letters of recommendation, complete a Spanish evaluation and participate in an interview.
The Border Studies Program is offered during the fall semester to sophomores, juniors and seniors of all academic majors. The program has anywhere from eight to 22 students enrolled each fall.
This year, there are 20 students enrolled that take one elective class at UTEP and a class at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, called Temas Fronterizos: Perspectivas Mexicanas. Students take two other classes with Amy Morris, Border Studies resident director, and Naomi Fertman, Border Studies program associate. They participate in a field study, which counts toward their total of 18 credit hours.
Students live with a host family in either Juárez or El Paso. Host families are either Spanish speaking or have Spanish-speaking relatives across the border. The goal of living with a host family is to assist the students in enhancing their Spanish skills and allow them to experience life on the border. Students usually walk across the border, either from El Paso or Juárez, to get to school and take the bus from there.
There is one family for every student and this year, 20 families are participating in the program. The families receive funding to cover the cost of food and other expenses for the student.
"My favorite part is staying with a host family, because I have a host sister my age. Instead of feeling like a guest, I feel like part of the family," Jessica Weinstein, sophomore in Latin American studies from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, said.
Weinstein is from Concord, Mass.
"The experience of living on the border and getting to know people on both sides is phenomenal," she said.
The students also volunteer 12-15 hours a week at a non-profit organization related to their field of study.
"I participate with Biblioteca Infantíl. It is an after-school program that a woman started out of her home that offers after-school resources to students. I teach classes there as well," Weinstein said.
Aside from taking courses, living with host families and volunteering, students take two trips away from the area. This year, the students went to Nogales, Ariz., a border town with Nogales, Mexico. Their assignment was to compare an urban border with a rural border setting.
During their stay in Arizona, students were able to speak with the border patrol and work with No More Death, an organization that provides immigrants with food, water and medical treatment. They will also travel to Mexico City to learn about the history, culture and politics of Mexico.
"Talking with the border patrol was a bit intense, but I had to remember they are people too. Overall, it was a learning experience," Pastel said of the Nogales trip. "The program helped me define who I am, where I want my place to be in the world and what issues I think are important. People talk about immigration, but being able to see it, take the experience home and say we need to do something is the biggest benefit."
Pastel volunteers at Tierra Madre, an environmental advocacy organization that builds straw houses for low-income families. The organization is based out of Sunland Park, N.M.
The Border Studies Program also holds mini-programs in the spring and summer. This year, the program is expecting six or seven groups of students from colleges across the nation and possibly some high school participants.
Resident Director Morris works closely with the students and coordinates the program. Morris teaches a course entitled Globalization, the Border and Social Movements at UTEP.
Some of the former participants of the Border Studies Program have been guests at national conferences or have had their border experiences published.
"I am pleased to be working with this organization. I have high hopes for the future and look forward to the program expanding to two semesters," Morris said. "The program educates students with no knowledge of the border and the students go home and are able to inform their hometown of the issues, which makes education the biggest accomplishment."
Kathryn Holly may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
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