|
Pepito the iguana was a show-stealer for a dozen or
so St. Charles students who toured Winona State University
last week, although the crickets were a close second and the ice cream
treat went over pretty well too.
The students, all Latino Little
Brothers or Little Sisters, were each paired with a WSU Big taking part
in the innovative Amistad program introduced
at the university this year.
Amistad, Spanish for “friendship,” is a
course that focuses on the Latin American culture through course work
and one-on-one mentoring. College students not only study racial and
cultural issues in the classroom, they also are matched with a Latino
child for the year through a school-based program facilitated by Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Winona.
The visit Wednesday gave the Littles
an inside look at the vast campus and the endless possibilities that
exist there. It helps broaden their horizons, course founder Dr. Stace
Rierson said, and shows them what it might be like to attend college
someday.
Children barely able to contain
their enthusiasm rushed through the modern library to the third floor
where they could peer over a balcony at a sea of books. They stood
there for a long time, gazing in obvious wonderment at the many
thousands of things sitting there to read. “Whoa, that’s a
lot of books,” one Little breathed.
But it was Pepito
in the new Science
Building that the
kids loved the most.
An iguana who resides in a
wall-sized aquarium, Pepito was a gentle
giant who closed his eyes indulgently as a dozen hands stroked his
scaly skin.
Dr. Bruno Borsari,
an assistant professor of biology at the university, was a patient
teacher for the rambunctious crew, explaining various creatures
occasionally in Spanish for the children.
Jose the python is not so happy, Borsari told them
as they peered into another large aquarium made red by a heat lamp. He
only eats a mouse or two a month and he would rather be living in the
tropics, but became a resident at WSU most likely as a cast-off pet, Borsari explained.
A small dish with three crickets in
it generated plenty of excitement from kids who were alternatingly fascinated and afraid of the hopping
creatures.
Borsari quizzed the children on the differences
between boy and girl crickets, and let willing brave souls hold them.
Unfortunately, the crickets were a little too hoppy
which resulted in a couple of unforeseen cricket tragedies before Borsari could get them back under glass.
“Feed them to the iguanas!” one child enthused.
The college students participating
in Amistad seemed to enjoy their dual role as
buddies and students, with each student visit providing them greater
insight into a culture that is in some ways very different from their
own.
Most weeks the WSU students travel
together to St. Charles,
where they meet with students to help them with homework, visit and
play games.
According to sophomore Kristine Welper,
her pairing and the Amistad course have been
very rewarding, showing her just how little she actually knew about the
Latino culture.
For Kelly Moon, also a sophomore,
the program immerses her in a culture that she someday hopes to work
in.
Each Wednesday, she and her Little
Sister exchange journals that talk about the past week. Doing so, Moon
said, has not only helped her get to know her Little, but also shown
her many ways in which they are similar.
An elementary education major, Moon
knows that there are sometimes educational struggles that go along with
being Latino in the United
States, but getting this hands-on
experience she is full of hope. “I hope to reveal opportunities
and emphasize optimism in my Little’s future,” she said.
“All the Littles are energetic and willing to learn. They just
need to find open doors that will lead them to a bright
future.”
|
