Author Reyna Grande was invited into the Cerritos College Student Center to speak about her experiences as a community college student.

The event took place on Friday, Sept. 9.

Grande said, “My message for the students was to continue to persevere[…] to have goals for the future, and to not let any obstacles inhibit them from becoming the people that they want to be.”

Grande listed the obstacles she had faced along the path of education.

These obstacles include being undocumented and living in fear of being deported, not speaking the vernacular or not speaking it well, domestic issues such as the presence of alcoholism and abuse and the lack of support in scholastic pursuit from either parent.

Grande continued:, “I didn’t get help from […] my parents to go to college, so I had to make it on my won. As a Latina, I encountered a lot of discrimination. Often times I felt that i didn’t really have much to contribute.

“Latino students especially have a lot to deal with. We are living in a political climate that’s… unfriendly… now more than ever, we need our Latino students to show the best… We are being judged harshly. I definitely think Latino students today can relate to a lot of the things I went through,”she said.

In attendance were students of Cerritos College and Norwalk High School, ESL specialists and fellow Latina writers, such as Paula Pereira and Sara Borjas, and community members who gathered to gain a better understanding of the struggles that Latino students face and to be encouraged to carry on despite these struggles.

Borjas, who is a creative writing professor at UC explained her role in the event after Grande’s talk said, “I was contacted by the English department, by Dr. Frank Gaik who asked me to speak about my experience as a writer and college student.

[This event was to] give [the students] an idea of what a path to college looks like as a Xicana writer and to give guidance and […] encourage everyone to use college as a source of self development; to develop your own identity, to develop you family’s identity, and [to develop] the world you’re going to end up living in.”

Borjas, who is a widely published Latina poet who strives to be a voice for Latinos in the writing community.

She stated, “It was really dope being here. I was excited […] to give guidance and inspire. Seeing all these people here makes me super grateful to be here and for everyone to be interested in doing the same things I’m trying to do.”

Communications major and public relations coordinator for MEChA Club Natalia Valdez was present at the event and spoke about her reasons for taking the time to be in the audience.

“I came to represent [MEChA] and the school because we found out that Norwalk High School was here […] and it also has a MEChA club; and I read some of her books, I thought this was my chance to come see her.”

Valdez went on to say that the author’s call to action, “Dream with your eyes open” affected her. “I’m Puerto Rican and Mexican but I was born here, I have always felt like I was in between three borders.

“I don’t know what to do. I have never had a plan for myself and I think her words inspired me to find out what I want to do with my life.”