The first Latinx Role Model event of 2020 took place on January 31, when students were visited by medical interpreter Darsy Amaya, whom many involved with IMPACT already knew from her video interviews about the interpreting profession. This series can be found in the “Interpetting Profession” section of the IMPACT site’s resources page. In person, she shared even more about her history interpreting for her community and what life is like being a professional interpreter. She is very conscious of the value her services bring to members of her community, like kids at Nationwide here in Columbus and their families.
Darsy continues to be a valuable collaborator of IMPACT as well. She returned to Westland High School one evening the week following her presentation to talk to new students interested in joining the IMPACT Program!
Two weeks later on Valentine’s Day, Jessica Cáceres of the Ohio EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, visited Westland HS shared her love for her career in environmental science. Her message to students was to find what it is in life that you love to do most, then find or build a career in it. She brought snacks and successfully encouraged active participation from students. This was her first presentation of this nature, and she could not have done a better job!
This quote from a 2017 ¡Dímelo Columbus! interview with Cáceres explains what she means by letting what you enjoy most become your career. “I was interested in environmental science as a child – I was always playing outside. My mom recently sent me a photo of me picking up worms… So I think I’ve always had that interest in being in the outdoors and college helped me focus it through sustainability and eventually to environmental science.” That full interview with our very interesting visitor is available here.
Our third visitor for Spring 2020, Denise Arizpe, presented on March 3rd. She was not expected to be the final Latinx RM of the semester, however it was during that week that Ohio’s response to COVID-19 began. (Read about how IMPACT has dealt with the outbreak here.) Coincidentally, these times have a direct relationship to the importance of Denise Arizpe’s line of work as a Wexner Medical Center social worker with a background in mental healthcare. She shared with students how she came to this profession. In her current practice at Ohio State’s General Internal Medicine Clinic, she specializes in treating depression, anxiety, and adjustment during life transitions. In her work she has encountered a variety of patients including a wide range of ages and the LGBT+ community.
The variety of backgrounds and experiences which our Spring 2020 presenters brought to share with students represents the main purpose of the Latinx Role Model event series, to expose young Latinx students to the vast array of opportunities in the field of health and to give successful Latinxs in the Columbus area a platform to inspire.