Campus activities are highlighting the month, while faculty and staff members win recognition as notable Latino leaders.
Baldwin Wallace University wraps up Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month with a culminating keynote address featuring Saul (pronounced Sah-ool) Flores, who walked 5,328 miles through 10 countries and nine border crossings to document the grueling and dangerous journey of immigrants to the U.S.
The Center for Inclusion is hosting the appearance by Flores on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 7-8:30 p.m. at BW’s Center for Innovation and Growth.
BW’s month-long celebration has been going strong since mid-September and has included some faculty and staff in the regional spotlight.
Events on campus included an appearance by Rafael Hernández-Brito, the high-energy Cleveland Cavaliers' Spanish broadcaster. BW Spanish faculty and student Spanish Cub hosted the “Spanish in the Professions” event, part of a series that aims to showcase the benefits of multilingualism in professional contexts.
BW’s active chapter of the Spanish and Latine Student Association (SALSA) joined forces with BW’s Panhellenic Council to sponsor a Cultural Night and helped to host an alumni gathering over Bold & Gold homecoming weekend.
SALSA has garnered a number of awards, including “Cultural/Diversity Program of the Year” at BW’s spring Student Life and Leadership Awards for a jazz concert and alumni reception in collaboration with the Conservatory of Music. SALSA was also recognized as “Student Organization of the Year” at the Dr. Obie Bender Multicultural Awards, where advisor Carmen Castro-Rivera earned the "Positive Force Award."
This fall, Castro-Rivera, assistant dean, operations and business development, at BW’s Carmel Boyer School of Business was named to the Crain’s Cleveland 2023 list of Notable Latino Leaders.
The magazine highlighted Castro-Rivera’s "commitment to eliminating barriers to education and professional success [that] shines through" all of her work at BW and as president of Esperanza Inc.'s board.
"Carmen is an irreplaceable, key leader in our school where she actively oversees MBA marketing and recruitment, works with corporations to provide customized training and manages external professional development programs," BW business school dean Dr. Susan Kuznik told the magazine.
Also this month, Dr. Sergio Robles, an assistant professor of marketing in the BW Carmel Boyer School of Business, was featured in a Fox 8 News report on AmMore Consulting’s “100+ Latinos Cleveland Must Know.”
Not only did Robles come to BW’s attention through the list, but it also connected him to other organizations seeking to tap his impressive credentials and experience, including an international consulting career that has taken him across the world.
“It just kind of exploded on social media in a way that other organizations, because Marcia Moreno, who runs the 100 Latinos, was able to get a seat for me at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress,” Robles told Fox 8. “It just kind of evolved for other organizations wanting me to be on their boards.”
See the full report on the Fox 8 website.
For information and free tickets to Saul Flores’ talk, visit the “Walking with Immigrants” event page.
