eCarly@CALS
Serving People Through Opportunities in Agriculture
by Carly Martin
Some of us rarely need to face language barriers. Some of us do each and every day.
Recently I met with William Arce, a high school student from Puerto Rico. Arce is one of the 5 high school students, along with 15 undergraduates, who were on the Iowa State University campus this summer as part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' George Washington Carver internship program.
William was named a McNabb Intern, supported through a generous and ongoing scholarship by the late Dr. Sande and Mrs. McNabb.
Arce will be a senior this fall at Dr. Heriberto Domenech High School in Puerto Rico. All his classes are, naturally, in Spanish. Each year he and other students are required to take one English class. His agriculture teacher, Pedro Hernandez, saw the potential in William and introduced him to FFA.
"My teacher would always tell me about more opportunities and activities that I should try," says Arce.
In 2010, Arce was elected to be the FFA state treasurer of Puerto Rico. He competed in public speaking (in English) and the FFA Creed. William was part of his chapter officer team and worked with livestock and crops. He also produces plantains in his own household. Teaching his community how to produce their own food is something he would like to do.
This summer, at Iowa State, Arce worked with mentor, Michael Retallick to do a research project in the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies. More specifically, he had three goals during his six-week stay:
- Identify the socioeconomic factors that Latino high school students face in Iowa.
- Determine the benefit of agricultural education and the national FFA organization.
- Gather a general consensus of barriers and opportunities by the leaders in the communities.
"The most challenging part of this summer has probably been my English," says Arce.
I was shocked to hear this. I had been immediately impressed by his ability to speak English so fluently.
"Even as I sit here and talk with you, I am translating everything from Spanish to English before I say it," says Arce.
Hearing William explain this helped me realize some of the things he would like to accomplish and help overcome.
As part of his Iowa State research project, William visited some highly populated Latino areas in Iowa. He conducted interviews, did web research, and helped with surveys while participating in the George Washington Carver Internship summer program.
William also had the chance to visit and talk with their local agriculture leaders at county fairs throughout Iowa.
Arce will return to Puerto Rico to finish out his senior year of high school. He plans to attend Iowa State University and major in agricultural education following graduation. He is very thankful for the opportunity to come to Iowa State to do research.
"I love this state. The people are very welcoming and this is an awesome campus. Everyone is always smiling and saying hello to each other," says Arce.
For information concerning the George Washington Carver Internship Program contact Aurelio Curbelo acurbelo@isatate.edu and check the website at https://www.diversity.cals.iastate.edu/george-washington-carver-internship-program.