Jacqueline Rioja Velarde

Jacqueline Rioja Velarde, co-founder of Latinas en Ohio, a women's advocate and leadership educational program for Latina women came and spoke on adopting a self-identity within the Latina culture as they try and assimilate into the state of Ohio. She spoke on the self-social identity that she embraced upon entering the U.S. from Lima, Peru.  Although she is a professional educator turned administrator, her inability to let go of her Peruvian roots ran deep initially.  She spoke about leaving a beautiful country where she enjoyed the freedom to move about the country within her profession, having to come here for her son's health, and having to overcome stereotypes of being unable to speak the language, being uneducated, and appearing to be stupid.  She struggled with having a cultural identity as well as she began to embrace the cultural differences that she brought with her from Peru from those of other Latinos from varying countries. She began to network out of feelings of isolation of being the only Latino in her neighborhood.  She then spoke about the intercultural identity of finally ending up being bilingual, Democratic, and surprisingly, a "woman of color."  This was interesting as she shared with us that she would have been considered to be white in her native country of Peru.  Her identity struggle has now brought her full circle.