The Arizona Western College San Luis Learning Center recently hosted its fifth multilingual student expo.
Every semester for the past two years, students of Dr. Sara Amani at the AWC campus in San Luis have come together to celebrate their cultures in a multilingual expo.
Amani told KAWC the event helps students find their voices.
"Our accent is a part of our identity," she said. "It reflects our multilayered self because our accent is a result of all the diverse experiences that we've had."
Student Samantha Olivarria was one of two AWC students who in November attended the first ever First Generation College Student Day briefing at the White House. Samantha said it was a once in a lifetime experience.
"I'm not the only one struggling at times as a First-Gen student," Olivarria said. "We have to encourage (fellow First Gen) students to keep going."
One of the student groups at the San Luis AWC campus is LeadHERship. It's goal is to empower women and the group recently held a session with campus and local community leaders.
The speakers were Maria Chavoya, AWC district governing board member; Diana Gomez, chief health officer for the Yuma County Public Health Services District and Reetika Dhawan, chief executive officer for the AWC Entrepreneurial College and vice president of workforce and healthcare programs.
Artist Lucy Baker of Yuma created four small paintings for the panelists. The nature paintings had a dragonfly, a butterfly, a hummingbird and a dove to represent leadership and empowering women.
Baker said she has been painting for more than 30 years and has some of her artwork on display at Cafecito in Yuma and an art gallery in Michigan.
"I have a passion for my art," she said.
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