by Adriana Alfaro Liendo
My name is Adriana Alfaro and I am the Global Engagement and Intercultural Learning Student Assistant in the Fries Center for Global Studies. This is an interview series that I decided to give a voice to people at Wes whose stories or perspectives are unique, special, and uncommon. I decided to ask them about their backgrounds, identities, and their experiences at Wes.
For this first series, I interviewed two students, two seniors to be exact. Both of them gave me permission to put their names.
I hope you enjoy reading about these two students who have a lot from their inside and want to share with the Wesleyan community.
Samantha Angulo ’25
Samantha was born in a tropical and warm country in South America, a country that was not only described as warm for its location but also for its people. She was born in Venezuela and raised there for 12 years. When she moved to the United States, she was turning 13 years old, and even though she was young, she realized the differences between the country she was born in and the country that was about to be her second home. Samantha sensed what felt like a coldness between people compared to what she was accustomed to feeling among other Venezuelans. Without the customary greetings of hugs and kisses, it seemed to her like people distanced themselves from each other. To an adult, maybe this would not seem so important, but it had a strong impact on a 13-year-old girl. Finding a social life has been tough for her since there is a gap between people, even in the Latino population; unlike in Venezuela, she saw a strong division between genders. She mentioned that “machismo” is a problem that still exists in her country.
Experience at Wes
Samantha’s experience at Wes has been great because of its openness and inclusiveness. She has been able to create her own personality. POC events have been unique spaces where she can find people like her who make her feel that she is not alone. On the other hand, POC events can also be spaces where segregation exists. She questions why there are still events and places where people have to be one color or another to be welcome.
Why theater and film?
It is home outside home. There are no rules or criticism towards others. “I LOVE THEATER. It is my escape from reality, maybe from the bad part of society? It is difficult to exist without division in the US. In Venezuela, no matter your color or background, you are welcome anywhere, unlike most American society, and theater gives me that comfort. I do not know what I would be doing without theater, and I am grateful that people in Wes appreciate the arts.”
Quotes from the student:
“The United States is a salad because there are so many races and ethnicities and they can mix, but they cannot blend.”
“There is sufficient diversity in Wesleyan to find my people.”
“It’s hard to speak English all day; that is why I go to the Spanish table.”
Chris Saade ’25
Born to an American mom and Lebanese dad, Chris detected that when he was growing up, he looked “different”. He was born in Maine, whose population is majority white. When he was in school, other kids called him “a terrorist” just because he did not match the American standard. Even though his dad was from Lebanon, he did not grow up with him, so Chris does not know a lot about his Lebanese side.
Experience at Wes
When he came to Wesleyan, he realized that there were people from the Middle East and finally started to learn about his Lebanese side. He also started to take classes related to the Middle East to connect and learn about his background. Chris is now a board member of the Arab Student Association on campus, where he not only organizes events but also shares with other Arab students.
“Wesleyan is a good place,” Chris said during his interview. He pointed out that there is a lot of diversity and good professors. He mentioned that even in a small class of four people, he could learn a lot about others’ perspectives and cultures.
Not only at Wesleyan, but in Connecticut, he found a Catholic-Lebanese church, where he has been going for a while now, learning about his traditions, cultures, and religion.
Why Government and History?
From Chris’ perspective, Government has a lot of international students, and he can learn from their points of view and also engage with what is going on in the world. With History, he mentioned that he was always interested in it, and that was the reason he selected this minor.