They may be college students, but they are not too young to know
that they want to make a positive impact on social change,
especially between Latino and Jewish students on college
campuses.
They may be college students, but they are not too young to know that they want to make a positive impact on social change, especially between Latino and Jewish students on college campuses.
Puente: Bridges between Latino and Jews, a pilot program created to develop leadership skills through cross-cultural dialog and social action projects, recently accepted one of Morgan Hill’s long-time residents and student, Karla Bravo into its program.
Bravo said that both Latinos and Jews in the United States face discrimination.
“We want to fight to help our own communities and we want to know about each other’s traditions,” said Bravo.
Puente’s far-reaching influence is cultivating a bright future for Bravo who, in March, went to Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of a social action project where she will live with a host Jewish family. Before the trip, Bravo talked about what she expected.
Bravo will experience culture, politics and traditions that are diametrically different from hers. She is Latino and Catholic.
While in Buenos Aires, Bravo hopes to visit with Lino Gutierrez, U.S. ambassador to Argentina, to learn about the economics and politics. She will also visit with elders, work with people who are in crises, work on a plantation and other community service projects determined by Puente.
Bravo supports the idea of “Tzedaka, giving without expecting,” she said. Tzedaka is the Jewish term for helping the poor and is often translated as charity or more closely translated as justice or fairness. Tzedaka is also the practice of Puente.
Because she grew up in Morgan Hill, diversity is not new to Bravo. She witnessed how people reacted and treated her best friend, who is Palestinian, differently after Sept. 11, 2001.
“You must learn to respect and embrace other cultures and be opened minded and aware of what you say,” said Bravo.
Bravo said that her relationship with her best friend at Live Oak High School taught her that different cultures do have similarities like traditional family values and goals. It was at Live Oak that Bravo began her interests in diversity and social justice issues.
In high school, she participated in monthly meetings for Spanish-speaking parents where she tutored immigrant women in English and addressed issues on education.
Currently, Bravo attends Evergreen Valley College where she is finishing her general education requirements with pending applications to Santa Clara and Stanford universities for fall 2004. At Evergreen Valley College, Bravo’s impressive math and English placement test scores got her into Enlace, a program for Latino students working towards the transfer requirements to attend a U.C., C.S.U. or a private university.
“Karla is an extremely energetic young lady who is committed to achieving academic excellence, while at the same time trying to make a difference in her community,” said Frank Espinoza, Enlace program counselor. Bravo has received various scholarships along with an internship at Congressman Mike Honda’s office for the past two semesters.
Clea Kaske, staff assistant and intern supervisor for Honda’s office said that Bravo has learned many things about government issues and constituent services that can help her in her academic career.
“She is very open-minded and willing to discuss different issues,” said Kaske. Bravo responds to constituent requests, takes calls on federal issues, current house bills and immigration issues. As part of the Puente health initiative, Bravo is planning to lead health workshops in Latino communities on diabetes. She is also putting together a workshop to let immigrants know how to obtain home ownership. Where Bravo attends college in the fall, she will study Spanish and English to prepare her for a master’s degree in international law where she wants to “continue celebrating diversity,” she said.
“I love talking to people who are different than me,” said Bravo. “We must remember our struggles and remember where you came from and share these experiences so that others will not have to reinvent the wheel.”
“Karla always brings a wonderful burst of positive energy to all of the Puente programs. She is extremely kind, gracious, and really cares about being Latino and branching out and learning about other communities and people,” said Sharon Papo, Puente program director. “She feels very committed to making the community better.”
