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Sarah Masinda Professor Lauren Feldkamp UNIV 101 TR 3:30-4:45 September 15, 2013 LBC Event #1: El Salvador ! On the night of September 10th at 7:00, my colleague, Tyler Earl-Caphart, and I

decided to attend the presentation on the small Latin American country of El Salvador. The presentation drew such an incredible number of people that a large percentage of the seats in the Student Center auditorium were full. It was put on by a few different organizations that support and encourage strengthening the different communities in the country. The speaker grew up in El Salvador and had many historic stories to tell us. However, because she only spoke Spanish, a translator stood by her side explaining her words. Pictures taken by the speaker on the slide show accompanied the presentation. The audience and I became intrigued almost instantly. ! The more the woman spoke, the more interested I became. Walking through the

doors, I had no idea where El Salvador is. I am now much more aware of the country than I ever was. I was shocked by the fact that in the 1970s an uprising happened that killed over 75,000 people. Many of these were social activists that cared about improving the country. The situation did improve when organizations such as SHARE and CRIPDES came into the picture to help. These groups make efforts to increase womens empowerment, environmental justice, citizen participation, and leadership development. There has been an incredible change for the positive since the

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organizations got involved. I felt empowered by the stories and wondered what was going through the mind of those who volunteered. ! It was the determination of the organizations that truly made me inspired. My

biggest reaction was a feeling of empowerment. I can relate to the workers because I also have made a difference in the world. I have volunteered in a very different way then they have during my lifetime. My primary work is with special needs. I originally got involved when I discovered that I had a great deal of patience and understanding when working with my autistic brother. During my high school years, I worked with many peers with ranging emotional and cognitive disabilities on social situations. I spent hours in the classroom helping peers that eventually became my close friends. Even though it was not always easy, it is extremely rewarding work. ! I feel as though SHARE and CRIPTES are making a big impact, but I was still a

little bit confused with their role. I was a somewhat puzzled by the way they were stressing about why El Salvador needs help, when it seems like they have made so much improvement compared to other neighboring countries. The chapter of the book that relates to this idea the most is the section on emotional intelligence. When people do not have enough food to eat, it is impossible to reach self actualization. I feel so lucky to be a citizen of the United States and to have the opportunity to attend a university. Attending the program has opened my mind to some programs at Eastern that I can participate in as a student. ! This event has impacted me in an interesting way. Toward the end of the

presentation, they talked about going to El Salvador to study abroad. This made me want to seriously consider making that an option for myself. I plan on talking to an

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advisor to see what opportunities are available for a student like me. As far as the future of LBC events go, I will be more inclined to attend now that I have experienced one before. I will most likely check the events page more frequently than in the past. ! I would recommend this LBC program to anyone that is interested in traveling.

This event is not for absolutely every student. Personally, I found it to be an eye opening experience. Overall, I was mostly attentive during the two hours. However, I did see some other students dozing off and not paying full attention. This is why Ive come to the conclusion that if the description of the event doesnt raise a persons interest, they should look at other options.